Tag: Cattyshack Huntsville

Posted on

June Events!

Cattyshack has several events in June that we have to tell you about!

First we have Introverts Night Out! Your time has come to sit with kittens, play with kittens, read a book while being crawled on by kittens (and cats), and just enjoy not having to be social. Reservations can be made at https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/april-11-introverts-night-out

Next we have Kitten Yoga! join us for restorative yoga twice this month. The yoga is for you, but the kittens and cats can help relax and enjoy the experience. Please bring a yoga mat as we cannot provide one for you. Reservations can be made using the following link https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/2025-kitten-yoga

We also have our once yearly event KITTYPALOOZA coming to you. This event is one of our biggest fundraising events of the year! We will have art, baked goods, and merch for sale. Other rescues will be there with their adoptable kitties. We will have a meet and greet with a wonderful children’s book author. We will have 20 minute kitty snuggles in the lounge. Our award winning Cherry will be there for a meet and greet and she will be signing pictures. Plus, so much more!

Our online art auction will begin on June 14th. You can see the art on the first floor of Lowe Mill – it is called The Feline Gaze: Art for and by cats. Our closing ceremony for this will be on July 12th. You can check out our facebook page for the link to the auction.

Our June book club will be reading the book Still Beating by Jennifer Hartman! Link is available on our Facebook page or you can try this link https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/may-book-club

Posted on

June Classes! Our first class starts June 18th.

2024 Logo

Starting June 18th we are going to be having classes at the Cattyshack Lounge. The classes will cover cat care, fostering, what to do if you find a cat, how to handle bottle babies, what to do if you find a feral cat, cats basics (how to tell if a cat is male or female, claw clipping, how to tell if a cat is sick), showing a cat at a cat show, and much much more.

Our first class is June 18 and it has several different time slots. The first class is all about Fostering – and it is titled Fostering 101.

The class will detail what it means to be a foster, what it is like fostering with Cattyshack, what a foster does, and answer some of the time old questions fosters get – like how do you let any of the cats and kittens that you bring in your home to foster go?!?!

Registration for each session is limited to 12 people. Come prepared to learn, and if interested we will fill out foster applications.

Drinks are allowed as long as they are in a non glass container with a lid. Please bring a folding chair just in case a class fills up. Class is open to anyone who wants to know more about fostering, but all children must be accompanied by an adult. Tickets are $15 each, and we are going to use the money we earn from our classes to help us buy a couple of incubators so we can hopefully save more bottle babies (a bottle baby is a kitten who is between 1 day and 4 weeks old who does not have a mother).

You can make a reservation at the following link https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/fostering-101-class

Lego here was one of our April/May Bottle babies. Your donations to our classes will help us save more like her.

Posted on

Foster Interview with Amanda S

2024 Logo

Cattyshack, Inc, has a lot of people who work and volunteer behind the scenes, so we thought we would take some time to interview some of them. Today’s interview is of Amanda S, a foster and volunteer with Cattyshack, Inc.

Most of the questions are ones that have been asked several times of our fosters.

Amanda S has fostered over twenty-four cats and kittens with Cattyshack starting in 2023. Amanda answered a few questions about fostering and her experiences.

What started you in rescue and fostering?
My husband told me I could not adopt any more kittens (haha), so fostering is how I get my kitten fix.
 
What was your first foster experience like?   
Our first fosters were a litter of three kittens – Archie, Veronica, and Betty, after the Archie comics.  They were so much fun and had the best personalities. We loved getting to know them (former foster “Bad” Betty is still one of our household favorites) and enjoyed watching them interact with our cats.
What is it like to foster?   
It is an amazing feeling to get to know kittens (and cats) and give them a soft place to land for a few weeks or months.   We really enjoy getting to know their little personalities and send them to their forever homes when Cattyshack finds the right home for them.
 
What made you decide to foster with Cattyshack?   
I had been wanting to foster for a while, and saw a post from Cattyshack asking for fosters, so I jumped at the chance. Cattyshack is often looking for fosters, especially in kitten season.
How do you give the fosters up/let them go when they get adopted? 
Some kittens are harder to let go than others, but it is just part of the process. I do LOVE it when I get email updates from adopters and always encourage the adopters to do that.
Anything else you want to tell people about fostering?!
Fostering is such a fulfilling experience, and it is so important to get to help these cats.  Even if you cannot sign up to foster indefinitely, I recommend starting out with a few kittens (or a single cat) and take it from there.  It does not have to be a constant fostering.  I think we have all had to take breaks from fostering, but it makes it so much more rewarding when we are able to foster again.

Are you interested in fostering?
We are always needing committed foster homes! Cattyshack will provide you with food, dewormer, flea meds, eye ointment, flea comb, nail trimmers, new toys, and a carrier or two if you need them. We also schedule (and pay for) all vetting. You just need to purchase a couple new litter boxes and some litter. The rest is easy… just love on theses babies until they find their forever homes!!

Check out this Foster Home Timeline (under “Ways to Help” and click on the link under interested in fostering) for some basic guidelines on what to expect while you have our kitties. We will work with you every step of the way! Our owner is always available by phone, text, email, or Messenger! Once you are approved to foster, please request to friend Tina Rene Cooley on Facebook so she can send you and invitation to join the Cattyshack Crew!

Check out the “Eligibility Requirements” on our “Ways to Help” page.

Meet Ace and look deep into her soulful eyes. You would never know this lady was 15 years old! A good Samaritan was able to save her from being dumped at the shelter. Ace arrived a little thinner than we would like, but Ace is no longer skin and bones and her feedings escalate quickly – with all the growling and inhaling – like she doesn’t know when she’s getting her next meal. She got a clean bill of health after bloodwork and vaccinations from a vet in Tuscaloosa before being transported to Huntsville. Can you help us find Ace a home where she can play and never miss a meal again?

Posted on

How do I keep my new cat from getting bored?

2024 Logo

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.

 

Posted on

The Cattyshack Book Club is Coming!

2024 Logo

Join us as we take a dive into the world of Basgiath War College at our inaugural event for the Cattyshack Book Club! We will be discussing the first two books in the ongoing Empyrean series – Fourth Wing and Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros. Next month we will be discussing the newest book!

The book club is January 17th from 7-9pm. You can bring your own drink as long as it is not in a glass container and has a lid. No food is allowed.

Space is limited to 15 people, so register soon. And do not forget to wear your rider black!

“A dragon without its rider is a tragedy. A rider without their dragon is dead.”

Proudly powered by WordPress