Meet the Cats of July!

Messrs. and Miss July - Joey, Roger, and Delilah 

As told by Joey

Eight years ago, while still a very small kitten, I (the Tuxedo on the left) was found wandering the halls of a Catholic high school in Plano, TX. After a brief stay with a family, and an incident with two schnauzers that I still say was not my fault, Mommy picked me up from a shelter.

Joey

Me and Mommy are now far away from Texas - we live on a small lake in Waterford, with Daddy and lots good of smell-o-vision. In October 2012, I had a stay-cation at Exclusively Cats, and I came home with two cats of my own, Roger and Delilah.

Trisha rescued "Dodgie" and "'Lilah" from underneath a Dumpster in Flint, and I'm very happy that they're my cats now. Roger, the big black cat on the right, and Delilah, the little gray and white cat in the middle, have come a long way since we all came home almost two years ago. They started out being very shy, hiding behind the drier, but now they take naps with me, and we chase each other all over the house. Roger is still very shy around the bipeds, but Delilah will jump up on the couch - or let Daddy scoop her up - for rubs and scritches. She also likes to fling toys off the top of the cat tree and send them across the den.

Roger

I started out as the big brother, but Roger may be a little bit bigger than me (just a little). I still win when we wrestle. Just sayin'. I see another cat who lives outside, Yeti, and he gets the best food ever that Mommy and Daddy put out for him. Daddy says it's the same kibble I eat, but I know better. I hope I get to adopt him soon, too!

Kitty BFFs!

Meet Mr. March!

Joey

Age: 6 years

Weight: 15.05 pounds

Demeanor at the Vet: Great cat!

Feline friends: Roger and Delilah

Joey, Roger and Delilah

Six and a half years ago, as a wee kitten, I was found wandering the halls of a Catholic school in Plano, Texas. From there, after a short stay with a family where I may have intimidated two schnauzers, I went to a shelter where my mommy picked me up. She had first heard about me from work and knew she had to have me.

After a big move from Texas and two smaller moves in Michigan, I arrived at my new house in Waterford in April. This house is a lot of fun, with squirrels, chipmunks, and birds outside the window. When it's warm out, I get lots of smell-o-vision, but, lately, it's been very cold, so there's no smell, but still some vision.

This past July, my furry sister since I was a kitten, Nina, died.  Though she didn't have a maternal bone in her body, we tolerated each other well (well, almost) and though I never quite understood the circumstances, I became lonely and, if possible, even lazier than usual. 

In October, Mommy and Daddy brought home Roger and Delilah, two of Trisha's rescues. I met them on my stay-cation in the Exclusively Cats boarding condos, and they seemed pretty OK. They're still very shy around Mommy and Daddy, but we have great fun after the bipeds go to sleep. We chase each other, play with our toys, and have great fun.   Mommy and Daddy generally find remnants of our after-hours playtime the next morning - Delilah is quite skilled at vivisection. The three of us also like to have cuddle fests in front of the kitchen sink, right where the hot air comes out of the floor.  I tend to bogart the hot air with my butt, but the newbies don't seem to mind.

Beautiful, sleepy family

When I'm not grooming Delilah, prowling around the house with Roger or snuggling with the bipeds, I'm quite good at the art of nap...my favorite past time.

Joey, King of the Cat Tower!

On the Third day of Christmas, my True Love Gave to Me, Three Family Parties: How to Help your Cat Avoid the Emergency Room this Holiday (pt. 3)

Depending on how you feel about your family, you may just want to crawl under the bed with your terrified cat when the time comes for holiday parties and family get-togethers. Depending on your cat, these parties can be fun or they can be extremely traumatic. Some cats hide for days after a party.

Hiding

If you are planning a boisterous holiday party with lots of guests, you might want to consider boarding your cat during the holiday. Otherwise, to help a shy cat cope, you can prepare a sanctuary in advance – a bed, food, water and litter – in a low-traffic area, a closet or the basement where sounds will be more muffled, and plan to keep them in their sanctuary for the duration of the party. Feline pheromone spray or a diffuser and items with your kitty’s own smell on them will help create a calming scent. Show your cat this area before the big day so she will know it’s her safe place. Cats that are frightened because of large numbers of people might dash for the door, or curious cats may slip outside along with an unwary visitor. This is an excellent reason why even indoor cats benefit from being microchipped. It is also a good idea to request that family members keep their own pets at home. Cats are creatures of habit, and the holidays are stressful enough without having an interloper to deal with. In addition, the last thing that you want to be doing just before Christmas dinner is rushing your cat to the ER with a bite wound if the animals decide that they don’t want to play nicely anymore.

Other concerns about holiday parties and visitors include inappropriate elimination. Some cats will urinate or defecate outside the box when they are overly stressed or anxious – another reason to consider isolating your cat in its sanctuary or planning to board her.

If you have specific concerns, antianxiety drug therapy could be discussed with your veterinarian. There are many calming medications available, ranging from human anti-anxiety drugs to herbal and homeopathic supplements, so you and your veterinarian can discuss which option would be most effective for your cat.

Foxy poses in a boarding cage

If you will be traveling throughout the holidays and your cat is not going with you, the most ideal option for pet care is to have a non-traveling family member stay in the home with the cat. This allows the cat the comfort of a familiar face and surroundings to provide the least interruption of his or her normal routine. A qualified pet sitter is the next best choice – someone who is trained to recognize signs of illness. Ideally, the sitter would stay in your home with the cat, or visit a minimum of twice daily for 30 minutes or more.  The third option would be for cat owners to board their pets at a reputable feline-only boarding facility. There are a lot of holiday hazards that a cat can get into at this time of year, so cats should not be left alone unattended. Cats with medical problems and daily medications should not be without their medications at this time of high stress.