Did you know?

• How can we tell which cats have been spayed or neutered?

  At the time of the cat's "fix", and while the cat is still under anesthesia, the veterinarian will cut a small notch at the top of the cat's ear.  The notch is just large enough for us to tell that the ear doesn't look like the other one.  We don't like doing this, but alternatives are ineffective.  Here is a close up picture of Sally with the notch.  Click on the picture for a larger one.

  

• What are the facts about declawing your cat?

  • www.declawing.com

  • What are the facts about declawing and what are the alternatives? (This site is technical and not for the faint-of-heart.  While not too graphic, it really illustrates how barbaric this practice is and makes you wonder why declawing is still allowed.)

• Myths Regarding Feral Cats
   

Myth: If you don't feed them, they'll go away

Fact:  By nature, cats are attracted to areas where people gather.  Instinctively they know that where there are people, there is food and shelter.  If we don’t feed the cats, they will find food in trash cans and dumpsters and resort to killing birds for food.  They become scavengers, but they don’t find enough food to keep them healthy.  You then have feral cats that are malnourished, weak, and sick.  By feeding the feral cats and by getting them sterilized, we maintain a healthy and non-reproducing feral population.  The food we provide is also a tool to help monitor the population’s health needs, newcomers, and other aspects of maintaining feral colonies, such as taming and finding homes for as many of the cats that we can.
 

Myth:  Feral cats carry diseases that put people and other cats at risk

Fact:  Two of the most common and deadly diseases among cats are Feline Leukemia (FeLV) and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV).  Studies have shown that the rate of these diseases among managed feral cat colonies is no higher than among domestic pets. (“Characteristics of free-roaming cats evaluated in a trap-neuter-return program,” JAVMA, vol.221, no. 8, Oct. 15, 2002).  One of the reasons for this is that FIV is transmitted through deep bite wounds.  When cats are sterilized, it reduces fighting among cats, especially males, by a significant amount, thereby reducing the risk of illness.

Fact:  Rabies among cats is rare.  Between 1993-2002 eighteen known cases of rabies in cats were reported in California—none being in Kern County.  The largest carrier of rabies in Kern County is the bat, which cats do not hunt.