Holy Kitten Season!

Well, I think it's offically here...it's 

Kitten Season!

So Kitten Season, it sounds adorable and fun and I can't lie, obviously I adore kittens. BUT Kitten Season is a serious issue. 

What is Kittens Season? Kitten Season is typically April through September/October. However, it seems that Kitten Season has been starting early and ending later! Basically Kitten Season is a time when shelters are FLOODED with kittens. All the boy and girl kitties have been spending a lot of time together and now the ladies are having all their babies. 

The problem with Kitten Season is the central problem for animal shelters overall: OVERPOPULATION. Basically there are more kittens than there are resources and adopters. Also Kitten Season is often a time where shelters, especially the foster programs, see a lot of fatalities. This is because of all the disease potential for little babies. They don't have a fully developed immune system so they are more likely to contract fatal diseases.

Kitten Season is a cructial time for fostering. Shelters without a strong foster program are often forced to euthanize any bottle babies and their kittens are more likely to contract diseases. Fostering allows the kittens to receive the full attention and care they require and a safe home with less potential for diseases. 

So, here's what you can do to help. #1- SPAY AND NEUTER. Your pets, your friends pets, your neighbors pets, the feral cats in you neigborhood, EVERYONE! #2- If you are capable consider fostering for your local shelter! There is always a need, espeically this time of year! 

If you find any kittens alone, wait before you grab them. It is possible mom is nearby and is in the process of moving her babies. Wait a little bit and keep an eye on them to see if mom comes back. Kittens have their best chance if they stay with mom (considering mom is healthy and taking proper care of them). Make sure momma gets good nutrition and once the babies are weaned and independent, SPAY THE MOMMA CAT! 

My First Litter of the Season! 4 Little Kittens!

Cat Toy Tuesday: Scratching Mat

Today I went to Petsmart. I had the urge to go and spoil all of my current furbabies! I came back with a wheel and some chew toys for the ASF rats, some new treats for the foster babies, and a new scratching mat and snake toy for Merlin! It was a successful trip for all! 
So for I figured why not feature one of today's purchases for this week's Cat Toy Tuesday! 

Here it is, Merlin's new scratching mat and snake. He already loves the mat! It has 2 different scratching surfaces and a pocket with a hidden mouse! Merlin has been spending a lot of time playing with the kittens lately, but I know he appreciates having some toys that are just for him!

Pet Dental Health

February is Pet Dental Health Month! Unforunately a lot of pet owners don't realize their pets need dental care. It's more than just clean teeth and good breath, dental health is super important to the animal's overall heath. Dental disease can lead to infections throughout the body including the heart! These disases can be life threatening. 

The best thing to do is prevent this from occuring! How do you prevent it? Regular dental care! This ranges from providing food and treats that help with cleaning teeth, brushing your dog or cat's teeth daily (Be sure though that you use toothpase specially made for pets), and of course veterinary visits. Every animals is different so how often they need a dental cleaning varies, but typically you should schedule their first appointment when they are about 3 years old (your vet should always examine your pets teeth at all wellness visits and will let you know when it is time- but don't hesitate to ask!). Regular dental cleanings helps to prevent severe tarter buildup that leads to infections; and it's much easier, healthier (and cheaper) to prevent disease than try to treat it!

Cat Toy Tuesday: Kittty City

This week's toy is pretty unique because there's actually lots of different pieces you can get and build your own "kitty city". 

I only have one piece now but I plan to get more and build onto it over time! 

I've seen the sets at Target and Walmart, they're not too expensive either! I love all the different options- you can change it up every once in a while to make it feel new for your kitty!

Why Do Cats Do That?

It's no secret, cats are weird. They do a lot of things that can seem strange and hard to understand. So, I have put together a small list of strange things cats do and why they do them. 

Purring: Typically the thought is a purring cat is a happy cat. Well, purring can actually mean a lot of different things. Most commonly purring is associated with happiness and being calm but other times cats may purr due to nervousness and stress. This is why it's super important to understand body language (as I discussed last week) so you can determine what a purring cat is really feeling. Purring has another interesting function. Research has shown that purring can also be used as a healing mechanism. This means a cat that is really sick may purr more as an attempt by the body to heal itself. Pretty cool! 

Kneading: (Or as I like to call it "making buscuits.") A kneading kitty is typically a happy, calm kitty! When a kitty is kneading they are getting comfortable. It's the same action a kitten does when nursing from momma. 

Suckling Fabric: I'm sure I'm not the only one with a cat that does this.  Merlin does this all the time with fleece blankets. He does it for a little bit and then falls asleep. Typically it is also paired with kneading. Again, this is a calming behavior mimicking nursing. I have read that it is more common is kitties that were orphaned at a young age. 

Bringing You "Presents": If you have a cat that spends time outside you may have experienced this. After a kitty has hunted it may present you with it's prey. This is actually a good behavior, the kitty is literally giving you a present. So take it as a compliment, even though it's really gross! 



That's a super small list of some strange things cats do and why. If you have any particular behaviors your cat does that you think is strange leave a comment and I will do another post with even more strange cat behaviors! 

Cat Toy Tuesday: Cheese Chase

Today's Cat Toy Tuesday was one of the many gifts brought by Santa Claws! It's the Petstages Cheese Chase! 

It has a tube on the outside that has a ball to chase around as well as on the inner circle, and topped with a mouse! 

The kittens seem to have a lot of fun playing with it! 

Cat Body Language

Cats can be confusing. They communicate with us all the time through body language but how do you know what they are trying to say? Well, I'm going to touch on some basics to help you understand your kitty a little bit better. 

Cats say a lot with their body language. Knowing how to read them can tell you a lot about how your cat is feeling.

First you can look at overall body position. The the left is a good chart showing increasingly fearful and agressive cats. The top left is a normal content cat. A cat that is a combination of fearful and agressive are the most dangerous kind. It is best to leave them alone to let them calm down. 

It's important to look at other specific body parts for clues on how they feel. The key things to look at are their face (eyes, ears) and tail. Other things can give clues too but those are the main ones that are easy to remember and focus on. 


Eyes
The pupil size is one of the first indicators a cat is fearful/agressive. This is due to basic physiology. As a cat gets stressed their sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) kicks in which causes dilation of the pupils. So if you see a cat with super dilated pupils (in a well lit room) they are stressed. Don't just look at the pupils though, also look at the spae of the eye and eyelids. A cat with wide eyes is alert and more likely to be fearful or agressive. A calm cat usually has their eyes half closed. One of my favorite forms of cat communication is the slow blink. Some call it the cat "i love you." You can slow blink at a cat and if they slow blink at you that means they are comfortable and content! It may take time to get a cat to reciprocate the slow blink, but be patient- it's really rewarding when they do! 

Check out Ariya's eyes. You can see she is very relaxed based on her normal pupil size and her eyelids are partially closed. 

This is former foster Hazel. She was terrifed the first day she came home with me. You can see her pupils are dilated and her eyes are very wide. Also her ears are pointed to the side (see below about ears)

Ears
The ears are also used a lot to indicate how a cat feels. Erect ears are a sign of a content kitty. A more fearful or aggressive kitty with have their ears straight out, pointing back, or pinned back on their head. These are all signs to go slow and be cautious. 
Tail
The tail is another good indicator. The most content cat will walk with their tail up and a slight swaying of the tip. This is a confident happy cat! The lower the tail is dropped, the more fearful the cat is. They may hold their tail closer to the body and toward the ground. An aggressive cat will typically fluff out their tail. This is called piloerection (the hair stands up). This is a big indicator that a cat is angry and likely to be aggressive. 

Minnie had a big scare when her little foster brother (literally 1/2 her size at this time) jumped out from behind a shoe and startled her! This is a good picture showing piloerection.

So thats a super basic review of kitty body language. Next week I am going to continue the behavior theme and answer common questions about what certain behaviors mean. If you have any that you would like for me to answer leave a comment and I will be sure to include it in next weeks post!