Maine Coon Cattery YanikaCoon

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Gloucestershire big cats: Reports don’t make us rednecks.

But far from being rednecks, people who report big cats are mostly responsible and want the subject studied.

The recent panther reports at Winchcombe follow previous sightings in the Stroud Valleys, three wallabies predated on a private estate in the county, and a black panther reported in the suburbs of Gloucester.This has all been in 2012, but big cat stories go back many years in the Echo, and researchers like myself and local tracker Frank Tunbridge are regularly contacted by big cat witnesses directly.

In Gloucestershire each year, around 75 per cent of reports are of black panthers and 25 per cent of sandy-grey pumas.Occasional sightings of lynx also occur.Misidentification happens, of course, but ordinary citizens are now routinely describing the form, movement, and sometimes the calls of panthers (most likely to be black leopards) and pumas.

These stealthy ambush predators are rarely seen in their native lands. Such cats can readily melt into the UK countryside, mainly living off rabbits, mice, pheasants and deer.Many landowners aware of big cats have no wish to report that these powerful predators occasionally visit their land.

Not all the evidence is revealed but previous DNA hair samples have tested positive for black leopard in Lincolnshire and for puma near Neath.Last year, Thames Valley Police and the Home Office announced a plaster cast taken from puma tracks in Berkshire had been created.

Reactions of dogs and horses sometimes alert a witness to the presence of a big cat, while some people adjust their activities due to these predators, for instance ensuring lambing is indoors, keeping dogs on lead at key locations at dawn or dusk, or being more alert.People mostly fear trophy hunters more than the big cat they watched, and many witnesses have “felt privileged” to experience something truly wild and beyond our control.

Panthers and pumas need to stay injury-free to survive, so they are shy of humans.

But on rare occasions, people have reported meeting such a cat close up, and realised that backing off carefully was the wisest move.With abundant natural prey, the cats should not get stressed, but we should avoid aggravating them.Big cats are a culture shock for official bodies, who view the topic as a Pandora’s Box.But no one is taking pitchforks to the hills over these animals. The cats have learnt to live around us. Maybe we should now learn about them.

Rick Minter and Frank Tunbridge will be giving a talk on big cats at Abbeyfields Community Centre, Winchcombe, on May 9 at 7.15pm.

Lost cat back home in Maiden Newton after 16 months.
THEY say that black cats are lucky but when Coco went missing his four-year-old owner thought she would never see him again.
Yet 16 months after his disappearance, he has been found alive and well and is back home with little Terry-Jane.
Now his owners and the veterinary practice who traced them are urging others to get their pets micro-chipped.
Terry-Jane’s mum, Marion Hare, of Maiden Newton, said: “When Coco went missing, we put posters up, we searched for him, but we didn’t find anything.
“Terry-Jane was really upset, she thought he had wandered off and eventually I had to tell her that he might have gone to Heaven.
“So I was so shocked to get a phone call telling us he’d been found.
“Terry-Jane is really happy, she was shocked, she said ‘Are you sure? But he’s dead?’ Coco is believed to have been living just two miles away in the neighbouring village of Frampton since his disappearance.
Miss Hare, 31, added: “He looks really well, so someone must have been looking after him.
“He seems to be settling back in already. He likes to sit on the back of the sofa and he knows his way around the house.
“We have a new puppy and they’re getting used to each other.
“I think our other cat’s nose has been slightly put out of joint, but I’m sure he’ll get over it soon.”

Coco, also four years old, was handed in to Southfield Veterinary Centre in Dorchester on Wednesday.

Tori Poole, from Southfield, said: “Coco was brought in by a family who had been feeding him for about a week.

“They noticed him hanging around and assumed he was a stray, so put up a few posters in Frampton to see if he belonged to anyone.

“No-one came forward, so they brought him in to us.

“It only took two minutes to check his chip and find the address where he is registered. Thankfully he has now been reunited with his owners.”

The trainee veterinary nurse, who has been working at the centre since last August, said they often have stray cats and dogs brought in.

She said: “We would advise all cat and dog owners to get their pet chipped.

“It’s a five-minute process and it means that if, unfortunately, your pet does go missing, we can get it back to you.

“It’s only a small thing that goes at the back of the animal’s neck.

“There’s no doubt that Coco was reunited with little Terry-Jane because of his micro-chip.”

Miss Hare added: “I would tell any pet owner to get their cat or dog chipped, it’s a really good idea.

“We would never have found Coco if it hadn’t been for that.”

The Cat’s Me-oooww.

An unnamed Columbus Police officer in an unmarked police car was fortunately driving behind the man, identified by Packet sources as Reginald Washington, a 46-year-old from Reform, Ala., pulled him over and rescued the kitten. Animal Control was called to the scene and issued Washington a ticket for animal cruelty.
The kitten, dubbed “Tuff Tommy” by the Columbus Lowndes Humane Society, is miraculously unharmed. He landed in a ditch off Hwy 45 North near Huckleberry Dr. when he was thrown from the car. According to reports, Washington told the animal control officer that the kitten was meowing too much, and had been making noises all day and the previous night.
The officer allegedly issued Washington a stern talking-to, along with the $200 ticket, about the example he was setting for his five-year-old son, who was with him when he threw the feline out of the passenger-side window.
Dozens of people have commented their outrage on the CLHS Facebook page, where Tommy is listed for adoption. “I’d like it if the cop tazed that guy,” said one man. “Someone needs to throw him outta a moving car cause they are tired of him being stupid,” said another. “A ticket was not harsh enough he should have been transported and booked in…. at least that way he would have to post bail, pay the towing fee and would be more apt to show in court” One woman said. “The guy should be thrown out of a plane. Then he could feel the same feeling this sweet face felt.”
“Tuff Tommy” is a medium-haired tabby and is currently at CLHS. According to the humane society, several people have already stepped forward with interest in adopting the kitty.

For the young women wiling away their evenings with a cappuccino in hand and a cat on their lap, Tokyo’s “neko cafes” are the ideal place to unwind and soothe their stresses.

“After a long day at work, I just want to stroke cats and relax,” said saleswoman Akiko Harada.

“I love cats, but I can’t have one at home because I live in a small apartment. I started coming here because I really missed having fun with cats and touching them.”

For Harada and others like her, the “neko cafes” of the Japanese capital are a harmless institution where customers pay a premium for their coffee in exchange for the chance to pet the cats that stroll among them.

But for animal rights activists, these cafes are exploitative places where animals are subjected to unnatural stress.

They welcome a new ordinance, coming into force later this year, that will ban the display of animals after 8:00 p.m.

The rules were drawn up by the environment ministry after it received more than 155,000 requests for action from the public — an unusually high number in politically ambivalent Japan.

The law is primarily aimed at the pet shops in Tokyo’s entertainment districts that regularly raise the eyebrows of Western visitors with their brightly-lit windows displaying dogs and cats in cramped glass tanks late into the night.

But cat cafe manager Shinji Yoshida says he will also be snared by the law and will have to close in the evenings — his busiest time.

Yoshida’s cat cafe in Ikebukuro, a busy commercial and commuter hub in Tokyo, keeps 13 cats in a carpeted room where they have the freedom to jump around and climb all over the large fake tree.

“It is a huge blow to us cat cafes, and it’s nothing to do with protecting cats’ health,” said Yoshida, 32.

“As you see, cats can walk and play freely. I ask customers not to touch them if they are sleeping. At night, we dim the room light,” he said. “And cats can rest during daylight.”

He says about 80 percent of his customers are salaried workers who drop in for a welcome change from the daily grind of work and long commutes.

“If I close this cafe at 8:00 pm, I’ll see red ink,” he said.

Yoshida’s customers definitely want the cafe to be allowed to stay open.

Office worker Ayako Kanzaki, 22, began visiting cat cafes three years ago because she loves cats but her apartment is too small to keep one.

“I like to do things at my own pace, and I must say I am not a very social person. So I come here alone, because I want to focus on the cats,” she said.

“During the day, cats are mostly sleeping, and if they are awake, they often don’t pay attention to the people. In the evening they are very lively, it’s more enjoyable.”

Saleswoman Harada agrees.

“If cat cafes are shut down at night, I won’t have many opportunities to come any more,” she said.

Animal welfare campaigner Chizuko Yamaguchi says the sheer number of customers in cat cafes can make life difficult for the animals.

“From morning to night these cats are being stroked by people they do not know. For the animals, that is a real source of stress,” she said.

Where to adopt dogs and cats.

Merced County Animal Shelter: Adoption fees for pet of the week are $35 for dogs and $15 for cats. If an animal is adopted before the newspaper comes out Saturday, another animal can be chosen in its place. For more information, call (209) 385-7436.

Mariposa County Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, 5599 N. Highway 49, Mariposa. Call (209) 966-5275. Hours: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday (times can vary, so call ahead). Adoption fees: $40 for cats and $70 for dogs. Cash only. All animals are spayed or neutered and have all their shots.

Last Hope Cat Kingdom: Discounted adoption fees for pet of the week are $50 for cats and $80 for dogs. All pets are vaccinated, spayed or neutered. For more information, call (209) 357-5425.

Merced Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, 1021 E. Childs. Hours: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. Adoption fees for pets of the week are: dogs, $50, puppies, $60, cats, $35. Call (209) 384-7722 or (209) 723-8953.

Nigel, a Bobtailed Tabby Cat, Needs a Home.

Nigel is a precious rescue cat that looking for a loving home.

He is a tabby bobtail with beautiful markings. Nigel is about 7 months old and is very playful. He is a super sweet young cat and has a gentle demeanor and he would do well in a home with a playmate.

Nigel has already been neutered and is current with all his vet work, and is the perfect age for a new family! Nigel is in the adoption room at the Buckhead Petsmart on Peachtree Road (near Piedmont Road).

Please come by the cat room at the Buckhead Petsmart and meet Nigel and all the adoptable cats and kittens. If you are interested in adopting, we have an application on our website and in the store. Also, feel free to give us a call if you have any questions.

Friends of Animals is an all-volunteer, non-profit, no-kill rescue group serving metro Atlanta. We have cats and kittens in the adoption area at the Buckhead Petsmart, and we bring adoptable dogs on Saturdays. All of our adoptable pets are spayed or neutered and current with their vaccinations. We are committed to matching pets with adoptive families that are perfect for each other.

We have adoption times at the Buckhead Petsmart on Saturday afternoons from noon – 4:30 pm.

Please visit our website to see the adoptable cats and dogs. We have some adorable cats and dogs that could be your perfect match!

New Life From Cat’s Cradle Shelter.

Corky the stray kitten was born with a rare congenital birth defect and was scheduled to be euthanized after being picked up by a local shelter in Fargo, North Dakota.  It wasn’t until two cat loving co-founders of Cat’s Cradle Shelter, Carol Stefonek and Amber Schaffer, discovered the adorable feline and decided to wisk him away to Casselton Veterinary Service where Dr. Dan Burchill agreed to operate on the 8-month-old kitten who was born with backwards and overlapping legs that dragged around.

Prior to Burchill’s custom operation designed to resolve Corky’s bilateral anthrogryposis of the tarsus, his overlapping and backwards legs, the doctor was quoted having said that the cat was a:
“Happy, health, engaging, fun cat who dragged his back legs around.”
After practicing for seventeen years, Dr. Burchill had performed the surgery on dogs, but never cats.  The disease is considered common in cattle, but rare in cats.

Weighing his options, such as amputation and wheelchair, Dan eventually decided upon surgically fixing Corky’s legs in a four hour operation which cost an estimated $2,500 according to a Y! News report.  In the end, his left leg was stabilized with a pin which resolved some anatomy issues and the more severely affected right leg was doing “fabulous.”

Corky’s rehab is expected to include both hydrotherapy as well as acupuncture for one hour a day.  The shelter’s co-founders drive 50 miles round trip each and every day to visit their adorable new feline friend.

2 house cats get up close to bobcat in Maricopa County.

Two house cats in Maricopa County had a close encounter with a wild feline on Friday the 13th.

Bucky Marshall told CBS 5 News his cats, named Pima and Mogie, are often gazing out the patio door into the backyard of his home on unincorporated land adjacent to Spur Cross Ranch Conservation Area in Cave Creek. Last Friday, he saw an unusual sight – a bobcat walking across the patio.

“Right out here on the mat is where the cat, the bobcat was,” he said.

You could say Marshall’s two house cats, Pima and Mogie, “rule the roost,” and when they spotted a bobcat walking up to the back glass early in the morning on Friday the 13th, they showed no fear.

Marshall said, “Pima’s pawing the window saying, ‘Please, pay attention to me. Be my friend, be my friend, please.’”

That’s when Marshal grabbed his camera and said at first the bobcat wasn’t too interested in his cats, and then something changed and he captured a moment between two cats he will never forget.

“The bobcat kind of looked at them and they looked back, and the bobcat reached a paw up and Pima reached a paw up, and I manage to just catch it with the camera.”

In the photo, you see Pima the domestic cat and a wild bobcat with their paws meeting at the glass window between them. Perhaps you could say it was a house cat’s one chance to get a glimpse at her wilder side.

“It was that moment where they were probably a little more than house cats. They were out in the wild,” said Marshall.

He said the bobcat stayed for about half an hour, took a nap and then trotted off into the distance.

Pasco: Chain of caring strangers join Largo woman’s search for lost cat.

A stranger led Melissa Palmer to a wall of 55-gallon drums behind Freedom RV Center.

“I’m almost certain she went in here,” the woman told Palmer, pointing to a dark crevice between the barrels.

The opening was so tiny and dank, Palmer couldn’t believe Chloe really might be here. More than seven weeks had passed since Chloe disappeared from Palmer’s home, some 40 miles away in Largo, and the 9-year-old Siamese house cat was mostly blind. Palmer had come to painful terms with the thought that Chloe was gone for good.

Then came the amazing chain of events that led Palmer to this improbable spot off Ideal Lane, behind the RV repair warehouse abutting woods filled with feral cats. Palmer crouched and sweet-talked the shadows.

“Chloe, Clo-Clo!”

Two of Palmer’s cats vanished the night of Feb. 23 and it still doesn’t make sense to her. Theo was a scrappy tomcat who liked to roam outside, but cautious Chloe had always stayed close to home. She reluctantly began going outside in 2004, when Palmer was diagnosed with the highest stage of Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Doctors put Palmer on an extreme chemotherapy regimen that left her vulnerable to infections. No more litter boxes inside the home.

Palmer made sure to put hard-to-remove collars on both cats, who were also microchipped. Chloe got used to doing her business outside, even after the chemo was over and Palmer, now 41, was in remission. Still, Chloe didn’t go on the prowl like Theo, and the two cats weren’t exactly chummy. It seemed unlikely they’d scamper off together.

Palmer and her husband, Troy, and their son, Colton, searched exhaustively for the cats. They posted signs and Craigslist ads, talked to neighbors and called every Pinellas shelter they could think of. Nothing.

“Animal control said it was most likely that a coyote got them,” Palmer said.

A resident of Heritage Pines, a 55-plus community just south of the Pasco-Hernando county line, called the maintenance office April 13 to report the remains of a mauled cat.

Facilities director Gary Wind and maintenance worker Sean Young went to the home to remove and bury the body. Wind decided to call Sherry Churchill, president of the Kitty Coalition of Heritage Pines Inc., a nonprofit trap, neuter and return program. He told her the cat had a tag. She asked for the collar. She would notify the family.

The tag said “Theo,” then gave a phone number and a distant hometown: Largo.

Palmer collapsed on the floor, sobbing, after she got off the phone. She was baffled that Theo ended up in Hudson. She was crushed to know he had suffered. She feared the same fate for Chloe.

Theo had been a hunter, an agile Hemingway cat whose extra toes gave him exceptional grasping skills. Chloe had striking features — a gray face and a unique striped tail — but she could barely see. “Out of the two of them, we really expected if one had survived it would be him,” Palmer said.

Learning that Theo landed in Pasco, though, Palmer felt compelled to expand her search for Chloe. She put another lost cat ad on Craigslist on April 14, this time categorized under Pasco.

“I couldn’t let go of that little feeling of hope,” she said.

That evening she received an email from Brenda Stacey, a New Port Richey woman who had seen a hungry stray a week earlier matching Chloe’s description. The emaciated white cat was trying to eat a piece of wood. Stacey brought cat food and water back to that spot.

Last Sunday, the Palmers drove up to Hudson to search the woods Stacey had described. They saw Ken Harvey working at the nearby Freedom RV Center, so they went over and told him about Chloe. The next day brought a call from Harvey’s son saying they’d seen a white Siamese. Then on Tuesday, Harvey called and said the cat had been spotted under some of the repair shop’s machinery.

She was thin and filthy. But he could see she had a collar and a striped tail.

Palmer and her son began the long drive up to Hudson, but first they called Churchill, the Kitty Coalition lady who had adopted their cause. Churchill made it to the RV shop much sooner and set out a humane trap. The cat started to come out, then disappeared into the wall of 55-gallon drums.

When Palmer arrived, Churchill showed her the hiding spot. Palmer softly called Chloe’s name and heard a faint meow.

She kept calling, and the cat inched forward. Palmer slipped her finger under the cat’s collar and gently lifted her to the light.

Palmer looked at the cat’s face and knew right away: “It’s her!”

Both women began crying.

Chloe was a skeletal 4 pounds, down from the 12 pounds she weighed before the ordeal. She was dehydrated and had picked up a few ticks. But the vet gave her a full exam and found no other complications. With a hearty diet and some rest, Chloe should make a full recovery.

Palmer doesn’t believe her cats — especially half-blind Chloe — ended up so far from home on their own. She suspects someone is maliciously rounding up cats in her area and dumping them in faraway woods.

Still, it was a chain of kind strangers who brought Chloe back to her. Palmer made a donation to the Kitty Coalition and gave Chili’s gift cards to the other Good Samaritans she’d met. They said bringing the cat back to her owner was reward enough.

“If a miracle is a wonderful event that defies logic, then this amazing series of coincidences was definitely a miracle,” Churchill said. “A little white nearly blind cat . . . is important enough in this vast universe to save.”

Chloe has been sleeping a lot since coming home, but on Friday she made a point to rise at 5:30 a.m. and follow Troy Palmer into the kitchen. For years, he has started every morning handing out Milk-Bones to the couple’s two dogs and Temptations snacks to their cats.

Chloe wanted her treat.

Zoo may see another pair of leopard cats soon.

The Lucknow zoo family might see new additions this year and a pair of leopard cats might be one of them. Authorities have written to Tripura zoo and Assam zoo seeking a pair. “The two zoos have a good number of leopard cats,” said Renu Singh, zoo director. Both, the Tripura and Assam zoo have more than 20 leopard cats each.

The nine-year-old Bhairavi, along with her five-year-old partner, Bhaskar, who came to Lucknow zoo, last year, were a pair brought from Tripura zoo. “We want to have more of them,” said Singh. Bhairavi and Bhaskar were the first of the leopard cats to be added to Lucknow zoo.

Leopard cat is a schedule (I) species. Leopard cats were brought to Lucknow zoo for breeding purpose, and Bhairavi and Bhaskar have already been described as ‘prolific breeders’ in their profile. The two were brought in exchange of hog deer, black buck and sambar.

Leopard cats are about the size of a domestic cat, but more slender with longer legs and well-defined webs between the toes. They have two dark, prominent stripes on their head. “We wish to have two females and a male together,” said the director.

New Mexico fat cat weighs in at nearly 40 pounds.

Meow can’t help but waddle. He’s one super-sized cat.

The 2-year-old orange and white tabby tips the scale at nearly 40 pounds, and the Santa Fe Animal Shelter is on a mission to get the feline back into shape.

Meow’s 87-year-old owner could no longer take care of him, so the pet was turned over to a shelter in southeastern New Mexico that called the Santa Fe shelter for help.

“The thing with this cat is when you look at it, certainly it’s obese. You see that. But it’s a sweet looking cat. His face is very sweet. It’s just incredibly fat,” shelter spokesman Ben Swan said Friday.

Meow has been placed with a foster family. He’ll be on a special diet so he can start shedding some pounds. The goal is for him to lose at least 10 pounds so he can be put up for adoption.

The shelter plans to post updates on Meow’s weight loss on its Facebook page.

It’s not clear how the feline was able to gain so much weight in just two years. Adult cats typically weigh between seven and 12 pounds.

“If you go online, you’ll see a lot of fat cats and these are people who have fed them just one thing, like meat or something that’s not nutritionally balanced,” Swan said. “Then the cat refuses to eat anything else and then they just get fatter and fatter and fatter.”

Meow has one thing going for him. He’s not the fattest cat out there.

That record belongs to Himmy, a tabby from Australia that weighed almost 47 pounds. The shelter said Guinness World Records has since stopped accepting applications for the record over concerns it would encourage people to overfeed their animals.

In Meow’s case, the shelter is awaiting blood test results to make sure he doesn’t have any additional health problems.

Shelter veterinarian Jennifer Steketee said the idea is for Meow to gradually lose weight by eating a special diet. He has already lost a couple of pounds since being turned in.

Steketee said the dangers of feline obesity are not much different than they are for humans — extra pressure on the heart and joints.

Swan said all the extra weight makes it tough for Meow to play. He had little interest in the super-sized toy mouse the shelter gave him when he first arrived and he couldn’t squeeze much more than his head into the carpeted ring attached to the shelter’s scratching post.

“He’s very sweet. He’s doing everything a normal cat would do except he loses his breath and tires easily,” Swan said. “We’re seeing what we can to do help him.”

Nobody likes Morris, so he eats alone.

The feral orange cat — which looks uncannily like the former star of TV commercials — is timid and peeks out from behind a fence as another group of feral felines skitter around their benefactor, Robin Sarafinchan, who arrives one rainy afternoon with bowls of food in hand.

The 46-year-old office manager coaxes Morris from behind a piece of industrial equipment with a container of food just for him. He won’t eat while she is near but eagerly burrows into the bowl when she steps away.

The tomcat, one of few in the colony of about 20 feral cats at an east-end Toronto site that hasn’t yet been neutered, is a fairly recent arrival on the scene and the other cats haven’t accepted him yet, explains Sarafinchan, who has been helping feed and take care of this colony for almost three years.

These ferals are part of an astonishing animal ‘underground’ — the Toronto Humane Society estimates there are about 100,000 feral and homeless cats in the GTA, with hundreds of kittens being born every day. About 75 per cent of those feral kittens will die, the THS estimates, claimed by predators, disease, malnutrition and the elements.

But the numbers who survive in alleys, industrial areas, parks, ravines, parking lots, and little alcoves in the city — along with the many cats that are dumped on the streets, often near feral cat colonies if people are aware of them — keep the numbers burgeoning.

At the east-end colony where Sarafinchan ministers, along with her husband and two other helpers who help make sure the colony’s cats are fed every day of the year, she has managed to contain the population by trapping, neutering and returning the cats, spending thousands of her own dollars. Only a couple of males have not yet been neutered. The colony has gone from producing 35 kittens almost three years ago, when she first got involved, to three kittens last year, to none in 2011 “which is a huge triumph,’’ says Sarafinchan. Homes were found for all the kittens.

All the cats are named — there’s Hank, whose rotten teeth all had to be pulled but who still loves hard kibble; Jackson, who will allow some petting; Teddy and Tina, who both have matted dirty fur because they’re longhairs; and many others. The colony devours about six big cans of soft food and a large half bag of kibble every day.

These ferals, which have access to small, insulated winter shelters the volunteers have provided, have been here for years — longer than Sarafinchan has been coming.

“A feral cat in a managed colony such as ours could live for 10 years, but without food or shelter they live only a year or two,” says Sarafinchan, an articulate woman who does not meet any sort of stereotypical description of “crazy cat person” — though she’s come across people who think she is.

“People who don’t like animals are crazy,” she responds. “These cats are living creatures who are here because they were abandoned or owners didn’t have their cats fixed,” says Sarafinchan who admits the time and cost involved can be burdensome. “But I can’t just walk away . . . I know they’re waiting and they’re hungry. I’ve developed relationships with these animals.”

She says it’s not enough for colony caretakers to just feed feral felines; the solution is to get them sterilized.

The THS, along with Toronto Animal Services, which also has free spay/neuter clinics and has a trap-lending service, are part of the Toronto Feral Cat Trap Neuter Return Coalition which includes representatives from a number of cat welfare groups in the GTA. Caretakers who register the colonies they take care of — to date 135 cat colonies have been registered — can take advantage of the free sterilizations.

The coalition is hoping to map the city’s feral colonies and promote the TNR program to manage the wild cat population.

Spay-neuter clinic and cat shelter build

The Toronto Humane Society is marking international Feral Cat Awareness Day on Oct. 16 with a spay-neuter clinic, hoping to sterilize 50 feral cats which will break its own one-day record. THS veterinarians are volunteering their time for the event and will work with caretakers of feral cat colonies in the GTA who trap the cats, bring them in for the procedure, provide a space for convalescence and release the cats back to their colony.

On the same day, volunteers at the River St. location are building small shelters for feral cats, which consist of heavy duty plastic containers outfitted with insulation, straw and special entrances. They’ll be distributed by colony caretakers.

The THS has sterilized more than 500 feral cats and held 20 Trap-Neuter-Return sterilization clinics since last fall. It is part of the Toronto Feral Cat TNR Coalition which includes Toronto Animal Services and animal welfare groups such as Annex Cat Rescue, Action Volunteers for Animals, Animal Alliance and Urban Cat Relief.

To participate in the free THS spay-neuter clinic, a feral cat colony caretaker must register the colony with the THS. The coalition of shelters and animal welfare groups are trying to map the feral cat colonies in the GTA and build strategies to address the issue and control the population. To date there are 135 registered cat colonies — sizes on average range from 10 to 30 cats. That’s considered only a fraction of the feral cat colonies existing in the GTA.

Toronto Animal Services has sterilized more than 500 feral cats since opening its TNR clinic in July 2010.

Your Maine Coon kitten certainly lives up to his reputation as the gentle giant of the cat fancy. Sweet, mild-mannered and already big for his age, he charms you with his kitten antics and beauty. Did you know he comes from a long line of native North American cats?

Facts and fiction swirl together in the history of the Maine Coon. Breed enthusiasts know for a fact that a dozen of Americas first indigenous show cats were listed in the program for a Boston cat show in 1878. Various fictional tales mention the Maine Coon as a result of an encounter between a domestic cat and a bobcat; a hybrid breeding with a raccoon; or as a descendant of Norwegian Skogkatts brought to America by the Vikings.

Most Maine Coon breeders will tell you that this distinctive cat is descended from the domestic shorthaired cats of early American settlers. As the young country matured, trading ships brought longhaired cats from other lands. The foreign newcomers bred with the shorthaired natives. Eventually, someone recognized the cats good looks and began showing them competitively. In the 1860s, the title of the champion cat at the Skowhegan Fair was Maine State Champion Coon Cat.

As other breeds were introduced into the fancy, the popularity of the Maine Coon declined. In the early 1950s, Alta Smith and Ruby Dyer formed the Central Maine Cat Club to help rebuild the popularity of the breed. Through hard work and dedication, breed enthusiasts convinced the Cat Fanciers Association to accept the Maine Coon for championship status in 1976.

Domestication of maine coon cats took place in different ways. And although it is now in the home are millions of purebred and inbred animals, there are many stray  maine coon cats. Often this results in an indifferent and careless attitude towards them, prolonged lack of owners. They are forced to seek shelter from bad weather in a variety of shelters: in attics, basements, etc., to independently find their own food. Their number is steadily increasing. Part of the homeless animals, especially in rural areas, are sent into the woods, run wild and become embittered. They have to catch, since they may cause dangerous diseases.Outside the home, stray and wild are real wild maine coon cats. They are common on all continents and large islands, except Australia, New Guinea, Sulawesi, Antarctica, Greenland and Madagascar. Most of them in the tropics. As part of Primorye taiga inhabits Bengal cat. Do wild cats living primarily crepuscular and nocturnal. The basic food they are mammals, reptiles, insects, birds and fish. While feral cats do not pose a special hazard for humans, they may be carriers of diseases dangerous to humans.Domestic cat differs from the wild form of the muzzle, the size of the skeleton and digestive system, as well as the ovulation cycle.

Maine Coons – one of the oldest breeds of America. Hitherto known for certain the exact origin of Maine Coon and the existing version of the legend and left us to guess ..The only assumption on the relationship with the maine coons raccoon reliably refuted, Maine Coon cat called raccoon only because of the similarity of its wool and luxurious with a raccoon tail.Also has a version of the origin of the maine coons from the Norwegian forest cat. Others claim that they originated from the Angora cat. Another version says that these cats were brought from Asia, navigators, they took them to protect food supplies from rodents on the ship.But where would not have had this breed Maine Coon is now the national pride of America.Powerful but graceful, strong, but gentle – so used to characterize the maine coons. Their body has a rectangular shape, wider bone, muscle. Muscular legs end in massive paws round, between the fingers at the Maine Coon has tufts of hair, sometimes reaching up to 2-3cm. His head crowned with a beautiful big ears with tufts, wide at the base and tapered to the top. Extraordinarily beautiful eyes Maine Coons, oval, slightly slanting. Straight, medium length nose complements the noble appearance. Weight: maine coons ranges from 5 to 15kg. ” This is one of the largest domestic cats!Maine Coons long-haired cats – their hair thick and silky, smoothly falls, repeating the contours of the body. The most beautiful and lush collar, trousers and tail, which is equal to the length of the body.Wool Maine Coon is adapted to protect them from the weather, has a thick coat. Especially their gorgeous hair in the cold season, in summer as it thins a bit.The character of Maine Coons will exceed all your expectations – this is a fierce hunter with a gentle soul. These cats need a large living space, they are contraindicated in small-sized flats and overcrowding, they are mobile, active and playful. But in optimum conditions it will be infinitely loyal and attached to you. This is a very good cat, have a remarkable intellect. Also, the distinctive feature of the Maine Coon is their talkativeness and as a consequence, a unique gentle voice. Maine Coon cat will warm your quiet winter night and purred your favorite song.