What to Do When Stray Cat Looks Sick

Two days ago when I went out into the woods to feed the feral cats I noticed a stray cat off to the side, sitting alone on a rock. Since I did not recognize the cat as being one of the colony cats I took the cat's photograph. The photo indicated that the cat is sick or something is wrong.  Whenever a cat looks sick we then will put out the traps.  The cat may need veterinarian care. The photograph indicates that there is something wrong with the stray cat, it looks sick so the cat becomes a priority.

Know that this cat could be from the neighborhood, and it may have crossed the line with a tomcat or other cat. Since the cat looks ill we decided to not wait to find out if the cat went home, back to the neighborhood. My husband and I decided that it was best to trap the cat and bring to our shed shelter where there are cat cages, heat an air conditioner.  Once trapped we will be able to put out flyers in the neighborhood to find its people. 


When handling new cats that show up in our woods we do the following;  

1. Make up a chart with the cat's photograph and start a feeding schedule. 
2. Watch the cat for a few days to determine if it is going back to the neighborhood which would indicate that it belongs to someone. 
3. Determine if the cat is domesticated, comes to us, rubs on us and is friendly then we will take the cat indoors and start the search for its family. Because it could be lost and the woods is not a safe place for a domesticated cat.

Silver Bengal-Mix Kitten Photograph Postcard

This postcard was created from a photograph I took of four-month-old Bengal mix rescue kitten. In this photo, she is lying by the window on a ledge and the sun rays looked pretty on her silver hair. Know that I found this kitten because her mom and two other littermates were abandoned by my home. The queen cat was left in our woods with three kittens that had not been weaned.

Silver Bengal-mix kittey in woven box

We had gotten a call that somebody had put out a nursing cat with her three kittens and knew that if we did not find them and rescue them that it could be a fatality. Cats that are not accustomed to outdoors.  The cats do not know where to go for shelter or food.

There was cold weather in our forecast so husband I took to the woods to find the queen cat and her kittens. We heard the meows and we did go toward them, but the cat was frightened so we put out the traps in the vicinity.

At home, we put out a cat house with self-heating bed, cat food, and water. Husband and I took turns going outdoors to watch the traps.  We had hoped the cats would go in the live animal traps because of the food and water. Also a layer of straw back behind the trigger.  This straw would keep the cats warm.  Then I covered the backside of the trap with a child's sleeping bag.  I did this to create a safe place for the cats and to also keep them warmer inside the trap overnight. 

We trapped 3 baby raccoons but no queen or kittens. No meows were heard the following day and we assumed a predator had found the abandoned cat and her three kittens. That day was long, we were both sad and angry at the irresponsible pet owners for abandoning the cats.  

That night I went to bed and was awoken at 5 AM.  I am not sure what woke me up but for some reason, I put on my fleece robe and boots and went outdoors. I walked to the front of the yard and saw leaves moving toward me. I stooped down to get a better look, and there in the light of my flashlight was a silver Bengal-Mix kitten.

This small kitten was cold so I picked up and put the kitten into my robe pocket and brought it inside. Woke my husband up and he started to warm the kitten, then bottle fed it. I threw clothes on to search for the other two kittens and the mother cat. They were never found.

We were able to rescue one, the beautiful Bengal-Mix silver kitten that you view on this postcard. This postcard is a great way to keep in touch, to say hello, thank you or announcement. If you would like to buy this cat card then click on the blue highlighted words.

Thank you for your support of my cat cause.

Beautiful Bengal-Mix Silver Cat Photo Postcard by giftsforcatlovers
Get your postcards printing from zazzle

Cute Halloween Costume for Cat

I have seen many costumes for pets, but never one for a cat and this kitty costume is adorable.  I laughed when I saw the costume and knew that my family would think it was hilarious, but I know that my cats would get freaked out  if I tried to put  a costume on them, they would not tolerate the hat. 

Putting a costume on my socialized feral cats is not going to happen, they would get scared and would spend the next several months in the back of the closet. But if you have a cool cat that is okay with wearing a costume then this pirate kitty costume is the cutest thing you ever saw.

 Buy Cat Halloween costume at Amazon.com

Tips and Warnings:

Know that when you dress any animal; dog or cat in pet costume or clothing that it is important that the fit is not too tight. You do not want to hinder their ability to walk and it should never be too tight around their neck. 

If your pet is frightened of the costume then do not force them to wear it because it will cause the pet to suffer from anxiety.

In the past, I had a dog that I would dress in sweaters and a raincoat.   That dog would hang his head in shame. However when I gave my dog a treat after I put the sweater on, my dog then attributed the sweater as positive. I would recommend awarding the cats with a treat whenever you are training them to do something new.  The award may help you to teach your cat to wear a costume.

I would suggest that if you train your cat to wear the costume then take your photographs fast.  Do not allow your cat to walk around without supervision, and never let them go outdoors in a costume.  Cats will jump onto things, and the costume may get caught on something and that would not be good.  Collars are breakaway, not Halloween costumes.

Special Cat Needs Forever Home

Last November husband found a mature gray cat sitting in the middle of the street in the snow. The night was really cold and no cat should have been out. Normally a cat would run from a stranger but this cat approached my husband and did not hesitate to be lifted up by my husband. In fact, the cat seemed eager to be put under my husband's coat.

Leo on the day we rescued him

So this is how I came to know the cat we named Leo.

For the next several weeks we searched for this cat's people and when the search was completed we had learned that it was a community cat and that his people h ad died. A neighbor said they would care for the cat, but Leo did not like their cat so they put the cat outdoors in the winter with no shelter.

When I asked them if they wanted the cat, the people said no “that cat is not nice” is what they told me.

Know that I felt bad for the cat since he was a mature cat, probably lived with the same person his entire life. Then his person dies, the cat's life is turned upside down and ends up on the street on a cold night. Did not seem fair and I felt so bad for this cat.

So we took Leo into our home. We got him his shots and learned that he had arthritis. We made arrangements for shots and learned that this cat was approximately 8 years old.  Leo likes my husband more than me, but that does not mean that he does not lie on my lap and play with his toys with me.

Everyone who meets Leo says “what a nice cat”

Leo is a nice cat, he is affectionate and laid back. He will cuddle with his people and sleep at the foot of your bed. He will walk on a leash around the block and will come when you call him. BUT Leo does not like dogs or other cats.

Leo is a large mature cat, age 8 that needs a people only forever home

We have tried the Feliway behavior products, the rescue remedy liquid treatment for cats water, and other cat stress remedies and they work for a while but Leo’s resentment toward other animals is great and he is determined to fight, to hog the food bowl, act like all cats litter boxes are his, he also hogs all 4 water bowls.

Leo will be lying on my lap on the sofa and if the dog or another cat comes close to the sofa.  Leo will run after them.  This rescue cat is set in his way and loves people BUT does not tolerate other pets.

We took Leo to the veterinarian and he was given a prescription for  Calm cat food by Royal Cannin. Leo did well on this food but it was really expensive.  If we had Leo and one other cat, okay but we have two other cats and a dog and that is too much food to buy for all the pets.

Leo needs a forever home with people only

My husband and I like Leo, he is a nice cat with humans. We would keep him if we had an office away from the home where Leo could stay. As is, even if we keep him in our home office, he may get out and then start a fight with another cat or the dog. So we decided that Leo is a cat that has to be in a home with people only, so this week we are looking for a forever home for Leo.

Information About Cat Mating Season

April means cat mating season has begun. Winter is over and the warm weather is natures way of telling the unaltered cats that it is time to reproduce.

Feral kittens and Queen cat at our animal shelter

Normally we do not have this problem because we actively trap the stray cats and get them sterilized at the inexpensive animal clinic. So I am wondering where these cats came from? One of my neighbors that helps me with the cats told me that a few cats had collars on, so we cannot trap for spay or neuter. I wish the cat owners were more responsible with their unaltered pets. But will give cat owner the benefit of the doubt, the cat may have gotten out of the house.

4 week old feral kitten that we trapped, mom cat was injured

Did you know that unlike a dog, when a cat goes into heat they stay in heat until they mate. Know that would explain why there are so many kittens...Cats go out of heat when the weather gets cold. So it is wise to get your cat spayed or neutered...otherwise she will get overly affectionate and vocal and tomcat will mark his territory and get vocal. If they are indoor cats Toms will get aggressive, but letting them outdoors is a big mistake, because unaltered cats ten to fight with other tom cats and this puts your cat at risk for disease; feline leukemia and feline immunodeficiency virus, both disease with no cure.

This is what a mating call sounds like:

I would recommend that you get your cats sterilized; spay or neuter. Check out discount clinics in your area for spays and neuters. In SW Missouri I recommend Main Street Pet Care...it is worth the drive to the clinic is on Wednesday and you do need an appointment call 417-792-7387 for more information. For other areas I recommend contacting your local animal shelter, sometimes they have a veterinarian on the property and will offer a discount for cat sterilization.  

View this video to learn more about cat sapy and nutering and why you should do this.

NOTE: If you do cat rescue, and you are not  in the area but are a days road trip away, then plan to take several cats in for sterilization.  The prices at this clinic are inexpensive.  I generally leave female cats overnight but male cats can be taken home on the same day. 

Socializing Mature Stray Cat for Adoption

When it comes to socializing stray cats I think it is easier when they are kittens or young cats because the older they get the more set in their ways they become. Plus depending on how long they were on the streets it can be hard to get them to let down their guard and be accepting to people. This occurs when their people abandon them,  move and leave the family cat behind.

I have been working with a mature cat for the past week to socialize him with his pending adopters dog and have to tell you that the cat just does not like the dog. The cat is sweet with humans, and he will seem okay with the dog, but for some reason and only the cat knows why...this cat will take after the dog as if the dog did something wrong.

I suspect this behavior is due to the cat being a house cat for many years and then his people dying in the house, the cat hid when they came to get the bodies, so it was in the house for a week before someone realized a cat was inside. The door opened the cat ran out and I have no idea how long this cat was on his own before we found him. The cat may have been chased by a dog, all I know is that this cat does not like other cats or dogs.

My friends said she would take him as long as the cat got along with her dog.

Normally socializing a cat and dog is a whole lot easier than introducing to other cats. Know that the dog I was working with was well behaved and did nothing wrong. BUT this cat is not accepting the dog.  

I told my friend that sometimes it takes up to a month, but she works and does not have a cat room or other area to keep the cat, thus the dog and cat would be home alone and cat does not like the dog.  This adoption will not work. 

We have come to the conclusion that this cat needs a forever home where he is the only pet. I am certain had the cat been more accepting to the dog that they could have been best friends forever and if I had more time because socializing can take up to a month, and you just cannot expect it to be an immediate friendship.

I socialized Pitbull with orange tabby and they are best friends. See my photo card at my zazzle store, click link bellow.

Pit Bull and Tabby Cat Friends Forever Card 
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Cat Food that Reduces Risk of Worms

Finding a high-quality food for the feral and outdoor cats has been difficult. Most quality brand foods are very expensive and out of our budget. So when one of my cat caretaker friends recommended that I contact Chewy.com online for recommendations and a variety of cat foods at a reasonable price I did not hesitate to call them.

 I told the customer service representative at Chewy my wants and needs and when they learned that I needed dry kibble cat food for feral and stray cats they recommended Chicken Soup for the Soul adult cat food because the ingredient chicory root would benefit the cats health and well being plus it was formulated to lessen the risk of worms.

This food is formulated for the adult cat, and the ingredients are also good for outdoor feral or stray cats. The healthy food will boost cats immune system due to the high antioxidants. This food will also fight free radicals in the cells which will help the cats to live longer. There is also taurine that is good for cats eyes and heart. All are wonderful features and benefits but what caught my eye was the chicory root that is an ingredient in the food. The chicory root reduces the risk of worms.

We cannot administer worm medication to the feral and stray cats so the next best thing would be feeding the cats foods made with chicory root. 

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This dry kibble cat food is made in the United States and is an excellent food to feed outdoor cats as well as your indoor cats. What I have noticed is that all of the cats have a nice shiny coat, they have more energy and in general seem to be excited to see me when I stock the feeding station.

Here is a card that I designed at zazzle.com. It will show you a 9-year-old feral cat with a thick and shiny winter coat. I am certain it is due to the Chicken Soup for the Soul cat food.

Feral Cat Sleeping in Bed Made of Straw Post Card

Winter has finally come and the feral cats that live in the woods have come to our shed shelter to sleep in the beds made of straw.  These feral cats usually come into the shelter sometime before 9 PM and exit in the early morning.  If I did not see the indentation in the straw then I would not know they were there.

I decided to watch for the cats going into the shed and got lucky,   took photographs of them from outside the window.  These photographs were not as clear as they should be so I bathed with hunters soap to remove the scent of a human and hunkered down with my camera in a dark corner of the shed.  I was hiding behind boxes.   Yes I was determined to get photographs of the feral cats.  These woods cats are nocturnal and terrified of humans.

I waited for the feral cats to come into the shed for several  hours and when my leg was falling to sleep and I was ready to give up a cat did come through the kitty door.  I was happy that the images of the feral cats turned out, as well as they did, because most people do not see this side of a feral cat.  They never see them safe, warm and sleeping in a bed made of straw.

This post card was designed from one of my photographs of feral cats sleeping in bed made from straw.  

Feral Cat Sleeping in Winter ShelterPost Card 

Feral Cat Sleeping in Winter Shelter Post Card

Bombay Cat and Green Clover Wall Clock

This Bombay cat with its shiny coat sure does look gorgeous with green clover contrast and this photo clock makes or a fabulous gift for cat lover.

Bombay Cat and Clover Wall Clock by Susang6

A few years ago this cat found my yard by the woods and decided to spend the summer with me.  At the time I thought he was visiting with the other neighborhood cats and going home at night.  But when six months past and weather started to change I realized that the cat had taken residency in my garden shed.



This regal looking black cat had ran away from his people after they had took in a queen cat and her kittens.    Know that I took many photographs of this mature cat, and that in the green clover photo he is age 16.  After reviewing all of the photographs I found that this photo was the best and that it works well when used as a wall clock

This clock would make a wonderful gift for a cat lover.  It is a good size wall clock for home office and will compliment any cat theme.



Bombay Cat Clock

Plans to Relocate Cats to Farm Rescue

As far back as I can remember I have always wanted a small farm where I could relocate the neighborhood cat colony that I oversee. This farm rescue would provide feral, stray and abandoned cats with safety from crossfire from hunters, wildlife predators and animal control trappers. 

It has been my dream to trap the cats that have been abandoned to the woods by my home. I would like to socialize them and adopt them into forever homes.  

The plan is simple, my cat rescue would be open to accepting all feral cats that had been previously vaccinated, and sterilized, excluding cats infected with felineimmunodeficiency virus. The feral cats then would stay on the property and become barn cats.

This has been my dream for a long time, but I thought it was only a dream. I never thought it would come true, BUT my husband has agreed that if this is what I want then we can move in the summer to a farm and I can have a cat rescue. 

Husband suggested that I look and collect ideas as to what I want. In the past month I did look at 2 hobby farms but both were too small for what I wanted, plus they backed up a busy crossroad and I desired a remote location. Remote being better for barn cats as there were be less worry of them attempting to cross a busy road to get to the other side.

Both of the hobby farms that I looked at had old dilapidated barns which meant that we would have to go to the expense of building a shelter for the cats. It is one thing to remodel a barn, but to build from ground up is a great expense. In addition the land was rocky and there was not area suitable for garden. Neither of the farm houses were to my liking, in my opinion they both should have been demolished and taken away.

So my search for a farm to be converted into a cat rescue continues. I do think there is a need for the feral and stray cats and do plan to trap the cats at the colony that I oversee before construction; excavation and blasting of the south ridge commences for urban development.

Cat Scratch Treatment / When to Get Medical Care

Since 1999 I have been trapping feral, stray and abandoned cats for veterinarian care. During that entire time I did not get scratched. But on December 10th 2014 I was scratched with puncture wound to my hand by my own cat.  

I immediately cleaned the deep scratch wound with hydrogen peroxide and carefully removed the claw. I remember thinking that this is bad and will probably get infected. My six month old feral kitten was up to date with all of her vaccines but I was still worried about infection due to the deep puncture wound caused by the claw close to my fingers joint and tendon. Know that this area is great place for growing bacteria.

I took the cat scratch seriously and soaked my hand three times daily with Epsom salt and then cleaned the wound with hydrogen peroxide. Did not cover with bandage and hoped for the best. Within 7 days I had symptoms of infection and I did not ignore them. The area where the cat scratch occurred appeared red and swollen with pain and I had difficulty moving my hand. I went to urgent medical care.

Sure enough I had a cat bacteria infection in my joint and tendon. The physician told me to continue soaking my hand in hot Epsom bath three times a day and to keep hand elevated. He prescribed and antibiotic Amoxiclin and Clavulanate potassium tablets. Amoxiclin and clavulante is an antibiotic in the group of drugs called penicillin this medicine fights bacteria in the body.

I took the medication for five days and on the 6th day the pain and swelling had lessened. There was still redness with white blisters where infection resides. It took five additional days for my hand to heal.  I was happy because hand surgery was not be needed to remove bacteria from my hand.

Know that if you handle cats as a rescue, or if you socialize feral cats then any scratches that you get must be taken seriously, clean the scratch immediately and watch for infection. Since my hand infection I have made a point to wear heavy leather gloves. I keep the gloves in my pocket and put them on whenever I am handling cats.

Rescue Kitten Goes to Photo Shoot

I am not sure if it because the rescue kitten is used to me but she will not sit still long enough for me to get a photo for her adoption papers/flyer. Know that when you intend to pass out flyers of a cat or kitten that a darling photo is a must. Kittens with bows in their hair, sitting in a flower pot are so darling and will dug on the adopters heartstrings.  Try as I may this little rescue is a ball of energy and she does not want to sit still, she wants to play with her toys and my housecats.

Example of perfect photograph for cat adoption flyer

So I made an appointment with a pet groomer to bathe Purl, clip her claws and brush her so she is fluffy. Then I asked her to do a pet photo shoot. The appointment is on Monday and I will bring Purl in to the groomers in the morning along with her security stuffed cookie monster teething toy. Yes Purl has a stuffed toy that she sleeps with and bites. The toy will provide her with security if she is scared of the new surroundings.



We have had quite a few pet adopters that were interested in Purl but none were the right fit. Know that we do not adopt our rescue cats to anybody. Our cats are only placed when we know that it is the forever home. We do not want Purl to be put out of the house when she becomes an adult.  

We check to make sure that the apartment or rental home allows pets, know that so many people think they can have pets, sneak the cat in and not get caught. Then you have to find out about the other pets in the house.  I have had pending cat adopters tell me that they have four cats that do not need vaccines and are not spayed or neutered.   This is a red flag and no way is Purl going to that home.  

We have a list of questions that we ask and if people give us an attitude then the adoption process ends.   So far I have placed several cats in forever homes and you bet I have been lucky. 

Here is one of the flyers that I use, the information is on the backside.  Two photographs of cat are needed for this template.

Cat Adoption Template Flyer by Susang6
Create professional flyers on zazzle.com

I am certain we will find good people that will love this little Purl for the rest of her life.

Read the first post Found one Pound Bengal Maine Coon Kiiten

Feral Cat Photograph Calendar

Today the two neighbors that help my husband and I take care of the feral and stray cats asked me me to make them a calendar  Throughout the years these neighbors have been there to feed the cats, and to rescue. Both my husband and I  appreciate all that they have done.  So when they asked me to make a calendar from all of my photographs of the cats in our care know that I was happy to do this for them.

It took me awhile to pick out the photographs, to resize them so that they would fit on the calendar page.  I selected the template calendar at Zazzle because  the editor is easy to use.  This online calendar is a template.  Every photo in the calendar can be edited so if you want to add one of your own cat photos you can easily upload it to the template calendar.

Here is an image of the feral cat calendar

The photos are of feral of feral or stray cats. these cats are wild and cannot be socialized so they were trapped, vaccinated and sterilized.  The cats reside in thicket dens and small crevices in the rocks that are located in a dense woods of 25 acres.

Over the years I have taken many photographs, however, my favorite photographs make up this  calendar. 

Found One Pound Bengal - Maine Coon Kitten

On a cool day in November I was working in my yard and though I heard a kitten meow.  Upon investigation of the bamboo and not seeing anything I decided that I must have mistook what I had heard.  Know that nestled among the bamboo shoots I have a feral cat shelter that is stuffed with straw to keep the cats warm. One of the spayed feral cats had been sleeping in this shelter and both my husband and I thought it was odd, since this cat sleeps in a large thicket den in my neighbors yard.

We watched this adult feral cat and her behavior was odd.  She  has been seen going in and out of this shelter which is my old work shed.  I keep food , water and cat beds in this shed.  Know her behavior was odd because she doe s not eat at the feeding station, my neighbor feeds her or she hunts in the woods.

 I made a point to watch her and glad that I did.  The feral cat that we call Lucy ate at my food station, then went back to where the cat house was and regurgitated her food.  This spayed feral cat had found a kitten and was trying to care for it as best as she could.

There was no way to get close to the kitten that appeared to be very small.  If I attempted to take the kitten and failed then the feral cat  would take the kitten to the woods and we would never see it again.  So husband and I watched Lucy the kitten and cat house.

The weather forecast was calling for colder weather throughout the night and I worried about the little kitten. We h ad our dinner, watched a movie and went to bed.  Then for some reason I got up at 5 AM, put on my slippers and fleece robe and went outside.  I walked 30 feet to the front of the house and the first thing that I saw was the leaves moving on the lawn.

I thought perhaps a field mouse was coming toward me or other forest animal, I soon learned it was the one pound Bengal and Maine Coon Kitten.  When the kitten reached me it was meowing loudly and I recall hearing leaf movement coming from my side yard.  I suspect coyote were coming for a snack or maybe it was Lucy the feral cat?

No time was wasted I picked up the kitten, and put it in the pocket of my fleece robe and hurried to go back indoors.   Once inside I felt the kittens ear, nose and paws; they were cold as ice.  I took steps to warm the the kitten and then followed that with bottle feeding.  The kitten is not feral which means that a human had to have abandoned the baby cat.

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Interview Process for Rescue Kitten Begins

The rescue kitten that I found a few weeks back has put on weight, was weaned to eat Royal Canin baby cat food and has improved greatly in coordination. We had to take her to the veterinarian to get rid of the fleas and while kitten was there we learned that she was a Bengal Maine Coon mix, in good health and approximately four weeks old. Okay that was then and now; baby cat is six weeks old and we have started interviewing adopters for her forever home.

Learn more about found baby kitten here 

We had one adopter that we thought was a perfect match but after the interview process my husband said no. The women was a cat lover, but through the interview questions  I learned that all of her cats were kept outdoors, with under the deck as the shelter and that they were not current with veterinarian shots, spays or neuters. Husband crossed her off the list.

The other family that showed interest in rescue kitten would be a good fit if they agreed to keep cat indoors. In the past they let their other declawed cat outside  and it was killed by the neighbors two dogs. The women who wanted the kitten  had no problem keeping kitten indoors but she said she had no control over others in the house and suspected that they would leave the cat outdoors. 

Other than that we have one other person who has bonded with the kitten and has stated that they love her.   We feel it would be a perfect match, however at the present time this adopter cannot take in the kitten, but has stated they would help me to find her a home.

Purl goes in for grooming the first week of December, a bow will be put in her hair, there will be photographs taken and we will then put her up for adoption.  We are hoping that the person that bonded with her and said she loved her will take her.  But if not we must find a suitable home for her.

So the interview process has begun, we are weeding through the emails asking questions and are trying our best to find the right forever home for rescue kitten Purl.