All posts by Jennie Richards

Cat Care Tips

Going on Vacation? Never Leave Your Cat Home Alone

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With the halcyon days of summer upon us, maybe you’re thinking it’s time to get away and take a vacation. If you have a cat, you might be asking yourself if you can leave your cat home alone while you’re away? There are many good reasons not to leave your cat home alone, here are some reasons why and how to find a good pet sitter or boarding facility.

Reasons Not to Leave Your Cat Home Alone

If you’re leaving home for more than a day, you really want to get a pet sitter or consider boarding your cat. There are many reasons why you shouldn’t leave your cat home alone for more than a day. It’s really a myth that cats can fend for themselves, they need care and attention. When cats are left alone for longer than a day, our absence causes them stress and anxiety. Cats may be independent, but they don’t do well left alone for multiple days, they get lonely and anxious without their human companions—especially with the increasing time we’re away from them. Cat’s worry like we do and can feel abandoned and increasingly nervous the longer we’re away. Also cats get bored quickly without enough stimulation, and can develop behavior issues if left alone too long. Having a pet sitter visit at least once or twice a day, or spend the night–or boarding your cat at a boarding kennel, will give your cat the attention, stimulation and care they need and is best for them.

Continue reading Going on Vacation? Never Leave Your Cat Home Alone →

Cat Care Tips, Food & Nutrition

Important Reasons to Follow Cat Food Expiration or Best By Dates

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How long does cat food last and when is it no longer good any more? There are several different opinions about how long pet food lasts beyond the “Best By” date that should always be printed on canned and dry pet food. In this article, I will try to provide information that is important to understanding the “Best By” dates, and why you want to pay attention to and follow the “Best By” date on your cat food packaging.

“Best By” Dates
Important Reasons to Follow Cat Food Expiration or Best By Dates
Cat Food Best-By Dates

 

First, always check the “Best By” date stamped on both canned and dry cat food when shopping at your local pet food store. It’s usually printed at the bottom of canned food with the month/year and printed on dry food bags on the side toward the bottom of the bag. Continue reading Important Reasons to Follow Cat Food Expiration or Best By Dates →

Tributes

Tribute to Alex the Cat With Nine Lives

The old English proverb about “A cat having nine lives,” goes on to say, “For three he plays, for three he strays, and for the last three he stays.” Though only a proverb, myth, or legend—and not to be taken seriously—it could not hold more true for our cat Alex, who survived against all odds, lived some of his life on borrowed time, and cheated death multiple times. Through all of his challenges and near-death experiences, Alex beat the odds and lived a surprisingly long life until August 2020, when he had a fatal stroke that left him paralyzed and took his life, his ninth and final life.

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Tributes

A Tribute to Our Beautiful, Loving Cat Romeo

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The day we put our strikingly handsome, gentle Romeo to sleep was the first day that our seasonal fall rains arrived and fell quietly on our parched California landscape. A gentle breeze blew, the air was noticeably cooler, and the wind chime next to the cottage played a melodic, lyrical melody. I sat quietly with my Romeo, our senses soaking it all in. It was also the first day Romeo could no longer walk without falling. His back legs had finally succumbed to his worsening neurological disease that had grown debilitating for him, and he no longer could walk without stumbling. Romeo was such a proud, dignified, and noble cat, and at about 20 years old now, his body was finally failing him. He lay still on my lap, enveloped inside a maroon-red soft fleece blanket, enjoying the stroke of my hand slowly massaging him from head to tail—over and over again for the last two hours of his life. Together, we listened to the noisy chirping of songbirds coming and going from the birdfeeder hanging in front of Romeo’s cottage window. The glass-paned door was wide open to Romeo’s cottage, so he could feel the cool breeze of fall slipping gently through the door, and enjoy the expressive musical songbirds, and hear the soothing rain. Romeo has lived in our backyard cottage for 15 years with a variety of fellow rescue cats that were very compatible with him—all very submissive to Romeo’s alpha male personality. Today, we just tried to be present with what was, to accept it, and enjoy these precious last moments.

A TRIBUTE TO OUR BEAUTIFUL, LOVING CAT ROMEO

Romeo loved soaking up the warmth of the sun on the pathway to his cottage

Continue reading A Tribute to Our Beautiful, Loving Cat Romeo →
My Rescue Cats, Tributes

Tribute to the Happiest Cat in the World

Alana, a.k.a. Bugly, was truly the happiest cat in the world. I could never imagine a happier cat, but she didn’t start out that way. In fact, her beginnings would go down in the annals of cat history as one of the most unfortunate and truly unlucky starts in life. But all of that changed, when 697 cats, including Alana, were seized from one of the worst cat hoarding cases in U.S. history. At the time, in summer of 2011, it was considered the biggest cat hoarding case and rescue in the country’s history, with nearly 700 domestic and feral cats rescued from severe and willful neglect. When the Humane Society of the U.S. came onto the sanctuary property, they witnessed sick, dying and dead cats everywhere at the now shuttered Haven Acres Cat Sanctuary in Florida. But for Alana and the other nearly 700 cats, that was their lucky day, and the beginning of whole new and better life. 

Continue reading Tribute to the Happiest Cat in the World →
Library & Resources

List of Toxic Plants for Cats

There are many plants and flowers that are toxic and poisonous for cats to ingest. It’s important to keep these out of your home, or in an area that your cat cannot access. If you know that your cat has ingested a toxic plant, take them to an animal emergency hospital or to your vet immediately. Time is critical before irreversible damage is done to their liver, and the toxicity becomes fatal.

Comprehensive List of Toxic Plants for Cats

– Published by the ASPCA (ASPCA.org)

Adam-and-Eve (Arum, Lord-and-Ladies, Wake Robin, Starch Root, Bobbins, Cuckoo Plant) | Scientific Names: Arum maculatum | Family: Araceae

African Wonder Tree () | Scientific Names: Ricinus communis | Family:

Alocasia (Elephant’s Ear) | Scientific Names: Alocasia spp. | Family: Araceae

Aloe () | Scientific Names: Aloe vera | Family: Liliaceae

Continue reading List of Toxic Plants for Cats →

Cat Care Tips, Medical & Health Care

Why It’s Important to Microchip Your Cat

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Is your cat microchipped? If not, one of the best and safest ways to increase the chances of finding your lost cat is to have it microchipped. One in three pets get lost during their lifetime and without microchips, 90 percent never return home. Unfortunately, only about 2-5 percent of cats that come into animal shelters have microchips and are successfully reunited with their owners.

A microchip is the size of a grain of rice (12 mm), implanted in the subcutaneous tissue of your cat’s skin, typically between the shoulder blades. The procedure is done in a matter of seconds using a needle, similar to a routine shot, and is considered relatively painless.

Continue reading Why It’s Important to Microchip Your Cat →

Cat Care Tips

Need a Pet Sitter? How to Find a Great Pet Sitter for Your Cat

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Cats love routine, consistency and familiarity, so when we go on vacation our absence can be stressful for them. Hiring an in-home pet sitter can reduce the stress and anxiety your cat can experience while you’re away. Keeping your cat in the safety and comfort of your home with an experienced pet sitter provides the best alternative to the physical and emotional stress caused by kenneling or boarding your cat away from home. If you plan to leave your cat home alone for more than a night, it’s best to hire a pet sitter for the time you’re away. Here’s how to find a great pet sitter for your cat.

Why Hire a Pet Sitter?

Cats can become anxious and worried while we’re away from them for longer periods than normal. They may be independent, but cats don’t like changes in their daily routine or being away from home. Leaving them alone for several days can be a risk to their physical and emotional health and overall well being. Hiring an in-home pet sitter can reduce your cat’s stress and provide the quality of care, attention and reassurance she needs while you’re away, and give you peace of mind too.

Continue reading Need a Pet Sitter? How to Find a Great Pet Sitter for Your Cat →

Cat Behavior, Cat Care Tips

How to Create a Happier, Stress-Free Environment For Your Cat

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Sometimes change is unavoidable for our cats, like moving into a new home, bringing home a new baby, having house guests, or adopting a new dog or cat. All of these can truly rock a cat’s world and trigger behavior changes. Sometimes even the slightest change can cause some cats to become uncomfortable, fearful, stressed, and anxious. Here’s how to create a happier, stress-free environment for your cat and ways to enrich their environment at home.

Cats are very vulnerable to changes in their life, and they will often show us when they are feeling anxious and uncomfortable by hiding more often, obsessively licking or vocalizing more, uncontrollably chewing or drooling, sleeping all day or more than normal, urine marking or even potting outside the litter box. Sometimes external changes in the cat’s home environment can even negatively impact your cat’s overall health and quality of life.

Continue reading How to Create a Happier, Stress-Free Environment For Your Cat →

Housing & Shelter

Building An Inexpensive Cat Shelter

All information on this page is from Alley Cat Allies (www.alleycat.org).

Here’s more information on building this cat shelter from Alley Cat Allies: http://www.alleycat.org/BuildaShelter

For complete drawings, the PDF is here (Alley Cat Allies): http://www.alleycat.org/document.doc?id=36 for complete drawings

Alley Cat Allies – Feral Cat Shelter Options Gallery: http://www.alleycat.org/ShelterGallery

How To Build An Inexpensive Cat Shelter 

– (PDF Download from Alley Cat Allies)

Alley Cat Allies recommends that feral cat colonies have proper protection from inclement weather. Following are detailed instructions they have provided in a PDF download that are needed to build a feral cat shelter. These building plans are recommended for use throughout the United States. For extremely harsh, cold, and wet climates, insulation (as described) is advised. Alley Cat Allies recommends using straw bedding to keep the shelter warm, and not hay. They recommend against using blankets, carpeting or any materials like towels that will hold moisture. They also suggest using hardwood shavings, but not softwood shavings due to toxicity (and not cedar and pine). 

Continue reading Building An Inexpensive Cat Shelter →