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Cats Indoors!


Keeping Cats Indoors is for the Cats...

Each year, millions of cats are run over by cars, mauled by dogs, poisoned and lost. Hundreds of millions of birds and small mammals are killed annually by free-roaming cats. The suffering of both cats and birds is all the more tragic because it is so unnecessary.

Today's cat owners face an important decision: "Should I keep my cat indoors?" For your cat's sake, and that of the birds and other wildlife in your neighborhood, the answer to that question must be "yes!"

The average life expectancy of an outdoor cat is just two to five years, while an indoor cat may survive for 17 or more years. Cats who roam are constantly in danger...

Cars - Millions of cats are run over by cars each year. Seeking warmth, outdoor cats crawl into car engines and are killed or maimed when the car is restarted. Motorists risk accidents in attempting to avoid hitting free-roaming cats.

Human Cruelty - Each year, animal shelters and veterinarians treat cats who have been shot, stabbed, or set on fire. Unsupervised cats may also be captured and sold to research laboratories or used as "bait" to train fighting dogs.

Animal Attacks - Torn ears, scratched eyes, abscesses, internal injuries, diseases, and sometimes death result from encounters with dogs, other cats, and wild animals like raccoons, coyotes and foxes. Overpopulation - Unaltered free-roaming cats are the single most important cause of cat overpopulation. As a result, millions of cats for whom there are no homes must be euthanized each year.

Disease - Cats allowed outdoors risk exposure to fatal diseases, including rabies, feline leukemia, distemper, and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). Vaccines are not 100 percent effective.

Parasites - Cats allowed outdoors are more likely to contract debilitating parasites such as worms, ticks, mites, and fleas.

Poisons and Traps - Exposure to pesticides, rodenticides and antifreeze poisons and kills thousands of outdoor cats each year. Cats are maimed and killed in traps set for furbearing animals.

...And for the Birds

Today, birds and other wildlife face more obstacles to their survival than ever before. Wildlife habitats are destroyed and degraded every day, and many species are declining as a result. Even the impacts of natural predators on their prey is changing based on how humans are altering natural environments. And the presence of an unnatural predator -- the domestic cat -- is having an impact as well. Scientists estimate that cats kill hundreds of millions of birds each year and three times as many small mammals. Most birds killed by cats are members of relatively common species, like the Northern Cardinal, Song Sparrow and Dark-eyed Junco; others are rare and endangered -- the California Least Tern, Piping Plover, Western Snowy Plover and California Gnatcatcher.

Regardless of the status of the species, each wild animal suffers when captured by a cat. By letting our cats outside, we -- perhaps without intent -- place a higher value on the freedom of our pet than on the life of that cardinal, that chickadee or that chipmunk she kills.

"Is it Nature's Way for Cats to Kill Birds?"

A descendant of the wild cat of Africa and southwestern Asia, the domestic cat instinctively hunts and captures prey. However, wildlife in the Western Hemisphere did not evolve in the presence of a small, abundant predator like the domestic cat, and thus did not develop defenses against them. Cats were introduced in North America by European immigrants only a few hundred years ago.

While cats may instinctively hunt wildlife, it is clear that they are not adapted to life in the wild as are our native wild cats like the bobcat and mountain lion.

Outdoor domestic cat populations are most commonly found in and around human settlements; most do not survive without direct or indirect support by humans. They are in this way very different from native predators.

Truths about Cats and Birds

We all know that cats don't have nine lives, but there are three other myths about cat predation we'd like to dispel.

1. "Belled" cats do kill wildlife. Cats with bells on their collars can learn to stalk their prey silently. Even if they don't, wild animals do not necessarily associate the ringing of a bell with danger.

2. Even well-fed cats kill wildlife. The urge to hunt and the urge to eat are controlled by different portions of the cat's brain. 3. Once caught by a cat, few birds survive, even if they appear to have escaped. Infection from the cat's teeth or claws or the stress of capture usually results in death.

Tips for Happy Indoor Cats

Kittens who are kept indoors usually show no desire to venture outside as cats. With knowledge, patience, and time, we can change most cats who roam outdoors into happy indoor pets. These tips will help.

Provide a safe, outside enclosure, such as a screened porch.

Provide window shelves to permit cats to monitor the outdoors from the safety of the indoors.

Play with your cat each day. Paper bags and cardboard boxes are sources of unending delight when you are away.

Plant kitty grass (available from pet supply stores) in indoor pots so your cat can graze.

Clean litter boxes regularly.

Because indoor cats may slip out an open door, it's important to keep in mind the other essentials of responsible pet ownership:

Spay or neuter your kitten as early as possible;

Put an identification tag on your cat's collar- it's her ticket home if she slips out; and

Where such programs exist, license your cat.

For the Sake of All Cats... Support local cat control and protection plans; Support legislation requiring cat owners to register their cats and prevent them from roaming;

Do not feed unowned or free-ranging cats without making a commitment to giving or finding them a permanent indoor home; and Take cats for whom you cannot care to your local animal shelter to give them the best possible chance of adoption into loving, lifelong homes.

More for the Birds

Support efforts in your community to protect wildlife and their habitats. All wild animals have three basic needs: food, water and plants that provide escape cover and nesting sites. If you feed birds in your yard, locate feeders away from windows and brushy vegetation that permits neighborhood cats to hide. Keep your feeders clean and well stocked. Where possible, establish a brush pile for wildlife away from feeders. Avoid using pesticides.

Cats cannot be blamed for killing wildlife. It is the responsibility of cat owners to ensure that their cats are safely indoors. The Humane Society of the United States, American Humane Association, and other groups are working with American Bird Conservancy on "Cats Indoors! The Campaign for Safer Birds and Cats." Through this campaign, we will educate and encourage cat owners to protect cats, birds and other wildlife by keeping cats indoors.

The above is general veterinary information. Do not begin any course of treatment without consulting your regular veterinarian. All animals should be examined at least once every 12 months.

About the author:

Adapted from the Cats Indoors Isn't Just For The Birds brochure, part of "Cats Indoors! The Campaign for Safer Birds and Cats". For more information, please visit www.abcbirds.org.

Linda Mar Veterinary Hospital and its cat-only affiliate, Coastal Cat Clinic, are small animal practices located in Pacifica, California. To find a veterinarian or to learn more about the vet clinic and our staff, visit:[http://lindamarvet.com/]


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Homemade Kitten Food

Do you need a cheap, healthy alternative to store bought kitten food to help wean your kittens off their mother's milk and transition them to traditional canned kitten food? More than likely, they have shown little interest in regular canned food, preferring the milk to anything you might put in their bowl. Dry food will also be too hard on their developing teeth. The best option would be to start them on a food that reminds them of what they prefer, but can be mixed with traditional wet food to help transition them over. This recipe is simple to make, and kittens find it delicious.

Bring 1 1/2 cups of water to a boil, then remove the pan from the heat and mix in one envelope of unflavored gelatin. Be sure to mix thoroughly, and do not boil the gelatin. If the water tastes bad or has a heavy chlorine taste when it comes out of the tap, consider using filtered water instead.

Pour this mixture into a blender along with half of a 12 ounce can of goat's milk. Blend just long enough to combine thoroughly. Do not substitute cow's milk because cats tend to be lactose intolerant. Using cow's milk can lead to discomfort, diarrhea, and worse if fed to kittens.

Add the following ingredients one at a time. After each addition, blend briefly to combine before moving on to the next. You will want to use the lowest setting to avoid overmixing. Add: 3 tbsp full fat yogurt, 3 tbsp real mayonnaise, 3 tsp light corn syrup, and 1 raw egg yolk. Concerning the egg yolk, raw eggs carry a small risk of salmonella poisoning. To eliminate any risk of accidentally passing this on to your kittens, use eggs that have been pasteurized in their shells.

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Whats News

10 Questions to Ask When Adopting a Kitten or Cat

Each year in the United States millions of unwanted cats and kittens are euthanized because there are simply not enough homes for them all. This is a very sad but true fact. If you are planning on adding a new furry friend to your family, won't you please consider adoption first? If you want a purebred cat, such as a Maine Coon or a Siamese, no need to worry, there are many cat rescues in the United States that specialize in the adoption of specific breeds. The Siamese Rescue Organization, for example, has saved over 15,000 cats nationwide. They are truly dedicated to finding homes for misplaced, abused and abandoned Siamese. They have rescue centers located in California and Texas as well as in the Pacific and Rocky Mountain regions of the country.

If you are interested in adopting a kitten, spring time is the best time! Though shelters receive kittens all year long, they are usually over-run with kittens in the spring. Though kittens are adorable, please don't forget about the wonderful, older felines that need homes too. Older cats are often harder to place and, therefore, at greater risk of euthanasia. If you are interested in adopting a solid black cat, be aware that most shelters and rescue organizations do not allow the adoption of black cats around the Halloween season. Unfortunately, there are people in the world that do not treat our furry, black, four-legged friends very nicely, especially around this haunted holiday.

Once you have decided that adoption is the best option for you, it is a good idea to have a list of questions prepared before you walk into the rescue shelter. Knowledge is power, the more you know about the cat or kitten you are about to adopt, the better!

Questions to ask when adopting a cat:
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QUICK CAT FACTS

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ARE GINGER CATS ALWAYS MALE?
No. This is a common misconception. Ginger cats can be either male or female although ginger females are less common.

The genetics of ginger is explained in more detail in Tortoiseshell and Tri-Colour Cats (ginger is caused by the same gene as tortoiseshell), but this is a short version for those wanting a quick answer.

The ginger gene changes black pigment into a reddish pigment. The ginger gene is carried on the X chromosome. A normal male cat has XY genetic makeup so he only needs to inherit one ginger gene for him to be a ginger cat. A normal female is XX genetic makeup so she must inherit two ginger genes to be a ginger cat. If she inherits only one ginger gene, she will be tortoiseshell with some ginger areas and some black/brown areas.

The ginger gene is called a sex-linked gene because it is carried on a sex chromosome.

Also, if you look closely, ginger cats have tabby markings though these may be faint or only visible on the face, tail and lower legs. They are also visible in the ginger areas of tortie cats. This is because the gene that turns off tabby to give solid colour cats does not work on the ginger colour.

ARE GINGER FEMALES RARE?
No. They are less common than ginger males, but they are not rare. It is possible to selectively breed ginger female cats by mating ginger males and ginger females together. They will have ginger offspring.

ARE GINGER FEMALES STERILE?
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Drop this code into your page and the gallery will function just like the pictures you see on my site, changing each time your visitor refreshes the page. I am always adding pictures to these galleries. They already has quite a few in them.

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Focus On Cat Health

Cat Health

A Squinting Cat May Signal Conjunctivitis

If your handsome Maine coon winks at you from across the room and doesn't stop, it's probably not saying, "Hey baby, can I buy you a drink?" In all likelihood it's squinting because its eye hurts. By definition, conjunctivitis is an inflammation of the inner eyelid and the superficial layer of the eye.

Dr. Mitzi Zarfoss is an ophthalmology resident at the University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Urbana. She says, "early/mild conjunctivitis may go unnoticed by some cat owners, and may progress if untreated." Frequent squinting may go overlooked and tearing or red eye might be attributed to allergies, which are a relatively uncommon cause of eye disease in cats. Veterinary attention is indicated whenever eye symptoms are noted.

The most common cause of the conjunctivitis in our feline friends is a herpesvirus. "Feline-specific herpesvirus is a very important cause of eye disease in cats," says Dr. Zarfoss. She also notes that this same feline herpesvirus frequently causes respiratory diseases, too (sneezing and nasal discharge).

Although most veterinarians blame the feline herpesvirus when they see a cat with conjunctivitis, confirming the real cause of the disorder is very challenging. "We believe that most cats are positive for herpes," says Dr. Zarfoss, "and just because they have it doesn't mean it is necessarily causing the conjunctivitis." In short, testing is not always practical for the diagnosis and treatment of conjunctivitis in cats
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Ways to Prevent Feline Leukemia

When a cat has Feline Leukemia, his immune system will be compromised. Apart from this, he also develops anemia and the growth of abnormal tumors. He develops other diseases such as cancer. He will most likely live around 3.5 more years, as a majority of FeLV-infected cats do.

If you are a cat care giver, it is essential for you to know how you can prevent the spread of the disease among cats in your foster cat home. Knowledge and understanding of the disease, as well as other contagious diseases, can certainly be a big factor in lengthening the lives of cats.

Licking is one of the common forms of transmission as FeLV can be acquired through licking. Moreover, placenta-transmission (i.e. mother to baby) is also another common form. Kittens are more vulnerable to the condition because their immune system are still weak until they reach 4 months old, thus resistance to the disease is also not that strong.

The sad truth is that it takes awhile for symptoms to become evident. In fact, it could take months, or even years, before the symptoms show. Unless you get your cat tested, it is unlikely that you will find out if he has FeLV during the first few months that he has it.

How can you keep your cats safe from this rather deadly disease? Below are some of the things that you can do. Actually, these are what you SHOULD do, if you want to keep your cats free from FeLV, and this is particularly important if you have a foster cat home.
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PICA In Cats: EATING THE INEDIBLE

Pica means eating non-food items. The behaviour ranges from sucking, chewing and biting through to swallowing bites of items. Pica (from the Latin for "magpie"). It should not be confused with the suckling/nursing behaviour that some cats retain into adulthood. Commonly consumed target items include wool, string, elastic bands, electrical cords, tissues, tinsel and houseplants. Other objects have included cassette tape and the rubber "teat" section of a child's dummy (pacifier). Eating a little grass or herbs is normal cat behaviour; indoor cats may eat houseplants if there is no grass accessible.

Like many obsessive or abnormal behaviours, the cat persists in doing it because the it is comforting or rewarding. The reward might be a nice taste, a full stomach or simply getting attention from the owner. The challenge is to make the behaviour unrewarding and redirect the behaviour into something rewarding for the cat and acceptable to the owner. Sometimes it is a displacement activity where an abnormal activity is substituted for normal behaviour because the cat can't express the more normal behaviour i.e. the normal behaviour is being thwarted.

PICA, WOOL-SUCKING OR PREY-PLUCKING?
Wool-sucking (or fabric-sucking) is a misdirected form of nursing. It's similar to a child's thumb-sucking in providing comfort.. Though sometimes mistaken for wool-eating, the item (sweater, blanket etc) is only sucked, not chewed, bitten or swallowed. Other commonly suckled objects include the cat's own tail, other cats or pet dogs. Behavioural treatment may be needed to build up the cat's confidence so it no longer resorts to "comfort nursing".

In general, the younger a kitten is when it is weaned, the stronger the urge to nurse and the more persistent the comfort-nursing. Usually it decreases naturally as the kitten grows up, but it may persist or resurface in early-weaned or hand-reared cats, particularly at times of stress. More rarely it becomes a compulsive behaviour or progresses to pica.

Some owners provide an old sweater for the cat to suckle on while protecting other garments by storing them away from the cat or dabbing hot chilli sauce onto them.

Plucking the target resembles pica but is a misdirected prey-related activity. The cat holds down the (often woollen) blanket or garment with its paws and uses its teeth to pluck or tear at it. This is the same behaviour found when a cat plucks or tears fur, feather or flesh from larger prey items (e.g. pigeons). The clothing/blanket isn't swallowed anything the cats tears off is discarded. One of my cats, Sappho, exhibited this behaviour towards crochet blankets.

In the case of one Siamese cat, it took a sock to its eating area and plucked at it periodically during the meal (canned food). The owner attributed this to "teeth cleaning" but it was probably misdirected prey-plucking/tearing behaviour as it only occurred at mealtimes.

BREED PREDISPOSITIONS
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Focus On Cat Breeds

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History, Temperament of the Maine Coon.

History of the Maine Coon Cat
Maine Coons have been on this earth for many centuries, they were well documented at being in large numbers at American Cat Shows in the mid 1800’s alongside the other popular breed at the time the Persian cat.

There are several theories as to the origin of Maine Coons, the Darwin Theory of an animal’s origin being disregarded and obscured, from being an outcross between a Bobcat/Wildcat and a domestic, coming across as ship cats from Scandinavian countries as Forest type cats and mating with the domestic cats, to Marie Antoinette sending her royal cats on a ship to the safety of Maine, prior to her beheading. Nobody really knows and the cat’s aren’t saying.

Maine Coons are a natural breed of cat or at least the original ones were, and anyone who has ever met one and to everyone who has ever lived with one, the Maine Coon is a very special breed of cat. [1]

Appearance of The Maine Coon Cat
Maine Coons are the largest breed of domestic cat and have a rugged, working cat appearance. They have a lovely semi-longhaired coat of varying lengths and were well built to survive in the harsh North American winters. This coat is very water repellent, but quite soft to the touch. An amazing plumed tail of large proportions finishes off this wonderful coat. They come in a large variety of colours and in several tabby patterns as well as solid and particolours. Brown tabby is the original colouring of a Maine Coon but the rainbow of colours range through blues, reds and creams, silvers tortoiseshell and solid blacks through to solid white.
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Teacup Kittens - The World's Smallest Kitten
Not all cats advertised as miniature are teacup kittens. Be aware that the standard size female cat will weight about 11 to 14 pounds. The standard size male cat will weight about 12 to 17 pounds. A teacup size female cat will weight about 3 to 6.5 pounds and the teacup size male will weight about 3 to 7.5 pounds. This is a good rule-of-thumb to keep in mind when shopping for a teacup. Some unscrupulous breeders will try to sell you a cat under ten pounds as a teacup when that weight falls within the normal weight range for a standard cat. When shopping for a teacup do not be fooled by a breeder that will try to sell you a runt or tell you that any cat less than ten pounds is a miniature.



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The Original Old Fashion Punczki Recipe
This is the original recipe for making punczki that was brought from Europe by my wife's grandmother when she first arrived at Ellis Island and the onward to Pennsylvania Where she finally settled. Just how old this recipe really is I have no idea but the only thing I know is how good the punczki's are. You must follow this recipe exactly or it will not work well, I know, I have tried to create some shortcuts that were ok but not as good.



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Meow Mix House - Cat Reality Television

My friends at Meow Mix have done it again, they have produced a reality TV show staring 10 homeless cats. All ten cats were chosen from animal shelters from around the country.
The cats are spending their time in a storefront window in New York City. The players are brought to life with the use of voice over and the public votes one of the cats out of the house each week. Sound like something you've watched before?
The best part is when the cats gets voted out of the Meow Mix House they go to an adopted new home and the winner will be the new Meow Mix spokes-cat.
Thanks to Meow Mix for providing great entertainment for us cat lovers.

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Training Your Cat Not to Scratch Furniture
Cats have a natural instinct that will lead them to climb and scratch. If you are not providing the proper tools for the cat to use, they will use what they can find to scratch.



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Why Your Cat Sleeps All the Time and Other Feline Sleep Facts
Kitties really have two types of sleep. Both types of sleep are required to have a healthy, happy feline. One is known as the cat nap where the animal can wake easily. This kind of sleep allowed for felines in the wild to arouse quickly whenever a threatening situation arose. Sometimes the cat's eyes may be partially open during their napping.

Teach Cats To Use Scratching Posts

Your Cat's First Vet Visit
So you've got a new cat, and she needs a checkup. On your first vet visit, your vet will take the lead and give you some basic information, and probably will go through a fairly standard routine.



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