Help! Keith needs a home in Oxfordshire

 

Why can't some cats get a forever home? Sometimes it's because they are old, or scruffy, or just the wrong colour and stupid humans want a particular colour

But why is Keith still homeless? 

He's under two years old. He's handsome though small. He's playful. He uses the litter tray excellently. He's clever - he can open doors. And he's affectionate.

True, he does nip his human if he is ignored. And he hates all over cats and will attack them. So he needs a home without any other cats.

Today he is very, very bored and frustrated. He is waiting for adoption in a spare room. With nothing much to do.

He is taken out for half an hour's play time twice a day. He is warm and well fed. 

If you happen to know a sensible adult human (some of them definitely aren't) that lives in Oxfordshire, please let them know about Keith.

They can adopt him from www.sunshinecatrescue.org.uk  

A new cat at the top....

 

Copyright and more info here

We've done it again. We cats have strolled into top paces. The Belgian prime minister has just adopted a special needs cat.

His name? Maximus Textoris Pulcher. That's Latin for "Maximus the beautiful weaver." A posh name for a posh cat living at the top of  Belgian society.

His ears look funny because he is a Scottish fold cat, a breed that has serious health problems. They have a genetic condition  called osteochondrodysplasia.

That means their joints are deformed and they are in chronic pain. Maximus is also FIV positive.

Here in the UK, we still breed them and they still suffer. But in Belgium, they have banned the breed. 

Oh, and by the way, the Belgian prime minister's name is Bart de Wever and he is not HIV positive!  So he has given his surname to Maximus.

The Prime Minister didn't adopt. He shopped.

 

KITTENS LIKE CONRAD NEED A HOME....

Humans will keep buying us. As if we were a packet of cereal from a supermarket. Then after buying us with money, they think they own us.

Indeed their stupid laws says we are a possession.

The UK prime minister is the latest idiot to buy a cat. He has acquired an expensive Maine coon kitten "for his children." That's a typical politician's excuse.

He could have adopted a kitten that needed a home. He could have been like American president Joe and his wife Jill Biden who always adopt rescue animals.

Our prime minster just flashed the cash. If it was his purrsonal cash. Maybe it wasn't. He doesn't buy his own glasses and his suits. They are donated by a friend.

He could have set a good example by getting a rescue cat. He could have done something for cat welfare. He might even have shown some love and sympathy for homeless cats.  He chose not to. 

I am glad I am a cat, not a politician. I think more clearly. I have proper pride. 

Black cats need human hellp

 Almost a hundred black cats were found in a deserted house in Kent, UK.  Only 74 of them were alive and well and could be saved.

Safe Haven Animal Rescue, near Sevenoaks, now have to find  humans willing to adopt them... Not easy because black cats are the least popular option among people wanting a cat.

Why? Why do humans discriminate against some of us, just  because we have differently coloured fur. We cats of unpopular colour are just as loving, just as graceful, just as purrfect, as cats that are white or ginger.

The original George, my uncle, who started this  blog was black - and his human thought he was the funniest most handsome cat in the world.

 

 

 

Crazy cat men?

Men don't diet themselves or us

We cats are not misogynistic. We don't much care whether are our pets are male or female - though sometimes I have wished that both could be neutered. Humans would be so much easier to control, if they were without romantic interests.

For years male humans have sneered at women for loving cats too much. Now the tables are turned in the UK. More men than women are adopting cats from Cats Protection!

Is this good news for cats? I think it is. Male humans have larger laps than women so we can really stretch out. They will spend hours watching sport on TV giving us plenty of lap time.

Male humans often earn more money than women, so we can probably get more expensive food. But they usually don't diet themselves... or us!

Their bodies smell differently from female humans' bodies, but nowadays they are just as likely to use scents: so that's not a problem.

Disadvantages? Well, it is said that human males are more difficult to train than human females. This is not true. The advantage of training males is that they have no idea that they are being trained (ask any human female!).

It's important only to use reward methods of training for human males, as they are more likely to injure us if we nip or claw them. They don't mean to. It is just male lack of impulse control.

So careful training must start immediately using rewards like loud purring, kneading (avoid tender male body areas),  plaintive meows near food, and generally charming behaviour.

Human males are putty in our paws...

 

Cyprus disease alert

 

Humans need to protect us. There is a serious disease that is killing cats like us in Cyprus. We need to ban the import of cats from that country NOW.

It's a severe version of FIP, a feline corona virus which causes FIP, and there isn't a cure for this. If this reaches the UK or the USA, any cat that has a cat flap may be at risk. And in Cyprus even indoor cats have been affected. The details can be read here. 

This is an urgent warning to all humans. Read up about this illness. Check that your cat has not been, and cannot be, in touch with any Cypriot imported feline. Quarantine all street cats carefully before admitting them into your home where there are other cats.

Hygeine in shelters and cat sanctuaries has never been so important. Any cat lover travelling back from Cyrpus should make sure they have washed their hands (changed their clothes) before handling their own cats.

We also need import bans.

Careers for cats - archeology.

Want a career in archeology? Felines can apply in Italy. These are jobs for cats that earn their food by rat catching. Not just strays, but cats with a career.

Take Augusto of the Coliseum, for instance. Augusto is so popular that he got too fat. Visitors would forget the ruins and start photographing and feeding him too many treats. His fat photo (taken by guide Carmelo Carubba) can be seen here.

Then there is the tabby and white cat of Pompeii. Much photographed near the restaurant, where she finds her daily cat food. And of course the cats in the Torre Argentina cat sanctuary.

Among Temples A, B, and D they can be found snoozing in the sunlight, or getting visitor attention on the walkways. They are the cats that have special needs which make adoption difficult and they can be "adopted" at a distance here.

As a much loved cat with a pet human, I don't fancy archeology. Though the rats sound great, and the visitors show proper admiration, I prefer lying under a radiator than lying under a Roman column!

Not for me the marble floors of a ruined temple. Give me the carpets of a human home! It's a pity that there are rarely rats, but the armchairs and beds make up for it.

The oldies need you.....

Elderly Maggie waits for someone to love her.

When we get old and our fur becomes tatty, we need kind humans to help us. Especially if we are in a shelter waiting for a home.

We can't look beautiful when we have arthritis and our fur gets a bit rough, in those areas where we can't groom it.

We can't look graceful, if our aches and pains stop us jumping up high or being athletic.

We can't catch the adopters' eye if we are sleeping rather than playing. And we do sleep a lot.

We can give love. But only if a human recognises that we want to be a loving pet, rather than an old cat stuck for weeks and weeks in a pen waiting.

So please adopt the elderly.

Neuter: don't just feed.

 

I know that among humans are many who are kind enough to give food to those of us cats who are living rough. Thank you.

They don't realise that food is not enough. The best help for these cats is neutering and spaying. They will stay healthier and happier for this.

I was lucky enough to be neutered early and so, if I am unlucky enough to lose my home, I won't be exhausted by the search for sex and fights with other cats on my territory. I won't get the awful diseases spread by cat bites.

It's much the same for females. Spaying means that they will not be exhausted, sometimes even to death, by two or three litters of kittens a year.

Stray cats who have lost their home need to be rescued and trapped, neutered and returned to their territory - or found new territory. Not imprisoned in a home.

So please, human cat lovers, do it properly. Get in touch with your local cat shelter, like Cats Protection in the UK, and ask their advice how to proceed.

Should humans have babies or kittens?

 Should humans have a baby? Or should they have a kitten? It is question I have pondered every time I meet a single human with a cat. Surely, the advantages are on the side of getting a kitten rather than a human baby. 

Humans enjoy thinking of their cats as their babies - witness the latest book Seven Cats I Have Loved.* "Deep in my heart I knew I couldn't really tell my feelings for my daughters apart from my feelings for my cats," admits the author.

Many humans lie about this. She doesn't.

So here are the advantages of cats or kitten companions rather than human companions.

• Kittens are much faster to learn how to use a litter tray. No nappies. No potty training. No bed wetting.
• Kittens and cats are much quieter than babies. No midnight crying (well, silence most of the time).
• If neutered early enough, there is no teenage dating to worry about. Neutering is not available for teenage humans.
• 
  Humans will find kittens and cats much cheaper, even allowing for vet bills.
• Kittens and cats never talk back. They just walk away with dignity. 
• Kittens are so purrfectly adorable. All that delicious fur. Gorgeous whiskers. None of that bald skin.

The sensible human choice has to be kittens or cats. 

 

* Seven Cats I Have Loved by Anat Levit. Serpents' Tail. £9.99.

An appeal ...adopt or foster. Don't buy.

We cats need human help during this difficult winter.  As humans decide they cannot afford to feed us or neuter us, because of heating bills, there will be more homeless cats and kittens.

Purlease do not even think of buying a cat. We need adopters to step forward and give a homeless cat a home.

If a human wants a pedigree cat, then look online, find the cat breed club, and look for the rescue section. You might have to wait a little but pedigree cats become homeless too and you should be able to find the breed you want.

And if they can't afford to adopt, then foster. Most cat charities will pay the cat food and vet bills for cats that are fostered in a human home rather than a pen. And for many frightened cats, older cats or just cats that have never been in a pen, being fostered in a human home is emotionally much less upsetting.

We cats don't like to rely on human charity: but for once, we need you.

Stressed mother, stressed kittens

Why do some of us grow up more nervous than others? It is just that we haven't had enough human contact in our kittenhood? 

There are there are other reasons. It may be the fault of our parents. A nervous feline Dad sires kittens with a nervous temperament and, though a proper kitten upbringing with loads of gentle socialisation by humans can make a difference, it will not change that basic temperament.

It may be Mummy's fault. Studies of other animals like guinea pigs and rats have shown that if the mother is stressed, the stress hormones in her blood will be passed to the babies she is carrying. This will affect their brains, so that they too grow up to be prone to stress.

This is Nature's way of ensuring that as a kitten we are ready to face the worrying world ahead of us. A nervous kitten may better placed to cope with a dangerous world and less likely to take over-confident risks.

What should humans learn from this? Kittens in rescue, that come from mothers in the wild, should have extra and very gentle handling by expert humans. Adopters should be told about our temperament. Help give us what we need to fit us for a human home.

At last.... the new First Cat

 

At last there is feline representation in the White House. The new First Cat has arrived - and she looks rather like me. Maybe my continuous blogging has an influence that I never realised. Maybe Dr Jill Biden is a fan. Well, a cat's gotta dream

This is Willow. She is a farm cat, not a posh pedigree - though she has my pedigree looks, I think. So she can help spread the message - Adopt Don't Buy.

She chose her new owner.  “Willow made quite an impression on Dr. Biden in 2020 when she jumped up on the stage and interrupted her remarks during a campaign stop,” said Michael LaRosa, the first lady’s spokesman to The New York Times.

“Seeing their immediate bond, the owner of the farm knew that Willow belonged with Dr. Biden.” It's taken a bit of time for Willow to arrive, because Major, the second First Dog, now retired after biting staff, wasn't a good companion for any cat.

The new First Dog, a puppy called Commander, will be OK.  Or so we all hope... If not, he will have to go.

Felines of the world, rejoice. The White House now has a new administrator.

 

Disabled cats have special talents

 

Minty, National Cat of the Year 2021 c. Cats Protection

At last! 

Disabled cats are being recognised, not just for their disabilities, but for their virtues and strengths. Cats with disabilities have something special to offer in the way of caring for humans. 

This is Minty, who was honoured by the human charity Cats Protection, for her valuable work caring for Connor, a boy with learning difficulties and cerebral palsy. Minty has only three legs but has nevertheless helped Connor learn to climb stairs. His empathy and calmness aids Connor when he suffers an emotional meltdown.

His adult female human says: "Having only three legs never stops Minty enjoying life, and I think that rubs off on Connor. Together they are unstoppable, whatever comes their way.  Minty's a really inspirational cat and we love him to bits."

Cats with disabilities in cat shelters are just waiting to adopt a suitable human. Don't pass them by.

Save a life for International Cat Day

It's International Cat Day and I have a message for all humans from my friend, Tilly. If you are lucky enough to have a cat in your life, celebrate this special day by doing one of four things:

• Donate some money to your local cat shelter
• Volunteer at your local cat shelter.
• Adopt a homeless adult cat - preferably an old one .
• Foster a homeless cat.

I am lucky enough to be a pedigree cat, but there are literally millions of cats, some of them starving and desperate, who need human help. 

Take my friend, Tilly. She was miserable and terrified  in a cat shelter where nobody had adopted her for almost a year. She had given up hope.

Now, eleven years later, she is happy and loved.

You can change a cat's life by doing just one of those four things today.

PS. Tilly was rescued by Sunshine Cat Rescue, a small charity in Oxfordshire, which is always short of money. If you can spare a pound or a dollar, please do. Click here

Black Cats Need Human Love.

Black cats feature in Halloween decorations - more is the pity. Because it feeds into the idea that black cats are somehow wild or frightening. And they just don't get adopted as quickly as cats of different colours.

In some US shelters, that kill unwanted cats, a lot of black cats get put to sleep. They are handed in on Halloween to keep them safe and die later.

I'm celebrating the beauty of black cats today with lots of lovely photos, some of them of my Uncle and namesake George who used to this blog. He stood up for the rights of black cats and, as you can see from the photo at the top was a keen newspaper reader.

Even little black kittens take longer to be adopted. So there are often lots of them waiting to find their forever home.

So tell your human to stop being colour prejudiced and to start helping black cats. 

• My book will help you understand why humans are the way they are.
  

Stand up for rescue cats..... give affection

It's horrible in a cat pen, yet we have to be there if we need homes. Humans feed and water us, but do they do enough? Do they give us affection?

Just putting in food or water, or cleaning the litter tray, with perhaps a quick stroke, isn't reassuring. If that's all, we are more likely to get sick or withdrawn.

We need at least six minutes of gentle stroking, head to tail, tickle under the chin, and then more stroking every day, by a familiar person not just a passing stranger. Don't talk, just do this silently - which is the feline way. We don't like constant human jabber.

If rescue shelters made sure this was done, we cats would come to the front of the pen in hope of more affection. And cats that come to the front are adopted quicker.

So please, workers and volunteers in the shelter, please stroke more. Affection is as important as food.

• Want to know more? Read my book here.
  

Stand up for cats in rescue.... keep us apart and safe.

Cats in rescue ought to be kept in single houses - unless they already know their companions. Just dumping us in a pen full of strange cats is enormously stressful.

It may seem like a good idea to save money, or just to rescue more cats, but it doesn't pay off.

More stress means more disease. More disease means more vets bills. More disease also means more cats are euthanised.

Scientists have measured our stress levels in rescue, and a pen full of cats - coming in and going out to new homes - is the worst possible accomodation.

So, rescues, start thinking smart not fast. Build proper premises. Take in fewer cats, concentrate on homing them out fast.You will save money and you will save more cats.

And saving more cats is what we all want.

• For more feline thoughts on human behaviour go here.
  

Does your human smell good to you?

Dear George,
I’m sitting here scratching my head as I can’t figure out how we choose our humans. I’m not talking adopting or rescuing them! I’m talking about something that transcends that stage.
Let’s assume we already have adopted/rescued them for, let’s say a month now and, of course we share our forever home with them. We all try to adjust and, if we train them well from the beginning, they’ll make good servants!
Then….boom! We find ourselves more attached to one of them! Why is that? How do we decide which one?
The only thing I can think of …..is the smell! Even so, how come?
They don’t smell like bacon or cheese or mice (I’ve heard that some humans smell like rats though) or roasted beef? What people smell like? I know my mummy’s friends buy expensive perfumes but, the perfumes smell like flowers or grass…not necessary something to be attracted to. Men don’t use so much perfume, at least not the ones I know.
So, George, what makes humans appealing to us? Why am I so attached to my dad?
Just asking,
Leo

Dear Leo,
Why are we attached to them at all, Leo? If we care for humans, is it somehow the instinct to care for kittens? Gone wrong? Or at least gone odd! Obviously we adopt or rescue them because they will  house us in the manner that befits the superior species, and be good butlers, house maids, and cooks.
But why love them?  Why roll in front of them, sit touching them, climb on to their laps, bunt them, and sometimes even groom them? The relationship between cats and humans has only been going on for about 9000 years: they are only semi-domesticated (and some feline scientists argue that humans are not domesticated at all). 
I am sure scent plays a part in why we love one more than the other. I agree that the powerful odours that females use are often aversive to cats. Men have more of a nice cosy human odour. And, of course, who feeds us makes a difference too. Follow the food bowl and you may understand your preference better.
This is one of the great issues of our time, Leo, and I am still struggling for an explanation.
Yours
George 
PS. A good job they don't smell of mice. I'd be tempted to eat one.

Cats and bad weather... trust cats not groundhogs.

Dear George

How does one forecast weather? How does one know if it’s going to be cold or warm? Here is North America we mostly relied on our groundhogs to forecast the coming of the spring. The weather on Goundhog Day can influence if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow or not ... (check here) According to the legend, if the groundhog sees his shadow, then there will be six more weeks of winter.But if he doesn't, then an early spring and above-average temperatures are on the way! So, on Feb. 2 Punxsutawney Phil (of Pennsylvania, USA) saw his shadow and that means six more weeks of winter! But albino Wiarton Willie (of Bruce County, Ontario, Canada, check here) didn’t see his shadow and that means …early spring. 
Now who is to trust? What worries me is that with the “human catnip” legalized in both country I don’t know who’s smoking what and that’s how I found myself stuck indoors between blankets…cozy but still indoor! I love being outdoors! I can “smell” spring in the air but what can I do? We just have been hit with another snow storm today!It seems that Punxsutawney Phil was right! Six more weeks of cold weather! Brrrr!

George, how do you forecast weather in the UK? Do you rely on a groundhog or a weatherman?

Uma

Dear Uma,
My human uses me as a weather forecaster. I am very sensitive to the risk of ice, snow, rain and drizzle. I particularly hate wet. I lived on wet concrete under a car for a dreadful six months and only survived because Gaynor picked me up and gave me to Celia. So I never ever want to be out in the rain and wet again.
If I refuse to go out in the morning, which I often do, she knows that it is damp from rain during the night or the rain is coming. I can sense the moisture in the air. I feel the same way about snow. If I look up and see that yellowy cloudy sky, that in the UK means snow, I just stay inside and use my litter tray.
Ice and frost? If it is cold but dry, then I might venture out, walk up the garden, then return. If it is very cold, I use the litter tray because the garden soil is frozen solid. Dry without rain I patrol my garden properly. I don't claim to be entirely accurate, but human forecasters are not accurate either.
My message to our humans is this. Trust cats not groundhogs. If the cat is inside refusing to go out, it means its damp, cold and miserable. Stay indoors and break out some more cat food for us.
Yours
George.