Many cats are born in the wild and have very difficult time finding shelter food and water.  I have seven cats of which two (Jessie Jane and Michael picture left) are feral cats found as kittens in a neighbors barn.  Once I had the cats visit the vet to review their health, I had to contain them in the bedroom to keep them away the other cats.  I put food and water out, introduced them to the litter box and bought them toys so they wouldn’t get bored.   They both spent for about two weeks hiding under the bed, hissing, meowing and otherwise letting their displeasure be known.  Then came the time to start taming the pair of kittens to me and the rest of the cats.

Taming these lovely cats required talking to them.  Using a calming, soothing tone and talking softly.  I had to let them come to me not making any sudden moves.  Once they felt comfortable with me and the surroundings I started introducing them to the other cats.  This took almost two months of hiding, hissing and letting the other cats know of their displeasure.

Ferrel cats can make beautiful life time friends. Once your new Ferrel kittens are settled in, getting along with the family of feline friends, you will have a cat that will give you love for years. These cats can be standoffish or very cuddly. It depends on you and circumstances. The cuddly ones will be wonderful pets, and the standoffish ones will be very attached to you but won’t care for strangers at all. It will take time. How much time it takes will depend on the cat. Eventually, that cat who wouldn’t come near you or would bite and scratch if you got too close, will wrap itself around your legs and purr.

If you don’t ever adopt Ferrel the cats around your home, you should at least provide them with food and provide an out door cat house to protect them from cold weather in the winter.

  Cali - August 2008 to December 10, 2009

 As most of you know, I recently found something to brag about at least as much as I did my grandson, Cali, my precious kitty. She adopted me in August. Out of 100+ cats housed at Nine Lives No-Kill Shelter in Redwood City, she wasmy first choice. Although there was a second choice cat, she didn’t even come close. Probably because Cali picked me! Every time I walked by her cage my little kitty reached through the bars with her paw and batted me. I knew she was saying “pick me, pick me!” When I took her into the get acquainted room I knew she was the perfect kitty for me. She immediately snuggled into my lap and rubbed and purred so loud you could hear her clear across the room. “Check!” I wanted an affectionate kitty. Next she ran across the room and started scratching on the scratching post. “Check!” I wanted a kitty who wouldn’t claw the furniture. Next she found a feather on the floor and started batting it around. “Check!” I wanted a playful kitty. Next she climbed into a little cubby and curled up. “Check!” I wanted a kitty who would sleep in her kitty bed. Next, she started eating dry cat food. “Check!” I wanted a kitty who would eat dry food. Next she ran over and climbed into her litter box. “Check!” I wanted a kitty who was potty trained. Not to mention that, “Check!” she was a girl kitty and “Check!” she was a small kitty and “Check!” she was about a year old kitty. I could go on and on and on.

 I completed the adoption papers and then waited anxiously for her to be spayed and micro chipped. It took longer than expected because the vet ran out of micro chips. Alas, when she was finally ready my roommate gave notice that he was moving out. I decided it would be irresponsible for me to adopt a kitty when I needed to find a roommate because so many people are allergic. I told my friend and employer, Emily, about my problem and she suggested that I ask the shelter to hold Cali for two weeks while I found a new roommate. Oh happy days! I found a roommate who was more than happy to share the apartment with a kitty.

  When at long last I picked her up, the clinic said they would hold off on sending in the micro chip information for two weeks to make sure that kitty and I were compatible. When we got home I took Cali out of her carrier and she immediately curled up in my lap, rubbing against my hand and purring to no end. I immediately ran to get my phone and called the shelter. I told them not to bother to wait two weeks before finalizing the adoption. “There is nothing this kitty could do that would make me want to return her.” From the first moment I spent with her I knew she was born to be my kitty. I loved her with all my heart. When I came home from work I could hear her collar jingling as she ran to the door to greet me. She had to sleep right on me. She even got up to go to the bathroom with me in the middle of the night. She was more like a dog than a cat in personality. She even rolled from side to side on her back to make sure I scratched all over her belly. Curious isn’t the word. Cali would jump into any cubby that was open. She loved to hang out in the 5 quart dutch oven in my pots and pans cupboard. I had to be very careful when I picked up bags off the floor because 9 times out of 10 she would be hiding inside. She loved to frolic and play and purr. 

When I went to spend time with my son in North Carolina after his one year deployment in Iraq I hired a 24/7 babysitter for Cali. I literally called every day to make sure she was sleeping with her and feeding her and cuddling with her. When at last I returned home, I was sad because Cali didn’t run to greet me at the door. In fact, she seemed so depressed I thought she was traumatized over my leaving. Give it a couple of days, I thought and she’ll be back to normal. Well, a day turned into a week and it became obvious that something more was bothering Cali than feeling upset over my being gone. She became lethargic and, although, she would still purr I could no longer hear it. I had to feel for the vibration in her neck in order to know she was purring. Her fur started to look mangy.  

Last Monday night she sat on me all night just staring at me. She didn’t really sleep. Rather she just stared at me with her head drooping down. It was hot so I kept moving her off of me but she would climb back on immediately. Tuesday I rushed her to the vet. The vet put her on IV fluids and antibiotics but it was obvious after 48 hours that she was not going to get better. She went down hill rapidly. The vet diagnosed her with FIP, a fatal cat disease. All cats carry the virus but only 10% ever develop full blown FIP. Unfortunately, my little Cali fell into that minority. 

The vet told me the most humane thing to do was to put her to sleep. I sobbed hysterically and I didn’t want to do it. I especially didn’t want to watch her die. But I couldn’t stand the thought of her dying alone. I decided it was worth feeling the pain of watching her die in order to give her comfort. I would want someone to hold my hand if I was passing on. I petted her and kissed her and thanked her so much for bringing such joy into my lonely home life. After she passed, Dr. Thompson tenderly curled her around three little pink flowers. Cali was the best kitty ever and even though she wasn’t with me very long, I will forever miss her and I still believe that she was born to be my kitty.

Poor little Cali had lived in a cage at the shelter for 8 months before I adopted her. I can tell you that although she only had 3 and 1/2 months with me she lived like a princess and was loved as if she had lived a hundred years.

The vet who took care of her is Dr. Thompson who also runs the no-kill shelter in Redwood City. She donates (literally) all proceeds from her veterinary clinic into taking care of hundreds of cats at the shelter. Dr. Thompson is a rare person who is trying to save all cats, a dozen at a time. She is very compassionate. As a matter of fact, Dr, Thompson only charged me $65 (an outside lab fee) for all the care she gave Cali, including two days care with IVs, antibiotics, various tests and euthanasia. 

 It is very expensive to run a shelter of that magnitude and I would very much appreciate it if you would donate something to the shelter in Cali’s memory. It doesn’t have to be much. Every bag of cat food or sack of litter helps.

 Here is the link to the Nine Lives Foundation:

 http://www.ninelivesfoundation.org/

 Please forgive me if this email is full of typos. I cannot bring myself to proof read it because it will make me cry.

 Love you all,

 Janessa

 The above memorial was a customers email we wanted to share with all cat lovers.

Joey & JJ 

 Thank you for sending me such a beautiful cat collar for my beloved kitty, Cali. Unfortunately, Cali went to kitty heaven on December 10th. She died of FIP and I am heartbroken. I know you probably won’t want to spend time reading a tribute to a kitty you never knew but, just in case, I am attaching the one I wrote for Cali.

The reason I am writing to you is that I have been wearing Cali’s collar as a bracelet to honor her memory. For some reason the little heart that came attached to the collar fell off and I can’t find it anywhere. The large, engraved heart is still attached but I want to keep the whole collar intact. Would you please tell me how much it will cost to replace the heart?

Last but not least, I am debating whether or not to buy a new kitty her own collar or replace the heart ID tag and use Cali’s. Is there a protocol on such quandaries?

Again, thanks for brightening Cali’s world if only for a few weeks.

We know how much you care about cats and want to help protect them. Now you can celebrate NFCD by reaching out to others with the message that feral cats are healthy and happy outdoors and that Trap-Neuter-Return improves cats’ lives. Get involved and show your support for stray and feral cats by distributing educational materials or hosting local events like workshops, fundraisers, or special neuter clinic days.  Here are some suggestions from Alley Cat Allies Read a list of events and activities ideas.

Several things you might try are Trap-Neuter-Return effort—in your backyard or throughout your community, or help your feral cat friends by providing an outdoor cat house for the winter.

With your help, we can truly make a difference in cats’ lives. You can be their voice—on National Feral Cat Day, and all year round.

I feel thankful that these feral cats are outdoors instead of in our nation’s animal pound and shelter system where they face certain death…I feel thankful that Alley Cat Allies can provide the advice to help caregivers care for the colonies that they love…And I feel thankful that our educational campaigns are teaching citizens across the nation about the best ways to care for feral cats this winter.

Yet as winter approaches, I am also terrified.  Terrified that well meaning citizens who haven’t heard the message people will trap and take cats to animal pounds, hoping to get them out of the cold.  Terrified that the flawed policies of shelters and local governments around the country will be carried out, and that cats will be killed instead of being allowed to live long, happy, healthy lives outdoors.

As you walk outside this week and the incoming cold breeze passes, I hope that you, like me, are thankful for the thousands of people who lovingly care for cats around this nation. And I hope you understand why we need to help these cats by providing a outdoor cat house on your property that will protect them for the winter months.

I have seen many people even use their purses, overnight bag, jogging bag and even just plain old boxes. Just as amazing to me are to see people use these inappropriate carrying paraphernalia to take the cats around town.

Since my accident loosing my cat for a hour, I went on-line a purchase the Sherpa Cat Carrier. Now my cat Jazz is very comfortable and makes things much easier for me. I later found out that the cat carrier could be used on Airline for in cabin travel. Your carrier just fits under the seat in front of you and now your cat can travel with you every where in this little world.  Thanks to Sherpa for making a world wide travel kit my cat.

Before I started using my new cat carrier, l left Jazz cat to lounge in the carrier so he could get to know the new space. Remember this is a moving environment and should be a pleasant experience for you and your cat. I put some of his favorite treats and toys in the bag and slowly move him around in the new carrier until he felt comfortable. Now he travels everywhere in comfort.

When welcome a new kitten into your home, it’s important to have all the necessary supplies at the ready.  This means more than having food and a cat box of course, though those supplies are the first to think about.  You also want to ensure that you have a cat collar, a scratching post, a cat tree (or somewhere for the kitten to sleep), a brush, and of course an assortment of cat toys.  These cat supplies are all essential in their own right.  The purpose of the collar should be obvious, and it’s good to have kittens accustomed to wearing a collar while they’re young.  The scratching post is so that they don’t target your furniture instead!  Cat trees can also often serve as scratching posts, but it’s kittens need to learn to climb and also have somewhere to retreat if they feel threatened.  Make sure you start brushing your kitten while they’re young, otherwise they won’t like it when they’re older.  The cat toys are of course to build a rapport between owner and kitten. 

Having these supplies on hand when you’re welcoming your kitten into your home is a great idea.  It’s important that kittens get accustomed to all of these supplies while they’re young, otherwise they might become unruly with age!

What’s up my homies! This is your feline aficionado Franky Fresh again, and I want to tell ya’ll a tale about my favorite feline King K. Now all the haters out there will deny this, but King K’s cat house was almost featured on an episode of MTV’s cribs! Now I know what ya’ll are saying, “Hey Franky, King K’s no celebrity!”. Well ya’ll would be right about that, but King K has a reputation around this hood, and ain’t nobody who denies that he has the flyest cat house on the west coast.

King K’s cat house didn’t just happen over night, that stuff took years to customize and design. It began from just a standard cat house that you can buy from any pet store, then over time me and King K tricked that stuff out. We put in a Jacuzzi (cause King K likes the water, he’s straight crazy like that), and also added a moon roof, aquariums with live fish, and a serious sound system for bumping the fresh beats. All the other cats around the hood want to party at King K’s place. His cat house get so wild on the weekends that sometimes the Fire Marshal gets all up in here! It’s straight crazy ya’ll.

Yo Yo power to the cat lovers out there! This is your boy Franky Fresh again, and I’m here to lay down the word about a fly feline who goes by the name of King K. Now King K is a standard Siamese cat with a passion for gold, platinum, and diamond cat jewelry. Like all cats, King K doesn’t care too much for wearing clothing, but he keeps it fresh with the hottest jewelry for his cat collar. In fact, when me and King K go riding in my tricked out Cadillac, the whole neighborhood knows me and King K own the streets flossing with our gold and platinum cat jewelry.

But despite our success, me and King K keep it real and give back to the community too. King K is always down for sharing his tuna with those other cats who are out there grinding, and me, well I donate money and King K’s old cat collars and cat jewelry
to the local animal shelter. We’re the kind of OG’s who know how to take care of our neighborhood.

I don’t know about you, but I can’t keep my cats off the computer keyboard, particularly if I’m attempting to type.  The Kitt-In Box provides a place for a cat nest within belly rubbing distance, and can be affixed to the side or top of a desk with protective feet on the bottom.  Cats like the soft foam cushion (with machine washable cushion cover) and high walls, which remind them of the empty cardboard boxes they can never resist. 

Kitt-In Box supports 20 pounds, so it can accommodate a king- or queen-sized cat as well as some smaller dogs.  It offers solid pine construction that adjusts to several positions and is offered in birch, cherry, or mahogany stains to fit any home or office decor.  This may be the most useful cat furniture ever invented—at least for people!