Search Results for: blog not so wild cats in the neighborhood

Killer Cats on the Loose

One of the most popular news stories to break last week was a new estimation of the deaths attributed to domesticated house cats.  We’re not talking people deaths, but the deaths of small birds and mammals; that might seem insignificant, but the number is in the billions.  Researchers from the Smithsonian and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service found that although the worst offenders are feral and stray cats, one in three domesticated cats also kills animals in its neighborhood.  Those cats average two kills a week. When it’s well-fed, domesticated cats doing the killing, they’re not usually keeping these … Continue reading →

The Caboodle Ranch for Cats

Our society has the teasingly cruel image of a “cat lady,” an older women, usually considered a little off-balanced, who lives alone save for the many cats with which she surrounds herself. The idea is mean and contains a worrying message about the role we still consider relationships ought to play in a woman’s life. It also seems to imply that only a woman would like cats enough to want to own many. In fact, I think society still has a common assumption that cats are for women and dogs are for men; sure, we can think of plenty of … Continue reading →

Not So Wild Cats in the Neighborhood

At the cats-only boarding facility, we keep an eye out for abandoned or feral cats. Leftover food from the guests is set out twice a day for our “regulars”. We even do our best to catch, spay or neuter, and find homes for the feral cats who hang out behind the building. But those aren’t the only abandoned kitties I deal with. There’s a sizable abandoned cat population at the apartment complex where I live. There are two in particular who live and hang out right by my door: a pair of mostly black kitties. One is extremely friendly; the … Continue reading →

Should Pets Be Kept Inside or Outside?

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how much our views on owning pets have changed. I grew up keeping all pets in the house. Everyone I knew did the same; the most they had were indoor-outdoor cats. Since moving down here, I’ve encountered other takes on pet ownership. A lot of people in my area keep their dogs outside 90% of the time. They might only bring them inside during extreme weather: storms, particularly hot or cold days, etc. A lot of people also keep their cats outside all of the time, which is a more accepted practice. What’s … Continue reading →

Woman Attacks Bear to Save Dog

Bears are moving into cities I first saw this MSNBC story on Facebook where a friend of mine, also a dachshund owner like the woman in the article, linked to it and said she would have done the same thing. What’s the headline? “Alaska Woman Punches Bear in Face to Save her Tiny Dog.” Brooke Collins is 22 years old and lives in Juneau, Alaska. Her wildlife encounter didn’t occur when she was out camping or hiking in the wilderness, but rather in her own urban neighborhood. The Alaskan capital often sees bears prowling its streets for food, but they’ve … Continue reading →

Horsing Around With Animal Genealogy

Those of us that have pets know that they are an important part of our families. The genealogically inclined among us may wish to explore the family history of their furry friends as part of their genealogical research. Unfortunately, I am at a brick wall when it comes to my cat, Patrick. Almost exactly four years ago, I found a young black cat wandering around the yard of the country inn where I was working. I called around to see if he belonged to any of the neighbors, and he did not. He was a skittish little fellow, but one … Continue reading →

Make an Entrance This Halloween

This Halloween, we’re making an entrance. Not with our costumes, that is for sure. I am not all that proficient at sewing, and I must confess that we just bought my daughter’s costume secondhand at a thrift store. It is homemade from some home, though. Guilt, guilt. No, I like decorating our house instead. Kids grow and you need to make them costumes every year – the nerve! Houses, well, sometimes they grow, but generally they stay the same approximate dimensions. We have the usual skeletons and mini-pumpkins in the trees and spiders and black cats on the window. Gradually, … Continue reading →

Karim the Cross-Country Cat

It’s like many movies I watched growing up: The Austrian Times reports that a domesticated cat did what many invading armies have failed to do, travel 2,000 miles across Russia all on its own. Two years ago the owners of Karim, a gray house cat, moved from their home in Uzbekistan to Liska, Russia. They didn’t think Karim would handle such a long-distance move very well, so they made the devastating decision to leave Karim with their neighbors. But Karim’s owners didn’t just dump him off on the first people they could find to take him. To try to ease … Continue reading →

Finally! A Feel Good Story about a Stray

Strays seem to be a hot topic with me lately. First Winky crossed my path. Then my friends in Arizona called me for advice about how to help a stray who collapsed in their yard. Then I keep seeing the elusive stray roaming our neighborhood. Even though I believed Winky was Budly in Beagle’s clothing and I wanted desperately to keep her, I couldn’t. I keep trying to earn that elusive stray dog’s trust, but I have a feeling that’s going to be an ongoing process. But, finally, I do have a story about a stray with a happy ending. … Continue reading →

Paying Attention When Pets Act Weird

This morning there was an attempted break-in in our neighborhood and Murphy, Kitty, and Tabby alerted me to it. Murphy started it. He’s not much of a barker, but every once in a while he’ll let loose at someone walking by or at another dog strolling past. In fact, just a couple of minutes before he went nuts this morning he barked at this one woman out for her morning walk. (In her case, I told him it was okay to keep barking because she was the wife of a mean man who was nasty to us about keeping off … Continue reading →