tnr – Town Cats

23Jan 2021 by Jilliann Matteucci

Looking Back At Kitten Season 2020

All Posts, Cat Blog Articles, Current "Mews", News & Happenings

Looking Back At Kitten Season 2020 Written By Town Cats Every year at Town Cats, we encounter numerous cats and kittens needing our help. Especially in the spring and summer months, during what is referred to as “kitten season.” Kitten season begins when the weather warms up, and non-sterilized cats begin to reproduce. One female cat can produce an average of 21 kittens per year! This is why it’s so important to spay and neuter our pets as well as ferals in the community. Many of these kittens are born outside and found by good samaritans. Typically, when a feral mom cat is around, her kittens will be left with her until they are old enough to be weaned. Once they’re not reliant on her for nourishment, the…

07Oct 2020 by Jilliann Matteucci

Cats and Classical Music

All Posts, Cat Blog Articles

Cats and Classical Music by Giselle Stancic As a cat adopter and classical musician, I’ve long been intrigued by the influence of our feline friends on composers and their music. Cats hold a special place in keyboard, vocal, orchestral, and contemporary music. Going back in history, one of the earliest cat-inspired compositions was Domenico Scarlatti’s “Cat’s Fugue” from 1739. As the story goes, the composer’s cat wrote the melody as she walked across the harpsichord keyboard. Here’s a piano version. Can you hear the kitty on the keys? Moving into the 19th century, Gioachino Rossini’s “Duetto Buffo di Due Gatti” consists of one word — you guessed it — “meow.” Check out this performance by opera sopranos Kiri Te Kanawa and Norma Burrows, complete with a little playful purring. …

30Sep 2020 by Jilliann Matteucci

From Fearful To Friendly!

All Posts, Cat Blog Articles, Happy Tails

From Fearful To Friendly! By C. M. Saracco He appeared near our porch one day: a shy, striped grey cat. Crouched beneath a bush, he eyed the empty food bowl that I’d left out for a neighboring stray. When I called him, he hissed and ran. I went inside, refilled the bowl, and placed it on the porch. My mystery guest was nowhere to be seen. But a few minutes after I retreated into the kitchen, he crept towards the bowl. Young and slim, he had a clipped left ear, which told me he was a feral or stray male who’d been trapped, neutered, and released. By the looks of it, this kitty was well under a year old. Weeks passed before I could get close enough even to take…

23Sep 2020 by Jilliann Matteucci

How To Be A Proactive Eco-Friendly Cat Owner

All Posts, Cat Blog Articles, Current "Mews", Vet's Corner

How To Be A Proactive Eco-Friendly Cat Owner By Anna Huerta Some people easily live an environmentally friendly lifestyle. Others may be too overwhelmed even to try, perhaps fearing the high costs or overthinking the effort required. Besides that, people might not even be considering how their pets could add to their household’s environmental impact. However, some simple swaps in your own pet’s, specifically cat’s, lifestyle could help reduce your total carbon footprint. Starting with food, it’s essential to select brands that require fewer resources during the production process, like valuable areas of land or large amounts of water. Some environmentally friendly options include foods made from organic ingredients from companies like Open Farm, Lily’s Kitchen, and ZiwiPeak. It’s also important to check if most of the cat food you buy…

16Sep 2020 by Jilliann Matteucci

How Are The Wildfires Affecting My Cat?

All Posts, Cat Blog Articles, Vet's Corner

How Are The Wildfires Affecting My Cat? Written by Sela Garza If you live in California at the moment and own a cat, you might be wondering how the wildfires are affecting cats and what we can do to keep them safe. Smoke and low air quality can affect your cat just as they affect humans. It’s easier to keep indoor cats safe from harm, but we can protect our outdoor cats, too, by limiting the amount of time they spend outside. It will be an adjustment for them—and probably for you—but it will be worth it when you see them emerge from the house happy and healthy! As in humans, smoke can irritate your pet’s respiratory tract, which can lead to labored breathing and coughing. Needless to say, they cannot…

02Sep 2020 by Jilliann Matteucci

Enjoying the Outdoors Safely

All Posts, Cat Blog Articles, Vet's Corner

Enjoying the Outdoors Safely By C. M. Saracco It’s a dilemma many cat parents face: they want their cats to enjoy the outdoors while remaining safe and protecting wildlife. What if it wasn’t strictly an either/or choice? Leash / Harness Training Training your cat to tolerate a harness and leash can help your cat explore the sights, sounds, and smells of the outdoors while remaining safely near you. Combined pricing for both units is affordable, often $15 - $40. For more than a decade, I’ve used this option with my now 19-year-old cat Ezekiel, a rescue who had been accustomed to roaming outdoors and occasionally fought with neighbor cats or dashed across the street. He’s now indoors-only except when we harness him for a backyard sunbathing or garden exploration session. …