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.

Chief Is looking for a home

Our Chief is looking for a home.

Many of you already know our clinic cat “Chief” He is a large brown tabby who pretty much decides when he want to socialize or not. Chief has also decided that at his age (9 years) he would rather be in a home than in a veterinary hospital. He thinks there’s just too much going on with all the cats and people coming in everyday.

So Chief is looking for a new home. We will sadly miss him, but we want what’s best for Chief.

Chief is best with the same people in a predictable setting. He is unsure about strange people trying to touch him and gets nervous when he sees unfamiliar faces. But when he gets to know you and trust you he is willing to give so much love. When he loves you, he follows you around, he enjoys being petted, and gives you head butts to show you his affection. He likes to sit and cuddle. He always tries to lay next to the receptionists. He likes to help them type, block their view from the screens and has even hung up the phone accidentally. Chief is a very special cat who also likes other cats.

His favorite thing to do in the front area is to be lifted up while he looks outside the window at the birds. The whole time purring while being held. His second favorite past time is making sure all our kittens that are up for adoption are learning how to become cats. He watches out for them. He really enjoys playing “Dad” to them. His third favorite past time is rolling around in the cat nip left behind I the exam rooms.

Chief is a very sensitive cat who needs a stable home. He was abandoned at The Cat Practice years ago and this may be why he is in such need of security. Many of us have fallen in love with Chief, but are unable to adopt him since many of us have full houses already.

Chief needs a home where he can relax and just be a cat. If you would like to find out more about Chief, please email Margey at: meowmail@thecatpracticepc.com. or call 248-540-3390.

Nation Hug Your Cat Day

It Is National Hug your Cat Day.

I heard about “Hug your cat day” from a few people, all giving me a different date it is celebrated on.

I googled it to find out the correct date, and It turns out many sites claim it on different days from May 24^th to June 4^th.

It really does not matter, what matters the most is to hug you cat every day you can. Or what ever form of affection they prefer. A chin scratch, a pat on the head, a belly rub.

Think about how great that hug feels when you hold their face next to yours, so soft.

Is there anything better then a cat? I think not.

So go home and hug your loved ones, all of them, furry or not. I think more people should get more hugs.

Here is a link about the health benefits for people who get more hugs, and who own pets.

http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/articles/2009/04/20/animal_attraction/

The Physical benefits are not the only things passed on in a hug. Hugs also help people to bond on an emotional level. Hugs increase feelings of safety, security, trust, strength, healing, self worth, belonging, happiness, and appreciation.

Do you think animals get the same benefits? Do you think if we hug them everyday we can help them live a longer / healthier life?

Do they like the way a hug feels? Some are probably like people, some like touching, some do not. As hard as I tried, I cannot find any studies on this. But we at The Cat Practice feel that cats that are loved live a longer, healthier life. Also they do produce endorphins like as, so they probably do also get health benefits from the hug like us humans do.

Loose Screen, now my kitty is gone

Please check your screens in your windows prior to opening up the windows.

Don’t put yourself in the position I am in now.

I have been a nervous wreck for the past 8 days. Last Tuesday I opened my windows to let in fresh air. The cats love this. I have moved into a new place and thought I tested the screens, and they seemed secure to me.

But I happened to look at the window at 11pm and saw Ari my cat in the window without a screen in it. I got up and shut the window.

Ari would not let me sleep he was crying, running from window to window. I had to get up as he was in such distress. I looked out a window and saw Ira my other cat outside. (I found him outside as a feral cat in my previous home. So he is a nervous cat, one who will not let me pick him up. But he is very loving and playful.)

I went outside to coax him in, but with his feral beginning, he ran. I live in a wooded area, and it is very dark. So I had to go to bed without finding him. You can imagine how horrible I felt. I think I have cried more tears then it has rained.

That night I locked the other cats up in a room and left the window open, so he could find his way back.

He has not been back. I had to shut the windows with all the rain, and how cold it has been. I have not been able to find him, I think I know where he is, but I just can’t see him.

My search has been difficult with all the rainstorms. I feel like I am always cold and wet. I have out live traps to hopefully catch him once he becomes hungry enough.

SO PLEASE, really check your screens to be sure they are very secure. I know he did not push out the screen, he just leaned on it & it fell out. He does not like it outside.