March 28th: Respect Your Cat Day

March 28th, 2023 | Posted by CCadmin1* in Adopt A Shelter Cat | Animal Health | Animal Welfare | Cat Lovers | Healthy Pets | Healthy Pets Initiative | Humane Pennsylvania - (Comments Off on March 28th: Respect Your Cat Day)

Written by Alexandra Young, Humane Pennsylvania Community Outreach Programs Manager

Many refer to me as a “crazy cat lady,” but I don’t mind. I have spent more than 20 years advocating for the rights of and implementing humane management of free-roaming/community/feral cats in Berks County. I took care of 29 inside cats for four years and have volunteered in animal rescue for my entire life.

Today, as an animal welfare professional, I learned that there is an official “Respect Your Cat Day” every March 28th[1] and according to my brief research on the holiday, it may have stemmed from an edict proclaimed by King Richard II on March 28, 1384 – that people shall no longer eat cats! In any case, I don’t need someone to tell me not to eat my pets… To honor, cherish and celebrate every cat that I have “owned,” trapped/sterilized/released, rescued, or humanely euthanized, I sincerely hope this little write-up will remind my fellow humans how fortunate we are to be tolerated by these creatures and the glimpse they give us of the “wild” animal from which they originated, while we enjoy their companionship and silly antics.

There is still speculation on how long “our house cats” have been domesticated, but a 2007 study published in Science research journal obtained more data on the genetic analysis. The authors of that study claim that all domestic cats are descendants of a Middle Eastern wildcat (Felis silvestris) and the domestication process started up to 12,000 years ago[2]. Regardless of how many years have passed, with nearly 32 million U.S. households having at least one cat[3], it’s clear that they are still in fact considered family members.

Here are ways to respect and honor your kitty through healthy enrichment (check out sites like Etsy and Pinterest for lots of inspiration for the first two ideas):

  • Build a Catio[4]: A Catio is an enclosed outdoor space that is “kitty-accessible” through an interior window. There are kits and designs for every budget and if you’re handy, you’ll have a great time designing and building your own. If you have a limited budget or are short on space and skills, consider hiring a contractor to build you a “kitty window”, which is essentially a cage that is the same size as a window air-conditioner unit and installed the same way. I guarantee your cat will enjoy the sights and smells of the outside world, but will remain safely on your property.
  • Create a wall gym: choose a dedicated wall or room and build UP with shelves and posts. Not only is this a great boredom buster, but it can alleviate pecking order and other behavioral issues by giving cat(s) a safe and instinctive retreat from dominant cats, dogs, toddlers, or other “annoyances.”
  • Use interactive food puzzles and toys: house cats can become lazy, bored, and overweight due to lack of activity, free feeding of too much dry food, and busy schedules. Having the opportunity to forage for food will offer mental stimulation and a calorie-burning activity.
  • Foster a shelter or rescue cat: Save a life and see if your kitty becomes more curious, playful, and energized with another feline friend. If you confirm that they don’t enjoy the company, you’re wiser to their needs and you can spend more quality time with your one cat!
  • Don’t declaw your cat. It’s the same as amputating every tip of each of your fingers…OUCH! Cats need their claws to scratch. Scratching helps our feline friends build muscle and mark their territory, and it is an important natural behavior. Their retractable claws are truly an engineering marvel that should be left as nature intended. Give your cat a great scratching post or pad and reward them lavishly for using it while redirecting inappropriate scratching to that post. Cats learn by positive reinforcement and do not respond well to aversive methods like spray bottles and shock mats.
  • Commit to playing with your kitty for at least 10 minutes per day before their meal: See your cat in its truest form by initiating the “hunt/catch/kill/eat” instincts as described by cat behavior expert Jackson Galaxy[5], whose website is full of excellent feline behavioral and health information to help you improve your cat’s quality of life with you.

Although your cat still exhibits some wildness about them, rest assured that they are dependent on you to provide healthy food, adequate shelter, proper stimulation, and an annual veterinary exam to keep them in tip-top shape.

Most of my cats have lived to be almost 20 years old (and older!) so don’t delay, contact our Humane Veterinary Hospitals (HVH) today for an appointment. We usually have appointments available within the same week and as the only AAHA-accredited, non-profit veterinary hospital in Berks County, we offer low-cost, high-quality medical care to your pet while you support our charitable cause to help thousands of homeless pets every year.


[1] https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/respect-your-cat-day/

[2] https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/a-brief-history-of-house-cats-158390681/

[3]https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/reports-statistics/us-pet-ownership-statistics

[4]https://habitathaven.com/collections/catio-kits

[5] https://www.jacksongalaxy.com/

 

 

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Big (and little) Changes Coming to Lancaster (and Berks!)

March 9th, 2023 | Posted by CCadmin1* in Animal Welfare | Healthy Pets | Healthy Pets Initiative | Humane Pennsylvania | Humane Veterinary Hospitals | Walk-In Vet Clinic - (Comments Off on Big (and little) Changes Coming to Lancaster (and Berks!))

Written by: Humane Pennsylvania CEO & President, Karel Minor

Last year, Humane Pennsylvania made some huge leaps forward. Our veterinary services expanded by opening HPA’s Healthy Pets Walk-In Clinic in Berks and Lancaster.  This unique, no-appointment wellness option, priced at 40% of standard pricing, opened a door to pet caretakers for accessing vet care who were not served by existing veterinary options. It proved overwhelmingly popular, and we quickly expanded and filled!

In Berks County: Every Wednesday, 9 AM – 5 PM and Every Friday, 9 AM – 1 PM at the Freedom Center for Animal Life-Saving, 1801 N. 11th St., Reading, PA 19604, Phone: 610-921-2348, [email protected]

In Lancaster County: Every Thursday, 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM, at the HPA Lancaster Campus, 2195 Lin­coln High­way East, Lan­caster, PA 17602, Phone: 610-921-8387 (VETS), [email protected]

Beginning in 2023, HPA unveiled affordable and accessible, all-in-one spay & neuter services in Berks County. We also began testing a new approach to sterilizing feral cat colonies that focuses intensive efforts on entire colonies at once (much more to come on that in the future!).

We still have more to do, and much of our effort will be directed at HPA’s Lancaster facilities and services. Through the end of 2023, volunteers and the public will see some changes at the Lancaster Center for Animal Life-Saving and the adoption and veterinary services offered at that campus. Some of these changes will be big and permanent. Some changes will be temporary and will allow us to begin renovations and program expansion within the campus. These changes will include:

  • A reimagining of the quality of care, breadth of programs, and major housing renovations for cats, critters, and exotics.
  • Renovation and rehab of dog kenneling and a filling of service gaps identified by dog caretakers, our staff, and volunteers.
  • Expansion of signature HPA programs like Spike’s Pet Pantry and the Healthy Pets Initiative into Lancaster.
  • Expansion of HPA’s more accessible and affordable spay & neuter services and feral cat colony services.

Some of these improvements are coming very soon! New spay & neuter services and feral cat colony caretaker outreach will begin at the Lancaster campus around April 1! Renovations to the cat, dog, critter, and exotic animal housing will start, and the full introduction of Healthy Pets Initiative programs will be ongoing throughout the year. New service options designed to fill service gaps will be introduced as these programs are developed, and the facility is properly outfitted.

Some of these new service options may include PetNet emergency board expansions; services in support of HPA’s partnership with the American Red Cross and PA State Animal Response Team; and new program options to help caretakers of dogs, especially those with special needs that may impede their ability to access services.

What does this mean for the community, volunteers, and staff? Ultimately, it means better services, options, and facilities to serve animals and people better.  However, in the short term, it means Humane PA will be operating almost all dog adoption & intake services at its newly renovated and rebuilt Berks County campus.

We will be asking the public to contact HPA’s Reading campus for those services for much of the remainder of 2023. Doing this will allow us to make critically needed improvements more quickly, economically, and with less stress on our animals and people. Unfortunately, that also means there will be minimal dog care volunteer opportunities for a short time at HPA’s Lancaster facility. All current and new dog volunteers will be invited to schedule shifts in Reading using HPA’s new Better Impact Volunteer App.  Cat and critter services and volunteer opportunities will remain unchanged but may be subject to occasional disruptions due to renovations and program expansions.

The inconvenience of the work we are doing in the coming months will result in better outcomes for animals and better access to HPA’s exceptional services and programs for years to come. We will be updating the community regularly through newsletters and social media. We will also be re-introducing HPA’s Welcome Waggin’ tours in April to offer you a behind-the-scenes look at the work we are doing to better serve animals and people!

We appreciate the understanding, support, and patience of our volunteers and the community as we take the next big steps to building the best communities anywhere to be an animal or an animal caretaker.

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