A normal cold winter night made an unusual turn when little kitten cries were heard coming from the side of the Livingston First Baptist Church. Then, a mom cat was spotted on the side of the building trying to keep her kitten and herself warm, fed and healthy. The mom cat was skin and bones, as she was fighting the cold and nursing her litter of kittens.
Anna Holycross, the founder of Sumter Strays, and her boyfriend Kyle Gordy knew they had to improve the mom and the tiny kitten’s lives. They could not continue to see her suffering, so they brought a box full of hay to the church. The hay would be used for warmth and also a softer place to lie for her and her kittens to sleep. The box will also give the cat family an opportunity to escape
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from the environmental elements, such as rain and frost. The saddest part of the situation was this litter was not her first. Holycross could tell the mom cat had at least one litter before, and it was not her last. She had another litter in the spring. “We knew we had to start spaying and neutering stray cats after we saw what this mom cat was going through,” said Holycross.
In 2014, Holycross and Gordy started Sumter Strays, where they catch, spay or neuter and re-home or release hundreds of cats and kittens to better Sumter’s cat population.
“Sumter Strays all started with the one cat at the Baptist church in town,” Holycross said.
Holycross and Gordy knew that one mom cat was not the only cat affected by neglect. In just in the few months of monitoring that mom cat, she had two litters with multiple kittens in each.
Fairchildcat.org released a diagram with alarming statics. The diagram shows one mom cat may have four kittens. Within the next eight months, those four kittens will reproduce and have kittens of their own, while their mom will continue to have more litters. As the diagram progresses, the number of kittens continues to grow. If none of these cats get spayed or neutered, the life cycle will never end.
Laanimalshelter.com said an average female cat will have three litters a year with four to six kittens in each litter. Also, in seven years one mom cat and her offspring can have up to 420,000 cats. Of those 420,000 cats, only 1 out of 12 will find a
home. Since 2014, Sumter Strays has spayed and neutered 126 cats and kittens and rehomed 109, and they have no intentions of slowing down said Holycross. The easiest step in the catch process is finding the animal that needs rescuing. The hardest part is actually catching the animal. Totalwildlifecontrol.com gives a few tips on using a live trap. A live trap is the most common way to capture small unwanted animals, whether it is a rodent or a feral cat. The trap is a rectangle made from steel wire. The back of the trap has a sliding door and the front has a spring loaded trap door. Placed inside the trap is a food tray to lure stray felines. Once the animal steps on the center tray, the door slams, trapping the cat until Sumter Stray’s employee can reuse. The sliding door is used to get the animal out safely without harming the animal or the human. The live trap is Sumter Strays method to capture kittens and feral cats. This is the safest method because the animals will not get hurt during the capture and can enter the trap on their own. One drawback with the trap is it will catch anything that enters. A rodent, like a raccoon or opossum, may get trapped instead of the desired cat or kitten. During the first months of Sumter Strays, information about the organization was spread through word- of- mouth. Also, a donation jar was placed at the Coffee Shop on Monroe to help spread the word of the new organization and raise funds. Sumter Strays soon they had to do more. To spread their cause even further, Sumter Strays launched its own Facebook page in May 2015 to reach out to the community. “We wouldn’t be able to save as many lives without it,” Holycross said. The Facebook page allows Sumter Strays followers to stay connected. A picture of every cat and kitten up for adoption is posted on the page, along with a short caption including the name, sex, age and whether it has been spayed or neutered yet. Once the animal is adopted a quick update is posted with the picture, saying this animal has been adopted and sometime a brief explanation of where its new home is. Holycross said the relationship between Sumter Strays and the adopters stays strong after the adoption is finished. Sometimes that particular kitten will be at the Sumter Stray home base for a while before it gets adopted out. Both Holycross and Gordy form connections with the kittens. This leads to some adoptions being harder than others. The adopters will send Holycross pictures and updates. Holycross said the Facebook page has helped out a lot with the number of animals they have been able to adopt out to new families. Also, more than half of all the adoptions were made possible with the help of the page. According to Holycross, the page allows more people to hear of the organization. “Pictures of kittens on Facebook seem to help get the word out about available kittens,” said Alicia Seale, Livingston resident. Seale has been a long-time resident of Livingston and a fellow animal love. She adopted a kitten from Sumter Strays. Seale also said she notices a difference in the cat population while she is running the streets of Livingston in the mornings. Kittens are not the only age group Sumter Strays cares for. Holycross said feral cats are not good candidates for re-homing. Instead, Sumter Strays will catch the cat and get it sprayed or neutered and caught up on the basic shots, then releases it into a stable environment. One ear is clipped representing it has been captured and treated. A feral cat is a cat that has had little or no human contact. According to neighborhoodcats.org, the clipped ear of a feral cat is a universal sign, not just a Sumter Stray method. The clipping is done while the animal is under anesthetics, causing the cat to feel little to no pain. One fourth of the ear is clipped in a straight line. There is no fee to adopt from Sumter Stray, but the new owner is responsible to pay the vet bill for that particular cat or kitten, which includes the basic shots and spay or neuter fees, according to Holycross. Holycross said the hardest part in fighting the uphill battle of the Livingston’s stray cat population is educating people to spay and neuter their animals. Sumter Strays will take in unwanted litters of kittens under one condition; the mom cat must be spayed so the cycle will end. For quick and reliable veterinary help, Sumter Strays depends on the Livingston Animal Clinic, ran by Dr. C.T. Vaughan. Instead of Holycross or Gordy being responsible for Sumter Strays’ funds, an account is already set up at the vet’s office. To support Sumter Strays, two options are available, either make a donation to the account at the Livingston Animal Clinic or donate cat supplies, such as food or litter. Livingston United Methodist Church and Livingston First Presbyterian Church are designated drop off locations. Holycross, the pre-veterinary student, has always had a soft spot for animals, especially cats, but Gordy was a different story. “I’ve actually turned into a cat person after all the rescues we have done,” Gordy said. “I’ve also formed a cat allergy.” Both Holycross and Gordy said they have had a few run-ins with the law. Holycross said the major incident that sticks out to her was getting pulled over at Sumter County Health Department in Livingston. Holycross and Gordy were watching a particular cat that needed rescuing. The cat was being tricky and refused to go into the live trap. They returned to the health department on multiple occasions to check the trap. A Livingston Police Officer spotted them in her bright yellow car circling the parking lot throughout the evening and into the night. The police officer finally pulled them over for questioning. After Holycross and Gordy explained they were just trying to rescue a stray cat, the police officer let them go. “The community
The following story was told to me by a nineteen year old man in his dorm room at College on a Saturday afternoon in March. He is from Monroe, New Jersey, and lives with his two parents, his younger brother, his dog Cougar, and his cat affectionately known as Hellspawn. His father works as a contractor, a security guard, and a fire extinguisher inspector, and his mother works at a local garden center.
Evolution. The word generally used to describe the change in the genes of humans from generation to generation to adapt to their environment, but the definition also states that it is any process of growth or development. Evolution, in this case, can be successfully used in either context. Florenz Kitten adapted the design of the steam engine to work for the landscape of the region and manufactured them at his shop, the Kitten Foundry and Machine Work, later renamed the Ferdinand Foundry and Machine Works (Sonderman 57). Years later, after electric and gas power have erased all need for steam products, few steam engine still exist. Although the Ferdinand Foundry and Machine Works in Ferdinand, Indiana no longer continues production, the
...Mary. In his intense situation, there is no way such an act could be considered a mishap, and Bigger even feels better about himself when it is done. All of this leads to beg the questions, How much of a role do our friendly little felines play in our day to day lives? Are they still living up to their reputation today?
Another sense of the attempt to retain a moralistic self-identity and persevere through the obstacles present was the reaction had by the tenant farmers when forced to move off their land. Standing in conflict with "the cat,"--the destr...
They are cute; they are loveable and judging by their 26 billion views of over 2 million YouTube videos, of them, pouncing, bouncing, climbing, cramming, stalking, clawing, chattering and purring, one this is very certain, CATS ARE VERY ENTERTAINING.
The article, Special Needs of a Deaf Kitten, by Tom Ryan, talks about how it is important for deaf kittens to be living in a safe, caring environment. Deaf kittens enjoy just as much exploring, as do kittens that are able to hear. Unfortunately, the outside world is a very dangerous place for deaf cats due to the fact that they are unable to hear cars, dogs, traffic, or other threats. This may expose them to danger that may be fatal.
"AVMA Policy Statement on Declawing of Domestic Cats." DVM: The Newsmagazine Of Veterinary Medicine 38.8 (2007): 16. Academic Search Premier. Web. 9 Dec. 2013.
In as little as six years, 67,000 puppies can come from the brood of just two dogs. In seven years, two cats and their offspring can create 420,000 kittens. There are approximately 70,000 kittens and puppies born each day (Quirk). What happens to all of these pets? Most of them will never make it to their first birthdays. According to Robert Aaron, "Every year in the United States, 8 million to 10 million cats and dogs are given up to animal shelters and others are abandoned." This may be due to the "throwaway" mentality of the populace today. Four to five million pets are euthanized every year in shelters, not always humanely (Aaron).
...at the hands of his master. The mutilation of its eye, hanging it to death from a tree and killing his wife, which had shown the cat love. There are two interpretations you can take away from this story, the logic of guilt or supernatural fantasy. Which conclusion will you take?
SpayUSA says that the benefits of spaying include no heat cycles, less desire to roam, risk of mammary gland tumors, ovarian and/or uterine cancer is reduced or eliminated, especially if done before the first heat cycle, reduces the number of unwanted cats, and helps cats live longer, healthier lives. Not only are many health issues reduced, but the overpopulation decreases dramatically. Those 66,088 cats are reduced even if only by a little bit. SpayUSA also says that the benefits of neutering reduces or eliminates risk of spraying, less desire to roam, therefore less likely to be injured in fights or auto accidents, risk of testicular cancer is eliminated, and decreases incidence of prostate disease, reduces the number or unwanted cats, decreases aggressive behavior, and helps cats live longer, healthier lives. This means less homeless cats walk around injured or lay dead on the side of the road. In short, if people fixed their cats, many problems could be greatly reduced.
...d cats to have certain characteristics and physical features that that they desired, such as long hair, no hair, and different length noses and other physicalities. Some of these breeding traits have altered the natural capabilities of the cat to be able to hunt and survive in the wild. Breeding cats that have short noses has affected their ability to hunt but not the instinct. Cats that are bred to be hairless, if exposed to the elements would not be able to survive long at all outdoors.
As my Aunt and I entered Judy's house which was a fifteen minute drive from where I live, I noticed cut black and white cat long haired cat with a pink nose and mysterious slanted eyes sneaking up on me near the corner of the hallway of the house. Judy shared with me that Katie was spayed, what foods to feed the cat and that she was tramatized. Judy had shared with me that she took Katie to the Shelter to try to find the owners but to no aval. You see, Katie had showed up at Judy's arcadia door so Judy took her in and kept her for several months before deciding to give the cat away.
Many humans own a cat. Cats are considered peaceful and content animals. Even though many people own a cat, millions enter animal shelters each year. How a cat is handled within a shelter depends on the cats’ heath, handling, and housing. Disposition depends on how socialized the cats are, although many shelters are required to determine how socialized and comfortable the cats are with humans before adoption. Shelters are very stressful for cats, and can result in cats behaving in uncharacteristic ways. Cats that are highly socialized and adoptable often display aggressive or fearful behaviour when under stress. High stress levels peak when the cats are confined to a small cage in a shelter or household. Cats in households are usually free-roaming cats; they experience hazardous encounters outdoors, which cause stress levels to peak. It is also hypothesised that cats within a multi-cat household are more stressed, because they have nowhere to hide or run when spatial dispersion is unavailable. When a cat is overly stressed out, the cat can exhibit behaviours which include, vomiting, diarrhea, anorexia, and fever. Cats can also recognise the voices of their owners, which relates back to the 10,000-year history humans have with cats.
captive by a sheath of frost, as were the glacial branches that scraped at my windows, begging to get in. It is indeed the coldest year I can remember, with winds like barbs that caught and pulled at my skin. People ceaselessly searched for warmth, but my family found that this year, the warmth was searching for us.
To help keep your kitty safe you need to know which foods to avoid. The following list spotlights eight common foods your cat should never eat: