Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Life From The Perspective Of A Shelter Cat

I remember the day I came here, huddled in the back of a green carrier. The smell of other cats filled the air, music played in the background and I was scared. This didn't smell or look like the vet office. My humans handed the carrier to a lady, and peaked through the front of the cage door. "Bye, Kitty,"

Bye? Why are you saying bye? Where did you take me? When are we going home?

The carrier started moving again, and I didn't dare look outside the holes to see what was happening, I tucked my head in the corner and cried. The carrier stopped moving, and I heard the door open.
"Come here, buddy, lets get you out," I heard a sweet voice say. I felt a hand stroke my back and then scoop under me. I tried grabbing the carrier and digging in with my claws, but there was nothing to hold on to. She pulled me out, and I looked around, crying. I saw cages with other cats inside. Where was I? She plopped me into the cage and shut the door. The bed was fluffy, and there was delicious food and water next to me. The lady stood outside the cage door and looked at me, "You're safe now, Bud."

"Safe now?" I thought, "What's that mean? What is this place?"

That was 5 months ago.

Today, I lay stretched out on a different fluffy blanket that is sprawled out on the floor in Roshas' room. Next to me lay's one of my many fur-friends Bea, and we're both watching the broom of a volunteer as she sweeps throughout the room. Sometimes Bea and I get up and chase the broom, but today we both are too comfortable to get up off this blanket.

In the last 5 months, I learned all the answers to my questions. My human said goodbye to me because they didn't want me anymore. They took me to my current home, Pet Angel, and promised me that they would find me new humans that would love me endlessly. Until that day, they told me they'd care for me here. Here, I am safe. Every day I am cared for, I don't have to stay inside of a cage, I get to play all day, I have a lot of other kitties I live with and we get humans to come pet us every day! Different volunteer's come in and clean our room, give us new water and love us every day. I get to cuddle up with Bea and sleep every night, and I get lots of treats.

The girl from my first day here just walked through the door with a bright blue carrier. Behind her, at the door, are two smaller humans and a big human looking through the glass at me. I remember them from a few days ago! They pet me for HOURS and I liked the taste of the smallest humans hands because they tasted like peanut butter. I got up, stretched, and started walking toward the girl with the carrier, hoping she'd pick me up.

She looked down at me with a huge smile on her face. "Remember that home I promised you about?"
Yes, how could I forget that? I meowed in response. "Today's the day! They're taking you home!" I blinked at her, then looked at the humans behind the glass. They want me?!?! She opened the carrier, and lifted me in.

Its really happening! Its my turn! Today, I'm going home!

Through the door of the carrier, as I was carried away to my new family, I saw Bea looking back at me. I meowed at her, and let her know that today might be my day but tomorrow is hers.

Wish me luck! I've got a whole new life ahead!

Wednesday, July 13, 2016

Yes, Indoor Cats Need Vet Visits

At Pet Angel, when you adopt an animal, you sign an adoption agreement. In the agreement, we require that you take your new family member to the vet within a certain amount of days of adoption. While discussing this, we often times run into potential adopters and current cat owners who do not understand that their indoor cat must go to the vet. It is vital to your animal that they have routine check ups, just like children require while growing. To explain this better, here are three reasons your cat should go to the vet, even though its an indoor cat.

1) Cats are very good at hiding illnesses

Cats hide pain. Its what they do. So when you discover that your cat is showing physical signs of being in pain, it means it is extreme. Often times they will not act themselves, staying away from the family and climbing up high on perches. They will not be as active, and will begin not to eat or drink as much. Their fur may change and become less shiny, and tuffs of it may begin to form from lack of grooming. They may begin to miss the litter box, or not use it at all. These are all signs that your cat needs to go to the vet. They aren't miss behaving, they aren't becoming lazy. They are sick. 
Check out this link for more information. 

2) Cats Peeing outside the litter box can mean a UTI or bladder infection

Cats can not use words like you and your child can to tell you when they don't feel good. They have to communicate it to you in a different way. When your cat pee's outside the litter box, on your bed, on clothing or on the floor, they are not misbehaving. Do not try to re-home them or decide to get rid of them because they are being bad. Instead, take them to the vet. Odds are they had a bladder infection or a UTI. This can be treated with medication, and they will go back to using their box again. They stopped using the box because they know that will get your attention and thats what they want, to tell you they are sick! 
If this isn't it, check out this link to see other reasons they might not be using the box.

3) Your cat needs shots

Just like a child, your cat needs shots. What if your cat gets out and you find them three days later? Do you really want to risk them getting sick when you get them back? What if, why your animal is lost, it ends up in a shelter? At your home it might not be at risk, but in shelters it will be around other cats, and could catch something. A mosquito can get inside, bite your cat and give your cat heart worm, do you really wanna risk your cat getting a serious parasite? I can promise that if you decide, for whatever reason, that you can't keep your animal and call to bring it to us, I'm going to ask you why you didn't take it to the vet in the last 3 years and I'm going to be upset when you didn't care for your cat like you do your child. 

In Conclusion

Treat your cat as though it is a family member. If your kid is sick, you take them to the doctor. You don't try to re-home them or turn them into a foster home. Do the same for your pet, figure out ways to work around the illness and take care of your pet when its not feeling well. Shots will keep them from getting sick, and the love will keep them happy. Besides, you are that cats world, they love you more than you know.