Q. Are the cats offered for adoption tame and/or house-trained?
A. Yes. They are just like a normal pet (although some are more timid by nature or because of the abuse or neglect they suffered at the hands of nasty humans)). They are used to living in a domestic environment with other cats and also dogs. They are house-trained and can use a cat door too! Most of them love to curl up on the nearest lap or get under the doona in bed at night.
Q. Are your cats health-checked, vaccinated etc?
A. Yes. All of our cats are health checked within the first few days of coming in. They are later desexed, microchipped and vaccinated. While in our care they receive regular flea and worm treatments and any other veterinary care as required.
Q. Do your cats go outside?
A. Most of our cats are used to being outside and love the garden and all of them can use a cat door to go outside into a large netted patio/garden enclosure. They have come from an environment where they had a huge outdoor habitat. We do not subscribe to the somewhat idiotic view that cats should be kept wholly indoors under the justification that: (a) they'e safe; (b) they live longer;
(c) they kill all the birds; (c) they kill all the wildlife. CSIRO and other scientific studies have shown all of these statements to be untrue. While it is true that some cats are hunters and some cats do kill birds and wildlife, human beings need to keep in mind the fact that they are after all animals( and predators). Also, one should keep in mind the fact that there is very little wildlife in suburban areas. It is humans who are the biggest threat to wildlife!
Q. Do you have indoor only cats?
A. Yes, but not many and we do not recommend keeping cats wholly indoors as this is unhealthy for them. However, some of our cats prefer to be inside and will only go outside sometimes to eat grass if they have a furball or are constipated. Certain types of grass are essential for the cat's digestive health. Most cats, however, prefer to be able to go outside (they're animals).
Q. Are your cats safe with children?
A. Yes. We recently rehomed a 1 year old male in a family with 4 children under the age of 10 and he has fitted in perfectly and the kids just love him!
Q. Do cats pose a danger to pregnant women or infants?
A. No, none whatsoever. There are some urban myths floating around which say that the cat poo in kitty litter will kill or seriously harm pregnant women - yeah, but are they really gonna eat it? If they're not handling it without gloves (like, who would do that?) or eating it, then there's no danger at all. Likewise cats pose practically no risk to infants or children. The incidence of cats accidentally smothering babies are 1 in 5 million so its something that happens only very rarely.
Q. Do cats carry diseases they can transfer to humans?
A. No, none whatsoever.
Q. Do your cats kill wildlife?
A. No. Its too much hard work. They prefer a can of Whiskas. There is an urban myth going around that all cats kill wildlife and birds particularly. This is simply not true.
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CAT CARE INFORMATION - INCL WILD CAT CARE
1. Firstly, don't confuse wild cats with feral cats - they're two very different animals. Most wild cats are either abandoned domestic cats or the kittens of such cats who become wild through reduced human contact and the necessity to survive in a hostile environment. However, they are easy to tame with food. Feral cats are large, fairly ferocious creatures who are used to living in the wild with no human contact, are found out in hinterland areas and are very difficult to get close too, nevermind tame.
2. If you are trying to catch a wild cat or kittens, use food over a period of time to make friends with them. DON'T (unless they are badly injured) take young wild kittens away from their mother. Their chances of survival without their mother are slim and even if they do survive, their development will be compromised without the benefit of mother's milk. Kittens should be a minimum of 8 weeks old before they are taken from their mother. DON'T( unless the cat is badly injured) take a mother away from her kittens - they will die of starvation and dehydration.
3. Any rescued orphaned wild kittens will need to be fed Di-Vetelact formula every 2-4 hours and their bowels stimulated and faecal matter removed as well (which is what their mother would do) otherwise their development may be arrested and/or they will develop internal problems which can kill them in their first year of life. Consult a vet if you are not sure how to care for young orphaned kittens.
4. We recommend the use of a plastic medium sized dog transport crate to catch wild cats. Take it with you and place a food bowl in it at the back. Let the cats get used to going in it for a few days and stand nearby, getting closer each day. Once they will readily go inside and you can stand next to it while they're eating, quickly close and lock the door. They may jump around for a minute but should settle down quickly.
5. Rescued wild cats need to be kept in a large, light room with plenty of air. They must have a window or door to see out of with security grille or pet mesh or must be kept in a large outdoor enclosure. Keeping them in cages or small enclosures will make them angry, anti-social or alternatively, timid and they will take forever to settle down.
6.Cats don't like noise, they prefer peace and quiet so DON'T leave radios or TVs on for them - that sort of thing is for dogs. Wild cats are harder to tame and will become more timid when exposed to constant or frequent noise.
7.If you have other pets, then you'll need to introduce your new cat to them slowly. Best practice is to have it in its own room first so the cat can get used to all the new smells and noises etc. Then let it out to roam the house while the other pets are outside for a couple of hours each day for a few days. This also ensures the other pets will be able to see and/or meet the new cat through a screen door first. After a few days, you can let them meet each other inside the house under supervision. Once they get used to each other, you can let them meet outside under supervision until they all get along OK and don't need any supervision.
8. Please be aware that cats are unlikely to "take off" once they go outside unless they don't like their new home. If you have lots of loud noise from TVs or radios, screaming young children or loud power equipment, most cats aren't going to like it. If you have young children pulling a cat or kitten around, the animal may take off to get away from the abuse (alternatively it may become defensive or timid). If a cat likes its new home and gets plenty of love and attention and good food, its most likely going to stick around.
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