Our Passions for Cats' Welfare
Recently, I was drawn to a lively discussion on our Cats Forum because of the heated passion of the member who started the discussion. Her contention was that scented cat litter was a killer of cats and that was a much more important topic for discussion than dry cat food versus wet cat food. Her premise is that a large percentage of cats surrendered to animal shelters are there because of peeing or pooping outside the litter box, and that cats' dislike for scented cat litter accounted for a goodly proportion of those cats' litter box avoidance.
I would guess that cats are not normally surrendered to shelters because of food issues, which would round out her argument.
The next pages will reaffirm the cat topics for which I feel particular dedication. Later, I will invite my readers to share your own passions about cats.
My Cat Passions: The Declawing of Cats
The reason I abhor the declawing of cats is that it is a cruel and inhumane practice with absolutely no benefit to the cat whatsoever. Declawing is not the same as trimming cats' claws. It is the amputation of the cats' toes at the first joint. It is not only extremely painful, but can have long-lasting painful side effects too, including urinating outside the box because the feel of litter is painful on tender toes.
Some cat owners feel it is okay to have their cats declawed as long as they are indoors-only, reasoning that cats do not need to protect themselves from strange cats and dogs in their own homes. Oh, but there are a number of other reasons to let cats keep every single digit of their precious toes.
My Passion: A Program of Veterinary Care for Every Cat
I know of very few cats who have lived to old age without ever having to see a veterinarian. Routine veterinary care for cats is a necessity, not a luxury. The truth is that with a regular program of veterinary care, the frequency of emergency trips to the vet is lessened.
It is important to know when to call the vet. Delaying could be a life and death matter for your cat.
If I appear to be preaching, it is not without reason. Several years ago we almost lost our beloved Bubba because I failed to see the signs that he was seriously ill with a urinary tract blockage - FLUTD. When my husband came home from work he immediately saw that Bubba was lethargic, and that his third eyelid was showing, both signs of a serious illness. Had he not been an indoor-outdoor cat, we would have noticed blood in the litter box. However, we did not have any litter boxes back then. Thankfully, our veterinarian was able to save him after keeping him for a week in the vet hospital.
My Passion: Spay and Neuter Pet Cats
There is no excuse for failing to spay and neuter pet cats in today's society. We owe it not only to our own cats, but also to those cats in overcrowded animal shelters who must be euthanized to make room for the new influx of kittens during "kitten season," which lasts from early Spring until late Fall.
She is then in the position of nursing one litter while another is developing in her uterus. This is not only harmful to her health, but also to the health of those kittens yet to be born. In addition, spaying her will help prevent or lessen the chances of life-threatening conditions, including mammary cancer, Pyometritis, or ovarian or uterine cancer.
Whole male cats who roam outdoors looking for willing females, face the risk of diseases injuries, and even death, as they fight rival male cats.
The bottom line is that spayed and neutered cats make much more enjoyable and pleasant housemates. Have you ever smelled the pungent odor of urine spray? I rest my case.
My Passion: Keeping Cats Indoors
When my husband and I were first married, we were like most people in those days, in that we felt cats deserved to go outdoors whenever they wanted, at least during daylight hours. However, when I first started writing about cats, I soon learned that there were others who had vastly different opinions. At that time, I wrote The Great Indoor-Outdoor Controversy.
Some years later, I had an epiphany when our beloved senior cat, Shannon, was diagnosed with FIV - Feline Immunodeficiency Virus, which is most often transmitted through "saliva to blood," i.e.
bite wounds. We suspect that Shannon developed this disease from his numerous fights with the Siamese cat next door, who was deceased by that time. Shannon died in July of 2005, and gradually, our cats have been converted to indoors-only. If you are undecided on which alternative would be best for your cats, take a look at my follow-up article, The Indoor-Outdoor Debate Revisited.
Today, our three male cats are only allowed outside twice a day for about ninety minutes each time, and always accompanied by my son and/or myself. We go out on our deck, which is twenty to thirty feet above the ground, where they are safe from predators. Jenny is not allowed out, since she has several times before jumped up to the railing with intent of jumping from there to the roof. However, she has window seats both in my bedroom, which she shares, and in my office, where the photo was taken.
It is difficult to quantify passions, but shelter cat adoption is near the top of my list, if not number one. With one exception, all the cats my family has had since my marriage have either come from shelters, rescue groups, or personally rescued. Yes, many years ago, we had a few litters of children, born because of our ignorance or delay in spaying and neutering.
According to the American Humane Association, approximately 8 million animals are taken into shelters every year, and of those, nearly half are euthanized because of lack of adoptable new homes for them.
It is heartbreaking to see the photos of those cats in shelter cages, with pleading eyes and meows, begging to be adopted. The most heartbreaking ones to me are the senior cats, as well as the special needs cats, who are likely to be euthanized first as more and more cats, especially kittens, come through those doors. I hope these reasons to adopt a senior cat will convince some of my readers to visit your shelters with adoption of an older cat in mind. And while you are looking, please consider a special needs cat.
Compassion Fatigue is a well known syndrome to those who work in the medical field or social services field. More recently, it has been recognized to also affect workers in the fields of animal rescue, shelter care, veterinarians, and others in the animal industry. My first awareness of the term came when I was reading the book Cat Daddy, by Jackson Galaxy. Galaxy knew passion, and he also knew compassion fatigue.
Petfinder.com has a comprehensive list of activities for the relief of compassion fatigue among workers in animal fields.
Although those of us who are writers may not physically work in animal fields such as shelters or rescue groups, our need for relief from compassion fatigue is very real too. The same need is felt by for cat caregivers who care for senior cats and other special needs cats.
My very passion for the topics listed above leads to symptoms of compassion fatigue. I feel sadness and sympathy, then anger and frustration when I read of all the comments about cats killed in streets in this blog. Anger and frustration because I have failed to impart the message that keeping cats indoors is better all around.
It breaks my heart to read all the memorials readers post, because I know how it feels to lose a beloved cat.
It is terribly frustrating, because all I want to do is to make a difference in the world of cats. But then I remember the story about The Starfish Thrower, and I'll continue to throw starfish into the sea for as long as I am able.
Recently, I was drawn to a lively discussion on our Cats Forum because of the heated passion of the member who started the discussion. Her contention was that scented cat litter was a killer of cats and that was a much more important topic for discussion than dry cat food versus wet cat food. Her premise is that a large percentage of cats surrendered to animal shelters are there because of peeing or pooping outside the litter box, and that cats' dislike for scented cat litter accounted for a goodly proportion of those cats' litter box avoidance.
I would guess that cats are not normally surrendered to shelters because of food issues, which would round out her argument.
Cats' Welfare - Choosing Our Battles
Initially, I could have pointed out that failure to spay and neuter our cats accounts for the huge annual influx of kittens to animal shelters. And that in kill shelters, older cats and cats with serious health issues are the first to be euthanized, while the kittens are first to be adopted. Therefore this members' argument about scented cat litter was specious at best. Then a sense of compassion and reason overcame my passion. After all, who am I to determine that my fervor for spay and neuter is more important than hers for advocating against scented cat litter? We each must choose our own battles. I would not be surprised to learn that this member has more than one passion involving cats, as have I.Our Shared Passion for Cats
It seems safe to say that all of my readers share the same basic passion for cats: The love of our cats. For myself, it was my love of cats which led me to my writing about them here in February 1997. That passion was born from the embyo developed when I first met the man I was to marry many decades ago, continues to this day and will continue as long as I live. Cats give us unconditional love, and most of us love them back without condition. We consider our cats as our children.The next pages will reaffirm the cat topics for which I feel particular dedication. Later, I will invite my readers to share your own passions about cats.
My Cat Passions: The Declawing of Cats
The reason I abhor the declawing of cats is that it is a cruel and inhumane practice with absolutely no benefit to the cat whatsoever. Declawing is not the same as trimming cats' claws. It is the amputation of the cats' toes at the first joint. It is not only extremely painful, but can have long-lasting painful side effects too, including urinating outside the box because the feel of litter is painful on tender toes.
Some cat owners feel it is okay to have their cats declawed as long as they are indoors-only, reasoning that cats do not need to protect themselves from strange cats and dogs in their own homes. Oh, but there are a number of other reasons to let cats keep every single digit of their precious toes.
My Passion: A Program of Veterinary Care for Every Cat
I know of very few cats who have lived to old age without ever having to see a veterinarian. Routine veterinary care for cats is a necessity, not a luxury. The truth is that with a regular program of veterinary care, the frequency of emergency trips to the vet is lessened.
When Your Cat Looks and Acts Sick
Searching the Internet for information when a cat or kitten is sick is not a viable plan of treatment.It is important to know when to call the vet. Delaying could be a life and death matter for your cat.
If I appear to be preaching, it is not without reason. Several years ago we almost lost our beloved Bubba because I failed to see the signs that he was seriously ill with a urinary tract blockage - FLUTD. When my husband came home from work he immediately saw that Bubba was lethargic, and that his third eyelid was showing, both signs of a serious illness. Had he not been an indoor-outdoor cat, we would have noticed blood in the litter box. However, we did not have any litter boxes back then. Thankfully, our veterinarian was able to save him after keeping him for a week in the vet hospital.
Pet Health Insurance
Yes, Bubba's lengthy stay in the hospital cost us a bundle of cash. But today, I have pet health insurance for all four of our cats. The three boys are covered with the VPI Premier Policy, and Jenny is covered by Pets Best. In our case, pet health insurance is more than worth the money, in addition to the peace of knowing that economic euthanasia is not in our cats' future.My Passion: Spay and Neuter Pet Cats
There is no excuse for failing to spay and neuter pet cats in today's society. We owe it not only to our own cats, but also to those cats in overcrowded animal shelters who must be euthanized to make room for the new influx of kittens during "kitten season," which lasts from early Spring until late Fall.
How Do Our Cats Benefit From Spay and Neuter?
A whole female cat is capable of giving birth to three or more litters of kittens in one calendar year.She is then in the position of nursing one litter while another is developing in her uterus. This is not only harmful to her health, but also to the health of those kittens yet to be born. In addition, spaying her will help prevent or lessen the chances of life-threatening conditions, including mammary cancer, Pyometritis, or ovarian or uterine cancer.
Whole male cats who roam outdoors looking for willing females, face the risk of diseases injuries, and even death, as they fight rival male cats.
The bottom line is that spayed and neutered cats make much more enjoyable and pleasant housemates. Have you ever smelled the pungent odor of urine spray? I rest my case.
My Passion: Keeping Cats Indoors
When my husband and I were first married, we were like most people in those days, in that we felt cats deserved to go outdoors whenever they wanted, at least during daylight hours. However, when I first started writing about cats, I soon learned that there were others who had vastly different opinions. At that time, I wrote The Great Indoor-Outdoor Controversy.
Some years later, I had an epiphany when our beloved senior cat, Shannon, was diagnosed with FIV - Feline Immunodeficiency Virus, which is most often transmitted through "saliva to blood," i.e.
bite wounds. We suspect that Shannon developed this disease from his numerous fights with the Siamese cat next door, who was deceased by that time. Shannon died in July of 2005, and gradually, our cats have been converted to indoors-only. If you are undecided on which alternative would be best for your cats, take a look at my follow-up article, The Indoor-Outdoor Debate Revisited.
Wildlife Dangers to Cats
In the late fall of 2011, we moved from a waterfront home to a home in the midst of a national forest. Although it is within a gated community, our wild neighbors do not respect property laws, nor should they. After all, the deer, coyotes, raccoons, mountain lions, and black bears were here long before we came on the scene. All of these, in one way or another can be dangerous to cats. I've already heard of two neighbors whose cats were killed by coyotes, and our community gates are often plastered with "missing cat" or "missing dog" signs. It is likely not in-coincidental that just last night shortly after midnight I saw a black bear standing upright, drinking from the cement birdbath I keep filled for our bluejays' use. We've seen no evidence of bears for the past month or two, and I had begun to think that they were gone for the year. I pray that our neighbor's cat in the accompanying photo stays indoors at least at night when the predators are out and about.Today, our three male cats are only allowed outside twice a day for about ninety minutes each time, and always accompanied by my son and/or myself. We go out on our deck, which is twenty to thirty feet above the ground, where they are safe from predators. Jenny is not allowed out, since she has several times before jumped up to the railing with intent of jumping from there to the roof. However, she has window seats both in my bedroom, which she shares, and in my office, where the photo was taken.
It is difficult to quantify passions, but shelter cat adoption is near the top of my list, if not number one. With one exception, all the cats my family has had since my marriage have either come from shelters, rescue groups, or personally rescued. Yes, many years ago, we had a few litters of children, born because of our ignorance or delay in spaying and neutering.
According to the American Humane Association, approximately 8 million animals are taken into shelters every year, and of those, nearly half are euthanized because of lack of adoptable new homes for them.
It is heartbreaking to see the photos of those cats in shelter cages, with pleading eyes and meows, begging to be adopted. The most heartbreaking ones to me are the senior cats, as well as the special needs cats, who are likely to be euthanized first as more and more cats, especially kittens, come through those doors. I hope these reasons to adopt a senior cat will convince some of my readers to visit your shelters with adoption of an older cat in mind. And while you are looking, please consider a special needs cat.
Compassion Fatigue is a well known syndrome to those who work in the medical field or social services field. More recently, it has been recognized to also affect workers in the fields of animal rescue, shelter care, veterinarians, and others in the animal industry. My first awareness of the term came when I was reading the book Cat Daddy, by Jackson Galaxy. Galaxy knew passion, and he also knew compassion fatigue.
Petfinder.com has a comprehensive list of activities for the relief of compassion fatigue among workers in animal fields.
Although those of us who are writers may not physically work in animal fields such as shelters or rescue groups, our need for relief from compassion fatigue is very real too. The same need is felt by for cat caregivers who care for senior cats and other special needs cats.
My very passion for the topics listed above leads to symptoms of compassion fatigue. I feel sadness and sympathy, then anger and frustration when I read of all the comments about cats killed in streets in this blog. Anger and frustration because I have failed to impart the message that keeping cats indoors is better all around.
It breaks my heart to read all the memorials readers post, because I know how it feels to lose a beloved cat.
It is terribly frustrating, because all I want to do is to make a difference in the world of cats. But then I remember the story about The Starfish Thrower, and I'll continue to throw starfish into the sea for as long as I am able.