August 4, 2009

Dear Obie,
I always feel so bad for stray cats when it's either very hot or very cold outside. I've heard that it's wrong to feed them because then they become dependent on you. I have to travel quite often, and I am usually gone for several weeks at a time, and there is nobody to feed them while I am gone. I don't want to start feeding them and then have them starve while I'm away. Obie, what's your opinion?
Signed, Sonja
Salem, Oregon

Dear Sonja,
That is a very difficult position that you are in. Where I live now there are stray cats that run the neighborhood, and my humans face the same dilemma. Being cat lovers, they hate to see cats that are abandoned or homeless, but they also know they can't feed, shelter and care for them all. Luckily, there are many communities that have organizations that can help assist and care for feral cats, either by offering spay and neuter programs or just through a network of people who will put food and water out for the cats. My best advice is to contact animal rescue organizations in your area and ask what options you have.

To answer your question another way, I would tell you that if you can not maintain a feeding schedule and there is nobody to assist you, then do not start feeding the stray cats. That may sound cruel and uncaring, but you stated in your own letter all the reasons why you shouldn't feed the cats when you are unable to provide regular food supplies. Like any animal, stray cats will return to a food source, depending on that food source to be there, and when it isn't, that causes problems.

Please, talk to animal welfare groups in your area, and ask for help. Chances are, you'll find a lot of caring people who will assist when you are out of town!
Your friend,
Obie

*****

Dear Obie,
My kitties ears amaze me, how she can turn them independent of each other and in all directions! How many muscles are in my cats ears?
Signed, Jill
Eugene, Oregon

Dear Jill,
Believe it or not, there are 32 muscles in each ear! That is a lot of muscles for a little ear! Compare that to the human ear that only has 6 muscles. And did you know, your kitty can rotate its ears 180 degrees independently from each other, and can respond to sound ten times faster than a dog! Hearing is one of the most important senses for a cat, second only to our sense of smell. Our hearing is far more powerful than the hearing of either dogs or humans.

Here are some other interesting cat facts you might not know. Cats have more bones in our bodies than humans, 230 compared to 206 for humans. A cat can see six times better than a human at night. Cat's jaws only move up and down; we have no lateral or side-to-side motion like humans do. When a cat drinks, we scoop up the water backwards, using tiny barbs on our tongues to catch the water. A domestic cat can sprint at 31 miles per hour. And almost 10% of a cat's bones are in its tail!

All in all, we cats are amazing and fascinating creatures, aren't we?
Your friend,
Obie

*****

Did you hear about the cat who drank five bowls of water?
He set a new lap record.

How many cats can you put in an empty box?
One, because after that the box isn't empty.

Name one place your cat can sit that you can't.
Your lap.

Five signs that your cat is too fat:
1. Confused guests constantly mistake her for a beanbag chair
2. Fewer calls to the fire department, but an upsurge in broken tree branches
3. Waits for the third bowl of food before getting finicky
4. No longer cleans itself unless coated in Cheez-Whiz
5. Has more chins than lives

*****

Congratulations to my sister, Meeshka, whose pet advice column in the St. George, Utah, Spectrum newspaper is now being carried every Friday instead of every other Friday. Way to go, Meeshka! And congratulations to my human daddy, whose fourth book, "Never Cross the Everglades with an Angry Howler Monkey," will be published later this year!