Your New Cat

Here are some tips that we hope will assist for our wonderful foster and adoptive humans to integrate your Saving Grace LA kitty into your home, permanently or temporarily.

BASICS

1. Input (Food):
While kibble is convenient and mainly unavoidable, dry food is increasingly cited as a culprit in many common feline medical problems, such as obesity, diabetes, kidney disease, IBD - the list goes on... We love our plump pets, but want them to live long happy lives. Thus, the recommendation is to gradually transition them to a diet that is primarily high-protein wet food, with kibble as a supplement.

This article is chock full of authoritative information from a DVM who is advocating for preventative nutrition. Please have a read. You'll find lots of ideas for how to transition your furry friend to a high protein diet. Martha Stewart's cat lady also provides loads of information, and even has some downloadable PDFs of high, mid, and low priced canned foods that meet the requirement of 90% protein.

Quick tip: Friskies Poultry Platter and Mixed Grill are the two approved low-priced types from the list.

2. Output (Litter & Litter boxes):
Most of our cats, at least the ones from the cattery, are used to the chicken layering feed that Nelia picks up at the country farm supply store. While that is a great bargain at $10 for 25 lbs, it is not easy to get without a long drive and a bulk order.

Our recommendation is to use a natural, low-dust, chemical-free clumping litter that is free of the harmful glues and additives, such as fragrance, that make it so appealing to humans. Here are some consumer alternatives:

1. Green Tea Clumping litter - low dust, light weight, antibacterial claims, all natural 
2. Purr & Simple all-natural cat litter (made from nut shells, all natural, low dust)
3. Arm & Hammer Essentials (corn ground like the chicken feed, fragrance tolerable, low dust)
4. Swheat Scoop - wheat-based, and very like the chicken feed, a bit dusty. 
5. World's Best (finely ground corn - doesn't do a great job with smells or dust)

Of course, being vigilant about cleaning (as soon as possible after every use), will keep your house smelling good and your pet happy. Here's a great article called "The Litter Box From Your Cat's Point of View" that is worth reading.

If you are not sure you have the time to clean daily, here's a video that shows the fastest, most efficient way to do it.

June is Adopt-an-Adult-Cat month!

And we have so many wonderful adults -- mostly very young adults - to choose from, both in the cattery and at foster homes! We have many tuxedos, orange tabbies, black cats, Maine coons, brown & whites, russian blues, torties, calicos and special needs felines to choose from. What's your preference? All of them are affectionate, wonderful animals. They are not all posted yet, but many of them are here. See the slide show on the right, too.

If you are interested in adopting (or volunteering or fostering), contact us by posting in comments.

Call for FOSTER HOMES

As the cat palace gets better and better, the accumulated stress of simply being there is starting to take a toll on some of our favorite fuzzies, and so, we'd like to devote this week to finding some loving foster homes for the following cats:

BLUE +1: Dear tiny Blue is still suffering from a very bad flu and needs relief! Her gingivitis makes it hard for her to eat, so she needs many special baby food feedings, plus antibiotics 2x/day. She's spent most of her 3 years in that garage, and is just barely surviving. She is an affectionate, and bold yet gentle little being, and would definitely need a companion to accompany her, lest she become further stressed by loneliness. The vet said she needs to get into a quieter home in order to heal. Anyone know of one for her? UPDATE: huge thanks to Mark for attempting to foster - she was just too scared and sick. She is now at the vet getting IV fluids and more tests. Brave Blue was sicker than we thought. UPDATE Blue spent some time at the vet, and her prognosis is good! Mark took him home to his spare bedroom, where one of her buddies, Tulip, also now resides, and all is well in the land of Blue's World. THANK YOU MARK!

ALDO of the Shelves: Cats, like all social animals, have a pecking order. And sweet tuxedo ALDO, is, for reasons known only to the cats, at the very bottom of it. Willoughby, Snout, Kirk and Spock, Orsino, Bagheera, King Brian, Sebastian and George (especially George, lately), all beat up on the poor fella. Bunch of copy cats. So Aldo cowers in the shelves and does his business there. But if he were to be taken into a nice, quiet home, and transitioned from the shelves to a space he could call his own, he'd be the most grateful, happy cat! UPDATE After the latest wilding, we took Aldo outta there.  Ann & Gene's friend, Rita, a bit of a cat whisperer, descended from heaven and took him in. After just a week, Rita texted us: "We are going to keep him. We Love Him!!" and thus begins "Big Al"'s new life with some great humans and a silly chihuahua!  Awright Aldo!

PERRY: After Aldo, Perry is the most frustrated cat in the joint. He's not interested in going outside, he just wants OUT. His cat-brilliance is evident in every passing moment - nothing gets by him! - and he is bored to tears, and a bit cranky. If he could dream, (maybe he can) he'd dream of hanging out with a nice companion in a big home and being a most excellent indoor cat-bro there.

The Black Cat Bakery News

OMG this picture belongs in a Gallery!

And that is exactly where it is going. The Black Cat Bakery on Fairfax near Drexel, has agreed to hang a nice array of framed pix of our beautiful black cats on its north wall which we will be christening as a gallery. They'll be for sale, and the cats will also be for adoption. Above is the daring duo, Kirk and Spock, with the bright orange eyes (and fabulous manicure, thankyouverymuch!). This photo was taken last summer, during their glam-rock teen years.

Below is Duke Orsino, with his mesmerizing green eyes.  Stunning, no?

Photos by Angie Rubin. Angie!!! Amazing! If anyone has connections to a framer, or a printer, let me (MK) know!

Cat Whispering: How to Socialize a Cat

We are all celebrating Orange Julius's big breakthrough at the garage! Over the last few weeks, he has gone from being a skittish untouchable (and best red-dot jumper in the house) to suddenly figuring out how much fun it is to be PETTED! Now he turns up underfoot, parade tail up and ready for some serious attention!

So Orange Julius, you are the inspiration for this week's Cat Whispering post.

I found this article in a great blog Tracie sent over, called CATSTER, which is a great site with loads of info that I plan to steal.

The stepped up attention that all the cats have been getting, and the two months of getting used to new faces is probably what tripped the trigger for little O. Julius, the article explains how you would actually work on a cat step by step. So, get your bag of cat treats ready, and prepare to turn our shy babies into little purry little love bugs!

Here's the shorter version of the Catster How-to, complements of SGLA:

1. Cats that are fearful & timid (Zim, Dib, Natalie, Maura, Pockets, the gray hider, and a few more (which?); and cats which bite and scratch (Aries, Tiger Lily) need reassurance that nothing bad will happen to them while they are in your arms.
   
2.  Start slowly. Pet the cat in areas where she enjoys being petted - like the top of the head. Then, if the cat will allow it, pick him/her up, stroke the feet with your fingertips, move on to the belly, the tail and the back. As you touch her, speak to her softly in a calm, low voice. If she becomes agitated, end the session and leave her alone.
   
3. If your cat engages in rough play during the session, tell her a firm "NO!" and put her down.
   
4. End the session with a cat treat.
   
5. At first, sessions should be short, maybe only petting the head and back. Move on to the sides and stomach, and moving on to the feet and toes, and even the toenails. This will get the cat used to being groomed, and having its claws trimmed later. Touching the feet, stomach, and ears can also be very calming, if done slowly and gently.
   
6. If you can, open the mouth and get the kitty used to having its gums rubbed for future dental cleanings and medications.
   
7. Of course we all know this one: "Screaming at your cat or hurting her will only increase her fear and distrust. Always approach and handle her calmly, and speak in a low soothing voice."

 OK that's it! Volunteers, let us know if you are going to try this, and if so, which cats you are working with and how it goes!

Cat Burglar

This is pretty funny...

Tiny Blue has caught the Flu

But soon she'll be as good as new!

Hey guys, Nelia took Blue to the vet today and got her some medicine to take twice a day (Britain and Samantha will take care of that). She also had bleeding gums, which are also being treated and may have been the cause of the blood Nansi saw in her (achem) vomit.

She's definitely on the mend, poor little whisp of a thing! Thanks to all for flagging her state - she was hiding away so much! A lesser troupe of volunteers might have missed it. So KUDOS to Nansi, Tracie & Katya, and big thanks to Nelia, Samantha & Britain!