Cat Diets are NO FUN

Baby my rescued socialized Manx cat is obese and needs to go on a diet. Know that the Manx cat breed is generally a bigger cat. But when you cannot locate their ribs due to the layer of fat then it is time for a diet.

This is not Baby but is a good photo of Manx cat...see there is NO tail 

So Baby has to shed some pounds and we can no longer feed him Rachel Ray grain free food, because it is dry kibble and high in carbohydrates, plus there is not enough fluid in dry foods. So I am feeding all of our cats Friskees Special diet turkey and giblets canned food, because this food provides a balanced died that is low in carbs.

So the cat diet started today and it is not a FUN day for Baby.

My obese cat ate a half a can of the turkey food this morning and I will feed him the other half tonight. Know that this cat likes to eat and is acting like he is starving to death.  Today my cat had more activity due to the pacing and begging for food.

That  first day will be the hardest since my cat is used to getting temptations catnip treats in the afternoon and well he cannot have treats.  My veterinarian thinks that my cat is eating out of habit, and not because he is hungry. I will let you know in a week how Baby does with his diet.

Learn more about Manx cats here

Paying People to Watch Cat Colony Questions

Recently I received a message from one of my blog followers that told me that they were a caretaker to a feral cat colony and that they were responsible for the colony as there were no other volunteers to help out with the feeding station and making sure cats had shelter or needed medical care This Cat Adoption Guide follower wanted to know if they should pay someone to watch over their cat colony when they go on vacation.

I would say it would be better to network for volunteers in your area that would care for the cats.  It is better to  have a cat lover as a caretaker.  Someone that is civic minded and does not mind donating their time to this worthy cause than to pay somebody.

Feral eat cat food in back garden a photo by Sgolis

One way to find people that are cat lovers in your area is to make up a flyer for cat caretakers and pass out in your neighborhood.  Ask your veternarian if you can hang the flyer on their bulletin board or contact the Cat Network or Alley cat allies and ask if there are any feral cat caretakers in your area. Also see if anyone at your church would be interested in volunteering their time to help care for your colony of cats.

Know that it hard to be solely responsible for a colony of cats and it is better to  know other civic minded people that will share in the duties of feeding the cats and chipping in for the food and or medical costs.  My husband helps me and I have two neighbors that donate their time and help the costs for food, spays and neuters, or vaccines for the cats.

Here is a post that I published that may be of interest to you:  What it means to be a Feral Cat Colony Caretaker

When It is Too Hot for Cat; Heat Stroke Symptoms

Recently I published an article at a social media website that addressed the temperature tolerance of an outdoor/indoor cat, the post pointed out that all cats need shelter when temperatures soar and that they all suffer from heat stroke.  

 

The interaction on this post indicated that cat owners assume that cats can tolerate extreme heat and that heatstroke and other serious complications are not a concern.  One particular commenter stated that their air conditioner was broken and they left the housecat home alone when they went to a hotel because the temperature change in their apartment was unbearable for humans but they felt it was okay for their cat.

Well let me tell you this comment was the furthest thing from the truth. A cat that is accustomed to air conditioner will suffer when the temperature changes to extreme heat. Even an outdoor cat that is used to hot summer weather will suffer when the heat is extreme.

The person who left the comment in question mocked their spouse when they returned from the hotel and found the cat lying on their side, panting on the carpeted floor. She also noted that the cat had vomited. This cats lethargic appearance was red flag that cat was in distress. The husband wanted to soak the cat in cool water, to try to bring that cats temperature down and this would have been the right thing to do, as long as he did not get water on the cats face. Heat stroke is serious and a trip to the veterinarian for treatment would have benefited the cat.

Know that if the cat owner left the bathroom door open and installed ceiling fans to circulate some air and left several bowls of water for the cat, then kitty would have tolerated the temperature change in the home better. Personally I never would have left the cat in a home that had extreme heat because cats do suffer when the temperature changes; cool house to temperatures in the mid 90's Fahrenheit is too hot for a housecat that is accustomed to air cooled home.

Bengal Cats Get Forever Home

I helped out one of my friends by fostering two Bengal cats that had been surrendered to a kill animal shelter. This particular shelter puts the cat up for adoption and gives them a week before they are euthanized. Sometimes animal groups will make arrangements to take the cats for adoption, but that was not the case with Frankie and Larry. These young cats had fallen through the cracks and they needed to be fostered to save their lives.

So I took the cats and agreed to foster them until my friend found their forever homes. I had the cats less than a month when I got a call that adopters were found and both cats would be going to the same home.

I was happy to see that both Bengal cats, Frankie and Larry will be going to the same home because I think it would be hard on them if they were separated having been together since birth.

Feeding Socialized Feral Cats CALM Cat Food

In August of 2010 I trapped a feral queen cat and her kittens for medical care.  All cats needed veternarian care and were in the animal hospital for 21 days.  The queen cat was released and the kittens were socialized and we adopted them.  

Know that even thought this kittens were trapped when they were six weeks old,  they were unlike other feral kittens because these kittens were high strung and anxious.  

Not sure if it was due to the medication they were given to heal their infections, but I always thought it might have had something to do with their behavior.

Charlie the feral kitten at 6 weeks old.

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Now five years later the kittens are grown but they are not what you would call socialized.  They still hide and occasionally will let me pet them.  I can pick them up but they are not affectionate.  

Recently the two of the kittens developed a a strange behavior.  They are plucking out their fur for no apparent reason.  Like a chicken plucks out their feathers, the feral cats are removing their fur and these once gorgeous cats are nearly bald.

I took them to the veternarian and was told that this is a common behavior or feral cats, that sometimes they can be tamed other times no.   The veterinarian said that there were three treatments; release the cat to live the rest of their life outdoors.   Medicate them or feed them Royal Cannin veternarian diet CALM.  Since releasing them and medicating them is out of the question we bought the cat food and also plugged in the feliway comfort zone.

The 8.8 pound bag of calm cat food was $50. not an inexpensive treatment, but is formulated with natural products. I started the cats on the food today. 

The cats like the food,  but I noticed they are still pulling their hair out.  So it is too soon to see results.  I will share with you all my finding in ten days.  I hope this cat food helps to calm my cats.

About Bengal Cats

A few weeks ago a friend who volunteers at one of the areas animal shelters calls me and says that a family surrendered two Bengal pure breed cats to the shelter and if she does not find a foster for them that they will be euthanized. I told her if she could not find any other fosters that I would care for them while she looked for a forever home. Well that is how I got Larry and Frankie. Cute as they can be Bengal cats that love to play and go for a walk around the block on a leash.

Bengal cats hiding in the garden

The do not care for my cats so we did shop at Petsmart.com for feliway comfort zone diffusers for the electrical outlet. It is exactly what we needed because it took the “new cat” stress out of the room. So we have had the cats for ten days and all is well. Then our air conditioner broke and parts were needed so we were spending more time on the screened porch.



Inquisitive franking and Larry found a little rip in the screen and decided they would rip it more. Who knows maybe they had the other cats hole them also. All I know is the Bengals leaped a good six feet to the garden bellow and then took to the woods.



Yes they got out, I suspect the change in the household made them feel anxious and they just wanted to get away for awhile. The only problem was it was night and the coyote forage at night and these Bengals are definitely housecats.

Catching cats that are fosters, will they come back or will they try to go to their former home?

So both my husband and I grab flashlights and take to the woods. Bengal cats do not meow instead they make like a barking sound. I would call their name and I would hear them in the distance sounded like they were 4 houses away. They were chattering (not meowing) or screaming and then they were quiet.  We thought something happened to them, then we would hear them again. 

After forty minutes husband gave up. But I did not I sat on the furthest patio closest to the woods and called out to the cats every few minutes.

Here is a video where you can hear what Bengal cats sound like.  

It took me two hours to catch them. The cats came home out of exhaustion, they were panting and they were over heated, tongue was red and hanging out of their mouths. I suspect something may have chased them, a mother raccoon protecting her territory, a feral cat, coyote or fox? All I know is the woods was not a fun place for these fostered Bengal cats.

Sudden Illness Takes The Life of Rescued Cat

Three months ago I took my 21 year old cat in for their 6 month checkup at the veterinarians.  They did the wellness exam, checked his blood and his urine, also checked his blood pressure and I was told he was in great health and that he could live 5 to 10 more years.  

My cat was a rescue after he had been put out at age 16.  He liked spending the day in the garden and I took him in at night. I asked the veternarian if the time in the garden was okay, she said yes that he would be depressed if I took him in full time.  So he got vaccinated and his annual feline leukemia vaccine. 

Brought Skippy home and everything was fine until last Tuesday when he deiced to eat very little and drink less.  Which was not normal for this cat that ate like he had hallow legs.  I called and made an appointment at my veternarian, told them something is wrong.   That night Skippy continued to decline although he did sleep on the chair next to my bed.  But by morning he was very week and was having difficulty walking.  

I picked him up and rushed him to the veterinarians office where they told me he had fluid in his lungs, was too old for treatment and this sudden illness was brought on from Feline Leukemia  FeLV that advanced into cancer.

The diagnosis put me in shock, because three months prior my cat was tested and it was negative, then he got the vaccine.  I never saw a bite wound, and yet the veternarian said he was infected and due to his age and weakened immune system my cat got cancer.

Then I was told that just like the human flu shot the FeLV shot is not 100% that if I wanted to keep my cat healthy I should have kept him indoors. Let me tell you I am still in shock over the death of my cat and feeling great sadness.

Ref: http://www.bubblews.com/news/9966138-21-year-old-cat-goes-to-rainbow-bridge a post by Sgolis

How We Socialize Feral Kittens

The new born kittens that my husband and I rescued were socialized to be trusting of humans quickly. We handled them daily, first with heavy leather gloves and then barehanded. We petting them under their chin, top of head and on side of face by ear. We also ran a cat brush through their fur gently. The entire time that we handled them we talked to the kittens softly.

Husband holding 7 week old feral cat

At first we needed to wear heavy leather gloves because the kittens were fearful and wanted to bite and scratch us. But after three times of holding them we were able to stimulate their appetite and coax the kittens to us with bonito fish flake treats and soon the kittens were in our lap.

By the time the kittens were 8 weeks old you would never know that they were born outdoors inside a hallow tree. All kittens were very human friendly, running in in-between our legs, purring when we petted them.

Feral Cat Tips:

By taking time to handle the feral kittens we were socializing them to not be fearful of humans. We held all kittens several times a day. My husband held the kittens while he watched TV and many of them fell asleep while being held.

Holding feral kittens makes them less fearful of humans

Feral cats are generally afraid of everything, but if you are able to foster kittens before they are 12 weeks old then you will be able to bond with kitten and they will trust a human and not be fearful.

Know that I find it is easier to socialize a feral cat that is six months or younger. That is not to say an adult cat cannot be tamed, all cats can be tamed to trust a human. Know that a friend of mine worked with your feral barn cats for a good year and then told me the other day that all were dependent upon her for food and water and that she was able to pet them without them being fearful of her.

Determining Kitten Age

A few weeks ago I thought I found a  8 week old kitten but after taking cat to the veterinarians I found out that the kitten was older.   The veterinarian examined the cat and asked questions pertaining to the kitten eating habits, feeding schedule, sleeping habits and activity, and then determined an approximate age.

I learned that the kitten was approximately 10 weeks old. The cat was small for its age because it was underdeveloped. As a stray, the kitten did not get the proper nutrition. Know that an orphaned kitten could appear to be small due to their lack of food from queen cat or from being abandoned, left to forage on their own.

Feral kitten with Queen cat

Other ways to Determine Age of Kitten 

1. Determine an approximate age for the kitten by their eating-sleeping habits. 
2. A kitten that is not able to go to the bathroom on their own or needs to be fed a milk replacement by way of bottle is a newborn age three weeks and under.
3. If the kitten is drinking replacement milk from a glass bowl, eating soft kitten food or wellness core kitten formula grain free and no GMO kibble moistened with replacement milk and eats five to six times a day the age is 4 to 8 weeks.
4. Kittens that are age 12 to 24 weeks old are weaned from replacement milk and eating solid foods that is moistened with water or canned kitten food. These kittens generally eat three times a day.
Another way to determine the age of a kitten is by their weight: each pound represents month (example 2 pounds = two months)

*The photographs that you view on this post are of the many kittens I have rescued over the years. 

Checking Kitten for Fleas

Today there was an approximately 8 week old kitten in my yard and I went out to find out if this kittens was feral or domesticated. I approached the kitten with eyes to the ground and walked slowly before sitting down on the ground. 

The kitten mowed and I knew it was domesticated. Perhaps lost or worse abandoned? I knew that woods was no place for such a small cat and so I scooped this baby up and thought I would bring indoors to feed, give water and check for fleas.

Checking a kitten for fleas especially if they are out and about close to a wooded area is important because a kitten that has fleas has a high risk of becoming anemic and this blood disorder could be fatal. 

An infestation would be fleas crawling all over the kitten and this baby would need immediate veterinary care. I was lucky that was not the case with the kitten that I found in my yard. Yes he did have a few fleas but I was able to remove them with a flea comb. Then I wiped the kittens fur with a damp cloth to remove the flea dirt.

The next thing that I will do is contact my veterinarian to find out if the kitten has a microchip, if not I will see if I can get some flea treatment for this baby.  

Then I will search for his people, may be days may be weeks.  Do know that nobody in my neighborhood (two block radius) got a new kitten recently.  At least this baby kitten will have no fleas.

How to Catch a Lost Domesticated Cat

Today one of my friends asked me how I go about catching adult domesticated lost or abandoned cat and I replied that it is not an easy task because they are freaked out and have trust issues, but that it can be done.

Know that before I bring out the live animal trap I try my best to get the cat to come to me. I use the trap as the last resort because it terrifies the cat, that is stressed out to begin with.

When I say lost or abandoned I am referring to cats that show up in my woods out of the blue. Could be a cat that left their home and got lost or it could be a cat that was abandoned. Know that my woods has predators and it is no place for a domesticated cat.

Steps to Take to Catch a Domesticated Cat

The first thing I do is locate the cat by seeking it with the lens of my camera.  Then I will get a safe distance from the cat, lower my eyes to look at the ground, followed by calling out to the cat.  "here kitty kitty kitty".  Pause to see if cat responds.  

Know that if you look at the cat eye to eye that the cat will become defensive because direct eye contact indicates dominance.

If the cat does not come right away, I will sit down and wait...calling out to the kitty occasionally. The cat knows I am there and if it wants to come to me it will come to me very slowly. (May take several hours)

When waiting for the cat does not work, say the cat moves closer to where you are but is still cautious. Set out a bowl of stinky fish flavored food like Friskeies.com salmon pate or whitefish.  This food puts out a strong aroma that will get the lost domesticate cats attention. 

For me it works to squat or sit down and read a book. If a cat is hiding in my yard I will put out a sleeping bag so I can sit on it. Then set up food and water close to where I am sitting and wait.

A few days ago I rescued a lost housecat from the woods, the rescue took 6 hours, it occurred at night when coyote were out and about.   If the cat had not been stressed out we would not have rescued at night but since the cat was putting out a stress meow, husband and I reacted and did everything possible to keep the coyote back and rescue this lost cat.  

When the cat finally came to me it walked behind me and rubbed on my back, marked me as their person. Then it stood on my lap and rubbed its face on mine. Then I could pet the cat and get a hold of its scruff before picking up to put in cat carrier.

Know that if this waiting procedure did not work then I would have to trap the domesticated cat with live animal trap. If you do not have a live animal trap then I would recommend these online stores for cat traps.

havahart.com 

lowes.com

tractorsupply.com

acehardware.com

amazon.com

Always bait the trap with a stinky fish flavored canned food and cover the trap with a twin size blanket. But do not cover the opening.

Learn more about trapping and baiting a trap here

Cause for Cats Postage Stamps

Today I was getting my monthly bills ready to be mailed and realized that I was almost of of postage stamps. I could walk to the post office and buy a generic looking stamp but prefer to order a custom made cause stamp from zazzle.com.  I have enough stamps for now but would need to order some for end of month bills and correspondences. So I went to my photographs and looked through my original photos of feral and rescued cats so I could make my own stamps for my cat cause.

Feral Cat lying in the woods.  Photo captured at dusk by Sgolis

My husband suggested that I get a few on cat adoption because it is cat and kitten abandonment season.   I thought I would create some postage stamps that had a message to adopt, rescue and save lives. I figure stamps like these are a good way to spread the word.

 Here are a few postage stamps that I designed at my Gifts for Cat Lovers and Photo Gifts by Susan online shop.  These stamps will promote cat awareness and the mail is a good way to get the word out to the general public. 

 If you are interested in viewing it high resolution then click through to the store. All are available for purchase and are made by print on demand.

All of these feral cat stamps were designed from the photographs of cats that I have trapped for spay or neuter, socialized for adoption or watch over at cat colony. 

Gray Tabby Cat Standing in Fountain Cat Postage by Susang6

Feral Kittens Black and White Postage by Susang6
Make your own personal stamps at zazzle.com

Tabby Cat in Winter - Snow Postage Stamp by Susang6

Feral Cat Sleeping in Shelter Postage by Susang6

Feral Cat in Autumn Postage by Susang6

Adopt FIV Cats Siamese Cat Postage by Susang6

AdoptFeral Kittens Postage Stamps by Susang6
Shop for Cat Stamps online at Zazzle.com

 

Feral Cat in Winter Postage Stamps by Susang6


Design your own personal photo stamps from Zazzle.

Birthday Party For Cat Caretaker

Tomorrow is one of the cat caretakers birthdays and we are going to have a small party for her. I had a cat made in the shape of a tabby cat, was not too expensive as I ordered it from the bakery at Walmart. Then we all chipped in and bought her a card that I designed from one of my photographs of feral cat in our care. Her gift is a PetSmart.com certificate. She will like that because she can buy what she wants for her pets.

We like to celebrate our cat caretakers birthdays because they volunteer their service to help out with the colony of feral cats in our care. They are cat lovers and have been very generous with their time and love for the cats. We could not do what we do if we did not have help from our cat loving community.

Here are some cat birthday cards that I have designed. If you are interested in buying them then click through to my zazzle shop.

This birthday card was designed from a photograph of Charlie, a feral kitten that came to our shelter after his mom had been wounded by a wild animal.  Charlie had been injured in the attack and we needed to trap and rush him  to veterinarian. Both  were under medical care for 21 days due to a bad bite wound and infection.  Charlie was then socialized and adopted into a forever home.

Grumpy Tabby Cat Birthday Card Card by Susang6

Happy Birthday From Your Cat Greeting Postcard Postcard by Susang6

Smile its your Birthday Maine Coon Cat Card by Susang6

To My Person From the Cat Birthday Card Greeting Card by giftsforcatlovers

Natural Supplement Improves Cat Health

I am a member of many online cat forums and have read many posts asking how to get rid of cat dandruff, improve cats coat, stop the cat from scratching and other hair/skin conditions. Know that I have been lucky and have had these cat ailments but all were remedied quickly with Ark naturals Nu-feline antioxidant supplement.

Feral cats eating wet food mixed with Arks naturals feline antioxidants

Since 2008 I have been supplementing the cats in my care diet with Ark naturals Nu-feline antioxidants.  This all natural feline supplement is made from fish protein, alfalfa grass, wheat grass and dried citrus pulp and ascorbic acid (vitamin c), vitamin A supplement, taurine, vitamin E supplement, cysteine and selenium.
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If you are interested in buying this product shop at these online stores.

I learned about the Ark naturals Nu-feline antioxidant supplement from a friend who was associated with a well-known cat network. She told me that it was a quality product that benefited cats with FIV or other conditions that weakened the immune system, as well as cats with poor appetites, cat dandruff or other coat/skin conditions.

Results can be noticed within 10 days of adding the supplement to my cat’s food. I have noticed that the cats coat is shiny, they have more energy and less hairballs.

I also mix this supplement into the feral cats food. This nutritious supplement enables the outdoor cats to grow a thick winter coat and the antioxidant properties boost the cat’s immune system.

Chewy.com

iherb.com

amazon.com

arknaturals.com

Learn more abut arknaturls.com by viewing this Youtube.com video

Feliway Comfort Zone; Best Cat Calming Product

Whenever there is a change in my house my cats communicate with me by scratching on furniture or marking their territory with urine. Sometimes the changes made are not drastic; moved the chair to another side of the room, moved the scratching post, set the food bowls down in another area. While these changes to a human are minor, to a cat, that is a creature of habit, these changes are enough to cause anxiety and stress.

To prevent these kitty panic attacks I bought Feliway comfort zone products from Chewy.com. The diffuser is plugged into your electrical outlet and when the substance is heated it emits pheromone into the air. When your cat breathes in the pheromone a sense of calmness comes over them. This is a great product because it is nontoxic and really makes the cat feel a sense of it's all good. 

Here is a quote by Chewy.com 

“The Diffuser works by using a heating element to disperse the pheromone into the air. Once present, the pet breathes in the pheromone and it attaches to a receptive organ, called the vomeronasal organ located in the nasal cavity. The vomeronasal organ then signals the brain, via nerves, and a sense of well-being is established.”

When your cat is calm then you can move your chair and scratching post, make changes to their routine, introduce a new pet to the home or family member and cat will not suffer from anxiety.  This is why I say that Feliway comfort zone is the best cat calming product.

Note:

One Feliway comfort zone diffuser will treat a small room of approximately 550 square feet. I needed a couple for my home and for my garage that I open up to the neighborhood cats when the weather is too hot or too cold. I really like the Feliway products and I recommend it to anyone who has a cat that is sensitive to change. 

Learn more about Feliway cat products by viewing this youtube.com video;