Birds, Chipmunks And Summer Hydration. My Summer Issues

phillyman

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Hi All,

Our stray is continuing to rule the household with an iron paw. She is very healthy and happy.
A couple of minor questions. She has gone a killing spree of chipmunks (just walks around proud and deposits them) and birds. Now with the birds, she DOES NOT want to give them up. She hisses and after much chasing I can usually find her drop it and dispose of it. Mostly it is intact but she does take her bites and eats feathers. I've not noticed anything in her stool and don't feel the need to run to the vet. BUT how worried do I need to be about diseases contracted via "wildlife"? We live in Philadelphia within the park system so there are deer, groundhogs, raccoons (she terrorizes the raccoon, only chasing no contact).

So any concerns about eating/killing the wildlife?

We have had a hot/humid Summer in the Northeast and we have started to add a couple of tablespoons of water to her wet food. It sometimes even is a bit soupy. She eats/slurps with the same vigor as before. Now, I already thought she peed enough. 3-4 times a day but didn't think extra hydration could hurt her. I'm now considering keeping up the practice year round. Is there any reason we shouldn't ?

Last but not least. I get her nails trimmed about every five weeks and she is weighed at the time. She is a very healthy looking cat, weighing a bit more than eight pounds and she continues to gain about 2 ounces a month. I've reduced some of her food intake because I don't want to put her on a diet down the road but how heavy can she get and still be healthy (yes she is spayed). She looks healthy if anything probably can put on a bit more. But my previous two cats, one was always thin and didn't gain weight. The other one got heavyish but was happy..

Thank you for the feedback and stay cool,

Philly
 

Libby.

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I had one cat that hunted, he generally ate what he caught. He was a very healthy boy.
 

Mamanyt1953

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I wouldn't worry much, about any of it, actually. At least, not so long as her vaccinations are up to date. She MIGHT, as some point, pick up a parasite, but that is a fairly slim chance. ANY cat who goes outside, or whose humans go outside onto grass can pick up parasites. As for the water...the big danger with cats is DEhydration, not over-hydration. You can cut back on the water in the winter if you want to, but you are not going to over-hydrate with what you are describing.
 
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phillyman

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thank you for the insights. Yes, I knew that dehydration was the issue that is why I added the extra water.
 

Kflowers

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You'll probably have a respectable vet bill if she does catch that raccoon. They are heavier than they look and mean scrappers. They can put a lot of damage on a cat. They can kill full grown cats.
Just so you'll know.

Do your have coyotes, most large cities do. You won't see them so you'll need to look it up.
 

Mamanyt1953

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Come to that, they can kill full-grown dogs, generally by drowning. They'll catch a dog in a stream and drop onto his head from a tree. Every year, at least one coon hound meets that end.
 

Kflowers

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I did not realize that. Coon hounds are kinda seriously large dogs. No wonder they are run in packs.

This is not helping my relationship with raccoons.
 

Mamanyt1953

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Considering that the dogs are hunting them to be shot and killed, for the most part, I almost have to give the raccoons a pass on that one.

Hmmmm....my spellchecker is trying to insist that the plural of "raccoon" is "raccoon." I must look that up.
 
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