The Shelter Shack

August 22-28, 20011 is National Take Your Cat to the Vet Week. According to a 2011-2012 National Pet Owners Survey conducted by the American Pet Products Association the number of cats in a home far out weighs the number of dogs in a home. There are approximately 86.4 million owned cats in the United States, as compared to 78.2 million owned dogs. Even though there are more cats in homes than there are dogs, it seems dog guardians are more likely to pay regular visits to the vets than cat guardians.

There are a variety of reasons why cat guardians are not taking their cat to the vets. Some of those reasons are:

• the cat has an immense dislike for the cat carrier,
• the cat is not showing any visible signs of illness,
• cats can take care of themselves, right?

Let’s take a closer look at these reasons.

The cat has an immense dislike for the cat carrier. There are a variety of reasons the cat might dislike the carrier. For example, it may have never experienced being in one before. New experiences can be frightening to cats. It may have also had previous experiences with a carrier that you’re unaware of that were not pleasant for him. It’s also possible that the only time the cat was ever in the carrier was to go someplace he didn’t like. All of these things are valid reasons to a cat, but you can desensitize him from that fear and train him to think of the carrier as a safe haven. You should check out the Petfinder.com website for tips on how to train your cat to like the carrier.

The cat is not showing any visible signs of illness. Cats are masters of hiding their illness. By the time they are showing visible signs of being sick, chances are good that their illness is in an advanced state. By taking your cat to the vet on a regular basis you will be able to screen for diseases before they become a problem. Check out the video below for helpful information about taking your cat to the vet for a wellness exam.

Cats can take care of themselves, right? While cats are an independent species and are really good at keeping themselves clean, no…they can’t take care of themselves. They also need vet care for vaccinations that will prevent them from getting diseases like Feline Leukemia, Feline Distemper or Rabies. They need regular blood work done to monitor the health of their kidneys and thyroid as well as check for diabetes. All of this holds true for indoor or outdoor cats.

As it happens my Franklin is due for his annual vaccinations and I’ll be taking him to the vet this week. He’ll also be getting a microchip as he’s a sneaky little guy. I fear one day he’ll sneak right out the back door without me ever knowing it. He’s the first pet I’ve ever microchipped, so stay tuned. I will let you know how that whole process goes in a future post.

Frankie at 17 weeks.

What on earth is kitten season you ask? Well here’s a quick lesson on the birds and the bees. Unspayed female cats are impregnated by unneutered male cats and this is the time of year where all of the kittens start popping out of their Mom’s like crazy. Hence the term Kitten Season, and the reason why the month of June is National Adopt a Cat Month.

Kittens are really cute and all, so I bet you’re wondering why it is a problem that kittens are popping out all over the place? Here’s the deal, these kitties have no place to go, and there are so many of them that there just isn’t enough space at the shelters to keep them until they can find a home.

I’m one of the lucky ones. Mommy rescued me one year ago today! I never landed in a shelter, but I was dangerously close to being in one. Mommy was volunteering at a dog only shelter the day this man came up and tried to surrender me to them. She tried to convice him to take me to a shelter that takes cats, but it was pretty clear that if he was turned away I would just end up on the street.

Mommy took me from the guy and proceeded to call some rescues to see if they could take me. She wasn’t planning on keeping me! Can you believe that! Luckily for me the rescues couldn’t take me until the next day. That gave me 24 hours to win her over! Thankfully she’s a push over and it only took me a few minutes to wiggle my way into her heart.

There are many other kitties that aren’t so lucky. They either land on the street to fend for themselves, or wind up in a shelter that has no room and they end up euthanized. It’s a sad story for these guys, and it’s one that you humans can put a stop to. It’s really quite simple. Spay or Neuter your cat. Better yet, participate in your community’s Trap, Neuter, Return program (aka TNR).

This program is set up to trap feral or stray cats in your community and get them into a low cost spay/neuter clinic to get them fixed and vaccinated. Once they are fixed, if they are truly a feral cat, then they are released back to the area where they were trapped. If the cat seems like it might have been someone’s pet and is friendly, then a rescue or shelter group might try to place the cat into a home instead. To learn more about TNR please visit the Neighborhood Cats website.

Sassy from the Friendship APL. Photo credit Friendship APL

There’s one other thing you can do to help cats of all ages – do what my Mommy did a year ago and rescue one! Stop on over to your local shelter and adopt a kitty or two, or three! If you live in the Northeast Ohio area, I recommend you stop on over to the Friendship Animal Protective League in Elyria. Pictured to the left is one of the cats they have available for adoption. Her name is Sassy. She’s not a kitten but holey catamoley is she a cutie! She’s just one of the many pawsome cats available for adoption. Toodles for now…

Check out Lacey! She’s a sweet one and a half year old Collie/Shepherd mix. She arrived at Canine Lifeline from an area shelter with a noticable limp in her back legs. She was taken to the vets where it was determined she had hip dysplasia. She underwent femoral head ostectomy (FHO) surgery on the one hip in August. She’s doing very well and has no exercise restrictions. The even better news is that the vet doesn’t feel it’s necessary for her to undergo the surgery on her other hip.

She can be a bit shy in new situations but warms up to you quickly. She’s laid back, good with other dogs and seems housebroken. Be sure to check out her video below. If you would like more information on Lacey please contact Canine Lifeline directly at info@caninelifeline.org.

Spring is in the air! Well not literally as there’s still snow on the ground here in Ohio. The Spring I am referring to is the beautiful little lass pictured to the right. Spring is a 7-8 year old Collie that has had a difficult time to say the least. She was found close to death, starving, hairless and covered in fleas and ticks at a house in Alabama. Thankfully the person that found her was a fellow rescuer, and they nursed her back to health. She is now available for adoption from Tri-State Collie Rescue.

Her coat is returning to its full glory, and is a sable color with beautiful silver accents. She now weighs around 52 pounds. Despite everything she’s been through, she has a sweet disposition. She’s also crate trained, house trained and loves to go for car rides. She’s good with other dogs, kids and cats that don’t run. She has full run of the house and is trustworthy to be left alone.

She has an eye condition called micro-opthalmic, which means her eyes are very tiny and her vision may be compromised. She uses her nose and your voice to help her “see”. If you have a fenced yard and a canine companion for Spring…she would love to go home with you, especially if you have lots of love and pats to give.

If you would like to learn more about her, please visit Tri-State Collie Rescue’s How To Adopt section of their website.

Say Hi to Sasha! She’s a beautiful six and a half year old Husky mix. She’s very attentive to her people, and loves to be showered with affection.

She was picked up as a stray and she currently resides at the Cuyahoga County Animal Shelter. She’s pretty laid back and still has a lot of spunk for her age. She would be ecstatic to find a forever home. Check out the video of her below, and I’m sure her sweet personality will win you over! If you would like more information about Sasha please contact the Cuyahoga County Animal Shelter directly at cuyahogadogs@gmail.com.