Friends of Stray Cats!

How to make a cat bed from an old sweater!

2012-02-16T17:53:00.001-08:00

Cat beds from the pet store can be pretty spendy. if you have an old sweater & an old pillow for batting to stuff it with,you can make your cat or a stray a nice comfy bed! Here's how!

Petition to help man fired for feeding feral cats!

2012-02-05T05:48:00.000-08:00

Corporations are under scrutiny in this country like never before. Do they never learn,or do they just not care? A man was fired by a 7-Up bottling plant for feeding feral cats. Click here to sign the petition to reinstate him in his job. Show the corporation that cat lovers aren't just a fringe minority!

A Package From A Friend!

2012-02-01T14:53:00.000-08:00

We got a package today from our friends at The Cat In The Clover! It was a box with 3 24 can trays of Friskies canned cat food from Mr. Chewy.com! And a bag of freeze dried shrimp kitty treats,which we'll try tonight! It only took Mr. Chewy 2 days to FedEx it to our door! Our many thanks to our friends at The Cat In The Clover & Mr. Chewy!

How to make Winter shelters for stray cats!

2012-01-31T08:51:00.000-08:00

It's Winter,& the poor stray cats have to stay warm too. Here is a link to a site which will show you how to make different types of shelters for them to stay warm in!

Etsy Shop!

2012-01-26T05:45:00.000-08:00

Just a reminder that we have an Etsy shop which also helps support us! The Cat Fun Attic has handmade cat toys,cat figurines,& other stuff. And don't forget about our donation widget....we have enough for the rent this month,but we still need to keep the lights on & computer going,not to mention feeding & caring for all of our refugees....Bent Ear & friends say "Thanks for caring about us!".

Stretching Your Stray Feeding Dollar!

2012-01-23T09:05:00.000-08:00

Times are hard,money is tight,we all know that. The poor hungry stray cats know that better than we do. But in my experience,there are ways that you can make your cat food dollar go farther. For example....

The Cheap Stuff: Store brands are OK. The strays don't care about brands or marketing. Just make sure you're getting a decent quality food. You can find information about judging pet foods here.
The Dollar Store is your friend: You can probably find the cat food itself cheaper elsewhere,but I got my cat bowls,trays,& toys for them there. If your Dollar Store carries it,you can also get cans of mackeral,which we will discuss further....
Stray Stew! Dry food is,generally speaking,less expensive than canned food. You can take advantage of this & make your canned food go further by making Stray Stew! About an hour before feeding time,take 1-2 cups of dry food per cat,depending on their appetite,& put it in a covered bowl. Add to the dry food some of the liquid from the afore-mentioned can of Dollar Store mackeral,plus a piece of mackeral. Break up the mackeral with a spoon & distribute evenly. Add enough hot water to cover the dry food. Cover bowl & let soak. Just before serving,mix in 1-2 cans (5.5 oz cans) of cat food. I have seen other recipes calling for rice,but when I tried it,I just got dirty looks. This is the recipe that my strays seem to like,of course all cats have different tastes,so your mileage may vary. And it's not strictly speaking a "stew",the consistency,depending on how much water you added, is what we lovingly call "slop"....but the strays like it.
Those are some of our ways of saving....How about sharing yours?

How to treat cat injuries!

2012-01-21T17:41:00.000-08:00

http://animals.howstuffworks.com/pets/cat-injury-treatments.htm

Here's 3 pages of "how-to's" for helping our cat friends who get hurt.....

how to treat a cat in shock!

2012-01-21T17:33:00.000-08:00

http://animals.howstuffworks.com/pets/how-to-treat-a-cat-in-shock.htm

Shock is very dangerous for cats...here's how to treat it!

How to treat a cat that has heatstroke!

2012-01-21T17:27:00.000-08:00

http://animals.howstuffworks.com/pets/how-to-treat-a-cat-that-has-heatstroke.htm

Not too likely in January,but good to know.....

How to treat a cat that has an abscess!

2012-01-21T17:23:00.000-08:00

http://animals.howstuffworks.com/pets/how-to-treat-a-cat-that-has-an-abscess.htm

Sometimes our stray friends get injured fighting. Here's how to treat a common type of injury.....

Today's moment of Kitten Cuteness!

2012-01-21T17:15:00.000-08:00

Uncle Sobe & Tux! Hard to believe,but the former streetfighting stray adores the kittens,especially Tux!

How to treat a poisoned cat!

2012-01-21T17:08:00.000-08:00

http://animals.howstuffworks.com/pets/how-to-treat-a-poisoned-cat.htm

We hope it never happens,but here's what to do if a cat friend eats something they shouldn't.....

Did I mention we have a rabbit?

2012-01-20T20:05:00.000-08:00

We have a rabbit who was a stray,too! I caught her on a construction site about 7 or 8 years ago(who knew rabbits lived that long?). She's obviously not a wild rabbit. I say "she" because she built a nest with her shed fur once,I was told female rabbits do that. Her name is Rabbit D. Stomper,but she just goes by Rabbit.

Nail Trimming 101!

2012-01-20T09:06:00.000-08:00

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/cat-care/cat-care-nail-trimming-101.aspxA guide to trimming your cat's claws from the ASPCA! Sobe is pretty good about it,but with Tigger,there will be blood. And not Tigger blood,either. Cali....DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!!!

Onyx!

2012-01-18T07:46:00.000-08:00

Onyx is not much older than Mouse's kittens,I think. Maybe a month or 2 older. She started hanging around a couple of months ago. She was scared at first,but has become a trusting,very affectionate little cat. You can see a bit of her white apron here. If you look at our title picture,you will see Onyx in the background at the end of the word "Friends"! The second photo shows Onyx & Bent Ear at dinnertime.

Animal Planet article link: How to save a choking cat!

2012-01-17T14:52:00.000-08:00

http://animals.howstuffworks.com/pets/how-to-save-a-choking-cat.htm This article has some good info for cat parents to know about,including CPR for cats!

Jethro! Another Success Story!

2012-01-15T10:11:00.000-08:00

Jethro(so-called because his appetite matched that of Jethro from "The Beverly Hillbillies")showed up one day,lying under the truck. He had serious mange on his head & ears,& his whiskers looked almost as if they'd been burned off. He would only move to eat. He was very feral,& hissed if I got too close. I got a dose of Revolution from the Vet,& squirted it on him while he was busy eating. Within a week he was a new cat,& he even stopped showing up for food. I've seen him a few times since,but not recently. I hope he's OK,& I'm glad I could help him get rid of his mange. The top photo shows him before treatment,& the lower one is shortly after.

Our Newest Adoptee!

2012-01-15T08:49:00.000-08:00

This is Puff. I call him Puff because when he gets excited(usually about food),he makes a huffing & puffing sound. He was the neighbor's cat,but they left him here when they moved out. So now he's one of our little band of discards.

Mouse & her kittens!

2012-01-14T13:06:00.000-08:00

Mouse was a stray. She had her previous litter of kittens up under the trailer where I couldn't find them,& they were eventually killed by a tomcat. So when she got pregnant again(& tame enough) I brought her inside. That very night she had 5 kittens under the bed. They are now 7 months old & rambunctious,despite the fact that a cold bug has been going through the male cats here. Another reason why we need donations!

Welcome To Bent Ear's Fund for Stray Cats!

2012-01-14T09:28:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Bent Ear's Fund for Stray Cats! Bent Ear is our spokescat;he is a neutered male who was apparently abandoned here at the trailer park. He has had a rough time of it,by looking at him you'd think he was a scarred streetfighter,but in fact he is very affectionate,& only wants food & love. I have started this fund to help with the care of the strays I have adopted & the ones still outside,since I have not been able to find a job since being layed off. One main objective is paying the rent,since I can't help the strays if I go homeless,& the strays I've adopted would become just more statistics in an "animal shelter". Please don't let this happen! Food & Vet care are also expensive. If not for the cats,I would just go homeless & be done with it,but I have to try to care for them. Please help by donating whatever you can afford! If you wish to donate,the handy donation widget is located below near the bottom of the page!

Thanks for stopping by!

2012-01-14T09:23:00.000-08:00

Sorry you can't donate just now! Maybe next time? Could you help us by sharing our blog?

Thank You!

2012-01-14T09:21:00.000-08:00

Thank you very much for your donation! The cats thank you,& I thank you!

Sobe--A Stray Success Story!

2011-08-25T14:42:00.000-07:00

It's been over a year since Sobe decided to adopt us. He has changed from a 5 lb streetfighting stray to a fat,affectionate house cat. He wanted to be part of our family & wouldn't take "no" for an answer. Proof that strays can make good pets! Please adopt a stray,or donate to help us care for the strays who haven't come in from the cold!