Beautiful New Kitty Book

http://www.halopets.com/freekibble/donation75.html

Meet Fukumaru, a Japanese kitty of ethereal beauty. He spends his days with his soul mate Misao, who found him as a abandoned kitten. Misao's grandaughter created a photo book of delightful images of the two and you can see many of them in this link. These pictures are a lovely statement about the bond between humans and felines, as well as a reminder to take time out for simple pleasures. Enjoy!

Is your kitty's motor running?

Here's an interesting piece on cats' ability to purr. Sidney likes to cuddle up and help with research like this!

http://www.mnn.com/family/pets/stories/why-do-cats-purr

Today is National Feral Cat Day!

 

About fifteen years ago, I came across a large group of cats living outside of a house in the Columbia City area of Seattle. I noticed that most of the cats all looked alike - tuxedos and B&Ws. This was to be the first site on which I would practice TNR. Some of the cats were ear tipped already, so no need to catch them but it was overall a difficult site because the people feeding didn't want to cooperate. Gigi (above right) was one of the kitties I caught to be spayed and returned to the site. Her seven month old sons were hissing and spitting in their traps; they would be neutered and returned as well. But Gigi had a different plan in mind. She escaped in my garage and it was three months before I could get her in to the vet. I couldn't touch her but she was a sweet girl and I felt sad about returning her to a place where the "owners" provided no care other than dumping dry food in the driveway once a week yet had literally told me that, "Those aren't my cats." It's also not advisable to return a cat after three months of imprinting on a new location. So Gigi stayed on as my yard kitty. After seven years I could pick her up and after 12 years and one particularly cold winter, she came to live inside. Gigi is now around 20 years old, deaf, and a genuine "Velcro kitty." She has a heated bed but spends her time glued to me when I am home. 

 

Alfie, trapped at seven weeks old, is pictured above at about one year of age (on the left). He and Gigi are in no way buddies so when they both happened to be on the couch at the same time I snapped this picture!

 

Learn more about feral cats via the Alley Cat Allies video below and help educate others who don't believe feral cats can have quality lives or enrich the lives of their guardians.  

 

http://www.tailsinc.com/2012/10/what-is-a-feral-cat-video/

Kitty Condo worthy of a Headbutt

http://cuteoverload.com/2012/09/12/the-tower-of-hairbel/

I've written previously about how much cats love cardboard boxes but this kitty guardian takes it to a whole new level! This is a fabulous design for multiple cats and is economical as well. Also worth noting is how much women love a man who loves his Rufus.

Every Cat's "15 minutes"

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/01/movies/at-cat-video-film-festival-stars-purr-for-close-ups.html

It's official - a film festival just for cat videos! Now you can watch all those darling, daring and LOL cat videos without feeling lowbrow.

Billy, a Very Special Therapy Cat

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2160079/How-love-Billy-stray-cat-finally-brought-year-old-autistic-boy-shell.html

Anyone who knows me could guess that I would raise some concern over a 4 year old child accidentally injuring or unduly stressing the family cat. Billy however, is a wise cat who has clearly chosen a 4 year old boy as his best pal and he acts as a therapy cat for the child as well. The lovely photos in this story demonstrate the obvious bond between the two and obliterate any concern that the kitty is in danger of being misunderstood by a youngster with limited social and motor skills.

Therapy animals are commonplace these days, as dogs, cats, bunnies, and farmed animals visit elderly and disabled care homes and are often adopted to individuals with disabilities. I've wondered though if the animals sometimes become tired or overwhelmed but carry on their duties because they want so badly to please the people around them. I recall reading that cadaver dogs used at disaster sites routinely become depressed with their task of finding the deceased and that trainers would sometimes plant a live person for the dogs to "rescue" in order to combat this depression. Animals, just like people, need to play and relax. I find that my kitties remind me to take time to sit and enjoy the sun, brush them simply for their pleasure, and give them silly things such as a fresh green bean to play with. I think all animals are actually "therapy animals" when we stop doing and take a moment to be.

Too Hot Baby?

Alfie loves summer weather but not all cats tolerate heat well, especially long haired, overweight or elderly felines. During very hot spells in past years, Alexander was clearly uncomfortable even though he slept in the coolest places in the house and stayed inside. I positioned a fan on the floor aimed at him while I placed chilled, wet hankerchiefs over him every few hours. He kept his activity level minimal and appreciated the makeshift air conditioning I created for him. Some guardians will place flexible ice packs under bedding for their kitties to lounge on. Providing extra water bowls, particularly china bowls in the bathroom, can encourage cats to stay hydrated. I always add a little extra water to canned food as I think it's a good practice to maintain. Many animals will eat less in general when the weather is a but too warm for them. Avoiding strenuous play and closely monitoring your cat while he or she is out sunning is also important. Have a safe and enjoyable summer!