CatCare

Esther Update

Esther is doing well after her surgery. Her spaying incision is now four days old and to me it looks like it is healing well. She had a day or so grogginess from the anesthetic. During the first couple of days she was clingy and wanted to cuddle. She had two mornings of pain killer.  She slept in bed as she always had done, but she had to touch someone  until she fell asleep. Her appetite is normal. Her energy is on the rebound.

Do Cats Care

While Esther was away for a day and a half Tenzin was obviously upset. He hid and did not interact as much. During the night Ariel came to the bedroom to look for Esther. Now that Esther is back these two are back to normal.  The more time I spend around all my family members the more I realise how much they understand and feel. Anyone who says cats don’t care obviously isn’t in the moment.

House Work

With seven cats and two dogs in the house the house work is an ongoing project. This morning as I was about to have breakfast China, my Husky threw up on the floor. Lucky for me it was on a hard surface with just a wipe up required. A wipe, a wash and a squirt of spray nine and I was done. Then I noticed that one of the litter boxes was loaded from overnight activity. Now I had to clean all the litter boxes. We now have five litter boxes. We put out one more after Alexis had her UTI. The rule is to have a litter box for each cat plus and one extra. We are making it work with five until we are forced to change. The litter box illustrated in my Products page works really well for reducing the amount of litter outside the box. We have two in use.  The toilet should be cleaned after every use if your cats look in the bowl and the lid is never closed. Never use chemical toilet bowl cleaners. It will poison your cat or dog. Vacuuming and laundry is a daily chore. Sometimes a quick booming works but after a day or two the vacuum has to come out. We really like the Bissell units as illustrated on the Products page even though we have central vac. I think if you can’t keep up with the housework maybe there are too many animals in the house. Get help in some way before somebody steps in and forces the issue.  I have read many news stories of animal hording and to let thing get that far is totally unnecessary.

Declawing

I recently read an article on declawing. The article went on to emphasise that the procedure is NOT good for your cat. I am shocked that it is a procedure that is even considered these days. It is a form of cat torture that is only to the benefit of the owner. It is like removing the first knuckle off each of your fingers and toes. We have seven cats and I see no need to do this to anybody!  The solutions to scratching are learning how to trim the cat’s nails, cat trees and scratching posts. I think furniture covers are a necessity for many reasons. It’s nice because they are machine washable. Its easier than shampooing a chesterfield.

That’s my story for today. Please leave a comment or question at the bottom of the page. We are now on Twitter @CatInTheCradles. Hug a kitty and do something green for the environment.

Trevor

 

 

 

Todays post is about cat carriers. A necessary accessory to any cat owner. I have used my carrier a lot lately with trips to the groomer and the vet. There is nothing harder than getting a scared cat out from under the car seat. The picture above is of Ariel. He is a perfect illustration of a timid cat that does not like to travel. The carrier provides piece of mind while you drive and limits any distractions that might cause you trouble. We have seven cats and there is a carrier for each cat. This is necessary in case we have to evacuate for any reason. It would hard to put two cats to a carrier. We have hard carriers and soft carriers. Both are good. I will put examples of each in my Products page. If your cat is afraid of being put into the carrier just wrap the kitty in a large towel and put him in. Its easy and will prevent the frustration and scratches of putting a frightened cat into a box. When you take the kitty out just be careful you don’t  hook a leg in the door. It should be that easy. I have seen people give up when kitty will not cooperate.

For those of you that like to hike with your feline there are back packs and strollers for getting your cat out doors. I have never used these items but I would think that if they don’t like getting in it you probably should not do it. The trick here is training with short trips and few distractions. Older cats might not ever get used to hiking while if you start training a kitten early it just might work out. My girl Roxanne loves going out and would probably love hiking. Now that there is snow on the ground she only likes going out for a few minutes. Some cats prefer staying in.

In closing carriers for your cat are necessary for your cat and for your peace of mind. A trip to the vet will far less traumatic if you don’t have to fight your cat. One last note, a blanket in the hard carrier make a more comfortable ride for your cat and you can use it to put the kitty back in.

That’s my story for today. Hug a kitty and do something green for the environment. Please leave a comment or question and I will get back to you.

Trevor

Esther’s post surgery monitoring starts today and will be necessary for the next week or so. The photo above shows that her neck was shaved probably where the initial blood test was taken and where the anesthetic went in. The incision is clean and her belly is shaved. She will get two mornings of pain killers with breakfast and I have to watch for swelling and infection. When Roxanne was spayed she had an infection and got antibiotics a week later. Please click on Roxanne above to see the post on her surgery. It is recommended to keep the kitty quiet, but that will impossible for many reasons.  It is quite likely she will heal up and there will be no action required. Along with the surgery she had her nails done and got her ear tattooed. I really like tattoos. Sometimes you have to look deep into the ear, but its an obvious ownership mark. I was also told that Esther was getting over weight. To me just to look at her I never would of thought that, but during surgery it was noted there was excess fat. Diet time for everybody.

When I took Esther to the vet she was nervous and scared. She cried all the way to the clinic and did not like being left in a small kennel. She had to overnight with a crying puppy and no snacks. Her surgery was mid morning with it being completed by noon. She stayed the whole day for observation and I picked her up on Thursday morning. I was there at 10:00 and paid the bill. The ride home was filled with Esther talking and her nuzzling my finger all the way home. When she got in the house she patrolled every room and checked everybody out. She was happy to be home and didn’t miss supper. The night she was gone Ariel looked for her and Tenzin missed her I am sure because he hid and acted distressed until she came home.   This procedure cost $257.26 CDN. So far we have spent about $400.00 CDN to have a kitten vaccinated and spayed in her first year of life. This should tell you that when you get a kitty from the shelter for $200.00 or less you are getting a deal. My $400.00 is even cheap compared to other parts of the country.

Shelters are providing a tremendous service to the community. Many are operating at capacity and always need funding. Many shelters are certified charities and will provide a tax receipt. If you can’t adopt, donate or volunteer at a shelter.

One last thing before I go. I just read an article on how to stop furniture scratching. It recommended a scratching post or cat tree. I agree with both of these. The comments at the end of the article had many readers recommending declawing. In my opinion declawing is wrong and is nothing more than cat torture. Its like cutting the first knuckle off your own fingers.  Lets work to put a stop to this procedure.

Esther is home and I am glad. Have a great evening and hug a kitty. Do something green for the environment. Please leave a comment or question below and I will get back to you.

Trevor

Esther

Esther had her surgery this morning and all went well . She is in recuperation and observation for the day and she will coming home tomorrow morning. The surgery takes a week to ten days to heal. During her post surgery recovery she should be kept quiet and be watched for licking and scratching. Keeping her quiet will be hard as she is such an active girl. Ariel came to bed this morning and I am sure he is looking for her. Generally she should have no complications and her days will be normal. I have to watch for swelling and weeping of fluid at the incision. Roxanne had a bit of an issue when she was done. At this point I am confident that there will be no problems. Esther did not like being left last night and I am sure she wants to be home. I read that a spayed female cat live 60% longer than an intact cat. She will get over all of this and run around as normal.

That’s my story for today. Hug a kitty and do something green for the environment. Please leave a message or question at catinthecradles@gmail.com.

Trevor

The time has come to take Esther to the vet for the spaying surgery. I trust our vet but I am still nervous and I can’t wait for it to be over and she is healed up. The healing should take about a week. Roxanne didn’t slow down one bit from the operation and these young cats bounce back well. I recently wrote a post describing that Esther was in heat and this procedure will remove the natural events of an intact cat. Esther howled, marked her spot and made herself available to Tenzin. It can only be better for her not to endure the regular cycles of an intact cat plus it’s easier on everybody else in the house.

Today Esther is having a regular day with supper coming at her normal time. Just before the vet closes I will deliver her to the vet office where she will fast for the preparation of the surgery. Tomorrow she be given an anesthetic and the surgery will begin. I was told it goes quick. Along with the surgery Esther will be getting a tattoo and her nails trimmed.  Then she will be put under observation for the rest of the day and I will bring her home on Thursday. She will miss coming to bed and snuggling at night.

The tattoo is a good thing. When someone finds a stray cat with a tattoo it’s obvious she belongs to someone. A micro chip needs someone to take the time to read it. I am not saying that microchips are wrong, in fact microchips have led to many recoveries of lost pets. Both methods are good. My Percheron Rose has a chip. It cost $25.00 and is well worth it. Only two of my seven cats go outside. The two that get out are on leashes and are monitored constantly. That’s why I have not chipped the cats.

The spaying procedure removes the uterus and ovaries. Esther will never have babies now. The cost of the operation is about $200.00 in Canadian dollars. This is cheap compared  to other parts of the country. The spaying procedure will also reduce the possibilities of the kitty getting other health issues that come with old age and in fact a spayed cat will live  longer than her intact counterpart. I think that if a person was going to conduct a Trap Neuter Release program this would certainly reduce the number of unwanted kittens in the world. The question I have is how would a person monitor some of these  feral cats until the surgery healed? There would have to be a responsible plan in place so that there is not a cat suffering from some surgery related complication.  If you would like a more detailed explanation of this surgery I am including a link to a Wikipedia article.

That’s my story for today. Hug a kitty and do something green for the environment. Please leave a comment or question below.

Trevor

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutering#Females_.28spaying.29

 

That’s Roxanne out side in her harness. The two cats I take out will not go out side without a harness. I use a 25 foot leash and when I let them free roam I can always see where they are. I never leave them unattended.

Some cats respond well to the harness. Roxanne even puts her head up to let me put it on. If you are thinking about leash training your cat, start early and in short no stress periods. Have a good hold on the leash your first time outside and be ready for anything. If your cat gets scared it will bolt and be hard to control. Wear a jacket and gloves and be ready to hold on tight. If you think your cat will need extra control use a more full coverage harness so you don’t choke your cat. I don’t use collars.

Please check my Products page for two of the many types of harnesses available.

It’s fun taking your cat outside. Be careful and start slow and be prepared for anything. That’s my story for today. Hug a kitty and do something green for the environment. Please leave a comment and have a great day.

Trevor

The two kittens above just turned a year old. They were rescued together, they sleep together and play together. They like toys. I have lots of mice made from fabric and some of them have pockets for catnip. These are a big hit with everyone. You should see Lacy throw them around. All of the cats like our sticks with feathers or stuffed animals on the end. Everybody gets a good work-out with these items. We also have blankets with catnip pockets and these are well liked. These blankets are machine washable and easy to fill with catnip.

Laser pointers are a favorite. You can keep a cat busy for a long time. It’s important not to point these devices in anyone’s eyes as the laser will cause blindness. Children should be taught about the hazards of laser devices.

That’s my story for today. Hug a kitty and leave a note for me.

Trevor

I live in a home with seven cats and two dogs. This presents some cleaning issues that are addressed daily. First off there is lots of hair. The picture of Alexis above is an example of a kitty that likes to leave hair even though she gets brushed. The “shorthaired” cats leave hair and the dogs shed and bring in dust with their feet. The solution to this is a good vacuum cleaner. We use a Bissell Pet Vacuum with great results. This corded upright is easy to use and works on carpet and hard floors.  This Amazon available product is reasonably priced. I am going to include a product sample in my Products page. There are various price ranges, we are using a cheaper one that is no longer available.

For carpet cleaning we also use a Bissell Carpet cleaner as well as a Bissell Little Green Cleaners for small jobs as well as vehicle cleaning after the dogs have accidents in the truck.

When those inevitable accidents happen on the hard floors such as a pee stain or vomit after a cleanup, I wipe the floor with Spray Nine Cleaner and disinfectant. This is handy especially if you are in a hurry and don’t have time for a good hot water wash. It is important to be careful with what liquid floor cleaners a person uses because some of them are very toxic. Please check the contents. Some of these products leave a residue and it gets on your kitty’s feet  and we know that cats constantly groom themselves.

This is a short story on house cleaning. I think everyone has an idea on a clean home. Good equipment and some supplies make the job easier and quicker. Some of my cats have found hiding places when the vacuum comes out. Then they get a treat when its all done. Remember a clean house smells clean. Please check my Products page for pictures and links of these products.

That’s my story for today. Have a great day and hug a kitty. Please leave a comment if you like. If you have a question e-mail me at catinthecradles@gmail.com

Trevor

 

It’s National Cat Day in the United States. As I read some of my emails today lots of people are rescuing and looking after cats. Good Job. We have to help those that can’t help themselves. My boy Soxs pictured above is now a big boy. He would not have lasted the winter if someone didn’t find him as well as his six other brothers and sisters. Every day should be cat day.

It’s not only cats that need to be rescued. It’s horses ,dogs, parrots, reptiles and every living thing that was once a pet and now is discarded needs rescuing. Its been my mission to help where I can.

Rescuing costs. Shelters need funding and help. If someone can’t take in a kitty, maybe volunteering or financially supporting a shelter could be an option. Lots of shelters are charities that will give you a tax receipt.

That’s my story for today. Hug a kitty and do something green for the environment.

Trevor

Once again I have to reemphasize the importance of the litter box. My boy Ariel left a turd in the litter box that had blood on it. This is of great importance. I sent a picture to the vet and then Ariel went to the doctor for a visit. His visit went well with no significant problems shown. He was given a deworming pill and sent home. We have to keep an eye on him and watch for any further events. Blood in the stool can come from many problems such as constipation or pushing through hair or serious things like cancer. This week Ariel is going to the groomer to get his bum shaved. He is so hairy we had a hard time taking his temperature.

The picture above is the stool sample I took to the vet. The blood is bright red which is anal blood. This is why I like open litter boxes. You have to clean it and you get to watch your cat use the box.  It was because we saw Ariel leave this sample is how we know it’s his.

This is today’s story. I hope you find it helpful. Have a nice day and hug a kitty. Please leave a comment at the bottom. If you have a question or want your kitty featured on this website email me at catinthecradles@gmail.com

Trevor