Tag Archives: Care

How to make a cat shelter for winter ?

We have beautiful sunny days, but for approximately two weeks, it’s clearly cooler in the morning : between 3 and 6℃ at 7 am (37-42℉). The heating is not on all the time, because it’s still 18 to 20℃ (64-68℉) out during the day. We have no fireplace, then sometimes it’s a little cold and damp in the house.

Our humans took out jackets and socks, and blankets did their appearance on the sofa again for watching TV in the evening. Zorro sleeps outside during the day, and this coolness doesn’t disturb him, but I decided to sleep under the spread to have a cosy and comfy spot !

Autumn has just begun, but these lower temperatures reminds us our friends who will soon have to spend the winter outside. The video of Cole et Marmalade shows you here how to make easily a cat shelter :

And you, how do you do to settle down softly in mid-season ?

Why is it important to spay or neuter your cat

Blog The Change is for writers and readers alike. This event takes place on the 15th of January, April, July, and October every year. It offers an overview of the various aspects of animal welfare as reported by those who take part : personal actions, promotion of a shelter in need, … Your participation (blogpost, comment, share) makes a difference in keeping the spirit of change alive.

According to a recent article of the newspaper Le Matin, the shelters of French-speaking Switzerland are full of kittens. The arrivals don’t stop since June. Why don’t people neuter their cat ?

“I have no money for this operation” : we regret being also categorical, but in our opinion, if you cannot meet the basic expenses of a healthy animal (food, neutering, and annual visit at the veterinarian), show yourselves responsible : don’t adopt an animal if you can’t afford to take care of him.

“A cat has to have a litter before being neutered” : it’s a common myth, and totally erroneous. Your cat will feel neither decreased, nor unfortunate of being neutered. The risk of health problems bound to the secretion of sex hormones as ovarian or mammary tumors for example will be reduced. Do you find I look unhappy, me ?

“My tomcat will not be any more a tomcat” : certainly, but as he will less want to run away and fight, the risk of wound will be reduced, and his quality of life will be improved there. The abolition of the marking will be also appreciated inside your house…

“Kittens are too cute” : completely agree ! But kittens grow up : did you leave your children to the orphanage when they were transformed into pimple-faced teenagers ? You maybe wanted to do it certain days, but you did not ! All the members of your family have right for the same respects.

Angel Céleste, August 2008, 4 months old

“Kittens are easy to give” : yes, but an indoor cat lives between 15 and 20 years on average ; adopting is making a commitment to take well care of a kitten during one year, of a grown-up cat during eight years, of an old cat during five years, and of a very old cat during the next years. On second thought, everybody doesn’t want to have a cat, even if as we have already said it, kittens are cute.

To avoid the proliferation of kittens in shelters, to protect the health of your cat, to decrease the risk of wound, and to avoid the abandonments of kittens and grown-up cats, please spay or neuter your cat.

This is a blog hop !

Veterinarians and hairballs

This year, World Vet Day and Hairball Awareness Day (24th April) follow each other closely. Now, hairballs can lead at the veterinarian’s !

By licking us, we swallow our hairs ; they agglutinate in our digestive system but are not digested.

If we’re lucky, our hairs don’t go farther than our stomach, and we vomit them in a characteristic sausage shape. Provision of grass to be chewed helps to regurgitate the ingested hairs.

If we have less luck, the swallowed hairs pass in the bowel ; they can then cause a constipation, an intestinal obstruction requiring a surgical operation, or in the worst case an intestinal obstruction.

To avoid all these inconveniences, we must be regularly brushed to eliminate the dead hairs and avoid that we swallow it too much. The long-haired cat breeds must be brushed every day, and the old cats two-three times a week.

Having heard about this “magic” tool at least a million times, Claire finally bought us a FURminator. She took time to be convinced that it was not a gadget, but seeing the price of the object (40 CHF !), we can understand that she took time to get her opinion made.

She’s thrilled, and us too : we purr every time she uses it. It’s a purchase that is really worth of it : the ergonomic shape of the tool allows to have it well in hand, hairs are collected without any trouble, no need to press or to pull excessively, it’s very effective. A 10 minutes session a week is amply enough for us who have short hairs.

We shall not thus go to the Cabinet du Molage for that reason : moreover, we don’t like that the veterinarians make us injections and that they stick us a thermometer in the ***, that they inspect us ears and teeth, even if we know that it’s for our good. Claire nevertheless likes this office, because all the staff is very nice. The three veterinarians are competent and say clearly things : certain people don’t appreciate this frankness, but that suits our human very well. They have a big package of handkerchiefs for difficult times, and always have a small word kind to us. They watch our health, and Claire trusts them: finally, maybe although we like them… just a little !

PS: we were very sad and very angry to hear that a young veterinarian had made dirty and dishonored this beautiful profession by a useless, cruel, and stupid act of which she boasted on social networks. Shame on her. #JusticeforTiger on Twitter and on Facebook.