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 | All of today's features correspond with compassion fatigue in one way or another. Let's face it, loving cats has its down sides eventually, and we embrace those sad times as the price we must eventually pay for enjoying their unconditional love. Next week is Petfinder's annual Adopt a Less-Adoptable Pet Week. I encourage those readers who find yourselves temporarily "catless" to find one of those very special cats for your own with the knowledge that compassion fatigue goes along with the incomparable joy that comes with giving an "unwanted" cat a forever home. Facebook | Twitter | Free Newsletters (Tell a Friend) | |
Compassion Fatigue
 Although "Compassion Fatigue" is a fairly common term used for caregivers of humans with special needs, it has not yet been widely recognized with reference to cats. Compassion fatigue is difficult to define adequately. I suspect, however, that once you have a better understanding of its causes and symptoms, many of you will say, "Yes! I know those feelings exactly."
Photo Credit: © iStock Photo/Julia Pivovarova
One of the more common areas of compassion fatigue is the result of either volunteering part-time or working as an employee at an animal shelter. Working at a shelter can be a joyous, gratifying experience when adopting out a cat or kitten to its new "forever home." However, it can also be a heavily painful and sad time when older cats or special needs pets must be euthanized to make room for a new crop of kittens during kitten season. These are times when compassion fatigue moves in. Learn more about compassion fatigue, what it is, the effects it has, and how other cat lovers cope with it.
| Preparing Your Cats for Disaster
Since it is human nature to panic during a disaster, such as an earthquake, hurricane, or fire, it is important for us to prepare ahead with a plan for evacuation, needed supplies, and the knowledge we need to act quickly. We and our cats may even need to evacuate our homes, and it is important not to telegraph our fears to our feline compions. Read more about preparing your cats for disaster to help keep your cool when you most need it. The recent Hurricane Isaac claimed at least nine human lives in the U.S., and displaced hundreds of pets. The HSUS has sent an Animal Rescue Team to the Gulf Coast region, where team members are working with local humane societies. . .learn more
| The Clumping Clay Litter Controversy
Many readers are aware that clumping clay litters have come into disfavor in the past several years. While, to my knowledge, there have never been any scientific studies proving the hazard to cats of clumping clay litters, there has been a flood of anecdotal testimony that clumping clay litters may be hazardous. Indeed, I personally have considered it important to warn cat lovers about the potential danger of using clumping clay litters containing sodium bentonite, particularly for young kittens. . .learn more
| Cat Picture of the Week: Jilly (R.I.P.)
 Although previous Cats of the Week have passed on, this is the first time in the history of our Cat Pictures of the Week that a cat has gone on to the Rainbow Bridge just days after receiving this title. There was no "cause and effect" here. To quote a favorite old song, "To everything - turn, turn, turn, There is a season - turn, turn, turn, And a time for every purpose under heaven."
It was simply Jilly's time to go. After you have read Jilly's Cat Picture of the Week page, please join me in sharing your support and condolences to her human parents, Tricia and Graham.
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