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 | I apologize for what seems to be a duplicate newsletter. However, due to a technical error on my part, the Thursday NL went out half-finished. If there is a theme to this newsletter, it is that there is no vacation from the responsible care of cats. Whether we consciously adopt a cat from a shelter, or find a kitten on the street, The joy of unconditional love is balanced by the burdens of worry, fear, and sometimes heartbreak. Is it all worth it? You bet. Connect With Franny Syufy Facebook | Twitter | Google + | Free Newsletters | |
The Day I Lost Four Cats Because of Carelessness
Image Credit: © Franny Syufy
No, this is not a spooky Halloween story. It is a fact; because of one careless minute, your Cats Guide let all four of her indoor-only cats escape last week. I wrote this article in the hopes my readers could learn from my experience, and not make the same terrible mistake I will never forgive myself for making.
| Consistent Habits for a Cat-Safe Home
After the fright of letting all my cats out, I'm going to have to add "Watch out for open doors" to my list of Habits to Practice for a Cat-Safe Home. It could have saved me an hour of panic and fear, had I closed that door to my garden. I bought a small back of dark chocolate-covered raisins today, but you'd better believe I won't leave them lying around the house for my cats to eat. Chocolate contains a substance called Theobromine, which makes it highly toxic to cats. In addition to hiding away toxic goodies, there are a number of other consistent habits to learn. For example, do you honk your horn before starting your car engine? I've done that for years, until it became - you guessed it, a habit.
| How I Became an Accidental Cat Mom
A friend on Facebook posted that she was an "accidental cat mum," and it set the memories spinning, as I was an "accidental cat mom too." The first cat I can remember was a Manx mix gray tabby, predictably named Bobby. I was about 13, and found Bobby as a kitten while walking home from school. We had no pets, and my step-father, Bud, who was from Texas, was vehemently a "dawg" man, and considered cats no-account animals. I don't remember the details, but somehow my mom and I convinced Bud to let Bobby become our pet. We lived in a federal housing project at the time, and Bud likely felt that Bobby could just stay outside, and we'd let him in once in awhile. Heh heh. Perhaps the housing officials had the same mentality, and though dogs were prohibited in the housing units, cats were okay. Please read the rest of Bobby's story. Then, share your own story of how you became an "accidental cat parent."
| Can You Help These Cairo Cats?
Photo Credit: © Cairo Cat Mom Roslyn.
Due to the current shaky political climate in Cairo following the revolution, Australian expats Roslyn and her husband must return to Oz. I received a lengthy email from her last week outlining their dilemma regarding their five rescued cats. In Roslyn's words:
I have a heartbreaking problem and seek your opinion. My husband and I moved to Egypt for business reasons 12 yrs ago, we are now returning to Australia for many reasons including the situation since the revolution plus health reasons. We are both in our late 50s and really suffering here. We stayed on for our family, namely five felines which we love so dearly! Egypt is not a pet friendly place, the street animals both cats and dogs would break your heart. My cats are all rescued from bad through to shocking situations. The shelters here are pretty full, most Egyptians don't have a clue how to treat animals and expats only stay for a few years max....Read more.
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