10 New Year Resolutions for Your Cat

Here are the top 10 New Year's Resolutions for your cat, from her perspective. (Just don't say anything if she falls a little short of the goal.)

Resolution #1: I promise to trim down a little.Being bigger means there is more of me to love, but perhaps I can stand to lose a little weight, if I'm given the opportunity and the right kinds of toys to play with.

Resolution #2: I'll be friendlier to strangers.I won't turn my nose up at newcomers right away. Instead, I'll give them a chance to scratch my ears before disappearing under the bed.

Resolution #3: I'll be cuddlier to family members.
I'll purr more and be more affectionate to everyone in the family, except the dog – unless he promises to stay the heck out of my litter box!

Resolution #4: I'll be nicer to the birds and fish in household.
Sure, I'll be very nice to them. Perhaps if I'm nice, they'd want to come out and play with me...

Resolution #5: I won't be as finicky about my food.
Just as long as it's the right texture, taste and temperature, and given at the right time each day.

Resolution #6: I'll lay off the furniture and stick to my scratching post.
After all, that's what the scratching post is for. Besides, I've made enough marks to show who really owns this place. To do any more would be just cad.

Resolution #7: I'll stop hiding stuff behind the couch.
It's getting a little cluttered behind there anyways. Someone in the house is really trying to find that diamond ring – they're making too much of a racket.

Resolution #8: I'll let everyone else sleep later.
I suppose 5 a.m. is a little too early to get everyone up to feed me. I think I can hold on until 5:30 a.m.

Resolution #9: I'll stay off the counters, at least when company is around.
I only get chased off anyways. Sooner or later everyone leaves, so I can patrol the countertops if I'm just a little patient.

Resolution #10: I'll be more tolerant of those homemade bandannas.
They feel a little funny, and I dislike having something put on me, but the colors really do match my hair coat, and they set off my eyes nicely.

Source: www.petplace.com

Pennies for Penny

We have a wonderful donor named Penny, who has generously offered to match the first $1,000 in donations for the medical care of the beautiful cat named Penny who underwent surgery last week on her ear. She came to is very sick and was not responding to medications. You can read her story on Her You Caring page. Any excess donations will be used to help pay for other cats with extensive medical bills, like Maverick, Hipster, and Mayflower who have all had surgeries in the past few weeks. Thank you, as always, for supporting our efforts to provide the needed veterinary care so many of these rescues would not otherwise be able to get. You are helping alleviate so much pain and suffering with your donation.

Pennies for Penny

www.youcaring.com

Penny's story starts before her rescue. She was found very pregnant hanging around in Lynns back yard. One day she disappeared and when she returned she was considerably thinner. Lynn went around to the neighbors, knocking on doors to see if anyone had noticed any kittens around. To her horror,...

Keeping Your Cat Safe During the Winter Holidays

Christmas, New Year's, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa – and all the celebrations they entail pose safety problems for pets. Aside from the overexcitement and confusion caused by too many guests, there are purely physical problems: A cat can singe a tail on a candle or can swallow tinsel and wind up with an intestinal blockage that may need surgery to repair.

"Overall, clinic visits at this time of year increase slightly," says Dr. Debra Primovic, a veterinarian at the Animal Emergency Clinic in St. Louis. "But we see more cases of toxicity, cases related to an animal's biting an electrical cord or cases related to a pet eating chocolate or table scraps and developing pancreatitis."

Here's how to keep a pet safe during this holiday season:

The Tree

·  The natural smell of a Christmas tree attracts pets. But remember that needles (even artificial ones) are indigestible. So, keep your pet away from the tree (using a baby gate in the doorway or low lattice fencing around the tree itself) and, since cats like to climb, secure it so he can't knock it over.

·  Artificial trees pose their own hazards. Small pieces of plastic or aluminum can break off and be swallowed, causing intestinal blockage or irritation to the mouth.

·  Don't use preservatives in the stand water. They can be toxic if consumed by a thirsty pet. Carefully cover the top of the stand with a tree skirt so your pet can't get to it.

·  Lights can get very hot - remove them from the lower branches of the tree so they won't burn a curious cat.

·  Tinsel is dangerous. Its sharp edges can cause cuts in the mouth. If a pet swallows it, it can block intestines, causing decreased appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, listlessness and weight loss. Treatment usually involves surgery.

·  Don't use edible ornaments or fragile, easily breakable glass decorations to trim the tree. Your pet may knock over the tree trying to get to them and your cat may decide they're toys and cut himself trying to play with them.

·  Don't use angel hair. It's made of spun glass and can cause irritation on contact.

·  Make sure electrical cords are out of reach, taped firmly to walls or floors. Chewing on wires may cause burns or pulmonary edema (fluid in the lungs), which can be fatal.

·  Don't use wire ornament hooks that can easily snag an ear or a tail, or, if swallowed, can lodge in the throat or intestines. Instead, fashion loops of yarn, ribbons or light weight twine. And be careful not to leave any of that lying around.

The Gifts

·  Check out the "toys" your pet or kids receive as gifts. A pet can swallow small parts; plastic items can be easily broken and swallowed, too.

·  Gift wrappings can be dangerous to a pet's health: String and ribbon can cause obstruction of the small bowel if swallowed. Cats, especially, love to eat the string used to tie up the turkey as it cooks.

·  Before throwing away large boxes or cartons, check the insides to make sure a kitten hasn't curled up inside.

The Food

·  Alcohol and chocolate are toxic - keep drinks and sweets out of a pet's reach. Chocolate contains a substance called theobromine, and even a single ounce of pure chocolate can be lethal to a small cat. Dark and unsweetened baking chocolate are most dangerous. Symptoms of poisoning include vomiting, diarrhea, tremors, hyperactivity and seizures.

·  Turkey bones left in an accessible place are almost irresistible to pets, but they can lodge in an animal's throat or block the intestinal tract. Remove leftovers from the table and don't leave garbage where animals can get to it.

Indoor Hazards

·  Certain plants are a menace to cats: Poinsettias irritate the stomach and eyes. Berries of the Jerusalem cherry are toxic, and cause pain, vomiting and diarrhea. Holly and mistletoe, amaryllis, chrysanthemum, rhododendron and winter broom as well as Christmas berry, cherry, pepper and rose can all cause problems to pets that ingest them. Note: Liquid potpourri can cause terrible burns in an animal's mouth should it be ingested.

·  Space heaters, wood-burning stoves and fireplaces can cause burns if animals get too close.

·  Candles are a great attraction for pets, but don't leave them alone in a room with a menorah or candelabra blazing-the swish of a tail can be disastrous.

Outdoor Hazards

·  Even a small amount of antifreeze is extremely toxic. It has a sweet taste that attracts animals, but it can cause permanent kidney damage or death. The lethal dose is one teaspoon per two pounds of body weight. Don't let animals drink from puddles, and make sure to clean paws when a pet comes in from the outdoors.

·  Rock salt can irritate a pet's footpads. Make sure you rinse and dry them carefully. To soften them and prevent cracking, smear them with a small amount of petroleum jelly.

Source: www.petplace.com

Available Cats

Come meet some of us on Saturday.  You never know...we might make your holiday shopping complete.  Open house on Saturday from 12:00-5:00.

Cisco

Gemma

Hennessey

Lillie

Molly

Radar

Salsa

Willis

Please Vote! - Spirit of Giving Contest

We need your vote!  Help Cats Cradle Shelter win up to $5,000 in the Spirit of Giving contest sponsored by West Acres Shopping Mall in Fargo.


The Spirit of Giving 

Vote for your favorite Spirit of Giving video from area nonprofit organizations and help West Acres give away $10,000! Three winning organizations could receive either a $5,000, $3,000 or $2,000 donation from West Acres. 

Vote for your favorite videos once per day from Dec. 8–18. 

Winners will be announced Dec. 22!


To vote, click on the link below.  

Spirit of Giving Contest - Voting Link

10 Steps for a Cat Safe Holiday Tree

The day after Thanksgiving kicks off the Christmas holiday season, and millions of homes sport either real or faux trees – glittering towers of beauty that can pose a threat to your pets. Before you put the tree up, take a few moments to go over some safety precautions.

1. Choose the Right Spot. Pick an area where the tree can be enjoyed by the family without becoming a "climbing toy" for your pet. The tree should be secured to the wall or ceiling, away from furniture that can serve as a springboard for your pet. Try to place the tree near an outlet so you don't have to run electrical cords long distances. 

2. Prepare the Area. Lay down plastic sheeting or buy a "tree bag." This is an extra large trash bag used for live trees. Center the tree on the bag. When the season is over and you have removed the tree ornaments, pull the bag over the tree. This will catch the pine needles as they fall from the tree – and prevent them from being chewed or swallowed by your pet.

3. Secure the Tree. Cats – kittens especially - love to climb trees. Many a tree has been sent swaying with a happy kitten on top. Kittens can be injured if the trees or ornaments fall and break. Dogs can knock over a tree by rubbing against or playing under it. You can place the tree in a corner and secure it from two sides to small hooks in the walls. Another trick is to place a small hook in the ceiling above the tree and use clear fishing line from the top of the tree to the hook. Apply gentle tension and tie. The clear line is invisible.

4. Hide the Cords. Electrical cords are a grave danger to pets – especially puppies and kittens that chew on anything. Cords can cause electrocution and serious injury or even death. Secure the cords by positioning them higher than the pet can reach or hiding them with special covers.

5. No Hooks. Check your ornaments and replace hooks with a loop of string tied in a knot. Ornaments often fall from the tree and pets may catch their mouths on or swallow the hooks.

6. Choose Safe Ornaments. There is no perfectly pet-safe bulb, as any ornament can be ingested and cause an intestinal obstruction. Pet "safer" bulbs would be plastic or wood. Glass bulbs on the lower limbs can be especially dangerous. If broken, pets can step on them and cut their feet or worse yet – treat the bulbs like a ball and chew on them causing them to break, resulting in mouth or throat trauma and bleeding. Many pet owners have learned the hard way not to place any ornaments on the lower limbs. Ornaments made of food may be especially attractive to pets.

7. Ribbons. Big red velvet ribbons are a lovely addition and may replace tinsel and garland that can be eaten by cats and dogs and caught in their intestine. Cats are especially attracted to the bright shiny tinsel. Ingestion of this material can cause intestinal obstruction that may require surgery.

8. Presents. Dogs and cats love to investigate and most don't understand that the presents are not meant to be opened before Christmas Day. Decorative ribbons and string can be ingested, gifts can be destroyed by a playful pet. Consider storing the presents in a safe area until right before the holiday or make sure your pet is always supervised while investigating and searching for his special gift.

9. Sweep and Water. Sweep up the pine needles. Ingestion of needles can cause vomiting and gastric irritation. Keep the tree watered and only turn the lights on when you are at home. Risk of fire is always there with a live tree. Do not allow your pet access to the tree water to drink.

10. Supervise. The safest thing to do is to allow your pet access to the tree only when supervised. Pets that continue to want to bother the tree should be encouraged – using positive reinforcement – to leave it alone. Bitter apple can be sprayed on low branches for persistent chewers. 


Source: www.petplace.com

Kittens Galore

Pet Finder Website

Pet Finder made some updates this month.  They’ve changed the formatting requirements for passwords and there is a problem with displaying  cats using the scroller feature (which is what we use on the catscradleshetler.org website).

Please be aware that this is THEIR problem, not ours and they are working to fix it.

This is what is posted on the Petfinder website.

Pet List Scroller and Pet List Printer
The Pet List Scroller is experiencing some issues. Adoptable pets are not appearing within the scroller iFrame. Additionally, the Pet List Printer is not including group contact information. We are committed to providing increased visibility for your available pets and are working quickly to resolve these issues.

This is a temporary problem with our Adoptable Cats link; you can go directly to Petfinder to see cats.
https://www.petfinder.com/pet-search?shelter_id=ND25

Your Donation Doubled!!

We love seeing DOUBLE...

CATS Cradle has a wonderful supporter who has generously offered to DOUBLE donations up to $500.00.  If you would like to see your donation matched, now is the time to donate.  Simply mail your donation with the word DOUBLE in the memo line to:

 CATS Cradle Shelter
"Seeing Double"
9 -Ninth Street South
Fargo, ND 58103

OR...

Click on the DONATE tab at www.catscradleshelter.org and leave the word DOUBLE in the notation.

Friday Open House!!

We will be having a special Open House on Friday, November 28 from 2:00 pm - 7:00 pm.  

1/2 off the adoption fee for adult cats

Stop by and see all the cats that are looking to find their special family.  Your forever friend is waiting to meet you.

We typically have 40 - 50 cats in-house that are waiting for their forever home.  Here are pictures of just a few of the cats that CCS has rescued.  Stop by and meet them in person!

Cisco

Crockett

Francine

Greta

Hennessey

Lisa 

Molly

Willis

Naming Your Cat

Naming your cat helps you create a lifelong bond.  Some names come to us quickly and just seem to fit our felines.  Other cats take more time to name to decide on.

Here are some cute names for girl cats along with some of the great girls we currently have at the shelter.  Come visit us today between 12:00 and 5:00

Alexia

All cats are cute, but some have the personalities that require a cute name, like:

Amelia
Bella
Daisy
Gracie
Isabelle
Mia
Mimi
Olive
Pearl
Winnie

Carolina

Greta

Some female cats have a regal air about them and would be a great fit for an elegant name. Options include:

Bianca
Duchess
Eloise
Gertrude
Guinevere
Harper
Scarlett
Sophia
Stella
Theodora

Glory

Trista

You could also mix things up and pick an international name. Fun ideas include:

Akira
Athena
Brunhilda
Chaca
Frida
Nairobi
Olga
Pandora
Petra
Rosario

Pippi

Portia

Taken from http://www.findcatnames.com/girl-cat-names-we-love/

Fundraiser- Pampered Chef

Do you live in the U.S.?  Hey all you fabulous cooks out there...the first rule of a great meal is cooking with quality kitchenware. We have an online Pampered Chef part currently going on and a portion of the proceeds will go to CATS Cradle Shelter. Get your orders in now, the party closes on November 19th so your orders can arrive before Thanksgiving.

Pampered Chef Fundraiser Link

www.pamperedchef.com

Together, we can make a difference for all the wonderful kittens and cats rescued and cared for by Cat's Cradle. Let's help keep this amazing organization running so they can continue to find forever homes for our furry little friends. Order Pampered Chef products through the Fundraiser Catalog Sho…

PAMPEREDCHEF.COM

How to Keep Your Cat Off Tables and Counters

Why do cats find counters so appealing? Take this quiz to find out:

A. Because they're there.
B. Because cats naturally prefer a three-dimensional environment.
C. Because cats occasionally find food morsels while patrolling countertops.
D. All of the above.

Answer D is correct.

The Downside

There are many good reasons why your cat should stay off the counter. Cats spend a fair amount of time each day in their litter box, scratching around and covering up their waste. Although they frequently "wash" their paws with their tongues, it is likely that some traces of urine and feces will remain on their paws to be deposited on your countertops in molecular concentrations. Not a great thought if you are about to prepare food.

Also, while they are up on counters, cats may pause to lick the butter or steal nibbles or whole chunks of food that you have left lying around. It can be pretty annoying to find that your cooling bacon strips have been dragged to the floor as cat fodder. In addition, not everything the cat steals will be good for him – and some things, like chicken bones, can be downright harmful. 

Counterpoint

Some may argue that healthy cat urine and feces has never poisoned anyone. Urine, as you may know, is normally sterile. In fact, Mahatma Gandhi used to drink a pint of his own urine each morning to start the day. When a cat has urinary tract disease or intestinal parasites (especially Toxoplasma gondii), however, this safety factor is lost. UTDs are easy to spot and the presence of intestinal parasites can be determined by laboratory tests. Both are usually easy to treat. Just ask your vet.

As far as disappearing food is concerned, cats don't eat much and, with the correct dental care, their mouths should be fairly healthy places anyway. 

How To Get 'Em Off 

Here are several things you can do to keep kitty where he belongs:

Make sure that your cat has other places to climb so that the countertop is not his only vertical challenge. Climbing frames positioned by a window, providing a perch with a view, may divert some attention from the counters.

Make sure that your counters never have food items lying around on them. Always clean up properly by putting unused food away. A cat that finds morsels of food once in a while will keep looking for more for many moons.

Make counters unattractive. Cats, generally, do not like the smell of citrus or disinfectants. Try using a countertop cleaner with a citrus odor or wash the countertops down with Pinesol® after use.

Train your cat - preferably using "click and treat" methodology. Train your cat to jump down to the cue word "off." First train the cat to touch a wand (touch-click-food reward) that later serves as a target. When the wand is positioned over the counter, the cat will have to jump up on the counter to touch the wand and get the click and treat. (You can't teach a cat to jump off unless she is up in the fist place!). The wand is then lowered to floor level. The cat jumps down to touch it (click-treat). Finally the word "off" is interjected as the wand is lowered to the floor. Of course, you do not always need to use the wand once the behavior (jumping down) has been put "on cue." But rewards are necessary from time to time if the cat is to stay trained.

Booby traps/mild punishers. Various booby traps have been invented to deter cats from counter surfing. Some of these deterrents include: putting cling film over the countertop, making a shallow tray out of aluminum foil and filling it with water, various springing devices (upside-down mousetraps or proprietary plastic jumping frogs), or attaching a black thread "trip wire" across the access to the counter and attaching it to a nearby pile of shake cans.

More severe punishers. Sounding an air horn (boat horn/fog horn) at exactly the moment the cat's feet touch the countertop. You should hide when doing this. The idea is that the cat thinks that the counter made the noise, not you. Some people have resorted to electric shock pads that give the cat a mild shock when he jumps on the counter tough these can cause considerable distress to some cats.

The only alternative is to teach yourself not to worry so much about your cat being up on the counters. This is the cognitive approach to therapy – for you. 

My cats free range across my countertops while I'm watching them because they know I don't care. I could yell at them and chase them off, as many people do, but why bother? All you teach your cat by this approach is that you are unpredictable, mentally unstable, and should be watched carefully for signs of sudden behavioral meltdowns. Then, when you're not around, your cat will cruise and patrol the counters as if nothing had changed. The only thing punishment teaches an animal is how to avoid the punisher ... you. With the remote punishers, the situation's a little more acceptable in the sense that it's the counter that they avoid.

Source: www.petplace.com