Category Archives: Uncategorized

Uncategorized

Dr. Elsey’s Respiratory Relief Cat Litter Silica Gel

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ELSEY’S PRECIOUS CAT RESPIRATORY RELIEF SILICA GEL CAT LITTER

Rating: Five paws
Pros: Controls odors extremely well
Light, making it easy to handle for the elderly and people with mobility and dexterity issues
Almost no dust for people and cats with respiratory problems
Cats love it

Cons: It tracks moderately
It’s a little pricey

This silica gel cat litter has been formulated by Dr. Elsey for cats who suffer from allergies or respiratory diseases. It’s also a plus for cat owners who endure similar issues. It’s hypo-allergenic, containing no plant protein, deodorants or perfumes.  It does have an herbal essence, similar to a flower essence, to help reduce feline stress.

Despite the fine, sandy texture that feels soft and comfortable against sensitive paws, it puts out a negligible amount dust. The Rainbolt Test Kitties love this litter. When given a choice between many different brands of litter, the pan containing Respiratory Relief received the most use.

Volunteer reviewer Margaret Woodruff (a home health nurse writes), “Dr. Elsey’s Respiratory Rescue cat litter was recommended by a friend for my 93-year-old mother’s cat box.

“The clay clumping litter she had been using was too heavy for her to handle and too bulky for her to scoop. Despite the condition of the litter box, the cat continued to use it diligently. Mom has a diminished sense of smell. She is extremely independent will not let anyone help her with tasks, including maintenance of the litter box. I live out of town and am not able to be there but once a month. As you can imagine, over time this became difficult for the staff at the independent living facility to tolerate.  The management called me to bring the odor problem to my attention, and recommended rehoming the cat.

“Respiratory Relief litter was the perfect answer.  After we changed to RR litter, the odor was completely gone!  And my mother scoops regularly now.  I change the box once a month when I visit, and there’s no odor when I arrive. I can imagine the kitty is happy to not have to put his little face so close to all that ammonia. The ammonia-free air is certainly a healthier environment for Mom, too.

“The Assistant Director asked me how my mom was doing after the kitty moved.  I told him the kitty was still there. He was surprised when I told him about the change in cat litter. He asked for information about the litter so he could suggest it to other cat owners there.  This litter allowed my mother to keep her beloved kitty companion. He means the world to her. His loss would have been devastating.

“Although $16 seems a lot to pay for a 6.5-pound jug of litter, it’s very cost effective because you only need one jug for one cat, and you only change the box monthly.”

The 6.5-pound container retails for $15.99 to $18.99. You can find it at Petco, Amazon.com, and numerous other websites. Get more information about all of Dr. Elsey’s litters at www.PreciousCat.com.

What do you think of Dr. Elsey’s Litters? Leave your opinion in the coments below.

MARGARET WOODRUFF has been a home health nurse since 1988. She tries to find solutions for not just her clients’ medical needs, but to improve their overall quality of life.

Uncategorized

SturdiPet Incognito

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The SturdiPet Incognito allows you to discretely carry your small pets with you.

 

SturdiPet Incognito Carrier

This light, discrete carrier works well for short trips, flights and times when you don’t want to draw attention to the fact that you’re carrying a cat. It measures 17-inches long by 15-inches high by 8-inches wide and weighs 2.6 pounds. The exterior cover is made of 600 denier polyester, and a polyurethane convoluted foam forms the core. It comes with a washable polyester fleece pad. It will comfortably hold a six to 12 pound cat.

This attractive, yet ultra light cat carrier features a double-zippered side door, plus a zippered top entry for easy access. Privacy flaps that stow into small exterior storage pocket can completely cover mesh vents. It also has a padded shoulder straps. Large pockets at each end keep vet records and show papers handy. I love the zipper safety security clips.

Incognito’s 15-inch ceiling allows George, my tallest test cat, to stand without bumping his head. He could also turn around, even if it was a squeeze. Slim padded carrying straps, reminiscent of purse straps, don’t slide off of my small shoulders.The handles and shoulder strap felt comfortable in my hands and against my shoulders. I carried my test cat all over with mall without anyone the wiser. I’ll also admit to sneaking kitties into grocery stores after trips to the vet. As long as they kept quiet, nobody caught on.

A Velcro strip between the handles sometimes catch in my clothes, but that is the only drawback.

The carrier retails for $74.00 plus shipping from the manufacturer’s web site: www.SturdiProducts.com. For more information call 800-779-8193.

 

 

Cat Writers' Association, Uncategorized

Cat Scene Investigator wins six prestigious awards

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Cat Scene Investigator recognized for excellence by the Cat Writers’ Association

Cat Scene Investigator receives honors

Last week at the Cat Writers’ Association Awards Banquet in Myrtle Beach, SC, CWA honored my latest book, Cat Scene Investigator: Solve Your Cat’s Litter Box Mystery with six distinguished awards.

I wrote Cat Scene Investigator (Stupid Gravity Press) hoping it would help keep cats, who might otherwise be surrendered to shelters or abandoned, in their homes and to mend the human-animal bond damaged by litter box avoidance. Fortunately, the judges got it.

Best behavior book

Cat Scene Investigator received Muse Medallions for Best Behavior Book and Best Series of Illustrations. It also received the prestigious Dr. Jim Richards Cornell Feline Health Center Veterinary Issues Award. The Dr. Jim award goes to the highest quality entry on innovations in feline veterinary medicine that educates the general cat-owning public. Arnold Plotnick judged the category. He is a specialist in veterinary internal medicine and founder of Manhattan Cat Specialists in New York City.  Dr. Plotnick said, “Don’t be fooled by the small size of this book. It is jam-packed with up-to-date info on every aspect of inappropriate elimination in cats, written in an engaging, down-to-earth style. This book is the perfect blend of charm, humor and science.” This award was a double honor; the late Dr. Richards was my dear friend and mentor.

The book also received The Fear Freesm Cat Enrichment Award, sponsored by Fear Free, LLC and the Hartz® Glamour-Puss Award. The Enrichment award goes to the work that best educates about how exercise, food puzzles, scent training and other activities that can benefit a cat’s emotional and physical well-being and the role that has in their overall health. Glamour Puss recognizes the best work on parasite control, skin disorders and grooming.

In addition, cartoons by Stephanie Piro appearing in CSI received both the Muse for best series of illustrations and Stephanie’s CSI cartoons received the Kuykendall Image Award for the competition’s “outstanding image.” The book’s cover photo by Weems S. Hutto received a Muse nomination.

Thank you Cat Writers’ Association, CWA judges and special awards judges.

Cat Scene Investigator sports a new look.

Save kitty lives; spread the word

This book will save lives. We simply have to get the word out. Please tell your vet and local shelter and rescue group about Cat Scene Investigator. If you know anyone who has litter box problems with kitty, please tell them about Cat Scene Investigator. The book is available in trade paperback and Kindle. You can purchase it through Amazon, boutiques and veterinary clinics around the country. Additional distribution is pending. If you would like to carry this fabulous resource at your clinic or shelter, contact Stupid Gravity Press for wholesale rates.

Rescue, Review, Uncategorized

Review: Beware the Tomahawk Quick Draw Collapsible Net for Cat Rescue

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Tomahawk Quick Draw Net
Einstein models the hole in the Tomahawk Quick Draw Net created by Lucky two years ago.

Tomahawk Quick Draw Net seemed like a good idea at the time

I very seldom write negative reviews, but I’m mad as heck that a lightweight fishing net is being marketed by reputable animal control outlets as a viable cat rescue tool.

Several years ago I bought a Quick Draw Collapsible Net (QN101) from a Tomahawk vendor at Texas Unites for Animals. The guy manning the booth assured me this product worked great for cats.

As a rescuer, it looked like the perfect, yet affordable, answer to emergency cat captures. The description of the product on Tomahawk and other animal control merchandise websites says it’s designed to handle cats, birds and other small animals. I highly recommend it for arthritic gerbils, elderly hamsters and parakeets who have had their beaks removed, otherwise forget it.

A few years ago I used it to cat my elderly mother’s admittedly under-socialized cat so we could move Lucky with my mom to assisted living. The net folded up small enough to pack in my suitcase or I could keep it handy in the backseat of my car ready for cat rescue emergencies.

Tomahawk net's huge hole
Lucky’s hole in the Tomahawk net (designed for fishing not cats) was large enough for a small whale

 

The device worked like a charm until we actually caught Lucky with it. After sliding the net atop the 10-pound tabby, Lucky managed to rip two (count them) 8” long holes in the mesh as easily as warm butter. We finally caught the frightened feline when she darted into the cat carrier and we closed the door behind her.

Once again, we have to move Mom and Lucky to a memory care facility. *sigh and trepidation* I pulled out the unusable “cat net” and called Tomahawk hoping for a replacement. I was even willing to buy a replacement mesh, but they don’t sell them. The customer service rep said because I didn’t call right away they won’t replace the device, but I can buy a new device.

Customer service revelation

The customer service rep told me, this net isn’t designed to be used on feral cats. Really? Why did Tomahawk sell it at an animal control convention? Nowhere does Tomahawk discuss the product’s limitations. Until my phone call Tomahawk’s own website read, “Quick Draw Collapsible Nets have a telescopic handle and gentle but strong knotless ¼” mesh net. Durable aluminum construction means it is lightweight and capable of handling cats, birds, and other small animals. Triangular net opening is ideal for corners and walls.”

Measured hole in Tomahawk net
Look at the size of the hole Lucky made in the Tomahawk net. Gads!

Did it say, “Not designed for feral cats”? No, but the customer service rep informed after the fact. Did it say, “Use only on quadriplegic, defanged cats”? No. Did it say, “Use only on declawed cats”? No. Net’s real manufacturer, Frabill, sells the same unit on Amazon for fishing, not for animal capture. It also set a weight limit of 5.5 pounds. So, buy this product for cat rescue at your own risk. The product simply can’t handle cats; it picks up five-pound catfish. By all means, buy one of these, but DO NOT use it for emergency capture of a frightened or fractious cat. You will lose the cat, leaving both of you worse off.

I called Tomahawk again and spoke with a supervisor. To her credit she asked me if I wanted a replacement net. But while I was on hold I read Frabill’s own description of the product and I changed my mind. I think it is more important to let fellow rescuers and animal control officers know that this net will not be helpful in a rescue situation.

Immediately following our conversation, Tomahawk deleted the word “cat” from the description on their website. For that they get a yea. But search the internet and you’ll find distributors’ websites that contain the original wording as quoted above.

Tomahawk has a very good reputation and I can’t tell you how disappointed I am that they were marketing this product as an acceptable animal rescue solution. Shame on you, Tomahawk! Thank you for correcting your website. Now it’s time to encourage your distributors to follow your lead.

If you’ve purchased one of these nets for cat rescue, I encourage you to contact Tomahawk (or the distributor you bought it from) about a replacement. Please don’t use it to catch a cat.

Tomahawk distributor description using the original description
Tomahawk distributors still use the original text that reads it handles cats.

Have you had an epic fails in rescue equipment? Tell me about it in the comments section below my bio.

_____________________________________________________

About Dusty Rainbolt

Author Dusty Rainbolt is an award-winning veterinary journalist according to her answering machine. She is an associate certified cat behavior consultant and member of International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants, as well as past president of the Cat Writers’ Association. Her books, columns, reviews and articles have been honored with more than 50 writing awards including three-time recipient of Friskies Writer of the Year. Her just-released award-winning cat behavior book, Cat Scene Investigator: Solve Your Cat’s Litter Box Mystery, is the consummate guide for dealing with a cat who sidesteps his/her appointed toilet. CSI, which provides science-based methods for determining the medical or behavioral causes of feline inappropriate elimination, teaches cat parents to view their cat’s litter box avoidance through the eyes of a detective to determine the cause and, ultimately, the remedy.

 

Behavior, New Research, Special Days, Uncategorized

Spring Forward with Cats—The Daylight Savings Time Dilemma

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Weems S. Hutto
George dreads those late dinners after Daylight Savings Time makes us spring forward.

 

Oh joy. It’s spring. That means allergy season is upon us. Worse still, the second Sunday in March (this Sunday morning) prompts us mindless lemmings to “spring forward” into Daylight Savings Time. A few hours later my alarm clock will roust me from my bed kicking and screaming. It’s like having jet lag without the benefit of a trip. I guess you can tell I’m not a fan of the twice a year time change.

Daylight Savings Time is Hazardous to Your Health

While most of us love that extra hour of sleep we gain when the clocks fall back in November, our bodies never quite make the adjustment to the springtime sleep deprivation jump.

Research shows the time change may actually create health problems. According to a 2014 study  published in the medical journal Open Heart, on the Monday following the change to Daylight Savings Time, the number of heart attacks increase by 24 percent over a normal Monday. There’s also an increase in suicide risk for vulnerable individuals. An Australian study concluded that male suicides increase in the weeks following Daylight Savings Time. A 2009 study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology found that, on the Monday after we spring forward, workers were more frequently injured than on a normal Monday. Also those injuries were more serious.

(Please Texas Legislature, get rid of this plague on Texans.)

Whining Session Over

Alright, I’m done complaining.  My point is: there are real issues for people who have to alter their schedule to accommodate the time change. Humans are ruled by a circadian rhythm, our biological clock. When Daylight Savings Time disrupts your body’s natural schedule, you can experience anxiety. As it turns out, your cat and dog can, too.

The internal clocks of wild animals are ruled by natural sunlight, and the rising and setting of the sun. As a survival mechanism free-roaming cats are creatures of habit. They live by a strict time schedule throughout the day to prevent unfortunate encounters with adversaries. Indoor cats still rigidly cling to that need for a predictable schedule.

Fluffy’s daily schedule is inextricably linked to yours: feeding time, playtime, clean litter box time and bedtime. Since he can’t hunt for food, he’s concerned about when you get up to feed him, and when you get home…to feed him. If you arbitrarily start rising an hour earlier, he wonders, “What the rat?”

After all, the sun still rises and sets according to Fluffy’s Solar Standard Time. If you’re late returning from work (according to his internal clock), he may fear he’ll starve, and that’s stressful.

Reducing Fluffy’s Stress

Cats hate when we spring forward
Feeding Time

Instead of changing his schedule all at once, transition to the new routine over a week or so. Wake-up time 10 or 15 minutes earlier every couple of days. Between now and Sunday, feed Fluffy a few minutes sooner until he’s eating at the new feeding time. Or, slowly do away with a fixed dinnertime altogether. Vary it by 15 or 20 minutes either way. This will also help reduce stress later if you get caught in traffic or stop to have dinner with a friend.

Instead of a regular dinner hour, offer your kitty food puzzles. He can eat whenever hungry rather than dwelling on the fact that your 60 minutes late. He’ll get used to working for his food. Food balls also reduce stress, boredom and destructive behaviors.

Medication

If your cat takes medicine, call your your vet about changing the time you pill him. Most of the time, a one-hour change won’t cause a problem. That may not be true of cats who need insulin injections or seizure meds. Early doses of insulin could lead to low blood sugar levels. Insulin administration is based on Fluffy’s mealtime and should be given every 12 hours, so ask Doc about mealtime too. She can give you instructions about easing into a new schedule.

Litter Box Maintenance

We all want a clean bathroom. Since you’ll arrive home an hour later than usual, the litter box will go unflushed even longer, give it a quick scoop before you leave for work and again when you get home. Both Fluffy and your carpet will appreciate.

Snuggle Time

Let’s face it, Daylight Savings Time isn’t the end of the world for even the most sensitive of kitties. But giving Fluffy a little extra attention during that irritating transitionperiod will probably make adjusting easier for both of you.

How does the transition to Daylight Saving Time affect your cat? What do you  do to help him? Tell me about it in the comment section below.

_________________________________

About Dusty Rainbolt

Author Dusty Rainbolt is an award-winning veterinary journalist according to her answering machine. She is an associate certified cat behavior consultant and member of International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants, as well as past president of the Cat Writers’ Association. Her books, columns, reviews and articles have been honored with more than 50 writing awards including three-time recipient of Friskies Writer of the Year. Her just-released cat behavior book, Cat Scene Investigator: Solve Your Cat’s Litter Box Mystery, is the consummate guide for dealing with a cat who sidesteps his/her appointed toilet. CSI, which provides science-based methods for determining the medical or behavioral causes of feline inappropriate elimination, teaches cat parents to view their cat’s litter box avoidance through the eyes of a detective to determine the cause and, ultimately, the remedy.

Environmental Enrichment, Review, Uncategorized

Ripple Rug product review

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The Ripple Rug in a configuaration the Test Kitties really like. Look closely at the center opening. You can barely see Emily’s nose. Photo by Weems S. Hutto.

 

Ripple Rug overall rating: 4½ paws

Purpose: Environmental enrichment and territory expansion

Test Kitties: Emily (4 years), ChanChan (5), Pallas (5), Leggo (8), George (10), Sam (17)

The topside of the Ripple Rug

Description: The Ripple Rug® cat activity play mat by Snuggly Cat® provides environmental enrichment and territory expansion by giving kitties a place to explore, hide and scratch. It consists of two needle ribbed polyester carpet sheets, each measuring 35 inches by 47 inches. The bottom rug has a natural rubber anti-slip coating. The underside of the upper carpet uses hook and loop fasteners (think Velcro®), which allows you to position the rug in into a series of caves. It also has 14 holes of varying diameters, 4 larger entrance/exit holes and a series of peep holes.

The underside of the top rug. Note the black hook and loop fasteners that attach to the base.

 


Test Kitties ratings: 5 Paws

The Rainbolt Test Kitties loved this product. It provides new places to explore and hide, as well as playing and scratching opportunities. It wasn’t unusual to see one sitting atop the unit playing footsie with another kitty inside. Re-shape the unit anytime, which gives Kitty perpetually novel places to explore. Toss toys in the crannies so Kitty can “hunt.” I hide treat balls inside. Whenever I refill the food puzzle, I stash it in a new location. They seemed to enjoy the added challenge. They also used it as a scratcher.

I just set it down and Emily begins to explore. Photo by Weems S. Hutto.

 

Safety: 4 paws

The rug and bonding materials are non-toxic. The coating is also nontoxic and made of 60 percent natural rubber. Four of the holes are large enough for a cat to get his head through. Each of the large holes have multiple safety slits that can be expanded. Using scissors or a razor blade, extend the safety slit to allow a full body portal. Trimmed nails will prevent claws from getting caught in the carpet loops.

 

Emily plays footsie with a kitty off-camera

Human rating: 4

Ripple Rug’s limitations are associated with your willingness to arrange it. That said, if you don’t get the cave just right, the cats ignore it. My first configuration attempt flopped in a big way. They simply sat on top of the messily arranged carpet. After they abandoned the failed structure I played with the configuration. It did take experimentation to create an enticing cave system. Once I got it right, the Test Kitties adored it.

Eventually the topside dwellers smush (a little Texas lingo there) the Ripple Rug flat, and you must create a new cavern. So if your cats appear uninterested, keep reworking the structure. They will let you know when you get it right.

Bette is deaf. Ripple Rug provides a safe hiding place for her.

The rugs fold into a 24-inch squares that you can easily store before guests arrive.

Aesthetics: 2 paws. It’s a brown ridged carpet. Not ugly, but certainly not designed to appeal to human aesthetics. Since experts believe cats color vision is limited to gray and blue, appearance doesn’t matter to the cat, but function does. Beauty is, in fact, in the eye of the beholder.
Washable: It stands up well to machine washing on delicate in cold water. I hang it and allow it to air dry. Because of the coloring, you can’t see most stains.
Environmentally friendly: 5 paws. The carpet fibers are made from 100% recycled plastic bottles. The manufacturing process melts the bottles and extrudes the plastic into fibers. Every Ripple Rug set contains 24 bottles, 80 percent of which come from New York State.

Einstein enjoys sitting on the Ripple Rug. Scratching it too.

 

Price: 4 paws $46.00 with free shipping from Amazon. (I’d pay it.)  

Get more information from Snuggly Cat.

Disclaimer: Neither the Rainbolt Test Kitties nor Dusty Rainbolt received any compensation for this review, however Snuggly Cat® did send a sample so the Test Kitties could opine. The Test Kitties try a lot of products, most of which are kicked to the curb. We only publish reviews on products that are fun, safe and helpful for our readers and their cats.

About Dusty Rainbolt

Author Dusty Rainbolt is an award-winning veterinary journalist according to her answering machine. She is an associate certified cat behavior consultant and member of International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants, as well as past president of the Cat Writers’ Association. Her books, columns, reviews and articles have been honored with more than 50 writing awards including three-time recipient of Friskies Writer of the Year. Her just-released cat behavior book, Cat Scene Investigator: Solve Your Cat’s Litter Box Mystery, is the consummate guide for dealing with a cat who sidesteps his/her appointed toilet. CSI, which provides science-based methods for determining the medical or behavioral causes of feline inappropriate elimination, teaches cat parents to view their cat’s litter box avoidance through the eyes of a detective to determine the cause and, ultimately, the remedy.

Obituary, Odd News, Special Days, Uncategorized

The Poe Toaster; Newer isn’t Always Better

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The Poe Toaster was as mysterious at the poet’s death

January 19 is the 208th anniversary of Edgar Allan Poe’s birth. The revered American suspense author, poet and cat lover is best remembered for “The Black Cat” and “The Raven.” Poe was born in 1809 and died in 1849 at the still-young age of 40. For seven decades, usually sometime between midnight and 6 a.m. on Poe’s birthday, a mysterious man known as the Poe Toaster paid tribute to the author next to Poe’s headstone at Baltimore’s Westminster Hall and Burying Ground. The black-clad gentleman, a character as mysterious as the poet himself, always wore a wide-brimmed hat and white scarf to hide his face, and carried a cane.

The Poe Toaster was first noticed in 1949 (in year of the 100th anniversary of the poet’s death). The morning of January 19 the stranger entered the cemetery and raised a toast of Martell cognac to Poe. At the grave he left the unfinished bottle along with three red roses placed in a distinctive pattern. The Poe Society of Baltimore admits that some details have been kept private so they’ll recognize the real Toaster from the copycats.

A cryptic note left behind in 1993 stated, “The torch will be passed.” That apparently happened. A message left in 1999 announced that the original Toaster had died the previous year and a son had taken over the tradition. Watchers agreed that the Toaster appeared younger. Hopefully the elder Toaster is now sharing Martell with Poe face-to-face.

Then it got weird.

A 2001 note ranted about the Baltimore Ravens’ Super Bowl chances. A note left in 2004 included a diatribe about France’s opposition to the Iraq war. Obviously not the same dignified old Toaster. The son of the Poe Toaster last appeared in January 2009 marking the end of an era.

In 2010, he failed to show. In 2011 four impostors showed up, but unlike the real Poe Toasters, they made no effort to conceal their presence They didn’t give the secret gesture and failed to place the roses in the Toaster’s particular arrangement.

And while the Poe Toaster is to “Quoth the Raven, “’Nevermore,” the Maryland Historical Society could not let the mystery man die with dignity. Last year, they sent out a cattle call for “Baltimore’s Next Poe Toaster.” Competitors auditioned in a public America’s Got Talent–style audition performance. Even though his selection was very public, organizers are keeping his name a secret.

The NextGen Toaster, made his first debut after sunrise on January 16, 2016, three days before Poe’s actual birthday. (Sadly, like national holidays, Poe’s tribute has been moved to the weekend. The dignified expression of respect has evolved into a spectical. Worse still, a tourist trap.) While the new Toaster wore the traditional apparel, he added his own twist by playing Saint Saëns’ “Danse Macabre” on the violin. After he raised the cognac toast and laid the roses, he quoted the Roman poet Martial, “Cineri gloria sera venit”, which means “Glory paid to one’s ashes comes too late.” Then he left.

In a break with the early morning tradition of the original, this year the new faux Poe Toaster will appear at Westminster Hall between 6 and 7 p.m. tonight.

At the time of Poe’s passing, newspapers attributed his death to “congestion of the brain” or “cerebral inflammation”. Today’s doctors speculate he could have succumbed to alcohol poisoning, epilepsy, syphilis, cholera, rabies, brain tumor, carbon monoxide poisoning, mercury poisoning or even murder.

What do you think of the revival of the Poe Toaster?

About Dusty Rainbolt

Author Dusty Rainbolt is an award-winning veterinary journalist according to her answering machine. She is an associate certified cat behavior consultant and member of International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants, as well as past president of the Cat Writers’ Association. Her books, columns, reviews and articles have been honored with more than 50 writing awards including three-time recipient of Friskies Writer of the Year. Her just-released cat behavior book, Cat Scene Investigator: Solve Your Cat’s Litter Box Mystery, is the consummate guide for dealing with a cat who sidesteps his/her appointed toilet. CSI, which provides science-based methods for determining the medical or behavioral causes of feline inappropriate elimination, teaches cat parents to view their cat’s litter box avoidance through the eyes of a detective to determine the cause and, ultimately, the remedy.

 

Feline Health, Special Days, Taking cat to vet, Uncategorized

Only 2 New Year’s Resolutions for Cat Owners

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January 2 is Happy Mew Year for Cats Day. Since kitties aren’t interested in getting plastered on Mew Year’s Eve unless the intoxicant is catnip, we’ll skip ahead to the New Year’s resolutions. After all, you want your Fluffy to have a happy and healthy 2017 and 2018 and, well, you get the message. Because you control the the car keys, you are responsible for Mew Year’s Resolution follow-through. Unfortunately, when it comes to resolutions, humans have short attention spans. So let’s limit them to two doable items.

Resolution #1 Take kitty to the vet regularly

For best results, your kitty should see his vet twice a year. I know dragging your cat to the veterinary hospital is stressful for both of you. Even if your kitty is a strictly inside cat, he still needs regular wellness exams to help him stay healthy. Annual vet visits won’t do the trick any longer. After all, once a year is like a human going to the doctor every seven years. A lot can happen in 365 days. Also because kitties are vulnerable to larger predators, they mask signs of illness until they are too sick to hide them any longer. A checkup by his vet gives you a better chance to catch potential health problems while they are preventable or treatable.

According to the Catalyst Council, most cases of diabetes could be prevented if overweight kitties are placed on a proper diet. Also, dental disease affects 68% of all cats over the age of three. Ouch.

Make notes between visits and ask your vet about your observations and concerns:

  • Fluffy’s dropping food when he eats.
  • He doesn’t sleep with me on the bed any longer.
  • He has a funny cough.
  • He has runny poo.

Resolution 2. Teach Fluffy to love his carrier

One excuse cat owners give for not taking their kitties to vet is because the catching and transporting process is too stressful for the feline and his family. If Fluffy has always feared his carrier as the vet transport device, change the way he looks at it. Buy a different style carrier; a two-door model works best.

Leave the carrier left out in open in the room where Fluffy likes to hang out. Place his favorite blanket inside so he can sneak in and take a nap. From time to time, toss some of his favorite treats in the carrier. Once he looks at the carrier as his personal hideaway, take him on rides around the block and give him treats. Watch this Catalyst Council video to learn other ways to help your cat get over its fear of the carrier.

Making your cat like his carrier and taking him to the vet once or twice a year helps assure your kitty will “Live Long and Pros-purr.”

About Dusty Rainbolt

Author Dusty Rainbolt is an award-winning veterinary journalist according to her answering machine. She is an associate certified cat behavior consultant and member of International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants, as well as past president of the Cat Writers’ Association. Her books, columns, reviews and articles have been honored with more than 50 writing awards including three-time recipient of Friskies Writer of the Year. Her just-released cat behavior book, Cat Scene Investigator: Solve Your Cat’s Litter Box Mystery, is the consummate guide for dealing with a cat who sidesteps his/her appointed toilet. CSI, which provides science-based methods for determining the medical or behavioral causes of feline inappropriate elimination, teaches cat parents to view their cat’s litter box avoidance through the eyes of a detective to determine the cause and, ultimately, the remedy.

 

Cat safety, Uncategorized

Baby I’m Cold Outside…Keep Neighborhood Cats Warm in Cold Weather with DIY Cat Shelter

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baby-its-cold
Photo courtesy of Alley Cat Rescue www.saveacat.org

Outside temperatures have dipped and they’re going to plunge more tonight. Your own cats lay toasty and warm next to a flickering fire, but what about the tabby that jerk family moved away and left a month (or a year) ago? Stray Stanley or Feral Fred may have a nice fur coat, but it’s not going to keep him warm any more than a scarf and sweater will keep you warm outside for more than a few minutes. Stanley may have survived well on his own so far, but he still needs your help surviving the cold weather. Stanley still needs a warm, dry shelter that gives him a chance to escape the cold. You can keep your neioghborhood stray healthy and warm in an inexpensive DIY cat shelter.

Outside in?

I know he’s not your cat, but you can’t leave him to die in the cold. Can you bring Stanley inside just while it’s frigid? When temperature rise, you can let him back outside. If Fred is feral, you’ll have to find a way to help him on his terms. (A feral cat is an unsocialized cat born to a stray or wild domestic cat who has had no contact with people. Friendly cats abandoned by people are not feral.)

Warming him from the inside

Let’s start with keeping the internal fires burning. Outside cats need enough calories to maintain body heat in cold weather. They also need a liquid source of water.  You may want to place food out and pick it up in an hour so you don’t attract predators and wildlife.

Gimme Shelter!

If you can’t offer him inside sanctuary, you can give Stanley a cozy little outdoor getaway where he get warm and feel safe. Contact your local animal shelter to see if they can give you a donated dog house. If that’s not an option, you can go to Amazon.com and order a $200 insulated cat house and get it in a few days, or spend $10 get keep him warm tonight. You might even have the materials around the house.

A cozy cat cabin

A good cat shelter must be waterproof and have enough insulation to trap cat’s body heat and small enough so he does not have to heat open space. If the container is too large, the cat won’t be able to stay warm.

You can use a beer cooler with a cracked handle or broken wheel or Styrofoam ice chest placed inside a Rubbermaid™ storage container. Keep the opening as small as possible, no wider than the width of the cat’s whiskers. Inserting the door a few inches above the base will help keep the wind, rain and snow out.

Location, location

Place the cat shelter several inches off the ground in a location where it’s inaccessible to dogs and other predators. You can create another box for food and water. Don’t put the water bowl inside the shelter. You run the risk of him getting wet from a spill.

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An example of the Alley Cat Rescue version of a winter cat shelter made of a storage tub, a styrofoam ice chest and straw. Photo courtesy of Alley Cat Rescue.

 

Does it come furnished?

In addition to Styrofoam, you can line the inside floor and walls with a Mylar sheet (also called a space blanket.) Mylar uses a passive warming system to help the body contain the cat’s own body heat. Used in survival kits, it reflects warmth, rather than letting it escape. There’s a right way and wrong to use a space blanket. The shiny side should face the inside of the shelter; dull side goes next to the wall.

For bedding, use straw, rather than blankets or hay. Straw, which is dryer than hay, allows the cat to burrow and retain warmth. If you’d like to offer him additional heat, fill a tube sock with dry, uncooked rice and tie a knot at cuff end. Heat in a microwave for one to three minutes, depending on the size of the sock. Heat test it, for safety, then place in his sanctuary. Make sure there is room for the kitty to move away from the sock in the event it too hot.

Construction

Rather than reinvent an already well-designed wheel, or rather, cat shelter, I’ll give you the links for the plans you can put together cheaply in just a short time.

Easy cat shelter plans

Alley Cat Rescue
Winterizing Feral Cat Colonies

TheVeryBestCats
How to Make a Winter Shelter for an Outdoor Cat

Bushwick Street Cats
Winter Feral Cat Shelter Build Instructions

Foundation Against Companion-Animal Euthanasia (FACE)
Outdoor cat shelters and feeding stations

Instructables.com
Cat House by Pdjinc

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34 Reasons to be Thankful

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happy-thanksgivingToday is Thanksgiving, a truly American holiday. At this moment, Weems and I are preparing to welcome our friend Liz to share Thanksgiving dinner and enjoy reruns of Punkin Chunkin’ and The Curse of Oak Island. While Weems is working in the kitchen, I began to ponder what the day is all about and all of the blessings in my life. We all have many reasons to be thankful.

Wale Ayeni said, “Be thankful for what you have. Your life, no matter how bad you think it is, is someone else’s fairytale.”

I know many of my friends are going through difficult times, but I ask you today to think about the good things in your life. Often, with the passage of time, we find out that the bad things were blessings in disguise. In 1972 my sister moved back home with a CAT! It was the end of the world. (My family didn’t like cats. I was afraid of them.) Nope. It was the birth of a passion that would change me and give me everything that is great and happy now. Thirty years ago, I thought my Ex moving out signaled the end of the world, but it was really the beginning of a much happier life.

I often take the good things for granted and dwell on the bad. Today I want to dwell on the good. So in the spirit of Thanksgiving, here are the things I am grateful for. Maybe my list will help you remember what you are grateful for. I love y’all. Please leave what you’re thankful for in the comments. Happy Thanksgiving!

I am thankful:

1. To have been born in the United States. While not perfect, we experience a peaceful transfer of power every four to eight years. Sometimes I am happy about that transfer of power. Sometimes, not so much. I often take the freedom I enjoy for granted—the freedom to express my thoughts, to protect myself, to worship (or not) in the way I want, to go into the line of work that most suits me or makes me happiest.
2. For all of our patriots: the brave members of military, who give up time with their own families, who miss baby’s first steps and piano recitals, wedding anniversaries and the birth of their babies to protect us and keep this great country safe.
3. Civilian first responders. More Heroes.
4. My husband, best friend and soul mate, Weems. The best day of my life was the day I met you. Any day with you is the next best day.
5. My family. Dad, Mom, Margaret, Art. I have a brother and sister who I love and they return the favor. For better or worse, we made each other who we are today. I think we turned out pretty well. Yes, there was drama, but even that’s a gift. Think about all the fodder I have for future novels. My sister is the heart of our family; my brother the brains and logic. I’m grateful for a father who was a patriot and who wasn’t afraid to tell me he loved me. I’m grateful for a mom who was there every afternoon when I got home from school.
6. I still have my 97-year-old mom.
7. My life and health. In a sense I am even grateful for those new aches that come with age. My dear friends Jim and Vicki never lived long enough to experience those aches.
8. My friends. My rocks, my sounding boards, my escapes. You were always there when I needed you. In 1968, Debbie and I will have been friends for 50 years. (I wish I could say we met when we were in diapers.) Since meeting Debbie I have blessed with so many new friends. I love y’all.
9. Cats. People say I save cats, but the truth is, they saved me. What an empty world I would live in without them.

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10. Veterinarians. I two amazing veterinarians who keep my kitties happy and healthy. Thank you Cassie Epstein and Cindy Rigoni.
11. Paw prints. Squee.
12. Animals. Any animal.
13. For the blessing and curse of being a writer. Ernest Hemingway said it best. “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.”
I am thankful that my writing makes a difference in people’s lives. I get to make a living doing what I enjoy. I get to play for a living.
14. My teachers, especially my four most influential teachers. Mrs. Fleire, my third grade teacher, who gave us an assignment to write a short story. That was the homework that ignited my love of writing. John Beard, my sixth grade teacher, gave all his students nicknames. I was The Dictionary. Thanks Mr. B. My senior year in high school I walked into Martha Schipul’s creative writing class. She understood she had an aspiring writer on her hands and did everything possible to nurture that. Martha gave me different assignments from the rest of the class. I loved her. Still do. Then there was Sonya, my English 101 instructor at Brookhaven. Like Mrs. Schipul, she gave me different, more challenging homework.
15. Animal rescuers. You save animals and help people. You make a difference.
16. Cat Writers’ Association. I joined 21 years ago. I’m grateful for the mentors, the contacts, the experts and enthusiasts and, most of all, the lifelong friends and my Sister by Another Mother. We’re a family.
17. My favorite movies. The ones I watch over and over again when I need a lift, Casablanca, Airplane, Blazin’ Saddles, Tremors 1-5.
18. Books. Other authors gave me the will to write and shared their knowledge. Douglas Adams, Charles Portis, Sophia Yin, Amy Shojai, Arden Moore, Selina Rosen, Julia, Linda, Rhonda, your books fill my walls and my heart.
19. Occasional travel. I love seeing new places and things.
20. Emails from my readers. Wow. People actually read my work! Who knew?
21. Sushi. If I could only eat one food for the rest of my life, it would be sushi.

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22. Bling. Sparkly dress. Shoot, anything that glimmers.
23. Memories of Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner with my family. I can still smell the fragrance of turkey and my mother’s version of Grandmother’s Swedish dressing. It looked like mud, but tasted like Heaven. Wait, I’m smelling the turkey Weems is preparing.
24. Weems’ amazing Barbecue. Thank you, Johnny Trigg.
25. Chocolate anything.
26. Coffee. My favorite is salted caramel from Winco. Sometimes Weems brings me coffee in bed. Simply Heaven.
27. Compassionate people. People who leave the dinner table to rescue an injured animal, or volunteer at a homeless shelter. Who give a stranger a flower, just because it looked like she needed it.
28. Adult beverages. Wine, beer, chocolate martinis.
29. Writers and bloggers who use proper grammar and know the difference between “your” and “you’re.”
30. Mobile phones and caller I.D. Take that robocallers and solicitors!
31. Memories of going to movies with my dad. I remember watching Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines in the Cinema 1 & 2 and laughing so hard my cheeks ached. Whenever I see Patton or The Longest Day, I can almost feel Daddy beside me.
32. The smell of lavender. Real lavender, not a chemical version of it.
33. My readers. The animal rescuers, the dreamers, the geeks. I love all of you. You inspire me when I’m down. Thank you each and every one of you for reading my blog, Facebook posts, books and articles. A writer without readers is just a crazy person talking to herself. I love making people laugh and sharing information that will make people or kitties’ lives better. It’s hard to believe that helping people with their cats has become my occupation.
34. Amazing Grace. Being born at this time and place in history. At no earlier time could humans get up in the morning moderately secure that they would be able to climb into bed that night. Between marauders, criminals, war, illness, accident or predation, another day was never promised. How amazing that we that we can plan next week, next year and even the next decade. We are truly blessed.

Please share with me what you are thankful for.