Month: December 2019

Today’s story is a true event about Gracie. Gracie is a verified 16-year-old female that we rescued from the local pound. This story is important because this senior cat would not have survived the pound without someone to rescue her. Adopting a senior cat gives them the ability to retire with dignity and comfort. We never know how much time we will have with them, but that is not a good reason to overlook them when a person is thinking about adoption.

Senior cats are as loving as any other cat. Gracie is a very calm cat. Some may not be as easy going, but with patience and time, they will come around. It might even take years.

Gracie

This the story of a senior cat with a happy ending. Gracie was born on November 12, 2003. That makes her 16 years old this November 2019. This information is validated by her ear tattoo and I was able to talk to the veterinary clinic that spayed her. Gracie’s owner passed away and when she was checked on Gracie escaped and no one found her.

Gracie wondered as a stray for a long time. I have never seen a cat so skinny before. Her hips were visible and every rib and vertebrae stuck out. On November 15, 2019, she was picked up by the local pound and was listed on their website for adoption. The period from when she escaped until her being put in the pound is unknown.

During her stay at the local pound, she had a vet visit and got eye drops. It was determined that she needed dental work done and most importantly she needed a home. I received the FaceBook page showing the cats and dogs in the pound. Gracie was the only senior and was not receiving any interest in adoption.

I phoned the Animal Control Officer and made some inquiries then made an appointment to go for a viewing. I arrived at the Town Hall and the Officer brought this tiny carrier and inside was this matted, bad breath, skinny little cat. Her dandruff was so bad it made my pants white. She sat with me and I held her. I could not leave this wonderful little girl here. It was a free adoption with 15 minutes of paperwork and home we went. Gracie was adopted on November 28, 2019. I don’t think she would have got out of the pound alive. She has a home for Christmas.

Gracie talked to me all the way home. We arrived home and she ate a whole can of wet food. A bath was next and we groomed her as much as she allowed. I made a nice bed for her in the bathroom and now she sleeps in a screened cat playpen. She has her water bowl and litter box with regular meals.

I use a nice soft kennel similar to this item from Amazon.

A week into her adoption she looks better every day. Gracie has good energy and is quite calm. Her playpen allows all the other cats to visit and there has been some hissing. I let her sit on the chesterfield with me and I can see she enjoys her time out of confinement. Her breath has improved dramatically and when we get to the vet we will see what to do about her teeth. I recommend brushing your cat’s teeth if you can get it done.

Gracie At The Vet

Gracie went to the vet for a wellness check and to see if she was healthy enough for dental surgery. Her blood work showed that she was healthy enough for the procedure. She stayed at the vet and the next day her dental procedure was completed. She was left with three teeth and with this, her quality of life has improved. Her mouth will heal and there will be no more pain and discomfort.

Because of her age, she was slow to recover from the anesthetic. This required her to stay overnight for an IV and monitoring. By morning, she was ready to come home. Gracie is now in her shelter sleeping, eating and happy.

The Moral Of The Story

Senior cats, cats with disabilities, black cats are the last to be picked at the shelter. My senior cat Gracie needed a home and a second chance at life.

Adopting a senior cat may have some added challenges. My Gracie needed dental work and it was done. This kitty appears to be a strong girl and I have no doubt we will have a life together. We never know how much time we have with an adopted senior cat but to them, it is a blessing to live out their lives in love and comfort.

Gracie is a gentle cat. Her integration to my other eight cats will possibly be fairly straight forward. There will no doubt be some fights and we will get over that. Not all adoptions will be smooth, but with time and patience, most problems can be overcome. Naturally, most cats are timid in a new environment. We just need to give them stability and love.

In Closing

Senior cats without a home is a tragedy. If possible give the senior, disabled, blind cats a second chance at life. Senior cats are as loving as any other cat. Whenever any pet is adopted it requires a commitment. Cat care is forever and this requires a quality of life and a financial commitment. Gracie’s dental was expensive and where I live is cheap compared to other parts of the country.

Because of health issues and age, senior cats get left behind, When I went to see Gracie I could not leave her at the city pound. Now she has a home for Christmas and I get a fabulous cat for Christmas.

Cat As Presents

Remembering the fact that Cat Care is forever I want to remind everyone that bringing a cat (or any pet) must be a family agreement. Everyone must be on board with the decision and commitment to bring a life into the house. Too many cats get abandoned after an emotional conclusion without a serious emotional and financial commitment.

That’s my story for today. Have a wonderful day and don’t forget to hug a kitty and do something green for the environment. I look forward to your comments and suggestions. Please do so below.

Do not forget to go to my Cat Care Products page for a gift for that special kitty.

Trevor

 

Rolling Plains Veterinary Consultants Inc

Located in southern Manitoba, Rolling Plains Veterinary Consultants has three locations to serve all of your veterinary needs from pets to livestock.

Are you a licensed veterinarian that would like to serve a thriving rural community? Give the Rolling Plains Veterinary clinic a call. Click the logo.

We are a participant in the Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.

 

The plight of the feral cat is a growing issue. Public education is necessary to prevent the growing population of unwanted cats. We must remember that we do not have a cat problem we have a people problem. Cats are doing whatever cats do when they are not supervised and cats need to be in homes and have a quality family life. If they can not be in a home we must build feral cat shelters.

Easing The Feral Cat’s Life

The term feral cat includes cats that have no permanent address. This means they have been probably born outside with little or no human contact. Included in this group can be the runaway cat from someone’s home, the cat with free-roaming privileges, and the cats that have been dumped out the door from a home.

A cat with no home has a hard life. Finding food and shelter, evading predators either wild animals or dangerous people. Tomcats fight for territory and dominance. This brings injury and disease. Female cats are constantly at risk of producing kittens.

On average a female cat can have 1 to 8 kittens per litter and 2 to 3 litters per year. During her lifetime, one female cat could have more than 100 kittens. A single pair of breeding cats and their offspring can produce as many as 420,000 kittens in just 7 years.

The life span of a feral cat according to Wikipedia is on average about two years and fifty percent of feral kittens die within the first year of life.

Let’s look at easing the feral cat’s life

Food And Shelter

Let’s start with providing shelter for your local feral cat or cats. Putting up a shelter can be reasonably easy. A nicely stacked set of square straw bales makes a great shelter. Be sure to make a roof and this will provide a good cold-weather shelter. Use loose straw on the floor and change it as required if it gets wet or dirty.

It is possible to build a shelter out of tires. This is accomplished by bolting two tires on top of each other and cutting a hole in the side for a door and a plywood roof. It is not a good cold weather shelter without a heating pad.

I have seen cat shelter made from large coolers with a door cut in the side. The hole is taped to prevent sharp edges and when put in an area out of the wind will provide protection from the elements. People put blankets or straw for a floor. This will require cleaning as required. Heating pads can be used if possible. This will help keep whatever food and water from freezing.

Here is a YouTube video to help get started.

With a little imagination with some stackable containers and some insulation, a person can build several cat shelters. The next requirement is food. Dry food is nice as it does not freeze, while the water you put out will need to be checked and replaced regularly. Wet food is a good solution if you have a schedule and can monitor the cats to avoid waste. A very hungry cat will chew frozen food, a regularly fed cat might leave it. It is best to use some sort of disposable container for your stray cat feeding. The cat food sample below is an example. Buy what you can afford and personally approve.

I was feeding stray cats and I was finding that skunks were coming around. I quit for a while and only fed cats when I saw then. The skunks quit coming around. They are kind of nice if nobody gets squirted. It is a smell you will never forget. I don’t shoot animals, but if you shoot a skunk in your yard your workload has increased significantly as you now have to remove a very smelly body

Here are some examples of feral cat shelters from Amazon.

TNR Is The Solution

TNR is Trap, Neuter Release

The fact that feral cats are so abundant is not a situation that came about overnight. It happened when the human element allowed this to happen gradually and when people started complaining now there needs to be a quick solution. The corrective actions that bring a quick solution are cruel and inhuman. There is no quick solution.

The Feral Colony

This is where the best corrective action can take place. If an individual or a group of volunteers watch over a feral cat colony the opportunity to feed and shelter these cats is rewarding. The next step is to capture the cats and begin a program of spay and neutering with vaccinations as required. I have read that where an established colony will keep out extra cats.

When I have spayed and neutered my cats they require at least two weeks of isolated monitoring to watch for infections or other complications. Then they can be released back to the colony. Some feral cats can be socialized and brought into the house. Please follow this link to the story of my feral tomcat Norbu to read about his journey from the wildest cat ever to a big gentle house cat. Not every cat can be tamed but it depends on the cat and someone’s perseverance.

The feral colony should have a dedicated person or group of people to monitor, feed, medicate, protect and shelter as required. It takes resources to do this and lots of people self-finance. As this Christmas season comes around it would be nice if feral cat colonies would receive donations.

Being a feral cat is not their fault! Feral and stray cats are the result of people who don’t care, and as a result, they can only be helped by people who care. It is also necessary to educate all animal owners that dumping, releasing or not spaying and neutering cats is not acceptable. These are examples of animal cruelty that must be stopped.

Any outside cat is at risk from being hit by a car, being stolen, fights with other cats, parasites, disease, human cruelty, predator animals, and poisonings. This is why I do not allow my cats to free-range. It would be nice if every cat had a home so we cat lovers and rescuers keep working to ease the plight of the feral cat.

In Closing

All cats are beautiful and every life is important. Cats are elegant, magnificent creatures. We must understand that cats do not survive well on their own. When my Lacy escaped for two weeks she lost weight and hurt her paws. Her outside experience produced a profound personality change and she does not go near the door anymore.

When my Roxanne got out of the house last winter she got frostbite on her ears in 15 minutes. Her ears recovered nicely, but it illustrates how the environment is hard on cats.

That’s my story for today Please follow this link to my Cat Care Products page for great stuff for your cat. If you have any questions or comments please do so below.

How Long Is Cat Care? It’s Forever

Trevor

Rolling Plains Veterinary Consultants Inc

Located in southern Manitoba, Rolling Plains Veterinary Consultants has three locations to serve all of your veterinary needs from pets to livestock.

Are you a licensed veterinarian that would like to serve a thriving rural community? Give the Rolling Plains Veterinary clinic a call. Click the logo.

We are a participant in the Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.