Mewswire
The newsletter of CatHobbyist.com
Holidays 2006
In This Issue:
# From the Furrie Leader
# A Special Gift
# Making it all Worthwhile
# Unusual? Feline Behaviour: A Tale of Three Kitties
# Interview with a Foster Mom
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From the Furrie Leader
Best wishes to you and your furrie family for a healthy and happy holiday season and the coming new year.
At CatHobbyist we are always looking for ways to provide the information you are looking for. Let us know if there is a particular area or subject that we can assist with.
There are many holiday tips to help with decorating in a cat-safe manner. Just one... did you know that an old wheel with a tire on it can make a great pet safe tree stand? So many of the holiday treats contain things like chocolate or onion which are just two things that can be toxic to cats. Check out the chats and message board for more tips.
We also know that the holidays can be a hard time for those struggling with the loss of a pet, either past or soon to come. Our Pet Loss and Grief Support chat hosts are here 365 nights a year, including Christmas Eve, Christmas night, New Year's Eve, and New Year's night. The complete schedule is here
http://chat.pethobbyist.com/schedule.php?site=loss
We will also have special hosted guest chats in Cat Care Central from 9-11 PM ET on Christmas Eve an Christmas ... just click on the link at
http://www.cathobbyist.com to join us!
Moira O'Connor
PHAbymom
CatHobbyist.com Site Coordinator
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A Special Gift
We wish a wonderful holiday season and Happy New Year to the users of Pethobbyist.com! Thank you all for being part of our community.
The staff, volunteers, and patrons of the Pethobbyist.com family of web communities have made a donation of $500 to the Wildlife Warriors Fund, which was established in 2002 by Steve and Terri Irwin to support the protection of injured, threatened or endangered wildlife. This donation was made this holiday season in the memory of Steve, in hopes that it may be put towards the conservation of the animals and habitat that Steve helped us appreciate so much over the years.
Steve's memory will forever live on in the hearts and minds of those that he inspired. The world has lost a spokesman for the animals.
Happy Holidays!
Jeff Barringer
Clint Gilders
Christie Keith
And all of us at Pethobbhyist.com
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Making It All Worthwhile
Every now and then, we get a letter that makes all the long hours our volunteers put in on the boards and in the chats worth it. Here is one such letter:
Dear CatHobbyist.com,
I want to thank this site for making it possible for me to find my new kitten.It was absolutely instrumental, and without it, I'd never have found her.I had lost my 16-and-a-half year old. tortie and white kitty, Jester, on September 8. I was devastated, of course.
After about a month, my vet suggested I look for a new kitten.I only wanted one that looked as much like Jester as possible.That was a TALL order, as she had very unique markings.I looked for a couple of months on other websites.Nothing caught my eye.Out of hundreds of calico and tortie kittens listed, only about two were even anywhere close, but I didn't feel anything for them.
Then, about three weeks ago, I was sitting at my 'puter and for unknown reasons, decided to jump into the chatroom "Calico 'Tude".Don't ask me why I chose that night, I never go into chat rooms. I chatted with one specific chatter the most. Finally, it was late and I left the chatroom. The next morning, I was having breakfast at my 'puter with my other cat Bibi in my lap. As always, I went into the Pet Photo Gallery and clicked on "cat," then "meowchatters".I almost fell out of my chair.Who stole Jester's baby pictures and posted them? The kitten I beheld was the very reincarnation of my late pet.I noted the name of the poster, and in a web search for them, discovered they were the same person I had been chatting with for so long the night before.
Turns out that she is a foster mom for an animal adoption agency in upstate NY and that the kitten I fell for would actually be up for adoption soon.She was a bit underweight from her bad earlier life and so hadn't been spayed yet. This is the only reason she hadn't been on the other sites I’d been checking.
I contacted the person I’d chatted with. I filled out the adoption papers and flew upstate from NYC.The kitten I saw became mine! I never, ever would have found her, under the radar as she was, without your site.
Let me thank you for helping me to find this gorgeous, smart, funny and extraordinarily loving little girl and allowing me to give her the best of loving homes.She deserves it after her rocky start in life, and I deserve her!
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Unusual? Feline Behaviour:
A Tale of Three Kitties
by PHTessie
Once upon a time, many years ago, back when we lived in the country and didn't know the things we know today about cats living as indoor/outdoor creatures, we had a great old tomcat named Oscar. Now Oscar, although a big and burly appearing creature, was really a bit of a wimp. Really more of a ladykitman than a hero. Anyway, one day the neighbors brought home a new dog. Oscar, not being familiar with dogs, wasn't sure what to make of the situation. However, he went on about his business. But that was the last we saw of Oscar for quite some time. Oh he was occasionaly spotted at a distance, but as for coming home, no.
Then one evening ,as I sat on the back porch, I saw an unusual sight. Across the yard came three cats, one nervous and wary, being herded by the other two. Two were easily recognizable, but the third seemed a stranger. They reached the porch and meowed for me to open the door. On closer inspection, I realized, the strange cat was none other than the long lost Oscar, father to the other two. Tired, hungry and bedraggled, they had brought their father home. He had been gone for almost a year.
Once they had him safely inside, the boys went on about their business. Oscar, after a hearty meal , curled up on my lap for pets and skritches, and a nice long nap. Amazingly, he had not turned feral. He seemed to know where he was and that he was home at last...and had no desire to ever go out again.
The Midwife Cat
One time we had a number of cats, among them a pair of sisters. To look at them, on the surface they appeared to be just normal cats..however, one of the girls became pregnant. Not surprising. We didn't know that much about the advantages of spaying and neutering back then. Things seemed to progress normaly until one day, as kitty was crossing the livingroom, a kitten popped out, and mama just kept going as if nothing had happened. Before I could react, her sister raced to her and herded her into a corner of the room. After convincing her to stay put, she darted back to the kitten, picked it up and took it too her. She showed her how to clean up the newborn and set it to nursing. Mama wasn't particularly intrested in the whole event. Sister assisted in the delivery of five more babies, sometimes having to hold mom down physicaly. Poor momcat seemed to have no idea where these furballs were coming from or that they had anything to do with her. Aunty did her best to
explain the situation to mom, without much luck, and had her paws full with the new family. But she never gave up, making sure the babies were fed and cared for. And she did an excellent job, all survived.
Now, we have all heard from the 'experts', animals have no family feeling, don't feel love or think as humans do. They are just dumb animals..all I can say is, the world would be a better place if humans behaved just on instinct as they say the animal world does. At least that is my opinion. I have lived with animals all my life and I have to wonder what these 'experts' are basing their opinons on, it surely can't be the animals I have known. Perhaps animals studied in a clinical situation don't feel or react as animals in a home environment do. Nonsense, they are just dumb animals and don't know the difference the 'experts' would probably tell us. But if that is the case, how do you account for sons bringing home their long lost father? How do you account for a cat acting as midwife and nurse to her sisters family? How do you account for a dog whimpering and crying in his sleep for weeks after witnessing the death of another dog hit by a car, or mourning the loss of
a sibling or parent or human companion? Just dumb animals? What do you think?
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Interview With A Foster Mom
by PHTessie
Kitten season is here again, and everyone loves Kittens. Or do they? Not all kittens are born into a happy home. Many end up in shelters. Some are born on the street. And some end up in uncaring homes. This interview is with one of those people who deal with the unwanted.
CatHobbyist: How did you get involved in fostering?
Fosterer: A friend had a foster puppy that her chow mix was trying to eat so she asked us to foster it.
CatHobbyist: What is your familys reaction to what you are doing?
Fosterer: Our immediate family is all involved. The extended families either think it's great or think we're a bit loony.
CatHobbyist: What is involved in caring for these unwanted babies?
Fosterer: Lots of feeding, warming, bathing, vetting, and snuggling! It's really a group project because the orphans are so labor intensive. I do the nighttime care while the kids will usually get them in the morning so I can get some sleep.
CatHobbyist: What are some of the financial aspects involved and how do you deal with that?
Fosterer: We're lucky in that our rescue group is able to afford the formula, canned foods and vet care that the tiny ones require. Otherwise, it's very difficult to do. A litter can go through a $10 can of powdered formula in under a week. If they get sick, all of them get it, so vet care can be expensive, too.
CatHobbyist: What kind of assistance is available?
Fosterer: Our rescue group does a lot of fundraising. Otherwise, Purina and other companies will donate some products to us. We also get individuals and companies who will sponsor litters from intake through adoption.
CatHobbyist: What is the best part of fostering?
Fosterer: All those snuggly little ones getting plump and healthy and playing.
CatHobbyist: What is the worst?
Fosterer: When they come with FeLV or FIP and don't make it.
CatHobbyist: If one wanted to become a foster, what advice would you give them?
Fosterer: Make sure you have the time to give. Most orphans need a lot of physical care while most older animals need help in trusting humans.
Keep a well stocked first aid kit on hand! You WILL be bitten.
Keep formula, nutrical, and other rescue foods on hand. The animals come to you at odd hours and on strange days. You need to be prepared to rehydrate immediately and to get easily digested foods into them.
CatHobbyist: What else can we do to help alleviate the problem?
Fosterer: Speuter, speuter, speuter, speuter!
Fostering is not for everyone. Those who can do it are very special people. Many of us are not mentally or even physically equiped. And it must be very hard to say good bye to the little ones you have worked so hard with when they go on to their forever homes.
There are other ways we can help. Volunteer at your local shelter. Donate! Money, food, toys. Even things like bleach and towels and blankets are always needed. Adopt! And of course the all important SPAY AND NEUTER!
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Mewswire is copyright 2006 by OnlineHobbyist.com unless otherwise specified. All rights reserved.
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