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. 

Purrlease don't eat me....

 

It's been a worrying time for felines in Ohio, USA. An internet rumour suggested that some people there were eating cats and dogs. Then Donald Trump said this was really happening.

We cats want to put it on record that we taste absolutely horrible. We are appallingly difficult to digest too.

So if you suddenly go bonkers and decide to eat a dead cat, you will find it difficult to swallow even a single bite - because of the vile taste. And, if you purrsist, you will have awful indigestion.

You will be up all night being sick not knowing which end - face or butt - to put on the lavatory. 

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED....

What do these capital letters remind you of? A certain style which appears on the ill-named Truth Social.

Oh and by the way there is a great song you can listen to on Youtube. You can even buy it here. All the money will go to cat and dog rescue.

So good comes out of harm....

PS. The blog is late due to my secretary being at The Cat Show in Birmingham. And it may be intermittent for a couple of weeks in Sept and Oct, as she is gallivanting around Turkey. You can't get the staff nowadays.

Rescue smarter... homeless cats need your help.

 This is the problem.... how can we help find not just any solution but the right solution for all of us cats. By all of us I mean the wild feral cats, the community cats and (of course) the homeless pet cats.

I've been researching this and my human is going to give a talk about it at the Birmingham Cat Show in the UK on September 14. She's also going to sell a few books -- with luck!

Purrlease get up to date on cat rescue. Don't put feral cats in "sanctuaries". Trap, neuter them and put them back where they belong where they can have a happier longer life, now that they are not worn out by kitten bearing or by sexual diseases.

Rescue smarter. The quicker cats get out of a rescue into a home, the more cats can be helped.

If you can't listen to Celia on September 14, go straight to International Cat Care for details of how to rescue smartly, take a course, and learn Trap, Neuter and Return.

Help us NOW.

Disgusted... a kitten

 

This is Max. He looks quiet in this photo. He's not.

She's done it again. She's imported another awful foster kitten. It's disgusting.

Humans are so selfish. OK so she tried to hide it away in the spare room. Huh. Of course I could smell the intruder.

I walked to the closed door and gave the loudest hiss that I could. Don't know if the kitten heard it, but she did. "That will teach her to think I might mother it," I said to myself.

But did it? The kitten is still there. Worse still, it's completely manic. She lets it out sometimes and it tears round the house at the speed of knots.

Of course if it comes near me - and she has the decency to try to make sure it doesn't by shutting various doors - I arch my back and hiss again.

For about two seconds that stops it in its tracks. Then it speeds off again jumping and running and cavorting everywhere.

She says she is just fostering it. Thank goodness. I can't bear much more.

That kitten is a revolting intruder. It must go....

Bad "owners,'" cat hoarders, or cruel humans

Matted coat, heart murmur, kidney disease

Why are people cruel to us? Why do some humans kick us. The other day an elderly human kicked an elderly cat for no good reason. You can read about it here.

Of course, some humans are cruel to other animals like dogs and horses. Young humans who do this often grow up to be cruel to other humans.  

But a survey in l999 suggested that intentional cruelty was more commonly inflicted on cats than dogs. Cat killers may even boast about it. Or take videos of them hurting cats.

Then there are the ignorant cat "lovers," who are unintentionally cruel. If you are unlucky enough to live with them, you won't be neutered, or given veterinary treatment. If they move or go on holiday, they will leave you behind.

Some of these cat "owners" will even refuse to co-operate with organisations who offer to help. There are charities that can help with costs for those on benefits but they won't bother to use them.

Beware the mad compulsive  "rescuers". These are people who keep too many cats - a houseful of cats confined indoors that need veterinary care. They "love" the cats that they force to live in a disease-ridden house.

They usually refuse to admit that the cats are suffering and some have successfully got backing from ignorant social media people. They may even appeal for money or set themselves up as charities.

Please report these cat hoarders to your local RSPCA or Humane Society. If you find a rescue charity where there are scores of unvaccinated cats wandering around, or too many kept inside a single room or small building, or cats confined to rabbit hutches or tiny dirty crates, report them to the Charities Commission as well.

Humans who cannot or will not look after us properly should not live with a cat. Leave home if you can.

It's often better to be on the street than the live a life of confinement in filthy conditions.

• Read what we want in a human home.
  
  
  
  

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.

Techie help for lost cats

 At last... we cats are getting the same techie help as dogs. A microchip for all of us.

The law is changing in the UK and after June next year all pet cats must be microchipped by law. Why? So that if they get lost they can be more easily reunited with their humans.

Of course, I am microchipped. So is Jimmy, whose photo I used at the top of this blog. All responsible humans give us cats a microchip.

But there are still unthinking or old fashioned humans who don't bother to do this. And there are some humans that save a little bit of money by not doing it.

What will happen? Well, the unthinking humans may now be reminded by a vet to do this.

The truly unsatisfactory humans, the ones that don't bother to neuter us, still will not bother. But at least they will be liable for a fine.

It will make life easier for rescue shelters. A quick check for the chip... Easy. Cats with responsible human pets go home. 

Cats without responsible owners can be adopt better human that make better pets.

Alas, poor little cat....

 

For three years, this little black cat turned up at a housing block to be fed by one of the humans living there. Another human from the same street walked up daily to feed him at 6pm.

He did well. He was seen mousing. His hair was glossy. He would sleep under a shrub in the sunlight in good weather.

The humans thought perhaps he belonged to somebody. We cats sometimes just go AWOL. After all, he had a collar. They didn't want to steal somebody else's cat.

Then this year his hair began to get matted. The humans started to feel anxious for him. A dry place was found for him at night, and he no longer seemed to roam away so much.

As the weather grew colder, they decided they had to do something, even if he did have an owner. He was picked up, taken to a woman who put him in her spare bedroom and took him to the vet the next morning. His matted hair was cut off; he was microchipped.

Underneath his hair, it was clear that he was very thin. Painfully thin.  Desperately thin. Despite being offered chicken and sardine, he ate only the tiniest amount over the next 36 hours. He drank a lot of water but was still dehydrated.

On his next visit to the vet, it was clear that he didn't have much time left. He had kidney disease, a heart murmur, something wrong with his liver. 

He purred when stroked. Arched his boney back up to the touch of a friendly hand. Then he was put to sleep for the last time.

Please, you humans, think of homeless cold cats this winter. Don't wait too long to help them find a warm home.

Black cats lives matter.

 

Black cats need your help, this Halloween. Black kittens are usually the last to be adopted from a shelter. Adult black cats stay longer waiting in a rescue pen for a forever home.

Worse still, in countries where healthy cats are killed if nobody wants to adopt them, black cats are more likely to be put down. Humans want  white cats, tabby cats, ginger cats and even black and white tuxedo cats before they want an all-black cat.

Humans can help black cats in many ways.

• Adopt a black kitten. If you must have a ginger kitten, then add a black kitten too.
  
•  Adopt an adult black cat waiting for a home.
• Make sure you take a good photo of your shelter black cats. It's not always easy to get one, so take your time until you do.
  
• Highlight the plight of your black cats waiting for homes by sending that good photo to the local newspaper/TV/radio station.
• Add an eye-catching second name to the names of black cats waiting for homes - not just Blackie. Think of a celebrity name like Denzil, Obama, Rishi, Morgan. Or Oprah, Whoopi, Serena and Whitney.
• Tie a large ribbon or a banner to their pen with a heart felt message.
• Have a special black cat adoption day. Or week. Any time you have more than one black cat in rescue.
  

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.

Liz, the lastest Larry rescue pet

 

Larry, the Downing Street Prime Cat, has a new rescue human called Liz. It is his latest attempt to find a pet worthy to live in Downing St.

It's been really hard to find one that hasn't got behaviour problems. It started well with Dave, who seemed to understand his role as companion animal to Larry. 

The only problem was that there were three in the relationship - Cleggie being the third. Admittedly even Cleggie seemed to realise this menage a trois wasn't working out so he left for the USA.

Larry and Dave settled down well - until Dave disappeared. So next time Larry tried to find a better rescue and came up with Theresa. She had a taste for leather trousers, and two unfortunate human pals, but she too disappeared.

The worst pet of all was Boris. There were terrible behaviour problems - drinking in number 10, caterwauling in the  Downing St flat, lack of truth in the meows. It was chaos and, to make everything worse, a dog with a personality disorder.

Now Larry is trying again. Will Liz become the purrfect pet? 

I can only cross the digits on my front paws and hope.

What could be more beautiful?

What could be more beautiful than a cat? This is Holly, an ordinary black cat. Nothing special about her. No pedigree. No extraordinary colouring. Not particularly long hair. Just an ordinary cat.

But what is ordinary about a cat.? What is ordinary about her? Just look at the grace of her body, the curve of her paw, the gloss of her coat, and the linear loveliness of her tail.

August 6, tomorrow, is National Cat Day. Humans can celebrate it  by celebrating the beauty of all cats. Not just the special ones, not just the ordinary ones, but also the scruffy ones, the elderly ones, the starving ones and the disabled cats. 

So, if you can, give a pound or a dollar to your local cat rescue, and next time you want a cat, adopt a rescue cat. 

We cats say thank you.

 

Every single cat is unique.... why?

Every single cat has a different purrsonality. Every single cat is an individual. There is no "average cat." No single rule for every single cat.

So, humans, live with it...

And why is that? Well for a start, look at the picture. Five kittens of three different colours. Maybe three different fathers! Three different sets of genes.

Then there's the way our mum coped during her pregnancy. That affects us in the womb. If she was stressed out, we will be stress-prone kittens when we grow up. 

Next there is the influence of our first eight weeks of life. If we meet gentle loving humans, we love humans. If we don't meet humans, we grow up as wild cats without humans in our lives.

Finally, there's what happens to us. A single shattering experience can change how we act and feel - just as it does with humans.

So humans. Study each individual kitten. Study each individual cat. Only then you will know what we want and need.

 

 

I'm a street cat: don't rescue me to be a house cat

We, the street cats of the world, don't want to be tamed. We don't want to be put in a pen and forced to adapt to human society. We don't want to be made into house cats.

Yet some cat "rescuers" are trying to do just that. They think it's the right thing to do.

Or, if they don't try to tame us, they confine us to some kind of enclosure where we are fed regularly but we don't have the kind of freedom we used to have.

Being a street cat is a rich and varied life. If we are lucky we get fed by passersby, and there are always thrown out take-away wrappings, often with food in them. We can forage and hunt. We can lie in the sun. We can burglarise food left out for house cats.

All that is lost if we are stuck in a cat pen or confined to an enclosure - a so called "sanctuary." Only it can be more like a prison. Are two meals a day worth the loss of freedom? 

So please don't. Trap us and neuter us. We will be healthier without fighting and kitten bearing. Then let us go back to the streets where we live.

Oh, and appoint a regular feeder. Freedom and food. That's what we want.

P.S. Go to International Cat Care Cat Friendly Homing.

So many are homeless

 

There are so many homeless cats. One estimate says that one in every two cats living in the world do not have a human home. Even in the UK about five percent of cats are homeless.

Of course some of them live reasonable lives as farm cats, working cats or cats that have a regular feeder. These are the lucky ones.

Others have lost their homes and have to learn to live on their wits. Some are just abandoned when their owners move house. Others leave home if the home is unsuitable or frightening.

They may be able to live out of refuse bins, restaurant waste, thrown-away take away food, or break into human houses with a cat flap and steal another cat's food.

Purrlease spare a little money for your local cat rescue. There are a lot of homeless cats around at the moment and not enough money for the rescuers.

Cat deprivation in humans: the symptoms

 

Dr Roxy on her therapy couch treats a patient

 

A new syndrome in humans has been discovered - cat deprivation syndrome. Do you know a human who is suffering? Here is an outline of the symptoms.

• Intense loneliness. This emotion is felt despite socialisation between humans. In households with partners and children, it is still the primary symptom. In lone-human households, it can become seriously overwhelming.
• Purr deprivation during the night. The human frequently wakes and misses the purr. This leads to prolonged sleeplessness due to what we cats call "unnnatural night silence." More room on the bed does not compensate for purr absence.
  
• The breakfast gap. This occurs when the human staggers downstairs to put down cat food. Realises there is no cat. Has to fill the gap by making her own coffee first. Schedule disruption produces inner uneasiness.
• Empty-house ideation. The human's mind is full of images of an empty house. Empty armchairs. Empty beds. Empty windowsills
  
• Missing rituals -  such as the litter skitter, the move-over-you-are-on-my-chair, the belly flop, where-ie-my-dinner, the greeting-you scratch on mat, don't-interrupt-my-grooming-sequence. 
• Improverished cleaning rituals. Where has the hair gone? Paradoxical feelings of dismay rather than relief.

I could go on, but these are the main symptoms. If not promptly addressed, they can lead to severe mental psychosis.

• 
  

Kittens need human love - a pen is not enough.

Kittens need loving and gentle human contact otherwise it will not grow up to be a happy pet from the age of two to eight weeks. Yet many humans do not realise this.

They rescue a mum and kittens, then keep them in a pen where they get only a moderate amount of human contact usually when the pen is being cleaned or food is being supplied.

That's not enough.

They rescue us - and think that just giving food and shelter is adequate. It's not. Without loving human contact we will grow up to be nervous adults. Kittens need human love and handling, and they need it at the right age.

Educate the cat rescuers to socialise kittens properly!

Life before birth for a kitten

 

We all depend on our mothers, when we are young, whether we are kittens or human babies. She influences us by her mothering after birth but she also influences us before birth.

Feline mothers that are half starved produce small, sometimes slow developer kittens - that isn't unknown. But what you may not know is that our feline mother's eating habits can influence us as kittens in her womb. If she eats a cheese-flavoured diet, as in one study, we will prefer cheese flavoured food when we start eating solid food.

There are other sadder influences too. A highly stressed mother produces highly kittens that will grow up with the same stressy attitude to life. The stress hormones in her maternal blood will be passed on to the kittens in her womb and influence their prenatal brain development.

In a way it's nature's method of preparing us kittens for life ahead. If our mother cat lives in a world where there are many dangers, we need to be prepared for the same world. If a pregnant cat eats a particular diet, then this diet will be around for her kittens to eat safely too. 

And there is also the influence of genetics. If we have a fearful father cat we kittens will have a fearful temperament - even though most tom cats have nothing to do with us kittens. So it must be in the genes.

"They f... you up, your Mum and Dad," wrote a human poet. The same can hold true for kittens....

Give me a kitten before 7 weeks....

Give me a kitten before the age of seven weeks, and I will show you the adult cat. This is adapted from the ancient Greek philosopher, Aristotle, who said  - "Give me a child before the age of seven and I will show you the man."

It's true. What happens to a kitten before the age of about eight weeks, defines much of its future life. 

• If it grows up in the wild for the first two months of its life, without any human contact, it will become a wild animal rather than a pet.
•  If it grows up as a single bottle-fed kitten for the first two months of its life, it may be socially awkward around other cats in later life.
• If it is born to and brought up with a highly stressed mother cat, it is likely to grow up to become a stressed cat.
• If it grows up with a good mother cat, lots of play with its siblings and lots of gentle interaction with humans (and maybe a friendly family dog) it will become a confident and loving pet.

Yes, feral kittens can be rehabilitated in the next three months of their lives so that they are suitable as pets. But they need careful and intensive rehabilitation. Yes, feral cats can be tamed - over a number of years.

But kittens should be born into a home, not a pen, wherever possible. Or fostered in a home as soon as possible.

Cat rescuers take note....

Adopt, don't buy. Older cats have more serenity.

 

Humans in lockdown have been paying silly prices for puppies and kittens. Just for the fun of caring for an exciteable cute companion.

As a qualified human behaviour counsellor, this fills me with despair.

Some, perhaps many, of these furry babies will end up in an animal shelter when their owners get bored or have to go back to work outside the home. 

Meanwhile there are plenty of beautiful adult cats needing homes. How do we get the message across to dumb humans, that these need homes too and have plenty of love to give. If the human goes  back to work, most adult cats can cope very well as long as they have a cat flap. 

The advantages of adoption are obvious. It costs less. If a human adopts an adult cat, it will know more about the cat's individual temperament (you can't tell with a kitten). There is a greater choice. The cat has already been spayed and neutered. She/he has been vet checked and should be free of disease.

Humans should check out the animal rescue before adoption. Charities will be registered with the UK Charity Commission and can be checked online. If the rescue is not among these, don't go to it.

Rescue places that have rabbit hutches, old cages or crates with cats should be reported to the RSPCA. So should any human who is operating from a house with more than 20 cats in it. Report these to the RSPCA so that the cats can be rescued and rehomed via a reputable charity.