Do you have any questions about cats, kittens, cat or kitten care, rescue, fostering, adoptions, anything feline related?
Let us know what question you have and we will write a blog post to answer these questions!
What Questions do you have?
How do I keep my new cat from getting bored?
Cats and kittens have a need to play. While cats and kittens often sleep, they do have moments where they need to play, have the “zoomies,” or need something to keep them from destroying the things in your house. Having toys and other things to keep your cats engaged and playful is a great way to help your new cat and kitten adjust to your home, adjust to you, and not destroy your grandmother’s legacy quilt.
One thing to note is that if you own a cat or kitten do not let them play outside unless you have a specific outdoor structure for them, they are on a harness, or they have been trained to stay within a certain area. Cats who are outdoor/indoor have a much shorter lifespan than those who are indoor with supervised outdoor activity. Training on a harness will be addressed in a later blog.
All felines have a inherent need to hunt and they love sunny, warm places. Putting a sun catcher in a window is a great way to entertain a cat. As the sun shines through the class or glass beads and reflects on the floors and walls of your home, most felines will chase it until the sun moves and is no longer reflecting, or until they exhaust themselves. Hanging a birdhouse outside of a window is another way to help them feel as if they are using their hunting skills on trying to figure out how to catch the birds using the bird feeder or birdhouse.
If you have a job that takes you out of the house, cat TV is great to have on and there are programs that are several hours long. Of course, one thing to think about is if your television is stable in case the cat jumps on or at it. Another great toy is a laser toy that has a time limit and will turn itself on and off after certain amounts of time. One of our volunteers has a laser toy that is adjustable, so the time can be short (5 minutes) or longer (20 minutes). The toy will turn itself off and then after an hour it will turn itself back on. The great thing about the toy is that it also is rechargeable, so not batteries. There is also the jumping fish, that lasts for several days and will jump around when cats touch certain parts of it. The fish toy is also rechargeable.
Having several scratching posts will help keep a cat from scratching on your furniture. Also, make sure to have several toys available in case the cat suddenly gets the zoomies, which is when they will need something to play with and release that energy on.
Meet Poppy! This sweet boy is a little shy at first, but was the first one of his litter to start bossing the foster mom around at meal time! He loves snuggles and when picked up he sometimes snuggles himself with his head resting on your shoulder. He would love to be adopted with another kitten as he loves to play with his foster siblings, especially Morticia.
Happy 2025!
Cattyshack hopes that this year is one of the best years of your life. The kittens and cats all thank you for your support, as does the Cattyshack rescue. While things continue to be rough, we can only hope that the new year brings wonderful things and awesome rewards as we continue to try to save as many lives as we possibly can.
We look forward to seeing you at the lounge Thursday – Saturday, and we look forward to adopting out more of our kitties to homes they deserve.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays
What Does it Mean when a Cat or Kitten is Sponsored?
Currently, Cattyshack, Inc, is running a sponsorship drive, but we have had a lot of people ask – what does it mean when a cat or kitten is sponsored?
When a cat or kitten is sponsored, it means that their adoption fees have either been fully paid for or partly paid for – most of the time they have been fully paid for. The sponsored cat or kitten then can be adopted without cost to the adopter, after the adopter has been approved of course. Cattyshack, Inc, does not allow for same day adoptions. If a potential adopter would like to adopt a kitten or cat they do have to apply and be approved, even if the cat or kitten is a sponsored adoption. We also do not allow kittens to go into homes without other cats as they can fall prey to single kitten syndrome – meaning they lose their social skills and often return to some of their feral behaviors. Unless otherwise stated, we always like our cats to have a friend in the home to play, communicate, and snuggle with.
Below are some of our sponsored cats and kittens.
Boo and Luna are sisters who have to be adopted together as they are a bonded pair.
Mork and Zim are brothers who have to be adopted together as they are a bonded pair. Zim only has one eye, but he gets around and plays perfectly. Since they are both sponsored you get two for the price of None!
Sleepy was sponsored and cannot wait for her forever home. She loves playing with feather toys and grew up in a foster home that has dogs.
Dr. Teeth came in as a pregnant momma, and all of her kittens were small little tabbies that, even now, can be hard to tell apart. She was sponsored and is happy to be free of her babies.
Lips is one of Dr. Teeth’s babies. She is a little shy at the lounge, but when she is in her foster home she is running and running and chasing her foster siblings until she tires out and plops down. She was sponsored to celebrate someone’s birthday.
Joey is another sponsored kitten and is fun to play with. He loves playing with other kittens and would do well with another kitten his age.
Babybel is no relation to Joey. She had her cheese litter and is not ready to find her home. Babybel is also a sponsored cat, and she would love a gentle home as she needs a moment to get used to you. Once she does get used to you she is a purr-fest and does not stop!
Chandler is a beautiful girl who wants to find her forever home. The rest of her siblings have been adopted and she has been sponsored so she too can find an awesome home.
Mary Shelley and Octavia E Butler were recently sponsored so they can be adopted together. These girls love chasing each other around the house (and their foster siblings) and when they tire they love snuggling with each other, and will snuggle with you too. Octavia is a little shy at first, but once she comes around she is the sweetest little girl.
Charles Dickens is still a somewhat skittish young man. He’s not so sure that the lounge is the safest place… yet. He is going to be an amazing ginger kitty when he’s ready to show someone that he trusts and loves them, and we hope to find him the right family to do just that! Anyone who wants to adopt him is going to need to be patient as he learns that people are safe. But, look at those amazing airplane ears! They are so awesome and cute.
Introverts Night is Coming to YOU!
Are the holidays frightful? Are you exhausted because you have been spending so much time with family? Do you need a purr break from the stresses of the holidays? Come out for Introverts Night at Cattyshack!
December’s Introverts Night Out just happens to fall on Friday the 13th again, and is also the last Introverts Night of the year! Come join us on this “Nightmare Before Christmas” if you will.
You can get more information and buy tickets at zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/introverts-night-out-dec–13?fbclid=IwY2xjawGxxhBleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHb0b08zgQsAq6OE9k64h0g-A29NNThKDAiVcaKnGRcRAqOOecJIxFP6F4g_aem_4f6N0xCjGOxJhYbnPgns1g
Auction Featured Artist of the Day
Our last artist feature is another Lowe Mill Artist with a studio called Symmetrical Universe.
Symmetrical Universe is run by the artist Steve Pitts, who creates all of the work you can see in his studio. The studio is on the second floor of Lowe Mill in studio 2051. Steve draws all of his work with a Radiograph pen which is a technical pen often used by engineers, architects, and drafters, and often uses an ink cartridge rather than refillable tubes. His art is all very sleek and several are fine lined. He has a variety of different types of work ranging from architectural places to machines to mandellas. Steve Pitts has donated several items to the auction and we are happy to feature him in our blog.
You can visit his website at symmetricaluniverse.com
Below is one of the pieces that he donated to our auction
Website for the Auction is zeffy.com/tick…/cattyshack-incs-silent-auction
Auction Featured Artist of the Day
Today we want to focus on someone who seems to specialize in big cats and the female form.
We received donations from the artist Briana Zierman-Felix. She used to have a studio on the first floor but moved up to the second so she could have more space, and everyone is lucky she moved. She has so many original paintings that moving to a bigger studio helped get everything she had seen. Her art is powerful and passionate and all of it evokes a feeling, what that feeling is will be up to the viewer of the art.
You can buy her art in her studio at Lowe Mill at 2005, or visit her website brianaziermanfelix.com.
Here is one of the items she has donated to our auction.
Website for Auction zeffy.com/tick…/cattyshack-incs-silent-auction
Auction Featured Artists of the Day
Today, we want to introduce you to Cut A Rug Tufting Studio. The studio is located at the Lowe Mill Arts & Entertainment building in wonderful Huntsville, Alabama, Studio 326, which is on the third floor. The artist, Brent, is a friendly, nice guy who was willing to donate two cat rugs to the Cattyshack Online Auction. He has rescued a dog and cat himself. His rescued cat was seen on the side of the road, after having been hit by a car, and lost one of his back legs due to the incident. The kitten has now grown to be a cat and gets around fine as a tripod! Brett also holds workshops, so you can learn to tuft your own unique rug. You can visit his website at cutarugtufting.com.
Here you can see one of the rugs that Brett of Cut A Rug has donated.
Aplin Artworks is another studio that donated to the auction. The studio is located at the Lowe Mill Arts & Entertainment building, Studio 2000, which is on the second floor. The studio is run by Dennis and Patricia Aplin. They have a great studio with a lot of light, which is great because their work is stained and melded glass works. Their son also makes beautiful glass chessboards. They have lessons where you can learn to work with glass in a mosaic application. Check out their website at http://aplinartworks.net/
Website for Auction zeffy.com/tick…/cattyshack-incs-silent-auction
Cattyshack Online Silent Auction Begins Today
Cattyshack Inc. is hosting an Online Auction to get your holiday shopping off to a great start! Watch this spot to see some of our auction items and to meet some of the artists who donated!
Cattyshack is hoping to raise funds to help support our medical needs. We are currently taking care of several kittens with Feline Infectious Peritonitis and the treatment is costly, as are the vet visits. We are also hoping to build an emergency medical fund for other issues that might arise.
Most of the items listed here are from Lowe Mill artists and vendors! If you like what you see, feel free to check out their studios at Lowe Mill and follow them on social media!
We thank everyone for their support, and we thank every artist for their donations.
The auction starts on Cyber Monday, December 2 and will end a week later on December 8.
Items are available for preview now, as we add more to our auction. Official bidding begins Monday, December 2. Any bids made before that date will not be counted.
Bidding ends Sunday, Dec. 08 at 6pm.
Website for Auction zeffy.com/tick…/cattyshack-incs-silent-auction