Feral Paws Rescue

                 Naughty Kitty!   

If you cat tends to think that you are a Kitty Treat,  
when he takes his next bite, just say "No!" (don't hit  
him) and walk away from him. Totally ignore him! Sounds  
easy, but it really works for most cats. Here is a good  
way to train your cat not to do something (getting on  
tables, etc.). Keep a spray bottle of water handy. When  
you see your cat doing something that he shouldn't be  
doing...squirt water at him in the face. They really  
hate that!   
  
-- FROM THE "CAT SCRAPS" FILE:  

The most used name for a pet cat is 'Kitty'. The most used  
phrase is 'Here Kitty, Kitty' with 'You Stupid Cat' not  
far behind.  

  
              Chocolate IS A DEFINITE No! No!  

Never give chocolate to your pet! Chocolate is pure poison  
to our furry friends! Feeding this sweet treat for humans  
to your cat could be fatal. Please pass this warning on to  
your children.  

  
                 Electric Blanket Caution  

If you are considering placing a heating pad in your cat's  
bed for warmth, be sure to exercise caution. Cover it with  
a towel and check it periodically to make sure it does not  
get too hot. An alternative is a warm water-heating pad  
through which warm water is circulated at a constant  
temperature.  

                      Write It Down  

Before making a visit to the veterinarian with your cat  
consider writing down your questions on a piece of paper.  
It is not uncommon to forget key questions and concerns  
once in the exam room. Your veterinarian will respect  
your preparations and appreciate you as a responsible  
pet owner.  

-- FROM THE "CAT SCRAPS" FILE:  

Chemicals can be absorbed through a cat's paws. Floor  
waxes and cleaning solutions pose a particular danger. 

  
                    NEWBORN KITTENS  
  
Newborn kittens have closed ear canals that don't begin  
to open for nine days. When the eyes open, they are always  
blue at first. They change color over a period of months  
to the final eye color.   

                 Keeping Catnip Fresh...  

The aroma of catnip loses potency over time. To keep  
kitty's catnip toys fresh, store them in a plastic  
container and take them out for a special play session  
two or three times a week.  

-- FROM THE "CAT SCRAPS" FILE:  
The way you treat kittens in the early stages of it's  
life will render it's personality traits later in life.   

         Some Signs Of Plant Poisoning  

If your cat is showing any one of these symptoms it is  
possible it has eaten a poisonous plant. Plant poisoning  
is dangerous and medical attention should be sought  
immediately. Try to identify the plant that has been  
ingested and have its name available when you contact  
your vet.  

Here are some signs of plant poisoning and what to do  
if you suspect it.  

convulsions  
diarrhea  
abdominal pain  
pale gums or tongue  
swollen tongue  
refusal of food  
continual vomiting   

  

Now that Spring is just around the corner, here is a list  
of SOME plants that are toxic to cats:  

alfalfa  
almond pits  
amaryllis  
apple seeds  
apricot pits  
arrowhead vine  
asparagus fern  
azalea  
balsam pear  
beech  
bird of paradise  
bittersweet  
black locust  
boston ivy  
boxcaladium  
buttercup  
castor bean  
cherry pits  
chryzanthemum  
colodium  
creeping fig  
creeping charlie  
crown of thorns  
daffodil  
daphne  
delphinium  
dieffenbachia  
drunk cane  
elephant ears  
emerald duke  
English ivy  
euonymus  
foxglove  
glocal ivy  
golden chain  
ground cherry  
heart ivy   
   
FROM THE "CAT SCRAPS" FILE:  
A healthy cat's nose is cool  

                                                  Cats and Arthritis  

For overweight pets, losing weight will help lighten the  
load on those achy joints. A 20 minute walk several times  
a day can reduce the progression of arthritis. If it's  
cold outside, let them sleep inside. Make sure they are  
provided with soft bedding to reduce discomfort. Moist  
                              heat applied for 20 minutes twice a day can be a great  
                              comfort.  

                     Cat in a Tree:  

Cats will more than likely come down on their own. Leave  
them alone to make their way down. Give them an entire  
day to do so. Tempt them with their favorite strong-smell-  
ing food. If the cat is injured, wearing a leash that  
could choke them, or hasn't come down in a day, you need  
to climb up and get them, whether up the tree itself, or  
with a ladder. Grab them by the skin on the back of the  
neck and make your first attempt at reaching them a good  
one - they may flee further up the tree. The Human Society  
may be able to assist you if you are not able to reach the  
cat yourself.  

FROM THE "CAT SCRAPS" FILE:  

When a domestic cat goes after mice, about 1 pounce in 3  
results in a catch.  

                'The Tinkling Of A Bell'  

Putting a bell on a cat does not protect neighborhood  
birds, and can drive a cat crazy. Studies show that  
belled cats simply learn how to hunt more quietly and  
efficiently. But meanwhile, the tinkling sound of the  
bell is annoying and disorienting to the cat, who  
relies heavily on her sense of hearing to get around. 

                     CATS' EYES  

A large majority of white cats with blue eyes are deaf.  
White cats with only one blue eye are deaf only in the ear  
closest to the blue eye. White cats with orange eyes do  
not have this disability.  

-- FROM THE "CAT SCRAPS" FILE:  

A cat has 32 muscles in each ear  

                        Safety Net  

When bringing a new baby into your home, be sure to pro-  
tect her from your cat. Although your feline is unlikely  
to cause your baby any harm your cat may be very curious  
about the new arrival. Consider draping a commercially  
available crib-netting over the crib to prevent unwanted  
visitors into the baby's bed.  

 FROM THE "CAT SCRAPS" FILE:  

Cats can't taste sweets  

   
                                                                         All cats like fish  

There is no particular food that all cats like. This is  
why cat foods are available in a variety of flavors and  
textures. Once you find nutritionally complete and  
balanced cat food your cat enjoys, stay with it. Frequent  
diet changes may create a finicky eater and cause diges-  
tive upsets. Be certain the package label states that the  
product has undergone feeding trials in accordance with  
the Association of American Feed Control officials (AAFCO)  
                                                         protocol.  

                       CATS EYES  

Cats can see an ant at a distance of six meters(!). While  
looking straight ahead they can also see sideways in an  
angle of 45 degrees, but only 2-dimensional. In pitch-dark-  
ness their eyes become more like a kind of ears: the pupils  
pick up acoustic vibrations. 

              Our Nosey little Furry Friend  

A cat's nose has 17 million nerve cells, which he uses to  
trace all smells/aromas in his environment. Even the food  
they eat is chosen by the smell. A cat who has a cold,  
doesn't eat because he isn't hungry, but because he can't  
smell the food. Comparison: a dog's nose has 147 million  
nerve cells; we have 'only' 5 million nerve cells in our  
nose.   

                          Grass  

Cats and dogs alike may eat grass from time to time. Some  
believe that it is because they have an upset stomach and  
are trying to induce vomiting. This is not likely the  
case. Many dogs and cats seem to enjoy the taste of grass,  
but grass tends to get hung up in the back of the throat  
and esophagus, triggering a gag reflex.   

                        Slow Change  

If you change your overweight cat's diet to a lower calorie  
food, make the change gradually over a seven to ten day  
period. Add a small amount of the lower calorie food to the  
diet currently being fed. Each day increase the amount of  
lower calorie food and decrease the current diet until the  
changeover is completed. This helps avoid digestive upsets  
frequently caused by sudden diet changes.   

-- FROM THE "CAT SCRAPS" FILE:  

What is a cat's way of keeping law and order?  

^..^ Claw Enforcement.   
 ><  

   
                       Cat Sleeping:  

Cats have three kinds of sleep: the brief nap, the longer  
light sleep, and the deep sleep. The brief nap is the one  
we call a "catnap". The light sleep and the longer sleep  
alternate during those periods of time when a cat settles  
down for something more than a catnap. When a cat is ready  
for some sleep, it begins in a phase of light sleep that  
lasts for about half an hour. Then, the cat enters the  
period of deep sleep, which lasts for 6 or 7 minutes.  
After this, the cat will return to light sleep and  
alternate these two phases until he or she wakes up.  

During deep sleep a cat will dream, with twitchings and  
quivering of the ears, paws, and tail. The mouth may make  
some sucking movement. There may be some vocalizations --  
growls, purrs, and other sounds. There are also bursts of  
rapid eye movement during the deep sleep.  

A kitten, during the first month, experiences only deep  
sleep, which lasts for about 12 hours total each day.  
After the first month, the kitten quickly switches to  
the adult pattern of sleep.  

Cats are super-sleepers, sleeping about 16 hours a day  
total. Most mammals do not sleep this much, which puts  
the cat into a special category -- that of the efficient  
hunter. The cat is so efficient at obtaining food, that  
it has time to spare, so it has time for more sleep.  
Other carnivores, like dogs, have to spend much more time  
running around, searching and chasing, to obtain their  
food. But the cat sits, waits, stalks a little, kills,  
and eats. That done, the cat grooms and takes a nap. Our  
housecats have even less to do, and they don't have to  
fit more activities into their day, so they can still be  
super-sleepers.   
   
              Dogs & Cats Living Together  

Though dogs and cats area traditionally viewed as adver-  
saries, they can actually make great companions for one  
another. Bringing a feline into a canine household-or  
vice-versa-can be trying for both animals and owners, so  
here's a technique worth trying: Keep your dog on a leash  
and give him food treats for sitting quietly as the cat  
walks by. This way, you're rewarding Fido for non-  
predatory behavior. Be sure to keep your cat's claws  
trimmed, so that if trouble does arise, it can't do much  
damage to the dog.   

FROM THE "CAT SCRAPS" FILE:  

Studies show that if a cat falls off the seventh floor  
of a building it has about thirty percent less chance  
of surviving than a cat that falls off the twentieth  
floor. It supposedly takes about eight floors for the  
cat to realize what is occurring, relax and correct  
itself