Many new cat owners have some misconceptions about cats and their needs. Too often, our culture equates cats and dogs. While we often assume that cats’ needs are similar to those of dogs, this couldn’t be further from the truth. As two unique species, cats and dogs have very different needs, and one of these pertains to bathing. People often assume that cats need baths, just as dogs do. But actually, cats are typically extremely fastidious when it comes to their grooming habits, and baths are almost always entirely unnecessary. However, there are a few important exceptions. Learn some ways that you can make the process less stressful for your adult cat or kitten.

When Should You Give Your Cat a Bath?

The answer, in short, is not very often. Cats spend up to 50% of their day grooming themselves, so not only is bathing usually unnecessary, but it also removes the cat’s natural scent, which is an essential part of what makes them comfortable. A bath can also be an incredibly stressful experience for your feline friend, and you might find that your pet begins to associate any type of handling with the negative experience of being bathed. This can prove to be a remarkably difficult habit to break. But there are a few important exceptions to this rule. If your cat is a hairless breed, like a sphynx, then baths are essential. Your hairless cat will produce excess oils in their skin, making a weekly bath essential to their overall health.

Other instances in which you may need to give your cat a bath could include if it has a particular medical condition. For example, a flea infestation on your cat may require a medicated bath to kill the fleas and their eggs and larvae. While most flea treatments are highly effective, in particularly bad instances of a flea infestation or if your cat is allergic to fleas, a bath can prove helpful. Ringworm, a particular type of fungus, could in severe cases require a medicated bath that will be prescribed by your veterinarian. In addition, there might be incidents in which your cat gets into something that will need to be removed from their coat, like motor oil, gasoline, potpourri, tree sap, antifreeze, or pyrethrin and permethrin flea-killing products. These could have devastating health effects if your cat licks them off of their coat, so a bath may be necessary to remove the offending substance.

Sometimes, cats may be unable to groom themselves for one reason or another. For instance, if your cat is particularly obese, it might not be able to reach around its body to properly groom itself. Similarly, if you have a cat with arthritis, it might not be able to move or bend appropriately in order to groom its entire body. In these cases, you may need to regularly bathe your cat in order to help keep it clean. Sometimes cats with arthritis enjoy the baths, since a massaging shampoo and the warm bath water can soothe stiff joints.

Not all cats are the same, so it’s entirely possible your cat might just love a good warm bath. If that’s the case, there’s certainly no reason you can’t give your pet the occasional dip in the tub.

How Should You Bathe Your Cat?

If it’s necessary to give your pet a bath, here are some tips to make the process easier, both for you and your cat. Gather all of your supplies before you begin and have them handy wherever you plan to bathe your kitty. Grab some particularly tasty treats, a pet shampoo designed for cats, some towels, and a pitcher or detachable shower head. It’s also a good idea to have a partner help you to bathe your pet, since it’s highly unlikely that your cat will sit still for the procedure. Put down a non-slip surface or a towel inside your sink, a small laundry basket, or another tub in your larger bathtub, so your cat doesn’t slide around and start to panic.

Fill your tub or sink with just a few inches of warm water (be sure to test it to make sure it’s not too hot). Hold your cat gently in place while your partner uses a pitcher or the shower head to get its coat wet. Lather the cat up with pet shampoo, and then rinse thoroughly with a pitcher or gentle, low-pressure setting on your shower head. Use towels to gently dry your cat off. If your cat is accustomed to a blow dryer, you can also use this, but don’t force it if your cat is not comfortable. The goal is to get your cat bathed and dried as quickly as possible and with the least amount of stress. Be fast and efficient, and reward your kitty with lots of delicious, tasty treats after its bath.

If your cat can’t handle a regular bath, try using a waterless shampoo to clean it instead. This method can prove less stressful for your cat and just as effective.

The Kansas City Chiefs succeeded in an historic Super Bowl win the first weekend of February this year, but that’s not what is still driving the internet frenzy surrounding the team. Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle, #91 Derrick Nnadi has captured national attention for another reason following his team’s Super Bowl victory.

His love for animals and dedication to helping a shelter in Missouri get animals adopted has been the focus of thousands of internet news stories in the past week, and it’s with good reason! Derrick Nnadi has partnered with a local animal rescue organization, Kansas City Pet Project, to sponsor pet adoptions during the entire 2019 - 2020 football season. He made an even bigger pledge prior to his team’s historic win. Here’s more on the heartwarming story.

Lifetime Love of Animals

Football star Derrick Nnadi has always loved animals, dogs in particular, but was never able to have one as a child growing up. As an adult, Nnadi adopted his first dog, named Rocky, as a senior in college. Remembering how shy and timid his dog was at first inspired him to get involved with a local shelter to help animals find loving homes.

Through his charitable organization, The Derrick Nnadi Foundation, Nnadi partnered with the KC Pet Project all season, pledging to pay for a dog’s adoption fee after every Kansas City Chiefs win. That ended up totaling 15 wins, including the post-season.

Super Bowl Promise

But Nnadi made an even bigger promise once his team, the Kansas City Chiefs, joined the Super Bowl lineup. If the Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl, Derrick Nnadi promised to pay all dog adoption fees at KC Pet Project for over 100 dogs at an average adoption fee of $150 dollars each.

Nnadi noted that his promise gave him the motivation to go out and play the best game possible. After winning the game, the joint celebrations of a Super Bowl win and a huge donation to the animal shelter were an incredible way to end his second NFL season.

Incredibly, the Kansas City Chiefs experienced a historic victory that day, with its second Super Bowl win ever and the first one in the past 50 years. And in conjunction, the KC Pet Project experienced another victory for all of its adoptable dogs housed in the shelter.

Following the win and the press surrounding Derrick Nnadi’s public promise to pay all adoption fees for available dogs, international celebrity chef and television personality Rachael Ray reached out to the center. She offered a year of free dog food from her brand, Nourish, to anyone adopting one of the dogs in the week following the historic Super Bowl win.

The KC Pet Project reported that it hopes the story will serve as an inspiration to other shelters and other communities to try and do something amazing to make a difference in the lives of homeless dogs and cats in their areas. Nnadi’s incredible promise and the story behind the shelter was shared and heard by an estimated 2 million or more people following the win.

Empty Kennels

By the end of the week, the KC Pet Project was able to report an incredible victory of its own. Every single available dog had been adopted to a forever home, and every dog kennel in the shelter’s PetCo Adoption Center was completely empty. The unusually quiet center was exactly what workers and volunteers always want to hear!

The KC Pet Project reported that it still does have some dogs available at a few additional locations and in some foster homes, which can be seen on their website at www.kcpetproject.org. Despite this, it is truly an incredible victory for the shelter and a victory for homeless animals in the Kansas City community, particularly because of the positive press and exposure adoption has gotten following this news.

Many shelters, including the KC Pet Project, receive and care for dozens of animals each week, however, so the empty kennels likely won’t be empty for long. But hopefully the positive press surrounding adoptable dogs will help inspire local residents and celebrities to promote the joy that adopted pets can bring into people’s lives.

Adopting a Pet

If you or someone you know is considering bringing home a new pet, consider looking into your local animal shelters to find your perfect fit. Shelter staff are typically extremely knowledgeable about all their available pets and can help you find the dog or cat that will fit your lifestyle best.

Adopting a pet can be one of the most rewarding things you’ll ever do, and your pet will always return your kindness with all the love and affection you could ever want. Check your local shelter for available adoptable pets today. You might just find the newest member of your family.

If you’ve decided that you want to bring home a new pet and you know that adoption is the way you want to go, congratulations to you! You are about to make a huge difference in an animal’s life by providing them with a loving, forever home with you and yours.

Before you start your search, you might be wondering how you can be sure that the rescue or shelter you choose is a reputable organization that is actually taking good care of their animals and actively seeking to put them in loving homes. Your concern is not misplaced: in some cases, organizations that appear to be animal shelters or rescues are actually serving as a front for a breeding or even hoarding operation. Before you head to your closest shelter, do just a little bit of research to ensure you are supporting a reputable organization that truly has the animals’ best interests at heart.

Observe the Animals

If you go into a rescue or shelter and you notice that the animals held there appear to be unhealthy in some way, or if they appear dirty, lethargic, thin, or you see any other signs of concern, that might be a sign that this is not a reputable organization. Any signs of open wounds or tick infestations are a red flag, and the animals’ behavior can also be an indicator. Animals may show signs of stress, behaving very shyly or fearfully, or you might notice increased aggression, all of which can be caused by neglect and lack of socialization. Reputable organizations will look after the physical health and emotional wellbeing of the animals in their care. Though it’s not always possible to ensure that all animals are in perfect health all the time, you should see clear signs that the animals are regularly cared for and socialized with volunteers and other animals in the shelter.

Notice the Size and Statistics

This refers to the size of the shelter itself. You should notice adequate outdoor space for the animals to run around, appropriate flooring in the crates (they should not be standing on wire), and enough staff to take animals outside multiple times a day. If you note crates stacked on top of each other, or several animals housed inside one kennel, that is a warning sign that this is not an organization you want to deal with.

In addition to the actual space in the shelter, you’ll want to ask about adoption statistics. An organization with low adoption rates or many animals that have been at the shelter for an extremely long time could point to problems with adoption standards. It is possible for adoption requirements to be unrealistic, resulting in shelters being over capacity and the animals housed there not receiving appropriate care. In spite of this overcrowding issue, some shelters will continue to accept animals, creating more and more problems. Note that some organizations do provide long term care to animals, but in most cases, animals should move relatively quickly through the adoption system in a reputable organization.

Animals Younger Than 8 Weeks Are Available for Adoption

This is a very important red flag. Any shelter that is taking good care of the animals will provide proper veterinary care, ensure the animals are vaccinated, and spay and neuter them. They will not have dogs or cats under the age of 8 weeks available to adopt. At under 8 weeks, it is not possible for the puppies or kittens to be spayed or neutered or to have their vaccines administered. It’s possible a shelter might be searching for a foster home but adopting out animals at so young an age can be unethical.

Status of the Organization

Another thing you can check is whether the organization is registered as a 501(c)(3) charity. You can check for reviews at websites that track non-profit organizations and charities to ensure they are what they seem. Business review sites may also list shelters; in any case, a quick Google search can reveal problems immediately. The rescue should also have a board of directors or some management structure and volunteers helping out on a daily basis. You should see signs of frequent adoption events, responsive communication by phone or email, and a willingness to communicate with you about how the animals are cared for and how their organization is run. A reputable shelter will also be operating in compliance with applicable laws, and it should be willing to offer you paperwork, vaccine verifications, and other documents before you bring home an animal.

Do Your Research

The main things you should do when searching for a reputable shelter are to ask questions, do your research, and in the end, trust your instincts. If something seems off during your visit, there is a good chance you're picking up on something amiss with the animals or the staff. Keep searching, and you will find a reputable place to adopt your new family member in no time!

Are you considering bringing home an adopted pet for the first time? Pet adoption can be one of the most rewarding things you can do in life. All on your own, you are providing an animal with a second chance and a happy new home. That’s quite an accomplishment!

However, if you’re ready to bring home a new furry friend to keep you company, there are a few things to consider before you head to the shelter. Rather than bring home the first dog or cat that catches your eye, visit a few local shelters and interact with the animals. In addition, make sure you have all the information about your chosen pet, its breed, and proper care. To start, here are some important questions to ask before you bring home your new pet.

Does This Pet Have Any Medical Issues?

This is an important question, particularly if you are a first-time pet owner. Bringing home a dog or cat for the first time can be overwhelming, and frankly, pets with medical issues can be financially burdensome and difficult to care for. Consider whether you are truly willing to take on this burden before you bring home a pet. It’s a wonderful thing to offer a home to these needy pets, but consider your own capabilities first—for your sake, but also the animal's. The last thing you want to do is take home a pet, discover that you cannot provide or afford the level of care they need, and then end up sending them right back to a shelter. This causes the animal stress they really don't need.

If you’re a more experienced pet owner and you know you're up to the task, that’s great! However, make sure you do your research, speak with the shelter employees who are familiar with your chosen pet, and understand the care they'll need and what it will cost. Pets with medical problems can absolutely be fantastic pets, but you need to be ready to support them.

What Is This Animal’s Story?

Get some background information on the pet you are considering. Shelter and rescue workers tend to know their animals well, so they will likely be able to give you a lot of information about them. Try and find out what they know about where the animal came from and why it ended up in the shelter; also ask about any previous adoptions and why they didn’t work out. You’ll want to know the pet's potential behavioral problems when you take them into your home. Perhaps there was a problem with another animal in the home, or the pet didn’t do well with children. If this is the case, you’ll want to know about it before you get attached. You should never bring home a pet that has a problem with children if you have children in your home; it’s a recipe for disaster. Similarly, if you have a beloved family pet at home, you need to know if a potential pet has shown problems socializing with other dogs or cats. Beyond problematic behaviors, you'll also want to know about the animal's personality. For example, if you're looking to adopt a cat, ask if it tolerates petting or being picked up, if it has a favorite toy, and so on.

Similarly, you’ll want to ask about any history of abuse. Abused animals can display severe behavioral issues, and you will need to be prepared to deal with them. If the staff or foster family knows about any abuse history with the animal, have them fill you in. A history of abuse doesn’t automatically mean you shouldn’t adopt that pet; again, it’s a matter of whether you're prepared to provide the necessary extra love and care. This can be a major commitment depending on the severity and type of abuse the animal endured.

What Type Of Veterinary Care Has This Pet Had?

Get some information from the rescue or shelter on the vaccination history of the pet you are considering, as well as whether they have been spayed or neutered. Many shelters spay or neuter all adoptable dogs and cats as a matter of course, but double check to make sure. If not, you'll want to take care of vaccinations and spaying or neutering as soon as possible, and that can add to expenses. While you’re finding out about these issues, also ask about any history of illness or injuries. A formerly broken leg, past problems with heartworm—these are all pieces of information you’ll want to know before you bring your new pet home.

Worst Case Scenario: What If It Doesn’t Work Out?

No one wants to consider the fact that your new pet might not be a good fit, but it happens more often than you think. Ask the shelter or rescue about their policies for re-surrendering your new pet, and try to find out if they offer post-adoption support. It’s not necessarily a deal-breaker if they don’t, but this extra line of help can really be a huge benefit if you find you’re having issues after bringing your pet home. Be prepared for the worst but hope for the best in this situation.

One of the many items you may bring home with a new dog is a crate for them to sleep or stay in when you're not home. However, if this is your first dog, or your first time using a crate, you may wonder what it’s all about. Why do we use crates for dogs? And how do you get your dog to stay in the crate without becoming agitated or anxious when you’re not at home? Let’s look at some quick tips for crate training your dog, whether you've adopted an older dog or a puppy.

Why Crate Training?

Some owners have concerns about crate training their dogs because irresponsible and abusive owners can misuse the crate. But when used correctly, crate training is actually a perfectly safe method, and it’s even natural for your dog. Crate training is a great way to take advantage of your dog’s natural instincts as a den and pack-oriented animal. Wild dogs make dens in caves or other enclosed areas to serve as their home. These small, enclosed spaces feel safe to them, and a crate can serve a similar function for your dog at home, giving them a place of their own where they can relax and feel snug. It can also be a helpful way to house train your dog, since dogs don’t like to take bathroom breaks inside their dens.

Selecting A Crate

It’s important to choose a crate that's the right size for your dog, so be sure you understand how big your dog is before you head out to buy one. There should be plenty of room for your dog to stand up and turn around in their crate, so they can be as comfortable as possible. If you have a puppy and not a fully grown adult dog, make sure to get crate that is going to be large enough for them at their adult size. Look at average sizes for your breed or type of mix and take your best guess. If you happen to guess wrong, don’t try to save money by making do with a cramped crate. Your dog will be much happier if you buy them a crate that is an appropriate size.

In terms of styles and options, you have several—there are wire crates with plastic tray liners and plastic crates that are also approved for airline travel. Choose whichever you are comfortable with, but if you choose a wire crate, consider covering it with a blanket so that it will feel more like a den.

What Goes In The Crate?

Because the crate is serving as your dog’s den, you’ll want it to be a comfortable space for them. Fill it with soft blankets or a dog bed, and include some comforting objects or favorite toys that your dog loves. A safe chew toy might be a nice addition to direct your dog away from chewing on the bedding, although don't be surprised if this happens. Only use blankets you don't care about.

You can even have a special treat or toy that is only given to your dog when they're in the crate. This can be helpful when crate training, because your dog will begin to associate the crate with fun extra treats. Above all, the crate should be a safe and comforting place for your dog—a place they want to go. That will make training much easier in the long run.

Training Your Dog

Start by letting your dog get used to the crate. Leave it open and try throwing some treats in the crate. If your dog heads in after them, offer praise and perhaps another treat or two. Be careful not to overdo this praise, however; over-praising can make your dog nervous. You want your dog to understand that this is a safe space, and that going inside is normal and natural.

Don’t worry if it takes several days for your dog to enter the crate; let your dog enter on their own time. The noise made when you close the door to the crate can make some dogs anxious, so consider leaving the door off or open at first. During this process, add an easy-to-understand, simple command—such as "Crate!" or "Bed!"—so you can easily get your dog to enter later. Once the dog is comfortable entering the crate and relaxing inside, try closing the door. At first, only close it for a moment before reopening it. Over time, gradually increase the time the door is shut.

When the dog is comfortable with that, try walking away after you've closed the door. Go about your normal activities around the house, but leave the dog in the crate while you’re nearby. Once your dog can feel relaxed in the crate with the door closed for around 30 minutes to one hour at a time, try leaving the house. Remember to treat your return like it’s nothing special. Let the dog calm down for at least 10 minutes before releasing them from the crate, and then make it just an average part of the day.

With these tips, your dog should feel comfortable in their crate in no time at all.

Do you ever wonder what your cat is thinking? Ever try to figure out what your cat is saying with that meow? Sometimes it can be difficult to figure out what your cat's behavior means. They do things that don’t always make sense to us humans.

Even though humans and cats speak different languages, it is still possible to understand their behavior. There are clear feline signals that can tell humans what your cat is thinking, or at least give you an idea of what they want.

Here are some common cat behaviors and what they mean. This will help you learn how to decode what your cat is thinking. That way, you and your favorite feline friends can stay happy.

Cat Vocalizations

Cats make a lot of different noises, and they can indicate different things. The most common cat vocalization is probably the meow. Young kittens meow quite loudly in order to attract attention from their mother. It’s likely they are meowing in order to say they are hungry, cold, or just to help mama cat locate them if they wander off.

Meowing is a unique behavior in domestic cats. Feral cats typically meow very little or don’t meow at all. This is because without socialization, these feral cats don’t learn to use their meow to communicate with the humans in their life (because there are none).

Meowing is not a sound that cats use to communicate with each other; it’s primarily reserved for kittens and their mothers. Domestic cats have learned that human beings respond to the meow just like their mother cats used to. As a result, they keep up with this behavior.

Hissing from cats is a clear warning signal to stay away. Cats may hiss when frightened, aggressive, or angry, and the sound is sometimes accompanied by a yowl. It’s a pretty clear signal from the cat for you to stop what you’re doing and not to come any closer.

Yodeling or caterwauling are also interesting cat sounds, and they often cause new cat owners to become concerned. It can sound a bit creepy, or like your cat is lonely, scared, or confused. There’s no need to be worried, though. Female cats in heat yodel to signal to male cats that they are ready to mate. Male cats make a sound called "caterwauling" to warn other males off and signal he is ready to mate.

Cats also chortle, which is a high-pitched chuckling sound made in greeting. They may also chirp or chatter, which are sounds they sometimes make when they see birds out of a window, possibly an exaggeration of their "killing bite,” and purr.

Purring is a source of great controversy among cat experts. We don’t even really know how a cat purrs, much less exactly what it means. Cats typically make the sound when happy or content. However, they also purr sometimes when in distress (for example, at the vet’s office). Whatever the reason, most species of felines purr, though domestic cats are the only ones that can purr on the inhale and exhale.

Cat Body Language

Cats communicate through very subtle body language, but if you pay attention, you can start to figure out what your cat is feeling. Typically, ears forward signal alertness, happiness, or interest. Ears flat back signal fear or aggression. Swiveling ears indicate a cat is either very interested or distressed (you should be able to tell which one from other factors).

Cat tails can also be a good indicator of their mood. Tails held straight up usually indicate a happy, comfortable cat. Tails tucked down under their bodies show fear. Swishing tails usually indicate irritation or playfulness, so watch out for an upcoming swipe!

Your cat can also communicate quite a lot through its eyes, from pupil dilation to how open its eyelids are. A quick pupil dilation indicates a sudden arousal, whether it is from fear, interest, playfulness, or aggression.

Never maintain unblinking eye contact with your cat, unless you don’t mind getting a quick swipe. This is a signal of aggression or dominance to your cat. Drooping eyelids is a sign of relaxation and trust. You can try to signal "I love you" to your cat by slowly blinking your eyes and opening them again. If your cat blinks back at you, it’s a sign of affection!

Ever noticed your cat scratching on the furniture? Try not to be too upset. Your cat is actually just acting on an instinctual behavior to mark his or her territory. Provide your cat with a scratching post near what they usually scratch on. Give lots of praise when your cat scratches where they’re supposed to!

Patience Is Key

Remember, we can’t understand everything our cats do. But as a cat owner, you will likely find yourself learning about your cat every day and beginning to understand kitty behavior more and more. Give your kitty lots of love and be patient. You and your cat will understand each other in no time!

There may have been a time when you spotted a cat looking lonely and scared outside, maybe behind a trash can near a restaurant or out somewhere in your neighborhood. If you’re an animal lover, you may have wondered how you could help it.

If you want to get involved, you can join a community program that helps stray or feral cats, but if you’re looking to be more actively involved, maybe helping rehabilitate these animals is more up your alley.

Read on to learn about what feral cats are, how to rehabilitate them (if it’s even possible), and other ways you can help.

What’s the Difference between Feral Cats and Strays?

Biologically, there’s no difference between a feral cat, a stray cat, and a house cat. The biggest difference between them is in socialization. Feral cats experience no human socialization when they are young. On the other hand, a stray cat is usually a cat that has had some human contact in its life but has either been abandoned or run away from its home, possibly ending up in a feral cat colony. (You can usually identify stray cats over feral cats because a stray cat will likely meow and show less fear of humans.)

If you are in the business of rescuing stray and feral cats, that distinction will help you find the cats that are most likely to be successfully rehabilitated and placed in homes.

Is Rehabilitation Possible?

It can be difficult and sometimes impossible to rehabilitate adult feral cats. These are cats that have lived their entire lives without human contact, born in the wild to a feral cat and raised on the streets in a cat colony of some kind. Feral cats are afraid of humans and don’t trust them, so rehabilitating them is not always possible.

The younger the cat you are working with is, the better luck you will have with rehabilitation. Kittens between four and six weeks old have the best chance at rehabilitation. They shouldn’t be taken from their mother any earlier than this, as they are more vulnerable to diseases and are unlikely to survive. The mother cat should be captured as well, if possible, and spayed so she does not continue having litters of kittens. Feral kittens are often much better suited to rehabilitation efforts than adult feral cats, as they can develop into loving, affectionate family pets.

How Does Rehabilitation Work?

If you find yourself with some young feral kittens to rehabilitate, you can help them by following a few easy steps. Start with containment in a cage or a large pet carrier of some kind. Feral kittens will likely hiss and spit at you often; keep in mind, they are terrified of you. They will fight you, trying to scratch or bite if they can, and they will take any opportunity to escape. After all, for all they know, you are a large and scary predator out to get them.

Be sure to choose a container large enough to hold some bedding, food, water, and a litter box. Do not attempt to handle the kittens for at least the first two days. Talk to them and visit them frequently, but don’t touch them just yet.

After those first two days, pick up the calmest kitten in a towel and hold them gently. If they stay relatively calm, try gripping the kitten firmly by the scruff of the neck and placing them on the outside of the towel. Use a calming voice and pet the kitten gently on the back; reward the kitten for this first physical contact with a special treat. Start attempting to brush and comb the kittens, both for their health and because it will help them bond with you. Brushing mimics mama cat’s grooming behaviors. Play with the kittens as well, and be sure to repeat the handling procedure many times.

After about a week of this, you should see good progress in the kittens. Move them to a small room and kitten proof the area so they can’t hide in small spaces. Keep up the handling of the kittens, and once they stop biting or scratching, bring in other humans to handle them. This helps them adjust to people in general, rather than strictly bonding only to you.

What about Adult Feral Cats?

While there are always exceptions to the rule, most adult feral cats will not be happy in a home. Occasionally, these cats can be adopted out as barn cats, living in a warm barn on a farm somewhere and helping control rodent infestations. Otherwise, the best solution is to use employ the trap-neuter-return, or TNR, technique. This involves trapping feral cats, sterilizing them and giving them relevant vaccinations, and then returning them to where they were found.

If you’re a cat enthusiast, you probably already know that the problem of overpopulation involving stray and feral cats is a huge contributor to overcrowding in shelters nationwide. Perhaps you have a cat of your own, or maybe you just want to help out without taking one into your home. If that sounds like you, consider helping out with a community cat program in your area. Many cities already have them in place, but if yours doesn’t, then you could start one of your own. Many shelters or rescue organizations offer funding or subsidized services to help individuals who are interested in starting a program to care for feral cats. The North Shore Animal League is one shelter that offers such services.

Read on to learn about ways that you can help feral and stray cats through a community cat program, what programs are available to take care of them, and how you can start your own if you’re so inclined.

What Is A Feral Cat?

It used to be that very few people understood the term “feral” cat, but that is beginning to change. Due to increased education and reports in the news media, most people now know what a feral cat is. Feral cats are unsocialized cats that live in cat colonies outdoors. Many of them are extremely fearful of people and often cannot be approached. Cats that live in a colony together often share a common food source and have a defined territory. Some of the cats may be former house pets that have been either lost or abandoned, also known as “strays.” Most feral cat colonies result from unneutered stray cats.

Feral cats are not considered wildlife, although they live outside in the wild. Most feral cats still rely on a human food source of some kind, rather than subsisting solely on hunting for their own food. There are different degrees of feral cats, and they can be feral and non-feral at different points in their lives. Some cats can be re-socialized quite easily, while for others, living with humans may never be an option. So now the question remains, how can you care for these community cats if they can’t be brought into your home?

Spay/Neuter Programs

The most effective way to reduce the community cat population is by implementing spay/neuter programs in your area. There are numerous Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) programs across the United States and Canada that are on a mission to ensure that all of these feral cats are sterilized. In a TNR program, community cats are humanely trapped in a box trap and brought into a local shelter or vet’s office participating in the program. Here, the cats are sterilized, vaccinated, and ear-tipped. An ear-tip is a universal sign that a feral cat has been sterilized and vaccinated before. It involves the painless surgical removal of a small part of the tip of a cat’s ear (either on the left or right side), and it is an easy way to identify cats that have been seen by a vet but are not suitable for adoption. Subsequently, the community cats are re-released in the same area where they were found.

While many community cat programs offer different services, the Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) strategy is at the heart of every community cat program. TNR is the foundation of these programs and the best way to humanely reduce community cat populations. Any cats retrieved through TNR programs that show signs that they might make a good family pet can be taken in to a shelter and later adopted out. However, many community cats will never become family pets, and TNR programs can help.

Ways to Secure Funding for Your Community Cat Program

If you’re ready to start your own community cat program, there are many easy ways to begin. You will first need to secure funding for your operation through donations or small community grants. You should work to grow your funding as soon as possible. Since community cats are sometimes a public health concern, contact your public health officials with your information. Many shelters offer subsidy funding programs, as well. At the North Shore Animal League, individuals are welcome to send in applications between the 1st and 15th of each month.

Volunteers will be extremely helpful to your cat program, so you should try and recruit people to help you trap the feral cats in your area for TNR programs. In the same vein, you should seek donations to help keep you running. Ask about donations of cat food and humane traps at local businesses. After the program is up and running, you should track your statistics. You’ll want to have numbers to demonstrate your impact on the community. And don’t exclude people who feed cats but don’t participate in the spay/neuter efforts. Many of them might be happy to help and could become loving pet owners themselves at a later time.

Bringing home a new puppy is an exciting time for your family. You probably have visions of watching your serene, well-behaved dog growing up along with your children and frolicking in the park with them, then returning immediately to your side when called. However, you won’t achieve your ideal of a well-behaved adult dog without a lot of work during their puppy years. If you’re prepared to mold that cute, rambunctious puppy into the ideal family pet, then get ready to take some notes. We’ll go over some tips for you and your family to make training easier and to make both your and your puppy’s life better and more fulfilling.

Begin training immediately and keep a regular schedule

You should start training your puppy as soon as possible. The longer you wait to begin training your new pup, the more difficult it will be for both of you. At the beginning, you should spend around 15 minutes training your puppy. You should use a space that is quiet and free from distractions. Training outside doesn’t always work for puppies because the outdoors are full of many new smells and sounds to explore. Make sure to end your sessions on a positive note so that your puppy sees them as an opportunity to bond with you.

Establish rules right away

If your dog isn’t allowed on the bed or in certain rooms, or if feeding will take place in a specific area of the house, you’ll need to enforce these rules from the very beginning. With early training, your dog will learn quickly what is and is not acceptable. Be sure that everyone in your house knows and understands these rules, as well, and do your best to make sure that they follow them. You can’t police everyone in your house all the time, but consistency from you specifically (as your dog’s new pack leader) will be extremely helpful.

Work on potty training as soon as possible

Whether you’re adopting a puppy right at the earliest age when it can come home (typically seven or eight weeks) or if your puppy is a bit older, potty training as soon as possible is very important. Consider keeping your puppy’s bed or crate in your room. This way, you will be more likely to hear it whimper or whine during the night, which will alert you to the fact that your puppy might need to go outside and relieve itself before your alarm goes off. After you wake up, you should take your puppy outside as soon as possible. At first, you should always leave through the same door and head over to a specific spot to help your puppy learn what’s expected of them.

In addition, you should keep an established feeding schedule in place. This can help to make bathroom breaks more predictable. After your puppy eats, you should be prepared to take it outside within at least a half hour. Puppies often eat several smaller meals during the day, so be sure to pay attention to their need for a bathroom break afterward. Pay equal attention to when your puppy drinks water, so you can be ready to take it out. Establishing a potty spot where your dog understands that it needs to go to the bathroom will help it with this early training. Take your puppy there and wait patiently. Once it begins to go, give an associated voice command such as “go potty” and then give it lots of affection and perhaps a treat afterwards. Hopefully, it will begin to associate potty time with praise and treats from you.

Stagger training sessions

Remember that training sessions don’t need to occur all at once or at one set time. Rather, it can be more effective, particularly for young puppies, to incorporate two or three 5-minute sessions where you practice some training throughout the day. Puppies don’t have a very long attention span, so trying to force it into training for a long period could have negative consequences. Keep your training positive; it’s the most effective way to get your puppy to learn basic commands such as “sit” or “lay down.” Only use the voice command once, then use food to lure your puppy into position. Try not to repeat the command over and over so that you don’t accidentally train them to think that “sit” needs to be repeated several times before it is obeyed.

Once they’ve performed correctly, praise your pet with comments such as “Good dog.” Over the long term, this praise and affection will motivate your pet to perform tricks. When training your dog to come, avoid yelling at it if it doesn’t respond immediately to your call. Rather, lavish it with praise when it does come. Otherwise, you risk teaching your dog that coming means that it will get reprimanded, which you definitely don’t want to happen.

Adopting new pets can be a rewarding experience. If you’re an animal lover, you might already have a home with one or more pets. Maybe you’ve considered adding a new animal companion to your home but aren’t sure if you’re ready yet to make the emotional and financial commitment.

Let’s say you want more animals in your life but you’re not yet ready to make a long-term commitment to a new dog or cat. You should consider working with rescue organizations to foster homeless animals.

You can make a huge difference in animals’ lives and help them find their perfect homes. Foster homes are especially important for no-kill shelters, which often have limited space available. With no space to house them, some no-kill shelters are forced to turn away animals in need.

Foster homes make it possible to house adoptable animals off-site until they can be chosen by the perfect family. In the following, we’ll go over what to expect when you become a foster parent and how you can help shelter pets get ready for their new homes.

Why We Need Foster Homes

There are many reasons that foster homes are needed for animals. Many shelters experience severe overcrowding. Foster homes can help relieve that strain by providing a temporary home for shelter pets waiting to be adopted. During natural disasters, loving pet owners often rely on foster homes to keep their pets safe while they prepare to return home.

Military personnel might need foster homes for a long deployment, if no family or friends are available to keep their pets. Regardless of the reason a particular pet is being fostered, shelter or rescue organizations will do their best to match animals with an appropriate foster home. They take into account the experience level and preferences of the foster parent.

There may be reasons a particular animal must be placed into a foster home rather than right into a shelter environment that go beyond shelter overcrowding. Some puppies or kittens will be too young to enter a shelter, needing extra care from their foster parents. Nursing cats or dogs might need a special home placement situation until they can be adopted, and the puppies or kittens weaned.

There may be animals that are sick or injured and need medical care and supervision in a foster home setting. Some animals need extra socialization, both with people and with other animals, in order to be considered ready for adoption. And some animals experience extreme stress in a shelter, particularly older pets. These will do much better awaiting adoption in a foster home.

Applying to Become a Foster Parent

The first step to becoming a foster parent for animals is completing the application process. You’ll likely need to complete an application on paper or online and possibly have an interview with the foster coordinator at whatever shelter you will be working with.

Volunteers are sometimes asked to complete online training to help prepare them for bringing home a foster pet. Some rescues or shelters will even provide parents with food and supplies, access to a veterinarian, and an emergency number to call if something goes wrong.

Preparing Your Home for a Foster Animal

Before you bring a foster pet home, you’ll want to prepare your space for your new (temporary) addition. You should have a contained space away from your personal pets and family members where the foster pet can feel comfortable and secure. This way, if things get too stressful, they will have a safe and cozy retreat.

Fill the area with some comfortable pet beds, blankets, and maybe a few toys. Keep the area clear of anything breakable or anything with small pieces that your temporary pet might accidentally swallow.

If you already have dogs, it is perfectly acceptable to walk your pets together as a pack with the foster pet. This is good for foster pets and for your own dogs because it provides all of them with important socialization skills.

Your current cats may have no interest in going near the new foster pet. Be sure they have adequate escape routes and an area the foster pet can’t access where they can go. Feeding your animals at the same time and in the same general area is a good way for the foster pet to practice important skills as well.

Spend lots of time socializing your temporary foster pet, taking them to dog parks or introducing them to other pets and people (in the case of cats, too). This will help the foster pet get comfortable around pets and humans, making them much more likely to get adopted in the long run.

Foster “Failures"

Though it sounds like a negative phrase, foster failures are actually something most shelters and rescues look on with joy. This means that the foster home ends up adopting the pet they are fostering in the end, giving them a permanent forever home. Stay open minded; it might happen to you!