From the Furrie Leader

Hi everyone!

Here we are in mid-summer as the news stories increase about the high numbers of kittens being surrendered to shelters. I heard one radio interview with a Humane Society official in San Jose, California who said they were receiving over 50 kittens a day. Unfortunately, the official indicated that adoptions were not keeping pace with the incoming animals. We have also had many people drop in to the chat rooms and post on the message boards for assistance with orphan kittens or assisting a pregnant stray with delivering and raising her kittens. Despite the efforts of vets, shelters, rescue groups and many pet owners, there are still many people who haven’t spayed or neutered their pets. In order to reduce these astronomical numbers we all need to continue to spread the word on the importance of spay/neuter, both for the health of the animal itself, as well as the general feline population.

Ok, getting off my soapbox and on to some new features available at CatHobbyist! Have you signed up for the chat reminder email service? We offer 26 hours of hosted chats a week, including Pet Loss and some chats jointly with DogHobbyist. Sign up here: Cat Chats Also new on the chat schedule is our Dog & Cat Health Chat with a couple of our hosts who are vet technicians in real life. They have been very informative in explaining what the results of tests really mean and help demystify some of the cat and dog illnesses. Join us Wednesday evenings at 10 PM ET in the Dog Den. Although they’ve been on the schedule for some time, don’t forget about our late night chats on Thursday and Friday evenings from 11 PM to Midnight ET (8 to 9 PM PT) for those in the western time zones who feel that our other chats are too early.

I hope you find this edition of the Mewswire informative and enjoyable. Please let me know if there are topics you would like to see in future editions.

Moira O'Connor
PHAbymom
CatHobbyist.com Site Coordinator

NEW At CatHobbyist!

The lines at the bookstore getting you down? Don't have time to drive to the bookstore? Then check out the CatHobbyist Bookstore! There is a wide variety of books to chose from and even calendars and magazines!

What's more, we have a new, free email newsletter all about books.

To sign up for this free newsletter, called PetTales, go to:

PetTales

The Rescue Network

The PetHobbyist family of websites is proud to provide a number of free services to rescue groups and shelters through our Rescue Network. If you work with or run a shelter or rescue organization, please visit the Rescue Network site and sign up - in addition to be listed in our locator, you can get free webhosting, a free adoption classifieds account, free photo gallery space to publicize available pets, and assistance with promotion. We're here to help! If you have any questions, please contact our Rescue Coordinator for assistance.

Seventh Annual Chat Week: Who Would YOU Like to See?

The Seventh Annual Chat Week on CatHobbyist.com will be held a bit later in the winter than in previous years, from February 27-March 5, 2005, in order to allow our staff, users, and guests to spend the holidays with their family. We are already building our lineup of guests, but would love to hear your suggestions. If you would like to be a guest, or know of someone you'd like to see as a guest, or even a topic or subject you'd like to see covered during chat week, please use this link to let us know:

Contact PHChristy

Please be sure to give contact information for a guest you are suggesting, if possible.

As we confirm dates and add guests, the complete schedule for Chat Week 7 will appear on our main Chat Week page, with more complete site-specific schedules appearing at the links to the right. This page will also include a list of confirmed guests who are not yet scheduled for a specific date and time, as well as directions on how to attend the chat and where to find more complete information.

The Spirit of the Season

With the coming of the holiday season, we all get involved with preparations for our own celebrations. There are many pleas for contributions to aid those less well off, whether they be Toys for Tots, Food Banks or so many others. Less heard from are the animal shelters and rescue groups who work all year long to find homes for the homeless and forgotten animals. In the spirit of giving, consider animal organizations in your plans.

When making a donation to a food bank, I usually try to add a can or bag of pet food along with the human food donation as many of the food banks have clients with pets. If a few food items can help, so can a bag of cat food. Check with your local food bank to see if they will accept such contributions.

Many shelters have wish lists on their websites requesting things such as pet toys, food donations, blankets, towels and more elaborate items. My local shelter has an air-conditioned cargo van on their wish list! Of course, many groups would love to have money or volunteers to contribute time, too. The small rescue groups can always use assistance, especially at the holidays. They often don’t receive the public attention of the larger organizations.

Other areas also receiving less attention are the research foundations and veterinary schools that accept donations for general research, some even offer programs for specific breeds, conditions or illnesses. A friend has a cat with a heart condition. She often suggests that in lieu of a gift, she would prefer a contribution to the fund that provides research grants for her cat’s condition.

Most of these organizations qualify as charitable, thus contributions of money or goods can be tax deductible. Verify the status before you give and ask for a receipt.

Thinking of the animals in need, as well as the humans, during the holiday season can provide the peaceful and warm feeling that is gratifying.

Have A Happy, Healthy Holiday Season With Your Cat

This is probably the most dangerous time of year for our feline (and canine) family members.

Also, as terrific as it sounds, it is not a good time to bring in a new family member Pets are for Life . Following are a few of the things to beware of and be aware of during the holiday season.

Holiday Décor

Tinsel is a beautiful thing on the tree, but is a real danger to cats that can’t resist taking a swipe or two at it and then a taste. Ribbons are also a danger; especially the plastic coated or stretchy type. If eaten, they can cause a severe blockage or in some cases the plastics harden and become like razor blades in the cat’s stomach. I was at a cat show many years ago where a breeder was telling of her prize-winning cat, who had eaten one of the plastic stretch ribbons. It had become kinked up and was like a 1,000 sharp edges in the cat’s stomach. She brought the ribbon in to show as she wanted everyone to know of the hazard.

Electrical cords and holiday lights can also fascinate the cat. Do not leave your cat unsupervised around the Christmas tree. Not only are the electrical cords dangerous, but the needles off of a real or artificial tree can be a danger. Ornaments should be unbreakable, such as cloth, wood, plastic or metal. Your treasured glass ornaments handed down through the family should not go on your tree.

There are many tips for anchoring a Christmas tree, from fastening it to the wall or hanging from the ceiling to putting the tree in a large cage. Years ago my father helped me with a tip-proof tree stand. He took an old car wheel, complete with tire that had a hole in the center big enough for the tree trunk. It was also high enough to fit a stainless steel mixing bowl underneath to hold water. Once the tree was situated, he took picture wire and wove it through the lug nut holes and up around the branches close to the trunk to secure the tree. Not only was the tree tip-proof, but the cats could not get to the water reservoir to play and/or drink and there were some other spaces in the rim that were useful for adding more water when needed. When covered up with a white sheet with the tree skirt on top, no one would guess there was an old wheel underneath.

Poinsettias are on some of the toxic plant lists and other experts say they’re safe around cats. I am not a scientist so I can’t say one side is right or the other is wrong. I don’t bring them in my house. I do know the sap can be irritating to human skin, therefore it probably is to a cat as well. The same goes for mistletoe, holly and other botanical holiday decorations. I’d rather use fake (er faux) than be sorry.

Candles can be a danger to cats at any time of year, and never leave a candle burning unattended. From singed whiskers to serious burns from a tail that was too near the flame, make certain you place any candles in a place where the cats are protected. Hurricane glass covers are nice and provide some protection but may not be totally cat-proof.

Another danger zone is holiday visitors. Your friends and family probably know how much you love your cat, but it doesn’t always occur to them that your cat is indoor only and standing at the front door with it wide open is a serious hazard. Plus, most cats are a bit upset when there are many people coming and going. I’ve had good luck in putting the cat in a bedroom with the door closed until all the guests have arrived, then letting the cat decide whether or not to join the party. I’ve had party animals and scaredy cats and found that I enjoy the party more when the cat(s) have the option of attending or not.

The biggest danger to the party animal cats is that they can get very sick by partaking of all the food put out for your guests. While I am the first to offer some cheese or another treat to my cat, a whole bowl of clam dip may necessitate a quick trip to the vet for a stomach pumping. I know my vet would not appreciate leaving his family to come in and do that on Christmas Eve! As I said, I frequently will offer my cat a treat of cheese or meat, even veggies, but no more than a small nibble at a time. I have to admit, that with Abyssinians, that can be an oxymoron, they are food-driven and will try almost anything that resembles food. The turkey or chicken carcass left on the counter in the kitchen is also an attractive nuisance. Cooked poultry bones can shatter causing sharp points that could perforate internal organs. If it isn’t ready for the refrigerator, hide it in the microwave or under a large mixing bowl turned upside down. Be aware of the garbage pail, too as it can also be a magnet for a furry nose.

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