The Cat Blog on TheCatSite.com

The one-before-last issue of Kitty Bytes - the joint newsletter of TheCatsite.com and Meowhoo.com - has been dispatched to subscribers yesterday.

If you’re not a subscriber, head over to KittyBytes.com and add your email to subscriber. For the latest issue, please visit this page:

Kitty Bytes for November 2008 - Online Edition

Another interesting debate on our forums about this literally painful topic.

To clarify, TheCatSite.com is officially anti-declawing. That stand is clearly stated in our forum rules, but of course debates about the topic are allowed. In fact, they are even welcome, as they give us all a chance to explain once more why declawing is so bad for cats.

If you’re still not sure why, let me refer you to our latest thread on the topic:

De-claw what is the big deal?

The thread has an interesting debate going, with pretty much all the revelvant issues covered. I’d like to provide you with a special link here to one post, by a former moderator known as LDG. What’s so special about this post? This one is all about facts, facts, facts. Our LDG brings you well documented facts about declawing which should help you make an informed decision:

Click here for some interesting FACTS about declawing and its effect on cats

I confess, I was surprised to see so many responses by members when I first posted this question on our cat forums. The “cats on a harness and leash” thread turned out to be a great resource for me when writing this month’s feature article:

Harness and Leash Training for Cats

Your cat may or may not be a good candidate for harness and leash training, but if you’ve never tried before, or even if you have tried and failed, I hope you’ll find our little guide useful.

Kitten season this year was no different than any other but it didn’t feel that way. Many of the TCS members who volunteer were lamenting how full their shelters were. Members who foster were busy and also full to capacity. Every week there were new people appearing who had found a stray or feral and chose to foster on their own. It can seem overwhelming. Some had to bottle feed and lose sleep to keep their rescues alive sometimes in areas far away from a vet or a supermarket. Sometimes the result is tragic as with Marianjela and booktiger who witnessed kittens who were born deformed. They didn’t make it.  Mews2much tells how almost all of her very young rescues don’t make it. Some kittens are too fragile and the odds are against them and no amount of work and devotion can save them. Thankfully, the happy endings are far more numerous. erzsebet has 3 happy stories about rescues, white cat lover has many with a standout being Bea who she fostered for many months before finding her a new home. gayef told a story about a case called simply bag of kittens. 5 week old kittens who were thrown away but beat the odds and survived. All were adopted with one going to her mother, named Gengi who she says is very spoiled and very loved. Those are the stories that keep us going and giving us enough hope to say yes to a sad stray by the side of the road or a bag of kittens or a kitten in a puddle after a natural disaster. It can feel like the homeless cat problem is beyond the grasp of the resources available. There is truth in that. But rescuers have no choice but to do as much as they can. It is a calling and one look at a homeless or helpless kitty and the doubts melt away. You know that you can try and you know that your best can’t save every one of them but when a tiny kitten makes it through the night it makes it all feel worth it. When you get your first purr then you are hooked forever. When you visit the Ferals and Rescue boards there are many stories of heroes and heroines who go down in the trenches to save a life or lives inspiring others to follow suit. We know that the homeless cat epidemic is vast and sometimes overwhelming. Doing nothing is not an option. So we continue on and for some like hissy, become experts and mentors to others, therefore, touching even more lives and making even more of a difference.

There is no special recognition, glory or awards but there are headbutts, purrs and kneading which truth be told are much much better.

In case you didn’t get your copy of our newsletter, here’s a link to the online version here -

Kitty Bytes Newsletter for Cat Lovers - October 2008

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Kitty Bytes

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With the US elections approaching, our current events forum - IMO - is heating up. While it is definitely not the focus of our cat forums, it’s interesting to watch cat lovers debate over the latest political news. The economy, foreign policy, and other matters too - all debated with the passion that only us animal lovers can feel. Granted, this forum is NOT for everyone. In fact, unless you’re an established member of at least one month, with at least 100 posts under your wing, you can’t participate in discussions. You can always have fun reading them though.

And as we always say about IMO - if you can’t stand the heat… go visit the cat care forums