tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25676779253138016312024-02-06T20:35:23.020-07:00Mews & ViewsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger148125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2567677925313801631.post-4831284796269791942015-06-29T12:44:00.001-06:002015-06-29T12:44:46.225-06:00Our new tag line: for The Love of Cats<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQYizKDVXdfMs4rS4_BFBG8ChtFCVG24kLYEzBvFAVgNI3TjdsGgVNnq3UtTpOej-UAOf8maTUTn_6_JJu5_E3DY7wjVCalIG0wYqGQ3FLGq5vMCREJxLvvXuE3EiN6f6F5njy7jMTITQ/s1600/Herrera-A2260.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQYizKDVXdfMs4rS4_BFBG8ChtFCVG24kLYEzBvFAVgNI3TjdsGgVNnq3UtTpOej-UAOf8maTUTn_6_JJu5_E3DY7wjVCalIG0wYqGQ3FLGq5vMCREJxLvvXuE3EiN6f6F5njy7jMTITQ/s200/Herrera-A2260.jpg" width="182" /></a></div>
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<span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10.0pt; language: en-US; line-height: 119%; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Calibri; mso-default-font-family: Calibri; mso-greek-font-family: Calibri; mso-hebrew-font-family: Calibri; mso-latin-font-family: Calibri; mso-latinext-font-family: Calibri; mso-ligatures: none;">You may have noticed a new tag line popping up on our vouchers and other media saying “</span><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: "Agency FB"; font-size: 10.0pt; font-style: italic; language: en-US; line-height: 119%; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family: "Agency FB"; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Calibri; mso-default-font-family: "Agency FB"; mso-greek-font-family: Calibri; mso-hebrew-font-family: Calibri; mso-latin-font-family: "Agency FB"; mso-latinext-font-family: Calibri; mso-ligatures: none;">for </span><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: "Agency FB"; font-size: 10.0pt; font-weight: bold; language: en-US; line-height: 119%; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family: "Agency FB"; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Calibri; mso-default-font-family: "Agency FB"; mso-greek-font-family: Calibri; mso-hebrew-font-family: Calibri; mso-latin-font-family: "Agency FB"; mso-latinext-font-family: Calibri; mso-ligatures: none;">The Love of Cats</span><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10.0pt; font-weight: bold; language: en-US; line-height: 119%; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Calibri; mso-default-font-family: Calibri; mso-greek-font-family: Calibri; mso-hebrew-font-family: Calibri; mso-latin-font-family: Calibri; mso-latinext-font-family: Calibri; mso-ligatures: none;">”. </span><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10.0pt; language: en-US; line-height: 119%; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Calibri; mso-default-font-family: Calibri; mso-greek-font-family: Calibri; mso-hebrew-font-family: Calibri; mso-latin-font-family: Calibri; mso-latinext-font-family: Calibri; mso-ligatures: none;">Actually, it’s not really </span><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10.0pt; font-style: italic; language: en-US; line-height: 119%; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Calibri; mso-default-font-family: Calibri; mso-greek-font-family: Calibri; mso-hebrew-font-family: Calibri; mso-latin-font-family: Calibri; mso-latinext-font-family: Calibri; mso-ligatures: none;">new </span><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10.0pt; language: en-US; line-height: 119%; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Calibri; mso-default-font-family: Calibri; mso-greek-font-family: Calibri; mso-hebrew-font-family: Calibri; mso-latin-font-family: Calibri; mso-latinext-font-family: Calibri; mso-ligatures: none;">as it was the tag line of our 2000-2009 Michigan cat programs. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 119%;">We’ve brought it back because our work here has expanded since we started in 2010 and we wanted to tie our programs together under a common name. </span></div>
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<span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10.0pt; language: en-US; line-height: 119%; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Calibri; mso-default-font-family: Calibri; mso-greek-font-family: Calibri; mso-hebrew-font-family: Calibri; mso-latin-font-family: Calibri; mso-latinext-font-family: Calibri; mso-ligatures: none;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10.0pt; language: en-US; line-height: 119%; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Calibri; mso-default-font-family: Calibri; mso-greek-font-family: Calibri; mso-hebrew-font-family: Calibri; mso-latin-font-family: Calibri; mso-latinext-font-family: Calibri; mso-ligatures: none;">Our </span><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10.0pt; font-weight: bold; language: en-US; line-height: 119%; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Calibri; mso-default-font-family: Calibri; mso-greek-font-family: Calibri; mso-hebrew-font-family: Calibri; mso-latin-font-family: Calibri; mso-latinext-font-family: Calibri; mso-ligatures: none;">Low-Income Pet Cat Spay/Neuter </span><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10.0pt; language: en-US; line-height: 119%; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Calibri; mso-default-font-family: Calibri; mso-greek-font-family: Calibri; mso-hebrew-font-family: Calibri; mso-latin-font-family: Calibri; mso-latinext-font-family: Calibri; mso-ligatures: none;">program was our first program and it continues to be our main work.</span></div>
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<span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10.0pt; language: en-US; line-height: 119%; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Calibri; mso-default-font-family: Calibri; mso-greek-font-family: Calibri; mso-hebrew-font-family: Calibri; mso-latin-font-family: Calibri; mso-latinext-font-family: Calibri; mso-ligatures: none;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10.0pt; language: en-US; line-height: 119%; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Calibri; mso-default-font-family: Calibri; mso-greek-font-family: Calibri; mso-hebrew-font-family: Calibri; mso-latin-font-family: Calibri; mso-latinext-font-family: Calibri; mso-ligatures: none;">But we’ve added an </span><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10.0pt; font-weight: bold; language: en-US; line-height: 119%; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Calibri; mso-default-font-family: Calibri; mso-greek-font-family: Calibri; mso-hebrew-font-family: Calibri; mso-latin-font-family: Calibri; mso-latinext-font-family: Calibri; mso-ligatures: none;">Acute Care Program </span><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10.0pt; language: en-US; line-height: 119%; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Calibri; mso-default-font-family: Calibri; mso-greek-font-family: Calibri; mso-hebrew-font-family: Calibri; mso-latin-font-family: Calibri; mso-latinext-font-family: Calibri; mso-ligatures: none;">to also give low-income cats access to urgent care for treatable medical emergencies.</span></div>
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<span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10.0pt; language: en-US; line-height: 119%; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Calibri; mso-default-font-family: Calibri; mso-greek-font-family: Calibri; mso-hebrew-font-family: Calibri; mso-latin-font-family: Calibri; mso-latinext-font-family: Calibri; mso-ligatures: none;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10.0pt; language: en-US; line-height: 119%; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Calibri; mso-default-font-family: Calibri; mso-greek-font-family: Calibri; mso-hebrew-font-family: Calibri; mso-latin-font-family: Calibri; mso-latinext-font-family: Calibri; mso-ligatures: none;">And more recently we’ve added a </span><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10.0pt; font-weight: bold; language: en-US; line-height: 119%; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Calibri; mso-default-font-family: Calibri; mso-greek-font-family: Calibri; mso-hebrew-font-family: Calibri; mso-latin-font-family: Calibri; mso-latinext-font-family: Calibri; mso-ligatures: none;">Community Cat Outreach </span><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10.0pt; language: en-US; line-height: 119%; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Calibri; mso-default-font-family: Calibri; mso-greek-font-family: Calibri; mso-hebrew-font-family: Calibri; mso-latin-font-family: Calibri; mso-latinext-font-family: Calibri; mso-ligatures: none;">program allowing us to fund complementary spay/neuter programs for other nonprofits working in our service areas. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 119%;">By strengthening their work, we can reach cats — including feral cats — our voucher program couldn’t easily reach.</span></div>
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<span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10.0pt; language: en-US; line-height: 119%; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Calibri; mso-default-font-family: Calibri; mso-greek-font-family: Calibri; mso-hebrew-font-family: Calibri; mso-latin-font-family: Calibri; mso-latinext-font-family: Calibri; mso-ligatures: none;">We’re currently working with the </span><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10.0pt; font-style: italic; language: en-US; line-height: 119%; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Calibri; mso-default-font-family: Calibri; mso-greek-font-family: Calibri; mso-hebrew-font-family: Calibri; mso-latin-font-family: Calibri; mso-latinext-font-family: Calibri; mso-ligatures: none;">Animal Welfare Coalition of Northeastern New Mexico</span><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10.0pt; language: en-US; line-height: 119%; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Calibri; mso-default-font-family: Calibri; mso-greek-font-family: Calibri; mso-hebrew-font-family: Calibri; mso-latin-font-family: Calibri; mso-latinext-font-family: Calibri; mso-ligatures: none;">, the </span><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10.0pt; font-style: italic; language: en-US; line-height: 119%; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Calibri; mso-default-font-family: Calibri; mso-greek-font-family: Calibri; mso-hebrew-font-family: Calibri; mso-latin-font-family: Calibri; mso-latinext-font-family: Calibri; mso-ligatures: none;">Espanola Valley Humane Society</span><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10.0pt; language: en-US; line-height: 119%; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Calibri; mso-default-font-family: Calibri; mso-greek-font-family: Calibri; mso-hebrew-font-family: Calibri; mso-latin-font-family: Calibri; mso-latinext-font-family: Calibri; mso-ligatures: none;">, the </span><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10.0pt; font-style: italic; language: en-US; line-height: 119%; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Calibri; mso-default-font-family: Calibri; mso-greek-font-family: Calibri; mso-hebrew-font-family: Calibri; mso-latin-font-family: Calibri; mso-latinext-font-family: Calibri; mso-ligatures: none;">McKinley County Humane Society</span><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10.0pt; language: en-US; line-height: 119%; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Calibri; mso-default-font-family: Calibri; mso-greek-font-family: Calibri; mso-hebrew-font-family: Calibri; mso-latin-font-family: Calibri; mso-latinext-font-family: Calibri; mso-ligatures: none;"> and </span><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10.0pt; font-style: italic; language: en-US; line-height: 119%; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Calibri; mso-default-font-family: Calibri; mso-greek-font-family: Calibri; mso-hebrew-font-family: Calibri; mso-latin-font-family: Calibri; mso-latinext-font-family: Calibri; mso-ligatures: none;">Taos Feral Feline Friends </span><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10.0pt; language: en-US; line-height: 119%; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Calibri; mso-default-font-family: Calibri; mso-greek-font-family: Calibri; mso-hebrew-font-family: Calibri; mso-latin-font-family: Calibri; mso-latinext-font-family: Calibri; mso-ligatures: none;">— and welcome inquiries from other area nonprofits.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10.0pt; language: en-US; line-height: 119%; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Calibri; mso-default-font-family: Calibri; mso-greek-font-family: Calibri; mso-hebrew-font-family: Calibri; mso-latin-font-family: Calibri; mso-latinext-font-family: Calibri; mso-ligatures: none;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10.0pt; language: en-US; line-height: 119%; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Calibri; mso-default-font-family: Calibri; mso-greek-font-family: Calibri; mso-hebrew-font-family: Calibri; mso-latin-font-family: Calibri; mso-latinext-font-family: Calibri; mso-ligatures: none;">So when you see our new tag line we hope you think of all the cats we’ve touched who will no longer lose their homes simply because their caregivers couldn’t afford their essential veterinary care. In New Mexico this now totals over 8,500 cats.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10.0pt; font-style: italic; language: en-US; line-height: 119%; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Calibri; mso-default-font-family: Calibri; mso-greek-font-family: Calibri; mso-hebrew-font-family: Calibri; mso-latin-font-family: Calibri; mso-latinext-font-family: Calibri; mso-ligatures: none;">What better way is there for us to show our love of cats than this?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2567677925313801631.post-10355470191985396472015-03-10T13:26:00.000-06:002015-03-10T13:27:47.679-06:00Expanding our spay/neuter umbrella to include managed feral cat colonies.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmqa-CeJVQQwYycEMDqa7D611DZ82rZk6QD84-bYXAE0Dj51fpks9lVpH4yW4HZnAW9hZpot8aMqp9_wl1UOFoy-0G8yD8GGo6utQS8X3VThn0NlrpGaQFl13DBgwSLuP6UEBpF5eN3Og/s1600/FeralPair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmqa-CeJVQQwYycEMDqa7D611DZ82rZk6QD84-bYXAE0Dj51fpks9lVpH4yW4HZnAW9hZpot8aMqp9_wl1UOFoy-0G8yD8GGo6utQS8X3VThn0NlrpGaQFl13DBgwSLuP6UEBpF5eN3Og/s1600/FeralPair.jpg" height="131" width="320" /></a></div>
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For the last five years our <b>free </b>spay/neuter assistance
has focused exclusively on lower-income individual and family pet cats. And this is with good reason. Pet cats in this demographic rarely come from
shelters that fix the cats before placing them – the adoption fees are prohibitive. So instead they get their cats the “old-fashioned”
way – finding strays on the street or taking kittens from litters of other
low-income homes with unfixed cats. </div>
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And –
just as they can’t afford an adoption fee, they can’t afford to fix the cats
even at a low-cost spay/neuter clinic.
So they wait to save the money – or if they have a mix of cats – fix only
the females (or males) and before they know it their cats get pregnant or
start spraying and they can no longer tolerate living with them. When this happens the cat(s) are abandoned
outdoors (where they join feral cat colonies and continue reproducing) or are
given to animal control shelters (where they are often put down for lack of
immediate homes). Empowering
low-income caregivers to fix their cats quickly (by providing free and local spay/neuter) prevents these tragedies from
happening – and makes a significant dent in the number of kittens born each
year. </div>
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Yet what about the cats that are already abandoned and
living in outdoor colonies – shouldn't they be fixed too? Yes.
And now we've established a separate <b><a href="http://zimmer-foundation.org/pgm3/TNR_Reg.pdf">ManagedTNR (trap-neuter-return) Program</a></b> to address the special needs of fixing
these outdoor cats. Unlike our low-income voucher program that
works directly with pet cat guardians, the TNR program seeks other non-profit
groups working in our 10-county area* that can coordinate the live-trapping and
transporting of feral cats to vet clinics for surgery. The program is simple to use and we’ve posted
all of the information including registration forms to our web site: <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGfcUcjr6p_1-hGcGftPMaCT_57f8JLjUJWL0aGCOZ2xCvZMWHp2pJz2XECW8scbOWunq3eQKZ_N0pW04OAiF11WIXfMLAL5bQjrocS4DuwAMtUTc7NSpnzYJSw0jU_ckEJIVccUYZb2Q/s1600/Feralcolony.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGfcUcjr6p_1-hGcGftPMaCT_57f8JLjUJWL0aGCOZ2xCvZMWHp2pJz2XECW8scbOWunq3eQKZ_N0pW04OAiF11WIXfMLAL5bQjrocS4DuwAMtUTc7NSpnzYJSw0jU_ckEJIVccUYZb2Q/s1600/Feralcolony.jpg" height="269" width="320" /></a>For a practical guide on feral cat care, read our
handbook: <i><a href="http://zimmer-foundation.org/pgm3/TNR_Manual.pdf">Managing a Feral Cat Colony</a></i>.
It gives you everything you need to know to care for outdoor cats.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>*New Mexico counties of Bernalillo, Catron, Colfax, Rio Arriba, San Miguel, Santa Fe, Socorro, Taos, Torrance, and Valencia.</i></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2567677925313801631.post-72726863911654159612015-03-04T13:24:00.001-07:002015-03-04T13:24:40.643-07:00Finding A Lost Cat Is Easier Than You Think<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0S5pPa4pukHPaDLShOQWtveBQ4r1lN5gbWa1AB_lO1wKGeKkf3rzdUtpdJpUZud2zq4hyoj8u7jTRf44-ohCELkRP3d1K4TwaehRfv92hHYvifFzUD-zegcFC66-bIzVx2Mr6G0eKQog/s1600/C511j.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0S5pPa4pukHPaDLShOQWtveBQ4r1lN5gbWa1AB_lO1wKGeKkf3rzdUtpdJpUZud2zq4hyoj8u7jTRf44-ohCELkRP3d1K4TwaehRfv92hHYvifFzUD-zegcFC66-bIzVx2Mr6G0eKQog/s1600/C511j.jpg" height="204" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A few years ago we published a paper on <a href="http://zimmer-foundation.org/art/11.html">Finding Your Lost Cat</a> and a
couple times a year we get great feedback on how effective the tips are – from people who lost their cats and used the information to find them. We wanted to share some feedback
we got from a man in California today:<o:p></o:p></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“<i>I want to thank
you for publishing this wonderful page which exactly predicted the behavior of
our lost cat and led us right to her.<br /><br />Not only is she an
indoor cat, this is not even her home as she is just staying with us while our
son and his wife are on vacation. By the time we realized that she had sneaked
out, several hours had elapsed and we thought she could be a considerable
distance away — perhaps trying to find her way home as the stories claim.<br /><br />Only around dusk
did I find your page and read that she was most likely much closer than we
thought. We searched the garden again with a flashlight, this time looking
under plants rather than expecting to see her “exploring”. After a while we got
close enough to her hiding place to hear her plaintive replies to our calling
her name, just as you had predicted.<br /><br />Before we read this
page we thought that she was probably miles away and we would never see her
again.</i>”</blockquote>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
So many people think that when cats get outdoors they run
away as fast as they can – or get hit by cars or attacked by dogs or taken by
well-meaning people who see the cat outdoors and assumed she’s been abandoned. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In reality
cats are home-bodies. They get out by
mistake or design and don’t go anywhere at all – they hide under the first bush
they find and stay there while they figure out how to get home. If you follow the Lost Cat Tips you stand a
much better chance of getting your cat back and that will make your cat as
happy as can be. Because once she gets outside
she realizes the green grass she saw from the living room window was really only Astro Turf!<o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2567677925313801631.post-70758399247032667052014-10-26T10:09:00.000-06:002014-10-26T10:09:53.047-06:00Saying Goodbye to Missy (1993-2014)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2IswN1Uc_kt6LadOwDEkSj7_3uJ3MPCECtdHn1xqUaYAcMvTWhbVBV88vHGxrimGhXlTSHMvlrOyLGcK5R-9PZlsAkX0bIlEetbXEo8Ezq2Dupzl9HLsXwOywEWLBZTRz5A8aIw64tNQ/s1600/014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2IswN1Uc_kt6LadOwDEkSj7_3uJ3MPCECtdHn1xqUaYAcMvTWhbVBV88vHGxrimGhXlTSHMvlrOyLGcK5R-9PZlsAkX0bIlEetbXEo8Ezq2Dupzl9HLsXwOywEWLBZTRz5A8aIw64tNQ/s1600/014.jpg" height="320" width="224" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Calico cats are cat-lover cats. They possess the traits all cats are cherished
for – grace, beauty, peacefulness and curiosity – but they also possess a
certain <i>je ne sais quoi</i> that make them very special to know. Missy was an archetype Calico. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Even though she was a small cat – only 8 pounds
at her best weight – Missy had the presence of a lioness – looking at humans and
other cats (regardless of size) with a look of equality or dominance. She feared no one. When she entered a room she did so with the
stride of a victorious general back from war. Yet she was also a loner – wanting attention
and social interaction solely on her own terms.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Despite how special Missy was, we rescued her from death
row at the Ann Arbor humane society in 2000 when her original guardian passed
away. As often happens, she had no relatives to take over
Missy’s care and – at 7 years old -- the shelter considered her "too old" for
adoption. We had just started our <i>Older Cats for Older People</i> program and
were able to take over her care and place her as a <a href="http://mewsandviews.blogspot.com/2009/03/cat-assisted-therapy-missys-style.html">live-in service cat</a> first for
one elderly woman – and then when she passed away three years later -- to a
second elderly couple. She lived with them for a few years but their
own health issues eventually became too great and she was returned to us to
live out her life in retirement.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfMdwIiUCSSxDUy_PXfLkpQjk_8hcA9TkYWUX1J-kOdUBKWF0M5gFuCnL4MtL0y5G7ksPp4f79wYiekV8BY3zG2SVNJf2Al3K1EXVuCGKOFrTaRLSBs5r33yxGX3GSI5DTsLY0Gu4U6ms/s1600/1005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfMdwIiUCSSxDUy_PXfLkpQjk_8hcA9TkYWUX1J-kOdUBKWF0M5gFuCnL4MtL0y5G7ksPp4f79wYiekV8BY3zG2SVNJf2Al3K1EXVuCGKOFrTaRLSBs5r33yxGX3GSI5DTsLY0Gu4U6ms/s1600/1005.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Maybe it was her flaming orange and black coat or the
very alert look in her eyes but Missy <o:p></o:p></div>
continued to look vibrant, healthy and
youthful up until the last few months. She had an unidentified tumor the size of a
fist that started on her liver and continued to spread causing her to lose
weight and become lethargic. <br />
<br />
Finally
on Friday it got the better of her and the quality of her 21-year life
vanished. We said our goodbyes and had her euthanized –
not wanting her to suffer unnecessarily when there was no sign she could
improve. We were in awe of her stamina
and will to live and will miss her greatly.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2567677925313801631.post-25791358380016131742014-10-19T13:18:00.001-06:002014-10-19T13:22:14.465-06:00Feral Cat Assistance Through Community Grants<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLdlXOi7FWUKrLoNkgdY9imFzIDTH-JRpwMDA1-2AAH5bF28wr4ULzucqWHzewtYtzImDhvPYw2XglN_7iVU-oUaSLfw2hpVq-tYvCXu2JbsJ3sqNZJY62qjSzm6dXuceNkdT5uVeBKZA/s1600/Feral1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLdlXOi7FWUKrLoNkgdY9imFzIDTH-JRpwMDA1-2AAH5bF28wr4ULzucqWHzewtYtzImDhvPYw2XglN_7iVU-oUaSLfw2hpVq-tYvCXu2JbsJ3sqNZJY62qjSzm6dXuceNkdT5uVeBKZA/s1600/Feral1.jpg" height="166" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We recently awarded our <i>Community Cat Program</i>’s first feral
cat TNR grant to the <i>Animal Welfare Coalition of Northeastern New Mexico</i>. This grant will enable them to continue an
important project they began earlier this year with a similar ASPCA grant. Under that grant they fixed 180 free-roaming
feral cats in San Miguel and surrounding counties. Our grant should help them double that
number.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
San Miguel county is also one of the 10 counties we target
with our low-income pet cat spay/neuter program – which over the last few years
– has funded the sterilization of almost 6,500 cats through the 27 veterinary
clinics that work with us. These local
clinics make free-and-local spay/neuter a welcome reality for low-income
guardians – including the elderly, the disabled, the un-or under-employed,
young families living on a tight budget and students. Once their pet cats are sterilized, they
become easier to care for – no more kittening, spraying and yowling – and stand
a better chance of keeping their “forever” homes forever. Those that don’t get fixed are always at risk of being relinquished to shelters or abandoned outdoors where they form or
join feral cat colonies. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-dRVQryfBaBFX0PoWsdkz9WruTnetU8jNV8ZGClI5R4WmTjx-zIhX0MB38TlSFxs7gIWgS2sq4qhxe9dSLOUEyXhYX18lODs0xIcwpcrYMrRQIiL6B70wefXqjA0TlUBZmHPVoC4cT0o/s1600/0770.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-dRVQryfBaBFX0PoWsdkz9WruTnetU8jNV8ZGClI5R4WmTjx-zIhX0MB38TlSFxs7gIWgS2sq4qhxe9dSLOUEyXhYX18lODs0xIcwpcrYMrRQIiL6B70wefXqjA0TlUBZmHPVoC4cT0o/s1600/0770.jpg" height="182" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While our
spay/neuter program isn't equipped to directly work with feral cats – we support the work of groups that can which is why we’re happy to fund the Animal Welfare Coalition project. Their efforts complement our basic pet cat spay/neuter work and help further
our mission of reducing the New Mexico cat population to a manageable number –
stemming the growth of feral cat colonies and reducing shelter intake and
euthanasias. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2567677925313801631.post-83942677503945610822014-06-15T13:14:00.000-06:002014-06-15T13:14:58.632-06:00Yet another reason to fix your cat.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv3MLPeotPR5CJtfZh19VcDn_oTs8oqlDLXruehkDE9Z0I-ClyFwNlNU3dsm8-xSCk_-P5reUT85SJQZYZoaCHVvkpOkxWnSSJcKjL1yERnpqU6JPDZMrSFabG846CqJuuVjerxZwCtxI/s1600/C569c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv3MLPeotPR5CJtfZh19VcDn_oTs8oqlDLXruehkDE9Z0I-ClyFwNlNU3dsm8-xSCk_-P5reUT85SJQZYZoaCHVvkpOkxWnSSJcKjL1yERnpqU6JPDZMrSFabG846CqJuuVjerxZwCtxI/s1600/C569c.jpg" height="320" width="265" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A few days ago we took a spay/neuter application from a
woman with two cats – she wanted to get one of the cats spayed, but thought she’d
need to give the other one to the shelter because there was “something wrong
with her” and she lacked the money to take the cat to a vet for treatment. We asked what was wrong with the cat and she
said she didn't feel well and was oozing pus from her vagina.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We suggested getting vouchers for both cats anyway and taking the
one that was sick to the vet asap – it’s possible spaying her would take care
of the problem and she could keep her cat – and if the vet thought something
else was wrong -- we may be able to cover some or all of the treatment cost if
it was an acute health issue.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Lucky for this cat her mom took her in quickly and sure
enough – the problem was pyometra – and the cure was getting her spayed. Pyometra is an infection of the uterus and –
if not treated quickly can lead to sepsis and death of the cat. Only female cats that have <b>not</b> been spayed can get this type of
infection – so when you’re weighing the odds of whether to let your cat
reproduce or fix her – think of how sad you’d be to see your cat sick with a
totally preventable infection. Other illnesses
your cats can’t get after they’re fixed include mammary gland tumors, uterine cancer
and – in male cats – testicular cancer.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
We still maintain the number one reason to fix your pet cats
is that they’ll be easier for you to care for and will be better long-term
companions but with secondary reasons like these – who wouldn’t want to get
their cats fixed – sooner rather than later?<o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2567677925313801631.post-32351139350806841832014-05-22T13:33:00.002-06:002014-05-22T13:33:56.982-06:00Community Cat Spay Neuter -- Thinking Outside the Voucher<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj24Na-WxodlcX5XuMJQhbVUFn6nkMDjRMY-6mwSaquUdyHz7a4LC5ytZJ6ly-NHD5DZimkbGySDfqix3ho3HcPBTAvOCLw7saKBx0gMDxHJOKi0EbdD7pCYeYCr6pKJKLaO18vwlGkaU/s1600/O043.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj24Na-WxodlcX5XuMJQhbVUFn6nkMDjRMY-6mwSaquUdyHz7a4LC5ytZJ6ly-NHD5DZimkbGySDfqix3ho3HcPBTAvOCLw7saKBx0gMDxHJOKi0EbdD7pCYeYCr6pKJKLaO18vwlGkaU/s1600/O043.jpg" height="125" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">For the past 5 years in
New Mexico (and for 9 years earlier in Michigan) we've been providing
<i>free-and-local </i>spay/neuter for cats through a simple voucher program. </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">The specifics have evolved over time but it
currently works like this:</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">If you live
in our service area, have a household gross income under $40,000 and have an intact
pet cat, you can complete a phone application and -- if we approve it -- we’ll
mail you a voucher that </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">pays the complete cost to spay or neuter the cat and get a rabies shot at any of the veterinary or spay/neuter clinics we work with.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">This works remarkably well
for the cats that qualify – but like most programs – it doesn't work well for
<i>all </i>cats. It's intended to fix only low-income family pet cats with lifelong caregivers -- and so it excludes loosely owned outdoor cats, kittens being fostered for adoption, stray cats, cats whose caregivers make more than our $40K limit, and those living outside of our service area.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Recently we've been
looking for ways to increase our Foundation’s spay-neuter radar to include some of these other types of cats on a limited basis and so we've begun
developing a <i>Community Cat Spay-Neuter</i> program. Our goal is to reach these other groups of cats without sacrificing our well-honed voucher program by making
exceptions and blurring its focus. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1UTtwjyiHUTm1HcmbfI3YDhkXmYFz0uZpPMu_FQ-kqi2sc_O3Dy6alHFRlj9DO7uAPnW3alhDcYvVD45GozgXjgP1piRJjt9nE2i82_tVsw7LgSv7M9DRa2rce-lmcCc75r1TJepfVtk/s1600/O051.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1UTtwjyiHUTm1HcmbfI3YDhkXmYFz0uZpPMu_FQ-kqi2sc_O3Dy6alHFRlj9DO7uAPnW3alhDcYvVD45GozgXjgP1piRJjt9nE2i82_tVsw7LgSv7M9DRa2rce-lmcCc75r1TJepfVtk/s1600/O051.jpg" height="131" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">Last
winter we worked with Santa Fe’s <i>Felines & Friends</i> to fix a few dozen cats
from Ramah, New Mexico. This group was both outside our service
area and included a mix of both feral and pet cats. Then a few months ago we started working with
the <i>Espanola Valley Humane Society</i> to ensure that the cats in Rio Arriba County could be fixed at no charge to the
caregiver at their spay/neuter clinic. They are in our service area but their clinic’s open door policy to
fix <i>all </i>cats (companion and feral) extends our
reach beyond low-income pet cats. And beginning this month cats from Espanola residents are also included. We particularly like this partnership because they are providing Rio Arriba County with free-and-local spay/neuter across the board. And -- in our vision -- this is necessary in all areas if we are to get on top of the cat overpopulation problem.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 13.310184478759766px;">We'll keep our primary focus on our</span><span style="font-size: 13.310184478759766px;"> </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://zimmer-foundation.org/pgm1/PgmDesc.html">Low-Income Pet Cat Voucher Program</a> – because these are the cats that when left intact
most often end up at shelters – where they are often put down for lack of homes –
or abandoned on the streets – where they form or join feral cat colonies and
continue to reproduce.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">But we look to these new community cat situations as a way to provide a more complete cat
spay/neuter service to New Mexico – a state with many people wanting to
take care of the cats they live with –as pets and as wildlife -- but often
lacking the money to pay for their sterilization.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> And we welcome inquiries from other cat nonprofits who may want to join with us in this community effort. </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">We
know realistically there will always be intact cats outside of our reach ---
but by adding a community aspect to our spay/neuter package we’ll minimize their numbers.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2567677925313801631.post-45073044491647017772014-05-19T09:20:00.000-06:002014-05-19T09:22:46.492-06:00Feline Cardiomyopathy -- Death without warning<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvx4AFbHW8reuOHaolO4SQNltrbVzgaWCijiLB8pI0ScJVHpJFHxJS9Gj4WZp1tQPNnvkDnA8Cvym5n-UF9aTzud7RQuSe8Rx_XwAxJuK6nYUOvFrX2QBZMMCxA1HEJPiI7iwnsJou9hM/s1600/DSCN2832.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvx4AFbHW8reuOHaolO4SQNltrbVzgaWCijiLB8pI0ScJVHpJFHxJS9Gj4WZp1tQPNnvkDnA8Cvym5n-UF9aTzud7RQuSe8Rx_XwAxJuK6nYUOvFrX2QBZMMCxA1HEJPiI7iwnsJou9hM/s1600/DSCN2832.JPG" height="200" width="149" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We've lost two of our geriatric cats over the last 18 months
to sudden death – Larry and Joyce. Both were indoor-only feral cats about 16
years old and neither death came with forewarning. Joyce’s death was so sudden that we had no chance
to get her to a vet for examination – we just woke up one morning and she was
gone – we assume it was a heart problem but have no clinical proof of
that.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Larry on the other hand started showing signs of distress a
few days before he died – he stopped eating and stayed under a bed coming out
only to use a litter box. We knew he was
in trouble and took him to the vet for treatment. And -- since Larry had had a complete
physical exam last December -- we went into the appointment knowing that 5
months ago he was in good health for a geriatric cat – no indication of kidney
disease, hyperthyroidism or cancer – at least none that were picked up by the exam
or lab work.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But by the time Larry reached the clinic he had gone from
being an ostensibly healthy cat two days earlier to a terminally ill cat with
all his vital signs shutting down – the change was dramatic and alarming. An x-ray pointed to the culprit – congestive
heart failure brought on by cardiomyopathy.
As sad as it sounds, Larry’s unannounced and quick death is not uncommon
with this disease – and it is often genetically-based so the average age of
death from cardiomyopathy is a young 7 years old – and most of the victims are
males. In its advanced stage, the
prognosis is very bad – even with treatment which is more of a “Hail Mary” than
a sure thing. Blood clots often result in the hind legs
causing extreme pain and paralysis.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjctWPNTivrthcA54BzZEDQJkOsAEorLnbhpz0ca-yGX5-w4rJO35sDuhaTKPjvhvlRaqaTjLPP3WoJHCxlWP7me3C89FRn8kaNJ6p8PpsBmuaEj3Q-NnbaDj6rSe42L_z79PYSDydfdKA/s1600/Larry1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjctWPNTivrthcA54BzZEDQJkOsAEorLnbhpz0ca-yGX5-w4rJO35sDuhaTKPjvhvlRaqaTjLPP3WoJHCxlWP7me3C89FRn8kaNJ6p8PpsBmuaEj3Q-NnbaDj6rSe42L_z79PYSDydfdKA/s1600/Larry1.jpg" height="149" width="200" /></a></div>
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The advance symptoms are minimal if any. If your cat goes in for annual physical exams
and your vet detects a heart murmur that could point to
cardiomyopathy which can be confirmed only through further testing by a
cardiologist. But – not all cats with
cardiomyopathy have heart murmurs so even with an annual exam it can go
undetected until the end stage when the naturally stoic cat can no longer hide
the signs of distress.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Simply put, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a disease of
the heart muscle that eventually prevents the heart from pumping properly
causing fluid buildup ending in congestive heart failure. Although the condition develops over time, there are few early signs and since cats are masters at hiding illness it’s
hard to pick up on until it’s too late.
To learn more about <a href="http://zimmer-foundation.org/sch/ajd.html">feline cardiomyopathy</a> visit our web site.<o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2567677925313801631.post-70473739123584964522014-05-16T14:05:00.000-06:002014-05-18T09:38:53.804-06:00Black Cats Rule!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh905lFOIX3fk-3HN7EGfme0Ub-qtLhPqBzMf-6Y5xUhe3KZ-VWbrUV8rTKTZwS2do5mx2Df8YNvzN7GmS-GfrNfwSiPmfdM4T_Mt-LjzCkLOOWv1JyBBJSowbKKLROf-MPaq_hXJEaudU/s1600/Larry4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh905lFOIX3fk-3HN7EGfme0Ub-qtLhPqBzMf-6Y5xUhe3KZ-VWbrUV8rTKTZwS2do5mx2Df8YNvzN7GmS-GfrNfwSiPmfdM4T_Mt-LjzCkLOOWv1JyBBJSowbKKLROf-MPaq_hXJEaudU/s1600/Larry4.jpg" height="320" width="258" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Over the last four years, May has become known as “Adopt a
Black Pet Month” at shelters participating in Best Friends’ <i>No More Homeless Pets</i> initiative. They’re spotlighting them – and even
adopting them at reduced fees – because historically they are one of the
hardest categories to place. For black
dogs this is somewhat understandable as many that end up at shelters are big
and unwieldy –requiring special homes to work with them – and typically are not
good choices for apartment living. For
cats the challenge is overcoming the many dark myths attached to them –tying
them to bad luck, satanic rituals and witchcraft. The strength of these myths is so strong that
there are shelters who will not adopt out black cats around Halloween to
protect them from cult activities and mischief tied into the holiday. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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We've gotten to know several black cats through our
Foundation’s early focus on Older Cat rescue and our creation of a <a href="http://zimmer-foundation.org/MI/facility/fac6.html"><i>show-and-tell</i> colony of feral barn cats</a>
(2001-2005) at the sanctuary where the older cats lived. To a T – they were among the gentlest and
warmest cats we took in. Some of them
were lucky enough to find permanent homes with loving caregivers – Gus and
Molly, Whiskers and Sparkle, and Blackjack.
Others lived out their lives with us after we shifted the Foundation’s
focus exclusively to cat spay/neuter. Of these, Robin passed away last year and –
sadly – Larry died last week. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Larry’s death was particularly sad because it was sudden –
for a 17 year-old feral cat he lived a pretty cushy life and showed none of the
chronic illnesses cats his age usually develop – kidney disease,
hyperthyroidism, cancer and diabetes. He
began life as a feral cat living outside an apartment complex in Ann Arbor,
Michigan. Then was live-trapped and
brought indoors to socialize when he was about 6 months old – four months too
late as the cat’s personality is formed at two months. This closed the traditional adoption door on
him and he was moved to a large feral cat sanctuary near East Lansing where he
wasn’t doing well. We picked him up from
there when he was two years old and he became one of our Foundation’s barn cats
illustrating to our volunteers and visitors how being an outdoor cat wasn’t a “death
sentence”. Then when he was about 7
years old he transitioned to being an indoor-only house cat. Although he stayed feral up to the end – on
his own terms he enjoyed human companionship and the perks of an indoor cat – 3
squares a day, soft beds and protection from rain and snow. And his untimely death saved him from the
chronic illnesses that -- although easily treatable in companion cats -- would
have been difficult to handle with a feral cat who couldn't be handled or given
medications.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNogO3zeFXp-3TcdgvwC0SyAQYCSCdfbpSIjDKddV3taztiprpj2dE2QXkxWA9lS6GRikZ51h5cuySDbB0JGblcUpN5nY7T0Z6QoyiLj6i81eKXilbRqT_fUoSCqqKEiDUOfTE5iAbtxU/s1600/IMG_1604.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNogO3zeFXp-3TcdgvwC0SyAQYCSCdfbpSIjDKddV3taztiprpj2dE2QXkxWA9lS6GRikZ51h5cuySDbB0JGblcUpN5nY7T0Z6QoyiLj6i81eKXilbRqT_fUoSCqqKEiDUOfTE5iAbtxU/s1600/IMG_1604.JPG" height="155" width="320" /></a> </div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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If you're looking for a pet cat this year be color blind -- don't turn a cat away because you heard a scary story at camp about black cats -- as Larry shows -- black cats are every bit as worthy of our care and love as any other cat -- and if you adopt one they will not disappoint. Black is beautiful!</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2567677925313801631.post-77399814671941333092014-05-01T12:53:00.000-06:002014-05-02T12:38:37.946-06:00Lost Cat Tips<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Xm1Ooaed4NSQUTC3DIpEs4hLbSWvAq0C87I_l8zXaNHKC4i67vRq8WH_wzs74pLMlzClfqXb9Wc-FFf5aJIqW8ajAmigP7rgR6lGlhZKHQ5BoWPk8NLi_Yd7w-3bMnInhwLPRO-vsEM/s1600/O036.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Xm1Ooaed4NSQUTC3DIpEs4hLbSWvAq0C87I_l8zXaNHKC4i67vRq8WH_wzs74pLMlzClfqXb9Wc-FFf5aJIqW8ajAmigP7rgR6lGlhZKHQ5BoWPk8NLi_Yd7w-3bMnInhwLPRO-vsEM/s1600/O036.jpg" height="268" width="320" /></a></div>
With warm weather on its way, your indoor-only pet cat is
more at risk of getting out– doors open and close more often as you enjoy the
outdoors – and if your cat is curious – he or she may try to bolt when they see the opportunity. This does not mean they
are trying to run away – or would prefer living outdoors – it simply means they
are curious. They are more comfortable
indoors as their territorial nature defines wherever they routinely live as
their home – and anywhere they don’t live – as a foreign territory.<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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So what happens when cats run outdoors
unexpectedly? Most often they realize they are no longer safe in their home and get scared – and then hide under the
closest bush or porch or in an outbuilding or garage. They don't keep running as dogs would. If you see them get out and go after them
– they will run away from you and end up further from your home but still be looking for a place to hide. And – you can be pretty certain they’ll use
their hiding spot as their new “home base” – coming out only in the dark when
they are hungry and need food or to gradually work their way back to
their home without being seen by potential predators. Even if you call them and they know your voice they won't come out.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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To find your cat start looking as soon as possible
remembering the cat is almost certainly very close at hand.<o:p></o:p></div>
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</div>
<ol>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4jhXGct2ZnTxQeHOdTcKF94TCI0oKWrIyJmhIA3PQyMv8GlFtjZ6nnnp-rmq0IrTStax7B3YJhYLuPLnZd7jcVdLMKqtUqRKcSBSDYnBaGq9dHgFtzY2yZzeQcpBl1s7TzUmhFRU0dpo/s1600/Gina-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4jhXGct2ZnTxQeHOdTcKF94TCI0oKWrIyJmhIA3PQyMv8GlFtjZ6nnnp-rmq0IrTStax7B3YJhYLuPLnZd7jcVdLMKqtUqRKcSBSDYnBaGq9dHgFtzY2yZzeQcpBl1s7TzUmhFRU0dpo/s1600/Gina-2.jpg" height="131" width="200" /></a>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><b>Look in, behind and under any place the cat may
be hiding</b>, starting right from the exit point – in dense plantings, under a
porch, in a garage.</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">And don’t neglect to
look up – in trees and on rooftops.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><b>Softly call the cat while looking</b>.</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">It’s unlikely the cat will respond – it’s
terrified of everything including you – but it may give a very faint “mew” reply so listen closely.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><b>Try again at dusk and dawn </b>using a
flashlight to re-search all the areas you explored earlier.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><b>Put some cat food and water overnight in the vicinity
of the exit point</b>.</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The cat may go back
into hiding after eating but this encourages him or her to hide nearby rather
than getting further away looking for food.</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><i>If you have a live trap consider putting food in it – if the cat enters the
trap you can easily get him back indoors without risking getting bit or
scratched.</i></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><i> </i> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Putting food in a cat
carrier may work too but tie a string on the door so you can close it remotely without being seen.</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><b>When you do locate the cat, approach very slowly and gently </b>– calming the cat.</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">It’s frightened and may bolt if found – even from you. Use a carrier to take your cat home. </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Trying to carry a scared cat is dangerous and if the cat gets away from you, you'll have to go through the process again.</span></li>
</ol>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Alerting your
neighbors (within a 3-4 house radius) and asking their children to help find the cat are good strategies. Kids know the neighborhood better than most adults. And posting a “Lost Cat” flyer (with a photo if possible) in your immediate neighborhood, at the local pet
stores, veterinary offices and animal shelters is also useful.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Most importantly -- don't give up -- it can take weeks or months to recover your cat and at least that long for them to turn up at a shelter as a "lost cat". To learn more about <a href="http://zimmer-foundation.org/art/11.html">lost cat behavior</a> visit our web site.</div>
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<br /></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2567677925313801631.post-18800503201276094182014-04-13T12:09:00.000-06:002014-04-13T12:14:56.122-06:00Zimmer Foundation is now the Zimmer Feline Foundation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIfyITgNY8nNX24eNw8EhEUOGTNpSRFyIjB2FoPf2wN0pa6_Uyx13tQKS8WKMs5muLVMlFtCQDKpeLke2vQWeO8Q_rG9O5sbbs36wmRClAacZj4n9eAEv49wtfBqiI6wjSraE_nJ8BZfo/s1600/A2187-King+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIfyITgNY8nNX24eNw8EhEUOGTNpSRFyIjB2FoPf2wN0pa6_Uyx13tQKS8WKMs5muLVMlFtCQDKpeLke2vQWeO8Q_rG9O5sbbs36wmRClAacZj4n9eAEv49wtfBqiI6wjSraE_nJ8BZfo/s1600/A2187-King+(2).jpg" height="320" width="226" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Just in case you haven’t noticed -- over the past few months
we’ve been using a slightly different name for our foundation – <a href="http://zimmer-foundation.org/">Zimmer <b><i>Feline</i> </b>Foundation</a>. It’s a subtle change but one that more
depicts who we are and what we do. And –
it also is the last step in transitioning from a Michigan corporation (where we
worked with cats from 2000-2009 to a New Mexico corporation where we’ve been
working with cats since 2010. </div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We no longer use <i>Cat
Spay of Santa Fe</i> for our spay-neuter program either. When we first moved to New Mexico we “assumed”
we would limit our work to Santa Fe County – but soon understood the need for
free-and-local cat spay/neuter for low-income pets here is great – and extends
far beyond the boundaries of Santa Fe County.
So – with the help of 27 private and non-profit veterinary clinics – we now
locally service north and central New Mexico including most of Bernalillo,
Catron, Colfax, Rio Arriba, San Miguel, Santa Fe, Socorro, Taos, Torrance and
Valencia counties – and will add more counties as we find vet clinics to
service them.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Zimmer Feline Foundation vouchers are totally free to
qualified applicants – individuals and households with gross incomes under $40K
per year can apply for free spay/neuter vouchers – and those who receive food
stamps can also apply for acute veterinary vouchers in the event of a treatable
medical emergency. The spay/neuter
vouchers cover the complete cost to spay or neuter a cat – and a rabies
vaccination given at time of surgery.
The acute care vouchers pay up to $300 toward the cost to treat a
medical emergency such as broken bones, infections and fight wounds.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Our spay/neuter focus is expressly on the 15% of pet cats
who are not routinely fixed when they are adopted –those in low-income homes
who find the cost of sterilization even at low-cost clinics a burden that is
easily put off. Our experience (10 years
working with both pet and feral cat caregivers in Michigan and 4 years working
with pet caregivers in New Mexico), finds these unfixed pet cats are the root
source of most of the feral colonies formed each year and most of the cats and kittens
delivered to animal control shelters and often euthanized.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We no longer provide spay/neuter vouchers for feral cats
(ie, cats you cannot handle) because we rely on our Participants making (and
keeping) pre-arranged veterinary appointments so that the clinics we work with
are not faced with last-minute cancellations because the feral cat didn’t show
(or couldn’t be trapped) the morning of the appointment. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But – we can now selectively provide financial assistance to
cat groups who work in situations our vouchers wouldn’t normally cover –
outside our service area or special situations or events – provided the cat
caregivers are not charged any co-pay and the project is well-defined and
furthers our mission.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigd5Njq7kiiLyJoJu5I3JaLCIs4K-RiYdGAZdeVI3DoE4ICTtDRY1fnL5sKEIgA9dCbmTYyRoUJPMdvqaqWiZcYyKYRBTSTyvO8Y0mVpZmZfZeiI7XY47CO6DVdakNuRYKTlNMEZz5G5U/s1600/0884.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigd5Njq7kiiLyJoJu5I3JaLCIs4K-RiYdGAZdeVI3DoE4ICTtDRY1fnL5sKEIgA9dCbmTYyRoUJPMdvqaqWiZcYyKYRBTSTyvO8Y0mVpZmZfZeiI7XY47CO6DVdakNuRYKTlNMEZz5G5U/s1600/0884.jpg" height="200" width="187" /></a>Many adoption and TNR (trap-neuter-return) programs are active in New Mexico to
deal with the problem caused by leaving this 15% of pet cats intact – and we
support and applaud their efforts. But –
we’ve come to the conclusion that the cat population cannot stabilize unless
and until that 15% of unfixed pet cats is significantly reduced – and in our
opinion that can happen only when cat sterilization services are free and local
for all cats – that is our program focus.
To date we’ve helped 2,800 New Mexico caregivers sterilize – and keep –
5,200 cats. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you know anyone in our
service area that could use our help, please ask them to call – applications are
taken over the phone and vouchers are mailed within a day or two of
approval. Keeping a cat in its original homes is well
worth it!<o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2567677925313801631.post-24725702245538690392014-03-01T13:07:00.000-07:002014-03-01T13:26:11.451-07:00Onyx Passes Away at 19 Years<div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYqWFh0Ng9DYO65pZu5yv7Prr73AfACmdMm0uujZRy3S_nKS8gZL09czCIvIZIXvjQwJEbwCM13VGI9bpaCeK0QTdrdHBSZtoYrLpUZHHN31jRLP8swNGKuBqxuS4yWWPlF9NrP46lctQ/s1600/OnyxPonders.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYqWFh0Ng9DYO65pZu5yv7Prr73AfACmdMm0uujZRy3S_nKS8gZL09czCIvIZIXvjQwJEbwCM13VGI9bpaCeK0QTdrdHBSZtoYrLpUZHHN31jRLP8swNGKuBqxuS4yWWPlF9NrP46lctQ/s1600/OnyxPonders.jpg" height="320" width="248" /></a>With a heavy heart we said goodbye to Onyx on Tuesday –
almost exactly 11 years after we accepted him into our <i>Older Cats for Older People Program</i> in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Onyx was a transfer from the local animal
control shelter who knew little about him other than he appeared to be at least
8 years old making him “too old” for their adoption program. </div>
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
His
past was a blank because he was turned in as a homeless stray cat, yet he could
equally have been someone’s indoor-outdoor pet.
Unlike most cats, Onyx had zero fear of people and so while playing
outdoors, would have approached any stranger passing by -- and that
friendliness may have cost him his original home. All too often people who see cats outdoors
assume the worst – that the cat has been abandoned by its guardian and/or
gotten lost and will “die on the streets” -- where in reality they have a home and a caregiver nearby. They needlessly uproot the cats and take them to a shelter where they are as likely killed as re-homed.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb0vfuUpZOcYjdTpXtXOMQgBTEKrLFDoqxAcbootqHA5E0RoTBKVtDUAB79nQCtRBt7s0mArBG1pHFK9WuFpiS8GY67BpbI5rU9bkca4BlwVukttGfauQqLoTXRgEg87Upn9VE2IV-HeE/s1600/011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb0vfuUpZOcYjdTpXtXOMQgBTEKrLFDoqxAcbootqHA5E0RoTBKVtDUAB79nQCtRBt7s0mArBG1pHFK9WuFpiS8GY67BpbI5rU9bkca4BlwVukttGfauQqLoTXRgEg87Upn9VE2IV-HeE/s1600/011.JPG" height="247" width="320" /></a></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Moving to our cage-free older cat sanctuary turned out to be
a boon for Onyx – as he thoroughly enjoyed the companionship of both people and
other cats. Of the 70+ cats we took in,
he was one of only 3 that immediately settled in to group living. He loved other cats and would spend hours
snuggling and grooming them – yet every now and then he’d attack a cat without
notice or provocation. And – if it had not been for a
pesky problem he had with nipping people, he could have been adopted out
several times over in spite of his advanced age. Visitors were fascinated by his extroversion
and his willingness to jump up on their laps even though he didn't know them. Caring for Onyx over the last 11 years wasn't always easy -- but it was always fascinating. His incredible openness and curiosity made him a cat bar none.</div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Losing a cat is often like losing a family member. It gives you
a sudden feeling of helplessness that you couldn't do something to
intervene. Yet – as we've learned so
often in caring for the cats in our <i>Older Cat Program</i> death is unstoppable and
– in a strange way – often kind. Onyx
had been dying for a long time – you could almost see him fading away as his weight
steadily dropped from 17 pounds 18 months ago to just under 5 pounds on
Tuesday. Over that time he was examined
by 5 different veterinarians with no definitive diagnosis as to the cause of
the weight loss. Sure he was old and
was hyperthyroid and had chronic kidney disease – but there was no "smoking gun" as to what was going on with him. Yet
as much as we saw him physically erode, mentally he stayed alert up until
Monday afternoon when he became very tired and we knew it was time to say
goodbye – to let him sleep in peace forever – and hopefully to get to the
Rainbow Bridge to reconnect with all his old TLC friends that passed before
him. </div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2567677925313801631.post-57864583402632063202013-08-25T10:28:00.000-06:002013-08-25T12:51:52.977-06:00Our Acute Veterinary Care for Cats Gets a Makeover<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNtpsb9yEXj7KkA3GlRN45wWS5Fc48DjK3m4nr_GHaUhUcweBxLWK3Bf4-M_Yi9FlZm65VgXFAaLiylU7HK-a9vjZAfIw0YlyWp-sM1RAcLtyvUC4cAMtrAptLsgMpFSyJsdJyX5fj2Vo/s1600/B004-Cote-b.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNtpsb9yEXj7KkA3GlRN45wWS5Fc48DjK3m4nr_GHaUhUcweBxLWK3Bf4-M_Yi9FlZm65VgXFAaLiylU7HK-a9vjZAfIw0YlyWp-sM1RAcLtyvUC4cAMtrAptLsgMpFSyJsdJyX5fj2Vo/s320/B004-Cote-b.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
Tripod was born without a rear leg but it didn't cause any</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
problems until something started to grow at the stub. The</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
vet removed the stub and now she's doing fine.</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Our feline Acute Veterinary Care Program – initiated last
January -- got off to a very slow start.
Partly because we wanted it to -- so we could do some beta testing
before we got too deep into it – and partly because the system we set up to
handle the applications was cumbersome to the point of scaring caregivers, vet
clinics and ourselves away from it. Learning from our early participants, we've fine-tuned the program
to strip out most of the red tape and now the program seems to work almost as
smoothly as our seasoned spay/neuter program does.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Full Full details on the program are on our <a href="http://zimmer-foundation.org/pgm3/PgmDesc.html">website</a>, but here are
the key changes:</div>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>We no longer require Care Credit applications from all
applicants</b> – only those <i>not </i>receiving food stamps. SNAP recipients simply fax us written
confirmation of their account and we accept that as proof of financial need. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>We now include the cost of the initial vet exam to determine
what’s wrong with the cat in our eligible expenses.</b> Most veterinary assistance programs exclude
this first visit and we originally followed suit. Ironically by doing so, those most in need of
our financial help were least likely to participate since they couldn't pay for
the initial exam. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>We no longer require the vet clinic provide us with a
written quote of the charges before we approve the cat. </b> We simply limit our vouchers to covering
reasonable and customary services and supplies to treat the acute care issue we
describe on the voucher – and limit the amount of aid we can provide to a
maximum of $300/cat.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>And, instead of faxing a voucher to the clinic while the cat
is waiting for treatment, we now e-mail the voucher to the Caregiver before the
appointment is made. </b>They simply print
out the voucher (at home or at the library) and take it with the cat to any of our
participating clinics who accept it as a “coupon” to cover the work described
on it up to the $300 limit.</blockquote>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxP1rGwAXE5Wox9qbJIfD2bvOrRUV3nEJZUdBrAiG9mVqmv8-6Rl3j_9UZUYnzHA1JRVOqUve_-nK4DA_X8WH0hOwu5NXoGdRs1F1vHhXYJNiueRjuq9_ZzJqoXG9ce7J_p27C4RxxzfA/s1600/A2151-Sturgeon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxP1rGwAXE5Wox9qbJIfD2bvOrRUV3nEJZUdBrAiG9mVqmv8-6Rl3j_9UZUYnzHA1JRVOqUve_-nK4DA_X8WH0hOwu5NXoGdRs1F1vHhXYJNiueRjuq9_ZzJqoXG9ce7J_p27C4RxxzfA/s200/A2151-Sturgeon.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">11-Year old Tessa had a growth on her<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
head that started to grow. The vet</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
removed it and found that it was benign.</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Our mission is to keep cats in their homes – off the streets
and out of shelters. We’ve always know
that sterilization was the key to this.
But – as kittens grow into cats – acute health issues invariably arise
and can threaten the cat’s long-term home as much as not being sterilized can. Worse yet – a simple acute care issue left
untreated can result in permanent damage to a cat or even death. We hope by adding this supplemental service
we’ll further our mission of keeping cats in their homes, happy, healthy and
living out their lives with those who love them.<o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2567677925313801631.post-50438832474451774102013-07-28T10:17:00.001-06:002013-07-28T10:44:30.317-06:00Helping The Cats of the Night<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgASAp1MQv3sTl0lNDs7cODZWzwtxl2i8FaA3LpcqQ2IkR2ZfvYAJ4WJolR2e5GCwyxbqzAP02jGScMCRnRMZ_jkkTNWkW7BtriTy-Akx2RxAYCtj00RbMkAFSbBfR7Jmf1l8ekaZRkGCA/s1600/0794.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgASAp1MQv3sTl0lNDs7cODZWzwtxl2i8FaA3LpcqQ2IkR2ZfvYAJ4WJolR2e5GCwyxbqzAP02jGScMCRnRMZ_jkkTNWkW7BtriTy-Akx2RxAYCtj00RbMkAFSbBfR7Jmf1l8ekaZRkGCA/s320/0794.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
We wanted to share an e-mail we received recently about
stray cat behavior written by someone who knows it well. The author, Jeremy, works at night and on his
walk home sees the cats most of us daytime people never know exist – the feral
and stray cats that hide from humans during the day and then come out in the
dark to look for food. Jeremy’s one of
the many unsung heroes of community cat care that -- after seeing these
homeless cats -- helps them the best way they can –by providing them with
supplemental food and human attention.
Here are his observations:</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I recently found the article, “<a href="http://zimmer-foundation.org/art/10.html">If You Find a Stray Cat</a>” on
your web site while Googling “how much to feed a starved cat.” It was a well-written piece with very
sensible advice. I particularly liked
the suggestion to collar a suspected stray with your contact information. It is a brilliant idea, and I had never
thought of that. I have always been a
cat lover and a sucker for strays. Over
time, I have learned a few other tricks that your viewers might also find helpful.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
There are SO MANY strays in my neighborhood. I walk home from work most nights, so I have
begun carrying kibble and wet food in my backpack at all times. Although I’ve only lived here for a few
months, most of my “regulars” have picked spots and know to meet me there for
dinner. I also keep my camera with me,
so I can try and find homes for these little ones.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
In my experience, most strays do not immediately dart
away when faced with eye contact. In
fact, you can use eye contact to your advantage with a technique called the “slow
blink”. It is a signal that cats use
among each other that means, “We’re cool.
We’re so not in a fight right now that I will even close my eyes while
you are staring at me, and I will do it in my slow, lazy way.” This technique, coupled with soothing words
and that “prbt” sound, has had dramatic results for me with startled or
skittish cats. They will often run right
up after the signal is given.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-U8bBnkM5mZ5noKrBvJu-R9YulAPvLPPaBUvj_nt06EiwmLd6GqcKl-yNvJHz3-_OfEXC0HPQYGrSnUWya0AhTJhHV-UR1AHUqbjSaABGJAWOEzQYRFwfDFZYR8AtB1VdEXJNVYU29s8/s1600/O031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-U8bBnkM5mZ5noKrBvJu-R9YulAPvLPPaBUvj_nt06EiwmLd6GqcKl-yNvJHz3-_OfEXC0HPQYGrSnUWya0AhTJhHV-UR1AHUqbjSaABGJAWOEzQYRFwfDFZYR8AtB1VdEXJNVYU29s8/s320/O031.jpg" width="245" /></a>What will usually startle a stray are the headlights and
noise of an oncoming car. I have had
starving cats bolt away from a meal because of this, so I no longer put their
dinner on the open sidewalk. If you can
put their dinner behind a fence, wall, trash barrel, or under a parked car,
they will feel much more comfortable.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
As for recognizing a stray, well in the neighborhood, it
is obvious. They are too thin. But the real tell is that once you establish
trust, they will meow desperately and follow you for a block or two, sometimes even
running ahead of you. A contented cat
with a happy home does not do that. </blockquote>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
We hope Jeremy's comments give you a window into the secret world of the night cats -- we just have one thing to add. Please don't remove the cats from their outdoor homes until and unless you have a plan that will ensure their future will be better than their present situation. On balance, outdoor cats do very well in their homes and removing them without a lifelong plan often puts their lives at risk. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2567677925313801631.post-47696284835511592302013-07-21T13:37:00.001-06:002013-07-21T13:49:43.741-06:00Kittens 101: If your cat has kittens ...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Cv6LE6Po-BvtXXmi2i7KWDGhbrKb-dGWMOwKq07ORM9uQBm3rfDEauZfIS4Pra62E5-0BadJZNMtM8zUMFDOhIzu3t-2Exklw6ExTTNI8y7ZEiChHzd7RGtpwvdbjO_h31DNEKVRGIE/s1600/C710c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Cv6LE6Po-BvtXXmi2i7KWDGhbrKb-dGWMOwKq07ORM9uQBm3rfDEauZfIS4Pra62E5-0BadJZNMtM8zUMFDOhIzu3t-2Exklw6ExTTNI8y7ZEiChHzd7RGtpwvdbjO_h31DNEKVRGIE/s320/C710c.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
All too often the motivation to fix a cat happens only <i>after</i> she gives birth to a litter of
kittens. Many are pet cats whose
guardians put off spaying for lack of money and/or time, yet many are outdoor
cats who show up at someone’s home and the owner unwittingly initiates a
relationship with the cat by putting food out for her. (This latter group would <i>never</i> consider letting their pet cats go
unsterilized, but the outdoor cat is different – it’s “<i>not their cat</i>” – they’re just putting food and water out for her
daily and petting her and letting her live in their yard.) Exactly how this differs from what they’re
doing for their pet cats is unclear.<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Both groups seem caught off guard by the pregnancies – unaware that cats are persistent breeders starting as young as 16 weeks and
having 2 or 3 litters each year of 4-6 kittens per litter. And -- unlike dogs that go into heat once or
twice a year -- cats go in and out of heat every two weeks from February to
November– even when they’re nursing. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Once the kittens are born, the caregivers typically react
in one of two ways: <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->(1)<span style="font-size: 7pt;">
</span><!--[endif]--><b>Scoop up the litter (and often Mom too) and
drive them to the nearest rescue or shelter to let them deal with the
problem.</b> This is not a good idea on many
levels.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->a.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->For
kittens to become “adoptable” they need to be well socialized and this cannot
happen in a shelter cage or in an overloaded foster home. While their personalities are forming (the
first 8 weeks of their lives) they need to have intense human interaction –
preferably from a variety of people – young, old, male and female – and they
need to learn to live in a home acclimating to typical noises like dogs, doorbells,
TVs, washers, etc. Your home – or that
of someone you know that immensely enjoys kittens – is a far better and
effective option than a shelter.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .75in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->b.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Mom
needs to be with her kittens for the first month – to feed and care for them –
and littermates need to stay together for at least two months so they learn they’re
cats and don’t grow up thinking they’re little “humans” because all they saw
during those formative weeks were people.
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->c.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->The
darker reason to hold on to Mom and her kittens is that in a shelter they often
stand a better chance of being euthanized than being adopted. Inadequate socialization, lack of foster
homes, stress-induced illness, overcrowding are all common reasons shelters
euthanize cats and kittens. And -- if Mom
is given to a shelter -- she’ll have to compete against younger, cuddlier kittens
for the few homes that adopt from shelters.
<i>Less than 20% of pet cats are formally adopted. The rest are passed from person-to-person or
simply show up at someone’s door and move in.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->(2)<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> <b>
</b></span><!--[endif]--><b>Caregivers that don’t turn Mom and the kittens
over to shelters often embrace the kittens as part of an extended cat family
and want to hold onto all of them for the rest of their lives. </b> This is typically a better option than
turning the family over to a shelter, but it can be a mine field too. To do this you must be able to make a
lifelong commitment to the cats and have the ability to get the entire group
spayed and neutered quickly to prevent follow-on litters. This is a steep financial and emotional
commitment – and one that is difficult to undo later on. The older the kittens get, the less adoptable
they become and the more dependent on your lifelong care they become. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b>We like a third option – keep the kittens in your home
until they’re 8-10 weeks old – and give them loads of love and affection.</b> While you’re doing this, network with
everyone you know to find good homes for them -- preferably adopting them in
pairs so they stay with a litter mate.
Often simply giving them matching names (<i>Ben and Jerry</i> or <i>Frick and
Frack</i>, etc.) will ensure someone adopting one will want both. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Just make sure when you give them away that you like and
trust the caregiver who adopts them.
With all the care and love you put into their socialization, you’ll want
the best for them. And – if you know in
your heart the kittens will have a good life in their new home, giving them
away gets easier. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglKKtnneNOKJsVZ3xrykvroTPvmAuN8IOpxqsGn4nwQc-4VUD7GD3ikOP_PCIkinpgkS6S_RhIZ-iniAtv7Pn8NCer2STsGm3MDhfsKCjhKz6HOOYo_Sj25l0T9hLqBZuZ4xGRklzgoYw/s1600/O086.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglKKtnneNOKJsVZ3xrykvroTPvmAuN8IOpxqsGn4nwQc-4VUD7GD3ikOP_PCIkinpgkS6S_RhIZ-iniAtv7Pn8NCer2STsGm3MDhfsKCjhKz6HOOYo_Sj25l0T9hLqBZuZ4xGRklzgoYw/s320/O086.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
If any of the kittens don’t find good homes, hold onto
them – Mom will appreciate their company and you’ll know they’ll be well cared
for. And – most importantly – get Mom
fixed as soon as she’s done nursing so you can enjoy her without the worry of
more babies. Any kittens you end up
keeping should be fixed as soon as your vet will do it – typically around 12 to16
weeks of age.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2567677925313801631.post-70539437209362872562013-06-24T09:34:00.000-06:002013-06-24T09:53:18.207-06:00At age 20, Simon succumbs to kidney failure<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPEIjV8p8zZC1dICO6PcYcDnXoWwc45K3G2vwYsOl_4MqILLBj-ulCtLQP9bNMfE6R1cRnMCrTMoqf7zchZEEQzw8GCjxRBoSgDcrjg4q7hvsukZN5pJ6tJ_YpIGG5uawf98_u74v72KU/s1600/018+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPEIjV8p8zZC1dICO6PcYcDnXoWwc45K3G2vwYsOl_4MqILLBj-ulCtLQP9bNMfE6R1cRnMCrTMoqf7zchZEEQzw8GCjxRBoSgDcrjg4q7hvsukZN5pJ6tJ_YpIGG5uawf98_u74v72KU/s320/018+(2).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Simon’s quality of life started to slide late last
summer. Always idiosyncratic, he
suddenly became more so – instead of sleeping on the seat of a chair he’d sleep
on the back, instead of standing next to his food he’d get on top of its tray
to eat, and he didn’t recognize when he had to use a litter box so would simply
go wherever he happened to be when nature called. The vet suspected he had had a mini stroke –
or at the age of 19 – had simply become very senile.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At any rate he was clearly a special needs cat and to
accommodate his bizarre behaviors we set up a large floor cage lined with washable
piddle pads for him to live in. Since he
spent almost all of his time sleeping, this worked very well. We confined
him overnight and left the cage door open during the daytime so when he wasn't
sleeping and wanted exercise he could come out.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtKYrXUAM1Xrp-kIzebrpsAdN_Z0JEY07riXTG6yZREcE3HfeC-cuzfZ6jCxSrQBHqNraK4Njtbf-f_B96D7qrAgKlR2kpMP95UyQ1UwahlKY0pbPFEMAFh_mlCjyQgXY4DSFtwqMLOrE/s1600/030+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtKYrXUAM1Xrp-kIzebrpsAdN_Z0JEY07riXTG6yZREcE3HfeC-cuzfZ6jCxSrQBHqNraK4Njtbf-f_B96D7qrAgKlR2kpMP95UyQ1UwahlKY0pbPFEMAFh_mlCjyQgXY4DSFtwqMLOrE/s320/030+%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But, as sad as his new behaviors were, they were not
life-threatening. And – as with many
geriatric cats – it would be kidney failure that would ultimately cause his
death. By last Wednesday he stopped
eating and on Friday with much sadness we decided it was time to let him
go.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Little is known of the first half of Simon’s life – TLC picked
him up from the local animal control shelter in 2003. A cat Samaritan had turned him in after
finding him wandering the streets of Ann Arbor, Michigan. The shelter estimated his age at 10 and so he
was too old for them to adopt out. They
also feared he was blind because his eyes were totally milky with no visible
pupils. Turned out the cause of their
milkiness was a flare up of the herpes virus – probably a condition he was born
with. It literally took a few years to
stop the periodic outbreaks and he required a series of daily eye drops for the
rest of his life.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Simon clearly preferred people to other cats – loving to sit
on laps and talking constantly. He pretty
much ignored other cats as they ignored him.
We often thought he was more
human than feline – and had the appetite to prove it. Where most of our cats ignore human food
Simon sought it out. By last January he
had morphed from cat food to baby food which wasn't great for his kidneys but
it was all he would eat.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Simon was a remarkable little guy – and one we will not soon
forget. RIP.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2567677925313801631.post-12536131170058811782013-05-27T14:09:00.000-06:002013-05-28T08:22:42.594-06:00"We just thought it best that our cat have one litter before we spayed her."<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIpGSDbc3EI4NmTMk_lRpM8v-OZ7uR63GbcNxDPndFylRRR7v2gUhRIePshMkQfEWIX97lDJpTBB1Av-S_PDfb_bR7jzyaFFa4HCJt2djXnhRp306K9XGT0qGfnJFSo-A9a3T-CAbd8Qg/s1600/C614c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIpGSDbc3EI4NmTMk_lRpM8v-OZ7uR63GbcNxDPndFylRRR7v2gUhRIePshMkQfEWIX97lDJpTBB1Av-S_PDfb_bR7jzyaFFa4HCJt2djXnhRp306K9XGT0qGfnJFSo-A9a3T-CAbd8Qg/s320/C614c.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We don’t hear this every day, but we hear it often enough to
make us shudder. Someone calls to get a free
spay/neuter voucher to fix their cat and proudly announces that it's time now because she just had
kittens – usually coupling the announcement with “they found good homes for all
her babies” or – they “will keep mom and her babies together forever” in their
home because she’s “such a good mother” to them. Apparently this makes it okay – the kittens
will be cared for.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
No one will argue that their hearts are in the right place. The miracle of birth and motherhood are a
sight to behold – and who can deny that baby kittens are precious? Yet –
like many of life’s temptations – allowing your cat to reproduce for <i>your </i>and
her enjoyment – has many unintended consequences.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Just a few days ago we had a frantic call from a woman whose
pet cat’s <b>planned </b>pregnancy went awry.
She gave birth to one kitten but several hours later was still in labor
and obviously suffering. She had no
money to take her to the vet and needed financial assistance to get her
help. This meaningful experience of giving birth almost
cost the cat her life. Although many
cats can and do have kittens on their own – a good number of them end up at vet
clinics when they encounter problems. You
don’t know if your cat will need help until it’s too late – and the cost of
emergency vet care can be staggering – with no “kitty insurance” to absorb the
cost. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The concept that it’s okay to let a cat have one litter is
flawed because it doesn't keep the population stable – it increases it
geometrically. Cats don't have <i>babies </i>they have <i>litters </i>-- averaging four to six kittens (not one or two) and some litters contain seven or eight kittens. Add to that the likelihood of a mother cat getting
pregnant again while nursing and the numbers go up even more. You “may” think you can find good homes for the first litter, but the second litter -- not so
much. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You may want to keep Mom with her kittens in your home but
as the kittens grow into cats the commitment gets more and more difficult to
keep. The average cost of caring for a
cat is about $500/year. By the time you
realize the financial commitment that was implicit in the cat commitment the
kittens are much harder to adopt because they’re now adult cats. And – if you lacked the
money to get mom and the litter fixed promptly – when the kittens are 8-16
weeks old – you’ll soon find the kittens are now parents too and your problem has
escalated to a crisis point. Don’t look
to shelters to take on your cats and find them homes – they simply can’t. According to the ASPCA about 70% of -the cats
given to shelters are euthanized for lack of homes. And the no kill-shelters you think will
welcome your cats? Well they're usually full – and when they are admitting – they’re
looking for kittens because that’s what they can most readily place. Many will accept new cats only if they are current on vaccinations and already sterilized -- at your expense.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
With all of these pitfalls, it’s hard for us to understand
why anyone believes it’s best to let their cat have "one litter". Spaying and neutering your pet cats should be
a bottom line of adopting them – the sooner the better. But – if you and your family want to
experience the wonderment of kittens – do it responsibly. Hook up with a shelter or rescue that has a
family of kittens in need of a foster home to love them and care for them until
they’re old enough to be adopted out. It’s
a 4-8 week commitment that instead of contributing to the problem of cat
euthanasia can work to prevent it. And
– who knows – in the foster family there may even be a kitten or mom cat with
your name on it. <o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2567677925313801631.post-1545698521752630212013-05-02T13:34:00.001-06:002013-05-04T08:27:01.277-06:00Safe Sex for Cats Begins and Ends with Spay/Neuter<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ1AOgegQQhuvON-vQU0_0cXzbYmriS0FyRBvR95pbVv8bh8WfoWIqWepGezVLSYm_jxMEWjdnkFDxq2GeDG2veiDXNkuWt-ldzXaKTkYGohCifP9GEouICFRExvda2pgnIWMSTzI5gko/s1600/A16691-McIntosh.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ1AOgegQQhuvON-vQU0_0cXzbYmriS0FyRBvR95pbVv8bh8WfoWIqWepGezVLSYm_jxMEWjdnkFDxq2GeDG2veiDXNkuWt-ldzXaKTkYGohCifP9GEouICFRExvda2pgnIWMSTzI5gko/s320/A16691-McIntosh.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For most cats spay/neuter is a bottom
line at adoption, but for those cats living in low-income households it’s often an unattainable
luxury. This is especially true when there’s more than one cat to fix causing the price to go up exponentially. These caregivers want to act “responsibly”
but they just don't have the front-end money to fix their cats -- even
at low-cost nonprofit clinics.
And even if they can afford the lower rates, the longer drive to get to one of these clinics keeps it out of reach.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yet far from being “irresponsible,” many of these low-income
caregivers make a valiant effort to keep their cats “kitten-free” using other
methods of birth control. Here
are a few of the most common:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Delay</b>. If their pets are kittens, they delay
sterilization assuming they’ll save up the money by the time the cat is old
enough to reproduce. What escapes them
is this can happen as early as 16 weeks, which is why shelters with staff
veterinarians won’t release kittens until they’re fixed – sterilizing them when
they’re as young as 8 weeks and including the cost in the adoption fee. Ironically, the caregivers who can’t afford to fix their cats also can’t afford an adoption fee
so they look elsewhere for their pets – and are not disappointed. Finding a free cat or kitten is easy –
they’re readily available from friends, relatives, and coworkers or simply
roaming around outdoors -- typically the offspring of other cats whose caregivers also couldn't afford to get them fixed.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Isolation</b>. Many caregivers try to keep their female cats
indoors while they’re in heat – which is every two weeks from early spring to
late fall – but inevitably someone opens a door without looking and the cat is
out in a flash – often pregnant by the
time she returns home. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Even those who succeed in keeping their female cats indoors
often assume it’s okay to leave them with their male relatives – thinking that
sons, fathers and brothers won’t impregnate their mother, daughters or
sisters. Not true. Cats have no cultural mores to prohibit
incestuous behaviors. In the cat world any female cat is fair game
for an intact tom. Those that realize
this may try keeping the male cats in one room and female cats in another, but
of course this plan is foiled the moment someone forgets to close a door. And – the stress it puts on the caregivers is
considerable.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Selective
Sterilization.</b> Still another common method of kitten control
in multi-cat homes is to fix one sex and not the other. A major flaw with this is
that it’s not always easy to tell the sex of a cat and by the time you realize
“Harry” is really “Mary” she may already be pregnant.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And since it’s so much cheaper to neuter a male than spay a
female, the males are often the ones fixed, so inevitably the female cats get
pregnant anyway – sneaking outdoors when they have the opportunity.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Even when the money is there to spay only the
females, the male cats will find other females to impregnate – or will
start to spray and lose their homes for a problem that could be prevented by
simply neutering them.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As valiant as these attempts at birth control are, they are
all largely ineffective. The only way to
prevent kittens is sterilization – a simple surgical procedure that not only
is 100% reliable, it also increases the probability a cat
will keep his or her home long-term. Once
sterilized, cats are better housemates – no longer spraying, yowling or kittening. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In most of central and northern
New Mexico, we provide free vouchers to low-income caregivers committed to the
life care of their cats. These vouchers pay the full cost to spay or neuter their cats at local veterinary clinics who subsidize the surgery costs. If you know
someone living in our service area that has intact cats, refer them to
us. They – and their
cats – will be glad you did.<o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2567677925313801631.post-34280922615713616302013-03-25T13:17:00.000-06:002013-03-26T08:53:57.155-06:00Cats Deserve Equal Rights With Other Species<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixA6JkhEBT4qwd8LthN5Rq2ngOEyEijpf8FSqK4DAy-Q1oI4dDAbco5SLuKZEOyb9wLEWy2VSTbx8Anv4UOAnhIQk6ieWEf2aV6x9Q9tKcvmTokQuAEOMYvJYXIrLgKQRRadsu5m1CiMw/s1600/Simba5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixA6JkhEBT4qwd8LthN5Rq2ngOEyEijpf8FSqK4DAy-Q1oI4dDAbco5SLuKZEOyb9wLEWy2VSTbx8Anv4UOAnhIQk6ieWEf2aV6x9Q9tKcvmTokQuAEOMYvJYXIrLgKQRRadsu5m1CiMw/s200/Simba5.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you read the news regularly, you'd think it's open season on cats. Frequently there'll be a news flash from the American Bird Conservancy or kindred organization alerting us to what overzealous bird hunters cats are --and more recently the federally-funded Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute joined in. It published a study in the journal <i>Nature Communications</i> reporting
that <i>U.S. domestic cats kill up to 3.7
billion birds and as many as 20.7 billion mice, voles and other small mammals each year. </i><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
According to Merritt Clifton of <i>Animal People</i> – a nationally recognized keeper of animal statistics – their study is deeply
flawed on many levels. For one, it dramatically inflates the U.S. domestic cat
population by at least 124 million cats. And one of the scientists who conducted the study -- Nico Dauphine -- was arrested in 2011 for trying to poison
neighborhood cats. She was convicted and
sentenced to do 120 hours of community service, spend a year on probation, and
pay a fine of $100. Yet -- in spite of this -- the Smithsonian
kept her on staff and allowed her to continue doing “research” on cats. Her
sentence is a sham when compared to the calls to kill outdoor cats for threatening birds -- as a human she should have known better.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Surely no one likes to think about animals killing animals
but it happens -- and cats are by no means the only animal that does it. Most species do -- including dogs and humans. But only cat predation makes the evening news. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHAzVlydHl-8XWhm_G2yU1ABv_dCoR27zQq1e7UomIDe4-9-vayF6lFO93nkvZJE468qpKPLo4U8fALUdzUSJSrmaXqqcNoN_466HA7u8IYviHkdGPAUlujCZG0YPCFknSiBY_dW2uimo/s1600/C134c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHAzVlydHl-8XWhm_G2yU1ABv_dCoR27zQq1e7UomIDe4-9-vayF6lFO93nkvZJE468qpKPLo4U8fALUdzUSJSrmaXqqcNoN_466HA7u8IYviHkdGPAUlujCZG0YPCFknSiBY_dW2uimo/s200/C134c.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Since moving to New
Mexico we’re constantly reminded about the risk dogs, coyotes and – yes --
large birds -- pose to outdoor cats and kittens. Frequently a spay/neuter applicant will
comment they keep their cats indoors to protect them from owls. Just last week a woman called and said she
wanted to get her cat fixed and when we asked how she
got the cat, she said her dog had taken a kitten from a bird who had snatched
it and then she saved the kitten from her dog!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Unbridled attacks on cat behavior veiled as scientific “research” need
to be stopped. And the media – who pick the studies up as chapter and verse and report them as “news” need to recognize
them for what they are -- propaganda from organizations with anti-cat agendas. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And as a culture, we must remember that cats are part of our ecosystem and as
such, they should have the same rights as any other species. Several years ago the San Francisco SPCA
published a <i>“Cats Bill of Rights”</i> and it’s worth revisiting now: These are the basic rights <i>all </i>cats should
have:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The <i>Right </i>to be recognized as a unique and important
species</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The <i>Right </i>to have their individual lives
cherished and protected</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The <i>Right </i>to be free from cruelty and abuse</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The <i>Right </i>to receive aid and comfort including
food, water, shelter and medical care</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The <i>Right</i> to a fair share of public resources for
the care of companion animals</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The <i>Right </i>to be treated as equal members of the
animal kingdom</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The <i>Right </i>to be represented accurately and humanely
by those who speak on their behalf.</span></blockquote>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It goes without saying that many individual cats already enjoy
these rights – yet as a group they continue to have these rights violated. All too often a
different standard applied to their behaviors than to other species. How sad!<o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2567677925313801631.post-18757625502470509082013-03-15T10:36:00.000-06:002013-03-15T13:42:46.232-06:00Robin Joins Joyce On The Rainbow Bridge<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvKqU2nJmi4hLlSaBiM2vSGs-VL742hSgOPVJEmwrPppLhBZ342iPNR-PjO91nxWH1oKcI9Gk3jxo2haeDF2xC70tRrV_c1AL9xWT9nWogJo6-6tWJNJpmP3Xbo_NyE-aU4drfnnGx0zs/s1600/IMG_0608.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvKqU2nJmi4hLlSaBiM2vSGs-VL742hSgOPVJEmwrPppLhBZ342iPNR-PjO91nxWH1oKcI9Gk3jxo2haeDF2xC70tRrV_c1AL9xWT9nWogJo6-6tWJNJpmP3Xbo_NyE-aU4drfnnGx0zs/s200/IMG_0608.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2013 is a sad year for TLC.
Robin just joined Joyce (who died on New Year’s) on the Rainbow
Bridge. Like Joyce’s death – Robin’s
was sudden. A few weeks ago he became
very bloated and was diagnosed with end-stage cancer. But -- up until a few days before his death
there were no behavioral signs of illness and he passed his 6-month physical
last fall with flying colors. Cats are
masters at hiding illness until it’s too late to treat.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Robin – like Joyce -- came from the show-and-tell feral cat
colony we maintained from 2001-2005 at our Older Cat Sanctuary in Saline,
Michigan. While the older companion cats
lived cage-free in the farmhouse, the feral colony occupied the barn. Then, when we refocused our efforts
exclusively on free and local cat spay/neuter, we merged both groups together
in a closed-admission indoor shelter to live out their lives. With these two gone only 7 remain – three of
which (Onyx age 18, and Missy and Simon age 20) are in hospice.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-l7-jXHg8-h8LnN0I3owDEG01lSpzjktCPbaM0qbPTnFRjHgdgM4Brk7cjJ7YiN3iEbmESCckMq1b-rcg0STrvtcFkkcx8rK_8UqV4zx55pdnHc6V4sktV9jQKCIwM9-GZBQ-jNFwiiQ/s1600/DSCN2923.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-l7-jXHg8-h8LnN0I3owDEG01lSpzjktCPbaM0qbPTnFRjHgdgM4Brk7cjJ7YiN3iEbmESCckMq1b-rcg0STrvtcFkkcx8rK_8UqV4zx55pdnHc6V4sktV9jQKCIwM9-GZBQ-jNFwiiQ/s320/DSCN2923.JPG" width="163" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Although Robin was given to us as a feral cat – he was
anything but. Unlike Joyce who stayed
distant from people even after living as an indoor-only cat for 8 years – Robin
was a ringer. True – prior to coming to
TLC he lived outdoors on his own – and when he first arrived he was very
skittish around us – but once he settled in, the socialized cat re-emerged –
enjoying being petted and groomed and living with people. He most definitely was someone’s lost or
abandoned pet cat. The elderly man who gave us Robin recognized his "pet potential" and visited him every day for the first 3 years we had him -- then Maury's health deteriorated and he had to discontinue his visits -- having his wife Edna call weekly to make sure Robin was doing well. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As often happens when cats are left to fend for themselves
outdoors, they take on the behaviors of a feral cat – fearful of people --
hiding from them during the daytime and waiting for the cloak of night to come
out for food. Then – when they’re given a second chance to
live with people– they calm down and the socialized cat re-emerges. If it weren't for Robin’s ear-tip (done
when he was neutered to identify him as a sterilized feral) you’d never have
been the wiser.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Lucky for Robin when he was rescued he ended up in our cat
colony – if he had been turned in to a conventional animal control shelter he
would have been categorized as a feral cat and euthanized on arrival as
unadoptable. Shelter intake decisions
are made quickly – and the “feral” Robin would have hidden the “socialized”
Robin from their view. That’s one of the dangers of categorizing
cats – they’re not that simple and first impressions are often misleading or
downright wrong. And – in Robin’s case
– an arbitrary decision would have ended his life 12 years too soon.<o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2567677925313801631.post-32176899339408926832013-01-06T10:40:00.001-07:002013-01-06T13:08:45.956-07:00Cat Spay of Santa Fe 2012 Update<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXrxejLFkNmVekfV7ySiY-3shblzPhXgEXx5nLLpQXFc1crwna5swBXo8dLY-XUq08_D93Qjk5uGEsHWMdGn_-gUJaDsO7CK2t8O7ZQI6iuQd5YGsrQYeb53mH5gHymORqqPCDNwBNGsk/s1600/C754b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXrxejLFkNmVekfV7ySiY-3shblzPhXgEXx5nLLpQXFc1crwna5swBXo8dLY-XUq08_D93Qjk5uGEsHWMdGn_-gUJaDsO7CK2t8O7ZQI6iuQd5YGsrQYeb53mH5gHymORqqPCDNwBNGsk/s200/C754b.jpg" width="160" /></a></div>
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We've been funding free cat spay-neuter help for New Mexico’s
low income families since 2010. Working
through area veterinary and spay/neuter clinics we've fixed 3,113 cats to date
for 1,479 committed caregivers – with 1,524 surgeries just this last year. We hope to see these numbers continue to grow
in 2013. To complement our free
spay/neuter assistance, we've recently added a program to help these same
caregivers pay for acute veterinary care in the event of a medical
emergency. Full details on both programs are on our <a href="http://zimmer-foundation.org/">web site</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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While we initially serviced only Santa Fe County, we've gradually
expanded into other regions at their request.
We now work with 17 clinics conveniently servicing Bernalillo (excluding
Albuquerque), Catron, Rio Arriba, San Miguel, Santa Fe, Socorro, Taos and
Torrance counties. These local clinics
are essential to reaching our target demographic who often find driving a long
distance to a clinic as challenging as paying for the sterilization. We thank the following clinics for accepting
our vouchers as “payment in full” for a spay or neuter and a rabies vaccination
and look forward to continuing to work with them during 2013:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->All Creatures Veterinary Clinic, Moriarty<br />
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Animal Haven, Socorro<br />
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Animal Wellness Center, Santa Fe<br />
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Ark of Socorro, Socorro<br />
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Big Country Veterinary Service, Datil<br />
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Brainerd Animal Health Center, Sapello<br />
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Cottonwood Veterinary Clinic, Espanola<br />
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Dr. Carol Joyce-Lloyd, Tiejeras<br />
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Espanola Valley Humane Society, Espanola<br />
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Gruda Veterinary Hospital, Santa Fe<br />
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Pecos Valley Veterinary, Pecos<br />
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Salazar Road Veterinary Clinic, Taos<br />
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Sangre de Cristo Animal Hospital, Santa Fe<br />
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Santa Fe Humane Mobile and Spay/Neuter Clinic, Santa Fe<br />
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Taos Veterinary Clinic, Taos<br />
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Valley Veterinary, Santa Fe<br />
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Vista Larga Animal Hospital, Edgewood </blockquote>
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The Foundation is dedicated to assisting low-income
individuals and families provide long-term care for their cats by providing a
veterinary care safety net. Through this
safety net we help keep their cats out of shelters and off the streets where –
<i>without this help</i> – they all too often land.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2567677925313801631.post-3280630494724812242013-01-05T13:53:00.002-07:002013-01-05T13:56:54.628-07:00Our Feral Cat Joyce Dies on New Year's Day<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7y8lSF29D_FCEcPnov48bjLRhdxDIlkPL9tJ78xO4RcrTcdRnxrrSwxdpo9f4OZWuoY_aa3eLAl_Kv2tYfhvau0yn1RTQ9d9Ub5CwYW8lmpU7CgUJm3deWiDpLHp_9GMChIxIPd0tZpI/s1600/IMG_1598.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7y8lSF29D_FCEcPnov48bjLRhdxDIlkPL9tJ78xO4RcrTcdRnxrrSwxdpo9f4OZWuoY_aa3eLAl_Kv2tYfhvau0yn1RTQ9d9Ub5CwYW8lmpU7CgUJm3deWiDpLHp_9GMChIxIPd0tZpI/s320/IMG_1598.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I learned about feral cats before I ever saw one. In 2000 I attended a “No Kill Conference” in
California and listened to a presentation by one of the founders of Alley Cat
Allies on how to humanely care for them.
When she got to the part about how
often people find them living in their yards I almost walked out of the room. I was at the conference to help formulate cat
programs for our foundation and I had never heard anyone in Michigan (where I
was then living) mention that they had “wild” cats living in their yard. Surely
this phenomenon was limited to the east coast and wouldn’t play a part in our
mission.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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But– within a few months of starting our TLC (<i>for The Love
of Cats</i>) programs -- Michigan feral cat colonies were popping up
everywhere. We responded in two
ways: (1) we formulated a free
spay/neuter program for feral cats which we continued until we left Michigan in
2009 and (2) when we purchased a farm to sanctuary orphaned geriatric cats, we
installed a show-and-tell feral cat
colony in its barn. We wanted visitors
to see feral cats up close and personal – and to understand how well they could
live as outdoor-only cats. Part of the ACA TNR perspective was that
these cats were best sterilized and then left in their outdoor homes with a
dedicated caregiver providing food, water and dry shelter. For – if cats weren't socialized to people
before they turned 8 weeks old – they would always be afraid of them – acting more
like squirrels or rabbits than house cats.</div>
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Joyce was one of the feral cats in our colony. And of the
ones we ultimately moved indoors when we closed the farm, Joyce was one of the
most feral. Clearly she preferred cats
to people and ACA was right about her – even after living as an indoor-only cat
for 7 years – she never changed. Rarely
could we pet her and taking her to a vet for a routine exam would have required
live-trapping so we never did. Then
last summer she started showing signs of chronic inflammatory bowel or perhaps lymphoma
and we considered taking her in for evaluation.
At 12 years old, though, anesthesia without blood work was risky and
there was no way a vet could examine her without it. And – if we did find out what was wrong with
her, medicating her would be impossible.
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<br />
Her quality of life seemed
pretty good and there were no signs of physical discomfort. Then – last week we noticed she was easier to
pet and that her coat was starting to look a little straggly. Little did we know that she was about to
leave us –she was still acting normal in most other ways. New Year’s Eve she was in her regular sleep
spot when we went to bed but sometime during the night she died without
moving from it. We don’t know what
triggered her death, but we think it was heart failure. Hopefully it was a peaceful ending.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh325NwJtecKXhhj7q7lIQQS0VBTSFq2ziwMM1jdnDBh43FIiNyH2A19rhUo7G5_sH81eTe0Fgi-iSGCVRzxo7zOyvx8cM0xMGVhvYKhHdJJaG449wRyAXa_Gs_WFJ_KB1_Yh6ZbFHxyIw/s1600/IMG_1604.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh325NwJtecKXhhj7q7lIQQS0VBTSFq2ziwMM1jdnDBh43FIiNyH2A19rhUo7G5_sH81eTe0Fgi-iSGCVRzxo7zOyvx8cM0xMGVhvYKhHdJJaG449wRyAXa_Gs_WFJ_KB1_Yh6ZbFHxyIw/s320/IMG_1604.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The house is a bit quieter now and we miss her. But mainly our heart goes out to Larry –
another feral cat we moved indoors with her that spent most of his time
snuggling with her or walking to and from the food dish with her. We used to think that Joyce relied on him
for security – she was about a third of his size. But over the years we learned it was the
other way around – she was his security blanket. He has other friends for sure – but he’ll
never have another Joyce. RIP.<o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2567677925313801631.post-66016427123545621242012-11-12T13:58:00.002-07:002012-11-12T13:59:31.460-07:00Is It Really Raining Cats and Dogs?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRHGZIszfJ9jTUmPwUQitzgzekxtO62ttNYbnLmpp4VPxsVyPvUWYkFvvghM2DOJG4l7ciKuGr8cajZLgA3fUtK61zpt7axN3MHxExdwhX2v8JxudK2btlaft0IAICnNHAk88dKo9C5SU/s1600/O072.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRHGZIszfJ9jTUmPwUQitzgzekxtO62ttNYbnLmpp4VPxsVyPvUWYkFvvghM2DOJG4l7ciKuGr8cajZLgA3fUtK61zpt7axN3MHxExdwhX2v8JxudK2btlaft0IAICnNHAk88dKo9C5SU/s320/O072.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
If you believe the statistics published by many animal
organizations, yes. For example, PETA’s
web site states that in “…seven years one female cat and her offspring can
produce an incredible 370,000 kittens” And …”Just one unaltered female dog and
her offspring can produce 67,000 puppies in only six years”. Although these numbers may add up on
paper, Mother Nature sees to it that they never play out in real life – for if
they were even close to being accurate, our streets would be so full of cats
and dogs that we wouldn't be able to walk down the sidewalk without tripping
over them. And that simply isn't the
case.<br />
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<b>No one really knows how many cats and dogs there are </b>– but the
pet owner marketing surveys published by APPA (<i>American Pet Product Producers
Association</i>) may shed some light. They
estimate there are about 164 million cats and 78 million dogs living in
American homes. Annual adoptions into
this population include about 12 million cats and 11 million dogs. Un-owned cats living outdoors in feral cat
colonies add to the total cat population –but again how many there are is
unknown. Estimates run as high as one
feral cat for every owned cat. Yet as we've seen through our spay/neuter program – the line is blurry between the two
groups and many “yard cats” may be double-counted.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Of the 12 million cats adopted out each year, only 500,000
are purebred cats purchased from breeders, and 2.5 million come from animal
shelter adoptions. The overwhelming
majority –9 million-- are cats that are literally found outdoors (feral, lost
or abandoned) or born to someone’s pet cat – and then kept or given to someone
else through a free cat ad or networking person-to-person with friends, relatives
and coworkers. <o:p></o:p></div>
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APPA doesn't distinguish, but we assume the majority of adoptions
are kittens and puppies – with most of the balance being young adults – often abandoned
or relinquished from homes that can’t afford to fix them. For –
once pets become sexually mature, they become increasingly challenging to care
for – even for the most loving guardians. <b>Only 12% (or 20 million) of owned cats are
left intact – not because their guardians don’t understand the importance of
fixing them, but simply because they lack the front-end money to do so. </b> Scare tactic population statistics aren't needed to drive home this point – all you have to do is live with one to
understand. </div>
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So why does PETA and many other otherwise responsible animal
organizations perpetuate these grossly misleading statistics? Perhaps they think that this is the best way
to show the importance of spaying and neutering cats or that it’s the best way
to justify the use of healthy cat euthanasia to manage shelter occupancy rates –
for according to the HSUS, 2.5 million cats and kittens are put down
prematurely in shelters annually – rough half of their total admissions. Whatever their reason, the result is a
distorted picture of the number of cats – one that may be more hurtful to them than helpful.<o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2567677925313801631.post-63213853199575492322012-06-16T13:28:00.000-06:002012-06-17T07:58:26.594-06:00Introducing Acute Veterinary Care for Cats<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir-m4r3MxcAHdcEbahHrXUGUhKjT4gY-a3iQl4mbqoQKcHmyredOnGOFfWZI5qp1HfmglZeDzcXrBtsoSPrwOnOWnpHnercbOu29vsS2NTpvK0a0U9kfRyAPs_-sMCCzmG_ZvmqtmT924/s1600/tmp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir-m4r3MxcAHdcEbahHrXUGUhKjT4gY-a3iQl4mbqoQKcHmyredOnGOFfWZI5qp1HfmglZeDzcXrBtsoSPrwOnOWnpHnercbOu29vsS2NTpvK0a0U9kfRyAPs_-sMCCzmG_ZvmqtmT924/s320/tmp.jpg" width="271" /></a>A few weeks ago a Santa Fe woman called us about Spook --
her 8-year old male cat. He just wasn’t
acting right and she wanted to get him to a vet to find out why. But raising two grandchildren on an income of
only $15,000 per year made that next to impossible. The first clinic she called quoted $150 just
to walk in the door and then more depending on what treatments he needed. The second clinic quoted less but they
couldn’t see him until the next day. I
could tell by the somberness in her voice that she felt he needed attention
sooner rather than later. She hesitated
to call a third clinic because by now she knew the cost of diagnosing and
treating Spook at any clinic was way outside her budget. Then a friend of hers suggested calling us
for financial assistance.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Normally we would have declined to help because our focus has
been exclusively on cat sterilization. But
something about this call hit a chord.
And -- if our goal in sterilizing lower-income pet cats is to keep them
in their original homes – would it be stretching it too much if we added acute
medical emergencies to our program?
After all – if a cat’s guardian can’t afford to sterilize their cat, how
are they going to pay for a medical emergency?
And – without prompt professional attention– the cat may suffer
unnecessarily – or may even die prematurely.
Considering this we suggested Spook’s guardian take him to a third
clinic and ask the vet to provide us with a diagnosis and estimate of treatment
costs. If the long-range prognosis for
the cat was good, we may be able to pay the costs to treat his emergency.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Lucky for Spook she got him to a clinic that afternoon. His urinary tract was blocked and if that had
not been corrected immediately he may have died. Fortunately after a brief hospitalization with
lots of fluid therapy he was ready to go home again and pick up life where he
left off – with no serious damage to his health. Don’t you just love a happy ending?<o:p></o:p></div>
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We do. So now we’ve formulated
Spook’s situation into a new Foundation program called <b><a href="http://zimmer-foundation.org/pgm3/PgmDesc.html">Acute Veterinary Care Assistance</a></b>. Services covered are the necessary costs to
treat an otherwise-healthy cat for an acute and curable health problem. It serves as a last-resort option for cat
caregivers in our service area who are unable to pay for the treatments
themselves and cannot qualify for traditional funding through existing
financing programs such as Care Credit.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The best news is that it won’t take any funding from our
free cat spay/neuter program because we’re funding it with the money we
previously allocated for feline veterinary scholarships – a program we put on
hold during the 2009 financial meltdown. With our last scholarship recipient graduating
this year, it was time to open the program to new applicants or reallocate the
money to something else. As much as we
liked sponsoring new feline veterinarians, we believe funding acute veterinary care
is more in line with our mission –channeling the money directly to otherwise
healthy cats in need of emergency care.<o:p></o:p></div>
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For just as we believe that no cat should have to lose a
good home because their caregiver can’t afford to get them fixed, we also
believe no cat should have to suffer or die because their guardian can’t afford
to pay for urgent care. <i>For complete
program information on this and all our programs, visit our web site, <a href="http://zimmer-foundation.org/index.html">Zimmer-Foundation.org</a>.</i><o:p></o:p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2567677925313801631.post-14797177775284455162012-05-08T10:28:00.002-06:002012-05-08T10:28:21.699-06:00Dieting Your Cat? Proceed With Caution<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe6uYO-eM9WBOvOAy4xjv5t3RHlQgkNq9vJZg4TR6rSDJjqCxo5Qy4stGJ3ABRfgxPHMaA8-spSQvx3rHlKJsMF1zP_UN7LvHvj4vcDdVy8TcfRJsfbbHZGjU5vRQb0lPFhBHX-72waV8/s1600/Angel+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe6uYO-eM9WBOvOAy4xjv5t3RHlQgkNq9vJZg4TR6rSDJjqCxo5Qy4stGJ3ABRfgxPHMaA8-spSQvx3rHlKJsMF1zP_UN7LvHvj4vcDdVy8TcfRJsfbbHZGjU5vRQb0lPFhBHX-72waV8/s320/Angel+%25282%2529.jpg" width="274" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong>Angel</strong> came to our <em>Older Cats Program</em> when she was<br />
<div align="left">
16 years old. Her obesity had led to uncontrollable</div>
<div align="left">
diabetes and other pancratic problems which made</div>
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her life and her care very challenging. </div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The recent death of the 2-year old, 39 pound cat “Meow” in
the Santa Fe Humane Society Shelter highlights the feline obesity problem in
this country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our pampered feline
friends are often overweight – largely a product of too
much food and too little activity – the tradeoff of giving up their outdoor life
to have a roof over their head and 3 squares a day as indoor-only pets -- a
change that has occurred only over the last 60 years – since the invention of
kitty litter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Before then, cats lived outdoors largely as wildlife relying
on what they could catch to survive -- which was typically a few rodents a day –
and some days even less than that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <strong> </strong></span><strong>These rodents – typically mice – were the
perfect feline diet – high in protein, low in fat with zero carbs – and because
the cat had to catch the mouse --- they provided a source of exercise as well.</strong><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Cat
food –as we know it today – became available about the same time as kitty
litter – in the 1950’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Purina had developed
an extrusion process to produce dry cat <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>food – and to make that process work – <em>as well
as cost effective</em> -- a large amount of starch was added to the cat’s diet –
typically corn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the only exercise the cat gets from eating
it, is the short walk from the couch to the kitchen, where many caregivers leave
a large bowl of food out for the cat to munch on at will -- trusting the cat will know when they've had enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>For cats prevention of obesity is much easier – and safer --
than dieting.</strong><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here are some simple
guidelines to help keep your cat fit:</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Always feed cat-specific food according to the label
on your food package</strong>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Feed only the
amount recommended by the manufacturer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You
may be surprised by how little food the cat is intended to eat and may be
unintentionally overfeeding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Feed grain-free foods with meat as the first
ingredient</strong> – these are closer to the cat’s natural diet and should be higher in
protein and lower in carbohydrates.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">3.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Exercise your cat for 15-20 minutes daily</strong>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Use interactive toys like Da Bird – or if
your cat will tolerate a harness and leash -- take him for a daily walk outdoors.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">4.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> <strong>
</strong></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Track your cat’s weight monthly</strong> – invest in a
baby scale -- or simply hold the cat while you’re on your scale and subtract your
weight from the total.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A cat’s weight – going up or down – is usually
a cause for concern.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Knowing what your
cat’s normal weight is will help identify illness before other signs appear and
will help you monitor their diet to keep them healthy and trim.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">If your cat is already obese – that is beyond being “kitten
plump” -- dieting may be necessary. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If
so, consult with your vet before starting a diet and proceed with caution.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><strong>Overweight cats can easily become anorexic or develop
fatty liver disease (hepatic lipidosis) if you try to quickly drop their
weight.</strong><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This can result in liver
failure and ultimately death – and can happen very quickly without you being
aware until it’s too late.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0