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Cats, Rats and Mice

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I've seen the occasional argument that cats shouldn't be contained because they keep the rodent populations under control. Unfortunately there is no evidence that our domestic cats are doing anything significant to keep rodents under control, and I think that the people arguing this case are often the same people who claim they don't have rats or mice on their property, or just want to justify not keeping cats safe. Rats and mice species in New Zealand Rats and mice are a huge problem in New Zealand; they wreck havoc on our bird life and make themselves unwanted guests in our homes.  We have 3 rat species and one mouse species - all imported. The main rats are the brown rat, or Norway Rat, and the Black or Ship rat.  The Brown is the biggest and an adult makes a fearsome opponent that few domestic cats will take on. The ship rat is much more manageable, and looks more like a very large mouse.  Noomi will take on all comers.  Top is an adult ship (black) rat, and below

Cats in Lockdown - COVID19 NZ

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It's been a couple of weeks now in lockdown ( Alert Level 4 ) in New Zealand and the cats are loving it.  Not just mine, who now have me at home pretty much 24 hours a day, but also many others seem to be enjoying the low vehicle activity and possibly more walkers on their streets. There's a lovely Facebook group Cats of Auckland  specifically for photos of cats people see when out and about i.e. not your own cats.  As we're only allowed local exercise now, photographing the local cats it is an extra bit of entertainment when out on a daily walk, as is seeing others' contributions. Sadly, there are still posts about missing cats and I do hope more cat owners use their time at home to think about how they might make their cats safer.  That might be keeping them in more; spending some of that lockdown time on cat DIY projects to keep them entertained at home.  Or learning about the many, many options for catios and cat fencing ; taking some time on pinterest , in

World's Worst Cat Litter

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There's quite a few discussions on the qualities of various cat litter products, and even brands.  Some claim to be the world's best litter, and others the most frugal, or eco-friendly.  I prefer the recycled paper litter myself, but was recently drawn (suckered) to try a small bag of a clumping litter.  Mainly because I had noticed a reasonable amount of dust coming off the paper litter, and we'd just had a scare with Lily's breathing (possible asthma). So, I can now say without any fear of being contradicted that I have found the world's worst cat litter.  Woolworths clumping cat litter.  I"m not even sure it would pass the Consumer Guarantees Act for description, or product performance. What makes it so bad?  Well, straight out of the bag it looks pretty good.  A small grained, grey litter with little or no dust. But it's all about the 'clumping' aint it... and this stuff doesn't clump in any way that I have seen before.   It

Keeping cats safe Campaign

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The reason my cats are contained is to keep them as safe as I can from all sorts of dangers.  International Cat Care is a UK charity founded in 1958, and they're currently collecting stories detailing incidents relating to cat safety as a way of helping other owners keep their cats safe.  They're interested in a wide range of incidents from poisoning (including anti-freeze or plants) right through to cats being lost. Your story may help to provide useful information on the most common harmful events for cats, and therefore the best solutions to keep them safe.  The  collected data may also reveal interesting or even surprising information about our cats. Click here to add your story, or learn more about this campaign

Getting the Word Out

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stuff.co.nz photo At the end of 2019 and into the beginning of 2020 there seemed to be story after story about cats in the New Zealand media.  Cats being injured (abusively or by accident), birds being killed, neighbourhood disputes, or housing developments requiring cat bans, there was no end to the variety of topics but one thing was constant - the utter ignorance about cat containment options. If mentioned at all, the story might mention cat curfews (keeping cats indoors at night) or perhaps make the written equivalent of a shoulder shrug "well, there's no way to stop cats roaming".  The comments section usually went to the worst kind of tribalism; childish name calling, and generally derogatory statements on both sides. One article discussing a neighbourhood dispute  (which turned ugly) was picked up by the breakfast tv show, and they even invited a local celebrity vet* to discuss.  Again, the same old nonsense came out.  I was really disappointed that the vet

Benefits of Cat Containment

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There are many benefits of keeping your cat safe at home, regardless of how you decide to do it. Benefits for you Reduce your stress, and effort.  No more searching for a cat that has gone missing, or explaining to the kids why their loved pet isn't there.   Save Money. Reduce your vet bills from injury and illness, or worse replacing your cat when it is killed or lost. Benefits for your cat Better health through:   Reduced fighting.   Every fight with a neighbourhood cat brings the risk of injury including life-threatening infection such as feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), Feline Leukemia Virus Infection (FeLV). Even relatively minor bites and scratches will often abscess. safe from vehicles, and dogs not straying, getting lost  (locked in an unmonitored site – neighbour's shed, empty office building or warehouse, or vehicle). Not being targeted by cat haters and would-be 'pest controllers'  Less at risk from poisoning.  Not jus

Cat Containment: The Commercial Options in New Zealand

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Cat fencing, and containment is rarely a topic in New Zealand. Start a discussion on most social media and the ignorant and aggressive comments will spew forth. I find it amazing that people will readily consider and purchase, chicken runs, dog-runs, and even rabbit or bird cages and housing, but almost go into apoplectic seizures of rage if you suggest an outside containment for their cats to enjoy and be safe in. Although some Councils are beginning to talk about cat management, in the context of protecting native birds, they have only looked at microchipping, bylaws, and potential enforcement regimes (including trapping and killing roaming cats that are not able to be identified). The options considered for, and by, cat owners are limited to keeping cats inside 24 hours, allowing them to free roam, or imposing a curfew (being kept inside at night). Clearly we have a long way to go when it comes to intelligent thinking about the welfare of our cats, and our wildlife. So today