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07 Mar 2016

Official Feline Express™ Driver!

Hello All, Mom Linda Here!

I am now an official Feline Express™ Driver. I passed my trial “do it yourself” training ride with flying colors! At least that is what I was told. Given the enthusiasm from Savannah’s readers when I posted about my training as a Feline Express™ driver, I am certain you are going to enjoy coming along on my last training ride. Please follow along all year to learn more about Savannah’s new Paw It Forward Project.

The final certification ride means I had to do everything and Julie, the founder of Outcast Cat Help who began this lifesaving program with our local public shelter, was the ride along.

But first I want to clarify how this Return to Field (RTF) program differs from the classic Trap, Neuter, Return program (TNR). Several of you asked “what’s different?” And the difference is LARGE. The difference is all about who trapped the cats. RTF is a public shelter dependent program.

Feral Ward

TNR is not. Any rescue can launch its own TNR program whether the local public shelter assists them or not. No transfer partner (rescue) can do RTF UNLESS the cats they are returning were first trapped by the PUBLIC and brought to the shelter as a feral, stray surrender. RTF does not involve any of us who participate to do any trapping. We are the “freedom ride” back to their neighborhood for the community cats brought to the public shelter. We set them free rather than the shelter having to euthanize them.

Allow me to share the four cats who joined me on my certification Feline Express™ ride. Enjoy the joyful very short (2-5 seconds) videos

I had four cats to return—one male and three females. I have a 2000 Toyota 4 Runner of which I have been a kind and caring caretaker. I love my car, but for this ride, I draped the cargo section in black plastic garbage bags, and then placed old towels over the plastic should any kitty decide to leave me a urine sample!! Towels absorb, plastic protects from absorption into my cargo mat.

My first cat was the male. Orange tabby. BIG guy!! Once I released him, it was clear that not only did he know he was home, so did his neighbors. They never ever barked even once.

Clearly Mr. Marmie knew where he was and heard the dinner bell chiming. His neighbors also recognized him and never barked once.

And Mr. Marmie was clearly headed for his dinner chow!

The joy of being a Feline Express™ Driver is enough to make one both heady at the thought of a life saved and yet, also filled with concern as to what will happen after I drive away. I always leave with positive thoughts and feelings just to send the cats on their way.

My second release of my certification ride—Ms. Cow Cat dashed for cover, then stopped to look back at us. Let me tell you, that is one very special moment—I can hear her saying “thank for the ride guys! I am home now!” And then she dashes up the front walk to look for her expected dinner. You may ask, “how do you know what happens once they are released?” And I answer you “I don’t.” But I have faith in my heart that these cats always seem to know they are home.

My third release that day was pretty fast, once she decided to end her nap in her feral den!

And my fourth release of the day, Ms Midnight, just did what black panther cats always do—she slipped off into midnight.

In our county, we serve a lot of different cultures of animal ownership. Feline Express™ drivers never know the neighborhoods in which we release cats. But thus far, almost two years later in program operation for OCH, we have had no extremely negative experiences.

I personally want to thank ALL who chose to donate to Outcast Cat Help (OCH)after my first post about my training to become a Feline Express™ driver. OCH continues to be challenged with the realities of being a small, all volunteer, RTF transfer partner with a very very large heart. Once again, I invite anyone who is so inclined to give them a boost by shopping on their Amazon wish list or—even better—give them the gift of freedom by donating funds to allow them to purchase all the needs required to keep the Feline Express™ alive.

My thanks to all Savannah’s readers for supporting her current Paw It Forward Project.

Mom Linda

Posted in Community Cats, Uncategorized and tagged feline express, paw it forward, RTF

02 Mar 2016

28 Comments

West Coast Edition—Perspective

HIYA! SAVANNAH HERE!!!

Breaking news of the day— US—CATS!! And our view of so much stuff I can’t even count how much stuff.

I am joining my Best Feline Girl Friend (BFGF), Cathy Keisha, as co-anchor, for our new feature “From a Cat’s Perspective™”. We will be discussing topics, some serious and others kind’a playful like the one that is launching our show. Our feline perspectives will be front and center ‘cuz humans clearly have a tough time understanding us, meaning “us cats”. Humans can be pretty ignorant about how cats see the world, our place in it, and what we know meets our particular interests and ~~demands~~ needs.

Professor Keisha tossed it over to me after her East Coast edition was posted. And now it’s time for you to hear from Professor Savannah on this important topic. Our lead story today is “Do Cats Need Heated Cat Beds”? As you already know, cats do not always agree with each other and have the occasional debate held “cat style”. That means there are usually smacky paws involved. But Professor Keisha and I will not bring our new series to that level. But we try not to share our responses with each other about any of our topics.

Humans seem to get the fact that cats’ body heat is warmer than humans and they seek us out when they go to bed to steal our heat—especially during cooler months.

For lots of us cats it is confusing when we get pulled closer during the cold months and then roughly tossed aside during warmer months. You see, there it is. Humans can’t make up their minds.

Whereas we cats, why we like our warmer body heat all year long, right? Now, I have to say, I do enjoy having my human turn up her winter electric blanket which is on our king size bed. I like my side to be on low temp just to get my place warm before I settle in for a nice nap under my Winter cat tent. But, it must be turned off shortly after I get comfy as I don’t like being too warm.

Thanks for the teeny added heat

And then of course, while not an electric heated bed, I do very much enjoy having my “sun puddle” heated bed. Nothing makes me purr more than climbing onto my cat tower to find that Mr Sun has made my nap spot nice and toasty.

Ahhh…much nicer view from here and toasty warm

My answer for today’s From A Cat’s Perspective™—”Do Cats’ Need A Heated Cat Bed?” is “.120985479 per cent YES” and “.890011222 per cent NO”. Make sense? I’m sure the math works because I consulted with our feline math wizards at Trout Towne Tabbies. Bottom line, why spend green papers on a heated cat bed when we cats can take advantage of our humans’ electric blankets and/or the warmth Mr Sun provides naturally. Either one costs nothing, zip, zero out of our cat expense column on the humans’ budget, right??

If you are hooked on our new feature, you can be on record with your own perception about today’s topic by leaving a comment below. And if you are clueless about what the East Coast Edition response to today’s topic is, then hop over to my Co-Anchor’s blog.

And as always, we continue this conversation in our “green room” which is located on my Face Book page as well as Professor Keisha’s.

We are also taking suggestions in comments and on our Face Book pages for future topics, ranging from serious to a bit playful.

PAW PATS, SAVANNAH

Posted in Savannah's Life Experiences, Uncategorized and tagged From A Cat's Perspective

10 Feb 2016

34 Comments

Feline Investigation: A Day At The Races

HIYA!! SAVANNAH HERE!!!

First, let me be clear. I am definitely NOT talking about any cat races…not even dog races. Got it? Good; then let’s move on.

As you know I have already been driven to investigate why Mom L keeps coming home with strange smells on her shoes and her note taking folder. I did a bit of undercover work to learn why some of those smells were on that folder, but then I started to see search topics she left open on our iPad. Things became more and more curious.

A Day At The Races With Luna and Milo…what does this mean?

That did it. I grabbed my FBI badge (Feline Bureau of Investigation) and headed for my favorite Three Way Teleportation Tunnel. I had to find out why Mom L had this on our iPad.

Whoa!!! What is this??!!! I thought I was gonna find a cat connection; na’mean??

And then, I found the ‘cat connection’…

Well, lo and behold, Mom L has been working on bringing this really awesome Happy Tails Ending story to you, my readers. And no, Mom L did not have any actual contact with the ‘relocation’ of these two cats but she had been planning on a big SURPRISE post for me to enjoy; I hope you luvluvluv it as much as I did once I learned the truth.

Ms Julie, founder of Outcast Cat Help (OCH) sent this to Mom L…
“We were contacted by a woman who wanted to adopt 2 cats for rodent control at the local Fairgrounds Racetrack. LUNA (grey female) & MILO (tuxedo male) were the lucky cats selected from Contra Costa County Animal Services shelter.

They went from the shelter to gorgeous stables with their own race horses to watch over.

They even have a goat friend. They are very lucky kitties.”

Tina, Milo and Luna’s gal pal

Relocation Process for Community Cats:

They need to be acclimated to the new environment to try to imprint it as their new home since cats are so territorial.
The general recommendation is 3 weeks to acclimate. The cats need to bond with each other if they haven’t already; usually this occurs while the cats are confined together during acclimation. The cats must bond to both the environment and to the humans; food is the best motivator for this. In many places, coyotes are a concern so if you train the cats with yummy wet food to come inside (the barn or whatever) before nightfall they’ll be locked up and safe.

Comments from the two cats’ relocation guardians:

“I can tell you that these cats were friendly kitties who were transported to the track in the height of kitten season in 2015, when adult adoption rates are very low. Their guardian set aside a roomy stall (12×12) for them to acclimate in and provided a large, soft sided dog crate in case they wanted privacy from each other.

Yes, Luna and Milo have other cats to hang out with

They received regular visits from stable hands who kept them in fresh food, water, and clean litter. They stayed in the stall for approximately three weeks. The stall was cooled with fans.

Luna taking a break from ‘Mousing’

After that, they were released to roam the stables freely. They enjoy sleeping on bales of hay, visiting the stable workers (who, it sounds like, are all cat lovers!), and hanging out with the horses and their goat friend, Tina.”

The Race Track grounds

Lastly, about the two cats’s safety:

“It’s a safe environment, deep inside the fairgrounds in a tightly secured area away from predators and fast moving vehicles. The kitties had never met before but have become good friends, as is frequently the case with neutered male/spayed female pairs. They pay for their room and board by keeping the rodent population down. The female kitty, Luna, is apparently quite the huntress, while her buddy Milo is more laid back.

Milo on mousie patrol

This is one humongous HAPPY TAILS ENDING!! Two ‘community cats’…aka feral were given a chance for a new life thanks to the Return to Field program; a transfer partnership between my former residence, a kill shelter, and OCH. Times, they are ‘a change’ing’…thankfully…