Posted on August 7, 2008 by kilkennykitty
Posted on August 7, 2008 by kilkennykitty
Well last week I went to Fota Wildlife Park in Cork which is a truly wonderful place, be sure to visit if you’re in the area. A large number of the animals roam free and those that don’t have all been provided with wonderful natural and stimulating environments. In my opinion by far the most wonderful of the 90 or so species they have is the Cheetah. I love big cats as much as I love the domestic sort and this species is fascinating and unfortunately quite seriously endangered - So I thought I’d tell you what I can about them…
Only about 12,000-15,000 remain in the wild in throughout Africa and Asia with the majority in Namibia (around 3,000) where they are protected and less than 100 in Iran. They have a lack of genetic diversity making them susceptible to disease and infant mortality. They do not breed well in captivity with 30% of cubs dying within a month there are not exact figures for those in the wild but it is estimated that 90% of cubs do not survive past 3 months old. Even the species that are in protected wildlife reserves are at risk, being one of the smaller of the big cats they suffer due to the increase in numbers of lion and hyena who kill their cubs and steal their prey.
I didn’t realise how lucky I had been to see this beautiful group of cubs until I got home and started studying them! These are the world’s fastest land animal, reaching speeds up to 70mph they do 0-40mph in three strides and reach full speed within seconds! They will stalk their prey to within about 10-30 metres and then pounce chasing at full speed, they can only chase at these high speeds for a max of about 500 metres and will then be exhausted. They are unique to the cat family due to their semi-retractile claws although closely related to the Puma. There are three groups in the feline family, The Panthera (roaring cats, lions and tigers etc), Felis (small cats, European and African wild cats amongst others) and The Acinonyx (The Cheetah). Our domestic cats are thought to be descendants of the African wild cat.
Their is a wealth of fascinating facts and information about the Cheetah and it would take me too long to tell all. If you do want to read more, the best place is the Cheetah Conservation Fund which also details how you can help this amazing species.
Filed under: Feline Focus | Tagged: Animal Rescue, Breeds, Cat Genetics, Feline Focus, Wild Cats | No Comments »
Posted on July 30, 2008 by kilkennykitty
Please read this post from Limerick Animal Welfare on why to keep cats indoors.
My heart breaks all over again every time I read a post like this since I lost North on the road last year. It was the hardest thing I’ve had to deal with knowing it could so easily have been prevented. North was an astounding cat he was 9 years so although many felt he’d lived a good life I know he could have made double that age.
He will be forever missed and I am so sorry North that we had to learn the hard way!
Filed under: Indoor Cats, Rainbow Bridge | Tagged: Indoor Cats, North, Rainbow Bridge | 1 Comment »
Posted on July 29, 2008 by kilkennykitty
I also asked the vet whilst I was there about the need for vaccinating the cats annually. I’ve always been sceptical and since reading this article - Vaccination for Cats: Helpful or Harmful - became even more so.
I think it is best that you read this and then form your own theories and opinions but I’ll briefly tell you mine. I’ve always suspected it’s a bit of a con to get you into the vets more often as I said in my last post mine aren’t pushy sales people but there are plenty who are. I would never put my cats at risk but always pushed it a couple of months after receiving the reminder. The other vet in the practice had already said that Star did not need doing at her age because she is mostly indoors, neutered, does not get close to strange cats and the risk diminishes with age. The vet I was questioning explained that although the risk does diminish with age and she would probably say it is safe to stretch to two yearly after they have built up immunity from their first three injections or so (two boosters and another a year later). As a vet professionally she can not recommend this as the drugs companies have done no research to substantiate these claims/opinions - oh I wonder why!
I will continue to get my cats their boosters but will stretch out the intervals after their initial few. I believe the article is right that they get lifelong protection but unfortunately there is little evidence to prove it. My cats mostly stay indoors, will all be neutered, are rarely in contact with other cats and have a healthy diet and lifestyle therefore I feel that even three yearly vaccination is probably unnecessary but better to be safe than sorry.
Filed under: Cat Health | Tagged: Cat Health, Indoor Cats, Vaccination | No Comments »
Posted on July 29, 2008 by kilkennykitty
Well we’ve just got over a very worrying few days with Zelda, possibly because she has just had kittens or maybe just because she’s sensitive - she seemed to suffer badly after the operation. She withdrew into herself and refused to eat or drink for three whole days. Considering how thin she is anyway and spaying removes a considerable amount of their internals to make this appear significantly worse - I was incredibly concerned! I have been giving her fluids by a syringe and although she still has a significant amount of weight to gain she is almost back to her normal self and her stitches come out tomorrow.
Whilst I was at the vets I asked what age she would spay/neuter the kittens and was a little bit concerned about her reply. I must quickly add that I am very happy with the vets, they give me a discount because I have lots of cats are incredibly caring and they are not always trying to sell you something and I have met far too many who are. The problem is they mostly deal with large farm animals and I wonder if they are as up to date as they should be on household pets.
Her answer was 6 months if not a little older but she would be happy to check on them earlier if I think they’re ready. She is very worried about doing it too early and stunting their growth but I have read lots of articles stating that this isn’t the case. I think North was about four months old and Star five/six and it certainly did them no harm. North was always a lean, athletic cat and did not have any secondary male characteristics like a later neutered male may but that was no loss. I did them early because they were brother and sister so keeping them inside would not have prevented unwanted pregnancies. I will always wish I did Whistler earlier, he was only about 6 months but obviously starting puberty when he disappeared.
At least she says that if I’m at all worried that Link has been busy with Leah or Luna she will do them as a matter of urgency.
Here were some of the concerns and seeming misconceptions of early neutering…
- That for some reason, it was better to let a female cat give birth to one litter of kittens before spaying.
- That a female cat should not be neutered until after her first oestrus period.
- That growth metabolism might be stunted as a result.
- That the eventual urethral diameter might be constricted, particularly in male cats, causing eventual urinary problems.
- That female cats in particular, might later develop incontinence as a result.
- That certain behavioral problems might result.
These concerns were dismissed by animal shelters who risked early spaying of kittens to prevent the problem of over breeding and unwanted kittens. The compared cats spayed/neutered as early as six-twelve weeks with those done at six-twelve months and found…
- Same metabolic rate
- Same type of growth
- Same urethral diameter at adulthood
- Same behavioral patterns.
On top of this they found some unexpected benefits to early spaying/neutering…
- Less traumatic surgery - kittens do not need to fast as long prior to the operation, surgery is quicker because there are less layers of fat to cut through, closure is simple on a 1cm incision needing only one stitch.
- Quicker recovery - the anesthetic wears off quicker, kittens are generally quicker to get up, play and eat. (I think I can confirm this one in my own experiences of Star’s recovery versus Zelda’s)
- Fewer complications overall.
I sourced some of this info from http://cats.about.com/cs/spayneuter/a/earlyneuter.htm and you can read more there.
Filed under: Cat Health, Kitten Development | Tagged: Cat Health, Kitten Development, Kittens, Neutering, Spaying, Zelda | 1 Comment »
Posted on July 24, 2008 by kilkennykitty
Well yesterday evening I collected poor Zelda from the vets after her operation and she is not in a good way really. You could see all her side and leg twitching from the pain, she seems to like being stroked gently but is not interested in anything else. She does not want the kittens anywhere near her, which is quite understandable and has not yet eaten anything. I am making sure she has water close by at all times but am not sure that she’s drunk any of that either. It is dreadfully hard to see her in this state, her stomach is quite visibly sunken it is certainly a case of cruel to be kind to me right now. It is bringing back memories of having Star done (I think she was about 6 months) and I am sure she made a very quick recovery so hopefully Zelda should start to return to her old self very soon. The vet told me she had complained and yowled all night at being kept in, we knew she wasn’t the kind of cat to lie down and accept her fate! She will have to pop back in a week and have the stitches out and then she shouldn’t need to see the vet again until Dec for her booster vaccinations.
Filed under: Cat Health, My Cats | Tagged: Cat Health, My Cats, Spaying, Zelda | No Comments »
Posted on July 23, 2008 by kilkennykitty
Today the kittens are 9wks old I am so disappointed that I have not been able to keep this blog updated more regularly but my internet connection keeps going down!
Yesterday they had their first check up and injections at the vets and sadly she was shocked to see kittens like them that were free from worms, fleas and happy to be handled! She said that almost all the others she has dealt with are half stray and not in good shape! It’s all credit to Zelda who has been the most wonderful Mum and even now is not rejecting them.
Zelda has been kept in to be spayed which because I am so pathetic over my cats is terribly hard made far worse by my son wailing that he didn’t want to leave her there, the people in the waiting room must’ve thought she’d been put to sleep!! Everyone is saying she’ll be fine but the fact is she won’t really…
She will not have her kittens to cuddle or window ledge to watch the world from. She will only have water because she’s ‘nil by mouth’ until the operation is done. She’s in a strange place, will be given an injection to make her drowsy and will then awake with a nasty pain in her side. I have to ring at 4.30pm to see if she’s ready to come home and you can be sure I’ll be ringing on the dot! I am really pleased she’s being done though as it will improve her quality of life no end so it’s for her own good. We have another queen coming into our garden and upsetting Zelda by trying to steal her boyfriend - at least when she’s recovered she’ll realise that she’s welcome to him!
The kittens do not seem particularly concerned by the absence of their mother which is just kids for you! Star is slowly getting used to the kittens especially Sola, who confusingly has been renamed Leah by my husband. It seems to be a case of ginger girls unite - she’ll let Leah sleep the other side of the bed from her and appear to be quite relaxed but if that was Zelda in the same spot there’d be all kinds of growling, hissing and spitting!! So hopefully Star could very slowly allow her a little closer and maybe even have a little friend - one day!
Filed under: Cat Health, Kitten Development, My Cats | Tagged: Cat Health, Kittens, Leah, Link, Luna, My Cats, Sola, Spaying, Star, Vaccination, Zelda | No Comments »
Posted on July 13, 2008 by kilkennykitty
Well the kittens are around 7.5weeks and Zelda has gone back into heat also called calling which is a very good description! She will be spayed when the kittens have their injections at 9 weeks because she can’t be done until they are fully weaned (which they pretty much are now) because it will usually cause the milk to dry up. I am counting the days now; a neutered cat is a better pet by far in the long run. A calling queen is very annoying and quite a concern because they sound very distressed and I get the feeling they must be in some sort of pain. Zelda lies in front of you bum in the air and wiggles at any opportunity which is rather embarrassing when you have people over for tea! On top of this she sprays by the patio door which is an awful smell to get rid of and I now know that she doesn’t do this as part of her normal behavior which is a relief.
Spaying female cats is slightly more complex than castrating males. The womb and ovaries are removed to stop her from coming into heat. Males rarely need any stitches after their operation but a females stomach will be shaved and stitched. After the operation she should quickly return to her normal self but will appreciate a little special care and attention until the stitches are removed.
After spaying nothing will change dramatically but it will alter some behaviors for the better. Sexual desires are removed which should prevent spraying and some territorial behavior. The urge to roam will go and she will no longer be harassed by local Tom’s (unneutered males) this should make her feel more relaxed and secure.
Filed under: Cat Health, Kitten Development, My Cats | Tagged: Calling, Cat Health, Kittens, My Cats, Spaying, Zelda | 2 Comments »
Posted on July 9, 2008 by kilkennykitty
We were away this weekend and the Kilkenny Kitty’s were left at home (rather reluctantly) but not alone. There are a few options for having your cats cared for whilst your away and it certainly needs a little forward planning, especially when you have small kittens limiting your options!
Freinds, Neighbours and Family
Can come and check on your cat regularly whilst you’re away or more preferably stay in your home. Cats will be happiest staying in familiar surroundings whilst you’re gone. If you are leaving your cats with someone popping in to check on and feed them it is best to do short breaks first to be sure your cat is comfortable with this arrangement before leaving them for a longer period. Someone staying in your home is the ideal solution as you know they will receive constant care and attention.
Proffesional Cat Sitters and Visitors
Would be very similar to the above with a company arranging someone to either stay in your home or visit regularly. They will ensure the cat gets lots of love and attention whilst they’re around and should be more likely to spot if your cat is unwell. The negatives to this option for some would be having a stranger in your home and the higher expense for a professional service.
Catteries
Booking your cat into a cattery will take a lot of advance planning as many are booked well in advance. You will also need to visit the cattery to see their facilities and check they are suitable for your cat. It is better to go for a cattery which is cats only as most cats will be stressed at being removed from their environment and noise from dogs will increase this. Your cat will need to be up to date on all their vaccinations, worm and flea treatments. A cattery will be more expensive than the first option but similar or slightly less than having a professional sitter - catteries are widely varied from simple outside pens to luxury cat hotels.
Taking your Cat with you
Most cats do not travel well but if you have one that does then why not take advantage and book into a cat friendly hotel. However if you are traveling overseas your cat may need to be quarantined and/or travel in a plane’s cargo hold. Cats from Ireland can travel to the UK without any restrictions and around Europe and some other countries on the pet passport scheme.
We were lucky enough to have a very helpful aunt who was happy to come and stay with our cats and kittens and give them lots of love and cuddles. They barely seem to have noticed we’ve been gone and very little has changed, except of course for the kittens being larger - they’re growing like weeds!
Filed under: Cats and holidays, My Cats | Tagged: Leaving Cats | No Comments »
Posted on July 2, 2008 by kilkennykitty
Oh yes it can be done…
Some cats are more inclined to do it than others and as us cat lovers know you can not make a cat do anything it doesn’t want to. I was very annoyed I forgot to mention this when posting about indoor cats as it is a wonderful way to excercise them.
I found this funny and informative post on Miz Alley Cats blog on how to introduce your cat to the idea and don’t think there’s much more to add.
You can buy some lovely harnesses for both cats and kittens on www.pet-bliss.ie
I think I will give it a go when the kittens are a bit bigger and will be sure to let you know how it goes.
Filed under: Indoor Cats | Tagged: Indoor Cats | 2 Comments »
