No Outdoor Cats, Example 4

A cat was found drowned with a five pound weight tied around its neck.

http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_19263775

Letting Go

My oldest, Apollo, has been living with kidney disease for several years. Originally put on a prescription diet and monitored with regular blood tests, he's maintained his young-cat-ness until a few months ago. He was hardly eating and his veterinarian determined he was dehydrated and needed additional fluids to keep his system running smoothly. Now he gets 100ml of IV fluids every other day. Initially, it seemed to be working and Apollo started eating again but soon started vomiting more than was normal for him. The vet prescribed a dosage of Pepcid to help settle his stomach and once again, we were on our way.

A month later, he started throwing up even more often, including the Pepcid that was supposed to be helping him keep food down. On top of this, I found blood in his urine. Back to the vet we go for more care.

Instead of getting better, Apollo's eating habits grew worse. I think he may have been associating the prescription diet with not feeling well and stopped eating it altogether. The night before I called the vet yet again, Apollo hopped up on the sofa, stood on my chest, rubbed my face, and stared into my eyes.

He was giving up. He was tired. I could see it, I could feel it. He appreciated my efforts, but no longer wanted to fight the battle. I've loved this cat for 18 years and I'm sure if he could speak, he would say, "Enough" and limp off to the bedroom to have a nap in the window.

When I talked to the vet the next day, he advised another test and a day of IV fluids. But I know we are only prolonging the inevitable. We cannot fix kidney failure. At what point is the care you are providing your cat no longer really helping him? When does it become more about protecting yourself from having to let go?

The vet recommended getting Apollo to eat; whatever he was willing to eat. I bought his favorite Fancy Feast dry food from the local grocery store and he's been inhaling it like he hasn't eaten in years. I watch him and I can't help but think of inmates on death row requesting their last meal. I don't bother with the prescription diet anymore. I don't make him take Pepcid anymore. He still receives IV fluids every other day to keep him hydrated and comfortable, but I'm no longer putting him through the stress of fighting a battle we both know he's not going to win.

He's doing well right now. Hopefully, he will continue to be well for a long time, but if he's not, I will honor his wishes and allow him to move on. I know he will be in good hands. I know my dad has been patiently waiting for his favorite nap cat.

Cross Country Escapes: Traveling With Cats

I apologize for my absence; my husband and I recently moved ourselves and the kitties across the country from Wisconsin to South Carolina. Some of you may gasp and ask, "How did you manage to move three cats across the country without a) leaving cats at the side of the road as the howling became more than you could handle or b) jumping out the truck window yourself because the feline protesting had gone on for 10 straight hours. Finding your way through the mountains to the nearest town to begin life again may just have been the easier option.

There were trying times in that rental truck during the 16-hour drive from Milwaukee to Charleston. For some reason, each cat wanted to spend the duration of the trip curled up underneath the brake pedal, requiring regular frantic disengagement from under my husband's feet. By the time we entered Tennessee, the level of floating cat hair threatened to close my husband's throat (he had allergies as a kid). We couldn't open the windows because we didn't want one of the cats deciding they were going to escape by way of jumping out the window.

This might be a good time to explain that we decided to travel with the cats able to roam free in the truck. Cats in cat carriers assume they are going to the veterinarian and howl the whole way as if they are going to slaughter. Cats riding in laps, while still distressed, seem to weather the trip in a calmer fashion. Years ago when I moved to Florida, the howling from the cat carriers was intense even with kitty vallum. Apollo had a second dose about 2 hours into the trip. It seemed this might be a less stressful way to get them there.

We were still concerned because two are geriatrics and the kitten hyperventilates when riding in the car, but short of leaving them with my mom, we had few choices. Overall, it worked fairly well. We were driving a rental truck and had a little more space for movement than would have been available in a car (and certainly more than in their cat carriers). This allowed each cat to have their own space and Molly only needed to interact with her siblings when everyone was changing location. This happened frequently. Aside from her desire to bite me as we neared our destination (I was once again forced to drag her out from underneath my husband's feet), the trip was made more annoying by the mechanical condition of the rental truck than by the behavior of the cats riding inside.

The tricky part was trying to get them to drink water during the 16 hour trip, but worse than that was when they DID actually drink water and then had to use the litter box. Sitting next to the kitty toilet isn't exactly how I recommend you spend your day. It was hot outside. The air conditioning in the truck didn't work as well as it could have. The aforementioned windows were closed. I think you can probably imagine how nice this was.

I don't encourage folks to travel with cats running free in the truck for the obvious reason that they will attempt to get to the one place you don't want them (under the brake). Certainly this is a safety risk. We tried to limit the dangers by having them on leashes with body harnesses instead of simple collars. This did help make it easier for me to remove cats from situations we didn't want them in, but it wasn't completely fool proof. Leashes got wrapped around my leg, the seats, the cats...

If there's ever a next time, maybe they should fly.

When To Let Your Pet Go

When Molly was sick, there were several days when it seriously looked like we were going to have to make that final decision. We were already several thousand into her care at the kitty E.R. and knew we needed to be on the same page about when we wouldn't put her through any more trauma. For Molly, it was cut and dried; if we learned her illness was caused by cancer, we were going to let her go and if it was something we could fix with a little medicine, a dietary change, and love, we would keep going.

Now Apollo, who is 18, is starting to show his age. He's been on a prescription kidney diet for a few years now and it has been challenging getting him to eat it. Until recently, I had been mixing it with Friskies canned food. At his most recent veterinary check up to monitor his kidney values, his numbers were way up. He's been vomiting and the vet is concerned that he might be dehydrated. When he's not hydrated, he doesn't want to eat and the prescription food isn't getting into his system. So essentially, his kidneys are processing toxins right back into his blood stream.

So now he is getting intravenous fluids three times a week. Which I have to administer. This is not fun. With 1 1/2 inch needles, I have to poke through the extra skin above his shoulders and pump in 100ml from an IV bag like you find at any hospital. Pump is probably not quite the word...it's more like a fast drip. Twice I have accidentally poked back out and had fluid all over the floor. All the while, he sits there and takes it. We have 18 years of trust built up and while he doesn't like it, I think he understands it's necessary.

For the first time, the vet used the term chronic kidney failure. I'd never quite looked at his condition with such finality before. Obviously, this is what will eventually take him from me. Kidney failure. Why I had never connected the dots is beyond me...well, maybe I just didn't want to see. But it begs the question again -- where do you draw the line? When is it too much. It's near impossible to tell when cats are hurting because they are so good at hiding their pains. How do I know when he's just had enough? When does the help cease to be helpful?

I've watched people go to great lengths to keep pets alive when it was obvious to me that the animal was far more miserable than the owner was willing to see. Please, Lord, let me be strong enough to see when they have had enough. Please let me recognize when my efforts to help are no longer helping. Help me be strong enough to know when to let go.

No Outdoor Cats, Example 3

Davie, a black cat in Columbia County, New York required a leg amptuation after an unknown assailant shot him with a .22-caliber gun. Davie's owner assured police that he never leaves his yard. Whether this is actually true or not, it is one more example of why cats needs to be kept indoors. Even Davie's own backyard wasn't safe.

Cats and Allergies

As many of you already know, allergic reactions to cats is not caused by the hair floating through your home, but the a protein found in the saliva the cat used to lick the hair free. This protein becomes airborne and can be found on the floor, the furniture...basically, everywhere.

This being said, if you discover your child or new boyfriend are having allergic reactions to your cat, it doesn't have to mean the cat needs to move out. For milder allergic reactions, there are ways to help to keep the floating proteins under control.

My husband never had pets growing up because of allergies. Once we started dating, we spent most of our time at his place, just because of the potential allergy problem at mine. We talked about it and I made it clear the cats weren't going anywhere, and we started spending a few hours at a time at my place, just to see how it would go. He didn't seem to have any problems.

When we decided to move in together, we realized this was going to be a more aggressive test of his tolerance to the allergens and I agreed we would have one cat live with my parents temporarily so we weren't bombarding him with too much all at once.

It wasn't long before the cat living at Grandma's house returned home, but it required a fair amount of work to keep my husband's allergen exposure to a minimum.

1) Cleaning regularly is a must. The cleaner you keep your home, the fewer allergens will be in the air and on the furniture. This includes dusting, vacuuming, and washing bedding - yours and the cat's.

2) If you can, pull up carpeting and replace it with hardwood floors or vinyl. It's easier to keep clean as the proteins can be more challenging to get out of carpet. Proteins stick to hairs and hairs stick to fabric surfaces. Carpeting can harbor larger amounts of allergens than you might think. At the very least, purchase a pet hair vacuum cleaner. The more pet hair you remove from the environment, the more allergens you remove as well.

You may also think about replacing curtains with vinyl or wood blinds, use chairs without fabric coverings on the seats, and sofas with just enough fabric to be comfortable, but enough wood to cut down on the allergen storage.

3) Have a pet free space. The jury is out on whether or not this is truly helpful, particularly if the animal has already had free access to every room of the home prior to the allergic person coming onto the scene. But it can help control the amount of allergens a person is subjected to. A room that is inaccessible to the cat means no new allergens will be added to the space and following the above suggestions, you can successfully remove most of the existing allergens.

This can also be helpful if you are moving into a new place with the cat and the person with the allergies. Establish a cat free room right away. For my husband and me, that room was the bedroom. He was able to sleep in a clean space and breathe in air largely allergen free. Of course it's near impossible to not get small amounts of allergens in the room, but the quantity will be considerably fewer than a room where the cat has full access.   

4) Bathe and brush the cat regularly. I have seen some discussion about the pros and cons of bathing cats. Some people believe this dries out the cat's skin, which can cause more dander, which will then carry more proteins into your environment. For others, it's one of the best ways to keep shedding under control, which also releases proteins into your environment.

On top of which, if any of you have tried to bathe a cat, you know you have a better chance of surviving a lightning strike than surviving ten minutes spent in the tub with your cat. My husband and I wear swimsuits and work as a team. He holds them, I scrub them, he towel dries. Repeat.

5) Some people would rather invest in allergy medication for the human than put this much work into changing the environment. This is the simplest solution, particularly if you rent and ripping out carpeting just isn't an option.

The most important thing is do your homework. Don't simply get rid of the cat before you have tried to find another solution. If you must part ways with your furry friend, always try to place them in a new home yourself (a friend or family member). With so many cats finding their way to shelters every year - many for this very reason - do the responsible thing.

This cat has trusted you with his care and his life, don't let him down. 

National Adopt-A-Shelter-Cat Month

You've been thinking about it.

You've been doing your research to help you decide on the best pet for your family.

Now, you might be able to get that cat for free.

The American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) and Fresh Step cat litter have teamed up to make it an even better time to adopt an adult cat from your local shelter. For the month of June, national Adopt-A-Shelter-Cat Month, shelters across the country are waiving the adoption fees for adult cats. Visit the ASPCA's website for a list of participating shelters.

According to a researcher for the ASPCA, it costs $13 a day for a shelter to care for each cat in their facility. Adults cats often spend more time in shelters than kittens and these costs add up quickly. When adult cats are adopted, the adoption fee rarely covers the cost the shelter actually incurred caring for the cat before you arrived to take him home. By offering free adoptions, the shelter is able to reserve their often limited resources while providing a loving home for the cats in their care more quickly than they might have otherwise.

If you've read my earlier post, you already know adult cats make the perfect addition to most families. Now there's no reason not to do it.
      

Greenies Pill Pockets

Molly suffers from inflammatory bowel disease and has been receiving a liquid medicine (Budesonide) through an eye dropper for the past 2-3 months. She wasn't happy about it, but with the element of surprise on my side, it was fairly easy to stuff it down her throat before she had the time to be upset. My husband didn't always fare as well.

My cell phone rings.

"I'm done giving her medicine."

The medicine was kept in the refrigerator and needed to be shaken. Hubby got the barbecue sauce out of the refrigerator and shook it. Molly crashed into the refrigerator in her crazed scramble out of the kitchen. She was fine. My husband was frantic.  

We soldiered on and thought she was well on the way to recovery, but she was still having some issues with diarrhea. I called the vet. There's medicine for this, but it comes with a warning:

"It tastes really bad. She's not going to like it." Great.

Turns out, that was an understatement. I've never seen a cat make herself foam at the mouth so she could spit something out with such determination. It was actually painful to watch. 

At her follow up visit this past Saturday, the vet changed Molly's medicine to Prednisolone pills. It was something out of WWE Wrestling match to get the Budesonide into her system some days. I was sure the Prednisolone was going to be a disaster.

I tried putting one down her throat and she bit, thrashed, screamed and spit until the melted pill was mashed into the living room carpet. I tried to crush one into her new hypo-allergenic prescription diet. This is the same food she had eaten earlier in the day with no problems. I thought I was being tricky but she looked down at the food and then up at me. She even snorted as she walked away. I was determined this cat was going to take her medicine whether she liked it or not.

Enter Greenies Pill Pockets. At almost $10 for a bag of 45 treats, they are far from the cheapest cat treats I've ever purchased. Since she sniffed out the medicine in the canned food, I was convinced the Pill Pockets were going to turn into a new chapter in the human/cat battle over who was the boss. I was convinced she would chew it once, notice the pill inside and spit it out.

Interestingly, I was wrong.

Molly inhales the Pill Pocket treats like they are a slice of kitty heaven. Put the pill in the center opening, squeeze the soft treat shut and kitty unknowingly ingests her medicine with no bellowing or protest.

Finally, a battle with Molly I actually win.      

Woman Kills Cat for Lady Gaga Concert

This disturbing story comes out of Oklahoma via Fox News. I'm actually speechless. It seems so obvious that this is crazy. I don't want to say crazy, but inappropriate doesn't seem like enough. I don't understand what kind of behavior causes someone to kill a human or an animal in the first place, but to use it as an outfit for a Lady Gaga concert? I'm sticking with crazy. 

Adopt An Adult Cat

Many times, adult cats are the last to be adopted from local shelters because of preconceived notions about their behavior. People often think adults cats in shelters must not be using their litter box or they are aggressive or sick. While these things can certainly be true, adult cats are most often in good health and well-mannered.

My youngest, Emma, was a year and a half old when we brought her home. She was surrendered by her family because she wasn't getting along with the dogs in the household. She purrs loud and often. She shares the litter boxes with her new brother and sister with no problems and she has a very loving nature. She can be a little shy around strangers, but she warms up to them quickly. She will inhale every morsel of food she can get her hands on, probably because in the home she came from (dogs and other cats), you needed to be on your game if you wanted to eat. I often compare her to a circling shark because she will hang around in the kitchen wandering aimlessly until Apollo and Molly have finished eating. Since Apollo is on a special diet, I have to hover as well or my little shark beats me to the bowl and devours what's left.

But these are examples of why Mike at the Wayne Animal Shelter says adult cats make the best pets. Adult cats, as Mike explains, seem to understand they are being rescued and are more appreciative than a kitten. They love you right away and show it.

In addition, adult cats already have developed their personality - something you will notice when you are in a shelter viewing your new pet. All three of my cats bonded with me immediately in the viewing rooms at the shelter. Apollo and Molly both curled up in my lap for a nap and Emma was rubbing up against us and purring soon after our introduction. Emma has a naughty streak and doesn't have any fear. She's taken a few tumbles off the bed from playing too hard and she's been known to climb onto and into anything where her head fits - even if it means I have to get her back out. She will, if given the chance, retrieve used tissue from the bathroom trash and eat it. If you pay attention at the shelter and spend enough time with the cat, you will get a peek into these personality quirks. You might not see exactly how the personality is going to play out in your home, but if you're looking for a lap cat (which Emma is not) you will learn right at the shelter whether or not that's what you will get.

Kittens, on the other hand, haven't completely developed their personalities yet and if you aren't the type of person to carry them around, teach them to enjoy attention from strangers and appreciate a good lap, you may end up with a more bashful, standoffish feline. This can work both ways. Apollo has always been gentle and loving, but because of the attention I lavished on him when I was single and he was my only kitten, I can't move about the house without him following me. He must be touching me at all times. This is very sweet, but can be a challenge, so finding balance with a kitten is important. The work is done for you with an adult cat and it becomes a matter of picking a cat with a personality that matches your own.

Check out Mike's videos on the other reasons adult cats make great companions and visit your local shelter to find your new best friend.

The Best Deal Apollo Ever Had

My husband and I like to travel. The problem (aside from our limited checkbooks) is what to do with our beloved kitties while we are gone. Usually, my Mom will stop by and feed them every couple of days. The last time, my brother stayed at the house, because we can't leave food out for the cats to eat at their leisure because the kitten, Emma, will eat every morsel long before the other two even realized we're gone. With my brother there, feeding times remained controlled.

This time, we have the added wrinkle of Molly's daily medicine. My least friendly cat, Molly is the cat none of my family or friends could identify if their lives depended on it. She doesn't enjoy company, is not a fan of being touched, and hates having things stuffed down her throat. This is a recipe for disaster when it's me and hubby trying to medicate her. No way I could put that on my family. As a friend once said about the situation, "it's like putting socks on a rooster." Yep, it kind of is...

So, we solved this problem by boarding Molly at the veterinarian's office so they could deal with medicating her. As she's not terribly social, this seems like a reasonable solution for her since she doesn't much care for Apollo or Emma in the first place.

To solve Emma's overeating problem, we purchased a $70 automatic feeder. We pre-program the feeding times and quantity of food and it supposedly releases only that amount of food, only on those preselected times. I'm writing this from vacation and the brand name escapes me, but let me tell you, it won't outsmart even the average intelligent cat. No lie, it took Emma all of 10 minutes to figure out she needed to reach up inside the machine from the bowl to where the food is released. From there, it took maybe another hour for her to figure out that if she bumped the machine hard enough, she could get it to release food whenever she wanted. Cat smarts notwithstanding, the machine itself has some very obvious flaws. It releases varying quantities of food -- usually more than you requested, but sometimes far less. It will also release food at random times NOT selected on your pre-programmed feeding program.

In any event, we solved this problem by sequestering Emma in two rooms of the house with only enough food in the feeder to get her through until Mom visits to check on her.

This all means Apollo has the run of the house with no picking from the kitten or crabbing from Molly.  He doesn't get randomly attacked or hissed at. He gets the best napping spots on the sofa, and he gets food in the kitchen to eat when every he pleases. Aside from missing a lap to sit on, Apollo is living a little bit of kitty heaven.  

You Purr Like a Lawnmower

A cat out of England might have the loudest purr in the world. Smokey's family have submitted his purr to the Guiness Book of World Records. Have a listen for yourself.

No Outdoor Cats, Example 2

This is more of a problem in specific locations, but I've heard reports of coyote in the city. Depending on where you live, mountain lions and bears could be problems as well. Coyote runs off with family cat.

No Outdoor Cats, Example 1

For those who think the bad things I mentioned in an earlier blog post couldn't happen to their outdoor cat. Check this out: abandoned cat was also shot in the face.

Cat Towers, Anyone?

Check this out on BuzzFeed.com.  Photos of some of the best cat towers anywhere.  My favorites are the suspended-in-mid-air tower and the kitty loft.

Too Many Cats

Fifty-seven cats were removed from an apartment in Newark, according to The Columbus Dispatch. Eight of them were nursing kittens, many of the cats were ill and one even had a form of a herpes virus. Urine and feces covered the floor.

It seems more and more of these kinds of stories are popping up all over the country. As a cat lover, let me just say that anyone keeping that many cats in their home does not love cats, they have an illness. These folks think they are doing the cats a favor, but for the life of me, I can't figure out what that favor might be. You're giving them eye infections, respiratory problems and herpes viruses. Most cats from these types of environments are malnourished. Really look at yourself, cat hoarder, and ask yourself what do you think you are doing that isn't making things worse for this animal.

I would love to save every cat I see at the humane society or the local pet store, but realistically, I know darn well that three is plenty for my home. I know a few people who are successfully maintaining 4 or 5 cats in their home, but truly, after that, it starts to spiral out of control quickly. If you don't have the space and assistance to maintain these cats in a shelter type atmosphere, including proper veterinary care, with a goal of placing these cats in proper homes, than you are really only making the problem worse.

For those of us who truly love and care for our cats, this is the saddest situation we can imagine a cat in. The cats from this apartment have been placed at Tiny Paws Kitten Rescue. They will gladly accept donations of food, litter or money to help save these unfortunate felines. You may also inquire about adoptions. Please contact them at 740-349-3254.   

Cats Pose Threat to Birds...No Big Surprise

I've written about outdoor cats before on my blog for Westallisnow.com. We are all familiar with the reality that cats chase birds. We all watched Sylvester chase Tweety Bird or Tom chase Jerry. The cat/bird predator/prey is nothing unusual. And as it turns out, our cats are far more successful than Sylvester could ever hope to be. The American Bird Conservancy estimates cats kill 500 million to a billion birds every year.

This is a staggering number of deaths simply because some cat owners are convinced cats can't be kept locked up indoors. Certainly house cats aren't the only culprits, as most cities have some kind of feral cat population, but Fluffy certainly isn't helping the situation.

Even if you aren't that concerned about the birds, be concerned about your cat. Outdoor cats don't live as long as cats kept strictly indoors. Cats can be hit by cars, attacked by wild animals or other cats, poisoned, stolen, or contract any number of diseases. You cat cat live a full, happy life without ever leaving the comfort of his living room window perch.

A lot of cat owners who claim to be cat lovers put their cats outside because they feel their cats are somehow missing out and feeling depressed by being cooped up indoors. These folks knowingly set their cats up for injury or death every time they open the front door. If you really loved your cat, you would keep him inside. You do what you can to keep your kids safe from harm, if you are a true cat lover, why would you not do the same for the feline members of your family?  

Review of World's Best Cat Litter

A few posts ago, I was in the process of changing my cat's litter to the World's Best Cat Litter, made from corn. Now that we are completely acclimated to the new litter, I have a few observations:

1) It is NOT dust free. Does it kick up less dust than clay brands, yes, but expect small clouds of corn dust every time you change the litter. On the plus side, the dust smells like a farmer's field and remains in the room. As opposed to clay litters that cling to your lungs like mud and easily float through the air into other parts of the house.

2) The package claims it clumps faster and perhaps it does, but it's not near as strong a clump as clay-based litters create. With clay, you could play golf with the clumps and they would hold together. Corn clumps can barely hold together through the scooping process. Plus, the larger corn particles means it doesn't sift near as well as clay through a traditional kitty litter scoop.

3) It has fine odor control if the cat actually takes the time to cover her business. Apparently, my cats are far too busy to waste time with that.

4) I'm not quite sure what is meant on the package by "lasts longer." I don't find that necessarily to be true. It feels like I'm buying litter more often than I was before and it's more expensive than clay litter. If they mean it goes longer before you have to completely empty the litter box, wash it out, and start completely over...well, the jury is still out on that.

5) World's Best Cat Litter is a little more of a challenge to get your hands on. Clay litters are sold in drug stores and grocery stores everywhere. Even some of your convenience store/gas stations will have some kind of clumping cat litter. If you are looking for World's Best, you have to make a trip to the pet store or Target or another specific retailer. (A list of retailers can be found on their website.) The point is: you can't just buy it anywhere like you can with clay.

6) It seems to track less than clay. Maybe because the corn particles are larger and they don't as easily get caught in between kitty toes, but I find far less corn litter throughout the house than I used to find clay. This makes up for most of my issues with the clumping capabilities because if there's one thing I hate about cat litter it's finding it on the opposite end of the house from where the litter box is located.

I like the fact that I'm being environmentally friendly and it does a good job, but the manufacturer has a little work to do. For most of us, solid clumping is the biggest inconvenience. I can deal with a little dust just so long as I know when I scoop the clump out, it's not going to bust apart, spewing pieces back into the litter box I am desperately trying to clean.

For me, World's Best Cat Litter earns a grade of: B.  Certainly doing it's job, but not doing as good a job as it could be.

Cat Rescue Going the Way of the Poodle Skirt

The April 20, 2011 edition of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel published a story from Anderson, S.C. Apparently, Buster, the family cat was scared up a 150 foot pine tree near their home. As is often the case, going up the tree was the easy part. After phone calls to the  Humane Society, animal control, the police department and the fire department, the cat ended up staying in the tree for 9 days. No one wanted to rescue Buster.

The fire chief was quoted as saying they don't provided this service to the community anymore due to "liability issues." This made me pause. This would be a more serious liability issue then sending men and women into burning houses? Or are they more concerned about being sued by the cat owner if the cat would jump out of the tree and hurt itself? Remember back in the day when firefighters were always available to rescue cats from trees? It was good to be a cat then.

Buster stayed in the tree for 9 days (through two storms) before his humans took matters into their own hands. One 40 foot ladder and presumably a bucketful of kitty treats later, Buster once again had all 4 paws on the ground.

While I can understand the family's frustration with local officials, I have strong opinions about the cat being outside to begin with. I have previously written an article about the issues with allowing your cats outside. I'll post it for you to have a look.

National Adoption Weekend April 29-May 1 at PetSmart Stores

How bad do you think the homeless pet situation is in the U.S. today? According to a PetSmart Charities research study, it's probably worse than you think. Close to 8 million pets are living their lives in shelters nationwide and about half of those will be euthanized every year. These aren't the 4 million animals that are inappropriate for adoption, although there are certainly some of those. Most of these millions of animals are perfectly healthy and would be thrilled to have a family who loves them.

When older cats are brought into shelters, often people wonder what is wrong with the cat. Does he spray on the furniture? Does she have an illness that will cost you thousands of dollars? Does he bite? Is she unfriendly? More often than not, the answer to those questions is "no." Cats are taken to shelters because a new husband has allergies, owners might pass away or must relocate and cannot take the pet, or there may be a tragedy of some kind (fire, storms) that separate the pet from its human. Sometimes the animal is rescued from an abusive situation.

If you have another cat in your household, admittedly, it is often easier to introduce a new housemate if the newbie is a kitten. The joy of adult cats is they are more settled. If you don't have the energy for a kitten, older cats are far less likely to climb to the top of the refrigerator to jump on your head or attempt to catch their dinner in your fish tank.

PetSmart Charities, Inc. has launched a social movement to help find homes for 4 million animals. People Saving Pets is hoping to find homes for these animals by giving people a place to obtain information and share it with other community members. They can help you find volunteer opportunities and homeless animals in your area waiting for someone to love them. You can also make a financial contribution to local animal welfare agencies.

The program was officially launched in Oklahoma City and Phoenix, but over 115 animal-welfare organizations are already supporting the movement. If your city isn't already involved, it probably will be soon. You can also "Like" People Saving Pets on Facebook.       

The FURminator

As spring approaches, your cats will begin shedding their thick winter coats and replacing them with a lighter coat for summer. This can be a frustrating time for most cat owners. Not only do you have more hair floating through your home, but your probably cleaning up more hairballs this time of year as well.

Enter the FURminator. This specialized kitty comb claims to reach down to the undercoat and get out loose hair like no other comb on the market. By using the FURminator, you can reduce the amount of hair clogging up your vacuum cleaner by 90%.

And it works. Really well.

The problem you might have with FURminator products lies in the personality of your cat. Apollo is perfectly willing to stand around for a brushing, anytime...anyplace.

My girl cats, though, are much less tolerant to being touched, poked, and prodded. Molly will allow a brushing with a normal cat comb (protests notwithstanding) but she will have nothing to do with the FURminator. Her screams and hisses can be heard for blocks. Emma, on the other hand, won't allow even your basic kitty brush without having a meltdown of cosmic proportions. As a result,she has never seen the FURminator. Interestingly, she's an angel for the groomer at the "kitty salon."

If your cat loves brushings, the FURminator is the way to go. If your cat is barely tolerant of a comb, this might not be the product to go with - at least not right away.

Wanna Bathe a Cat?

My Cat Fancy page-a-day calender has the following advice for April 7th:

If a member of your household is allergic to cats, bathe the cat once or twice a week. This will remove more than 85% of the allergens.

My husband and I have bathed our cats before. Do you find this statement as hilarious as we did? It might be a great idea, but is it feasible? Particularly in multi-cat homes?

Smelling Like Roses to Me

Tidy Cats recently held a contest to help dispel what half of all n0n-cat owners believe is the nastiness of multi-cat homes. Consider the numbers regarding multi-cat homes: 87% of non-cat owners expect to find hair all over the furniture and floor 48% expect there are stains on the furniture and floor 49% have avoided visiting a home where they know 2 or more cats live 60% would be willing to give something up to avoid visiting these homes (Purina Tidy Cats Survey) Well, I've got to say, as a multi-cat owner, you have a point. Certainly there is hair everywhere if you don't vacuum and dust regularly. Certainly there are carpet stains, but that's why there are professional carpet cleaners in the world. Quite frankly, I have the same issues with homes that have multiple dogs, ferrets, children...all of them make messes. It's not about the animal (or child) so much as it is about the home owner's general sense of clean. I've been in a home where I watched the dog pee on the living room carpet and, no lie, it took easily 10 minutes before the homeowner noticed my look of horror and ran off to get something to clean it up with. I've been to a multiple cat apartment where the litter boxes were stored right inside the apartment door. And let me tell you, they weren't being cleaned out as often as they should be. I've been in apartments where you can smell the gerbils/hamsters/ferrets long before you see them. I've also been in homes where you wouldn't even know a pet lived there if it hadn't wandered up and sniffed your hand. My point being that cats are getting a bit of a bad rap because sometimes humans don't do the best job taking care of them. When you don't have to take the cat outside to do its business, it's sometimes easy to "forget" the litter box is there. But then again, that person probably doesn't wash dishes until there aren't any clean ones left. You get my point. I've had friends over who are allergic to cats who haven't had a symptom. I've had people over who didn't realize I had cats until one streaked past as she was leaving. I understand not wanting to visit homes you perceive will be dirty. But don't automatically avoid befriending the woman in your yoga class simply because she mentions Muffy and Princess. Most people care for their animals and their homes better than you think. The Grand Prize Winner of the Purina Tidy Cats "Search for America's Most Welcoming Home" is proof positive that smelly cat homes are the minority.

Watch Must Love Cats

Did you ever hear about a high end coffee made from cat poo? Ever see a cat with four ears? A kitty prosthetic? If not, then you haven't watched an episode of Must Love Cats on Animal Planet. This fun program, hosted by John Fulton, is based on John's travels across the country to find anything and everything cat. He talks with people who build cat trees with actual fallen tree limbs and he finds cats in small New York corner stores (allowed to be there "under the radar" for their ability to keep rat/mouse populations out of the produce. One episode has cat boarding accommodations so swanky that, quite frankly, I was jealous. Must Love Cats is entertaining and informative (albeit a bit silly). My husband and I watch every episode. In fact, it's pre-programmed on our DVR so we don't miss a single cat-lovin' minute.

The Necessary Evil

If you have cats, you have cat litter. You can use shredded newspaper, clumping or non-clumping clay, pellets, sand...basically, whatever your cat is comfortable with. And we all know, it's not about what you can afford or are comfortable with. If the cat ain't happy with his toilet accommodations, ain't nobody gonna be happy. I've always been lucky in that my cats are quite content to use clumping clay based litters. The beauty of clay is it clumps solid and stays that way no matter how many times the cat walks on or digs it up. The downside of clay is the layer of cat litter dust residing over every inch of the room the litter boxes occupy. Dust free is a lie, believe me. Every single clay litter kicks up a certain amount of dust when kitty scratches it or you are scooping it. I've also found even the ones that are supposed to absorb odor only do about a 50/50 job. My husband is considerably less tolerant to the negatives of clay, so one day he came home with a bag of World's Best Cat Litter. I've seen other cat litters that are supposed to be environmentally friendly but the cost has always discouraged me from trying them. World's Best bills itself as the only cat litter made from all-natural, whole-kernel corn. Because of this, the litter is more environmentally friendly because it is more biodegradable. World's Best is also supposed to be better for people and cats because it has no added chemicals, it's long lasting, strong clumping, and odor controlling. So I'm giving it a try. I've been slowing adding it to the existing litter so as not to create mutiny in case someone doesn't care much for corn. Right now, only about half the litter box is made up of World's Best, so I can't comment on it's lack of dust or odor control abilities because a large amount of clay still fills the box. I am finding, however, that while it clumps very well, it's not as firm as clay and breaks apart more easily. The kernels are slightly larger and lighter than their clay counterparts and don't sift quite as nicely through the kitty poo scoop. As I work my way to a completely clay free litter box, I'll let you know how it goes. If any of you have tried it, post your comments - I'd love to hear them!

Elmbrook Humane Society

We all have soft spots in our hearts for milestone events from our lives. I will always love St. Martin's Fair because it's where my dad and I always bonded. I will always remember the church my husband and I were married in. I will always adore Elmbrook Humane Society for giving me two of my three cats.

Apollo was first, 17 years ago. I went looking for a solid black kitten and fell in love, instead, with a six month old solid gray. He's my sensitive lap cat and has been with me ever since.

Fifteen years later, Elmbrook stole my heart again with a tiger-striped one and half year old. We saw her at Petsmart and we bonded through the glass cages separating the cats from the shoppers. Emma is the little troublemaker, always looking for a new way to push someone's buttons.

Since adopting Emma, my husband and I have provided donations of food, cat litter and money to help provide for the animals in Elmbrook Humane Society's care.

You can help Elmbrook care for the animals by eating at Fazoli's in New Berlin, WI. On Wednesday, March 30 and Thursday, March 31, 15% of your bill will be donated to Elmbrook with the flyer on Elmbrook's website. Visit http://www.ebhs.org/ for details. You'll be hungry one of those days anyway. It's one of the easiest ways to offer a helping hand.

The Cost of Love

What's your financial limit when your cat is sick? You might find it's higher than you thought.

Mine was.

Become the First-Ever Purina Cat Chow Correspondent

Are you passionate about cats? Do you have the freedom to travel the country looking for other people who are passionate about their cats? Could you use $50,000 a year salary?

I sure could.

If this sounds interesting, head over to Purina Cat Chow to apply for their first-ever Purina Cat Chow Correspondent position. The correspondent can even keep their day job (which is probably a good idea since you will only hold the position for a year). On the plus side, for those with an interest in breaking into the media, this could be your golden ticket.

The best part? You don't need any formal journalism training to apply. The main job requirement is that you love cats and enjoy bonding with other people who love cats. Your findings will be published on catchow.com, and Purina Cat Chow's social meda channels, including Facebook. It is not entirely clear if this would be a writing position or an in-front-of-a-camera position, but maybe there is some flexibility with whatever makes you comfortable. I'm not interested in being in front of a camera, but if I can write everything and back it up with photographs, count me in.

Don't wait too long - deadline for entries is March 28, 2011. Winners will be announced by May 15, 2011 and the position will run from May 15, 2011 through May 15, 2012.

Good Luck!