Sunday, October 16, 2016

National Feral Cat Day 2016

Happy National Feral Cat Day!  For the last five years, every October 16 I write about NFCD for Alley Cat Allies. It is a great event that brings recognition to the feral cats that we share our neighborhoods with.


This year's theme, "All Cats All Communities" reflects Alley Cat Allies' belief that every cat's life in every community around the world is important. 

Alley Cat Allies' has even provided a fun NFCD 2016 coloring page that you can print out here.

Feral or stray cats have many names. They are also known as community cats, outdoor cats, alley cats, street cats, barn cats and even tomcats. Outdoor community cats and pet cats are the same species, Felis catus, the domestic cat.

Studies show that outdoor cats are as healthy as pet cats and can have the same life span. "Feral" describes behavior, feral cats are wary of people and live on their own outdoors. Community cats are not adoptable because they are not socialized to humans.

An eartip is the universal symbol to identify a neutered and vaccinated cat. The top 3/8 inch of the cat's left ear is removed during surgery. More than 40% of Americans have cared for an outdoor cat!

Cats live everywhere. Cats have lived outdoors alongside humans since before the pyramids. Outdoor cats live in family groups called colonies. Cats are bonded to their environments and colonies. 

More than 70% of all cats who go to a shelter are killed there. For community cats, that rises to virtually 100%. Removing community cats doesn't work. Catching and killing is ineffective, outdated and cruel. Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) is the only humane, effective approach to care for community cats.

Community cats are spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and eartipped and then returned to their outdoor home. To learn more about community cats, visit here.

Read last year's post 2015 & previous years: 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011.



Information was provided by Alley Cat Allies. Sandpiper Cat Blog was not monetarily compensated for this post but did receive free promotional and informative items. 


Sunday, October 9, 2016

Purrfect Together: Celebrate the Bond Between You and Your Kitty This October

Autumn covers both National Pet Wellness Month and October's Black Cat Awareness Month. There's never been a better time to show our cats some extra love. Recently, the cat lovers at Meow Mix ran the Purrfect Together Survey, which asked cat parents around the country about their special bond with their four-legged friends. Here are some of their meow-nificent results:


83% of cats take naps with their owners. Piper loves to keep me company when I take the rare nap. Recently I had a bad head cold and Piper was constantly by my side, my little kitty nurse. I think it's her way of thanking me for nursing her back to health after her miscarriage in 2011. We have to wonder about the 17% who don't get to experience the joy of napping with their cats!


80% of cat parents believe they can interpret their kitty's meows. Piper has this very distinct tonal meow, that says, "Let me into the laundry room!" She loves to hide in there after she was given treats by mom (who learned her lesson that giving treats to cats in rooms they shouldn't be, is not a good idea). Piper loves to hang out in the laundry room and also has a different meow for "Let me back out! How dare you lock me in here!"


72% of cat parents love to surprise their kitties with a treat! Like I said, Piper got treats in the laundry room one time but you may as well call it the treat room, because that's what she thinks it should be called. Our cats LOVE their bonito fish flakes, especially three of my black cats - PHolly, Charlie and Bobby.
Our three black kitties enjoying their nightly fish flakes. Photo by Harry Shubin.


Piper and I are purrfect for each other! We both anticipate each other's needs and she never ceases to make me smile. Piper was a true gift to me, because she comforted me in the difficult period of high school, graduation and then my transition to college. And now, I move from post college graduation to finding a full time job! My Pups has always been there for me.

My girl! <3
Visit Meow Mix's Perfect Together Website here. Just like Piper and I, you and your cat can enjoy the unique experience of converting your photo into a true meowsterpiece - a digital "oil" painting that helps express and immortalize your cat-love on canvas. 







This blog post is sponsored by MeowMix and some text and graphics were provided. Sandpiper Cat Blog was not  monetarily compensated for this post but may have received free promotional items.