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;

Stray Cats Diagnosis; Inflammation of Bladder

Two days ago a stray cat that is a regular and my cat shelter showed signs of not being able to urinate. I observed this when I thought he was going to urinate outside of the litter box. I discovered there was no urine but instead a drop of blood. Warning flag and of course this meant that cat would be rushed to the veterinarians where they took him immediately to the exam room to check him for blockage.

Stray cat in the garden

The stray cat was kept at the animal hospital for two nights and during that time they did an exam, and tested his urine, blood and did a combo test for Feline Leukemia and AIDS. The test came back and showed that the cat had inflammation of the bladder and this is why he has the need to strain to urinate.

The stray cat was diagnosed with Feline idiopathic cystitis or commonly known as sterile cystitis. This condition is inflammation of the bladder. The veterinarian checks the cat’s urine to determine if the urine is sterile or if it has tiny crystals or sand like particles in the urine. - See more at: http://storyofsambysusangolis.blogspot.com/2012/01/cat-health-feline-idiopathi-cystitis.html#sthash.7UPvqPNI.dpuf

The veterinarian that treated the cat said this 16 year old cat was under stress and needed to eat special diet to calm him. She recommended royal canin veterinarian diet calm cat food. Know that this food benefits cats as it will prevent urinary tract infections, hairballs and if you have multiple cat homes it keeps all the cats in harmony.

My one friend said she fed this calming food to her 7 month old kittens and the kittens stopped climbing her drapes. While the pet food sounds good, it is expensive $52. for 8.8 pounds is the asking price at my veterinarians.

I did an online search for the Royal canin veterinarian diet calm cat food and found that Chewy.com Regular price was $49.38 and then if you signed up for auto ship you got another discount. If I signed up for auto ship today the food would cost me $46.91 and then I would have to spend $3.00 more to get free shipping. The Chewy website offers the best prices on cat food and products.

We cannot afford to feed this stray cat the special diet. However we plan on buying one bag of the food. We will feed the cat so he starts to feel better and then I can rehome him. I really do not like changing a mature cats lifestyle but think finding him a forever home would be best; a home where they can afford to buy this cat the food that he needs.  

I feel bad since I have watched over this cat for the last two years, well since he was abandoned but such is the life of a cat that is left behind when their people move.  Read the first post about this stray cat to learn about his symptoms and when we realized something was wrong.   

Stray Cat Goes to Veterinarian; Cannot Urinate

There is a stray cat that is a regular at my garage shelter, he arrives at night before the door is shut and sleeps in the same bed. This cat is older and we have paid for his vaccines, however he was somebodies cat at one time because he came to us neutered. We suspect that his people moved and left him behind.

 Anyway this cat's behavior has changed and today I noticed that he was trying to urinate on the walls, I rushed to him and said no no kitty, picked him up and put him in his litter box. He tried to urinate there and I noticed that he could not. No urine was coming out and I knew that this was not a good sign.

Since this cat is old I thought maybe it was a senior cat deal, so I fed him his canned food and gave him fresh water and watched him, when he strained to urinate I then called the veterinarian. Know that when a cat cannot urinate it could due to blockage and this is a serious condition.

We rushed the kitty over to the veterinarian and when they went to exam him he did urinate all over himself, the exam table and in other words there was no blockage. The veterinarian said that they would like to keep the cat overnight to get urine in the morning, they also took the cats blood to make sure nothing else was going on.

We are not the type of people who euthanize cats because they are sick, and to make room for other stray, abandoned or feral cats. We always have a sick cat evaluated by a veterinarian and then follow their advice.

Know that if you cat shows signs of straining to urinate and or no urine or little urine is coming out then this is a red flag and you must take them to the veterinarian as there no way of knowing if there is a blockage.  

No Kill Pet Shelter Review

No kill shelters are popping up all over where I reside and to be honest I knew very little about them. I did research online to learn more about the policies and procedures at this type of an organization. When my research was completed I contacted the director of no kill pet shelter in the 4-state area where I reside.

Best to find adopters for cats, but if no adopters are available are No kill shelters the right choice?

I informed the director of this no kill animal facility that I oversaw a private cat rescue group that trapped feral, stray and abandoned cats for veterinarian care and then if we rehabilitate the cats to be people friendly before seeking adopters for the cats.  I informed her that we were left with four cats that were not adopted due to their age (mature cats). I inquired about the policies and procedures for the no kill shelter for surrendering a cat.

I let the director know that all cats were current with vaccines, they were sterilized and along with revolution application all cats had microchip.   Each cat costs us $149. for their medical needs.  All of the upfront expense had been taken care of.  I expected a $50 surrender fee for processing of paperwork.  To my surprise the director of the no kill shelter told me that  my upfront costs per each cat surrendered to the shelter would be approximately $275. (this is an in take fee)

Additionally I must provide each animal with their own cage, cat bed, cats toys and current medial records, all cats must have heartworm and flea preventive and they must be bathed, groomed and have collar with rabies tag and pet identification tag and copy of current medical records.  The shelter director said that cats will feel more comfortable in their own cages and bed.

After the surrender costs I would then have to pay  a monthly pet maintenance to cover food, heartworm medication as well as service fee for the workers to care for my pet until the cat is adopted.  

I asked if there was a fee for the adoption of my cats and she responded that there was a $60.00 placement fee for all pets adopted at the no kill shelter.  So I needed to pay a surrender fee of $275. per cat, plus monthly fees on average $40 to $60 to maintain the health and well being of my cat until they were adopted and then the adopter had to pay a $60. fee for the processing of paperwork and the cat.   

When I asked what occurs if the pet owner skips or can no longer pay the monthly fees the response was if any money was left over they would provide for the animal.  

If you are considering a facility like this I would recommend that you ask a lot of questions and inquire about the surrender fees at the no kill pet shelter.

Learn more about no kill shelters by viewing this YouTube.com News video.

Choosing the Right Scratching Product for Cat

For the last couple of days I have been watching the rescue cats to determine their individual scratching needs. I found that they all scratch different. One of the kittens likes to lie on their back and scratch under the sofa, then the other one likes to sit in front of the sofa and scratch, the smallest kitten likes to scratch with paws stretch to an object above her head like the wood trim that goes around the doorways or my drapes. All of the kittens claws have been clipped so they have not damaged anything, but my observation was needed to determine their scratching habits.

Once I figured out my kittens scratching needs, I knew that a single sisal post was not going to entertain them and a cat that lies on back will not use the upright scratching post. I needed to shop at PETCO.com and choose the right scratching post or tree for the cats. 

I have also found quality cat trees and scratching posts at Petsmart.com and Bizrate.com and overstock.com  If shopping online pick out a tree with many stars and read the reviews.

TIPS

1. Getting the right scratching post is a way to provide the cats with entertainment for hours, tons of fun for the felines. They can scratch according to their needs and play in the carpet covered cubes.
2. Know that cat trees can be expensive but I think they are worth it because once you set up the tree the cat goes to the tree without hesitation. It is their special place where they can climb, scratch and sleep. 
3. If you buy a less expensive cat tree that is not sturdy, then I would recommend that you attach it to your wall and to the floor so that it is permanent. Make the cat tree a permanent structure that does not move around and your cat will be safe and happy. 
4. Buy a quality tree that will not fall over and may hurt your cat, especially if they are older and cannot move fast. 

Meet Houdini our Great Escape Rescued Kitten

It takes time for kittens to develop their personalities and once they do you will be able to match their personalities with a proper name.  Meet Houdini our rescue kitten that is the master at escaping from rooms, carriers and cat cages.

In the photo you view a sweet three week old kitten that we rescued with his four siblings. This kitten is dirty and is banged up, and this is how we found him.  We suspect that he and his litter mates went without food and water because they are small and do not look healthy.

We found these babies in a trash bag that was lying in the grassy area on a busy road at night. The kittens were very small and afraid but husband and I did manage to rescue all five of them.  

We keep the kittens is a safe room away from the other animals in the house and foot traffic, in this room we have all that they need including toys, beds, litter boxes, cat tree with scratching post, cat cage and feeding station. The room is 19 x 21 so the kittens have plenty of room to play. You would think the kittens would be happy in the cat room right? 

Apparently not because Houdini found a way out of the room and out he runs, past the dog and other cats, as if to say “Here I am. “

At night we put all of the kittens in a large cat cage we latch it shut but found out that no latch was going to keep Houdini in. He broke out of that cage in no time and all the kittens followed him, running through the house and playing as kittens do. 

 Last week I put Houdini in the cat carrier and then put the carrier in the car to take him to the veterinarian, no idea how he got out but he was running all over the car and I needed to stop the car and get him.  Husband and I laugh at Houdini because he is so smart. He even knows how to open the door to our bedroom and get in to visit us. 

 Houdini will make a sweet kitty for a family, as he is fun, affectionate and will make his people smile and laugh.

Cat Safety During Thunderstorm

There are two Bengal  cats that comes to visit my yard daily; these cats used to belong to a neighbor that resided two blocks away. But they moved and now their neighbor  in that area have been feeding and providing shelter for the cats,  however both cats seem to find their way to my yard daily. 

Normally when the weather is mild, the cats will lie happily in my yard and underneath my shrubs, sometimes they hid under the ornamental grass leaves.  It is all good, I love cats and do not mind the feline visitors. However  yesterday a thunderstorm was in the forecast  and the lightening and wind was to be fierce.  The sky was darkening and we cold hear the thunder in the distance.

The Bengal cats had no time to get back to their homw.   The cats were cowering under the overgrown foliage in the garden and my husband says “the cats will never make it home before the storm.

 We agreed to provide the neighborhood cats with shelter and decided to open up our garage for them.  

My husband picks up one cat and I picked up his sister and we ran through the rain to get to the garage.  We put both cats in a large cat cage.  Then I made up a bowl of water, food and put fresh litter in the box.  All of these items were added to the cage along with a cat bed that was sprayed with feliway comfort zone  behavior modifier to help to keep the Bengals calm during the storm.   

Husband covered the cat cage with a cotton blanket to comfort frightened cats.  I turned on the radio so they could listen to new age music.  We took steps to keep the cats safe during a thunderstorm.  

It poured rain for several hours but by late afternoon the dark clouds passed and the sun came out.  Husband went to the garage and opened the cat cage, he allowed the cats to exit our garage and the Bengal cats did not hesitate they went home. 

Do you provide neighborhood cats with shelter in an emergency? 
Would you bring a cat in out of the rain?