THE SCRATCHING POST
Spring 2000, Issue 3 - Smell the Flowers! Edition
by Home2Cats Founder: Barbara Stanley

Home2Cats
P. O. Box 752671
Memphis, TN  38175-2671

 

 

Mews You Can Use:

Most cats can be trained not to scratch the furniture with behavior modification. Trimming your cats nails on a regular basis will decrease your cats need to scratch. If your cat does scratch, the blunt nails will cause less damage. 

Provide your cat with an object that is acceptable to scratch such as a cat tree or post. Applying catnip to the cat tree or post will make the object more attractive to your cat. Be sure to praise your cat’s appropriate scratching behavior. 

To deter your cat from using inappropriate areas, a squirt bottle filled with water is useful. You may also apply double sided tape or aluminum foil to the areas you want your cat to avoid. 

These alternatives are painless, as opposed to declawing where the tips of the toes, not just the nails are cut off. Remember that your cat’s claws are a defense mechanism, and if your indoor cat escapes outdoors, there would be not claws to use for protection.

 

 

From the Cats Clawset:

Demonstrate your talent for sleeping in any position, wherever and whenever you want. Develop all your nap style: the curl, the stretch, the roll, the flop and the blob. 

When it comes to sleeping, practice makes purrfect. Remember, it’s great to do nothing and then rest afterward. There’s no such thing as too much sleep.

 

Cat Tails Profile:  Tina Turner aka Tina
Breed:  Exotic Tin Can Alley

 

Like the singer Tina Turner, our Tina has survived abuse and hard times. She has emerged a real survivor. Just like her namesake, Tina has two gorgeous legs. But our Tina is also missing parts of both hind legs. Tina also resembles her namesake with her beautiful, distinctive singing voice.

We heard Tina Turner "singing the blues" in a storm drain. Tina was thrown or fell down a large drain spout and was lost in the maze of storm drains. Mother nature was working against us by threatening a storm which would sweep Tina away and drown her. 

Her complex rescue totaled 12 hrs. She was not going to be coaxed in the right direction easily. Tina took her time choosing the correct path. The winning recipe that finally got her full attention, was the gourmet seafood platter with a side dish of Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Tina says "Good things come to those that wait patiently ...  But singing loudly while waiting helps!" Tina also says "In the course of life, when choosing a path of destiny, always give a good sniff and choose the one with the seafood platter."

Tina’s Favorite Things:

Favorite Toy ...	Fur mice
Food ...	Eukanuba
Destination ...	Home2Cats
Activity ...	Using human legs as scratching post
Music ...	Rock and roll
Song ...	"Proud Mary," sung by Tina Turner of course, but excluding the lyrics ‘Rolling down the River!’

Tina’s Least Favorite Things:

Least Favorite Toy ...	Sewer rats!
Food ...	Hasn’t found one yet!
Destination ...	Mississippi River via storm drain
Activity ...	Cave exploring
Music ...	The blues
Song ...	"Tunnel of Love"

 

Animal and People Recognition:

In honor of:

Ellen Lentz & Steve Meyer
In honor of two good friends and their many cats
--William Vanderburgh

In memory of:

Robert E. Henderson
--Cheryl Jones

Chandler
--Cheryl Jones

 

 

Catty Corner:

Artful Dodger from the Home2Cats Sanctuary says "Disappear whenever the cat carrier is brought out. If it’s too late to hide, puff yourself up until you’re too large to fit into the carrier."

 

 

As The Tail Turns or Litter Box Basics:

Cats naturally prefer to eliminate in loose, clean material such as dirt, sand or cat litter. A cat with good litter box habits will continue to use the box unless something is wrong. 

High stress situations can affect cats and they may protest by ignoring the box. Problems can also arise when the litter becomes objectionable to them. Many cats do not like perfumed litter, liners, hooded boxes or dirty boxes. Others can object to the kind of litter (clay, clumping or other) or the depth of the litter in the box. 

If your cat is not using his/her litter box, have your vet check to see if your cat has Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease. This disease can affect both the male and female cat and usually responds to antibiotic treatment.

 

 

A Word From Home (2Cats):

Our rescue count for the first quarter of 2000 was 18 cats and our adoption count for the same period was 6 cats. We are still adjusting to the increase in our numbers from our rescues from our previous quarter. 

We have had to restrict ourselves to an advisory role in several rescue efforts due to the increased number of cats now living at the main sanctuary house. 

We are also involved with spaying/neutering several feral cat colonies. 

Do you have a comment or suggestion or two for us to consider? We'd love to hear them!! Write us at: home2cats@aol.com.