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

Fundraiser - Holiday Pies

Did you know that Village Inn restaurants are located in 19 different states?  Go to the link below to find a location near you.

Village Inn Restaurant Locations

Let Village Inn make your holiday sweeter (and cuter), giving you

more time to enjoy with your family, while supporting Cats Cradle.

You can help Cats Cradle Shelter and Village Inn

care for vulnerable cats and kittens in our area 

by purchasing Village Inn pie-cards* for $13 each.

Pie cards also make great holiday gifts, appreciation gifts, or “just because” gifts.

We include a “Cutie Pie” photo with each pie card. 

Add a quick message to the back of the photo and you have a unique notecard.

*Pie cards can be used at any Village Inn in the country and don’t expire.

Fundraiser pies:

Apple

Cherry

Triple Berry

Strawberry Rhubarb

Lemon Meringue

Lemon Supreme

Banana Cream

Coconut Cream

Pumpkin

Pecan

French Silk

 Other flavors available for an additional charge when cards are redeemed.

To Order:

Online: Donate $13 per pie card via Paypal at catscradleshelter.org

Include your mailing address & “Pie(s)” in the comments

- or the kitties will assume you are making a holiday donation!

Via USPS—Send your check ($13 per pie card) to

Cats Cradle Shelter, 9 Ninth St South, Fargo ND 58103, 

Include your mailing address & “Pie(s)” in the comments.

Or give us a friend’s address and we will  mail directly to them.

In person: Stop by the Cats Cradle Shelter at the address above

during open house hours Tuesdays 4-7pm or Saturdays noon-5pm.

Questions? Email grants@catscradleshelter.org

Pie cards are available through 12-31-14.

$4 from each pie card benefits CCS: 

The proceeds from three pies will feed a cat for a month.

How many cats will you feed this holiday season?

                                   

Little Loves

Check out these little loves that stopped in for our open house on Saturday.

Patches

Pepper

Pippi

Stretch

Declawed Cats

Cats Cradle Shelter does not support declawing.  This can be extremely painful to the cat.  Declawing consists of amputating not just the claws, but the whole phalanx (up to the joint), including bones, ligaments, and tendons.  There is the potential for irreversible damage to the paw and declawing in some cases leads to behavior problems such as an increase in aggression and biting.  For information on declawing and suggestions on re-directing cat scratching behaviors, refer to the link on the left titled “Declaw Information”.

If you need to have a cat declawed we encourage you to adopt one that has already had the procedure done.  We have several nice cats at the shelter right now for you to consider.

Carly

Elliott

Francine

Ginger

Handsome

Magdelyn

Mango

Stu

Fund Raiser - Chili's Give Back Program

Right click on the voucher below to open in a new tab.  Print the voucher and share with your friends.  

Take the voucher when you visit Chili's in Fargo (at the address indicated) and 15% of your purchase (excluding taxes) will benefit Cats Cradle Shelter.  This offer is in effect 8/1/14 to 11/1/14.  

Thank you Chili's for supporting CCS!

Getting Kitty Used to a New Pet

Imagine you're at home when out of nowhere a stranger enters, makes himself at home on your couch, and informs you that he will be living with you from now on. That would make you incredibly uncomfortable, protective of your home, and probably even scared. 

Now you know how your cat might feel if you bring a new animal home. Of course this doesn't mean you should not get another pet - but there are things that you can do to help your cat cope with and feel more comfortable with your new pet.

Remember, when introducing a new pet into a household with a cat, you should always take things slowly. Don't just let the new animal roam the place freely, as this can make your cat feel threatened, which in turn can lead to a hostile reaction. Start slow and be patient. Try putting the two animals in the same room and watching them closely before attempting to release your new pet into your cat's territory.

It's a good idea to visit a veterinarian with the new animal before introducing him to your cat. You want to make sure that your new pet is healthy and will not be exposing your cat to anything that is possibly contagious.

Something you can do to help your cat deal with a new pet is to keep their items separate. Each pet should have its own water and food bowls, litter boxes (in the case of two cats), and anything else. It's also recommended that you give the two animals their own space in the house away from each other so that they can feel safe and secure in their own territory without feeling like their space is being invaded. Give your cat lots of love to make sure he knows that he is not being replaced and does not feel neglected.

You can also use a stress relief product like ComfortZone with Feliway to help your cat adjust to the new pet. ComfortZone works by releasing cat pheromones into the air, which make the cat feel secure and at home. ComfortZone can help reduce the cat's fear and stress, along with any associated negative behaviors. For a more in-depth explanation of why ComfortZone is such an effective way to reduce stress in cats, you can visit their "How it works" page.

When adding a new pet to your household, you want to ensure their safety but you also want your existing cat to feel comfortable and stress-free. Follow the few simple steps I've mentioned when introducing a new pet to your cat and your two pets will be playing together in no time! 

Source: petplace.com

Open House

We are ready to welcome you in to Cats Cradle Shelter on Saturday for our open house.

9 9th St S. in Fargo from 12:00-5:00.

We have over 50 cats in house that are waiting to find their forever home.  Here are just a few of the cats available.

Bianca

Cortez

Greta

Mystry

Puma

Fall 2014

Check out all of our wonderful felines in this video link...then come to Cats Cradle Shelter to meet them in person on Saturday from 12:00-5:00 at 9 9th St. S. in Fargo.

Fall 2014

O'Ryan - Love Bug

Ready for a cuddler?  Then O'Ryan might just be your guy.  He is the sweetest, most trusting cat. He loves to be held in your arms as he naps.  O'Ryan tends to get picked on by cats with stronger personalities so would need to be an only cat or with less dominant felines.  Stop by on Saturday and see if this love could be your new forever pet.

Gentle Soul

Quite the Character

Sweet Face

Don't forget the open house today from 12:00-5:00

You may just meet your new forever friend. 

Alexia

Birdie

Candace

Otis

Rocco

Available Cats & Kittens

There are still plenty of adorable kittens and

 adult cats available at the shelter. 

Open House

We are ready to welcome you in to Cats Cradle Shelter on Saturday for our open house.
9 9th St S. in Fargo from 10:00-5:00.

Marti

Nadine

Cat Trivia

• A group of adult cats is known as a clowder, a clutter, or a pounce. A group of kittens is a kindle, a litter, or an intrigue.
• Cats were so loved by the Egyptians that they sometimes mummified a mouse to accompany the cat into the afterworld.
• The small patch of white fur on a cat's chest is known as a "locket".
• Cats are the sleepiest of all mammals. If you total up all the cat naps, your cat sleeps about 16 hours a day!
• Cats offer sandpaper kisses due to tiny knobs called papillae on the surface of their tongues. They are shaped like backward hooks and are designed to hold food and to provide the abrasiveness cats need for good grooming.
• Cats do walk differently from dogs! Cats, along with giraffes and camels, are the only animals with a gait in which front and hind legs move together first on one side, then on the other. Cats also are the only clawed creatures that walk on their claws rather than their paw pads. Cats are frequently born with six or more toes on one paw.
• Cats’ whiskers, so long and stiff, should never be trimmed. Cats use their whiskers to find their way in the dark, determine whether or not he/she can get into or out of a tight place, and a host of other navigation tasks.
• Taken from:http://www.flippyscatpage.com/kittytrivia.html

Fund Raiser - Chili's Give Back Program

Right click on the voucher below to open in a new tab.  Print the voucher and share with your friends.  

Take the voucher when you visit Chili's in Fargo (at the address indicated) and 15% of your purchase (excluding taxes) will benefit Cats Cradle Shelter.  This offer is in effect 8/1/14 to 11/1/14.  

Thank you Chili's for supporting CCS!