Cat Toy Tuesday 5

Today's Cat Toy Tuesday features the Bolt Laser by FoliCat!

It's a cool laser that can be used on a manual mode or a super handy automatic mode. You can just set it on the floor or counter and it'll move randomly for 15 minutes. It's definitely convenient when the kittens need controlled play time but you have a lot to do! 

Hazel and Gus loved the bolt! I just had to turn it on and they were busy playing while I was able to get ready for classes or do some studying!

You can get the bolt at a lot of pet stores or you can find it here on the FroliCat website along with their other cool toys!
http://store.petsafe.net/frolicat-bolt

It's World Rabies Day

Today is world rabies day, so what else would I post about other than rabies!

What is rabies? Rabies is this awful virus that can infect warm-blooded animals, we mostly hear about it in raccoons, skunks, and bats, but any animal can become infected--including humans! Rabies is a deadly disease that is transmitted through bites (or saliva getting into an open wound). It travels to the brain and causing clinical signs associated with 3 stages. the Prodromal stage is first and includes signs such as behavior changes, dementia, restlessness, "fly biting", and random vocalization. The next stage is the Furious stage which includes signs like excitability and seemingly uncontrolled tendency to bite or eat anything. The last stage is the Paralytic stage which shows signs like seizures and paralysis starting at the back legs and making its way up the body-- once the respiratory muscles are paralyzed the animal cannot breath and they die. 

Sooo, rabies sucks and this is why vaccinating for rabies is super important, in fact its the law. So find out what your state law and veterinarian requires for vaccine protocols and get your pets vaccinated!! 

Bottle Babies

One type of animal that is in high demand for foster care are "bottle babies". I have some experience with bottle kittens so that is what I will be talking about-- although some of this will also apply to puppies. As always please leave comments about your experiences and any tips you have. I admit my experience with bottle babies is limited. 

So bottles babies are ridiculously adorable, but they require a lot of care. First, what is a bottle baby? A bottle baby is a kitten or puppy that still requires nursing but is no longer with their mother (typically found orphaned) so they rely on you to bottle feed them and provide other motherly care. Kittens are usually weaned around 3 weeks so until then they are considered bottle babies. 

Bottle babies require extra care including: 
Warmth-- heating pads and lots of blankets. They are unable to regulate their own body temperature at this age. (if you use a heating pad make sure there is room for them to get off of the heating pad in case they get too warm) 

Isolation from other animals-- their immune system isn't fully functioning and they are not vaccinated so they are more susceptible to diseases. 

Feeding-- Feeding needs to be done every 2-4 hours depending on the age of the kitten. Amount depends on size of kitten. Only use products specially made for bottle kittens-- like KMR. The shelter will generally provide this. Follow directions for mixing and make sure it is warm- but not too hot. Be careful heating in the microwave because it can heat unevenly. When feeding allow the kitten to be positioned upright (not on its back like a baby). You'll know it has latched on if you see the ears moving up and down (its the cutest thing ever). Feel their belly after they eat to make sure it full, but not distended (It should be big but not hard).  Weigh the kittens daily with a gram scale to make sure they are gaining weight. 

Me bottle feeding Minnie

Stimulate pottying-- this is the part some people are turned off by, but its really not that bad. At this age the kittens are unable to go potty by themselves. Usually the mom takes care of this but since our bottle babies are orphaned it is now our job. The easiest way I have found to do it is to use a wash cloth and get it wet with warm water. Then rub the kitties bum with it until they potty (do this over the sink or trash can). 

Lots of Love-- give them lots of love and snuggles. They are missing the love from mom so I try to simulate that with snuggly blankets or a stuffed animal for them to cuddle with. 

So that's the basics of bottle kittens. Of course every kitten/litter is different so the care you provide will need to be adjusted to their needs. 

Cat Toy Tuesday 4

Today's Cat Toy Tuesday is the Martha Stewart Fish Puzzle 

This is Gwaine's favorite toy! 

There are two balls inside of it and the only want to get them out is through the round holes on top! My kittens spend a lot of time playing with it trying to get the balls out (Gus was successful!)

Gwaine is still trying to figure it out!

I got this toy from PetSmart for $11.99 (on clearance)! 

Who to Foster?

Deciding whether to foster and what type of animal to foster can seem tricky. When it comes to deciding whether to foster I'd say give it a shot if you're considering it. Worst case you'll have to work with the foster coordinator to return the animal early. But you never know how it'll go-- it could be an amazing experience like it was for me. 

Some basic questions to ask yourself when deciding if to foster and what type of animal to foster are: 
What type of space do I have? 
Does my schedule allow it? 
How would my other pets handle it, would there be room for them to be separated? 
And if you don't own your home-- does my landlord allow it? 

So when it comes to deciding what type of animal to foster you need to know what animals are in need of fostering. Basically any animal in the shelter can benefit from being in a foster home. But there are some that can use it more than others. This includes: 
Mom and nursing babies 
Orphaned babies 
Feral kittens 
Animals recovery from surgery
Sick animals on medications 
Behavior cases-- animals that need more attention working on their behavior 

If you have no idea what type of animal would be best for you talk to your shelter/foster care coordinator. Tell them your lifestyle and what you are looking for in a foster pet and they can help find the right fit. Be honest about what you are comfortable with-- if you prefer dogs over cats or vise versa, let them know. Don't take on something you are not comfortable with! The shelter understands they can't expect everything for everyone. They want to make this a positive experience for both you and the animal. 

Every foster program is a little different. So go visit your shelter and ask about their foster program. Find out what they require and what they offer. 

If you're interested I foster for the Humane Society of Indianapolis and they the bomb. The foster care coordinator is fantastic (and so is the whole staff). I absolutely recommend them to anyone looking to foster, volunteer, or adopt. I will do another blog post in a couple weeks talking more about how awesome they are. In the meantime if you want more information you can check out their website. 
(Foster Program Section) http://indyhumane.org/index.php/get_involved/foster_program

This picture has nothing to do with the post-- but aren't they so cute?!

Goodbyes and Hellos

Today Gus and Hazel made their trip back to HSI! They'll have surgery and then be ready for their forever homes! It was bittersweet as always but I know they are ready to start their new lives! 

And now I say welcome to my newest foster kittens (yet to be named). They're so cute and already full of personality! 

Update: new kittens have been named!

Meet Gwaine (tuxedo) and Arthur (orange) 

Cat Toy Tuesday 3

It's Cat Toy Tuesday!

Today's Cat Toy is the Boots & Barkley Scratch Den!

The sides are like a scratching post and the inside is a plush bed. It also folds up easily for easy storage! My kittens love the climb on it and scratch it!

King Gus Conquers the Den!

Minnie thought the Den is pretty cool!

The Boots & Barkley Scratch Den came from Target for $17.99!

Why Booster?

A common question from foster parents and new puppy/kitten owners is "why do they need booster vaccines?" Well to start you need to understand how vaccines work. 

Vaccines work by injecting a modified or killed version of the virus it is made to protect against. The goal is for the injection to provide enough antigens of the virus for the body to recognize it as an "invader." The immune system is pretty cool and has the ability to remember past invaders making it stronger against them in the future. So the idea is that a vaccine will initiate that memory to prevent the animal from getting the disease in the future if it comes in contact with the actual virus. 

So then, why do they need multiple boosters? Well the first time an animal is ever vaccinated for a virus the immune system is kind of wimpy with minimal response. It takes about a week for it to become effective and it peaks around 10-14 days but then it disappears. So a second vaccine is needed to initiate the immune response again. This time it responses quicker and the response is much stronger (lasts months to years depending on vaccine). A third vaccine would be even faster and stronger. So this is why even adult animals need at least 2 vaccines about 4 weeks apart for a virus they have never been vaccinated for and then re-vaccinated yearly. 

                                     

Kittens and puppies are a little different because they need more booster vaccines with less time apart. The same idea applies but with kittens/puppies they also have their maternal antibodies that makes things a little more difficult. The youngins are born with maternal antibodies from their mom which are made to help protect them from diseases. These antibodies are awesome for the animal the first couple weeks of life before their immune system is up and running, but they can persist longer than needed and the time they stay is variable in each animal. As long as the maternal antibodies are present the immune system cannot respond to the vaccine. So boosters are given at more frequent intervals in order to assure the animal gets at least 2 vaccines within the time the maternal antibodies are no longer present. What's scary though is that there is a time when the maternal antibodies are low enough to be ineffective at protecting the animal but high enough to make the vaccine ineffective. So this is why you should be really cautious exposing your kittens/puppies to possibly sick animals

. 

So there's the basic understanding of how vaccines work and why they need boosters. All of the information I provided has come from notes and readings from school (Senior Vet Tech Major at Purdue). 

Talk to your vet about what your pet and foster animals should be vaccinated against. Most shelters and vet clinics have a vaccine protocol they use.

Make sure to vaccinate your pets!

Fleas, Worms, Ear Mites, Oh My!

Time to talk preventatives!

It's a common misconception that cats don't need monthly preventative like dogs do. Even indoor cats benefit from being on some form of preventative. It is especially important for our kitties in shelters since they are exposed to lots of things! (And protect your own pets if you are bringing home fosters!)

So I am going to do a quick overview and comparison of the two most commonly used products; Advantage Multi and Revolution. 

Advantage Multi 

Comes in 3 different sizes depending on cat's weight

Advantage Multi prevents heartworm, fleas, hookworms, roundworms, and ear mites. It utilizes two different drugs imidacloprid and moxidectin. The imidacloprid works by killing the larval stage of the heart worms, and the intestinal worms (hook worms and roundworms). So this is not treatment for existing infections of the adult forms, that will require deworming. The moxidectin is pretty cool and works to kill the fleas and ear mites by affecting the nervous system inducing paralysis and death of the little buggers. Again, if there is a current infestation it may take a while and extra treatment if there are immature stages of the parasite present.  

One downside of Advantage Multi is that there is an age restriction in kittens of over 9 weeks of age and at least 2 lbs. So for our teeny foster kittens, this isn't an option for a little while, but don't worry there's another option...

Revolution 

3 different sizes available 

Revolution also prevents and controls heartworm disease, fleas, hookworms, roundworms, and ear mites. Revolution uses the drug Selemectin. It works by killing the immature form of the heartworm thus preventing the cycle of the disease to continue. It also kills not only the adult fleas but also prevents flea eggs from hatching once a month. Again, depending on the extent of the infestation it will take time for it to clear up as the fleas go through their life cycle. It also kills the hookworms, roundworms, and ear mites. 

The big plus side of Revolution when it comes to foster kittens is that there is no weight limit. 

Here is a chart from the Revolution website comparing different products approved for use in cats

FELINE INDICATIONS	REVOLUTION	Advantage Multi®	Advantage® / Advantage II*	Frontline® Plus*	Comfortis®
Adult fleas
Flea eggs
Ear mites
Heartworms
Roundworms1 and hookworms2 1Toxocara cati 2Ancylostoma tubaeforme
SAFETY
Minimum age (feline)	8 weeks	9 weeks	8 weeks	8 weeks	14 weeks
Minimum weight†	None	2lb	None/2lb	None	2lb
Safe for breeding, pregnant or lactating animals
Special safety restrictions	None	30-minute isolation from children	No contact until dry	None	None

So now you might be wondering how and when to give this preventative. Well both Advantage Multi and Revolution are applied topically. You part the hair near the shoulder blades (or higher near the head, the goal is to do a place where the cat won't be able to lick it off) and squeeze the contents of the tube on the skin. 

Prevention must be applied every 30 days (monthly)! Mark your calenders! 

Cat Toy Tuesday #2

It's Cat Toy Tuesday!

Today's toy the is the Toys R Us Tunnel Pop Up Cat Toy!

All of my foster kittens love the tunnel! 

Gus is still trying to figure out how to use the tunnel

Mickey loved to climb into the center!

Lily and Merlin are having fun!

You can get the Toys R Us Tunnel Pop Up Cat Toy at PetSmart for $14.44!

Real Men Love Cats (Guest Blog)

(Post is written by Guest Blogger, the Crazy Cat Lady's Boyfriend himself!)

Boyfriend of a Crazy Cat Lady, It might sound like an oxymoron, but it’s true. Jess asked if I would write a special guest blog about my journey from, let’s be honest, not really liking cats to being able to tolerate them and now to wanting to keep one or two that Jess has fostered, so here it is.

First, here’s a little history of myself and house pets. Over the years, my family has tried the whole having a cat as a pet and none of the three or four really worked out, so we decided that we’re really a dog(s) kind of family. The first two dogs I remember were Pumbaa and Nala. Unfortunately I was quite young when we had them so I don’t remember what breeds they were and don’t have pictures. We had to give them away because we moved into a smaller house and we didn’t have a fenced in yard where they could play, being that they were big dogs. After that, we tried a couple different dogs, but they didn't work out. Today, we have four dogs in our home. Molly, the oldest, is a Pit Bull and Lab mix. We got her as a puppy as a Christmas present in 2008. (I could be off a year) Whitee, the second oldest, is full Pittie. We got him around September October of 2011. Mumford and Sidney, the youngsters, are brothers (even though they don’t look it) and are Pug and Boston Terrier mix. We got them around January or February of last year.

Molly

Sidney and Mumford

Whitee

Now for the topic everyone comes here to read about, kittens. Well, before I can talk about the foster kittens, I have to discuss the cat in the room: Merlin. The first time I met Merlin was before Jess and I started dating. Our friend Spencer and I came to Purdue to watch the season finale of Doctor Who (had to get at least one reference in). Merlin seemed a little apprehensive at first with having two guys around but he got to watch Doctor Who with us, and if you know Merlin then you know it’s one of his favorite shows to watch. After Jess and I started dating and I was around more often, I think Merlin figured he just had to deal with me being around. At first we kept our distance, but eventually we become bros…plus he knows I’ll give him cheese.

At the beginning Merlin thought it would be best if we kept our distance

But, if his mom was with us then it was okay to be around each other.

Eventually he let me share the couch with him 

And now we take selfies together, although he's not always excited about it

I was lucky enough to be in Indianapolis when Jess got her first set of fosters and even more lucky to be able to name one. As it turned out, I was a natural when it came to naming kittens. I only had to see him for 10 seconds before I had his name for him: Sherlock. Immediately, he was inquisitive and excited and wanted to know everything about his new home; including its feline inhabitant.  We quickly bonded during the times I would visit Jess in Indy and I was sad to see him go. It was with Sherlock and a part of Merlin’s personality, that Jess and I learned my kind of kitten. To say that Sherlock was mischievous and a troublemaker would be an understatement but what could you do?

Sherlock and I on his last night with Jess

 Before Sherlock left, Jess got another little kitten that was headstrong, brave, and a bit of a troublemaker herself, yet sounded like a mouse. It was because of the mouse-like meow that I suggested the name Minnie, and it fit her so well. Not long after, Jess got another lonely little guy, and what better name than Mickey.

Minnie was a lot like Sherlock, but it was with Mickey that I found out I also enjoy the mellow, let’s just lay around and nap and watch TV kind of kittens. Probably because they remind me of the dogs, because as you can see from the pictures, one of their favorite activities is sleeping. When Jess told me that they were big enough that they could be spayed/neutered and adopted, I was happy that they would be able to find a nice family and a new home but sad that I didn't get to see them off.

Minnie enjoys exploring...

..While Mickey enjoys belly rubs.

I honestly don’t know how Jess does it. If my family decided to start fostering puppies, I would want to keep every puppy we got. So I know it takes a strong person to foster and have to say goodbye after being with these kittens for most of their lives. For that I am very proud of Jess and not just because she is making a difference for these kittens but because she’s taking on this responsibility on top of worrying about her Senior year of college, figuring out her future, taking care of Merlin, and doing all of this while being two hours away from her family (and me).

With all that being said, I am still and will always be a dog person, but I can say, without a doubt, that Merlin and these kittens have drastically altered my opinion on cats.

Good News!

I'm happy to announce both Minnie and Mickey have found their forever home! Congratulations to them and their new families! 

Kitten Spa Day

When I get a new foster kitten I like to do what I call "Kitten Spa Day." Depending on their situation I sometimes wait a day or two so they can get adjusted because it could be a little stressful for the kitty. Basically I get them all nice and clean and fluffy like a brand-new adorable kitten. Sometimes it doesn't take that much but I've had a couple kittens that liked to get pretty gross. 

First I give the kitty a nice warm bath. I've used a couple kitten shampoos but my favorite thing to do is Dawn Dish Soap. Seriously it's awesome. It can help with fleas (it makes their outer shell weaker making them easier to kill and then they just wash away) and it gets them squeaky clean while being gentle. (Don't use this as your only defense against those pesky fleas though!-- I'll discuss preventatives in an upcoming post!)

While getting them nice and dry I do a nail trim. Some people are really intimidated when it comes to cutting nails. It's not that tricky if you know what you are doing. Make sure to get a good pair of trimmers. You can use "human" nail clippers on kittens but it works better if you get ones designed for kittens, I like using the ones that are like scissors. 

This pair is $4.99 at PetSmart

When it comes to cutting nails the key is to know where to cut. What you want to avoid is the blood supply of the nail which is called the "quick". This is what makes people really nervous because if you cut it the nail will bleed, but it's not the end of the world if you accidentally cut the quick (I have done it multiple times--usually due to squirmy kittens!). There is a product called quick-stop that helps clot the blood and stop the bleeding. Here is a good image to show you where to cut to avoid the quick. 

You can see a difference in color where the quick is 

After trimming the nails I check to see if the ears need cleaned. If they aren't dirty I leave them alone but some kittens can get some gross ears so I like to clean them out of they are bad. Make sure to get pet ear cleaning solution-- you can get this at any pet store or in the pet aisle of most grocery or convenience stores. You start by squirting a good amount of solution into the ear and them massage it at the base of the ear. WARNING: The kitten will probably shake its head and get ear solution all over you-- be prepared! Then you can use cotton balls to clean out the external ear canal. DO NOT use q-tips into the ear unless you are comfortable with the anatomy of the ear and have experience with it. 

Once the kitten is all dried off I then give him/her a quick brush and they're all set!

Minnie:
Before and After 

Like I said I do all of this at least once after I get a brand new kitten. I've had some kittens that are super messy and like to make me bathe them every day (*Cough* Mickey!) There are some other products I have that I like that are good for quick fixes for a slightly messy kittens. 

If a kitten has diarrhea that gets stuck to it's bum baby wipes work wonderfully! I also have a waterless bath spray that works really well to freshen up a stinky kitten quickly. 

So that's what I use for "Kitten Spa Day," if you have any tips, recommendations, or products you like to use please share!