It's Winter and I Found a Cat. HELP!

Rescues are OVERWHELMED at all times. Here is what you should know:

Facts About Newborn Kittens

BAN THE POLAR VORTEX!

I am getting good feedback from people taking care of outdoor cats about this product:

Working Cats in Chicago Breweries!

Doing the job they've done for centuries, cats are mousing at breweries across America. Here in Chicago the tradition is continuing at Pipeworks in Logan Square!

Solutions for Indoor Cats who Don't Get Along!

I am veering off on a side note about indoor house cats who don't get along, or have aggression issues, because I had this problem in my house for 2 years! I just came across this link that really spells it out. I have never seen this laid out so simply, clearly and concisely. Get your cats up high! It solved a 2-year aggression problem in my house virtually overnight! Get rid of the baby gate, the separate rooms, don't worry so much about the Feliway, and put the jungle gym in an area all the cats like to be in. I've got one that is 6'+ and all 5 of our fuzzies hang out on it in comfort and confidence. They swish their tails while up there, they just love it. It wasn't my dream living room to have this massive structure in there, but if we want harmonious feline companions, we have to give a little!

There are only 3 cats pictured here, but I've seen 4 of my 5 up there all at one time, including the former aggressor. Height brings territory security, which is the cause of most aggression in cats. Shy ones are happier and out more, aggressive ones feel more relaxed and in charge without needing to charge around like maniacs. Our former aggressor, Cricket, is pictured on the lower right, happy as a clam and not bothering anyone. The painfully shy cat, Chewy, who was her former victim, is sitting calmly less than a foot away from her on the bottom left. They had NEVER been that close. 

I highly recommend the cat trees by ARMARKAT. You can look on their website, or look around on Amazon and eBay, where they are also sold. They are sturdy, well-designed and constructed and stylish. 

We have many assorted perches, hammocks, pedestals and beds throughout the house, and the cats use all of them interchangeably. It also helps cats keep off your furniture, and gives them something more fun and satisfying to scratch on. 

Jackson Galaxy also has a new book just out that should be a must-read about designing cat-friendly environments. I've met Jackson a few times and he is the real deal - he is exactly like how he is on TV; warm, friendly, funny and totally unpretentious. He has a fantastic website, blog and various books. 

Fantastic New Book About Community Cats!!!

A Chicago author and professional market researcher has written a fantastic book about feral cats: colony caretaking, hosting working cat colonies, trap-neuter-return, and all things community cats. It's part memoir, part interviews and case studies and part meticulous research about American attitudes toward feral cats. There is no other book like it! Get yours here

Historic Cats at Work! Click here to read about cats at war. The kittens climbing ladders to get into their bunks is adorable

Meet Millie, the Adventure Cat!

She is a rock-climber and hiker who goes on outdoor adventures with her human and even has her own set of safety and camping gear!

More Cats at Work All Over the World!

Meet KUZMA, the Russian Library Assistant! Read her story and see her video here

Cats are Stealth Rat-Killers CATS AT WORK

I was the Community Cats Coordinator at Tree House Humane Society in Chicago for 2 years, and I still volunteer with this program: Tree House specializes in feral cat relocations for outdoor cats who are at risk from poisonings, BB gun shootings, abandoned house demolitions (where the cats tend to live), indoor and outdoor cat hoarding situations, and feeders who have to move and can't take the outdoor cats they feed with them. We trap the cats and place them in x-large acclimation crates in their new environment for 3-4 weeks to get them accustomed to their new home. Dumping them somewhere without acclimation is inhumane as it causes the cats to become confused and they will attempt to find their way back to their original home and food source and that is dangerous. 

To secure their new homes we have a program called Cats at Work, where people actually request feral cats for their community gardens, personal yards, factories, stables, farms, barns and businesses, and in the case of the 47th Ward of Chicago, alleys! (see my previous posts about Cats at Work). Folks requesting feral cats for their yards and businesses must fill out applications, sign contracts, follow the protocol of the acclimation, and pay for the relocation of the cats.

In talking with these educated folks who understand that cats are the "green" and humane solution to their rat, mouse, chipmunk, rabbit and insect problems, they often ask, "if I feed the cats twice a day will they still hunt?" And the answer is OH YES THEY WILL. I also often have this conversation when I run into skeptical neighbors while I am trapping cats in alleys who are initially angry that I am planning returning the cats to the alley. 

My colony cats have lived with me for years in the yard, They are well-fed, spoiled cats who live in a heated, insulated, bi-level outdoor condo, but this is what we see all year:

And here are 2 of the 3 cats in my colony, lounging around like lazy-butts after their night of rat-killing. 

Outdoor cats kill neighborhood rats even if they are stuffed with store-bought cat food. It's their nature, their instinct, and their main hobby in life. They find the rat nests, stand over the hole, and eat the babies, thereby reducing the rat population. 

Interesting Facts About Cats

I Found a Litter of Kittens! What Do I Do?

HERE is a great article from Animal Alliance NYC about what to do if you find a litter of kittens. Below are pictures of a very young litter I rescued last week:

You CANNOT feed kittens cow's milk and do not try to give them water!! It will give them diarrhea and dehydrate them. You need kitten replacement milk and a bottle set from PetSmart. They eat tiny amounts of food so do not squeeze too much food in their little mouths. You also have to take a cotton ball and gently swirl it over their little behinds to stimulate them to pee and poo, something their mother usually does for them. They need to be on a heating pad and kept very warm. As soon as you can, call your local vet offices and animal rescue groups to see if an experienced bottle feeder is available to foster the kittens. In the meantime, please click the link above to see how it's done. 

You also must bathe them in warm water, as they are too young to groom themselves. Here is my husband bathing them in our bathroom sink:

55 Cats Trapped for World Spay Day!

Holy Hairballs! Tree House Humane Society volunteers and staff trapped 55 feral cats for World Spay Day! Here are some of them in the Bucktown clinic waiting to be snipped, tipped, chipped and returned to their respective colonies. But we did find some "friendlies" (cats who live outside but who are super friendly to humans) and those will be admitted onto the Tree House adoption floor! This always makes everyone's day when we get those.  

The covers on the traps keep the kitties calm and feeling safe. Please contact me if you'd like to know more about Trap-Neuter-Return, it's easier than you think! And you can make such a difference in your neighborhood. These "community cats" need YOUR help!!! 

How is the Trap-Neuter-Return Program Working in Chicago?

I'd like to share this link from another trap-neuter-return "Catactivist" I know who posted some incredible news yesterday on her blog http://catsinmyyard.com/, along with some pictures of "TNR" in action and a one-minute video explaining why we TNR:

What is a "Cat Colony?"

Here are a few pictures of different "managed colonies" I help care for in my neighborhood. Tree House Humane Society volunteers help each other feed and shelter feral cats who have been "TNRed" (trap-neuter-return). Tree House assists us with free dry food (and wet food when they have it), shelters, and other supplies and we in turn provide Tree House with annual reports of who is in the colonies and their status (health, description, spay/neuter status, if any have been homed or left etc). Tree House volunteers were also responsible for what I like to call "trapping gangs", groups of people who come out together and trap large numbers of cats at one time. 

This is a pretty kitty who lives in an abandoned house. She pokes her head out when we arrive but won't come out to eat until we leave!!

You can see the hole here where she pokes her head out. The boxes are feral cat shelters stuffed with straw. This is in the back basement area - outside. 

Here are a bunch of kitties enjoying breakfast in an alley. There is actually a small area between two garages on the right that is covered with a tarp where we feed them in bad weather, with 2 cat shelters inside.

This is a large wooden shelter a neighbor built, that Tree House volunteers spent hours sanitizing and rehabbing last month. It is completely insulated with foam board insulation, it has a raised floor, and is stuffed to the gills with straw, which repels moisture and is snug and warm for the kitties. We cover the food in bad weather. 

Volunteers took time to talk to neighbors to make sure they were all ok with us feeding cats on their properties, and letting them know the cats were fixed. It also helps to post a note in the feeding/shelter areas to inform neighbors that the areas are being maintained by shelter volunteers. Tree House has many great examples on their website of letters for neighbors to hand out or post. We make sure to take our cat can garbage with us and keep the areas clean and neat. 

Cats With Tips

One day, you might see a cat in your neighborhood who if you look closely, has a small section of its left ear "tipped" or removed. This means that a TNR (trap neuter return) volunteer in your neighborhood has already trapped, fixed and vaccinated this cat. The cat will also almost assuredly be microchipped and tattooed on its belly to indicate to other TNR volunteers and cat lovers in-the-know that this cat does not need to be trapped. However, if this cat is sick or injured, you can trap it and take it to any vet or shelter and have it "wanded" to check the registration on the microchip, and call the shelter it's registered with for medical and hopefully financial assistance in treating the cat. The eartipping is completely painless for the cat as it is done while the cat is under anesthesia when it was being fixed. 

Cat Town 2012

My husband is a master feral shelter builder. This is the interior and exterior of what we are happily calling Cat Town 2012! You can see the blue heated water bowl. Inside the white box is a bi-level insulated condo complete with a heated cat patio. We feed them on the shelf there, to keep their little paws off the cold ground. 

Treating cats for common eye problems

Are you seeing a cat squinting like crazy and seeing some discharge? It is having a flare up of herpes. All cats are exposed to the kitty herpes virus. Some will have recurring issues, some won't. If you can get your cat or your stray/feral cat to a vet, great, but you can also do this: Put Lysine in their food.  Get the capsules so you can open them up and mix them into their wet food. The dose is 500 mg twice a day for 5 days (total 1,000 mg/day). Lysine has a slightly salty taste, and is easily disguised by mixing with canned cat food or baby food. If that seems like a huge dose for a cat, it is--but that's what it takes to work. Once the acute episode is under control, a maintenance dose of 250 mg per day can be given indefinitely. (Thanks to http://www.catsofaustralia.com for the great info). I know there is also a gel you can get: 

Working Cats at the Hermitage Museum in Russia

Here's a great video about the staff of 75 cats who have worked as rodent control technicians at the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia for over 200 years!

Working Cats Program in Ravenswood!

Check out this link to a short article and audio interview about the Working Cats Program in Chicago! Tree House Humane Society is hiring out kittehs to work as rodent control technicians at $40 a pop! It's a pilot program, and the kittehs are achieving a 90% success rate - and the program will be expanded.