April- Cats Available at CCS

April CCS

Click on the link above for a video of many of our cats.

Here are some of the newer cats joining our Cats Cradle family.

George

Leyla

Phantom

Alexia

Askhim

Jim Dandy

Prosper

Newcat

Fun Facts About Cats - Answers

1. Cats are more popular than dogs in the U.S.
          a. True -

Sorry, dogs.  Cats rule, but not by much.  There are about 74 million pet cats in the U.S. and 70 million pet dogs.  Cats live about 14 to 16 years, so plan on taking care of them for a long time.  Having a cat may be good for your health.  One study found people who have cats are 40% less likely to have deadly heart problems than people without cats.


2. Cats can be right-pawed or left-pawed.
          a. True -

Just like people, cats can be lefties or righties.  Researchers watched cats reach for food.  Of more than 100 cats, about half reached with their right paw.  About 40% used their left, and 10% used both their right and their left.


3. Cats talk to each other by meowing.
          b. False -

Cats don't chat when they meow.  But purring, hissing, and shrieking may be part of how they get messages across.  They also use body language and mark things with their scent.  They mark things by rubbing them with their tail or face or by spraying them.  They even scratch wood sometimes to show they were there!


4. Chocolate is a special treat for cats.
          b. False -

Just like chocolate is really bad for dogs, it also can be toxic for cats.  Too much of it can raise your cat's heart rate and blood pressure and cause seizures.  Stick with kitty food treats instead.


5. Cats can usually squeeze their bodies through any space their head fits.
          a. True -

A cat's collarbones are free-floating, so their heads are usually the widest part of their bodies.  If your cat's head can fit through a tight space, generally, the rest of his body can follow.  Cats also have loose skin, which gives them even more flexibility.


6. A cat’s whiskers are about as long as her body is wide.
          a. True -

Whiskers are much thicker than normal hairs and are surrounded by nerves that help sense nearby objects.  Whiskers also may show your cat's mood.  They point forward when she's feeling friendly.  They lie flan on her face when she's feeling threatened or aggressive.


7. How high ca most cats jump?
          c. About 5 feet -

Cats in their prime usually can jump about 5 feet off the ground.  But, like people, they lose a bit of their spring as they get older.  When arthritis sets in 75% of cats simply won't jump.  Most of those who still spring up can't jump as high.  Medicine, supplements, and losing weight can ease your kitty's arthritis pain.


8. All kittens are born with brown eyes.
          b. False -

All kittens are bone with blue eyes, and their eyelids stay closed until they 10 to 14 days old.  They usually get their true eye color by eight weeks.


9. Cats have a third eyelid.
          a. True -

The third eyelid is the pink tissue at the inner corner of a cat's eye.  It helps protect the eye and spread tears over it.  These extra eyelids usually stay hidden unless a cat is sleepy.  Sometimes you see them in sick cats.


10. How much of his life has a 15-year-old cat slept through?
          b. 8 to 10 years -

They don't call them cat naps for nothing.  Cats sleep whenever they can, adding up to about 12 to 16 hours a day.  Like people, cats probably have three different phases: awake, rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, and non-REM sleep.  It's normal to see your cat's face and leg muscles twitch when he sleeps.  It's called "dream chasing".


11. Cats don’t sweat.
          b. False -

Cats sweat, but not a lot.  They have fewer sweat glands than people and sweat much less.  The little they do sweat is often masked by their thick fur, although you may notice sweaty paw prints.  They stay cool by grooming themselves.  When they lick their hair, the saliva evaporates from their skin and cools them off.


12. A female cat can have kittens only once a year.
          b. False -

Cats are pregnant for only about nine weeks, and they can get pregnant again just a few weeks after weaning their kittens.  If you don't spay your cat, she could have many litters in a year.  This is really true in mild climates.  Cats need at least 10 hours of light a day to be fertile.


Source: pets.webmd.com

Featured Volunteer - Elodee

I read about Cat’s Cradle Shelter while cruising Facebook.   We visited on a Saturday in November of 2013 and began cleaning room one the following Tuesday.  As I have told others, I have been a volunteer for humans from 0-98; it was time to try cats which are a new and welcome experience.  

I am of the age where a camera was only for pictures of family gatherings, firsts, and babies bundled up.  The best pictures I have are images in my mind.  One is of a green-eye barn cat named Sapphire, which makes no sense because sapphires are blue.  J.  It was after supper and mother and I were doing dishes.  Sapphire jumped up on the dog house which was below the kitchen window and meowed.  All you could see in the darkness were her green eyes, her pink tongue, and the frost on her whiskers.  It was her way of signaling she wanted to come in to eat.

This note would not be complete without mention of Max, a smoke tipped Persian I bought from a person using our durable medical service.  I brought him north with me from Kansas.  Although deceased for a few years now, we still hear him jumping off the bed in the north room.  Max was my ‘go to’ guy during my years as a single parent.  He kept many secrets.  RIP

My favorite cat moments at the shelter include Jedi, now adopted, who liked to sit on my back while I was scrubbing the floor.  If I stopped he would chew on my earrings.  The joke at home was, if he swallows the earring, we will have to adopt him!  There is something very special about sitting quietly and observing the colony.  It is a time of solitude shared with a variety of personalities.  It is touching for me to have them wait for lap time. 

My name is Elodee and it is an honor to be associated with this fine organization.  

Fun Facts About Cats - Quiz

How much do you know about cats?  Take the quiz below and check back on Friday for the answers.

1. Cats are more popular than dogs in the U.S.
          a. True
          b. False

2. Cats can be right-pawed or left-pawed.
          a. True
          b. False

3. Cats talk to each other by meowing.
          a. True
          b. False

4. Chocolate is a special treat for cats.
          a. True
          b. False

5. Cats can usually squeeze their bodies through any space their head fits.
          a. True
          b. False

6. A cat’s whiskers are about as long as her body is wide.
          a. True
          b. False

7. How high ca most cats jump?
          a. About 3 feet
          b. About 4 feet
          c. About 5 feet

8. All kittens are born with brown eyes.
          a. True
          b. False

9. Cats have a third eyelid.
          a. True
          b. False

10. How much of his life has a 15-year-old cat slept through?
          a. 6 to 8 years
          b. 8 to 10 years
          c. 10 to 12 years

11. Cats don’t sweat.
          a. True
          B. False

12. A female cat can have kittens only once a year.
          a. True
          b. False

Source: pets.webmd.com

Colony Housing - Room 3

Colony housing for cats can provide a positive alternative to individual cat cages. Cats can roam free in a home like environment, have the opportunity for greater activity such as climbing, perching and window viewing as well as social interaction. 

Here are a few of the cats in colony room 3 at CCS.

Baby

Buddie

Cojack

Duke (left), Becker (right) & Ginny (bottom)

Edgar

Lorelei