Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Because No Form of Life Should Ever Be Forgotten

It was just about three years ago that the economy hit our neighborhood hard and many houses started to go into foreclosure.   I don’t feel it was a coincidence that at about that time I started to see more “outdoor cats”.
There was a large black male that I was sure had a home due to his very friendly nature.  I would take spring time walks around the neighborhood with my husband and he would catch up to us and follow along, always singing a song.  We started to look for him when we went on our bike rides and even gave him a name, Panther.
One night when Panther followed us for two blocks singing all the way. I told my husband I was starting to think Panther  was  homeless. It was starting to get dark and I decided to give him some food because he was just so vocal.  I carried the bag out to the end of my yard and bent down to pour some into a large dish, Panther followed.  As I stood up I got a strange sensation that I was being watched.
From under my butterfly bush two other cats appeared, then a few more, then as I started to walk back toward my deck I counted a total of about seven cats along with Panther eating from the dish.  I went into the house and told my husband Bob, we have a problem.
I had heard about Forgotten Cats and wasn’t sure if Trap, Neuter, and Release was the right decision for all of these cats or not.  I knew that they all had to be spayed and neutered or the problem would really start to escalate, but release, to what?
I started to talk to the few people in our neighborhood who were involved in the civic association to see if the community was interested in helping these cats.  I quickly found out that there were far more important financial issues facing most of my neighbors than a handful of cats.  I talked it over with my husband and we both agreed that at the very least we needed to get them all spayed and neutered and give them a chance at survival on their own.  I called Forgotten Cats.  A lady named Felicia called me back and I explained the situation.  She said they were a strictly volunteer organization and explained the trapping process.  She told me a volunteer would come out in the evening and set several traps.  She said that they would need to capture the entire colony to remedy the situation.  I thought, ok, possibly eight cats. 
The next night a wonderful woman named Judy came to my house.  She explained that she wanted to place the traps in the dark and in a very discreet manor so the neighborhood kids would not know there were defenseless animals caught in traps in my yard.  She set about four traps and said that I was to check them as frequently as possible and if any cats were trapped to put a cover over the trap and call her.   That night all four traps were full of hungry cats, including an intact Siamese.  I knew there could not be a stray Siamese and this confirmed my suspicions that as people were leaving their homes due to foreclosure they were also leaving behind their cats.   Judy came out to the house and whisked them away to the  Forgotten Cats  facility and set four more traps. 
The next night was not quite so successful and in the morning much to our surprise my husband saw a litter of kittens under our deck.  They were walking and mom probably brought them with her when she came to mooch a free meal.  I quickly called Judy. 
It was a rainy day and heavy rains at that, but in spite of that this dedicated woman went out into my back yard and into the mud to set a trap for the babies.  I realized at that time that I did make the right decision.  This organization had such dedication in preventing the over population of homeless cats only to be born into a world of fear and hunger that they would spend their evening off from work, ankle deep in mud in a severe storm to help these creatures.
Judy trapped the kittens.  I said but what happens to the babies now?  They are too small to release back into the neighborhood.  Judy told me that we would figure something out.  The next day another volunteer named Donna said she would foster the babies until they were old enough to put up for adoption at one of the local pet stores.
In all, we, and I use that word loosely, trapped ten adult cats, and a litter of kittens.  Out of the ten adults when released five took off to parts unknown to me and the other five never left my back yard.
I often wonder if the five that left did ok but at least I know that they did not bring any more homeless cats into this world.
As for Panther, he now resides with his three female friends and his best friend, Simon,  the now neutered male Siamese at my house.
He still sings a lot. 

Monday, May 14, 2012

Caring for the Blind and Visually Impaired Cat By Erika Zerebecki, LVT


I have one blind cat and another that is visually impaired. The challenges of ownership have been minimal and the rewards plentiful.

Falco’s eye problems were so severe that he had to have both of his eyes removed, or enucleated in surgical jargon. He was four weeks old when I got him. His mother had been hit by a car and he was found on the side of the road. I volunteered to foster Falco and you know how that goes- I kept him. As a kitten, nothing stopped him. Bumping into walls did not phase him and he learned his way around the house one room at a time. Now, when it’s time to go out on his leash, he races me up and down the steps. He actually does all the normal cat things like chasing my other cats around the room, jumping up on counters, and batting toys around. He has an amazing sense of where his toys are. When you watch this video of him, you would never know that he was blind! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVMG99TWCFg&feature=email

Callie is my 13+ year-old foster cat from Salem County Humane Society. She has congenital deformities of her eyes. (The shelter veterinarians called it microphthalmia, which means the eyeball is too small.) She had been adopted sometime around 2000, and returned to the shelter in 2007. In 2009 she went to a foster home so that she could have surgery for entropion  (a condition in which the eyelid rolls inward and the hairs irritate the eyeball). She ended up having two or three surgeries. Then, in 2011, she became diabetic and her foster mom could no longer keep her. I ended up taking her in and she is no longer diabetic.

Callie has limited vision. She can see things that are very close to her but is very cautious with any movement or shapes that are further away. She tends to stick to one area in one room and that is her safe spot. At night, however, she sleeps on my head. She is still very playful and tends to pull numerous toys out of the toy box at once.

How do you acclimate your blind or visually impaired cats? I had to start the cats out in a small room initially. They needed to get familiar and comfortable with their environment little by little. I couldn’t take a blind cat, plop it down in the middle of a big house with the litter box in the basement, and say, “Good luck!” Once they were comfortable in their environment, they came out of their shells and you had no idea they couldn’t see.

Do you have to take any special precautions or measures? You can't forget that to an extent they remain special needs kitties. I have taken extreme caution when introducing any new animals into the house. They are very trusting cats and therefore very vulnerable. They are an easy target for any animal that may want to pick on them. They are not alone in the house unsupervised if I am not home. I also try to make noises that will assist them, like tapping objects around the house to give them some sort of depth perception. When Falco was a kitten, I would scuff my feet when I walked so he would hear me and know where to follow. 

Do they make just as great pets as visual cats? Falco has been blind since he was a kitten so he doesn't know any different life. Callie has been bounced around in homes and she is just a grateful loving cat. 

What do I recommend to owners who are concerned about their cats' vision? Pay close attention to their behavior and bring them to the veterinarian. If they are losing their vision, be patient and help them adjust. As long as you are there to comfort and assist them, they can continue to live a normal happy life. 



Falco
                                                                      


Callie