Another Micro-chip Miracle

http://www.pet360.com/cat/lifestyle/missing-cat-lived-in-pastry-factory-for-3-years/Bl2sNN_1fEKJifipFE_1Pw?utm_source=freekibble&utm_medium=freekibble&extcid=fkib

If you still don't believe micro-chips are worthwhile, read this short piece about a British kitty reunited with his people after three years. The pastry factory will now be forced to go and adopt a kitty (or two) from a rescue shelter to keep up employee morale!

Your Dose of Cute for the Day

http://www.catchannel.com/cat-rescue/kitten-aided-by-robotics.aspx

Check out this short piece on a disabled kitty who got just the help she needed to navigate the world around her. Darling Flipper inspired some humane education in action! 

Healthy New Year!

You don't think I'd make a cat wear a tiara do you?



If one of  your resolutions for the new year is to help your kitty shed extra weight so she can be healthier and more active, here's a link to advice from a feline only veterinarian.

 

http://www.tailsinc.com/2013/12/ask-the-vet-kitty-weight-loss-tips/

 

Personally I've fed a  mainly raw and home made diet to my kitties for years and now with frozen raw diets available at local pet food stores it's easier than ever. But I understand that this diet is not optimal or appealing to every kitty and fortunately there are also more natural/organic/high-protein choices than ever as well. There are several reasons to feed your companion animals U.S. made pet foods from companies that use human food grade ingredients and facilities: a history of recalls of tainted ingredients from large overseas manufacturers and genetically modified ingredients that many non-organic products likely contain. I also add "real foods" such as cooked, mashed sweet potatoes and winter squash, organic yogurt, and cooked chicken soup when the weather is very cold. Set mealtimes, rather than leaving out large amounts of food continuously, gives your kitty something to look forward to and discourages boredom (over)eating.

 

If your kitty eats too fast and tends to throw up, spread the food over a few small plates around the room or one large platter instead of a bowl. Or try a "treat ball" that holds dry food or pieces of freeze dried salmon or chicken. The difficulty level can be set lower or higher depending on how determined your feline is to get the food out. This is also a great device for cats left alone all day. Of course interactive play is the best exercise and don't forget clicker training for those very active kitties. A tall kitty condo in front of a large window is usually an excellent spot for your kitty to hang out, especially with bird feeders in sight. If your kitty isn't using the condo try moving it to a different spot and adding a few pinches of catnip to the perches. Bringing in sticks from outside and leaving out cardboard boxes or shopping bags without handles can encourage play just as well as fancy toys. The key is to add and subtract things to keep the environment new and stimulating. Have fun!

Shopping for the Holidays?

If you plan to do online shopping check out this link first. Register for free and the Feral Cat Spay/Neuter Project ends up getting a donation from the retailers you purchase from!

http://www.igive.com/welcome/lptest/wr24.cfm?c=9455

Here's a great idea for any cat lover on your list - sponsor a kitty for the month at Purrfect Pals with a one time donation of $25 and receive a beautiful card with a photo of the kitty you selected to give to your gift recipient.

http://www.purrfectpals.org/About/Shop.asp














If you have people on your list who might prefer to see a gift made in their name to an organization that helps a broader audience  than just kitties (such as those who think Heifer International is a worthy group to support), check out Help Animals India. Your donation will go far to support disaster relief, environmental projects, educational efforts, and help individual animals who are suffering as well. This is a top-rated charity of 2012 and you can be sure you are helping humans and animals.

http://www.helpanimalsindia.org/index.html

Furry Little Animals

As an ode to Halloween, check out this Finnish photographer who captures other-worldly images of wildlife in abandoned country cottages. What a perfect spot once winter hits.

http://www.kafa.fi/pages/the-house-in-the-woods.php

The Rewards of a Rescued Kitty

 

Dorothea, pictured above in her back yard, is a bright, beautiful kitty who might easily have become a free-roaming feral cat living on the streets of Seattle. She was clearly abandoned and hanging out with two older, friendlier male cats. I came upon Dorothea when I met up with friends for lunch. We inquired at nearby apartment buildings and the people we chatted with said they had seen the cats outside for days and that the cats didn't seem to belong to anyone. A rental house that had recently been vacated posed a possible answer as to where the kitties had been living. We will never know if the three had lived together prior to losing their homes or formed an impromptu family when they discovered each other. The boys were easy to pick up and put into carriers to transport; Arthur, the kitty whom Dorothea still lives with to this day actually implored us to help them all. "Little Doe" was frightened however and we had to resort to a humane trap to safely removed her from the alley.

 

All three kitties went in for health checks and neuter/spay. One of the boys was a handsome Siamese and not as bonded as Dorothea and Arthur were. He was adopted out to a couple. Dorothea and Arthur remained in their "foster home" and eight years later I am thrilled to sit them when their daddy goes out of town. While Arthur may have been taken in eventually by a neighbor, he also may have faced sad and hungry times ahead as a former companion kitty accustomed to an indoor life now living outside. Dorothea however, being shy and lacking Arthur's outgoing demeanor and human experiences would likely have become a feral cat. "She was so damaged by the experience of being abandoned at that tender age that she almost gave up on accepting human contact," says her daddy. He patiently extended unconditional love, safety, warmth and quality cuisine and she blossomed into a sweet and precious little soul. Dorothea's story reminds us to treat each kitty as an individual and never accept the black and white dichotomy of the term "feral."

 

While some feral felines are born outside and never socialized to humans, others have lived in homes as companions yet are forced outside due to no fault of their own. Sometimes unfeeling people will take a dog with them when they move yet put the cat (or cats) outside and drive off. Was the trio we rescued waiting for their guardian to return or had they reached a point where they simply did not know what to do or where to go? Truly feral cats can have a quality life with a regular caretaker who feeds them daily and provides shelter and health care when necessary. But no cat, especially an indoor cat who has depended upon his person for everything, can live a safe existence completely on his own in a busy city environment. National Feral Cat Day is October 16th and an excellent time to educate others about free-roaming cats and being a responsible cat guardian.

Pity the Kitties in Edmonds, WA

http://myedmondsnews.com/2013/08/keep-tabs-on-your-tabby-or-face-a-fine-council-votes-to-include-cats-in-animal-roaming-law/

The first I heard about an outright ban on outdoor cats appears to be a done deal in Edmonds, WA. This archaic attitude towards free-roaming felines smacks of intolerance and ignorance; evidence proves that catch & kill does NOT work the way that trap/neuter/return does to control populations of community cats. Even worse, the city of Edmonds apparently won't even give a break to obviously domesticated kitties wearing collars and tags sunning themselves out of doors. Frightening to think that one of my cat's favorite activities, peeing outdoors just because he can, would become a life or death proposition if Big Brother were watching.

Looks like Edmonds city council members have no compassion for felines OR for those individuals seeking medical marijuana to alleviate their pain, as there is an existing moratorium on dispensaries. Guess progress can be scary for some folks. Next, the city councilmembers will be hating on squirrels, crows and blue jays. And pesky little children. Fortunately I live in Seattle and never need patronize any businesses in the small minded and hateful city of Edmonds.

Just as there are not strictly indoor or outdoor cats, remember that not all free roaming felines are feral cats. Check out the article below for a recap on how you can tell subtle differences amongst kitties you might encounter.

http://theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/clickToGive/ars/article/Am-I-Dealing-With-A-Feral-or-Stray-Cat532?origin=FK_Trivia_08-29-2013