Weaning Kittens to Solid Food

Over the years I have rescued my fair share of domesticated and feral kittens and there is always one kitten that is smaller than their littermates and is not ready to move forward when it comes to being weaned to solid kitten food.

Today marks the day that the kittens in my care should all start to be weaned but the kitten I call Larry is not ready to move forward with a diet change. Larry is a black and white kitten with traditional tuxedo markings and when we rescued him he was very small, no doubt the runt of the litter.

Here is a photo of Larry when I added some kitten kibble to the KMR kitten formula. From the expression you know exactly what this kitten is thinking; “You call this food?” “Rescue person what are you trying to do to me?” 

All of the other kittens had no problem with accepting the solid food that was softened with the kitten formula, however, Larry refused to taste the food.  He played with the food by using his paw to knock the food out of his bowl.  Since he was determined to not be weaned we did make up a bowl of KMR kitten formula for him.  

Going forward I plan to add a few pieces of the dry kibble to the formula and slowly wean Larry onto the solid Blue  Healthy Growth kitten food. Know that all of the kittens are getting a bowl of the replacement milk and they will continue to get this milk until they are 3 pounds or 3 months old.  We are doing this to provide them with a strong immune system.

Author Notes:  Blue Buffalo makes the Healthy Growth kitten food and on the package, it states that you can feed three-week old kittens the food.  Know that when we took the kittens in for their veterinarian checkup at three months old the Veterinarian asked us what we fed them, he said it was excellent food and that their coat and health was due to this high-quality kitten food.  I searched for bluebuffalo.com online for this product, read about it and liked what I read so I bought the Blue kitten food at PetSmart.com.  

If you have rescued kittens then I recommend that you feed them this food because they will be very healthy, shiny coat and adopters will want a healthy and pretty kitten.

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Shopped Tractor Supply Co for Cat Products

After getting an email today from a fellow cat caretaker I searched for Tractorsupplycom and found that there was a store on the other side of town so instead of getting into my car and driving there I did call and found that the small store in my area did offer a variety of pet supplies, including bed, outdoor shelters, cat collars, Frontline flea and tick preventative and discounted cat food.

I told the salesperson on the phone that I was a feral cat caretaker and was in the market for cat beds for my shelters and quality cat food that was high in animal protein, low carbohydrates with no soy, corn or grain and she told me that tractor supply carried their own brand that was equivalent to blue buffalo but cost less.

Then I was told that there were Wag Bag Pet beds that were comfortable and warm that were available online. These pets were .36 inches in length and 27 inches in width and were filled with polyester fiber fill that was soft and cedar. In a word perfect for our outdoor cat shelters and for the cats that spend the night in our shed.

Cat in warm bed

The phone salesperson also told me that I could shop online and have the products shipped to the store for pickup. 

 So that is exactly what I did I bought two of the Wags bag pet beds for $9.99 from their online store and then I read about the 4 health canned cat food and liked what I read; 

“ 4health™ Turkey & Salmon Cat Food contains added antioxidants, Omega fatty acids to support healthy skin and coat, no wheat, corn or soy.

Ingredients: 
Turkey, Turkey Broth, Liver, Salmon, Dried Egg Product, Brewer's Rice, Dried Potatoes, Barley, Peas, Guar Gum, Flaxseed Meal, Carrageenan, Carrots, Potassium Chloride, Dried Cranberries, Dried Blueberries, Apples, Taurine, Dried Chicory Root, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Dried Kelp, Salt, Dried Parsley, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate, Vitamin E Supplement, Choline Chloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Sodium Selenite, Niacin Supplement, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Biotin, Potassium Iodide, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid.”  Quote by tractor supply Co  

This canned cat food is only available at the store.  Know that the asking price of this food was .59 cents which is unbelievable for a quality food with no wheat, corn or soy. I am not sure it this is a sale price with limited time offer. I plan to buy as many as I can.

If you have not checked out the tractorsupply.com store then I would recommend that you do so because they do have a good assortment of pet products that are priced less than petSmart.com and Walmart.com. 

Low Cost Pet Vet Clinic at Tractor Supply Co

Today I get an email from a fellow cat caretaker and they told me to check out the Tractor Supply store in our area because some stores offer veternarian clinics with discount pet vaccines as well as flea, tick and heartworm prevention.

Oh my gosh this is fantastic because it would mean I could get vaccines and treatments for a whole lot of feral and stray cats. The email that I received said that there are low-cost veterinarian clinics inside the tractor supply store and that their services provide the pet owner with 70% off the cost of yearly vaccines for dog or cat.

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I learned that no appointment was required and that a licensed veterinarian would be administering the vaccines. The only thing that I do not know is if they will accept feral and stray cats. The reason for my concern is these cats are not people friendly. 

 If these veterinarians are skilled in handling  feral and stray cats then this is a huge savings for  the caretakers that oversee the colony cats.  Learn if there is a discounted pet vet clinic in your area by checking out tractorsupply.com veterinarian services in your area. 

Best to Keep Rehomed Cats Indoors

As I general rule I think it is best to keep a rehomed cat indoors until the get comfortable with their new surroundings and their  family. I say this because if you adopt a cat that is an adult and it has lived with their family for a long time and you allow the cat to go outdoors immediately it will try to find its way back to the former home.

Know that most cats do not make it back to the former home because they become lost in their new neighborhood and some cats try to cross busy streets and put their lives at risk.

I recently adopted a neighborhood cat that had been abandoned by its family when they moved. I kept this rehomed cat indoors for about a month but it was not long enough because he got out two days ago and did run to his former home.

The little tabby cat that I adopted never forgot his former home and as soon as he was able to run outdoors he went back to the house where his people used to live, a home three blocks away and across a busy street.

This is why I say it is best to keep a rehomed cat indoors. 

Emergency Veternarian Examines Our New Cat

Recently we adopted a stray cat from our neighborhood and everything was fine the first month and then 28 hours ago he got sick and could not urinate. Both my husband and I love this little tabby cat and are so worried about him. So in the last 24 hours we have taken our newly adopted cat to the emergency pet clinic.

Know that when your cat cannot urinate, or shows signs of wanting to urinate and nothing comes out that you need to have your cat checked asap as this is a serious condition.

As soon as we arrived the vet technician took us back to the exam room and she looked him over before and talked to us about what was going on. Husband said that our cat was in the litter box several times today but could not urinate, drops coming out. Plus our cat was pacing and irritable with dog and other cats.

All red flags that somethings was wrong. The veterinarian listened to us, then read the notes from the veterinarian that saw our cat 15 hours ago and said that he is certain that our cat has crystals and that these crystals are causing him discomfort and the feeling that he has to urinate all the time.

The behavior issues are normal for this type of infection, due to the discomfort and the cat felling like he has to urinate and nothing coming out. Husband explained our concerns suspecting foul play because it our neighborhood there have been reports of other peoples cats unable to urinate after going onto a certain block in our neighborhood.

To put our mind at ease the emergency Vet suggested we take our cat to our veterinarian and leave him there so they can get urine sample. So I am going to go to bed now, 3 AM try to get some sleep before taking our new adopted tabby cat to our veterinarian tomorrow, I will leave him in there care so they can do a urinalysis and make sure his kidneys are working okay.

Our New Cat Goes to Emergency Pet Care

Fifteen hours ago we rushed our newly adopted stray cat to the emergency veternarian because he was straining to urinate but could not. They treated the cat for urinary tract infection and cystitis

Our newly adopted cat was given an antibiotic and a steroid shots, and we were told to increase his liquids which we have by feeding him canned food mixed with water several times throughout the day. The cat eats very little and is urinating no more than a teaspoon.

I have been so worried about our new cat but needed to wait for my husband to come home due to the one car situation.  My husband said to wait until the morning to take him to our veterinarian since the costs and emergency vet so expensive. I told him I did not think it was wise as cats can die from a ruptured bladder from not being able to urinate.

 My husband did not need to be convinced as he saw the poor cat straining to go to the bathroom and only a teaspoon coming out.

Presently we are on route to the animal hospital. I fear that there is blockage and the cat must be catheterized or the cat was poisoned and is in kidney failure. I am so worried because this cat was fine, symptoms showed up only after he got out of the house ran to his former home, before adopting this cat he had been abandoned when his people moved away. This is why when he got out of our house he ran to the only home he knew. 

I found him twenty minutes after he got out of our house and picked him up from the porch of his former home.  The women of the house came out and yelled at me, and told me she hated cats. I cannot help thinking that she has poisoned my newly adopted tabby cat. Of course I have no proof. Another thought is maybe this cat has been eating food with corn, soy or wheat and these ingredients are GMO danger foods.  My mind is racing this way and that, because so many of the stray cats are getting sick.

Okay we are at the emergency vets now.  We are going inside, please say a prayer that my new kitty will be okay.

Tabby Cat on the day we adopted him, December 2014

Newly Adopted Cat Cannot Urinate

Whenever a cat shows signs that they cannot urinate then you really need to pay attention to this cat health symptom. Recently we adopted a stray cat and and took him to the veterinarians for exam, neuter, vaccines and in general made sure he was okay and safe to around our cats.

This little tabby that we call Louie is one sweet cat and he quickly acclimated to his indoor surroundings. His appetite was good, he used his litter box and got along well with other cats. Then three days ago he got out of the house and took off running to the neighborhood where his people used to live.

Louis was abandoned when his people moved and this means that he wants to go back to his birth home every chance that he gets. 

I went after him and I found him, and picked him up off the porch where he was laying. As I turned to walk off the door of the house opened and a women screamed at me to put a leash on that cat that she hated cats and did not want him lying on her porch.   I tried to tell her that he was born in that house and only went back to find his people and she yelled me again and slammed the door. I took Louie home and he seemed nervous, then that night he is straining to urinate.

Was he poisoned? Did this cat hater cause my cat harm. I don't know all I know is that we rushed him to the veterinarian emergency hospital and he had a fever, and was treated for a urinary infection and idiopathic cystitis.

Know that my other cat had idiopathic cystitis and there were symptom of this illness that occurred weeks before, the symptoms did not occur immediately after the cat returns for being outdoors.  I think there was foul play and have contacted my veternarian.  If need be I will take him to the veternarian tomorrow when they open for business. 

The emergency veternarian gave Louis two shots, medication for home care, I am watching and taking care of my adopted stray cat because he is sick and suffering from an infection that has caused him to be unable to urinate.

Here is a photo of Louie in September, he was visiting us and as you can see he is healthy.  This is when the neighbors were taking care of him, but none of us could adopt him due to our cities pet laws.  We adopted him in December after my cat needed to be euthanized and I could legally take in another cat.

This next photo was taken of Louie one month ago on the day we adopted him. 

And now he cannot urinate and I am worried about our adopted cat.

Caretakers Adopt Abandoned Stray Cat

For the last two years my husband and I along with the neighbors have been caretakers to a cute five year old tabby cat that was left behind when his people moved. We all put out food and water for this cat and have opened up our heated garages by installing a cat door for the abandoned and stray cats. Along with the garage shelters many of us have bought outdoor cat shelters for these animals that were left behind by their people.

We all wanted to adopt this cute tabby cat but couldn't.

All of us were over our pet limit and could not officially adopt this cat as the pet laws are very strict where I live and if you break them you risk of having all of your pets taken away by animal control. So we all follow the rules and do our best to take care of the abandoned cats in our neighborhood.

Last winter we found this tabby abandoned stray cat outdoors when it was in the single digits. Husband picked him up and put him in a cat cage in our mud room for overnight, it was too darn cold outdoors and this cat could have gotten frostbite. So the stray cat stayed in the cat cage, that was located in our mud room, where a door closed off the rest of our house, for three days.  Then  when the snow  melted and temperatures was warmer the cat went outdoors again.

The cat went back to his routine and all of the neighborhood watched out for him. Then in September of 2014 I had to put down three of my cats due to cancer and diabetes. Then in December we adopted this stray cat and got him neutered, vaccinated and provided him with flea and parasite treatment.

He came indoors to live with us and while he seems to like it, he does miss going outdoors. For the next three months we intend to keep him indoors so he knows that we are his people and he has a home . 

We would like to let him go outdoors to play in our yard.  But we fear that he will run to the home where he was born to look for his former people, they are not there and the “new family” could care less about the former cat who lived in the house. So it is best that the abandoned stray cat relate to us as his new family.

When Kittens Bite and Scratch

When you look at my hands you will see scratches. Know that these scratches are from the kittens that I care for.   When the rescued or abandoned kittens get to be a certain age they tend to play a little roughly by scratching and biting. Their  sharp little teeth hurt and sometime the scratch or bite gets infected.

Generally this rough playing with the biting and scratching occurs when kittens are about 7 to 8 weeks old. One day your kitten is sweet and the next morning something is different because your adorable kitten has discovered that her teeth hurt and she wants to bite everything and she also discovered that she has claws.

Discourage your kitten from playing with your hands or feet. Instead buy dabird (bird with feather on a stick) and run the bird across the floor. Your kitten will chase after the bird and find this to be amusing. If there are no litter mates for kitten to play with then buy your kitten a stuffed toy. Spray the toy with catnip and now you have a toy that kitten can play with and you hands are not their source of entertainment. 

 In addition to the cat toys, now is the time to teach your baby cat to use a scratching post.  I recommend buying a medium sized cat tree that is covered with carpet.  This tree will provide your kitten with hours of entertainment plus the cat tree will be their place a safe area to scratch.

Note:

Sometimes those dagger claws will puncture the skin and let me tell you this darling kitten’s playful behavior is not fun at all. So clip those claws so that they will not scratch you.  

I recommend that before you handle any stray or feral kitten that you make sure that you have on protective clothing; arms and legs covered with long sleeve shirt and if possible a jacket plus leather gloves to protect your hands.  Helpful to be current with your tetanus shot. Other than than enjoy the kittens as they are babies for only a short time.

Gray Cat at My Door is Injured

Not sure why cats find their way to my house but they do.  Our home is at the bottom of steep hill and it backs up 29 acres of dense woods with creek in the valley.  There is nothing around except a dead end street where cats and dogs are usually abandoned.   It should not surprise me but it always does when an animal finds its way to my side door. 

Tonight a large mature cat shows up at my side door and knew to scratch at the screen. I opened the door expecting to find my own cat wanting to come inside but instead there is a large gray and white cat sitting in front of the door looking at me.

My first reaction to this cat is to think that it is lost. So I turn on the porch light and go out to see if there is a collar and hopefully an identification tag. No such luck, this big boy with the shiny coat is well fed and I suspect either abandoned or lost.

I went indoors  to get some food and a bowel of water and set the cat bowls off to the side and that is when I realized that this cat was injured. His left hind leg is hurt because he is limping.

I called out to my husband and he examines the cats paw  to see if something is embedded but he said that the paw bed looked fine and he suspected cat got hurt in a fall or a fight with another cat. But again no bite or puncture wounds were noticed.  Maybe cat tried to climb a tree to get away from danger and fell?    We do not know but we both agree that this kitty that is injured must spend the night in our heated garage. 

 At this point we have no idea if this is somebody’s cat from the joining neighborhood.  All we know is that the cat is hurt and it is best that he is not spending the night outdoors tonight when coyote are in the area.  So there is another kitty that has found us and is of need of help.  We will do our best to care for him and hopefully we can locate his owner.

If you do not have a identification tag for your cat then I recommend this one. You can personalize it with your contact information.  If gray cat had a tag he would be home with his people tonight, instead of in my garage.

Cute identification tags for cats | Personalizable Pet ID Tags 

Spring Like Weather Means Cats will Mate

The last couple of days have been warm and the mild temperature is enough to make the unaltered cats eager to mate.

Feral Cat Bob was always eager to mate, he was neutered in December

In December we had taken in four cats to be neutered and thought we were all up to date with the feral and stray cats in our neighborhood but today I look out my back window and what do I see, a tomcat getting it on with a queen cat. What the heck is this and better yet are these stray cats or the lady down the streets cats that are not sterilized. 

January is not a good time for an outdoor cat to be pregnant because this warm weather is just a break in winter, snow in the forecast for this weekend and bitter cold weather. Not a good idea to have those kittens during the winter even if queen is held up in a thicket den, the weather will be too darn cold.

Since I am not about to let those kittens freeze to death I decided to get out the cat trap and try to catch the stray queen cat. Take her in for a spay and vaccines. Then I am going to go down the street to have a chat with the women with all of the unaltered cats and if she does not listen to me then I may report her to animal control because she is way over her limit and we can no longer continue to pay for her cats sterilizations. 

Ornamental Grass Garden Attracts Cats in Winter

In winter when the outdoor cats are seeking shelter the ornamental grass gardens if left in a natural state will attract cats. These cats will burrow under the grass leaves and will gain a comfortable resting spot where they are not noticeable.

Today while I was in the back part of my garden I had the feeling that I was being watched. I looked into the woods expecting to see a cat watching me but saw none. Then I looked at the feral cat feeding station and again there were no cats there or hanging around.  I suspected that it was just a feeling that I had of being watched so I let it go and continued with my garden needs. Then I heard movement and heard leaves cracking and there was no doubt I was not alone in the garden.

So I moved toward the grass garden as the sound that I had heard seemed to be coming from that location.  I looked for the animal and again saw nothing.   My ornamental grass garden is thick and anything could take up residency there and would go unnoticed. 

Instead of going in for a closer look I walked back to the house and got my camera with the telephoto zoom lens. This is when a zoom lens comes in handy. My grass garden rather large and nestled behind is a private brick patio and a small pond. 

While viewing through the camera lens I passed over the garden rather quickly and saw nothing. Then I sat and listened for sounds of movement. Sure enough, I heard the leaves crack and pointed my camera in that direction. There at the base ornamental grasses close to the karely rose border grass and Karl Forester grass lies a large gray tabby feral cat, that we call Fatty Boy. This feral cat has boundaries and if I had crossed them he would have lunged at me, hissing and showing me his claws. 

So very thankful that I found the whereabouts as to where cat was and learned what was watching me in the garden today.

Fatty boy is the in the photo that you view above.

Watching Cats at Backyard Feeding Station

I always feed the feral cats at the same time daily but since the weather has gotten cold I found that they are not running to the feeding station in the morning. I do not blame them because the last couple of days it has been really cold outdoors.

I normally put our dry Evolve chicken maintenance food mixed with Friskies whitefish pate. But since it is freezing I have taken away the canned food and I am only putting out kibble. Now if I see the cats in the woods I will put out the canned food because the aroma from the whitefish food lures the cats out of the woods and to my backyard feeding station.

Here is a photo of my insulated feeding station.  There are two doors and we set it on cement blocks to keep the snow and rain water out of the cavity.  Inside is a bowl of food and water.

Today we waiting for the cats all day to come to the feeding station, they did not come until midnight. To my surprise they are now in my yard. I guess fox or other animal ate the food because the cats are taking turns at my backyard feeding station. Soon I will have to o out and refill the bowls.

Do you have an outdoor cat feeding station in your yard ?

View this video to learn how to make inexpensive feeding stations for outdoor cats.

Interviewing Cat Caretaker Voulenteers

As a feral cat colony caretaker since 1999 I have learned that not everyone is suited to be a volunteer. That is why I have an informal interview with all people who are interested in helping out with the cat colony. This interview helps me to determine the right position for the volunteer.

Some Caretakers care for feral kittens 

As an example; a friend contacted me today and told me that she would like to help out with taking care of the  cats in our neighborhood, She said she would like to participate in feeding the cats that were close to her home. 

I told her that I would do a schedule for her and that she would be responsible for providing the cats with their food and water and that she must be punctual that there was no excuse for weather, they cats had to be fed during rain, snow or sleet. I also noted that if she could not feed the cats at a specific time that it was up to her to find a replacement caretaker.

My friend told me that if it was pouring rain or snowing that she would not leave her house to feed the cats and I reminder her that they were dependent upon their human caretaker to feed them and if she was not going to leave the comforts of her home then how would they eat? My friend replied they are cats and are resourceful so they will have to hunt for their meal on a rainy or snowy day.

All cats must be fed daily, no excuses

From her response to my question I knew we cold not depend on her for regular feedings and that she did not take the cats seriously so I offered her the position of cleaning out the cat beds, changing the straw and or helping with trapping the cats for spa or neuter or maybe she would be interesting in networking community for cat adoptions. 

Setting up Feral Cats Winter Feeding Station

The weather is getting colder  and husband and I thought it would be best to move the feral cats feeding station closer to the house. We may have snow or icy weather and the location in the woods would be difficult to get to. 

 In order to get to the feeding station I need to hike a good 70 feet from my home and normally this is not a problem but coyote have migrated over into our woods and personally I do not like setting up the woods station with food because it puts cats in harms way.

Cat inside thicket den in woods

It would be better to have the feeding station close to my detached garage where there is a kitty door and warm beds inside.  Better and safer for the cats to be in the shelter rather than in their thicket dens in the woods.  

Feeding station close to house

With the help of my husband we shut down the feral cat feeding station in the woods and set up a new one closer to the house. 

 We selected an area that has a windblock due to the backside of the detached garage, it also provides a safe passage to our yard from the back entrance to the park. then there is an overhang from the garage roof that protects the station from rain.  

The front of the feeding station is blocked from view due to the ornamental grasses and then the entrance to our garage shelter is eight feet away from the new winter feeding station.  

Here is a photo of one of the feral cats sleeping in straw bed inside our garage shelter.  I am hoping that with the feeding station closer to the shelter that feral cats will enter and be safe and warm this winter.

Feral Cat Sleeping in Winter Shelter Post Card Postcard 

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I am glad the feral cats feeding station is located in the back of our yard because it is a safer place for the cats and it also enable us to provide them with food even if there is a bad weather;  snow, sleet or ice.

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