Finally and appropriately on July 14, National N*u*de Day, my foster kitty Taco finally gets to go au naturel.
Our one-year old foster kitty, Taco, moved in with us on March 22, after volunteers at Irving Animal Services sent out a desperate plea for someone to take a badly injured cat. Taco, who suffered suspicious burns, hasn’t gone nekked since that day… until now.
Taco’s wound ran from the base of his skull to the between his shoulder blades. He reluctantly submitted himself to daily hydrotherapy treatments. But healing is itchy business, and Taco wouldn’t leave his burn alone. Because of the location and his very limber back legs, the wound couldn’t be fully covered with a bandage or E-collar. To protect Taco from himself, he wore an adhesive bandage around his neck and a shirt (originally made from my husband’s beloved 30-year-old athletic sock–a huge sacrifice).
After he shredded his sock, Taco graduated to puppy tshirts. Despite all the protection, he still managed to reopen his healing injury. The best protection came from his final garment, a goth Old Navy dog tshirt displaying a dog skeleton.
He also was further humiliated by having to wear pink and white French-tipped nail caps on his back claws. He managed to quickly remove them. Eventually he got used to wearing them and left them alone (most of the time. Lest you think I make him wear feminine nails caps to poke fun at his masculinity, the pink makes it easier for me to see when he’s chewed them off. But I also confess, it’s funny to see the boy’s boy cat wearing pink “polish”.
But today was a big deal for my boy. He cast off his earthy cloak. He didn’t die. He finally got to take off his bulky clothing and show off what God gave him. In celebration he streaked (both in the dashing around and the lack of clothing sense) literally and around the house for the first time since he joined our household.
Finally, my little charge’s wound has shrunk to the size of a pea. Taco is almost ready for his forever home. He’s the perfect kitty for a home with gregarious cats and dogs. If you’re a Texas resident and interested in adopting Taco, fill out an adoption application.
High-rise Syndrome is a collection of injuries sustained by cats falling from higher than two stories, often from windows in high rise apartments. Most of these kitties accidentally fall from high-rise apartment windows, terraces or fire escapes. Not surprisingly, high-rise syndrome usually occurs in urban settings. Unscreened windows or windows with damaged screens are most frequently at fault. Amazingly, many of these cats survive.
You can protect your cats (and kids) by:
Checking your screens and regularly. If they’re not snug and secure, replace them.
Don’t expect childproof window guards to protect your cat. Most kitties can slip right past them.
This month is Adopt-a-Shelter-Cat Month. So it’s a great time to introduce you to Taco. He’s my one-year-old foster–a tabby and white boy, neutered, of course.
Taco came to me a couple of months ago from the Irving Animal Shelter. Someone had done something very cruel to him and the shelter needed an foster home for him. He was sweet; he was friendly; he was hurting. They sent out pleas, “Please, someone help him!”
The cat chair of Animal Allies of Texas asked me if I was interested in fostering the injured kitten. Of course. I couldn’t ignore that wound. How could I turn away from that face? But what’s with the name the shelter gave him, Taco?
Despite the trauma he experienced, nothing seems to upset Taco.
I After bringing him home, I quickly learned why the volunteers worked so hard to save him. He’s a doll. He loves being with peopleh. This kitty gets along with everyone: cats, dogs, kids. You name it.
I had to do hydrotherapy on his wound every day. That involved spraying tepid water on the wound for 10 minutes. The poor little kitty who had been through so much would look up at me as if to say, “Why are you doing this to me?” But he didn’t struggle or fight. I never got a scratch.
Although he’s so well-mannered, Taco doesn’t want to have to go to any more adopt-a-pets.
So now the time has almost arrived for Taco to go to a new home. I have to find someone who will love him always. I guarantee you, he’ll love you forever.
But no matter where you live, there are millions of Tacos who want nothing more to snuggle up with their person at night. Many shelter cats have suffered so much, yet still have a gentle, loving dispositions. Please, go to a shelter near you and adopt a kitty. Better still, adopt a hard-to-adopt kitty, a mature cat, a senior, a black cat or a cat with health issues.
You’ll feel great. You’ll have a new best friend and you’ll save a life. Comment below about your new best buddy. I can’t wait to hear who came home with you.
If you live in Texas and a’re interested in adopting Taco, fill out an adoption application at the Animal Allies of Texas website.
Nixie taught me a lot in her almost 18 years. In saying goodbye to her, she taught me her greatest lesson. Read about how I learn to use the quality of life scale at Catster.com.
Four years ago Animal Allies of Texas (AAT) adopted out a feisty black girl kitten named Shadow. Adoption counselors did all the usual background checks and thought the lady would be a responsible adopter. A couple of months ago we got a call from the woman wanting to return Shady. The woman had violated the contract and declawed the kitty, and now her two male cats were picking on her, so of course, she had to give up the nice defenseless cat.
Since AAT suffers from a chronic lack of foster homes, I agreed to take Shady for a “couple of weeks”. No big deal.
When I met Shady, it was a way bigger deal than I thought. I felt like Sheriff Brody in the movie, Jaws. “We’re going to need a bigger carrier.” Shady looked like a Great White, except she was all black. Poor kitty tipped the scale at almost 20 pounds. There was enough fat on that cat to build two tabbies.
Apparently, like many of cat lovers, what the woman couldn’t give Shady in attention, she made up for in food. After all, humans equate food with love, and we certainly don’t want to skimp on love, do we? Shady’s woman had almost loved her to death.
Shady the Great Black certainly isn’t alone. According to the CDC, 69% of human adults in the U.S. are overweight or obese. Pets aren’t far behind. The Banfield Pet Hospital State of Pet Health 2012, in the US, 53% of dogs and 55% of cats are now overweight or obese. Over the last five years the number of overweight or obese cats has increased by a heartbreaking 90%.
Shady and I eyed each other. Who in their right mind would adopt a black cat big enough to have her own personal zip code? Where do we go from here? First step, the vet’s office where I heard “the weight lecture.”
The sad truth is, most pet parents don’t even realize they have obese or overweight cats. I confess I have a couple of plumpies myself. I do worry about the extra girth affecting their health. I’ve tried to help them lose weight and failed. Controlling portions or withholding treats is tough. No one wants to feel like they’re starving their cat– even when it’s to help them stay healthy. And who can resist those big green eyes? But I digress…
Shady is such a sweet girl. Despite her reputation as a victim, she gets along with our resident kitties and even the dog. The vet said she needed exercise, so I tried using the Rainbolt Test Kitties’ favorite feather toy to get her blood pumping. She stared at me as if I had lobsters crawling out of my ears. “Does this body look it should be exercising?” Shady refused to extend so much as a claw. There goes the vet’s exercise program. She reminds me of the cat in the One Big Kitty video.
So what’s the trick behind this cat weight loss thing?
Since Shady’s not going to be burning calories except to convert oxygen to carbon dioxide, I had to come up with Plan B. Diet, oh no! A friend of mine mentioned that Hill’s was conducting a special program for overweight cats.
Hill’s says you can transform your pet’s weight simply by changing what you feed, not how you feed. Hill’s® Prescription Diet® Metabolic Advanced Weight Solution . is clinically proven nutrition that naturally activates metabolism to burn fat and regulate appetite. They say pets feel full and satisfied and still lose weight. (Cool. Do they make a taco-flavored formula for humans?) They tell me the diet is safe, effective and fast, and I’ll see a leaner, more playful Shady in just 60 days. Alright Hill’s, you’re on.
How is Metabolic Different?
The program includes dry and canned food and even treats designed to work together. Yea, I still get to give her treats. Since I’m not cutting back on her portions, I’m more likely to stay on the program and be compliant with my vet’s recommendation.
On what do they based these claims?
314 pet parents just like you and me participated in an at-home feeding study using Hill’s® Prescription Diet® Metabolic Advanced Weight Solution. Without strict protocols or precise measuring, 88% of pets lost weight within two months at home. 8 out of 10 pet parents said they’d recommend the program to a friend with an overweight pet. Hill’s even offers a 100% great taste guarantee.
Cat and Dog Giveaway Information & Instructions
But why should Shady and I have all the fun? Do you have a Great White of your own? Hill’s has offered ALL of my readers a free Feline Metabolic Starter Kit (a $70 value). Each kit contains:
• 1 Weight Loss Success Tote Bag
• 1 Weight Loss Success Guide
• 1 4lb bag of Metabolic dry cat food
• 2 (5.5oz) Metabolic cans
• 1 (2.5oz) Metabolic treats
• (2) $25 coupons
To receive a free Feline Metabolic Starter Kit fill out the form completely including your vet’s contact information. There’s also a kit canine kit, if you have a pudgy pooch. You don’t have to pay for a vet visit. Hill’s just needs to get your vet’s authorization to send the product.
I’ll be receiving my kit in a few days and will keep you posted about Shady’s Metabolic Adventure.
It’s full disclosure time. This post is sponsored by Hill’s. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Hill’s® Prescription Diet® Metabolic Advanced Weight Solution, but as you know, Dusty Rainbolt’s Universe only shares information I feel will benefit my readers. Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc. is not responsible for the content of this article.
Snowball is a squamous cell carcinoma survivor. His owner was afraid treatment would destroy his dashing good looks, but as you can see, he’s still handsome with his rounded ear tips.
June is Cancer from the Sun Month. White and light-skinned cats and dogs are particularly at risk. Light-skinned pets exposed to ultraviolet sunlight may develop squamous cell carcinoma especially on the ear tips and nose. Early detection and treatment of squamous cell carcinoma is critical.
The disease is seen most frequently in cats who in cats that spend a lot of time in the sun and those who live in high altitudes. “This kind of cancer is most commonly seen in older cats.”
The cancerous lesions most often appear on the temples, the outer tips of the ears (pinnae), the eyelids, the lips and the nose. The tumors usually single, small and poorly outlined, with irregular, hardened borders.
This disease occurs in older cats and may first become apparent in summer, when sunlight exposure is greatest. Symptoms include reddening of the ear tip, hair loss and flaking of skin on the ear tip or scale and inflamed skin like psoriasis.
If you notice any of these symptoms in your kitty, take him to the vet immediately.
This flamedepoint named Snowball was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma at the age of eight. He lost the tips of his ears, but he lived to the age of 12.
To reduce the chance of your cat or dog developing skin cancer, lf you white or light-colored cats to sun exposure to times when the sun isn’t a intense. Apply pet-safe sunscreens to the ears of light-colored cat who are outside during intense exposure.
OMG! Is it kitten season again already, when people happen upon abandoned kittens. Most people don’t have a clue what to do for an orphan. Doing the right thing when you first find a kitten can make the difference between whether the kitten makes it or not. Here’s quick reference list to help out first time kitten rescuers. My book Kittens for Dummies (John Wiley & Sons, 2003) contains a complete guide to caring for abandoned kittens.
Caring for Bottle Babies
1. Keep the kitten warm. Wrap her up in a towel or tee shirt to place her under your shirt to warm her when you first find her. A week old kitten needs to be kept at 90°.
2. Feed him a replacement milk formulated especially for kittens. Don’t use human milk or puppy formula.
3. Never hold a kitten on her back to nurse her; she could choke on the formula. Rest her on her tummy and hold the bottle from above.
4. Kittens under three weeks can’t go to the bathroom on their own. Moisten a cotton ball with warm water and massage the kitten’s private parts. Soft, gentle circles mimics the mother’s tongue and stimulates the kitten to potty. Don’t use any pressure; it’s the stroking motion that gets the job done.
5. Most stray or feral kittens will come to you infected with worms or parasites. Diarrhea is one of the most common symptoms. But the kitten could also have a potbelly, little appetite bloody poop, weight loss and just look unhealthy.
6. If she has the runs or pees on herself, you’ll need to give your kitten a butt bath so she doesn’t suffer from ammonia burns. Keep the room warm, make sure the water is comfortable to your touch and use a baby shampoo. Dry the kitten with a blow dryer set on low heat. Don’t let her get chilled.
7. Check your orphan for fleas. Remove them with an extra fine flea comb with metal teeth. Never use flea treatments on a kitten under six weeks unless your vet says it’s okay.
8. Any time you notice your kitten just isn’t right, take her to the vet. She’s much more susceptible to disease than kittens with real mothers. Keep an eye out for diarrhea, congestion, not eating, constant crying.
9. When you start to find a stool or notice the linens are damp, it’s time to teach him to use the litter box. Just put him in the litter box after he eats, when he wakes up and after he’s been playing. Don’t use clumping litter until he’s four months old.
10. The best way to keep your orphan from becoming possessive and domineering is to introduce him to other healthy cats. Hopefully, you have a friendly adult cat that he can hang out with. The older kitty, while not mom, can show him what’s acceptable in the social world of cats. If that’s not possible, introduce him to interactive toys that can discharge some of that predatory energy. You can use stuffed animals to wrestle with the kitten. Never let your orphan play with your bare hand.
11. When it comes time to wean him, don’t forget to put a shallow pan of water so he can get a drink.
A more complete article about Raising Orphan Kittens to follow.
Cats avoid the litter box for any number of reasons not their fault, from an illness to a box that in some way doesn’t meet their standards. Their fault or not, cats who miss the box are at risk of being surrendered to an animal shelter. And since families aren’t standing in line to adopt inappropriate eliminators, litter box avoidance can be a death sentence.
Now that I’ve got you totally depressed, here’s the good news: Dr. Elsey’s Cat Attract™ actually encourages kitties, even those with wandering bladders (and bowels), to return to the box. I’ve been a fan of Cat Attract™ for over a decade. (Keep reading to learn how you can win a bag of Cat Attract™.)
There are aisles of litters on store shelves with a variety of characteristics. Unfortunately felines and humans don’t always agree on which qualities are important.
People want a low-tracking, low-dust, yet affordable, litter that controls odors, has a pleasant fragrance, and produces hard clumps. Cats, true to their nature, are more comfort-oriented. They want a fine-textured litter that feels good against their paws, but with without an overpowering fragrance. Cats don’t give a rat’s rear about perfumes and tracking.
Enter Dr. Elsey’s Cat Attract™ Cat Litter. I discovered this litter when the product was first introduced to north Texas. In 2003 I was the product editor for the Tufts University publication, Catnip. I was in the midst of a cystitis-inspired outbreak of inappropriate elimination that I called The Great Litter Box Rebellion. There are few things more frustrating than my cats not using the litter box.
I conducted the side-by-side preference test of popular cat litters including the newly-introduced Cat Attract™. During that week-long evaluation, the little product testers showed a (pardon the pun) marked preference for Dr. Elsey’s. The Rainbolt Test Kitties love, love, love this litter. Since that review, my cats have had at least one litter box filled with Cat Attract™. Today, five out of seven litter boxes in my house contain a Precious Cat® litter.
Dr. Elsey’s Cat Attract™ is a therapeutic clay clumping litter with a moderately fine, sandy texture that contains a proprietary herbal cat attractant undetectable to the human nose. It has all of the attributes cats find desirable in addition to my wish list.
As soon as I poured out the Cat Attract™ the cats jump into the box and begin to dig and use the litter. They actually appeared to be having fun. Cat Attract™ even coaxed my Siamese-mix Cosmo, who suffered from two urinary tract blockages, back to the pan. It’s ideal for multicat homes, where litter box issues are more likely.
Cats are very sensitive to texture and scent.
Now for the human perspective. Cat Attract™ is a low-dust litter. It forms very firm clumps that don’t break when you scoop. Neatness aside, broken clumps leave behind little crumbs that cause the litter to smell. It clumps so hard and so quickly, it works in electronic litter boxes. It even comes with a booklet filled with suggestions to help your cat make friends with his box again.
The downside is that it has a moderate level of tracking, and well, that’s all I can find. Hmm. Sweeping up tracked litter versus soiled carpets. You do the math.
Yes, it’s more expensive than bargain brands, but it’s worth it; it’s certainly cheaper than a carpet cleaning service or buying new flooring. Dr. Elsey’s Cat Attract Cat Litter can be purchased online and at most pet retailers. It comes in 20 and 40-pound bags.
Do You Feel Lucky?
Enter the Dr. Elsey’s Cat Attract™ Cat Litter Giveaway. For a chance to win a 20-pound bag of Cat Attract™ simply leave a comment on this blog before 11:59 CST April 10, 2014. Don’t forget to include your email address. The Cat Attract™ Giveaway, across all participating blogs, is limited to one winner per household. For additional chances to win, share this post on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest using the hashtag #PreciousCat. Don’t forget to tell me in a separate comment where you share it. Sorry kiddos, you have to be 18 years old and live in the U.S. to enter. Winners will receive an email with instructions. Prize delivery can take up to eight weeks.
It’s time for full disclosure: Precious Cat®, who makes Cat Attract™, sponsored this review on behalf of the BlogPaws Blogger Network. Yes, Dusty Rainbolt’s Universe is being compensated for spreading the word about Precious Cat’s Cat Attract formula, but as I’ve said before, I only write about products my cats love and I use regularly. Precious Cat isn’t responsible for the content of this article.
This is the plea the Irving shelter volunteers sent out. Could you resist that face?
Nobody knows exactly what happened to Taco. This adorable little brown tabby and white stray was found in an auto repair garage with a burn that extended from the base of his skull to the bottom of his shoulder blades. Maybe he arched up against a hot muffler or rubbed against something coated with a caustic chemical. Those noble volunteers at Irving animal control put out a call for a foster home. I saw the photos. Poor little guy. The burn looked so painful. Surely someone will take him, I thought. But almost a week passed and no one came forward. Volunteers begging for his rescue described him as, “a very nice guy”, a “purr machine” and “sweet as sugar” “ a mere baby.”
One the less gruesome photos of Taco’s burn.
Finally, Kim Innes, Animal Allies of Texas cat chair emailed me his photo. “You want to take him?” Kim knows I find the trauma cases especially rewarding (mostly because most people shy away from them.) Six days after the first plea, I surrendered and pulled Taco from the shelter.
Immediately we trekked to the Animal Hospital on Teasley Lane in Denton, where the amazing staff worked me in. Taco waited patiently for his appointment. What a suck up. Despite the fact we’d met only 45 minutes earlier, the little cutie passed the time by weaving in and out of my legs, head butting me and filling the room with purrs, oblivious to the enormous burn on the back of his neck.
Only minutes after leaving the shelter, Taco waits patiently to see the vet.
In minutes we were on our way home. The treatment regimen includes oral antibiotics, hydrotherapy for 10 minutes twice a day, ointment and dressing the wound. I figured I should have a tourniquet handy when Taco sliced and diced my veins after I unleashed the water on his wound. It took almost as to regulate the water temperature and pressure and it did to irrigate the wound. But instead of slash claws and canines, Taco looked up at me with his big yellow eyes as if to say, “Why are you tormenting me?”
Believe it or not, three hours after pulling him from the shelter, he stood calmly allowing me to give him hydrotherapy. I did not lose one drop of blood.
After 10 minutes of aquatic vexation, instead of hiding behind the toilet he once again began head bumping me with a soggy forehead. Oh no. I’m falling in love.
Look at this face. How can anyone turn away? Okay. I admit it I did. For six days week I looked at that picture and thought someone else will take him. Day after day they didn’t.
Nobody knows exactly what happened to Taco. This adorable little brown tabby and white stray was found in an auto repair garage with a burn that extended from the base of his skull to the bottom of his shoulder blades. Maybe he arched up against a hot muffler or rubbed against something coated with a caustic chemical. Those noble volunteers at Irving animal control put out a call for a foster home. I saw the photos. Poor little guy. The burn looked so painful. Surely someone will take him, I thought. But almost a week passed and no one came forward. Volunteers begging for his rescue described him as, “a very nice guy”, a “purr machine” and “sweet as sugar” “ a mere baby.”
Finally, Kim Innes, Animal Allies of Texas cat chair emailed me his photo. “You want to take him?” Kim knows I find the trauma cases especially rewarding (mostly because most people shy away from them.) Six days after the first plea, I surrendered and pulled Taco from the shelter.
Immediately we trekked to the Animal Hospital on Teasley Lane in Denton, where the amazing staff worked me in. Taco waited patiently for his appointment. What a suck up. Despite the fact we’d met only 45 minutes earlier, the little cutie passed the time by weaving in and out of my legs, head butting me and filling the room with purrs, oblivious to the enormous burn on the back of his neck.
In minutes we were on our way home. The treatment regimen includes oral antibiotics, hydrotherapy for 10 minutes twice a day, ointment and dressing the wound. I figured I should have a tourniquet handy when Taco sliced and diced my veins after I unleashed the water on his wound. It took almost as to regulate the water temperature and pressure and it did to irrigate the wound. But instead of slash claws and canines, Taco looked up at me with his big yellow eyes as if to say, “Why are you tormenting me?”
After 10 minutes of aquatic vexation, instead of hiding behind the toilet he once again began head bumping me with a soggy forehead. Oh no. I’m falling in love.
This is one of Peg’s three remaining feet. She lost her shattered front leg after she was thrown from a moving car. She gets along great despite the missing limb. The feline paw it truly is a work of art.
My favorite painting is My Wife’s Lovers by Austrian artist Karl Kahler (1855-1906).
In 1891 the painting was commissioned by wealthy philanthropist and art collector, Kate Birdsall Johnson of San Francisco. Mrs. Johnson, who was a wealthy patron of the arts, shared her Buena Vista estate with 50 beloved Angora and Persian cats. I had the honor or viewing the painting at a CFA cat show several years ago. It depicts 42 different breeds of cats including a prominent Turkish Van. The enormous painting measures six feet by-eight-and-a-half feet. My Wife’s Lovers is the world’s largest antique cat painting.
Kahler was paid $5,000 for the piece. A few years later, the painting was displayed at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois. When Mrs. Johnson died in 1894, the painting was sold at public auction for $500.
The painting survived San Francisco’s 1906, despite the fact that the art saloon where it was display was destroyed. In 1949, Cats Magazine declared it to be “the world’s greatest painting of cats.”The painting was re-discovered in the late 1980s, in a storage room by cat fancier and art collector Kaja Veilleux. Finally, it was offered at the all-cat collectibles auction with a pre-sale estimate at more than a half million dollars.
Finally and appropriately on July 14, National N*u*de Day, my foster kitty Taco finally gets to go au naturel.
Taco’s wound ran from the base of his skull to the between his shoulder blades. He reluctantly submitted himself to daily hydrotherapy treatments. But healing is itchy business, and Taco wouldn’t leave his burn alone. Because of the location and his very limber back legs, the wound couldn’t be fully covered with a bandage or E-collar. To protect Taco from himself, he wore an adhesive bandage around his neck and a shirt (originally made from my husband’s beloved 30-year-old athletic sock–a huge sacrifice).
After he shredded his sock, Taco graduated to puppy tshirts. Despite all the protection, he still managed to reopen his healing injury. The best protection came from his final garment, a goth Old Navy dog tshirt displaying a dog skeleton.
He also was further humiliated by having to wear pink and white French-tipped nail caps on his back claws. He managed to quickly remove them. Eventually he got used to wearing them and left them alone (most of the time. Lest you think I make him wear feminine nails caps to poke fun at his masculinity, the pink makes it easier for me to see when he’s chewed them off. But I also confess, it’s funny to see the boy’s boy cat wearing pink “polish”.
Finally, my little charge’s wound has shrunk to the size of a pea. Taco is almost ready for his forever home. He’s the perfect kitty for a home with gregarious cats and dogs. If you’re a Texas resident and interested in adopting Taco, fill out an adoption application.
