On surgery days my friend would start answering telephone messages and making sure the OR was ready while I scooped the poop and did other chores. A bit later the veterinarian would arrive and patients would be dropped off. This is not a fancy place, mainly for the pets of low income people and ferals brought in by volunteers, but it works. The animal is given an anesthetic and then the vet operates carefully but efficiently.

This year I learned how to apply surgical glue over the absorbable stitches to help keep the incision closed. I’d then carry the patient to the heating pads in the waiting room and keep an eye on it while it recovered enough to be picked up by the owner.

The anesthetic is a diuretic, especially with dogs, so a few patients would let loose floods of urine, and once, while trying to move a recovering cat out of one carrier into another, I got a mouthful of spray of some mixture of body fluids so I rushed to get a Coke to wash out the taste (it was my third soda of 2008 - ordinarily I am not a soda drinker).

Aside from a few scratches that was the worst of my “wounds”. I now know the proper way to hold a cat while it’s being given its shots (sometimes using thick leather gauntlets). I also broadened my repertoire to include cleaning up cat vomit (it’s not all joy and kittens).

We had one day with seven operations and on two other days thirteen operations were performed on both cats and dogs. At the end of the day we’d be exhausted but it was a good exhaustion knowing that we were helping to make a difference — my friend says there already appears to be a slight drop in the number of ferals in the Fargo-Moorhead area. When I think of the number of kittens and puppies that will not be born to suffer short, miserable lives on the streets (with only a small percentage surviving the brutal North Dakota winters) or euthanised in a “shelter”, I wish there was a PAAWS-like organization in every town and city in the world.

All photos copyright 2008 by S.H. Jacobsen

Read Volunteer Vacations, and Volunteer Vacations, part ii. (Links will work once post is published.)

If you enjoyed this series, here’s the page with the donation link.

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There’s more to choosing a cat with The Way of Cats than the article you are reading now. See my CHOOSING A CAT.

But we have some prizes still to be given away. The odds might be on your side!

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In a world full of spam, my notification might have wound up in your junk drawer, even though you are getting the newsletter.

If people do not reply within one week, their prize goes up for grabs again.

So I just wanted to post a “Heads Up” on the subject, so you can keep watching those inboxes.

Next time, it might be you.

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A litter can have longhaired and shorthaired cats, tabbies and calicoes, a random mix or a kitten who looks a lot like a purebred parent. Each kitten has an equal potential to be a delightful companion. But it also means that littermates are not necessarily well matched.

Getting two siblings, even from a purebred litter, will not guarantee that we will have two cat buddies. There are many disappointed people who thought getting siblings would help cat compatibility, only to discover they have two mismatched cats.

Growing up together from a young age will usually result in cats who at least tolerate each other, if only because of familiarity. But not always. The random mixing of traits can create cats with differing management styles, differing energy levels, and differing concepts of what is fun.

My two older cats, Mr. Bond and Puffy, became my cats because of this variable expression of traits. They were the rejected kittens from their litter. Their siblings were cuddly, friendly, and appealing right away. Mr. Bond and Puffy needed a little help to show their true, lovely, nature.

This is because genes are only tendencies. It’s the environment that will activate them. Mr. Bond and Puffy needed socialization training, which allowed them to acquire what their littermates had already achieved. But it couldn’t, and didn’t, change their essential nature. Mr. Bond, a Beta, can make friends with other compatible cats, and be friendly with visitors. Puffy, a Gamma, prefers to hide from all new beings he encounters. Yet both managed to find a happy niche with the many other cats they lived with during their formative years.

So don’t take home siblings to be companions unless we have other reasons to think these cats would get along. For help in figuring this out, read my articles about cat types, and once we find our favorite type, then we can bring home two kittens.

With confidence.

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From eight on up, they have known great stretches of good care, or they wouldn’t have gotten this far. A eight year old cat is almost fifty human years, true. But that could be ten more years of life in the cat. They are just as deserving of a good home for the second half of their life, aren’t they?

We could provide that.

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Because the older the cat is, the more quickly we will be trained. Then we start enjoying the cat. Because you know the secret about older cats?

They don’t have a dark past. Older cats have known qualities.

Older cats know a lot of our tricks already. They can communicate very well. They are eager to start the dialogue, because they know that is the way to get what we both want. This makes them great cats for newbies to start with; this is a case of the cat knowing far more than we do, and they make eager teachers.

Being human, we often feel we want to start with a kitten and look forward to a long life of companionship. But there are no guarantees in life. With every beloved cat companion, we know the fun must end. The hesitancy at taking on an older cat springs from the anxiety that the end will come too soon.

But the end always comes too soon.

It breaks my heart to see the cats many consider unadoptable, simply because of their age. When these are fantastic cats who have so much love to give. They are perfect for many people who are not up to kittens, but would love a sweet, quiet, companionable cat.

I placed such cats with those people who most need a companion in their life; the elderly, those differently-abled, those dealing with illnesses that interfere with full enjoyment of a more active social life.

Two lonely beings, lonely no more; it’s one of the great joys of rescue.

If there’s a slot open in our own home, we can add an older cat with the proper introductions. An already functioning cat civilization (three or more cats) will reform in fascinating ways when we bring in a older cat.

They come with the gravitas and pre-formed interests that will not demand attention the way a kitten or younger cat will. Older cats will let friendships form at their own pace, seek and find their own mellow niche, and assert their dignity in a way that calms skittish cats and provides a role model for the wilder ones.

If you know a cat-deprived person who needs more company, talk to them about providing it with a cat who is already trained, won’t rampage through their stuff, and is just as eager as they are to create a happy family.

Everything these people might be looking for is right there at the local shelter.

Waiting for them.

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Cats have pheromone scent glands on their chin and whisker pads. These invisible scent markers are for other cats to know that Someone Else likes whatever it is. Different cats are going to react in different ways. All three of my cats chin rub my hands, one after the other, because they all get along and share me. For cats with a hunting territory, it’s a warning signal that this is claimed ground, and intruders should watch their step.

They might be inviting a Mind Meld. They certainly want to show affection.

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A cat showing affection with their head is a higher degree of trust than rubbing a shoulder on our leg. It’s a compliment, and should be received as such.

An insecure cat might shy away when we reach for their head. We should then reach for their chest, which implies a more respectful distance. Uncertain cats will be more likely to enjoy the chest rub than having a hand cover their head.

Also, we should not reach for the head when meeting a cat we don’t know well. We should extend our fist, which is nonthreatening, and if the cat is feeling polite, they will examine it and smell us. If this is a friend’s cat we will be seeing again, we are building a friendship.

A rub under the chin or around the base of the ears is a good way to move up from the chest and expand our respect for the cat’s face and head.

We can find the cat will be more open to face to face contact if we put our hands behind our back as we exchange eye contact and the slow blinks that means “we are friends.” It might then be easier to get our faces close.

When a cat stares at us, they are trying to get our attention. Next time, ask them what they want. They will probably find a way to tell us.

If we pay attention to this most expressive part of the cat’s body, we will find our communication works better. The cat is giving out several signals with their expression, their ears, and their head gestures.

They love to get a conversation going.

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My favorites were Speedway Mama, Gypsy and Stella. Gypsy (a black and white) and Stella (a tortoiseshell) will probably find homes easier than Mama as she appears black though, like a black tiger, you can see stripes in the sunlight. Her fur is smooth and silken and she’s the friendliest little thing but unfortunately black cats are hard to place.

In another couple of rooms were kittens, small adorable balls of fluff especially two white ones named Thief and River who purred up a storm and one of them, apparently weaned too soon, loved to nurse on my hands and arms until I’d get tiny kitten hickeys. I’m happy to report that they were adopted but that still leaves Hobo and Lovey and Cooper and ….

Being feral many of the cats had been afraid of people but PAAWS attracts volunteers who do nothing (or so it seems) but play with and socialize the kittens and cats so they may find homes. One of the volunteers has an 11 year old son who was there for a while on a couple of days. He’s been there a lot helping out the past few months and I do mean helping out. He’ll thoroughly clean the cages recovering animal have been in and do other semi-yucky stuff, cheerfully and without complaint. Part of it is the kind of boy he is and part of it is that he’s really doing grown-up stuff and is treated with respect for what he contributes.

All photos copyright 2008 by S.H. Jacobsen

Read Volunteer Vacations, and Volunteer Vacations, part iii. (Links will work once post is published.)

If you enjoyed this series, here’s the page with the donation link.

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There’s more to choosing a cat with The Way of Cats than the article you are reading now. See my CHOOSING A CAT.

Well, it’s my dream… Dear Husband is still in recovery from the thought.

Though he’s coming along. For a while, he cited our small apartment and budget as sensible reasons for two cats being the right number in our present circumstances.

Post Reverend Jim, he agrees that three is the perfect number.

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We approach the cat while they are standing around, and they might expect us to pick them up, or try to. But we do not. (That’s the surprise part.) Fooled ya! Thought I was going to pick you up! Instead, we Pet In Place, by making the effort to connect with them as equals.

Here we see RJ being petted while all four feet are on the floor. Usually, the cat is standing upright, but RJ often melts when we touch him. I got this just before he rolled over onto his back.

It’s up to the cat how they react to The Standby. Some, like RJ, will roll around and all but beg us to be picked up anyway. Some will wind around our legs and rub their faces on us. Some will look up at us and enjoy this mutual hug that implies equality, because they are standing upright.

That is the beauty of this move. We are standing, or sitting, or kneeling, it doesn’t matter. But the cat stays in their position, being embraced and admired while they are also not being babied or swept off their feet.

It’s not that most cats mind those things. However, they also appreciate this option; being given their independence and autonomy while they are being petted. To understand why that is so, we need to put ourselves in the cat’s place for a moment.

If we remember that far back, we were once in that position. Our parents or grandparents once were much bigger and taller than we were. Most of the time, it was great to be swept into their arms. But we also appreciated the times they would drop down to a knee, or put us on their lap, and speak to us without the dizzying, disorienting feeling of having our feet off the ground.

Also, cats are extremely flexible. They have 30 vertebrae, compared to a human’s 26. Their spine is designed for leeway, since it does not have to support a human’s upright posture. Part of a cat’s predatory advantage is the way they can twist and turn. But they like to do this on their own.

When a human picks them up, they should be supported at all points, so they won’t fear twisting the wrong way and hurting themselves. But we can be even more affectionate when we don’t pick them up at all. We avoid any hint that we are more powerful and bigger, even though we are.

Emphasizing our weight and height advantage is something we must use with care. Asserting it is not a form of affection.

When we pet with The Standby, we are doing something the cat likes, the way they like it. We can pet any part of them, we can hold their torso and sway it back and forth, we can rub their ears and stroke their tails. But we let them stay where they are, uninterrupted from what they were planning to do.

We can enjoy them on their terms. Not ours.

That’s a great way to show respect.

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The cat between three and eight.

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If we are a cat newbie, there are many advantages to getting an adult cat. We will be better able to leave the cat unsupervised, more easily convince them to leave certain things alone, and will not have to deal with the kitten’s adolescent period. This is where kittens test their independence, and can make an insecure cat owner feel they no longer have their cat’s love and interest.

Yet this is also is the age where we must be wary of serious behavior problems. Younger than three, and they are still in the upbringing stage. Older than eight, and someone loved to have them around; that someone had to leave the picture, but it’s no reflection on the cat. The adult cat can be a poor choice if a newbie takes on a cat who is more challenging than the person’s present cat skills.

Don’t fall into these traps:

The needy cat. The new cat owner is often skeptical about friendliness. They then go overboard and get a clinger or a wailer, without being able to handle this cat’s abandonment issues. Look for measured affectionate overtures, such as eye contact, meows, or getting up to show interest in us. This is a friendly cat who is not desperate.

A soft paw (claws held in) is fine for the cat to reach with. But the cat who clutches with their claws or makes high pitched noises are highly stressed. They are not good prospects for a new cat owner, who doesn’t yet know how to handle a normal cat relationship, much less a demanding one.

The overreactive cat. As a new cat owner, we will sometimes send the wrong signals. We need a cat who will not reject our sometimes clumsy attempts at socialization and training. We need a cat with an open and forgiving nature, willing to look past our confusion to our basic good intentions. Newbies need the reassurance of proper feedback from their cat.

So we should look for a cat with some dignity and restraint. This is a cat who will blossom with attention and forge a good relationship, yet are secure enough not to reject an owner who might make the wrong moves at times. That wide-eyed, wary, cat needs some special handling we might not be ready to give.

The stubborn cat. If a cat has to have certain routines in order to feel secure, they will cling to that behavior even if it does cause them trouble. It takes some skill to relax the stubborn, inflexible cat, and considerable self-confidence in our ability to see down to the true cat hiding inside. Newbies should seek a more mellow outlook.

The shy cat. Cat shyness doesn’t have to come from trauma. It can be that the cat was not properly socialized. It could be that the cat has trouble understanding humans and needs some extra effort. It could be a Gamma cat who never got the support they needed and are now easily overwhelmed, making them withdraw at the slightest stimulus. Shy cats can be wonderfully sweet and responsive, but it’s a little overwhelming to cope with as a first cat. They need to be pushed, the right way, for best success.

As we grow in our cat skills, we can take on these wonderful cats who have some problems. Every one of my three present cats were throw-aways; Puffy had to be slowly and carefully socialized, Mr. Bond was semi-feral and needed help making human connections, and Reverend Jim had serious deprivation problems that had to be understood to be corrected. They are, I can modestly say, Great Cats. But in a home without recognition of their special needs, they would have become cats who would have lived “behind the couch,” if they could have coped at all.

So they are not necessarily the best choice as a learning experience. These cats can also benefit from homes that already have good working cat relationships, and can learn from peer-to-peer modeling. Sometimes, being an only cat is not the best choice for these challenged cats.

I urge newbies to think about bring home not one, but two, cats when they embark on their cat adventure. Bringing two cats into a new home means everyone starts from scratch. There is less likelihood of territorial issues, and the cat who is weaker at their people communication will have a good example to follow. Choosing two cats who might already be buddies at the shelter will be an even better good deed, and makes settling in easier for everyone.

Because that’s the point of cat rescue. Whoever we are, whatever the resources we can devote to the task, giving a cat a happy home is the point and the purpose.

Don’t choose lightly. That cat we did not choose well would have been happier somewhere else.

So would we.

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The Under Threes can have a great childhood at any time. Because, despite most age scales, the first three years of a cat’s life counts up to only twenty in human years.

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So there’s actually a big window to influence a young cat all during their growing up stage. Cats don’t mature for at least three years. The big kittens, even longer.

Any cat, under three, is not grown up yet.

We should broaden our definition of cuteness past that first, fleeting stage, so beloved of greeting card companies, and we will realize that there is so much more cuteness in the world than we thought.

So remember that it doesn’t matter how big they are; it’s about how mature they are. If they have been rushed along that path too soon, a good home will let them slow down and catch up.

If they are secure and cared for, they can keep, or rediscover, their baby behaviors. They can take their time growing up. If the process has been interrupted, the young cat can catch up on parts of their childhood they missed, just as their bodies can catch up and get over past malnutrition.

They just need time and a supportive atmosphere.

That under three-kitten in the shelter might not have enjoyed much of a childhood up to this point. They might need to be treated like a kitten… by someone.

Someone who will love them like the baby they still are.

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There’s more to choosing a cat with The Way of Cats than the article you are reading now. See my CHOOSING A CAT.