Colby ♥

Colby found his forever home this week ♥ We are so happy for him but will miss him very much

Alternative to Declawing

Soft Paws®  are an excellent alternative to declawing. They are easy to apply at home and cats and their owners love them. They are completely safe and humane and can be used on cats of all ages. Soft Paws®  are vinyl nail caps that are glued on to your cat's existing nails. They look like a cat's nail, only hollow. They are easy to apply and cats tolerate them extremely well.

http://www.softpaws.com/

Cat Testimony

Another wonderful volunteer has told Jazzpurr what the benefits of owning a cat are to her:

"To me owning a cat means love, security for them, attention, medical, warmth, affection, companian, and so much more. I can't list all they mean to me. We have 3 precious cats each one with a different attitude."

-Kaye

Cat Owner Testimony

 If you're still on the fence about whether or not to adopt a cat, here is a testimony from one of Jazzpurr's hard working volunteers:

"Having a pet or pets is a wonderful experience.  And cats are so different from any other pet.  They don't want to be cuddled unless they themselves want it.  They don't want to play unless they want to play.  They really are a very independent sole.

It's wonderful to come home at night to have Pudi great me at the door, as I live alone.  The two sit and watch while I eat.  They sleep with me taking up most of the queen-size bed. In the early hours of the morning Pudi puts her whiskers on my fact to see if I'm awake yet.  Then she'll attack my hand because she's ready to arm-wrestle.

Whenever I'm on the telephone Pudi has to get up on my lap to be rubbed.  Anytime I'm on the computer there's Genie sitting in front of the screen, then walking back and forth over the keyboard, then onto my lap for cuddling.  If I don't tell him I'm going downstairs he hollers till I call him and let him know where I am.  He sits beside me on the couch, then when I get up he takes my warm spot.

To train Genie to use the cat water fountain, I had to pretend I was drinking from it for about five days.  Now he thinks he is really smart cause he can do it.  Every morning Genie has to come downstairs with me to clean out the pooh boxes.

They are really great company and a comfort all round."

-Pat, owner of 2 happy cats

Cat Comic

Cat Toys

Play is a vital activity, not only for kittens, but for adult cats, too.

Cats are athletic creatures with amazing strength and agility. Nature made them into perfect machines for leaping, jumping, and dashing. Just because your house kitty doesn't have real prey to chase doesn't mean she can't act out her inner predator.

Why play?

Toys and regular playtime are part of providing your cat with a stimulating environment, which makes for a happy and healthy cat. Play gives them an outlet for their energy, mental and physical stimulation, the opportunity to satisfy their instinctual huntingdrive, and a chance to bond with you.

What to play with?

Cats are experts at amusing themselves. It takes very little—a crumpled ball of paper, a pen left on a desktop, a newspaper spread open on the floor—to engage your kitty in what, to her, is the most fascinating of games.
Your cat's imagination can turn almost anything into a wonderful toy that she'll bat around or chase to her heart's content. Typically, cats most enjoy playing with small, light objects that are "flickable," such as a cork or a Ping-Pong ball, which they can swat and then chase.

Cats also love empty paper bagsto investigate and "hide" in. Remove the handles so your cat doesn't get caught in them. He could be terrified if he's chased by a big paper bag. Empty cardboard boxes are also popular with cats.

Interactive play

Playtime isn't just for cats—it's for their people, too. Your cat's speed and grace will amaze you as she dashes about, trying to catch her "prey." 

Toss a crumpled ball of paper for her to chase—she may even bring it back to you. Some cats love to "fetch" so much that they will actually initiate the game by dropping a toy in your lap for you to throw.

Some cats go wild for the little red light of a laser toy, chasing it around the floor and up the wall. The cat gets a good workout, and you don't even have to get off the couch. Just be sure never to shine the light in your cat's eyes, as it could damage them. When the game ends, offer your cat a toy to finally grab.

Do-it-yourself toys

You don't need to spend a bundle on fancy toys for your cat.  In fact, many owners say that their cats ignore the store-bought toys and play instead with a plastic ring from a milk container, a strip of paper, or a gift bow.
Here are some household items that make great cat toys:

• Round plastic shower curtain rings
• Ping-Pong balls and plastic practice golf balls with holes. Try putting one in a dry bathtub, as the captive ball is much more fun than one that escapes under the sofa.
• Paper bags with any handles removed. Paper bags are good for pouncing, hiding and interactive play. Plastic bags are not a good idea; many cats like to chew and swallow the plastic.
• Empty cardboard tubes from toilet paper and paper towels, made even more fun if you "unwind" a little cardboard to get them started.
• Cardboard boxes.  Fasten some together and cut out doors and windows to make a fun cat condo.
• You (or your kids) may even enjoy making your own toys, such as sachets, or felt mice stuffed with catnip.

The kitty boutique

There's really no need to buy toys, but there are so many cute ones out there that it can be really hard to resist. Cats really enjoy toys like plastic balls, with or without bells inside, sisal-wrapped toys, which they can dig their claws into. or "fishing pole" toys consisting of a long rod with a length of cord attached that has an enticing lure at the end.

If you're going to buy any cat toys, you might need to cat-proof them, too. Remove ribbons, feathers, strings, tinsel, eyes or other small decorations that your cat could chew off and swallow. Also, keep any toys that could be harmful to your cat out of reach when you can't supervise her play.


Read the full article here

"Better than Grass" Salad for Cats : The Humane Society of the United States

"Better than Grass" Salad for Cats : The Humane Society of the United States

Happy Valentine's Day!

Mira found her forever home! ♥

Mira got adopted over the weekend! We are happy for her but will miss her dearly ♥

Cat predicts 50 deaths in RI nursing home

Dr David Dosa, a geriatrician and assistant professor at Brown University, said that five years of records showed Oscar rarely erring, sometimes proving medical staff at the New England nursing home wrong in their predictions over which patients were close to death.

The cat, now five and generally unsociable, was adopted as a kitten at the Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Centre in Providence, Rhode Island, which specialises in caring for people with severe dementia.

Dr Dosa first publicised Oscar's gift in an article in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2007. Since then, the cat has gone on to double the number of imminent deaths it has sensed and convinced the geriatrician that it is no fluke.

The tortoiseshell and white cat spends its days pacing from room to room, rarely spending any time with patients except those with just hours to live.

If kept outside the room of a dying patient, Oscar will scratch on the door trying to get in.

When nurses once placed the cat on the bed of a patient they thought close to death, Oscar "charged out" and went to sit beside someone in another room. The cat's judgement was better than that of the nurses: the second patient died that evening, while the first lived for two more days. 

Read the full article here