Recently in Feral Cats Category
700 cats and several dogs living in harmony on an acreage north of Los Angeles. The cats are clean, well-cared for and are all available for adoption. How did all of these cats get there?
The Founder of Cat House on the Kings, Lynea Lattanzio created a true sanctuary for cats. After visiting a local animal shelter, she returned home with 15 kittens needing to be bottle-fed. After that, she knew this is what she wanted to do.
She started out with 92 cats and the number has increased to up to 700! People call her and ask her to take cats and kittens that were not wanted, feral, or going to be destroyed. She takes them all, it is a one of a kind, no-cage, no-kill cat sanctuary where cats can live out their lives or wait to be adopted into a loving home.
The cats can go in and out of the house, eat and drink at 10 different feeding stations, climb trees, run, play and sleep in their cat paradise. You'll see in the video how these cats are treated, with love and respect.
You can donate money, time or items the humans need to keep taking care of these cats. It only costs $1 to feed a cat for one day, but with 700 cats, that is a lot of cat food! You can also sponsor a cat for $15.00 a month.
Watch this video, you'll be amazed. I know I've never seen a cat shelter like this before.
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In an earlier blog post, I asked for your signatures so that C.H.A.T. Celia Hammond Animal Trust organization could get into the 2012 Olympics site to rescue the feral cats that call it home.
Well, all our signatures helped, because C.H.A.T. was permitted onto the site to set up feeding and trapping stations for the 186 cats. There was one cat that was particularly allusive, they called him Blackjack, pictured here. They watched and waited for three weeks and finally caught him on July 11, 2008.
The rescuers had known he was there, but couldn't catch him the many times they set up their stations. When they were forced to leave on May 1, due to construction, they didn't think he would survive. But was sighted and the team came in and caught him.
He is a bit wild, but they are working to calm him and tame him and hope to find a home for him in the next month or so.
That is one lucky cat!
Read the full story about the Last Cat Saved from Olympic Site and visit C.H.A.T. Celia Hammond Animal Trust to see pictures and read stories about all the rescued cats.
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A story of three little ferals found by Alma and Nikki, who left a comment here. They found three feral kittens but don't have the time to socialize them properly so they are asking for help.
I was a little surprised to find out that a number of feral cat organizations don't actually provide shelter to ferals that are found. Their focus is on trap neuter and return, which is very noble and a very important part of feral cat care. But what do you do if you find 3 kittens too small for adoption, but that you can't care for? Where do you take them?
Most shelters will euthanize them. They get killed just because they are feral. Horrible. Everyone knows that feral kittens can be socialized and they make great companions. Neo, my own cat was a feral kitten and I have never known a more loving cat in my life!
So what do you do? The first thing, is take precautions, sometimes they carry diseases and if they bite you or break the skin, you will have to see a doctor. But if the kittens are small enough, their hiss is much worse than their bite so you will be safe from any diseases they might be carrying.
But they have to be checked out by a vet right away. It is easy to get attached to found kittens but if they are sick, you may not be able to tell right away and when the symptoms do show up, it will be a very sad day if you have to euthanize them. Sickness in cats from fleas is a big problem for feral kittens.
So here is what you do if you find and catch feral kittens.
1. Handle the kitten with towel. Wrapping a towel around the kitten will keep you from getting scratched and biten.
2. Keep them contained. They are small and can run and hide far out of your reach if they get scared. A dog cage or cat carrier would work well.
3. Groom them using a brush or comb for cats. Their mothers groom them, so if you start, they will transfer their parental dependency onto you which helps them become socialized.
4. Take the kittens to a vet for a complete check up. Your vet might also be able to suggest families that have just lost cats that would be willing to care for your ferals and keep them.
5. If you can't keep them or if you are not around much to socialize them, the only thing you can do is find someone who can take them or contact your local shelter. If the local shelter won't take them and care for them until they can be adopted, they will be able to provide information on the nearest feral cat shelter. But before you take them anywhere, ask what their policies are, you might end up taking the kittens to their death!
Unfortunately there isn't that much support for feral kittens who need shelter. It is up to the people who find them to take charge of their futures. Make sure they are healthy and provide food and shelter and socialize them. And in some cases, find a new home for them. There really is a void out there for people like Alma and Nikki, who find kittens and want to help them, but can't keep them.
I'll keep you posted on the outcomes of these 3 kittens.
Swan Lake in California is home to hundreds of feral cats. Some have been abandoned by their humans and some are feral and have formed a colony there. But this isn't a sad story about feral cats, this story will have a happy ending because of some wonderful cat lovers who have opened their homes to these cats.
Two teens in California, Elizabeth Lloyd and Devon Powell with the help of their parents and Corona residents Beth Kohler and Ray Deese have taken in dozens of strays and feral cats. They have also paid out of pocket expenses to have the sick ones cared for and all of them spayed or neutered.
The group has worked tirelessly to trap and rehabilitate kittens and older cats. The kittens and the tame adult cats are available for adoption for a fee of $25.00, which will be returned to you once you show proof you've had your adopted kitten neutered.
Visit Teens Helping Adopt Needy KatS to see the cats for adoption, fill out an application form and sign the adoption contract. You can donate money, time or supplies to help these good people and their sweet little feral cats. If you would like to make a donation to help cover the costs of spaying and neutering, contact AAA Animal Hospital in Corona at 951-371-7117 and tell them your donation is for the Swan Lake Account. Every little bit helps so donate whatever you can.
In addition to helping these cats, the group is working with Alley Cat Allies, and the Riverside Department of Animal Services. Their goal is to have a trap neuter, return program for the other wild cats so they will live out their days wild and free at Swan Lake. They are waiting to hear from Swan Lake management - I'm not sure why they didn't already approve. Trap, Neuter, Release programs are the only way to successfully take care of feral cats humanely.
It makes me so happy to see stories like this about good people making an effort to help cats rather than bulldozing right over feral cats or paying residents to kill feral cats when in fact, feral cats exist because of humans. Keep up the good work, Kudos from FaceKitty!
What was once the leading cause of death in cats has come under control through effective vaccines. Some vets don't vaccinate for panleukopenia any more because there hasn't been a reported case in their area for years. But that is not the case every where, even though the vaccines are effective, not every cat gets vaccinated and the potential for spreading this deadly disease is still a problem. It is very common amongst outdoor cats, strays and feral cat colonies.
Feline panleukopenia (sometimes called feline infectious enteritis or feline distemper or feline ataxia) is a highly infectious disease that can infect your cat even without close contact with a diseased cat. The virus stays alive and active in the blood, stool, or even the fleas from infected cats. But the biggest threat is the virus can be transmitted to your cats from bedding, cages, clothing or even if the cats dig in the same soil as an infected cat.
Feline panleukopenia attacks rapidly dividing cells, such as in bone marrow, intestines and in a developing fetus. The bone marrow is responsible for red and white blood cell production - lack of red blood cells causes anemia and lack of white blood cells compromises the cat's immune system. A lack of cells in the intestinal walls will mean the cat's digestion system is weakened and they will not be able to eat or drink properly. Often they will vomit or have a bloody stool. If the cat is pregnant and survives, the kittens will likely develop Cerebellar Hypoplasia. An infected cat will become anemic and the immune system will be weakened. This means that the cat will become infected with other illnesses so the symptoms of feline panleukopenia are hard to identify.
If you see any of the following symptoms in your cat, get him to a vet as soon as possible. Often cats can hide their illnesses so by the time you notice anything is wrong, it could be too late to save your cat. But watch for these signs:
fever, lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, nasal discharge, dehydration
When a cat comes in contact with the virus that causes feline panleukopenia the result is usually death. Preventing the infection is far more effective than treating an infected cat so get your cats vaccinated against feline panleukopenia.
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Well as a proud Torontonian, I have to salute the good people at the Toronto Humane Society. Throughout the month of May(May 10th to May 21), the Humane Society will be trying to find permanent homes for 100 dogs and 300 cats.
Lee Olver of the Toronto Humane Society said, "Imagine your in your dentist's waiting room for six months, that is the life they have. Everything is there but they are not getting love and affection."
The Toronto Humane Society can be found on 11 River Street (map) in Toronto and they can be reached by dialing (416) 392-2273. Their normal hours of operation are between 11:00 AM and 7:00 PM. All fees related to the adoption of these cats and dogs are waived during this period.
As someone who has adopted a cat from the Toronto Humane Society, I can tell you that all of their cats are incredibly well taken care of. C'mon, go ahead and do it! I know you want to. Start living the life that others dream of. A cat changes everything!
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Born in the wild, American Bobtail Cats are a naturally occurring breed that has only recently been recognized.
The first at the door to greet company, will follow you from room to room in the house, plays fetch and even likes to play in water! American Bobtail cats are intensely devoted to their humans. But be sure to groom them regularly and keep lots of toys on hand, better yet, get two bobtails to keep each other amused while you are out!
Quick Cat Characteristics of the American Bobtail Breed:
Physical: Short tail, strong, stocky body with hind legs slightly longer than their front legs. A short tail.
Color: A distinctively wild appearance, but can be any color with long or short fur.
Temperament: Confident, friendly, easily adaptable and fairly vocal.
History: feral cats possessing a short tail.
It’s not too late to help! Sign the online petition or donate toThe Celia Hammond Animal Trust (C.H.A.T.)
CHAT has been trying to set up rescue missions only to be denied access to the site of the 2012 Olympics. The Olympic Delivery Authority (O.D.A) said there were only 5 cats on the site, but CHAT has already rescued 150 cats so far! And there are still more to rescue. Those poor feral cats! Their homes have been destroyed by the demolition so pregnant queens, three litters of newborn kittens and lactating moms have been forced further into hiding.
Well it seems like the mayor of Randolph Iowa finally gave in to the public pressure with regards to his 5$ bounty on the local feral cat population. As we indicated earlier, the best way to deal with a feral cat population is to trap, neuter and release them. I'm assuming that the mayor of Randolph got the message finally.
Even though the guy finally dropped the bounty, I truly wonder where this guy's head is at. The very thought of offering money to kill cats is pretty ridiculous. At least he did the right thing in the end.
Special thanks to groups like the Alley Cat Allies for keeping the pressure on this story.
read more | digg story
As some of you may or may not know, the Chinese government is rounding cats up in Beijing and systematically killing them. We've blogged about this before and now we're asking for your help. Sign this form if you believe that it is a barbaric act to kill and in some cases skin cats that are still alive.
The Chinese government has gone as far as telling people that cats are unhealthy and are the cause of many illnesses. The propaganda has gotten so bad that many pet owners have left their cats out in the street to be collected by the Beijing death squads. Don't just sit there, do something about it.
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My name is Melanie Walters and I love cats. I've started this blog to... You can read more about me and this blog in my "About Me" section.
