Skyla's Journey - The Life of a Feral Cat

Why a feral cat???

When I mention that 2 of my cats are feral, many people wonder why I would take on the challenge of owning a cat that is more akin to a wild animal than a domestic one ... the answer is simple: I felt like they found me. Skyla's journey began quite uneventfully as a feral cat in Rhode Island around a Chinese Restaurant. Her brother Scooter had just been rescued and I wanted the sibling. After several tries in the rain, she was rescued.

She has grown from a scaredy cat to a thankful, loving little girl. With patience, she has learned to be a kitten, to meow, play and be social. Scooter and Skyla are two of the most thankful and loving cats I have ever owned (or who have ever owned me) :)

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Cat Food Recall Link - FDA

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Low-Cost Spay/Neuter Certificate Program

Provided by http://www.friendsofanimals.org/

Don't Delay - Neuter or Spay
Prevention Is the Solution

There are few greater joys than bringing a cat or dog into your home, and heart.

With this joy comes the commitment to provide your new family member with the comforts and necessities needed for a healthy and content life. Spaying or neutering your animal is one of these necessities.

All too often a pet's unplanned pregnancy results in their offspring being brought to shelters, where likelihood of euthanasia is high, or abandoned to the streets, where a dangerous life and early death are practically guaranteed. Most abandoned animals starve or freeze to death, contract disease through their contact with garbage or other ill animals, are killed by cars, or fall victim to other torturous deaths. The best way to prevent these senseless cruelties is to prevent the cycle of reproduction, by neutering and spaying.

Low-cost Spay/Neuter Certificate Program

Friends of Animals' affordable Spay/Neuter Certificates are available for purchase online at http://www.friendsofanimals.org/programs/spay-neuter/index.html or call 1-800-321-PETS for an order form. These certificates are honored by licensed veterinarians in hundreds of communities across the country.

What is a feral cat?

Feral cats are cats which have "gone wild" and those born and raised in the wild. "Semi-ferals" are those which tolerate some human contact. Ferals often form colonies wherever there is shelter and a food supply e.g. farms, airbases, rubbish tips etc. Urban ferals congregate near dustbins, markets or where animal lovers provide food. They may perform a useful function by hunting rodents attracted to edible refuse.

Feral colonies may act as reservoirs of disease such as FeLV/FIV which can be transmitted to pet cats which interact with ferals. There is also the fear of toxoplasmosis and (in some countries) rabies affecting humans. They may become unhealthy and unsightly through continued breeding, poor nutrition and fighting (among unneutered cats). The habits of unneutered cats, especially males, makes them unwelcome.

Boo-Boo Kitty - Our Newest Little Addition

The kitty that first arrived at our door on Friday the 13th!

Some people could say it is a little bit spooky ... but on Friday, April 13th -- a little black cat made it's way to our back porch door (little black nose pressed against the glass and my Scooter (Alpha cat) huffing, puffing and yowling (a combination of sounds that was completely new to me).

I ignored the little Kitty the first time I saw it and imagined it must have been a neighbors cat or something and just found it's way to our door. I ignored kitty until it started coming back over the next few weeks. I interacted with it -- it was friendly and receptive and going after moles. It was little but just starting to move out of it's kitten stage.

After talking to neighbors and relaying messages through an online neighborhood forum, we determined that the cat did not appear to belong to anyone but he appeared to have become a neighborhood cat with no solid home.

Yesterday, almost 2 weeks after coming to our door and surviving through cold and wet, we took little kitty in. Here are first picture. Kitty was hungry and tired. We are getting Boo-Boo Kitty to the Vet today for a physical before we do any integration.

Unlike Scooter and Skyla, Boo-Boo does not show Feral traits. Boo-Boo understands human contact and has not resorted to Feral traits in order to survive. This is a sad situation of potentially someone abandoning a litter of kittens thinking they can survive on their own.

Boo-Boo Kitty

curated content from Flickr

Scooter and Skyla Pictures

curated content from Flickr

Clay is Passe, Pine is Fine

A great solution for multi-cat households

As a multi-cat owner (now we have 5 with the addition of Boo-Boo Kitty), I have tried MULTIPLE types of litter from the traditional cheap, no-name clay, to the clumping clay litters, to the Arm & Hammer litters, to wheat and corn.

Over the past 3-4 years I have been a litter aficionado (with my Savant-like sense of smell) fervently hunting for the utopia of litters. I wanted a litter that would mask the smell of cat urine and feces the best. I knew that there had to be something on the market and I was willing to try them all. I definitely favored the natural alternatives and loved the idea of something I could flush. Sending it back to the earth was just fine with me.

I first tried "The World's Best Cat Litter" and this was made of corn. The box smelled like Corn Flakes until the cats did their business. Oh, not fun at all. And the cost was so prohibitive. This litter was really expensive.

After many trials (the longest trial with Swheatscoop), I could not deal with the smell of urine. The cats trailed it around, the ants loved it, and the urine caked into a glutenous, gel mess. The smell was horrible. Just bad all around. I am judicious with cleaning and lining my boxes and tend to double-line with two liners. That's just me.

I finally settled on Feline Pine and let me tell you, it has changed the way I think about litter boxes and cat smells.

When people walk into our house -- they typically cannot tell that we own cats. I find it amazing stuff and also find that our cats had no time at all adapting. I find that the cost is comparable to any of the others because you literally only use one inch of the pine pellets in the litter box. This turns to inches of dust over time/exposure. For me, I change the box 2X per week with 5 cats. We use one box only (can you believe they all get along like that?!)

Feline Pine is an all-natural Pine litter that completely neutralizes odors, without any harsh chemicals. Feline Pine binds directly to ammonia particles and locks them away for good! If you take steps each day to keep your home healthy and safe, it's time to choose a litter that will make your job easier.

There are other pine alternatives that appear to work as well (like a Petco/PetSmart brand). The key is Pine. For me, I have 4 7lb. bags autoshipped once a month through PetFoodDirect

Feral Poll

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Chimpmunk Tales

A little video of Skyla, Boo-Boo Kitty and Scooter watching a chipmunk.

Skyla's Journey - The Life of a Feral Cat

Why a feral cat???

Cat Food Recall Link - FDA

Low-Cost Spay/Neuter Certificate Program

Provided by http://www.friendsofanimals.org/

What is a feral cat?

Boo-Boo Kitty - Our Newest Little Addition

The kitty that first arrived at our door on Friday the 13th!

Boo-Boo Kitty

Scooter and Skyla Pictures

Clay is Passe, Pine is Fine

A great solution for multi-cat households

Feral Poll

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Chimpmunk Tales

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