Three Stray Cats

Three Stray Cats Update

mjbmeister@gmail.com (Freddie Fox) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 03:41:00 +0000

This is a three stray cats update. My three stray cats are Binnie who has lived with me for 16 years or more and she is no longer a stray I suppose! She was though. Then there is Pippa, a small black girl. I would see her dice with death crossing the road outside the kitchen window but could do little about it as she belongs to someone else - I know who - but I would still consider her a kind of stray or perhaps a better description is a part-time cat. Well, I have not seen her for a considerable time. This is mainly because Binnie chases her away and the pecking order is that Binnie is above Pippa.

It also may be due to the summer weather. There is less need to seek warmth and food etc. Or she may have been killed, I don't know. I wish I did.

Then we have Timmy, the top cat who still comes in for his nosh (UK terms for food in case you are from another country and hadn't heard the word) and then he either stays a while (less in summer) before disappearing. Timmy is very skinny and very athletic. I would expect him to come in a lot more when the weather turns colder and wetter in about 3 months or so.

We have another stray cat in in fact. We have called her Marty. She is a fast mover, darting in to grab some food (only if it is fish or prawns!) before scampering out. Binnnie accepts her but chased her off last week. Binnie is about aged 90 in human terms so it was very impressive to see although I wish she wouldn't!

She is also overweight so to see her running pretty fast is awesome. It is probably awesome for the other cat too. I think her sheer size is intimidating. That's about it. All is calm and at the moment is is more like 2 stray cats with 2 in the background.

How to Create a Stray Cat

mjbmeister@gmail.com (Freddie Fox) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 20:47:00 +0000

This is how to create a stray cat. Buy a nice house with a large mortgage. Buy nice new, all white furniture and put in a new kitchen. Go on holiday 3 times a year and have three kids. To complete the image and the perfect family scene buy a purebred pedigree cat, say a nice Siamese, they are one of the most popular and impressive looking cats and the white body and dark pointing (extremities) go oh so well with the white kitchen and the new cushions you just bought for the large sumptuous sofas that could barely get through the front door when they were delivered. Keep doing that sort of thing for a time.

Wait for the inevitable economic crash, the bust after the boom. Then try and hang on to the job, but to no avail. The wife works part-time but the debt that you accrued over the last ten years amount to $50,000 and the family home has been remortgaged four times and now property prices have plummeted there is negative equity. You stop paying the mortgage and the HP payments on the sofa got too much so you lost that. Next you lose the house.

You pack your bags and cart away what possessions you have left. You, the wife and the kids shut the front door for the last time. Inside the home is your Siamese cat, without food or water and locked in. You just couldn't see a way to paying for her. The cat had to go. That's how to create a stray cat in the recession.

{based on the true story of Bandy a 1 year old Siamese cat who was left in a foreclosed house and who became a stray cat with no where to stray to}

From how or create a stray cat to feral cats

Australians are Hostile to Stray Cats

mjbmeister@gmail.com (Freddie Fox) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 07:28:00 +0000

Why do I get the distinct impression that Australians are hostile to stray cats? I mean Australians as a nation not individual Australians lots of whom are very much for, and care for, the stray and feral cats. And lets not forget that stray cats are quite possibly domestic companion cats that are simply outdoors. All over the internet are stories of stray cats in Australia being ill treated.

There seems to be a kind of culture that approaches that found in China with respect to the stray cat or indeed feral cat. This culture seems to have been promoted or even generated by a long term and on-going campaign by government officials who have claimed that the poor maligned stray cats and feral cats of Australia are responsible for the death of millions of native wild animals. A reality check indicates that this is not the case. Here are a few facts that come from a very reliable source, Sarah Hartwell (unless otherwise stated), who was assisted by http://www.catassist.org.au:

there are pro and anti feral and stray cat camps. I sense that the anti camp is winning because of government backing (my view)
there are no accurate figures on the numbers of stray cats and feral cats in Australia. This fuels guesswork and alarmist assessments. The figure is, apparently, between 3 and 30 million.
an influential survey carried out in 1994 by Dr David Paton claimed that cats kill 3.8 billion animals and birds annually. A vast number. But this survey, which may be etched in the minds of some Australians, has been found to be lacking in objectivity (Dr. Paton disliked cats) and accuracy. It is, in short, misleading. More birds are killed by cars than cats in Australia (survey result not guesswork).
another study of 1994 (by Reark research for Petcare Information and Advisory Service) confirmed that cats preferred hunting introduced wild species (rabbit and mouse) rather than native Australian species thus debunking the claim that precious native species are being slaughtered by cats.
habitat destruction by people is probably the biggest killer of native Australian wildife (my view)
it seems that a considerable percentage of vets are also against the feral and stray cat. Witness the case of Possum who was shot 27 times and the owner couldn't find a vet to assist until after 4 tries a kind a decent vet did assist. (see Worst Case of Cat Cruelty) -this is my view and not Sarah Hartwells.
Ms Hartwell supports my view that wholesale shooting of feral cats is inhumane and it doesn't work either. (see Ground Shooting of Feral Cats and the Vacuum Effect). She also supports proper, humane and organised action using TNR techniques. The Australians seem incapable of accepting this. It isn't, it seems, in their nature as it would take a long term approach and a concerted approach.
all the signs are that, generally, as an electorate, Australians are hostile to Stray cats.

Some selected posts on this topic:

From Australians are Hostile to Stray Cats to Home Page

Stray Cats Smell

mjbmeister@gmail.com (Freddie Fox) — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 20:45:00 +0000

Do stray cats smell? Timmy, the cat I feed and give a bit of tender loving care to, does. He washes etc. But he always has dirty paws, a messed up and scratched face and he smells of a very badly kept room. You know those homes where the owner or tenant has simply given up (don't blame them) or they are old etc. and the whole home is a complete disaster, with piles of newspapers, mess on the floor, a massive pong of filth, old dirt, that kind of place. Well Timmy smells of that kind of place and I wonder if he is time sharing. I don't think he is, though, as he is very hungry when he comes in, as if he hasn't eaten since the last time I fed him.

He may be living in some sort of run down place, a garage or something that has junk in it and he smells of the junk he lies on. He occasionally stays with me for a while but seems eager to get going back to his filthy home. When I pick him up I get dirty and feel itchy (due to his allergens) at the same time. I still love him though!

It is much harder for a stray or feral cat to keep clean. When I washed him he hissed! Timmy's head wound has healed nicely (see cat abscess). I feel (and this is not a boast) that I have saved his life.

Stray Cats Learn to Stay

mjbmeister@gmail.com (Freddie Fox) — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 15:03:00 +0000

Pippa on a bed in the flat for the first time. She has eaten and she is having a rest.

Stray cats learn to stay in a new home, if what we do is better than what the "owner" does. Of course, we do not try and entice a cat away from her his owner but if the stray is Pippa (see above) and if she is not that happy in her home she might stay despite that fact I am doing nothing different than normal.

I saw Pippa out the kitchen window dicing with death walking near the road. She approached the flat, and seeing her, I opened the window and called out fearing that she might get hurt. She heard me and recognized my name but would not jump up through the window (no surprise as it is high and she is unsure). However, about 10 mins later she came in through Binnie's (my cat) cat flap and was I pleased to see her. I fed her and loved her. And for the first time Pippa went to one of the beds in the flat and installed herself on it to wash herself and have a rest. I loved her some more and she is still there right now as I type this post. She is a complete sweety but nervous. She likes good quality cat food and is jet black.

Also for the first time the "owners" have added a name tag to her collar. Her name is Kelis. I will still call her Pippa because she has this Pixie-like face.

Stray Cats are Very Stoic

mjbmeister@gmail.com (Freddie Fox) — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 17:50:00 +0000

Stray cats particularly, are very stoic. They are very accepting. I am referring to a story, about a not that unusual event, in which a cat was resting inside the engine compartment of a car (perhaps it was cold) when the owner turned up and turned on. The car driver smelled burning and realising there was a cat stuck in the engine compartment drove to the Baltimore SPCA for help. I am shocked that she was unable, as reported, to recover the cat. What was going on? It can't be that difficult, surely, to open the hood (bonnet in Britain) and get the cat out. I would certainly not move off if I knew (as she apparently did) that a cat was on top of the bl**dy engine. Well she did!

With great good fortune the cat survived with third degree burns to one paw and the others blistered. He was on top of the engine during the drive. He is unchanged and relaxed, accepting people and being very nice about it all. I take care of a stray cat called Timmy (see the header) and he is similar. He is uncomplaining and very laid back. He seems to accept discomfort very well. When he was in a fight recently and I took him to the vet he behaved impeccably. It may have been the first time he was in a cage but he took it all in his stride. It seems that the more difficult life that they endure makes them more quiet. It knocks the rough edges off their character. It also teaches them to endure better. It is the equivalent to putting a banker on the street for a few months. It would improve them! Although I am not advocating that cats and bankers should be turfed out on to the street - just bankers.

Stray cats are very stoic and make great companion cats. Get down to that cat rescue center!

Difference between Stray and Feral Cat

mjbmeister@gmail.com (Freddie Fox) — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 19:29:00 +0000

Feral cat - a boy cat and it shows - photo by Wabana

The difference between stray and feral cat is that the stray is a domesticated cat that has strayed from its home. The cat is at the first stage of being feral. It is pre-feral. Its offspring will be feral if they are born outside of a permanent human home, that is on the street or in the woods etc. Feral cats are domestic cats that are evolving back to wildcats but they are ill equipped to survive outside the human environment because of thousands of years of domestication.

The feral cat's life is considerably shorter than a domestic cat's life and a permanent indoor cat's life is the longest of all because it is the most protected. The feral cat might live 3 years, while the domestic cat should live 15+ although purebreds live shorter on average (say 11). The true wildcat will live a decent length of time, say 11 years or so because despite the harsher lifestyle they are well able to cope.

Feral cats are often quite a mess, being caught up in territorial fights and getting ill. Domestic cats are protected from this and receive medical care (usually). See damaged cat ears. I feed two stray cats and my companion cat was a stray. The 2 I feed a quite well but one, the male gets hurt in fights requiring veterinary treatment.

Photo:

Feral Cats of Los Angeles

mjbmeister@gmail.com (Freddie Fox) — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 19:22:00 +0000

The feral cats of Los Angeles. There are one million. There are about 60 million feral cats in the United States. About 2.2 million feral cats (some say 14 million) are euthanized each year in the USA. Thee are about 80 million domestic cats in homes in the USA. Most of these live decent lives but they are cancelled out by the tough, short and sometimes miserable lives of the feral cats. Is this going to be the outcome for the forseeable future of the arrangement we made with the wildcat 9,000 years ago when the cat domesticated him/herself? At that time it worked. Can we claim that, overall, domestication of the cat actually works based on the above figures? I am not sure.

Update: A colleague of mine, Valley Girl (VG), has made a nice post about how people dump unwanted companion animals at Angeles National Forest. This apparently happens infrequently but VG makes the good point as to what that means. Does it mean one incident every week or more? Any dumping of pet like this is irresponsible. The "owners" of these cats and dogs (and rabbits) think that the animals will survive by reverting to the wild but this is not true. Domestic cats are conditioned and adapted to be domestic and find it hard to survive in the wild but will no doubt do so for a period of time. This is a cruel practice, though. Companion animals are for the life of the animal and we should not enter into an agreement to adapt a cat, say, unless we are totally committed to long term care. Here is VG's post:

Angeles National Forest Dumping Ground for Unwanted Animals

Stray Cats of Winnipeg

mjbmeister@gmail.com (Freddie Fox) — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 19:06:00 +0000

The stray cats of Winnipeg are multiplying and it is becoming an area of concern. Is the increase in stray and feral cats due to the economic downturn? Possibly, yes as there are reports in the USA that this is happening. What is a bit shocking is that the euthanasia rate for the stray cats of Winnipeg at cat shelters is four times higher than for dogs!

View Larger Map

And the numbers are, as usual, large and daunting. 34% of the 5,900 cats admitted to the Winnipeg Humane Society shelter were euthanised (2,000 in 2008). The problem of feral cats goes on across the globe. I have just made a post about a successful trap, neuter, spay program in Doha, Qatar, not a place, necessarily where you might think that this would happen but happening it is and successfully on all accounts. Do they have a TNR scheme in place in Winnipeg? If so it needs to be carried out with a level of conviction to make an impact. In Doha they have four government teams involved in managing feral cats.

Stray Cats of Qatar

mjbmeister@gmail.com (Freddie Fox) — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 12:15:00 +0000

The stray cats of Qatar in Doha, are being managed humanely on an official basis with the help and advice of the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) and the Qatar Cat Coalition. Like many major cities in many countries, Doha in Qatar had a "feral cat problem." A lot of people don't like to see stray cats in public places. Not everyone is tender towards them, in fact, many are downright cruel and one can see their argument. But the big issue is how to deal with it and the only way, and this has been supported by the authorities in Qatar, is to go through what might seem to be the slog of trap, neuter, medicate and return.

View Larger Map

It seems that, initially, ad hoc attempts were made to deal with the complaints. No doubt these were pretty ineffective and probably cruel. The Qatar Cat Coalition (QCC) became involved and asked the WSPA to step in and advise during a meeting with central government people. It seems that this was dealt with (at this stage) in a professional manner, with the three best organisations involved at the same time.

This in outline seems to be the order of events (and some people in places in Australia might well learn from this):

Complaints by the public about feral and stray cats
Local authority probably round up and kill cats in reaction to complaints
This fails to reduce population of feral cats as unneutered feral cats are very good at surviving by breeding and fill the void (see vacuum effect)
Qatar Cat Coalition (QCC) calls for change in policy as a result
Meeting set up with government+QCC+WSPA and a humane program devised based on TNR (trap, neuter and return)
Qatar Gov. officials visit a project in Dubai where TNR is practiced
Dubai authorities provide glowing report and the evidence is in front of them
Qatar authorities ask QCC and WSPA to set up TNR scheme in Doha
WSPA delivered an initial training course on trap neuter return methods, which is well received (note: it is nice for people involved in this kind of work and motivating, to be doing things in an humane manner)
Practical training is set up to train Government and QCC workers in humane TNR. Vets are involved too
2008 - In Doha there are 4 government managed trapping teams, monitored by the QCC
The stray cat and feral cat populations are managed at last
The Qatar government ask WSPA and QCC to get involved with a similar scheme to control stray dogs.

The stray cats of Qatar in Doha are now managed humanely. The only way, it seems to me, to do this is as described. Shooting and ad hoc killing of feral cats will fail and demotivate not to mention cause a lot of suffering to innocent and vulnerable animals to whom we owe a duty to treat properly because, ultimately, we put them there.

Stray Cat Harmony

mjbmeister@gmail.com (Freddie Fox) — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 05:23:00 +0000

There is a kind of stray cat harmony amongst my three stray cats now. For example, Binnie has frightened off my little Pippa. I miss Pippa but Binnie had to exert her authority over someone and that has to be Pippa as the lowest in pecking order. Pippa will be back, I am sure, as the food is just too damn good.

As for himself, Timmy, the boss man with the wounds he now joins me on my bed all night. He has finally figured it out that life is better on my bed than in a shed. This works well for him as Binnie gets off when I go to bed because I move my legs around too much for her. So the night shift handover is smooth.

The trouble with Timmy is that I am allergic to him and he makes me sniffle all night. This blocks my nose in the morning. Hellfire and damnation, it's a heavy burden. My girlfriend says that she would like it if he went on her bed! I said fine.

Cat Fights Can Cause an Abscess

mjbmeister@gmail.com (Freddie Fox) — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 15:23:00 +0000

Yes, cat fights can cause an abscess and Timmy got into a bad cat fight, got bitten and then an abscess formed and I had to take him to the vet. Well, you know, despite being the only cat I am allergic to (true - I only have to look at him to itch), I love him and care for him. And I am glad to say that his abscess is beginning to subside gradually. Fortunately he still comes in every day for rest and food. This gives me the chance to feed him and bathe him. I put antibiotic power in his food. I break open one of the antibiotic pills the vet gave me and pour it over the premium quality (he only eats premium!) cat food and mix well.

I have also prepared a salt solution and bathed his wound with it. There is still quite a bit of puss under the skin in the area of the wound (the area is raised and hard), so I was pleased today to see that the wound was seeping puss. I was worried that the infection would cause the puss to continue to build up. As I said. there was a hard bump on his head around the area of the puncture wound after going to the vet. Well, after giving him antibiotics, daily, since the operation and cleaning his wound with salt water, the amount of puss seems to be going down. I am not completely sure but I am fairly confident Timmy is on the mend.

It was good to see him again and eating well. These are good signs but he is still shaking his head occasionally. It just may be that the infection has spread to his inner ear as he scratches his ears. He is a real worry for me. The next worry is to decide whether to neuter him. Neutering should be automatic and I recommend it but he is a "whole" boy and I just do not want to take his manhood from him. I don't want his boyish character to change. He has a standout boy cat character. Anyway, we'll see.

Stray Cats Can Get On

mjbmeister@gmail.com (Freddie Fox) — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 21:16:00 +0000

Stray cats can get on even when confined to a relatively small space. I should know as I have three stray cats in an apartment! Well Binnie is no longer a stray cat, she is a long term companion of mine. But Timmy the alpha boy cat and Pippa the girl all get on now. It really is a question of time. I see people asking questions about introducing a new cat to a household where there are already cats. There can be problems and certainly there can be initial problems but with patience and a little human intervention and management things gradually settle down.

At first Timmy would hiss and strike out at Binnie and indeed Pippa but right now he has come in from the cold and plonked himself on my bed as I type this and he is about 12 inches from Binnie. He just sniffed her and Binnie made a little trill and that was it. He just curled up and she got comfortable.

I think Timmy has come in because he is still a little poorly after the visit to the vet to lance, drain and treat his bite wound. See Cat Fights of Male Cats and Cat Abscess. Stray cats can get on, just give it time with a bit of temporary management.

Homeless Cats and People

mjbmeister@gmail.com (Freddie Fox) — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 20:33:00 +0000

There are more homeless cats and people right now. As people become homeless due to repossessions by lenders, so too do companion cats. The trouble is that people still treat cats as "objects", when push comes to shove. The net result is that the domestic cat is sometimes going to be abandoned. And I do not see the need for that.

Binnie the cat on the left in the heading picture was abandoned about 16 years ago by one of my neighbors. I just saw here under a car on a cold evening. I knew she was abandoned by a neighbor because she would go back to the house she lived in (but was empty and locked) for a while. I feed her and eventually she became a wonderful companion animal to me. And anyone can be the type of person to abandon a cat. ASPCA (American organisation) project that there could be up to one million domestic cats and dogs at risk at this time due to the mortgage crisis in America. And the situation is nearly as bad in the UK.

This is tragic news because there are already too many stray cats in the UK and the USA. As I said, I don't actually see the need to abandon or give up a cat because our house has been repossessed. In the UK if we have children and our house is repossessed by the lender (mortgagee) then the local authority (Council) will house us as a priority. And I am certain that there would be no restriction on cats. There might be temporary accommodation that was unsuitable for a cat, yes, that could be the case, but if the people involved could find a temporary home for their cat (foster care) that would solve the problem. We should treat our cats as one of the family and a lot of people do just that and make the necessary effort to care for their cats come what may; but some people don't.

I think anyone, be they American or British, will manage to continue to care for their cat under any circumstances if they really care for their cat as one of the family making no distinction between person or cat. There will be more homeless cats and people but the people should stick with their cats, that was the deal when they got together in the first place.

Cat Fights of Male Cats

mjbmeister@gmail.com (Freddie Fox) — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 05:10:00 +0000

Timmy's damaged nose. I'll show a picture of his wound next post.

The cat fights of male cats can be heard at night around here. For territorial reasons male cats get into cat fights. This shows how close to the wild dometic cats still are. Obviously a cat has to be an outdoor cat to get into fights although it might happen indoors too. Only indoor cats living with other cats are so close together they will have adapted to the lack of territory and come to accept it - i.e. no cat fights for territory in the conventional sense.

Timmy, the stray cat I feed, keep warm, rest up and generally care for when I can, gets into cat fights. There is nothing I can do about it as he is not mine. Well there is something I probably will have to do about it (see below). After the last fight he got sratched. He had small cuts all over his head and shoulders etc. and on his nose (see picture). I discovered late in the day what appeared to be a fairly innocuous scratch on the top of his head. This over a period of a day or so developed into a lump and off to the vet we had to go as it was almost certainly an infected wound, which turned out to be the case.

He was very well behaved throughout the journey and the minor operation to drain the puss from his wound (there was quite a lot of it). He was given a pain killer and anti-imflammatory and antibiotics. I have to give him an antibiotic pill daily and wash his open wound with salt water daily. The wound is left open for more rapid healing but I am worried about this because he sratches it. What can I do? He just comes and goes.

One last point. I asked the vet to confirm that Timmy is "whole" -- not neutered. And she confirmed this. So the next thing to do it to have him fixed, I guess. This is not something I want to do but we owe it to cats generally to do this as there are too many abandoned cats and Timmy could make more of them! The cat fights of male cats are normal but I wish they could apply a bit of commonsense. Some animals balance the benefits and downside to their actions.

The Cheetah will not fight for her prey that is being stolen by other large predators because if she gets hurt she will lose her speed and that is her main weapon of survival.

Update next day 20th Feb 2009: No sign of Timmy today, yet. He left our home yesterday after the visit to the vet. He ate well and as I said, he left. I couldn't keep him in. I tried but cats have well developed habits and his is to go home, wherever that may be. I am worried for him. He may be a time share cat, sharing accommodation with another person's home. If he is the other person has a bl**dy smelly home because Timmy always comes in smelling. Anyway, that person, if he exists, may keep him in as Timmy now has a noticeable wound on his head that needs to be aired but he needs antobiotics regularly. I am concerned that if he doesn't get them he will become seriously ill. We'll just have to wait and see. - further update about 8 hours later - he turned up, ate well, I washed his wound with salt water and gave him an antibiotic pill and them he left! I love him. This is the wound one day after the vet's treatment.

Timmy's puncture wound after treatment.

Timmy had a cat abscess - see what this means and how it is treated.

Declawed Cat Are Unloved

mjbmeister@gmail.com (Freddie Fox) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 16:22:00 +0000

I say that declawed cats are unloved. How can I say such a thing? There will be thousands who disagree. What I mean is that declawed cats are not loved perfectly or unconditionally and this is the only true love that can exist, I think all will agree.

Love between animals can only exist when there is equality between the animals concerned. In the case of the cat and the human it is down to the human to accept and agree equality. Where there is a sense of equality by the human keeper the cat will not be declawed and the situation will foster a fine relationship. Where the human keeper maintains the old fashioned view that they are superior to other animals (and cats, of course) then the possibility of declawing is present. If declawing takes place the love or attachment between cat and human is conditional upon the declawing taking place. Conditional love is imprefect.

Also, a more perfect love will allow and accept the perceived imperfections of one party and that includes claws in a human/cat relationship. Once again an imperfect love allows for delawing, which is simply putting the furniture before the cat. Declawed cats are unloved in a true way.

Declawed Cat Are Unloved to Home Page

Five Freedoms For Indoor Cats

mjbmeister@gmail.com (Freddie Fox) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 10:57:00 +0000

Based on (Rochlitz, 2005) the five freedoms for indoor cats are these (a) provision of food and water making up a balanced diet - this is obviously a basic (b) the provision of an environment that is suitable for a domestic cat (with a lot of wild cat traits lets not forget), including adequate space, good shelter, correct temperature, light, low noise and adequate cleanliness (c) adequate health care provision including correct vaccinations (and bearing in mind that vaccination policy has evolved and is a medical procedure not a routine practice), neutering, control of parasites (such as the ear mites, flea and tick) and ad hoc veterary care (d) provision of opportunities for the cat to exhibit natural behavior as near as is practically possible (hunting in the conventional way won't happen but well organized play can substitute and (e) provision of protection for circumstances that would cause fear and distress. Those are the five freedoms for indoor cats. See cats indoors or out. See cat and dog parasite pictures.

These echo to some extent the underlying provisions of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 in the UK, in fact. I am thinking of section 9 of the Act.

Apparently an absolute minimum of 2 rooms is required (src: research by (Bernstein
and Strack, 1996). In a multiple cat household a minimum of 3 meters space between cats.

Five Freedoms For Indoor Cats to Home Home Page

Domestic Cats Damage the Environment

mjbmeister@gmail.com (Freddie Fox) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 07:23:00 +0000

It is not the domestic cat's fault, but domestic cats damage the environment. This post explains how (and this is just one way). Take cat litter, the clay type, Fuller's Earth type actually (read about the history of Fuller's Earth). Some of it, a lot of it, is dug up in open strip mines in Brazil and Wyoming (src: Treehugger website). I guess it is processed and converted to nice looking cat litter. After use it is disposed of in land fill. We know that we can't go on indefinitely disposing of rubbish in land fill as the space has a finite limit. Damage to the environment at both ends of this process.

It all seems so unnatural to me. And we are talking about millions of tons. Lets remind ourselves that strip mining is very destructive. Thousands of acres of land is basically rendered useless afterwards. And I dread to think what happens in Brazil, where the companies doing the mining are likely to kick small holders off their land in the name of profit. All this to allow our cats to go to the toilet. There must be a better way and I am not talking about cats being trained to use the toilet as this is very difficult (but can be done). How about someone designs a human type toilet for cats and we flush after use? Crazy idea? Not sure? We need some sort of sustainability here. Nothing we do is sustainable, it seems.

Cat looking at a strip mine Northeast PA - "Come on humans find a better way will you?" - photo by AJ Franklin under creative commons license.

Isn't there a better way of disposing of cat litter? How about an imaginative company decides that it is financially viable to reprocess it? Messy work but could be profitable. Apparently Fuller's Earth contains Calcium Bentonite while the modern clay type cat litter is made up of Sodium Bentonite. The Treehugger website says that this substance has been linked to cat deaths by the way. Sodium Bentonite is used as a large scale sealant. An example of its use would be sealing in spent nuclear fuel in subsurface systems.

I use the wood chipping cat litter as it is cleaner to use but I am concerned that this too is damaging the environment. Where does all the wood come from? Chippings that would otherwise be thrown away or from trees cut down? Where does it come from?

Cat Carbon Pawprint

mjbmeister@gmail.com (Freddie Fox) — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 21:44:00 +0000

Yup, we can reduce our cat's carbon pawprint if we feed our little treasures In Clover cat food supplements and I am not getting any commission for this, no sir. I just read a PR announcement that In Clover, an American pet food supplement manufacturer, have chosen to use wind power to power some (or all) of its machinery and plant. Great stuff. I found out about this because I also read that preparing meat products for humans creates a massive carbon footprint. For instance, if everyone in the United States had one vegetarian meal a week instead of chicken it would be the equivalent of getting rid of 500,000 cars. Big numbers so I thought if we, humans, can do something to help the planet then why not our little cat companions. And yes, they can. A cat carbon pawprint can be reduced if we buy supplements from In Clover. Now where is my 10%?

My Cat Leaves When I Go To Bed

mjbmeister@gmail.com (Freddie Fox) — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 21:05:00 +0000

I don't suppose you want to know an oh so intimate secret as to why my cat leaves when I go to bed, do you. Well she is on the bed usually. That is her spot. She stays there most of the day being old and all. Cats sleep 70% of the time. For Binnie it is nearer 80%+ I guess. She sleeps at the base of the bed.

When I turn the lights out, she gets off as good as clockwork because she has gotten tired of being kicked all night. When I dream I move my legs. She gets pushed around at the base of the bed. She decided enough was enough. When I get up she comes back on. She is always going in the opposite direction to me actually. When I come in she goes out and when I go out she wants to come in...etc..etc...

My Cat Leaves When I Go To Bed to Cats are Smart

Cats Calm Me

mjbmeister@gmail.com (Freddie Fox) — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 10:04:00 +0000

Cats calm me. I was a little wound up this morning. I have been for the past week or so. There are some problems brewing and it puts me on edge. And you know what, cats calm me, they always have. This morning it was the turn of Pippa. She is a time share cat. She lives next door in a big house, a very big and very expensive house. She is a very inexpensive cat (moggie), though, and a very sweet and photogenic cat. I'll have to try and do her justice one of these days.

Pippa with Rhino and lamp

Pippa just bowled in, with a new collar, a pink one with a pink bell. Yes, well, not sure about a pink bell. She asked for and got some food and then gingerly planted herself on my lap, kneaded me first and then washed herself. And I love the feel of a cat washing herself. The gentle rocking of her body against mine as she licks and the gentle placing of her front paws on me to balance herself while she stretches to her back.

This was the most calming of feelings for me and I struggled to stay awake. After about 15 minutes she meowed and quietly left. She'll be back, she's a time share cat....!

Smart Cats

mjbmeister@gmail.com (Freddie Fox) — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 17:42:00 +0000

Smart cats -- Here is a video of my girl Binnie who prefers to be let in through the door instead of coming in through the cat flap. Hey, why not, she's my girl, she's like us.

Cats are Smart

mjbmeister@gmail.com (Freddie Fox) — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 04:23:00 +0000

Pippa out of range of Binnie.

Cats are smart and my little stray Pippa proves it. She knows how to get on in this household. The pecking order dictates that she is at the bottom and she knows that my cat Binnie is old and cannot jump as she used to. Pippa therefore spends her time on top of the microwave well out of range and as content as she can be.

And when it snowed here recently she left paw prints in the snow, of course. What was cleaver was the fact that she used the exact same paw prints in the snow when she left. Pippa simply retraced her steps perfectly and kept her paws as dry as possible.

Cats are Smart to ABOUT CATS AND CAT BREEDS

Taking In A Stray Cat

mjbmeister@gmail.com (Freddie Fox) — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 11:11:00 +0000

Fat stray cat - Lontra - not all strays have it tough! Although she might be ill. - Photo by * starrynight1

Taking in a stray cat is the easiest thing in the world provided you don't have any other cats. In fact, there are stray cats pretty much everywhere. Wherever I have lived I think I have bumped into stray cats particularly so in London where people live close together. I have never purchased a cat, they usually come to me and stay.

Often you don't actually have to take in a stray cat as the cat will just walk in, take some food, do it again and then stay a while one day (provided we are pleasant to the cat). And voila we are on track to take him in. A word of caution, of course, as there are also a lot of cats that time share or visit and do overnight stays like children. We have to make sure that we are not teasing a cat away from the "owners" (keepers). That said, if a cat persists in coming to us there is possibly something not quite right about the place where he or she is coming from.

There can be some decisions to make, I think, once he has stayed, however. One problem I have with Timmy who stays with me is that I think he is "whole" or not neutered. I think this because he has b*ll* and he has a jowly masculine face. He doesn't spray urine though, thank God. Do I have the responsibility to have him neutered? On one level, I do. I need to protect the stray female cats in the district if there are some that are not spayed from getting pregnant (see Cat Pregnancy). There are too many feral cats ( feeding feral cats) around, who live tough lives that are too short with euthanasia as the end game.

On the other hand he is not my whole responsibility as he visits and stays a lot. I am convinced he is a stray though (i.e. has no owner). If I think that, I should take him to the vet to be checked out. He just may be neutered but I don't think so. So taking in a stray cat is easy with complications. If we have cats (I have one previous stray cat who is now "my cat") there can be problems with the introduction (Introducing a New Cat). Once that has been got over and it almost always will be in due course then a check up by the veterinarian is in order as we just don't know what a stray cat's health it like and we owe it to the cat to ensure all is well. That is the other complication - expenses. Vets aren't cheap and some people don't, it seems, factor in the cost of keeping a cat over the lifetime of the cat - about £10,000 for a cat that lives for 14 years (See Pet Care Costs).

I can't think of anything major over and above what I have mentioned. One last think. In taking in a stray cat we are doing a public service and probably saving a life as a lot of feral cats that are "rescued" end up being euthanized as there are not enough homes (see No Kill Cat Shelters). That said, one person thinks completely the opposite.

Taking In A Stray Cat to Stray Cat Picture

Do Cats Sulk

mjbmeister@gmail.com (Freddie Fox) — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 07:26:00 +0000

Do cats sulk? - Yes. I have just split up a fight between my first adopted stray cat, Binnie and the last stray cat to come and stay (Pippa) and Binnie is now sulking. She is at the base of my bed and is not responding as she normally would. She refuses to turn to look at me. Obviously she wanted to see Pippa off, out of the home and I interfered in that. Also she might feel a bit p*ss*d off that I had to hiss at her to break up the fight. She probably sees me as top cat and might even feel a bit intimidated, which is not what I want to happen.