Enjoying a sunny spring day are CGHS/SPCA Adoption Counselors Jhori Jurgenson and Jessica Farkas with two available pups for adoption, Maisey and Balto. Maisy is a 7-month-old female pitbull mix, who absolutely loves people and enjoys cuddling on your lap. She gets along with some other dogs, as well as cats and kids. Balto is a male 6-month-old Shepherd mix full of energy and spunk. He gets along with other animals, and will do well in a home with older children. Maisey and Balto are still young and will require active households that can exercise their energy and give them lots of love!
| Calling all cat lovers! Calling all cat lovers! While many of our readers think that I’m always “gone to the dogs,” my friends and colleagues know that I have an affinity for and adore my precious cats. It’s standard fare in my multi-animal household that the fancy felines humor my precious German shepherd dogs by allowing them to assume that they’re running the North Chatham show — fancy that! Now, on to the business at hand. Please don’t ever forget all the cats and kittens who call Columbia-Greene Humane Society their temporary home are always Furrever Free! Here’s the cheer for all your ears: We need homes for indoor cats, indoor/outdoor cats and those working “stiffs” to grace your barns. All cat adoptions are sponsored through the generosity of board members, staff, volunteers and our faithful community supporters. Please spend the afternoon with us. And while you’re perusing for that perfect, particular “cat in the hat,” you may wind up finding a canine companion to accompany your Meow Mix! |
In our eagerness to help the feline newcomer feel at home, especially when we have “Tom and Jerry” already owning our place, many of us inadvertently create an atmosphere of tension, and defensive or hostile reactions. We may end up prolonging the adjustment period for our newly-refined social circle, and in some cases even dooming the new placement attempt to failure.
It’s a simple case of too much interaction or integration too soon. Let me simplify. The best advice that can be given to a new adoptive family, with one or more pampered tabbies at home, is to isolate the new-kid-on-the-block to his/her own room. That room is complete with food, water, litter pan and toys. This “less is more” approach is also beneficial to a new single cat, easily overwhelmed by what I like to call the “whole house is beyond me” syndrome.
Back to the kitty pack — beginning on day one, the scent glands of the resident cats (along the sides of the head) should be rubbed with your fingers. Those scents should then be massaged over the body of our “apartment” dweller. Conversely, we reverse the procedure, beginning with the new kitty. Though infrequent, it can happen that one of the cats has a defensive (fearful) reaction to the cross-scenting process. If this occurs, wait 48 hours before
starting again.
Another suggestion is to place one drop of cologne on the back of the necks of all the household inhabitants. Our goal is to have the same familiar smells. Our cross-scenting is a precursor to our visual introductions. A successful transition typically takes seven to 10 days. Even if the cat is scheduled for eventual indoor/outdoor activity, this initial protocol should be in place before moving on to step two, in our next column.
Feel free to call us with any questions at 518-828-6044, or visit our website at www.cghs.org. Stop down and see us at 125 Humane Society Road, off Route 66 (about a mile south of the intersection with Route 9H) in Hudson. Our hours are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., closed on Wednesday and Sunday. The food bank is open to any from the public in need of pet food or for those wishing to donate food anytime during business hours. All of our cats and kittens are “Furrever Free” with all expenses paid. Spay/neuter clinics for cats are $65 male or female, including a rabies vaccination and a 5-in-1 feline distemper combination vaccination. Nail clipping services are available every Saturday from 10 to 11 a.m. at the shelter, no appointment necessary, for a donation of $5 for cats and $10 for dogs.
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Charlene Marchand is the chairperson of the Columbia-Greene Humane Society/SPCA Board of Directors. She may be contacted by email at [email protected].
It’s a simple case of too much interaction or integration too soon. Let me simplify. The best advice that can be given to a new adoptive family, with one or more pampered tabbies at home, is to isolate the new-kid-on-the-block to his/her own room. That room is complete with food, water, litter pan and toys. This “less is more” approach is also beneficial to a new single cat, easily overwhelmed by what I like to call the “whole house is beyond me” syndrome.
Back to the kitty pack — beginning on day one, the scent glands of the resident cats (along the sides of the head) should be rubbed with your fingers. Those scents should then be massaged over the body of our “apartment” dweller. Conversely, we reverse the procedure, beginning with the new kitty. Though infrequent, it can happen that one of the cats has a defensive (fearful) reaction to the cross-scenting process. If this occurs, wait 48 hours before
starting again.
Another suggestion is to place one drop of cologne on the back of the necks of all the household inhabitants. Our goal is to have the same familiar smells. Our cross-scenting is a precursor to our visual introductions. A successful transition typically takes seven to 10 days. Even if the cat is scheduled for eventual indoor/outdoor activity, this initial protocol should be in place before moving on to step two, in our next column.
Feel free to call us with any questions at 518-828-6044, or visit our website at www.cghs.org. Stop down and see us at 125 Humane Society Road, off Route 66 (about a mile south of the intersection with Route 9H) in Hudson. Our hours are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., closed on Wednesday and Sunday. The food bank is open to any from the public in need of pet food or for those wishing to donate food anytime during business hours. All of our cats and kittens are “Furrever Free” with all expenses paid. Spay/neuter clinics for cats are $65 male or female, including a rabies vaccination and a 5-in-1 feline distemper combination vaccination. Nail clipping services are available every Saturday from 10 to 11 a.m. at the shelter, no appointment necessary, for a donation of $5 for cats and $10 for dogs.
***
Charlene Marchand is the chairperson of the Columbia-Greene Humane Society/SPCA Board of Directors. She may be contacted by email at [email protected].
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