What's in This Issue:

Updates to the site
Article for fall
Links to articles of interest
Products that help

Updates to the site:

Reminder: Please do submit your cat's photo for the "Cool Cats" contest. I've got some great items as prizes!
Summer Cool Cats Contest (2008)

The Bad Cat page is drawing some entries, but it won't work without YOU! Give it your best shot! Submit your comments and give your best advice. This is for the community at For the Love of Cats to talk to each other....
Bad Cat Behaviors From Readers

Of course, if you have a bad cat, please ask for help from the other visitors. I try hard not to interfere... (it's difficult) and if you don't get an answer, Please DO Ask A Question of the Cat Whisperer.

Fall Hazards to Cats

Cats are naturally curious, and as their people, the cat wants to know what we are up to. After all, nothing is accomplished without their supervision! So, watch carefully what you do with those chemicals.

Fertilizers can be very hazardous, because the cat walks over the lawn and garden, picking up chemicals on her paws, to be licked off later during grooming. Same with vehicle drips and fluids. Kitty walks across the garage floor or driveway and - OOPS!

The wrong chemical can kill - whether fast or slow (nothing is worse than watching a beloved kitty die from ingesting antifreeze). So, please be very careful of what you do with the chemicals and how accessible the chemicals are to your cat.

If you are the frugal sort who puts cat litter or sand in a box, then adds some used oil to it and cleans off your garden implements in the resulting mixture, please - be sure kitty does NOT use this for a litter box. That would be heartbreaking.

When you lock up the storage shed, make sure kitty is out. You don't want to leave a way for her to get in when you are not in attendance, so block all entrances. Let the mice have the sanctuary, but keep kitty out for her safety.

Leaf and brush piles are great for mice, rats, and insects; and therefore cats. Cats will stalk the pile, will sit outside it and wait for you to drive the mice out with fire. This repeats in spring, but fall bonfires are from just this kind of material.

Keep kitty back from the pile at least 3 feet. She can chase the mice as they run from the fire, but kitty really needs to be kept safe.

Squirrels are gathering their nuts for winter forage. Be careful that kitty doesn't become a target! I've seen those pesky squirrels actually toss a walnut at an unsuspecting pet on the ground below the tree! Kitty will climb the tree in an attempt to get the squirrel - and you end up with kitty stuck in a tree. She weighs much more than that squirrel, so the branches the squirrel runs on (the arial highway) won't support kitty. Your cat may become stuck or worse, fall when a branch breaks.

If kitty looks a little stunned or walks a little softly after such a fall, take her in to be x-rayed against stress fractures. Most cats will do fine, so only do this if your cat shows signs of distress.

Now is a good time to review the health of your cat, too.

She may need vaccinations, grooming or just a good dental cleaning. Check ears, eyes, and look over the skin for fleas and ticks.

Do it now so you won't be rushing around on icy roads with a caterwalling cat in the car. That is the most dangerous way to drive - distracted!

A little care now can go a long way, so be attentive to your cat's where-abouts and behaviors. Pay attention to your cat's activities.

For my readers with outdoor cats, now is a good time to clean up and check the outdoor shelters for winter. It may still seem a bit warm outside, but the weather can change quickly. At least we all hope it will be a good winter. So, check that the shelter will be waterproof against rain. Change out the padding or clean it for winter's hard use. If you insulate with cardboard flooring, now is the time to change the cardboard. Who know what is growing in it!

Check the water source to make sure it will be available on the cold days coming up.

While some of this preparation can be left for next month - October, there are other dangers then. And please be prepared to catch the odd black cat for Hallowe'en! Get the hav-a-heart trap lined up now. You don't want that poor thing to be a target in the witchy-season. All your outdoor cats are targets then, but the black ones most of all. And don't rationalize that because it has a few white hairs somewhere that it won't be a target. Crazed folk will ignore them and likely do harm to your baby. I say these things with love, not to scare you.

Links to Articles of Interest

September Products that Help

Furminator, Medium	Furminator, Small
Cat Shampoo Page I have several shampoos you can try here.	Ovitrol Shampoo
Allergy Helping Products Page There are many ways to stop allergies and cut cat hair. The products safe for your cat are here.
First Aid Kit Page Every cat household needs a first aid kit for their cats, not just their humans. Here are the items you need.	Cat Flea Control Kit

This newsletter is produced for YOU, the reader. Please let me know if you want to see anything in here that hasn't been covered for a while. You can view all the past issues and look deeper into the new information I've found.

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