cats.” — Colette
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| Dodo image |
Mmm, mmm, good! It’s hard to
imagine craving a nice snack of . . . grass, although it seems that cats do
just that. Why?
a historical habit, even though cats are “obligate carnivores” and could exist
on animal protein alone. For felines,
the right kind of grass can be a digestive aid, help control hairballs (via
vomiting, stimulated by eating grass) and provide nutritional supplements.
people, that can mean occasional puddles on the rug – a little hair, a little
grass, a little clean-up.
place for cats. For instance, Alley Cat Allies says “More than 70% of all cats
entering US shelters are killed.” (Note: not
“humanely euthanized,” as it’s sometimes worded, because if healthy cats die in
shelters, that’s not humane anything; it’s killing.)
year, all over the country, our nation’s animal shelters kill millions of
healthy cats,” says ACA leader Becky Robinson. Not all those cats who are
killed are feral, or community cats, either — although it’s true that in some
places, “feral” equates with automatic killing. It’s as if Trap-Neuter-Return isn’t a perfectly
viable alternative.
Wrong! The live-release rate at Miami
Dade County Animal rose from 43% in 2010 to 90% in 2015 – largely because of
its “return-to-field” program, through which the shelter “simply stopped accepting and euthanizing stray cats.”
came from. No cats are added to the community, while existing cats are returned
vetted, better-behaved and sterile to their outdoor homes. Then, natural attrition
gradually occurs.
How old is that cat?
years for every calendar year have it wrong. Fact is, felines age faster
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| Billy Summers |
during
their first two years alive. During her first year, a cat reaches the
approximate human age of 15, then “turns” 24 at age 2. After that, it’s four
“cat years” for every calendar year – so a 5-year old feline would be about 36
cat years old altogether – 24 for the first two calendar years, then 3 more
years x 4 cat years, or 12; and 12 plus 24 = 36.
quicker, maybe even twice as fast as indoor cats. (another reason to keep cats
indoors!)
equating to 4 cat years, add 40 years for the original 24. Harry’s now 64 cat
years old. (Yes, I’ll still need you, yes, I’ll still feed you . . .!)
was 24 cat years old at age 2, then 4 cat years times each of the remaining 8
years, or 32. Billy is 56 cat years old (and I’ll still need and feed you too,
Cutie!)
Survival of the polydactyls
From amid the ruination of Hurricane Irma in Key West, Florida, 54
polydactyl cats survived by sheltering in place. So did the staff members who
share the one-time home of writer Ernest Hemingway with the felines.
the storm hit, which was seen as a sign
of their intelligence.
Known for their
six and even seven-toed paws, some of these survivors are descendants of a
white polydactyl owned by the Hemingways. For tourists, the cats can be as much a draw
as the home itself.
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| Apollo and Zeus, two tigers saved by PAWS |