All posts by Jennie Richards

Cat Care Tips, Medical & Health Care

Signs of Dehydration in Cats

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Your cat’s body is made up of 70-80% water or three-quarters of your cat’s body weight is water, so it’s critical that your cat gets enough fluids daily to maintain good health and prevent dehydration. Water is essential for cat’s urinary and kidney health, circulation, digestion, and waste removal. With hot summer days now upon us, it’s even more important that your cat has access to and drinks enough water, as dehydration can lead to a number of serious medical problems and even death. Here are the signs of dehydration in cats and why it’s so important to treat dehydration immediately.

Why Hydration is So Important

Dehydration happens when your cat loses body fluids faster than he can replace them, and it can happen when your cat is either not drinking enough water or is losing too many fluids. Fluids lost through daily urination, elimination and respiration all need to be replaced to normal levels everyday. But if your cat hasn’t been drinking enough water; has been vomiting or has diarrhea; or has been ill or had a fever; or your cat is old, then rehydration is even more critical as all of these can leave your cat severely dehydrated.

Continue reading Signs of Dehydration in Cats →

Cat Care Tips, Medical & Health Care

Watch Out for Signs of Heat Stoke in Your Cat

WATCH OUT FOR SIGNS OF HEAT STOKE IN YOUR CAT

Heat stroke or heat exhaustion is a very serious, life-threatening condition for cats. It can cause permanent damage to multiple internal organs, and can cause kidneys and the heart to stop functioning or fail. It can be fatal if not treated with urgency by taking your cat to a veterinarian or emergency veterinary hospital. 

Heat stroke can happen anytime throughout the year, but it happens more often during the warm summer months. Cats are no different than people when it comes to tolerating heat. But it is even harder for cats to respond to heat and cool their bodies since they pant and sweat only through the pads of their paws to reduce excess heat. It’s much harder for cats to regulate their body temperature as a result. If they cannot cool themselves fast enough, they will quickly become overheated and suffer from heat exhaustion or heat stroke, which can be fatal. Don’t wait until the eleventh hour to seek treatment when it can be late. Watch out for signs of heat stroke and know what to do.

Continue reading Watch Out for Signs of Heat Stoke in Your Cat →
Cat Care Tips, Medical & Health Care

What Are the Warning Signs Your Cat is Sick?

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Don’t miss the warning signs your cat is sick and may be in pain. Research shows that cats feel pain just like we do. But they tend to hide their pain—so just because they don’t show you obvious signs of pain, doesn’t mean they aren’t suffering or in distress. It’s up to you to know the signs that something is wrong and advocate for them by getting them the help they need.

When cats aren’t feeling well they give us clues. The clues may be physical or behavioral, or both. Some signs require immediate veterinary attention like respiratory problems or changes in breathing; straining to urinate, defecate or crying in the litter box; dilated pupils, or having any dramatic changes in behavior from normal. Some signs may increase over time with illness and won’t go away until your cat is diagnosed and treated by your veterinarian.

Continue reading What Are the Warning Signs Your Cat is Sick? →

Cat Care Tips, Medical & Health Care

The Costs of Cat Ownership – Can You Afford a Cat?

Adopting a new cat or kitten is exciting, but it’s important to understand the initial and long-term costs of cat ownership before you actually bring your kitty home. There are the initial expenses of purchasing supplies to prepare for your new cat, and there are recurring expenses that you’ll incur throughout the year and over the cat’s lifetime. In addition, there are often unanticipated veterinary costs that can happen at any time during the year that need to be factored in to your annual expenses.

INITIAL COSTS

Initial Expenses
Type of Expense Food – Wet & Dry (for 2+ weeks), Cheaper vs. Premium/High Quality Brands/Food $40 – $65
Spay / Neuter (Male vs. Female) $45 – $100+
Any Needed Vaccines, Deworming, Basic Routine Exam with a Veterinarian (Establish Baseline/Check Overall Health) $100
Microchipping $40 – $50
Food & Water Bowls $15 – $25
Litterbox $25 – $50
Litter $20 – $40
Cat Carrier $25 – $65
Scratching Post and/or Board (Tall is best) $25 – $70
Toys, Misc. Cat Supplies (replacing or adding cat beds, scratching posts, etc.) $25 – $40
Initial Total $360 – $600
 Cat Carrier

Cat carriers are needed for trips to the vet, emergencies, disasters, and for travel. It’s important to purchase a sturdy carrier, one that doesn’t collapse or fold, but provides structure and durability so your cat won’t be injured inside the carrier. The cat should have ample room to move and turn around and stand up in case they’re in the carrier for a prolonged period of time. It’s a one-time purchase so buy a quality carrier that will last. Never buy a cardboard carrier, cats can get injured or lost when using them. Good cat carriers will cost between $40 – $65.

Continue reading The Costs of Cat Ownership – Can You Afford a Cat? →

Library & Resources

How to Report Animal Cruelty

One of the most important things you can do to help cats and pets in your community is to report animal cruelty or neglect. Don’t remain silent or be afraid to reach out—there are many resources and professionals who can help. Remember, the cat or animal being abused or neglected is a helpless, innocent, voiceless victim who has no ability or way of protecting itself, so it’s up to you to speak up and take action.

Notify the Police and County Animal Shelter

Even though every state and county is different, you can immediately call your local police department and your local county animal control to report the neglect or abuse. Provide them with a written factual statement of what you witnessed, and include the time and date. Take photos of the neglect or abuse, take as many as possible, to visually substantiate what you witnessed. If there were other witnesses, talk with them, and get their written accounts and include  their name, contact information, and date and time of the incident. Make and keep copies of all the documents you submitted for your own file, don’t give away all of your original documentation. Continue reading How to Report Animal Cruelty →

Elderly Cat Care, My Rescue Cats

Cat Hospice Care Has Prolonged Our Cat’s Life

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The decision to give cat hospice care to our cat Pumpkin has prolonged her life significantly. Now a year and half later after almost euthanizing her, she’s still alive and still enjoying life. Today she’s going to our vet for a checkup to see where her general health is and to understand if we need to make any adjustments to her medical regimen.

I wrote about Pumpkin over a year ago when our vet had recommended euthanizing her to relieve her obvious pain and suffering. She had declined quickly, had lost a significant amount of weight, and was diagnosed with possible lymphoma. But I wasn’t ready to make that decision to end her life and wanted to give Pumpkin another chance, so we worked with our vet to create a palliative care plan for her that would make her as comfortable as possible, address her symptoms, and possibly extend her life. Continue reading Cat Hospice Care Has Prolonged Our Cat’s Life →

Housing & Shelter

Building A Simple Cat Shelter in Minutes

There’s a beautiful black and white homeless cat that has lived outside our home for several years now. He wanders between several neighbors’ homes, but he has two homes that he actually calls “home” and that feed him daily—ours and our neighbor. His name is Alex and he’s lived outside for so long that he’s deeply afraid and distrustful of people. Building a simple cat shelter for Alex seemed like the right thing to do to protect him from the elements and give him a comfortable place to lay his head.

Alex appeared to have been abandoned many years ago, when he was a very young cat. He likely had been left homeless when his people moved away from the neighborhood, and left him behind. So Alex’s defenses were always up, he had learned to be on high alert to dangers, and he had become a scared, shy and cautious cat around humans. However, he trusted me enough to let me within about five feet to watch him eat and quietly talk with him. He always watches me carefully—eyeing my every physical move to see if I’m going to betray his trust. Over time though, Alex has come to know that I’m not a threat, but rather his friend who is just simply trying to make his little life better.

Continue reading Building A Simple Cat Shelter in Minutes →

Tributes

A Eulogy For My Beautiful Cat Morgan

Most of the many wonderful cats I have rescued over the years survived trauma before finding a peaceful home, whether forced to live on the streets, dumped at a shelter, left behind in an owner’s move, or was feral with kittens, all had traumatic experiences. But my beloved Morgan had to deal with more than most, because she was abandoned twice.

My role in her story began 17 years ago. At the time, all of my Saturday mornings were spent setting up and staffing a cat rescue adoption site at the Pet Food Express in Pleasant Hill. Before the cats were brought in by their foster parents, I would spend a couple of hours setting up tables, disinfecting cages, and putting up signage, adoption information and marketing materials. One unusual Saturday morning as I was in the midst of getting the site ready, a stranger walked up with a cat carrier. I was thinking, “boy this foster parent is showing up really early!” but this man didn’t act like a foster parent. He was instead agitated, aggressive and belligerent, and as soon as he saw me, he blurted out that his family no longer wanted “this cat” they had adopted from us two years ago. He complained she was shy, scared and terrified of his kids.

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Cat Care Tips

Why Cats Need Good Health Care

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Here’s why cats need good health care:

Why Cats Need Good Health Care
Why Cats Need Good Health Care

 

Need a good veterinarian?

Here are tips on how to find a great veterinarian.

Why wellness exams are so important for cats:

All about the importance of annual wellness exams for cats.

 

Cat Care Tips, Holidays

Tips for Keeping Your Cat Safe On July 4th

Tips For Keeping Your Cat Safe On July 4th
Keep cats inside on July 4th!

The July 4th holiday may be a fun time for us humans, but it’s a stressful, terrifying time for cats. The sound of fireworks can frighten cats and send them running for cover or bolting out the door. Explosions – even miles away – can cause cats to panic. Every year, animal shelters around the country are suddenly flooded with scared, lost cats and dogs that could have been prevented with some simple precaution.

You can make the July 4th holiday less stressful for your cat by thinking ahead and following some simple tips to protect them and keep them as comfortable as possible.

Continue reading Tips for Keeping Your Cat Safe On July 4th →