Topics:
– A cat’s basic needs
– Leash training
– Catios
– Clicker communication
– Active play
– Enclosures
– Catification
Your $10 donation covers class attendance and goes towards helping with costs of care for the cats & kittens of Happy Cats Haven.
Call Catagonia Cat Hotel at 719-602-6081 to reserve your seat.
]]>Topics:
– A cat’s basic needs
– Leash training
– Catios
– Clicker communication
– Active play
– Enclosures
– Catification
Your $10 donation covers class attendance and goes towards helping with costs of care for the cats & kittens of Happy Cats Haven.
Call Catagonia Cat Hotel at 719-602-6081 to reserve your seat.
]]>Join Sara for a fun introduction to Clicker Play, the best technique for teaching your cats as well as enriching their lives, strengthening your bond and sharpening your cat communication skills.
This is the technique used here at the Haven to help repair abandonment trauma and to help the cats transitioning into the happy, healthy cats you see in our colonies. If it works on scared, shy, traumatized kitties, imagine what it can do for your own cat!
Topics:
– Witness a demonstration starring our own colonies’ Happy Cats
– Get some background info
– Learn a few basic techniques
– Put your training to the test with our colonies’ Happy Cats
Your $10 donation covers class attendance and goes towards helping with costs of care for the cats & kittens of Happy Cats Haven.
]]>PS: the real game will be hidden somewhere in bar. Anyone who does care about the game is welcome to make some discreet inquiries.
There will also be a friendly Minute to Win It competition with a small, but lovely, prize for the winning team! Want more? There will still be all your favorite Super Bowl Party foods available as well!
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FIV stands for Feline Immunodeficiency Virus. This is a disease that’s almost always found in outside cats who aren’t neutered or spayed.
Picture this. You’re a cute little boy kitten, rambunctious and playful. For whatever reason, you play too hard, you don’t “get along” with the other cats or dogs, you go outside the box because someone chases you away, so you end up outside, fending for yourself.
Your hormones kick in. Intact male cats are hardwired to procreate, just like intact females. It’s not exactly a love story, as there isn’t a lot of consent involved with everyone compelled to mate over and over until the females get pregnant. An intact male will be forced by his hormones to travel up to 3 square miles if he scents an intact female; he has no choice. Neither does he always choose the fights that arise from having many intact males vying for females, or the abuse they both can receive from humans who don’t like their behavior.
Keep in mind that most of this is perfectly preventable with neutering or spaying, as most fixed cats don’t act like this once those hormones go away.
FIV is transmitted through mating and deep wounds, both of which are likely to happen with this less-than-pretty process, both to males and to females. While occasional fighting may occur with neutered cats, it’s nothing like that of intact cats who are competing for resources, whether food or mating partners.
So here you are, a young male cat, showing up in line for an intact lady cat. You’re very likely to get beat up in the process, even if you are a scrapper, like little Rambo here. If you’re not, you’re even more likely to get FIV from losing those battles.
That’s the bad news. The good news is that recent research tells us cats who are positive for this virus have just as good a chance of living the same number of years as non-FIV cats, especially with good veterinary care. If the cat is one of the sweet ones who got beat up getting the disease, as most of them are, it’s also been proven that they can live happily with other cats and not transmit the disease, unless there’s serious fighting in the home.
Because of this, we are taking in a limited number of FIV+ cats as long as we have room in foster care for them. We will test them twice to make sure they have FIV, as well as provide a blood panel for their baseline health.
As best we can, we will also test for temperament to see if they are cats we can recommend as getting along with other cats.
Most vets will recommend twice yearly checkups to make sure they are in good health, with special attention paid to dental issues and quickly treating any infections, as their immune systems don’t work quite as well as their non-FIV friends. They also recommend annual testing of any cats housed with an FIV+ cat to be sure about their status too.
Rambo, Columbo, Sasha and Stormy are already adopted, but we think you’ll find that our other FIV+ cats are some of the most lovable and sweet cats in the world!
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Coming to a shelter is probably one of the scariest things that can happen to a cat, even at Happy Cats! They have been stripped of everything they know and love and find themselves with very little that is familiar, (except for the bedding, toys and food that we ask they be brought with).
Imagine bringing your own sweet and loving cat to a conventional shelter, alongside any completely unsocialized, feral community cat. Research proves that, in the first several days, even the best cat expert won’t be able to tell them apart. Both will probably be either cowering or frozen in fear, overwhelmed by the new sights, sounds and smells of their new situation that contrasts so starkly with what they knew as home. There’s a big risk in conventional shelters for turning adoptable cats into unadoptable ones.
Since we opened in 2011, Happy Cats Haven has been committed to reducing the fear in our shelter cats to get them–and keep them!–more adoptable. It’s all about making the cats feel safe.
Even before they come in, we teach people how to transport their cats and even give away a carrier cover with every adoption to make them feel safer. We teach our staff and volunteers to be respectful of cats’ needs when handling them, which can be very feline specific. When they are less afraid, their stress goes down. When their stress is down, they stay healthier. It also increases their confidence, and when that happens, we have happy, healthy cats for adoption!
Happy Cats Haven is now officially Fear Free Certified. This is a program that was recently started to make sure that the emotional well-being of pets is taken care of, along with their health. Three members of the Happy Cats team are certified in Fear Free Handling and we teach it to all of our staff and volunteers. This is an expansion of what we’ve taught all along, honing our skills and helping us to better care for our cats.
Fear Free Pets now offers support for all pet owners on their Fear Free Happy Homes site. Like our own website, they have lots of great resources and videos for simple ways to keep your own cat happy, both emotionally and physically.
We’re very proud to be a part of this great program, which we hope will help cat guardians everywhere to keep cats in their homes! Enjoy this great video on Cat Body Language, which we use to teach our own volunteers about how to better communicate with all cats.
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Research at Ohio State University last year proved that it doesn’t take much to get a cat off his or her regular routine. In fact, all it took was a change in caretakers for many of their cats to become ill.
As Tony Buffington, the lead researcher, says, “Cats are not a pack species. They are not used to living in large groups. Their two primary predators are larger carnivores and primates and so who do they live with? Dogs and people. It can be tough being a cat.”
Cats who come into shelters also face a barrage of stressful changes besides being forced to make nice with other cats: they’ve lost their people, their familiar space, most of the objects that make up their world and often, the food they’re used to.
We try to make their transitions as easy as possible, but often their bodies respond with loose stools or diarrhea. It’s a common problem in cats at home too.
These are a couple of natural remedies that we have used with success, both at Happy Cats and with our own cats.
Slippery Elm Syrup
Slippery elm is a bark that contains mucilage and tannins that coat the digestive tract. Its use for pets (and people!) is well documented. It’s great for small upsets, like helping a cat pass a hairball (many cats will have diarrhea around the time the hairball is coming up). If your cat is just starting to have intestinal upsets, try this.
Bring 1 cup water to a hard boil. Whisk in 2 teaspoons slippery elm powder (find it at your local health food store…bulk is easiest to work with). It should thicken up, like syrup. Run it through a blender if it lumps up too much.
You can add this to a cat’s wet food up to 3 times a day, using up to a teaspoon each time. Most cats will tolerate it in their food. Start with 1/4 teaspoon at first, building up to 1 teaspoon. Please remember that adding different flavors of canned food suddenly can also precipitate diarrhea, so stick with what the cat knows.
Gut Goop
Intestinal illnesses are notoriously difficult to diagnose because the parasites can be alive in different stages in the colon. We often use this mixture to build intestinal health in cats and kittens who have severe or chronic diarrhea, especially after they’ve been treated medically. This mixture soothes and rebuilds the gut, where some say up to 90% of the immune function resides.
The best way to use this to help with diarrhea is to combine it with an elimination diet. Remove from the cat’s diet all but the main food you know your cat tolerates well (no treats please!). Add this in once a day. This isn’t an overnight fix, but can slowly rebuild the intestinal tract back to health. If your cat has diarrhea, look for a gradual shift to some formed stools within 3-5 days and more formed stools within a week. Some cats take longer, but please see your veterinarian if the diarrhea persists.
WARNING: If using this for kittens, monitor very carefully. Each kitten is different, so some may need less than others…or none. Too much can throw a well kitten into constipation, which can be deadly, so make sure the kitten has diarrhea before using this.
1 can plain pumpkin puree
2 cups slippery elm syrup
1 cup Ener-G rice bran, powdered in blender or grinder
1/8 t. taurine, powdered
Five 100mg capsules PABA, powdered in mortar/pestle if necessary
Bifidyn Bifidus
Put rice bran in blender or grinder and blend till finely powdered. Add pumpkin and SE syrup and blend well. Add taurine and finely powdered PABA until mixed. Add to a teaspoon or so plain cooked, chopped chicken or canned food. Portion out and add a pinch of Bifidyn Bifidus powder (not the capsules…you want to avoid anything with magnesium stearate in it) per cat at serving time.
Use up to 1 teaspoon per adult cat per day, 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon for kittens. Most cats aren’t familiar with the taste of pumpkin, so start slowly, adding 1/8 teaspoon at a time. If your cat can tolerate it, you can add up to 2 cups bran in this recipe. It makes a lot but freezes well in smaller containers.
We’ve had success with many cats and kittens on this formula and most seem to tolerate it; many even like it! Once your cat stops having diarrhea, you can save the recipe for only when it’s needed.
Of course, if the diarrhea persists, please see your veterinarian for further assistance. These are first aid recommendations only!
Thanks to Dr. Jean Hofve and her book, The Complete Guide to Holistic Cat Care: An Illustrated Handbook for her invaluable information on feline intestinal health.
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Happy Cats recently recieved this phone question:
My son has had his cat Rusty since he was a toddler. Suddenly, my son has developed severe allergies to his cat. Rusty is an important part of our family. Is there anything we can do to help our son and keep Rusty too?
Many of the volunteers at Happy Cats Haven have seasonal allergies, including allergies to cats. Along with the usual advice about brushing your cat, making sure to vacuum and dust a lot, avoiding your eyes or nose and possibly keeping your cat out of the bedroom, we have developed 9 other strategies for coping with allergies, even cat ones.
• Allergies are cumulative. Research has shown that many who suffer from allergies, including allergies to cats, are also allergic to other things like pollen and some foods. If you can monitor what’s triggering your allergy and find a way to avoid the other allergens, you may be able to lower your response to your cat.
• Reduce your intake of food allergens. Food sensitivities are common to people with allergies. Dr. Mark Hyman says that usual ones include dairy, wheat, corn, eggs, soy and citrus. A simple elimination diet can help identify which foods are the culprits. Many of us alter our diets a little during high-pollen seasons so our bodies don’t have to work so hard at processing all the allergens at once. Once spring turns to summer or fall to winter and the pollen goes away, you may be able to reintroduce these foods.
• Limit environmental toxins. Dr. Andrew Weil says that exposure to toxins in the environment can trigger sensitivities to food, which can in turn increase an allergic response to your cat. According to the Environmental Working Group, common products with hidden toxins (like formaldehyde, chloroform and acetaldehyde) are scented candles, air fresheners, cleaning products, laundry products and older furniture with PBDE flame retardants.
• Check your cat’s litter. Many litters have the same added toxins as above and can cause highly allergic reactions, in both humans and animals. Combine these toxins with clay dust and you have a recipe for allergies that is not your cat’s fault! Some find that non-clay litters produce fewer allergic reactions. Just be sure to transition your cat slowly from one litter to the next to avoid litter box issues.
• Try an air purifier. These can be purchased for under $50, even HEPA ones. The small ones are most effective in single rooms, like a bedroom. Simply running a filter while you sleep during spring or fall when the pollen count is up can lessen your allergic response to everything else, including your cat.
• Consider nutritional supplements. Over-the-counter antihistamines may treat the symptom but don’t do anything to help alter the allergic response itself and can have unwanted side effects. Many common supplements have been shown to help calm allergy symptoms. Dr. Joseph Mercola recommends adding omega-3 fatty acids, Vitamin D, probiotics and quercitin, among others. There are several qualified nutritionists and naturopaths in the Pikes Peak region who can help you identify which supplements might be most useful.
• Reduce your stress levels. Dr. Weil says that he’s seen people overcome severe allergies when they took steps to lower major stress in their lives.
• Stay hydrated. Making sure you drink enough water is very important in arid Colorado and will help your body to rid itself of the histamines produced by the allergic response.
• Ask your vet. Some veterinarians have had success prescribing Acepromazine in very small doses to cats to help their people with their allergies. The theory is that this drug alters the chemical makeup of the cats’ saliva to be more tolerable. Acepromazine is a sedative and not something to be taken lightly, but if you and your cat are in a desperate situation, it might be worth checking into.
Many of us in the Happy Cats family have used these techniques to control our allergies, keeping ourselves and our cat friends healthy and happy. As Abraham Lincoln most famously said (perhaps not of seasonal allergies!), “This too shall pass!”
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It’s that time of the year again: sunny days bring blooming flowers, pollinating trees…and people surrendering their cats.
We get calls from people who have been told by their doctors the only way to breathe more easily is to get rid of their cats. Is this really your only option?
At Happy Cats Haven, we don’t think so. Many of us have allergies–to cats as well as other things–and have found ways to live with them as well as our cat families.
Here are 7 tips about cats & allergies your doctor may not tell you about:
- Non-cat allergens may also be living in your home. Many products marketed to “freshen” the air actually create a chemical stew that can make your allergies worse. These include not only “air fresheners” such as plug-ins but scented candles and so-called “odor eliminators” that add unregulated perfumes. Manufacturers aren’t require to list fragrance ingredients, which can contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that can be carcinogenic at worst…and allergenic at best. Even natural incense can produce allergies.
- Litter may be the culprit. Many of us have noticed a huge difference in our allergies by switching from clay litters to other natural materials like wheat, corn or nut hulls. They are often less dusty, which means less dust on your cat, so less dust on you. And those scented litters? They put unregulated VOCs right where they can do the most damage, both to you and your cat. How unfair is it to blame your cat for allergies when you’re the one in charge of his or her litter?
- Check your cleaning products. One study found 457 air contaminants in 24 common household cleaners. Again, the companies don’t have to reveal what they’re using and many of these chemicals are allergenic and downright dangerous. This of course includes pet bathing ingredients, which are even less regulated. If your allergies get worse during or after cleaning, you may want to look into more natural solutions.
- Allergies are cumulative. If you have seasonal allergies to pollen, they will probably be worse in the spring and fall. This allergy load may make you allergic to cats and other animals at that time. Take steps to lower the load and you may find that the allergy passes, or becomes easier to live with. We wonder how many people give up their feline friends only to find those allergies come right back during the next pollinating season?
- Dust in the wind. If the wind is on a Spring rampage, kicking up dust as it does in the Pikes Peak region, your allergies may also kick in. Make sure your house is clean, including where your cats hang out, so they don’t become dust magnets and make your allergies worse. An inexpensive air filter can work magic during the allergy season and may not be something you even need during the rest of the year.
- Find another place for your cat to sleep. One of our favorite things is falling asleep to the sound of a happy cat purr. However, if you truly are allergic to your cat, keeping him away from the bedroom where you get the closest, most intense exposure can be a very logical solution. If your kitty is used to sleeping with you, it may take some time to make another space as valuable to him as the bedroom, but compared to rehoming or euthanasia, this is a much more kind and less drastic solution.
- Brush your cat. This almost goes without saying, but sometimes our cat friends can use some help, especially our longhairs. If done correctly, brushing can be an extension of petting time, rather than something your cat dreads. This will limit the fur load in your house and thus, the allergens. It will also help limit fearful trips to the groomer. We have tips for making grooming a pleasant experience, including using clicker training to help.
These can be life-or-death solutions for our animal friends (some point fingers at cats, but many people are also allergic to dogs). We have more suggestions, including diet and supplement help, in our other article, Don’t Let Allergies Steal Your Cat. See the link below for easy, natural cleaning products. Please call if we can help!
Potera, C. (2011) Indoor air quality: scented products emit a bouquet of VOCs. Retrieved from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3018511/
Consumer Reports Magazine (2012) Is poor indoor air quality making you sick? Retrieved from: http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2012/06/is-poor-indoor-air-quality-making-you-sick/index.htm
Healthy Child, Healthy World (2011) Air fresheners’ real impact on indoor air quality. Retrieved from: http://blogs.webmd.com/health-ehome/2011/04/air-fresheners-real-impact-on-indoor-air-quality.html
Bold, Cambria (2014) 20 DIY green cleaning recipes. Retrieved from: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/20-diy-green-cleaning-recipes-141129
Lundgren, L. and Wald., J. (2014) How to allergy-proof your home. Retrieved from: http://health.howstuffworks.com/diseases-conditions/allergies/indoor-allergies/how-to-allergy-proof-your-home2.htm
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If you have lived with cats you have probably asked “Why does my cat ______?”
Cats are still a mystery in many ways and we are often puzzled by their activities.
Come and learn about the natural cat and get answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about cat behavior.
• Why do cats bring home their prey?
• Can I train a cat to follow house rules?
• Will my cat accept a new baby or kitten in the house?
• What should I feed my finicky cat?
• Is the spray bottle the answer to behavior problems?
• How can I help my cat’s fear of the vet?
• Why doesn’t my cat act more like my dog?
This class will cover frequently asked questions, offer shelter kitty demonstrations, and provide time for your questions.
Sunday, Sept 20, 2015, 1:00- 3:00 PM at Happy Cats Haven
1412 S 21st St, Colorado Springs, CO 80904
Reservations: Melissa 719-686-8778 or Happy Cats Haven 719-635-5000
Facilitators: Melissa Shandley & Sara Ferguson. Melissa is one of the founding members of Happy Cats Haven and a Professional Cat Consultant. Sara is the Director of Happy Cats.