Cat Chat® Cat of the Month

 

SEPT 2009 Cat Chat® Cat of the Month: Grease (Baby)

Carol in Louisiana had the miracle save of tiny little Grease from inside a car motor! Read the whole story. (PDF, 11KB)

Hi Tracie - I am a huge fan of yours by virtue of the Martha station on Sirius. You have taught me so so much about kitties: food, health, neutering, behaviors. You are a Godsend. We have two feline babies, Bones and Grease aka Baby, how eat only wet and are healthy and happy. I preach your sermon as I walk through life — both to my vet (who still refuses to drink the koolaid) and also to friends when they tell me about health and weight issues with their feline babies. I'm your southern soldier!

I know you hear and read kitty stories until you can't hear or see straight but ours are just so special I feel compelled to share short versions.

AUG 2009 Cat Chat® Cat of the Month: Tiger

"Red Soz Frank's" TIGER is Cat Chat Cat of the Month for August!

FROM FRANK: First, I wanted to thank you for all of the advice you have given me over the past month since I have discovered your show, both from taking my calls, and through your book and website. I discovered your show by chance when I was flipping through the Sirius dial and as luck would have it came across Cat Chat® on Martha Stewart Channel 112.

I actually take that as a sign from someone who really was looking out for me and my little one, Tiger. Since I adopted him as a stray kitten (his entire litter was dropped off to the police department where I work) in October 2007, I have been free-feeding him dry food, per vet advice. From you and your show, I have since learned that "Kitty Crack" is not good, and I needed to make a switch ASAP for the well-being of my new best friend. I decided to wait until I purchased your book to make the switch, as I wanted to read everything you had to say about it and to make sure I was prepared to make this transition for Tiger. Your book was not in stock at my local Barnes & Noble, but they happily ordered it for me, and less than a week later it was in my hands. This was last Wednesday. And now, I was prepared for the switch in my kitty's diet. (Webmaster's note: Continued after the photo.)

Wednesday night, after talking to you on your show, I took all the dry food out of the house. Tiger was confused by this, as his bowl was now empty and he wasn't going to be able to have his normal midnight snacks. Thursday, he resisted my attempts to give him the Fancy Feast Flaked Fish & Shrimp Feast canned food I bought per your website suggestion for transition. I would try giving him a tablespoon, but he'd smell it and walk away. Friday morning, after he didn't eat all Thursday, he took a few bites. Friday evening, he took a few more bites, and then decided he was hungry enough to want more, so I put half a can into his dish and left it down for 20 minutes. He took some time to get adjusted to the new stuff in his bowl, and then started eating. He didn't eat all of it, but enough to where I was happy he had something in his little stomach. Saturday, I gave him the Flaked Fish for breakfast, which he ate, again, not completely. So, for his second meal later in the day, I switched things up and gave him the "gourmet chicken feast", which he seemed to like better. He ate more than he did all the previous meals since Thursday. Today (Sunday), I gave him the rest of the chicken meal, and he ate about 3/4 of what was in his bowl. So tonight's meal, I decided to give him the Fancy Feast Elegant Medley brand that I had. Low and behold, he dove right into it and ate everything in his bowl, it was licked clean! SUCCESS!! Eventually, I'm going to try Weruva to see if he'll eat it. But for right now, I'm so happy he's found something that he actually likes!

Again, thank you for everything. Me and my 21 month old with whiskers appreciate it more than words can describe.

Sincerely,
Frank (and Tiger)

P.S. You're going to be competing this Wednesday on Cat Chat® against a Red Sox vs. Yankees game, but guess what?! I already have the DVR set to record the game so Cat Chat® gets my undivided attention from 8-9pm.

July 2009 Cat Chat® Cat of the Month: Trixie

Trixie, from Houston, Texas is the July 2009: Cat Chat® Cat of the Month.

This is just the most wonderful success story of Marisa, a college student who already had a cat and a dog and was a responsible owner to realize she didn’t really have enough time nor funds to care for a pregnant stray — but still she had a conscience and a heart so big she couldn’t turn her back on the kitty she wound up calling Trixie. She turned to me for help — through Alley Cat Allies she found a group in her area who supported all her efforts, and lo and behold she wound up keeping Pretty Trixie for herself! What a fairytale ending to a Good Samaritan story.

Hi Tracie – I have a young cat that started hanging around my house several months ago so I began feeding her. She has no collar and I received no responses when I put up signs in my neighborhood. I’m almost certain she is pregnant since she has grown in her belly area over the last few weeks. I wanted to take her to have a termination and get spayed. The low cost clinic quoted be $150-200 but I cannot afford that at this time (I'm a college student and only work part time). I do not want to take her to the SPCA because I know what will happen. I think the best thing is to let her have the kittens and then spay her. What can I do to make sure I have access to the kittens after they are born so that I can adopt them out and how long should I wait before I take them away from her? Is this even a good idea? I cannot bring her inside since I have one cat of my own but I could provide shelter for her my garage. Please help with any ideas or suggestions. I want it to be clear that I am not an irresponsible pet owner- I started to care for this cat because I felt sorry for her and now I'm in over my head! Thank you sooo much!!

I replied to Marisa that she should call me on the air, and she did:

Thanks for taking my call on Cat Chat®. After I spoke with you I visited the Alley Cat Allies website and requested information about "friends of feral cats" in Texas and I am still waiting for their response. As of tonight I have moved her to the garage as you suggested but she is NOT happy about it... but at least she is safe. I will keep you updated on the situation.

On a side note, I want you to know how much my two pets have benefited from me reading your two books (The Dog Bible and The Cat Bible). Both of my pets (one dog and one cat) had 2 UTI within months of each other. I happen to stumble upon your radio show one evening and heard you preaching the canned food word! I switched them over to high quality canned food shortly after and they haven't had any such problems since! Glenn (my dog) would dedicate his life to you, if he knew you were responsible for him eating his delicious Spot's Stew each day!

A short time alter Marisa wrote again:

I wanted to let you know that since my last email I found a cat rescue organization in Houston that paid for the pregnant stray cat (we've named her Trixie) to be spayed and have a termination (she was not as far along as I suspected)! Trixie recovered for about 10 days inside my home and I am fostering her until she can be adopted. She went to an adoption day held at a nearby shopping center on Saturday for the first time and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that she can find a family to love her as much as I have grown to! This cat organization was amazing! They microchipped her, tested her for diseases, vaccinated her, and even paid for pain meds afterwards... all for a very modest donation. I'm so glad that I contacted you for the resources and help. I have attached photos of all 3 pets! Thank you for EVERYTHING you do for animals and their caretakers.

Then a week later Marisa called into CAT CHAT® again to say she had kept Trixie for her very own. Happy endings are soooo wonderful!

June 2009 Cat Chat® Cat of the Month: Crookshanks

Adrianna (from Keyport New Jersey) is one of those readers and listeners who make what I do not just a pleasure but a privilege. She found THE CAT BIBLE and followed what I said to improve the last years of her beloved kitty Frisky. And then she got Crookshanks and is not just doing all the right things about food, vaccinations and enriching her life, but also reaching out to educate others. So Crookshanks gets the honors for June and with it Liv-a-Little dried chicken treats from Halo, the Power Patties from Dr Harveys (which also makes dried salmon treats), a whole bottle of omega-3 pet oil from Nordic naturals, some feline Platinum Performance for joint health and of course the signature CAT CHAT® baseball cap fro Adrianna.

Thank you so much for everything you sent us and Crookshanks! I wore the Cat Chat® hat all day and bragged about my girl to EVERYONE. I also gave her some of the Dr. Harvey's freeze dried raw green tripe treats and she LOVES it. No surprise there, though, she loves raw green tripe. Dr. Harvey's is actually quite close to where I live, and we've been looking for a good -single ingredient- treat to use during her clicker training sessions. These goodies from Dr. Harvey's are wonderful! I'm definitely going to get some more of these power patties!

I must take the time to thank you, again, for everything. There are not many people out there who would put the same amount of time and effort as you do into helping people understand their pet's behavior and health. I am so glad there is someone like you out there letting people know that our cats are domesticated carnivores. I'm glad someone is getting it through to people that cats need meat! You are opening people's eyes to the failing health of the felines who are fed dry food packed with grains and carbs. Your book helped me understand so much more about my Frisky, and helped me strive to make his last years better. It also inspired me to go out and research everything I could find on feline nutrition to make sure that Crookshanks never has to go through the pain that Frisky went through in his later years.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. Please never stop being who you are. You are an asset to helping create change and promote a better understanding of feline health.

And thank you for responding to me in my time of grief, giving me sound advice when I first adopted Crookshanks, and for taking the time to listen to my long, long email updates about her, and for making her cat of the month! We are so proud of her!

-Adrianna, Lou & Crookshanks

May 2009 Cat Chat® Cats of the Month: Luna & Sol

Robert in Florida was an easy pick with his Wild Child kitties, his love for Cosmo, who crossed the Rainbow Bridge, and his understanding of the messages I try to get out:

I really enjoy your radio show on Sirius. Keep up the good work, and keep educating people about the dangers of dry food. Cosmo suffered from a fatty liver, which then ended up in a hyperactive thyroid. After the irradiation treatment, he ended up with lymphoma. His last couple of years were a struggle with oral chemo treatments and all. But he was a trouper and my best friend through it all. Sniff, sniff. Then, I saw the Cats of the Month feature on your Web site. After my beloved Cosmo passed this summer, I went to the SPCA (that day!) and picked up these two brothers and sisters - Luna and Sol. (Luna of course is the moon-gray one and Sol the sunny yellow one). Shortly after this picture was taken, flying 2-lb. kitties midair dislodged this 50-lb. urn from coffee table and rendered it into pieces! Amazing. Thanks for all you do and keep up the good work!

 

April 2009 Cat Chat® Cat of the Month: Neo

I chose Neo (Lansing, Michigan) as Cat of the Month for April the minute I got the email below. Jessica’s story about what matters to her is so fantastic – and gives hope for the future of the animal industry when people like her are willing to think outside the bag and do their own independent research and thinking. She will get all sorts of goodies for Neo’s honor - a Cat Chat® baseball cap with the logo embroidered, a bottle of Nordic Naturals omega-3 oil for Neo, a sample of Platinum Performance joint supplement, and - from the owner of Weruva as a gift - a case of Weruva food, which is the best of the best.

I recently commented on one of your Cat Tips of the Day on Catster.com (“Boys will be boys”) I was really happy to see you wrote back, appreciating my feedback. When I picked out my first kitten, a Siberian (A great breed if you haven't heard of them!) last May, I also picked up your book, The Cat Bible, at a local pet store. I then went on to listen to Cat Chat® radio and was just fascinated by your information. I am an animal science student with my main focus being horses and nutrition. I wanted my new kitten to have the best nutrition that he could. I was so surprised to hear about the wet food but everything you had said made perfect sense. He has been happy and on only canned food since I've had him! I am happily spreading the message just like you to anyone that will listen. It frustrates me to no end that even though I go to a well-accredited university, in my general nutrition class they had cat and dog nutrition all wrong. Future vets graduating from that college now have no clue how to properly feed their animals. Unless they do their own research like I have. I now work at a local pet store and happily share what I've learned with the clients. I am always fighting against their vet's opinions, which is very frustrating. I commend you for dealing with that every day, too. So I just wanted you to know that yes, there are people out there and kitties and dogs too that are definitely benefiting from what you have to say! I am soon to enter the animal nutrition industry and know that I have a long road ahead. It's people like you that make that task seem not so daunting! So from Neo, my kitty, and me. We thank you!

After I told Jessica that what she wrote deserved this honor, she added:

Once I've already started bragging to friends and family! They are so excited for Neo! Would you like some other pictures of him, so you can choose the best one? Thank you so much for your listening ear and just being yourself and educating the public. I can never say thank you enough!

—Jessica, Lansing, Michigan

P.S. I'm so excited about the Nordic Naturals! I've been feeding Omega 3's to horses for quite some time and really love the results! I'll be happy to try it on Neo! That would also be so wonderful to try Weruva! I can only find it online and haven't gone to the trouble of ordering it myself. I will also happily sport the Cat Chat® baseball cap out at the barn!

March 2009 Cat Chat® Cat of the Month: Marble

Marble is the Cat Chat® Cat of the Month of March. He's a traveling boy, and here's his story, from Jamie in Springfield, Missouri.

Hi Tracie,

Well Marble is a rescue cat and we got him from the hillsbourgh Humanie society when he was only 5 yrs old. We went there to get a companion for my wife and partner Mary ann, and she was playing in voices on what cat she wantd to get, and Marble responed back and the lady that was in charge of that section open up the caged and mary was able to pet him and they became good friends ever since.

Well he is now adapting to his new home and already he is hunting for mices since now we live in the country and he is enjoying the room tha the can finally have to run and play.

Marble is now a 12 year old cat and he still have the spring in his step even though he does not have his front claws since they were removed before we got him... (continued below photos)

I can tell you that he is a bossy cat and he knows when it is bed time since that is his hunting time of the day. he loves his "Fancy feast Moist" and he eats that more that his kitty crack but he will munch on the kitty crack when he feels like it. it is more like 75% moist and 25% kitty crack. and soon that will be changing.

Well Tracie I hope to call you on the 4th and we can chat about Marble a little bit and I hope that Ann Marie can let us know if he loves his new home.

Hugs and kisses to all of the kitties,
Jamie, Mary Ann and Marble

 

February 2009 Cat Chat® Cat of the Month: Poochie

Poochie is the big boy on the right - Solange is his pal sharing in the glory!

Kirstin is a wonderful new listener from Philadelphia who crossed over into CAT CHAT® land from XM. It was her discovery of the show and her enthusiasm for it that made her cat Poochie a great choice to be celebrated this month – but even better to learn that he was a street cat in Paris who she rescued and brought back to the U.S. of A.! Like all winners, Kirstin got a CAT CHAT® embroidered baseball cap, a big bottle of Nordic Naturals Omega-3 pet oil for the kitties, a sample of Platinum Performance joint supplement, an introduction to my favorite cat food, Weruva, and a discount card for Pets Best insurance.

I have been an XM listener for a while and when the merger happened, I was delighted (understatement) to find your show. I have been struggling with my 11 year old cat, Poochie's, weight for a while now. He's at 17 pounds, which is better than the 21 he was at before, but obviously needs to lose a lot more. The vets I went to all pushed me towards the hill's prescription dry food (or they didn't recommend the wet anyway) and I ignorantly followed. A recent vet made me feel like a cat abuser, then promptly insisted I always use Hill's prescription diet!

Anyway, I could go on and on, but I know you have lots of emails to deal with. I just wanted to say that your show has given me and Poochie the vindication we needed and thanks SO much for being brave enough to fight the battle against "kittie crack"!!!

By the way, Poochie is French - I was living in Paris and found him in the street and brought him back with me (little side note) - he's the best! And his pal is "Solange" who I got 2 years ago from the Humane Society and they're best friends.

I am so excited and grateful that you will be sending me the goodies you mentioned! I can't wait to get them. i've heard great things about the omega-3 pet oil and can't wait to see what a difference that will make. I am definitely planning to get the Cat Bible, so if you could send an autographed plate, that would be wonderful - Thank you.

January 2009 Cat Chat® Cat of the Month: Harley

Meet Harley, Nicole's small-town farm kitty who is January's Cat Chat® Cat of the Month!

Harley is your basic 8 year old orange American Farm Cat from a small town in Northern California. Seen here in this picture happily sitting after finishing a can of wet food. He recently successfully kicked the "kitty crack" habit. I would just like to send encouragement to anyone currently considering, or currently trying to make that switch to an all wet food diet. Harley really resisted it at first. It did take a month or so to make the switch completely. But after ready Tracie's book The Cat Bible, and using some of the tricks about making that switch (I found that sprinkling a little of the dry kibble on top of the new wet food for a few days really did the trick) Harley is officially cured from his terrible dry food addiction. DON'T let your local vet tell you not to switch your cat to a wet food diet. Three different vets told me this, but I knew it was the wrong advice for my cat. After listening to Tracie and reading the book, I know this is the right thing to do for Harley. Boy, what a difference in him after this switch. He has lost a pound or two, and seems much, much, happier. He has completely stopped having UT issues. He has much more energy, acts like a kitten again (when he is not busy sleeping) and his health seems generally better. Thank you Tracie, keep getting the word out there about dry food diets and how dangerous they can be for cats!!

December 2008: Cat Chat® Cat of the Month: Mr. Kitty

This was the letter I first got from Janelle in Germany which explains why I picked Mr. Kitty for this month’s CAT CHAT cat.

Just want to say thanks so much for writing both of your books and for raising the awareness of pet owners EVERYWHERE! I have both of your books and I am just grateful for them! I also download your Podcasts of Dog Talk®! WHAT A GREAT SHOW!!!

I have a nine year old DSH male cat named Mr. Kitty. He was a stray that wandered into our base housing unit in Fairfield, California in 2001, when my husband was active duty in the Air Force. We eventually took him in as our own after an emergency trip to the vet clinic one evening. We had him examined and fixed and kept him inside after that. We also decided that he would go with us wherever we were stationed if we had the money and the means to do so.

Seven years later, Mr. Kitty has been exclusively on wet food for a year now, thanks to you and Dr. Elizabeth Hodgkins! He has also endured four overseas flights, moves, new houses, and a three month stay at a cattery in England to finish out his quarantine sentence! We've lived in England, Pennsylvania, Hawaii and we currently live in Germany.

p.s. Any advice on how to suggest and/or convince family and friends to make the switch to better nutrition for our feline and canine friends? It's so hard! I try to be cool and casual and get all excited about your book and information. I think in the end I will just have to buy everyone your book for Christmas, as they are just NOT believing me!!!!

The letter was longer – with a skin issue that I turned over to some of my Cat Chat® experts. II wrote back to Janelle in Germany to tell her I had picked her boy for Cat Chat® stardom and that she’d be getting a Cat Chat® baseball cap and a 3-month supply of Nordic Naturals Omega-3 pet oil. She was over the moon:

Ohmygoodness! I can't believe you emailed me back! I feel like I won the lottery!

Wow! So glad I finally broke down and emailed you with our issue. I admire you and your work immensely and I am so appreciative of your response.

WOW! BASEBALL CAP?!?! Autographed BOOKPLATES! and Nordic Naturals!!! Holy COW! I'm so excited!

Even better, you are forwarding my email on to "the experts" to find out their take on this situation. Thank you Tracie. Mr. Kitty thanks you, too. I hope we find a solution to this problem. Will order the Platinum Performance today! I did go to the Nordic Naturals website, but was confused on which one to choose. Your supplies/samples you send will help me out! Trust me, I've been all over your website: read and reread just about every part. Thanks for always keeping up the old links from past Chats as well as adding to them. WHAT A GREAT RESOURCE your website is!

I can't wait to tell my mom and my brother (both cat and dog lovers and owners.) They are going to FREAK OUT! Thanks again! I will email you a photo of Mr. Kitty today as well. I feel honored to be on your website. WOW! And yes. You TOTALLY made my day! Thanks again.

Now THAT'S what I call enthusiasm!! And she’s even calling into Cat Chat® from Germany on December 3rd so I can congratulate her in person.

November 2008: Cat Chat® Cat of the Month: Cuddles

Cuddles is 25! The oldest Cat of the Month

Robin in Pennsylvania has had Cuddles since he was a kitten, gotten from a friend’s cat who had a litter and was not taking care of them. When she first called in to CAT CHAT® it was to tell me that she had 25 and 23 year old cats – then a week later she wrote:

It is with heavy heart that I write you and inform you that I lost my beloved 23-year-old Hooch this week. No real warning, except the night before she passed, she was meowing more then normal but still came and slept with me. The next morning my husband found her asleep in her favorite place. We buried her with the other four cats in our little cemetery behind our shed. Cuddles misses his favorite friend Hooch (got his name from the movie "Turner and Hooch").

Cuddles is now deaf, but you would not know it if I had not told you. He has been deaf about 2 1/2 years. Cuddles loves being on the table when I am eating, but if my husband is home, he dares not jump on the table. Cuddles loves sleeping under the cover, between my legs. He meows at me every morning to get me up.

I now have my 25 year old "Cuddles" and my 4 year old "Taz".  Cuddles is doing excellent but is deaf and Taz.... Taz is still a devil. We are going to go out to our local SPCA to get 1 or 2 more babies before Cuddles is gone. We don't want Taz lonely. It is so hard to go from 5 cats to 2. It is so lonely.

Thank you for listening.
Robin

October 2008 Cat Chat® Cat of the Month: Susie

Catherine, who is in the physics department of Brandeis University in Massachusetts, never expected a little kittycat to change her life, but Susie sure did. And Catherine certainly changed Susie's prospects for happiness, too. CAT CHAT® salutes this wonderful pair and Catherine can wear her CAT CHAT® baseball cap with pride while Susie can enjoy a 3-month supply of Nordic Naturals Omega-3 fish oil!

Susie came to live with me when she was six months old (now she's almost two). At forty-five, I was used to living alone, but I was startled by how much I enjoyed her company. Her favorite things to do: running hell-bent through the rolled-up braid rug in the bedroom, then somersaulting inside the rug, and then running back through to the other side; walking along the rickety wooden fence in her yard while on a harness and leash; launching balletic leaps into the air to catch Da Bird; and, at night, sleeping on my left foot because the right foot just isn't as cozy.

I didn't know very much about cats when Susie came from the shelter, so The Cat Bible had been invaluable—especially the sections on what to feed a cat. I converted from an all-dry diet to an all-wet food diet because I want her to be healthy for a long time. This summer, we had two cat guests for awhile, and The Cat Bible had excellent ideas for making introductions and for trying to maintain a peaceful co-existence (very difficult to do). I dip into the Cat Bible all the time. We both thank you for providing up-to-date information.

September 2008 Cat Chat® Cat of the Month: Kit-Kat

Kit-Kat from Sun City California is September's Cat Chat® Cat Cat of the Month!

I’m in my 50’s and never had (or even wanted) a pet until this special cat came along. I saw her on my back wall last summer and she was so thin that it broke my heart. I began feeding her but she’d only eat when I was a safe distance away. Over the course of a few months, I gained her trust and she began waiting at my patio door for me every evening.  When winter came, I couldn’t bear to leave her outdoors so I cautiously brought her in. I named her Kit-Kat and bought The Cat Bible to learn how to care for her. Within a short time we bonded and now I can’t imagine my life without her. I recently learned that she had been abused as a small kitten and was rescued but not given vet care. She has a deformity on her mouth where a significant injury healed without sutures. She ran away from that home and eventually found me. She now has everything a feline could hope for and I have a wonderful companion. The information in The Cat Bible was invaluable in the development of our relationship. Thank you, Tracie.

Susan and Kit-Kat

August 2008 Cat Chat® Cats of the Month: Irish & Yo-Yo

I met Idella (a long-distance trucker with a HUGE purple truck!) when she called into the show and put her boys into the Biggest Kitty Loser contest. She’s been a steady listener and caller since then, has bought stacks of CAT BIBLES to give away, and she was the one who suggested a memorial page and donations to Feline Outreach for another listener who had a tragedy with her kitty Smoke. Idella’s boys often travel with her and she and they embody all the best qualities of CAT CHAT followers!

IRISH: I was dropping a paycheck to a driver when he drops this kitten in my hand. What am I to do?! I named him for John Wayne in the movie the Quiet Man. He has been my hero from that day in August of 2001 - the lonely and sad nights on the road were over: my furry friend was always there. Tracie gets a high paw from Irish for the change in diet. She gets kudos from me because now I have something to be excited about again.

YOBASTI better known as YoYo. This charmer found Irish and me. He and Irish were talking through a screen window one afternoon. This solid white kitty was half grown, skinny and dirty and upon closer inspection I discovered he had two different color eyes. It was love at first sight for both me and Irish – that night at midnight I went out to the truck to go to work and this cat got right in the truck with us. So that night he became an 18- wheeling cat. YoYo sends High Paws to Tracie also they both seem to know her voice on the Radio.

Many Thanks to Tracie for caring and helping. I feel that she and all the listeners understand how I feel about my boys.

 Idella ( Mama ChooChoo)

P.S. I want to thank you for every thing I feel as I have a quest in this life and it is to get people to take better care of the pets. I love giving and helping my friends and relatives with your advice and books. I am way to proud of all this I know. But its hard to impart how I feel about my pets. I know how I feel when someone on your show has a sad story. I must be getting really old as I hurt for them and cry for them.

July 2008 Cat Chat® Cats of the Month: Itchy & Frank

Itchy Von Scragglyass (the calico) and Frank'N'Stein (the black kitties ), also known as FrankieDoodle and Captain Stein, live with Valerie in California. Valerie has been a great listener, trying suggestions, getting her cats off kitty crack, stopping routine vaccinations and generally being a GREAT Mom to them (quite literally, given that she raised two virtually from birth!) Here's her story about them:

All three of my babies are rescued. Itchy Von Scragglyass (the calico) was a birthday gift that turned into a Vet bill big time - $500 ll of ear mites I was cleaning her ears out and she made me itch; hence the name Itchy. She just turned nine in May.

The other two beautiful black babies are brother and sister that were found on the side of my mothers house. $$ later the vet told me they were 4 days old. Lots of work as you have to treat them as babies. Feed by bottle, burp, and clean their bottoms and tops too!

They were ugly ducklings that is for sure. I wasn't going to keep them so I temporarily named them Frank"N"Stein. 8 Years later Frank turned into the handsome Senator Frankie Doodle and Stein turned into Captain Stein( she is more like a pirate though).

After listening to Tracie on Cat Chat I freaked out then threw away the kitty crack. I have spent about three months getting them to eat enough and buying every brand on the list. I also put Itchy due to hip problems on Platinum Plus. She jumps around, runs out back, and brings mommy lizards for a snack; YUCK. It takes time and patience but if I can make the change anyone can, believe me. I almost gave up but persistance has paid off in a big way. Thanks to Tracie emailing me with encouragement I have healthier cats. No Shots either!! 

:)

Valerie
Anaheim, CA

P.S. Funny all the stories you read about people not really being a cat lover but just take care of one baby for a day or two and you are in love... Love your show and all the advice you give. You have changed so many people in the way they feed and take care of their kids (pets).
Let me know any way I can help getting the message out because nobody thought I could do what I do.

June 2008 Cat Chat® Cat of the Month: Ginger

You've all heard "Ginger's Mommy" Call into CAT CHAT®??

Well here's what Deborah has to say about this gorgeous kitty who turned her into a Cat Person!

Me a cat person?!!

I never ever thought that in my life I would be owned by cat.  Besides, I have parrots.  However, when one of my friends, who rescues cats brought her to me and asked me if she could stay for “just one night” it was love at first sight.  I nursed back to health the little pile of sick kitten that she was and tried several months later, unsuccessfully to get her adopted.  I came close….but no cigar.  Secretly though I really did want to keep her!  So now it’s going on four years and I just love her like crazy.  She is very, very smart.  Ginger (aka Gingerama and Princess Gingalot) knows that the birds in the house are off limits and that the ones on the other side of the window are free for the taking….not that she may ever go outside, but she knows the deal.  She loves to play fetch and brings me toys all the time so that we can play together.

Having been seriously allergic to cats for all of my life, now I no longer am!  I just love having a furry friend to take care of and with Tracie's guidance I’m sure that she’ll most likely live forever!

(And since Deb had already bought umpteen copies of the THE CAT BIBLE and several CAT CHAT® baseball caps, too - I had to get inventive with Ginger's prize for being Pin Up Pussycat for June - so she got a Kong Kitty massage brush AND a copy of Arden Moore's new book THE CAT BEHAVIOR ANSWER BOOK. )

May 2008 Cat Chat® Cat of the Month: Galileo

Thank you so much, Tracie for hosting the weight loss contest and for getting us all to take better care of our furry friends. Gali is looking terrific. I've attached one of my favorite pictures of him - helping me quilt!!  You can use it for the May cat of the month picture.  The following is the story about Gali for the May cat of the month:

8 1/2 years ago right before Thanksgiving, my old cat, Veronica, passed away. I went to the local animal shelter to make a donation in her memory and was not expecting to adopt another cat, but there was Galileo (Gali for short), a cute little orange tabby kitten. From the moment I picked him up, I knew he was coming home with me. As I was holding him, he purred like mad and then reached up and patted my face with his little paw. Needless to say, there was no way I could leave him at the shelter. At the time, he was just a little handful, but he quickly blossomed into the big cat he is now. From nose to backside (without his tail), he is two feet long. As my veterinarian said, he is never going to be a small cat.  But, thanks to you, he is no longer obese. He has gone from a lethargic, grossly overweight (19 1/2 pounds) to a much slimmer, happy, active cat (13.9 poumds). He is still as sweet as he was as a little kitty and still reaches up and pats my face. 

The picture I have attached is Gali in the middle of a sample quilt that is on my long-arm quilting machine. He can always find the best bed in the house!! By the way, Gali is one of those kitties that has the belly that hangs down. He had it even when he was a tiny kitten.  I'll be listening to see if you ever come up with a good name for the muffin bellies!

Thanks to you, he is a much healthier and happy kitty. I have also managed to convert one of my friends and she is now feeding her cats only wet food. So just look at the tremendous impact you have had!!

April 2008 Cat Chat® Cat of the Month: Tiger

Tiger From Illinois Is April's Cat Chat® Cat Of The Month!

From Denise R. (Willowbrook, IL):

Un-stray my heart!  Falling prey to a stray!

With two, 17-year old indoor female cats, both bearing health issues, the thought of bringing a third cat into the mix was too scary. Tiger the stray showed up two years ago. We assumed he was male as he walked and stalked just like the predator of his new namesake. We guessed he was feral. With no collar and the tip of his ear torn off, most likely from a fight, his timid and cautious demeanor kicked in high gear when it came to feeding time. As the temps turned cold and frigid, I truly hoped I wouldn't see him for I hoped he had a home. Not the case. He showed up religiously during one of the coldest winters and it broke my heart to watch him eat, shiver, then disappear. I wondered where he slept. With the relief of springtime, I was able to touch the top of is head. By summer, I could pet him and by fall, completely hold him. Turns out he'd been front-declawed. He had to belong to somebody at some time. I made him a place to sleep on our deck and he took to it immediately.  This little guy turned out to be gentle and so loving. I found it fun to make a difference in his life. There are ups and downs to caring for a stray too. Like wondering where he's been when he comes home completely covered in cobwebs or when he's later than late and comes home limping.  We took him to the vet to make sure he was free of any diseases and had him vaccinated. He did have a few fleas which now meant I had to treat him monthly for fleas. Found out he was also neutered which added to the mystery of his history.  The vet guessed him to be 8-10 years of age. Now winter was fast-approaching and I could not bear the thought of him out in the cold. So, we trained him to live in our garage.   Since he moved into the garage, he no longer spent a night outside in over a year. He'd go out during the day but knew when to come home. The garage is heated and now looks like a family room instead of a garage.  To make the boring winter days easier on him, we always have music on for him.  He enjoys Sirius radio and his channel of choice is the Spa channel where the occasional sounds of birds and thunderstorms is a familiar part of his lifestyle. I found out through a neighbor that Tiger actually came from a family across the bridge. I was curious, so I went to meet the previous owner, who was already alerted that we'd been caring for Tiger and I asked if she wanted him back and she said it didn't appear he wanted her back so I guessed he was ours now.  He was born on the 4th of July and is 15 years old - not 8 or 10, but a total senior now! For most of his life, he had been an indoor-only cat, but the last few years he was allowed to go outside. With the recent loss of our cat Samantha, we have felt for the first time, the pain of losing a pet. My friend sent me the poem "Rainbow Bridge" and I remembered after reading it, crying and holding Tiger and asking him "why do you have to be 15 already?" A few months have passed and the other night, Tiger wanted out and as he ran to the back of the yard, where raccoons, possums and other nightly creatures lurk, I could no longer bear the worries of caring for a stray. I shouted out to him, "Tiger, come back in right now" and he looked at me, and started running towards me straight into the garage. Later on that night, he pawed at the service door.  I let him out where he sat down and glanced around the yard.  I said to him, "say goodbye to this life, buddy, it's about to change again!" (Continued after second photo.)

So with that, it is now day 8 that Tiger moved from the garage, to our family room, quarantined from his soon-to-be-sister, Sabrina. We just took him to the vet where he got a full exam, complete blood work and his shots. I'm happy to report he was FELV negative and other than needing his teeth cleaned, everything looked great. Now we are following the steps in The Cat Bible on introducing the cats to one another. Thank you so much Tracie for writing a book that has every imaginable question I've had about feline behavior answered. It is now amazing to watch Tiger curled up next to my husband, staring outside the glass door, when not too long ago, he was staring in from the outside. Although he wants to go out now and then, he is getting used to the words "no more."  Oh, and that bridge he crossed to find us, my friend said that was Tiger's Rainbow Bridge! 
—Denise R. (Willowbrook, IL)

March 2008 Cat Chat® Cat of the Month: Buster

Buster: I had just put down my favorite cat "Buddy", and I was inconsolable. I called Jan, who I adopt all my cats from, and she began to tell me about "Buster". He was found in a dumpster along with his siblings at 3 days old. Jan bottle fed them all!  She said that she wanted me to see Buster before she showed him to anyone else. I went to Petco to see him...his brothers were small dark grey kittens...Buster was orange and white and three times the size of his siblings! She put him in my arms, on his back and he looked up at me.  His eyes were the same color as his deep orange fur and he had these long wispy hairs coming out of his ears GORGEOUS!  His fur felt like a Chinchilla (and still does) and he looked into my eyes as if to say "I love you, take me home"! I said to Jan, "He's huge! Then as he gazed into my eyes I said "ok, so I'll buy him a saddle and ride him to work!" He was about 6 months old then and is a year old now. He weighs in at over 13 lbs already and I fear will get bigger!  I truly feel that he is part Main Coon and I adore him!  He's very comical and very sweet.....thanks SOOO MUCH Tracie...
xoxo,
Sherri, Sylmar CA

February 2008 Cat Chat® Cat of the Month

Fiona in Nebraska is February's Cat Congratulations to young Maren M. and her gorgeous Fiona cat for being chosen as February's "pin up" girls. Maren will get a Cat Chat baseball cap and lots of goodies for Fiona.

January 2008 Cat Chat® Cat of the Month

Beth S. in Rockford Illinois is the proud human who shares a home with Stewie. Beth got a Cat Chat® baseball cap and tells us this about her beloved Stewie.

So, about Stewie… in a few words… that's a tough one.  In summary, he is one special guy.  In April 2006, Stewie had been found alone, starving and with ear infections, near a storm drain in Hayward, CA.  He was just three months old.  A very generous rescue group in Northern California nursed him to health and posted a listing for him on Petfinder.com when he was adoptable.  I happen to be perusing the site one day, and it hit me.  I saw his photo, and my stomach sank.  It was like I saw the man of my dreams or a long lost friend.  I knew when I saw his face that I was meant to be his mom.  I promptly completed the adoption application process, finally met him, and fell totally in love!  We had instant chemistry.

Stewie is 1.5yrs old now, and a solid 12.5lb cat.  He is a Ragdoll, so it's my understanding that he could continue to grow to about 14lbs (about average for a male Rag).  He is soft as a bunny, incredibly gentle, and so loving.  He's a brilliant guy too!  After working together on a few tricks, he has learned to "sit" and "stand tall" on command.  And he also plays fetch! 

Stewie's presence in my life is such a gift.  He teaches me so much about resilience, the uninhibited expression of love, being assertive, taking risks, and unfailing optimism.  He reminds me of the importance of relaxation, cuddling, day dreaming, and a good imagination.  I love Stewie as I do my family.  He is my baby… and my friend.

 

December Cat Chat® Cat of the Month: Tiger

TIGER is December's Cat Chat cat of the Month! You've all heard Tracie's engineer Shavon talk about her Mom's new kitty Tiger - well how much cuter than cute could he be?!

November Cat Chat® Cats of the Month: Sirius & Martha

You've heard all about Friends of Michigan Animal Rescue on the show - now meet the feline family members of Kenn, one of their greatest volunteers and a loyal supporter of CAT CHAT and THE CAT BIBLE.

 

Former Cat Chat® Cat of the Month: TINY

MEET TINY (all 3 lbs. of her) who was recently adopted by my engineer Shavon's grandma, who was devastated after losing her previous beloved cat. Tiny has filled that hole in her heart with crazy antics - the little kitty is so grateful to have been adopted into a loving home, Tiny was homeless and had a litter of kittens when she was found - but now she is spayed and lives safely indoors. Hurray for Tiny and Shavon's grandma!

 

 

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Tracie welcomes any and all questions about cats AND dogs on both her live radio shows. Call in to DOG TALK on Saturdays from 11-Noon (EST) to 800-394-8830 or Wednesdays 8-9 PM (EST) to CAT CHAT 866-675-6675. (You don't need to have Sirius to call in!)