I posted a nice mini rantlet, and then found out that it was a response to an old entry...

[conuly]

So here it is for youse guys:

Several years running, I've been taking care of kittens, mostly from strays or near strays. Some of them were abandoned, some of them died, it's not pretty. Note one, fix your pets. Critical. I should've done that myself, but I didn't, and it was wrong.

Kittens die. Kittens get abandoned by mothers who were never socialized properly, or who have their babies too young, or who just aren't good mothers. I actually lost quite a few kittens to chronic respiriatory infections... I just found out recently that the cats in this neighborhood have a tendancy to congenital deformities of the respiratory tract. I should've suspected that sooner, of course, as many of the cats I raised have had trouble speaking (very high pitched voice, scratchy) and constant respiratory problems. Note two, definitely get your pet fixed if there's a genetic problem or if they already abandoned one litter.

However, the big killer of kittens is FLEAS. Fleas. Kill. Your kitten has fleas, your kitten promptly becomes anemic because the fleas drink blood (iron). Fleas carry tapeworm eggs. Fleas cause your kitten to scratch, causing infections. Fleas can carry the plague. Most commonly, though, fleas cause anemia. Fleas. Kill.

I know people think fleas, not a big deal, just an annoyance. That is a myth. Fleas are, in fact, deadly. I'm at the point where if I find a kitten (I don't go looking anymore, I really can't take care of them properly right now) the first thing I do is check the gums. Half the time, the gums are white. And white gums mean fleas.

So. Just to summarize: Fix your cat, and remember that fleas kill.

This has been a public service announcement.

Comments

[aquamizuko.livejournal.com]

I think it'd be good if people kept their cats indoors, too. I've never personally had a cat, but I've heard indoor cats live longer.

[conuly]

Welllll....

There's arguments, good and bad, for both sides of this view. Obviously, in a big city or near a highway, your cat should be indoors. But in the country, if you are conscientious about defleaing/deworming and your cat's shots, you might decide that letting them out is the better choice. To some people, a cat can't have a good "quality of life" kept inside.

Also, I believe the statistics for outdoor cats are flawed, based on the numbers for outdoor pets who aren't given their shots and whatever, outdoor pets who are, strays, ferals, etc. That all helps skew the numbers in favor of indoor cats... but I know outdoor cats who are older than any cat I've had inside.

[aquamizuko.livejournal.com]

Ah.. I guess part of the reason I wish people would keep them inside is because I end up with cat stuff in my garden and such, which I don't really appreciate.. :\ That and cats eating birds in my yard. I agree that it'd probably be fine in the country though.

[fjorab-teke.livejournal.com]

My family's cats are indoor/outdoor. They come and go pretty much as they please, as long as a human notices and lets them in/out when they want. We've had a few cats run over during all those years, but most of them live(d) to be pretty ancient. Our last cat who died lived to be almost 20. Our current ancient kitty is a finicky arrogant snob who has only recently decided human food is TASTY and is worth trying to sneak a bite from unwatched plates. I got tired of her getting under our feet in the kitchen when she wants food, so I trained her to be on the feeding bench IMMEDIATELY or she gets promptly shoved out the kitchen. Although she's underfoot ALL THE TIME, she still makes a loud fuss when someone DARES trip over her. She'll either die of self-starvation (such a very picky eater and won't eat more than a few bites of the same food within a day) or being stepped/tripped on. She's nearly 17.

[fjorab-teke.livejournal.com]

Ohh...and most of our cats are strays and promptly fixed when it became apparent they were here to stay. :-)