Stand up for rescue cats.... when to neuter

Every kitten should be a wanted kitten. But there are too many cats without homes in this world. One way to reduce overpopulation is to reduce the number of cats that have kittens - but that needs human co-operation.

In the UK, cat rescues are beginning to change their methods. Till recently, they found home for their kittens and asked the adopters to make sure these were neutered. Some rescues handed out vouchers to help pay for this.

Adopters are only human (dumb animals) and so some forgot. Some decided they would like to cash in and sell kittens. The rescues had to follow up and make sure the neutering happened.

It was a mess. It cost time and money. Even veterinary humans were slow to realise that they had got it wrong and females needed neutering faster than they thought. We can get pregnant from 3 months onwards.

Now these rescue humans are beginning to wise up. They have realised they cannot rely on humans to do the right thing, so they are neutering their kittens before giving them up for adoption.

It's safe (researchers have looked into it) and it stops human error. Purrlease spread the word.

Prevent human error. Neuter kittens before adoption.

• Is it safe? Read 'Help Stop Teenage Pregnancy! Early-age neutering in cats,' Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, (2011), 13, 3-10
  

Thinking - the history of cat food.

Me. Deep in thought.

Pondering the cat-human relationship, I have decided it is much improved. Why? While nosing around the book shelves of my human, I came across this small pamphlet, issued by a maker of "Tibs," vitamin pills for cats. It is probably more than half a century old.

We know that humans are dumb animals. But in the l950s they were even dumber than nowadays when it comes to cats. Some of them thought that kitchen scraps (delightful though they are) were sufficient food for cats. Others believed a bowl of milk was sufficient.

Nowadays we know that cows' milk

can be very indigestible to many cats. If humans want to feed us milk, they should buy cat milk.  And kitchen scraps (preferably stolen) are no substitute for a bowl of the most expensive kind of cat food. Scraps yes, but as well as not instead of proper cat food!

We also know that cats require some specific ingredients* in their diets - ingredients which are found in a natural diet of rodents but were not found in l950s cat food.

Yes humans are dumb animals but not as dumb as they once were.

* Amino-acids which are taurine, arginine, methionine, and cysteine

Stand up for rescue cats - different solutions for different cats.

We cats are not all the same. Some of us don't need rescuing, if that means putting us in a pen and trying to tame us.

True feral cats need neutering, spaying and putting back somewhere where they can be fed. Feral cats, left to survive on their own without extra food and neutering, have short lives full of pregnancies, near starvation and disease.

The cats in this photo were kept on a site, where the owner would not let rescuers help with neutering. When food was put out for them, they rushed to get it. They were surviving on a diet of rodents and waste products but they were far from flourishing. And all the females were pregnant.

So wise up, humans.

Learn how to rescue cats the right way.  Don't put true ferals in pens. Put them back into farms or stables, where someone will feed them.

Different cats have different needs - learn about it here. International Cat Care is trying to educate rescuers round the world. Pass on this knowledge to your human.

• Buy my book on how to manage humans 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.
  

Stand up for cats in rescue.... hideaways

Cats in a rescue shelter or a vet's surgery need a hideaway. They shouldn't be left without privacy, on a shelf being stared at by passing humans. Staring is very intimidating to us cats.

If we have somewhere to hide, we feel happier about coming out to interact with humans. And then we are more likely to be adopted.

So why don't humans give us a hiding place? Because they don't think like a cat. And they don't bother to find out what we need or read up on the topic.

It doesn't cost much. There is an excellent Feline Fort which should be in every vet surgery. It's got a perch and a hiding place. And for rescue shelters who have too little money, a box will do just as well.

Better still, it can go to the new home with the cat, so that the new home has a bed with a familiar smell. Smell matters.

Educate your local rescue....

• 
• 
  
• For more information on human management techniques buy this book here.
  

Humans are getting hairier... and worse dressed

Jasmine has kept her fur beautifully groomed.

Are humans losing it? They seem to be getting hairier! Or is it just that they cannot groom themselves?

Look around at the humans you know, the ones that are now staying indoors most of the time. The fur on their head is growing longer and seems to be changing colour too - grey and brown instead of blonde.

The men are trying to grow whiskers. Poor things can only manage stubby facial fur not proper long and beautiful whiskers.

Compare this to your own fur -- still delightfully untangled, unchanged in colour, beautifully and sensitively styled and groomed. By you. Strong and sensitive whiskers, each tapered at the end for extra finesse.

And their clothes, that they cover their bodies with because they can't grow proper fur, seem to be changing too. Many of them are staying in dressing gowns or pyjamas or night clothes all day.

I have tried to set a good example by rigorous and stylish grooming all over my body. Not forgetting those tricky bits on the belly and lower down.

Humans seem to be losing what little self respect they once had, and becoming unable to care for themselves.

What can we cats do about this?

• For more on managing your human get my book here.

Stand up for Cats in Rescue.

Fear and frustration in a rescue

It's time somebody stood up for cats in shelters. Big rescue organisations often treat cats like second hand kittisens. Dogs get all the attention. Cats are just an add on. Humans, purrlease do something.

What is the worst?

Well the worst is the smell and sound of the premises. The scent of dog wafts everywhere - on the hands and clothing of the staff, on the clothing of the would-be adopters, in the veterinary surgery, and in the offices of the manager

Nobody remembers that most of us cats are scared by dogs.

Then there is the constant sound of barking. We cats have the widest range of hearing of almost all animals. We can hear a mouse's footfall. But do shelter staff care? Do they even think of the constant stress of the constant noise of barking?

Nobody remembers the noise of dogs scares us.....

Purrlease, humans, do something.

Educate yourself and others about what we need and want.

Stand up for cats in Rescue!

Share this post!

• Read more on feline rights here.
  

Going up in the world....

For once my human has done the decent thing. I am going up in the world.
Bored in lockdown, I finally purrsuaded her to spend some real money on proper cat furniture like the one in the photos. Now at last I will be able to be in the my rightful position of being able to look down on all the humans below. 
Admittedly she is too mean to include a cat house. She's just got a ledge/perch/sitting place.
I can't wait for it... a really huge one.
Of course, I will keep her in her place by refusing to use it, while she is around. Instead I shall inspect and enjoy the cardboard boxes in which the catipilla arrives....
Keep her waiting. For how long? One week? Two weeks? A month purrhaps? But I shall sneak down in the night when she is sleeping and try it out.
If you want your human get one, the website is www.catipilla.com

• More on human management here. 

Block that screen! Hit that keyboard! Murder the printer!

Humans urgently need our help to stay sane. They are focused so much on the screen that some of them are becoming addicted.
In this video Tommy shows you how to have fun while interrupting their obsessive gazing. You will notice that he doesn't just jump on the printer, he puts his paws on the keyboard, which cries out with an odd noise each time.
Do your duty during this crisis. Interrupt your human before its obsession with the screen overcomes it.
Stroking us, feeding us, and talking to us is so much more important than they realise. It brings them back to the real world and gives them important body contact.
Place yourself between the screen and your human whenever possible.  
 

• For more tips on how to manage a human get this book here

Beware despot cats.

This is my local despot cat, Alfie. I am terrified of him. He sits on my wall and glares menacingly at me. 
This is a dilemma when I do need human help. Humans can be very stupid about this problem. They don't understand that a feline stare is very intimidating. At first she thought Alfie was just being 'friendly.' A ridiculous idea.
Then other humans told her how Alfie fights all other cats, if he can get hold of them. At last she is being helpful. She hisses and shouts at him every time he appears. 
And since she has started doing that, at least he doesn't come into the garden. She also protects me by closing the cat flap at night, when he is on the prowl. It's a kind of time share.
Luckily, he is not a large cat but I don't want to get into fights with any other cat. So I usually just slink back into the house and feel miserable. The microchip cat flap means the house is safe from him.
Last evening I saw him being chased across the wall by a larger cat. It was a great moment.

• For help in managing your human read this book here.

 

We are reclaiming the streets...

 Humans are beginning to learn their place in life - in the kitchen with a large pile of food envelopes. Then ready to provide a warm lap for a nap after our meal.
Meanwhile we are reclaiming the streets.  The horrible roaring machines that terrify us and are so destructive, with their revolting smells, are few in number. The irritating human pedestrians tottering along on two feet in ridiculous high heels are no longer interfering with our street patrols.
We have taken back the streets from them.
We can loll where we like. Investigate where we choose. Stroll along without worrying about traffic. Sit in contemplation without some human idiot wanting to interrupt our contemplation.
Learn from us, humans. 
Cats are everywhere... purrhaps this is the beginning of a happier, more serene, feline world.  

• For advice on managing your human get this book here.