Resources for Helping Feral Cats

As you know, my pal Pharoah was a feral cat. Now he has a home he is a feral cat trying very hard to be a domesticated cat. He was one of the lucky ones, but most feral cats continue to be a problem for communities, wildlife, and for the cats themselves. Watch this video from the Humane Society to understand what can be done to help feral cats.

After watching the movie click here for more information.
Unfortunately, as a feral cat, Pharoah is illiterate, which is why I have a blog and he doesn't.

Pharoah's Eye Herpes

Apparently eye herpes is common among feral cats.

Pharoah was born at a truck stop in Fresno. The truck driver brought him, along with his mother and sister, to a foster home in Los Angeles. After several failed attempts to find him a permanent family, Pharoah came to live with us at the age of six months.

I never asked to have a companion and now I am stuck with him. But as he is such a happy little cat and not very demanding, I don’t mind too much.

When he first arrived I noticed he had a small black growth in the corner of his right eye. My human was told this was much bigger when he was born, it had gradually shrunk, and would eventually fall off completely. Instead, it grew bigger. Last year when he was three years old, his eye started oozing large silvery-white tear drops and his energy level seemed to plummet.

As a feral cat he often hid under the rocking chair in the bedroom when visitors were in the house. He began to spend more time under the rocking chair. His human had to put his dinner under the chair so he would eat. After a couple of weeks he recovered. Another few weeks passed and his condition returned. So off he went to the vet.

The vet said he needed three different kinds of medicines three times a day. Even with the help of her friend, there was no way to catch him on a regular basis, let alone administer the meds in his eye, so he stayed in the hospital for a week.

I remember the day he came home. Pharoah was wearing a big floppy collar to keep him from touching his eye. My human locked him in the bedroom and wouldn’t let me in. I guess she was afraid I might attack him after being gone for a whole week, but even I am not that insensitive. In a way, I even missed him.

When she opened the bedroom door, Pharoah came flying out—he was too fast for her to close the door. He charged down the stairs, dashed over to the loveseat by the living room window, plopped down on his favorite pillow, and immediately fell asleep. He didn’t move from that spot for hours. When I checked him out he seemed to have a grin on his silly face that stretched from ear to ear. Obviously, he was very grateful to be home.

My human was supposed to put drops in his eyes every day. But it was a matter of chasing him around the house and trapping him in the bathroom while one person held him down and the other person held his eye open and administered the drops. It was an ordeal for everybody and I could see Pharoah was terrified. So after doing this a few times my human gave up.

Unrelated to this situation, my human had been gradually replacing our usual food (marketed as “vet recommended”) with organic and holistic food. If you know cats, you know we DON’T like change (sorry I had to capitalize that but it was necessary to emphasize it). I was very happy with my food, thank you, both the dry food in the morning and the canned food in the evening. I was NOT happy with this change in my diet. Even though my human mixed the new organic, high protein food in with my beloved high-carb food I could see it in the dish and I picked around it. I would show her she couldn’t mess with me! Well, you try taking cookies away from your kids and replacing them with carrots!

But I have to admit, now I’ve had time to adjust to the situation, I don’t really mind the new food. In fact, I even like some of it.

But I don’t want to get away from the main subject here, so I’ll write more in-depth about the dietary transition in another blog.

For a few months after returning from the hospital, Pharoah had relapses with the eye herpes. It was very distressing as about once every week to ten days he would spend an entire day under the rocking chair—not his happy self at all.

Now I am a cat, obviously, and not a veterinarian or dietician. But is it merely a coincidence that since we have both been almost exclusively on our new holistic, high-protein diet, Pharoah has not had a recurrence of his eye problem?

His eye will never heal completely. The black pea is still there, his right eye has lost its luminescence in the dark, and during the day the eye is not as bright as the left eye. But he no longer has a discharge, and best of all, as the happiest cat on the planet, he no longer has down days. To be honest, I envy his perpetual happiness and will probably never figure it out.

(photo copyright roslyn m wilkins)

We say yes to all your pet supply needs

http://www.yespetsupplies.com/

Special Needs Pets

When they adopt a pet, of course humans want the best possible animal. Some people want a “designer” pet that will be perfect in every way: good looking, well-behaved, and easy to take care of. In that case my advice would be to buy a pet rock. Pets are the same as children—they can’t help who they are but once you have accepted the responsibility of having one, it is yours for life.

Special needs pets can be better than “perfect” pets as they are more grateful, in their own way, for the care you give them.

This subject is close to my heart as I, Friday, am a special needs pet, and so is my pal Pharoah.

When I was young I was extremely aggressive. Although I am very handsome and affectionate, I ended up at the animal shelter as my first human could not deal with me. For some reason I don’t understand my brain snaps and I go from being docile to being vicious in a nanosecond. I am a very loving cat and I certainly don’t mean to cause harm.

I am fortunate as my current human loved me enough to endure the pain I inflicted on her, waking her up at two in the morning trying to bite her nose off or sinking my teeth into her cheek. What was I thinking?

She decided to ask the vet if there was any help for my condition. Although she doesn’t like solving problems with drugs she was desperate and acquiesced to giving me a small dose of Amitriptyline Hydrochloride. I’ve been on this for twelve years now and I can testify that it has changed my life. Even my vet can’t believe what a difference it has made to me. And although I am seventy in human years my blood tests show me as healthy as a kitten.

As long as I get my dose every twenty four hours I am a calm, Zen pussycat. I no longer feel like dragons are chasing me, I no longer feel the need to scalp my human, and best of all, I can tolerate another feline in the house.

Of course, Pharoah is not the cat I would have chosen to share my space as he is certainly an inferior animal, much too fun-loving, and not at all an intellectual like myself, but he doesn’t interfere in my life so I suppose it could be worse.

And just to show how open-minded I am my next blog might even be about him!

(Photo copyright roslyn m wilkins)

Indoor Outdoor Cat

I have a riddle for you. What is black and white all over, inside and outside?

It’s me! I am a Tuxedo Cat (black and white all over) and while I am an indoor (inside) cat I also have access to the outdoors (outside). I am very fortunate as I have the best of both worlds. I have lots of stairs to run up and down inside for exercise (especially when that cat Pharoah is in hot pursuit of my tail), and I am allowed out on the roof deck and front balcony. So while I get all the fresh air I want, I stay away from the mean and dangerous streets.

As you know, I am a rather well-informed cat. I do my research on the internet when my human lets me use the keyboard. I have discovered that outdoor cats have a much shorter average lifespan than indoor cats… and although I am fourteen now I intend to live a good many years more. Outdoor cats pick up diseases from other animals, run the risk of being injured or killed by cars, or even mistreated by unthinking humans. And, best of all, indoor cats have no fleas. No harmful flea collars or flea baths for me, and my human doesn’t have to worry about fleas hiding under the bedcovers!

It isn’t just me (and my feline brothers and sisters) who fare better by living indoors. Wildlife has a better chance of thriving with domesticated kitties like myself living in the comfort of our own homes. It’s estimated that hundreds of millions of birds and up to three times that many small animals are killed each year by supposedly domesticated cats. And that’s just in the U.S. Who knows what the toll is worldwide. I’m ashamed to say that where I lived previously I caught and mutilated my share of beautiful little birds and cute little rodents. But I have mended my ways.

My pal Pharoah, on the other hand, is addicted to crickets and giant moths. He doesn’t seem to understand that the look on our human’s face when he brings a cricket or giant moth into the bedroom isn’t one of admiration. I’ve tried to explain to him that a cricket landing on her face at midnight or a giant moth hanging off the ceiling over her pillow when she wakes up in the morning is NOT her favorite thing. But at least he isn’t dragging in rats and lizards like he would be if he could be out and about in the neighborhood.

It’s time for another nap. But my feline friends, if you are an indoor cat who would like to be outside in the yard, or an outdoor cat who longs for some security, have your human check out this great product: Kitty Walk Town and Country Collection Kitty Play Set from http://www.yespetsupplies.com/. You can be part of the great outdoors while feeling safe and protected. If I didn’t have my roof deck to scamper around or take a snooze, I would ask my human for one of these sets.

Save Honey from Euthanasia

Honey is a 7-year-old mixed chow/shepard/ridgeback dog. She has five days to live unless somebody adopts her. She has always been very passive until this weekend when she killed a neighbor's cat and then turned on another dog in the household and tried to kill him. She is a smart and sweet dog and this behavior is unusual for her.If you can give Honey a home, the Humane Society will give her an adoptability evaluation. If you are interested you can contact Lori Escalera at design.etc@cox.net. Lori and Honey are in Vista, California.

Why would anybody want to wear somebody else's fur?

(Moved from old blog, originally posted Sunday, March 22, 2009)

Sure, I wear a fur coat every day... but it's my own fur! I wouldn't dream of running over to your house and stealing your coat, especially if you were still wearing it! And all in the name of fashion?

Well, as a Tuxedo Cat I am fashionable by default, just the luck of the draw, I guess. I could have been born a Tabby, ick. Maybe then I would need to steal somebody else's fur coat before going out in public.

But I really don't understand this fashion thing. Why do you have to kill an innocent baby animal just to look good? Aren't you beautiful wearing your own skin (or fur, as the case may be)? Okay, even if you are a Tabby.

Did you know that baby seals are clubbed to death to make coats? I'm relieved that cat skin coats are not fashionable. But that doesn't help the seals.

Chef Cat Cora is working with the Humane Society to stop Canada's cruel seal hunt. She says:
"This year's hunt may start as soon as this Monday! Over the last four years, more than one million seal pups have been killed -- clubbed, shot, and even skinned alive on Canada's ice floes -- in the largest marine mammal slaughter on Earth. And it's all in the name of fur fashion."

Would you want to wear a coat with such bad karma?

Help the Humane Society help the seals... boycott Canadian seafood... quick, before they decide to make a tuxedo out of a Tuxedo Cat!

Where's the Cat?

(Moved from old blog and originally posted Wednesday, March 18, 2009).

This was a difficult shot to take because of the brightness outside, the dark interior and the intermittent light through the shutters.

But if you look closely you'll see my pal Pharoah's eyes peering through the shutters. This is one of his favorite places to spy on squirrels and birds from the comfort of the living room.

(photo copyright roslyn m wilkins)

I would like to introduce myself

(Moved from old blog, originally posted Sunday, March 15, 2009).

My name is Friday and I am a Tuxedo Cat, so called because of my black coat over my white chest and legs. There are endless combinations of black and white fur among Tuxedo Cats but of course, my particular markings make for the most handsome of cats!
I was born in 1995 but I still feel like the eight-month-old I was when I took up residence with my current family.

I hold the position of Chief House Cat but, like it or not, I have to share my duties with my second-in-command, Pharoah.

Pharoah was born in 2005. He is a Champagne Tabby. He is fast as lightning, and although I am bigger and more muscular, I can't catch that speedy little guy.

I am a people cat, and even though they won't always admit it, I know that whoever visits the house has actually come to see me. Come visit me and I will go all out to make you feel welcome. But be warned, all you dog people, I will not be ignored!

Scaredy-cat Pharoah is afraid of people, ha ha, with the exception of our human servant, of course. Pharoah loves to be around me but I let him know who is boss.

Pharoah lives to be stroked and tickled by our human servant and to curl up on the bed at night. But if any other humans enter the house he usually disappears. That's fine with me, as why should he grab any of the spotlight?

Well, it's dinner time and I don't want to be rude and show up late, so that's it for now.