Homeless Cat Care

2/19/12

Birds Like Cat Food

This bird was eating catfood! I guess some of you may have seen this before. It was driving my indoor kitties up a wall. I thought it to be quite amusing.

Have a great day!

Debby

Arizona

2/8/12

Dangers Letting Cats Catch Mice

Recently, one of our outdoor cats killed a mouse and left it on our porch. I have heard that mice carry the Hantavirus, especially in Arizona. So I picked it up with a rag, careful not to touch it, and disposed of both the mouse and the rag. I know of someone who died from touching a mouse here.

Here is a link where you can read about dangers for cats regarding mice. http://cats.about.com/cs/zoonoticdiseases/a/catsandmice.htm

There is nothing you can do about the feral/homeless cats getting them. But you can keep your own cats inside. What a shame - cats are supposed to be helping keep the rodent population down. Of course, birds, snakes and other wildlife do this as well. Sometimes I'm exasperated at how the natural order of things is so out of balance.

How about you?

1/24/12

More Details for Drop Trap

Recently, I spoke of drop traps. Below are links to a great video on the subject and building plans. I have found this trap design to be so valuable with any homeless/abandoned cat who is somehow trap-wise, eluding capture for spay/neuter or for a needed vet visit. Liddy, pictured here, avoided being trapped in the traditional trap for nearly a year. We successfully trapped her with a drop trap. Now she is very happy and much healthier being free of future litters.

Here's a little more detail which has helped some people who email me about this ..

Set up the drop trap where you normally feed your colony. Leave it up for days so they get to see it as simply part of the environment. Leave it propped up when you feed them (feed them under it) but put it down without the propping when you leave. Don't actually trap anyone until you see the cats are fairly comfortable eating under it. You will know they are used to it because they won't be sniffing it and will go under it for food without hesitation. This will pretty much guarantee that if the cat comes around daily that he will go under it for the food when you decide to spring the trap.

Do not trap any cats and leave them in it overnight. One which I trapped chewed his way out of it when he was in it overnight, nearly ruining the trap.

Use a really long cord as mentioned in the specs so the cat cannot see you and will be more likely to go under the trap. You will need another person available when you do the trapping. Once the cat is trapped, one of you must hold all edges of the smaller regular trapping cage firmly up to the exit door while the other person lifts the exit door. If only one tries to do both, you risk the cat forcing her way out when you open the exit door. If the cat does not exit the drop trap into the trapping cage, consider using a squirt water bottle or plastic kitchen spoon to prod him to move. This sounds unkind, but if you are careful, it only anoys them and does not hurt them. If cats get trapped which do not need to get fixed, do all you can not to let them exit into the trapping cage the same time as the one you are to get fixed. Once you have the un-neutered one transferred, lift the drop trap to let any other cats go.

Where I am in Arizona, most vets who are set up to spay/neuter feral cats will let you bring them in the trapping cage (I think some administer the anesthesia while they are still in it). So you don't want to try to transfer your subject from trapping cage to a holding cage for overnight for comfort or you will have a rough time getting him back into the trapping cage for the neuter appointment.(very difficult job) I leave water in the cage overnight and cover the cage with a blanket so they are less frightened. It might seem crue to some to leave a cat in such a small space for hours, but they do OK. And it's so much better than the struggle with the alternative. Don't get upset if such a cat moves bowels overnight and makes a mess - you can clean it up later.

If you have a morning appointment, I think it's best to do the trap procedure the afternoon or evening the day before the spay/neuter appointment since a cat who is getting put under the next morning cannot have food after 12:00 midnight. You can poke food through the cage if you want before the deadline. But know it can be difficult to get the food out if she has not eaten it by then. Often they don't eat because they are scared.

Have your spay/neuter appointment set up ahead for the morning of the next day. Also, in case your cat does not cooperate the day before, and you have to catch him whenever he cooperates, ask the vet ahead of time if you can call them spontaneously to bring the cat in without an appointment. I'm happily surprised some vets are very agreeable with this when you have a difficult feral/homeless cat.

I hope this helps any of you who may be overwhelmed at the prospect of trapping with a drop trap or with any methods for trap neuter release / return (TNR).

Video

http://droptrapdesign.blogspot.com/2005/10/demo-tape-available-vhs.html

Building specs
http://droptrapdesign.blogspot.com/2005/10/build-your-own.html

Would love your comments!

Debby in Arizona

1/16/12

Scrufty Doing Well

Scrufty had major surgery on her mouth and throat a few years ago. She is still doing very well. I was told by the vet to give her ground turkey and scant sprinkles of Vitamin C powder, both to help her immune system stay strong. It must be working since she is really doing well - gum disease/Stomatitis has not returned.

Anyone else have comments about how you help your kitties' immune systems?

Here is an interesting article about feline immune systems

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=1+2133&aid=956

Debby in Arizona

1/3/12

Liddy is Healthier

Liddy looks healthier than she used to. She hangs around more often instead of just eating and running. Her coat is fuller. It used to have missing tufts of fur - just after giving birth to one of her litters. It took us over a year to trap her since somehow she was trap wise. Finally, we caught her with a drop trap - hired my neighbor to make one.

So far, all is well this winter with our outdoor kitties. We have not lost anyone in our homeless cat colony to coyotes at this point. You never know what's going to happen with cats who live outside. Our ferals really depend on us for food. I wish we had more ways to help keep them safe.

Hope all of you had a wonderful holiday season!!

Debby in Arizona

12/19/11

Remembering Sunny

I am remembering how sweet Sunny was. She disappeared this time two years ago. I never knew what happened to her, but she was probably taken by a coyote as so many are in our area in winter. She was abandoned (we knew her prior situation) but acted a little feral. She was starting to warm up to me a little bit just before she disappeared. I still miss her. Even though we were not able to foster her, I was becoming very fond of her. I hope all of your kitties stay safe and warm!!!

Debby in Arizona

11/30/11

Tabby Needed Dental Work

I took our dear Tabby girl to the vet and found she needed dental work since she had more than the minimum of gum disease.

It cost $250.00. My income is down this time of year. I would dearly appreciate if any of you could donate something to help us. Even if it’s only $20 or $25 every little bit helps. There is a PayPal button to the right of this post. It is not easy for me to ask since I pride myself on being self-sufficient. But our household budget is completely stressed right now.

Thank you for your kindness if you can help.

Tabby was given anesthesia for the dental work. And she is doing really well now that she is back home.

Debby Arizona

11/28/11

Grizzly is Alone and Too Timid

We call this homeless feral cat "Grizzly" even though she is a female. When she was a kitten, about 8-10 weeks old, she looked like a grizzly bear.

She never had an aggressive personality, though. And, as she gets older, she gets more and more timid. Her brother, Midnight, has recently begun to chase her away when we bring their food out. So I believe this is why she tends to move away from the food until the more dominant ones are finished.

My heart always goes out to her. She does not have another homeless cat friend to pal around with. All of the others seem to be paired off. I suspect the ones paired off may sleep together as they walk to our feeding area together in the morning.

Say a little prayer for Grizzly to be OK - being weaker and without a cat friend makes me a bit more concerned for her well-being than the others.

Debby in Arizona