 |
AnimalSave's mission is to educate the public about spaying & neutering your pet, feral cats, and a variety of other issues, especially those that affect us here in Nevada County. Do you need help with behavior issues or need someone to talk to about pet care? Check out the list of resources on the bottom of this page or call us at (530) 271-7071, ext 206.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
SPAY/NEUTER
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Why spay/neuter your pet? Read our FAQs about altering your pet.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
FERAL (WILD) CATS
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A feral cat is either a cat who has lived his/her whole life with little or no human contact and is not socialized, or is a stray cat who was lost or abandoned and has lived away from human contact long enough to revert to a wild state. Feral cats avoid human contact and cannot be touched by strangers. For more information about feral cats, click here.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 BUNNY CARE
Pictures of cute, cuddly bunnies abound. Images like these inspire many to purchase a rabbit. Unfortunately, each year a large number of bunnies end up in animal shelters or “dumped” in the country. AnimalSave urges you to educate yourself before bringing a bunny into your home and to consider adopting a homeless rabbit from a reputable rescue organization rather than purchasing one at a pet store. More bunny information
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
CAT BASICS . . .
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Declawing... is a very painful procedure in which the last knuckle of the cat's toe is amputated rendering the cat defenseless. Declawing can also affect a cat's sense of balance and personality. Training your kitten(s) to use a scratching post and trimming claws every two to three weeks are much more humane methods for addressing scratching problems. Remember, scratching is natural and generally unavoidable cat behavior. Visit www.declawing.org for more information and ideas like soft paws and selecting an appropriate scratching post.
Food... for kittens 6-8 weeks old should be softened dry food (soften food with a small amount of water , which takes five to ten minutes). You want the food to be soft, not mushy. If kittens refuse to eat, Beechnut turkey baby food (not Gerbers because Gerbers has corn starch in it) is also a good food choice. Kitten's stomachs are only the size of a pea so use caution not to overfeed.
Feed 6-8 week old kittens four times a day. Kittens that are malnourished or very young need to be fed many times a day (every 3-4 hours). At 8 weeks old, leave some dry food out; when the kitten starts eating that, stop softening it. You may feed one tablespoon of canned food once a day.
 Do not give kittens milk. Always have a big bowl of fresh water available. Kittens need kitten food until they reach one year, then you can make the switch to adult cat food. Adult cats eat once or twice a day; you can leave a day's worth of food out all day. Sudden changes in diet may cause diarrhea but variety is beneficial. Canned food contains more protein than dried food and is a good alternative to a continuous diet of kibble. Never give a cat chocolate.
For information on hand-raising orphaned kittens visit: www.alleycat.org/pdf/kitten.pdf
For further kitten care info including determining age visit: www.alleycat.org/pdf/basickittencare.pdf
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Best Commercial Cat Foods... are California Natural, Cornucopia, Innova, Natural Life, Wysong, Felidae, Sensible Choice and Solid Gold. Rated highly because they contain little or no preservatives (especially bad are BHT, BHA, and ethoxyquin), no meat by-products, and they have freshness dates listed on the packaging.
Not-the-Best-but-have-the-Right Idea Cat Foods... are Iams, Nutro, Science Diet. These are rated ok because are easily digestible and have mostly good ingredients. NOTE: All "grocery store" (9-Lives, Purina products, Little Friskies, etc) and generic brands (Holiday, SuperAmerica) should be avoided because they contain meat by-products (often as the first ingredient), preservatives, and other carcinogenic substances like BHT, BHA, etc. No freshness dates are on the bags and the food has been found to be hard to digest by cats. Even worse are the "soft-moist", "gourmet", and "treat" foods which are highly addictive and expensive junk foods.
Vaccinations... are given to kittens at 8-10 weeks old. This is when they receive their first Panleukopenia (distemper) and Rhinotracheitis and Calcivirus (upper respiratory infection) shots. A series of three shots is given three to four weeks apart then yearly thereafter. The PRC vaccine can be administered at six weeks of age if necessary and if begun after three months of age only two shots given 3-4 weeks apart are necessary.
Always watch the kitten or cat for a couple of hours after a shot to make sure it doesn't have an allergic reaction (vomiting or face swelling). If you see evidence of an allergic reaction, contact your vet immediately.
Cat Litter... Be careful with the litter used with kittens up to eight weeks of age. The clumping and clay types can get into their mouth and clog their intestines. Alternatives during this phase are shredded newspaper, sand, flushable pine litter, or flushable reprocessed paper litter.
Toys... need to be chosen carefully, much like human-baby toys. Make sure toys don't have small parts that could come off and cause choking. Cats can choke on yarn strings, so do not give them to your cats as toys. Keep your cats away from electrical cords.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
