[ PET OHANA ]
Cleo and Oscar are playing with a paper bag. During Love-A-Cat month, you can bring home a pair of felines for just one adoption fee so they can keep each other company and double your fun.
Persuading a cat to stay
indoors calls for creativity
June is Love-A-Cat month and one of the best things you can do for your feline is to create an appealing, indoor living environment. Converting your cat from a tree-climbing bird-chaser to a frisky indoor dweller requires patience and dedication.
You may be asking yourself, "If my cat enjoys outdoor living, why force her inside?" The estimated life span of an indoor cat has been proven to be about twice as long as an outdoor cat (10 to 12 years vs. four to five years). Outdoor cats live shorter and live more dangerously than their indoor counterparts. In addition to picking up troublesome fleas, they are at greater risk for contracting life-threatening feline diseases such as Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (Feline AIDS) and leukemia. Encounters with dogs and other cats, as well as cars and poisons, can be fatal.
If you're ready to get your cat to make the great leap indoors, plan on a transition period that will require perseverance and patience.
Patience, persistence and planning can help your cat embrace a new indoor lifestyle. While some cats are grateful to be inside, others may howl and scratch on doors and windows. Some may rip through screens in their efforts to escape.
Gradual change enables owners to reduce stress for both the feline and the family. It's best to ease cats inside with less outdoor time and more indoor time a little bit each day. No matter how much your cat protests, stay the course. Do not give in by letting your cat indulge in a day outside. Keep with the program of gradual change.
A change of home decor can also help. Think feline-friendly and remember that your cat enjoys vertical spaces by nature and is a hunter.
Here are a few sure-fire cat pleasers: lots of toys; a carpeted shelf at a window; shelf sconces on walls in random patterns so your kitty can climb and explore higher places; a kitty condo or climbing tree; and "kitty grass." A pet store, a cat catalog and the Internet offer an endless variety of ideas.
Build a perch near the window so your cat can watch the action outdoors while remaining safe inside.
FOR PETS THAT still pine for life outside, owners can create an exterior enclosure: a screened run or kitty playhouse accessible by window or pet door. Make the outdoor enclosure interesting and appealing by adding objects for the cat to explore. Some fun items include cat tunnels and tubes, tree limbs with multilevel platforms, toys hanging from branches, and boxes where the cat can hide or curl up.
Available for about $25 at the Hawaiian Humane Society, cat harnesses or "cat walking jackets" are growing in popularity. In these devices, a cat can't wiggle out or escape. Short, indoor sessions help to familiarize the kitty with the feeling of the new harness. As her comfort level improves, start moving her outdoors. Although your cat may resist leash training at first, her love for the outdoors will soon overcome any dislike for a leash. It's extremely important to supervise your cat in a walking jacket or harness.
TO HELP YOUR cat develop the habit of clawing a post rather than your sofa and chairs, you should determine what your cat prefers to scratch on. Once you know the preferred surface, you can create an attractive scratch pad or post. Watch closely to see whether your cat prefers to sharpen her claws on horizontal objects such as rugs or vertical objects such as drapes, and buy or fashion a post with that in mind. The investment to create the perfect scratch post will save you a great deal of frustration, and furniture.
Cats commonly crave companionship
Cats are playful, social beings. During Love-A-Cat month in June, the Hawaiian Humane Society will waive one $55 adoption fee for anyone who takes home two cats or kittens, or one adult cat and one kitten.Adopters will also receive a coupon for a free cat flea product (Revolution, Topspot, Frontline Plus or Advantage) redeemable at Oahu veterinary clinics. All Humane Society cats are vaccinated, sterilized and microchipped.
As a special bonus, shoppers at Crazy Shirts at Ala Moana or Pearlridge Center in June will receive a coupon for a free microchip ID from the Humane Society with every purchase of an Adopt-A-Cat shirt. Crazy Shirts donates a portion of T-shirts sales to the society.
Kitty laws
The 1995 Cat Protection Law makes identification is required for all cats older than 6 months on Oahu.Since mandatory identification for cats was enacted in 1995, the number of lost cats reunited with their owners has increased. There is no license fee and identification type may be a microchip, or a collar and tag with the owner's name, address and phone number. Microchips are available from your veterinarian.
In addition, the law states that all cats, 6 months or older, are required to be spayed or neutered if allowed outside. This helps to reduce pet overpopulation and improves the health of your cats. The City and County of Honolulu offers the Neuter Now program for low-cost spay and neuter surgery. For more information on the cat protection law or a Neuter Now brochure, call the Humane Society at 946-2187, ext. 223 or visit www.hawaiianhumane.org.
Click for online
calendars and events.
