July is anti boredom month.

See our July Newsletter “The Scoop” for more tips on how to relive boredom.

One thing I have personally found that works is the cat stroller! This is a safe alternative to letting your kitty go outside. It is a stroller made for pets; it has a screen you zip over the seat so the kitty cannot get out.

I never force my cats to get into the stroller to take walks. All I have to do I say is “Want to go for a walk? Get into your stroller” They jump in. I find them napping in the stroller inside the house when were not outside using it. So they like it. I did find out my two cats did not like to go in the stroller together, so I was taking one around the block, then switching cats. Until, I was given a double cat stroller.

You should see the looks and comments we get from people we pass on the sidewalks. I have taken Ute to the farmers market, to a local restaurant that has an outside patio. They allow dogs, so they said he could sit outside too. I will also take them out on my patio to sit with me while I am outside.

The cats sit up tall and proud as we walk the streets. It is fun for all of us to get out after dinner and take a stroll.

What to do with an unwanted cat

We have been on the subject of the overpopulation of stray cats and in the shelters. Almost daily some one calls asking where they can take a cat they no longer can keep. Or that they found as a stray in the yard.

Here is a list of things you can do, or sites you can visit or call if you find yourself in this position.

Finding a Home for Kitty

Where to go if you cannot care for your cat or have found a stray

Each year in the U.S., about 4 million homeless dogs, cats and other pets are euthanized in shelters. In Michigan alone, more than 60,000 cats and kittens are euthanized each year (only includes shelters reporting euthanasia rates to the State of Michigan). Some shelters euthanize 75% or more of the cats that are in their care.

The sad reality is, many animal shelters are overcrowded and have to make room for more animals to come in. This unfortunate pattern gets repeated over and over again.

If you have a cat that you can no longer care for – or if you have found a stray cat or kitten – you have a number of options before surrendering the pet to an animal shelter. Please consider:

1. Try every way possible to keep the cat.

Even though cats often live 20 years or more, many people favor younger cats or kittens. If your cat is more than 5-6 years old, his/her chances of getting adopted are not as good as for younger cats. Think about what you can do to keep your cat or give a home to a homeless stray. If you need assistance, there is help available for:

· Pet food -- Find pet food pantries around Michigan at http://www.petco.com/petco_Page_PC_foundationfoodbank.aspx

· Veterinary care – Many low-cost spay/neuter clinics not only offer sterilization, but often provide low-cost vaccines. For a list of Michigan clinics, go to http://www.nootersclub.org/lowcostspayneuter.htm

Also ask your veterinarian about payment plans such as those offered through Care Credit. Some veterinary practices also maintain special funds for pets in need.

· Pet peace at home -- Ask your veterinarian for advice in helping pets get along with each other. Or go to http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/cats/tips/introducing_new_cat.html

http://www.aspcabehavior.org/articles/26/Introducing-Your-Cat-to-a-New-Cat.aspx

· Socializing pets – If you have a stray cat that needs some TLC, get socializing tips at http://www.bestfriends.org/nomorehomelesspets/pdf/CatSocialization.pdf

2.

Get your cat spayed/neutered and health checked.

If you have made up your mind that you cannot keep your cat, make sure that your cat is spayed (female) or neutered (male) and has had a recent wellness exam. This will make it easier to find another home. See number 1 above for low-cost spay/neuter clinics if you need assistance.

3. Ask friends, family, neighbors and co-workers.

Your best option for finding a new home for your cat is among the people you know. But first, put together information that will show them how wonderful your cat is – include:

· Great photo – a must! Video - even better!

· Description – what they will love about your kitty: what makes kitty special, cute traits, playtime habits!

· Health/veterinary care.

Email this to everyone you can think of in your contact list – and ask them to forward it to others!

4. Contact local pet supplies stores.

Many of the large pet supplies chains have in-store pet adoption areas. Call or visit your local stores to see if they are willing to put your cat up for adoption. (Many of them work directly with outside rescue groups, so don’t be surprised if you are referred to one of them. ) NEVER show up and expect the store to take your pet; ALWAYS contact the manager beforehand.

5. Contact no-kill rescue groups.

There are numerous rescue groups that are run by volunteers usually operating foster care networks out of their homes. A great place to find the ones in your area is go to

www.petfinder.com and enter your zip code just like you are looking for a pet. The local groups will be listed along with their contact info. But be patient if you don’t get a call back right away; the volunteers are often busy caring for foster pets. You may have to contact multiple groups; also be willing to offer donations of pet food, money or supplies to help with the cat’s care.

6. A shelter should be your last choice.

As mentioned earlier, most shelters are already overcrowded. If that is your only option, research those with low animal kill rates. Find adoption and kill rates for the State of Michigan at http://www.michigan.gov/mdard/0,1607,7-125-1569_16979_21260---,00.html

7. Finally . . . .

NEVER, EVER just leave your pet at any of the above places without going through the regular surrender process. Not only is it cruel and inhumane to abandon a pet. It is against the law.

Please help us find Marmalade a home.

She is a ton of fun; she loves to play with other cats, and toys. Is EXTREMLY good with children. Is very smart, and always wants to be in the same room with you, and watch what is going on. We just love having her here with us. But that is not fair to her; we want her to have a loving home, and person to snuggle up with at night, all the comforts of home.

We rescued her from the shelter months ago that was going to euthanize her. All because she had an Upper Respiratory infection, and that was contagious to other cats. We treated her, she became well very quickly. Then she started to pull out her fur. We ran all kinds of tests on her. We could not find a medical reason for her hair loss.

We placed her on allergy medicine. Which did not make much of a difference. Plus she did not like us giving her medication twice a day.

We figured out that she is very bright, (she is a tortie, so of course she is!) She needs a good amount of activity throughout the day and stimulation. She has become bored here, as well as a bit stressed with the other cats here. She does love to play with others, but some don’t want to play with her, and that causes her stress.

She is a great cat, just missing some hair. Again, she is very healthy.

We have been talking about stray cats, and their over population. I want to share with you my experience I had while in Turkey and Greece last fall.

I was shocked how many stray animals there were on the streets. From the ancient ruins of the Acropolis in Greece: to the Blue Mosque in Istanbul.

Being a technician I noticed that many of these cats had an ear clipped, which in the States means they have been spayed or neutered (part of a “trap & release program) Now I know it is recognized in other countries as well. The dogs appeared to have their ears tagged.

I asked the locals around, to try to get more information. “Who does this? The government? “This was harder to find out then you might think. I do not speak Turkish or Greek, and many locals did not understand what I was asking in English. The program to care for these animals is run purely by volunteers and donations to keep these animals altered so that the population can be controlled. Again take with a grain of salt, as the translation might be off. But the end result is: They are much loved and taken care of by the community as well as the tourists.

It was fun to see many of the businesses had one or two cats. They would not call them their own, but the shopkeepers would tell you the cats’ name and the cat would nap in the same store, on the same rug everyday! Even one of the hotels I stayed at had a mascot dog that slept by the bellhop.

The restaurants seamed to have families of cats. They owners did not seem to mind. Again not being able to speak Turkish or Greek it was hard to tell.

What I did get out of one waitress was:” just don’t put the meat on the ground, place it on a napkin, or the floor gets greasy.”

I wanted to find out more about these programs once I returned home. I only came across one article from a behaviorist who spoke at a conference in Turkey. They had more facts on the stray animals. It is more about the dogs, but I still found interesting.

http://animalbehaviorassociates.com/blog/401/turkish-cats-and-dogs/managing-street-dogs-cats-turkey/

July's Anni-FUR-Sary

Our 30^th Anni- FUR -Sary celebration for July:

Be one of the first 30 kitties to have a microchip placed in July, and get one of our Go Cat toys for free. These are fun interactive toys for your kitties, to help relive boredom.

Our belief is all pets should be microchipped; as a precautionary measure; if by chance an unforeseen event occurs. As you speak to people, they all have stories of their cats getting out. Movers, deliverymen, break-ins, children leaving doors open, window screens breaking, the list is endless.

It is simple to place the chip, and the chip is so small your kitty does not know it is in place. Plus you’ll have peace of mine knowing if somehow your beloved got out, once he was found he would be scanned and returned to you.

Why we are celebrating our kittens.

As we are celebrating the joyous occasion of the births of our kittens,

There is another fact we have not stated: The amount of homeless cats and dogs currently present.

The Oakland Pet Adoption Center in Auburn Hills, MI, takes in more then 5,000 homeless animals per year: more than 3,500 of these are cats. That is only Oakland County alone! There is an estimated 8 million unwanted animals in the country.

All animals should be spayed and neutered before they reach sexual maturity, or as soon as possible. There is not a sound medical reason for cats to have one litter. In fact the longer a cat goes into heat, their chances of mammary cancer increases.

We are posting the pictures of the birth of the kittens, and daily progress to share the miracle of birth, as many people do not get to witness this process. People want to see this, have their children experience babies. However there are not enough people to adopt all of these babies.

We rescued these two calicos from the shelter, as they were very sick. They were running fevers over 104! They could not breath well, as they were so congested. We were not aware they were pregnant when they 1^st arrived. The Calico’s did not mention this to us. (They were not very good at informing their Dr’s of their current situation). Once we found out, we knew we had to celebrate and share this experience with all.

For more information, and how you can help the overpopulation click on this link.

http://www.idausa.org/facts/overpopulation.html

Video of unborn babies heart

Our pregnant calico cats are getting really close to giving birth.

We are so excited; every morning when we come into work it is the first thing we look for. Many of our clients are calling, emailing, and checking for updates on Facebook. They have not given birth yet. “Jigsaw” when she first arrived was running a very high fever and lost one baby. We are still a bit concerned about the overall health of the babies. We ultra sounded the moms today.

Good news: The babies still have heartbeats! I videotaped the ultra sound. I know many of you cannot read ultrasounds, but what everyone can see is the movement on the top of the screen. That is the heart beating.

We have a started a list of people who are lining up to adopt these kittens. Also the Moms need homes after their maternal duties are over. If you’re interested please email us at meowmail@thecatpracticepc.com

We cannot guarantee how many they will have, but if you are interested we will call the people on the list.