Lilac's Cat Chat

04/07/2024

Independence Day is a dangerous time for pets. The terrifying boom of fireworks sends animals into a panic as they try to flee the source of the noise. The result is a surge of lost pets, heartbroken pet parents, and animals impounded at shelters. July 5th is well known to be the busiest day for animal shelters.

With the current extreme overcrowding crisis being experienced in shelters throughout the country, it is particularly important that we keep our companion animals securely indoors. We need to do this not only for the benefit of each of them, but also for the hundreds of cats, dogs, rabbits, etc. already in our shelters who could be euthanized to make room for a flood of new arrivals. Even when a lost pet is reunited with their family from a shelter, their short stay there may have cost another animal’s life.

Helpful Tips for a Safe & Responsible Holiday:

- Securely lock all doors & windows. Shut windows, even those with screens or bars, to minimize the sound of fireworks and remove the opportunity for your pet to break open the screen if frightened.
- If you are hosting a get-together at your home, please consider keeping your pet in a quiet room separate from the party so as to reduce the opportunity that your pet may escape out the door as it opens and closes multiple times throughout the party. Cats will generally prefer a quiet, safe area to relax. It is best if you choose a room that cats already enjoy hanging out in, especially if it is relatively soundproof. If your cat has a favorite covered bed to hide in, bring that as well. If not, you can create one with a blanket and a cardboard box. A smaller space to hide can help cats feel safer. Make sure the room has litter, food, and water, as well as a few of their favorite toys.
- Muffle the sound of fireworks by playing music or turning on the television. You can also turn on a fan, air conditioner, or a white noise machine.
For cats, you can use a calming collar and pheromone sprays or plug-in diffusers. There also many people who speak highly of experiences with products like the ThunderShirt, which can reduce stress and anxiety in both dogs and cats by applying gentle, constant pressure.
- Keep dangerous items out of reach. Matches and fireworks may be the obvious 4th of July staples to keep away from your pet but also watch out for streamers, ribbons, and other party favors. Animals can choke, suffer an obstruction, or become sick by ingesting these items. This goes for party food as well! Many of our favorite party foods are poisonous for animals, particularly if they contain onion and garlic. Make sure your pets only consume food and treats meant for them.
- Please make sure to ID your pet and that your contact information is updated. Microchips are the best form of ID, but a collar with tags is a good added layer of protection. If you want to get some kind of ID on your pet today, you can write your telephone number on a collar with a permanent marker or attach a piece of tape to the current collar and write your telephone number on the tape. Please use break-a-way collars for all cats that are indoor/outdoor or outdoor only.

Community Cat Care:

- Please try to feed and provide water for the community cats earlier in the day before the sun goes down and the fireworks start. In this way, the cats can tuck away in safety with a full belly and not have to wander out into danger or cross any streets during the festivities.
- Make sure your information on each cat is up to date and do a head count the next day, just to be safe.
- To further ensure the safety of community cats, pick up firework debris and other trash outdoors after the festivities end.
- Community cats may hide for quite a while after fireworks displays. It is always best practice to monitor every cat you care for and keep an eye out for all of them. Alley Cat Allies’ community cat tracking system can help you get organized.
- Microchip your community cats. This can be done as a part of the TNR process or when you bring them in for updated vaccinations.

PLEASE NOTE: If your pet is still exhibiting intense signs such as shaking, drooling, increased heart rate, inappropriate bathroom habits, or suppressed appetite, long after the fireworks, consult a veterinarian right away.

IMPORTANT: If you suspect your cat ingested a substance or food that could be poisonous to them, contact the Pet Poison Helpline immediately at 855-764-7661

All info & resources gathered from the below sites on 7/4/2024:
4th of July Safety Tips for Cats | Alley Cat Allies
It's More Important to be Cautious This 4th of July Than Ever - ALLEY CAT RESCUE (saveacat.org)
Community Cat Colony Tracking System | Alley Cat Allies
Microchips Save Lives | Alley Cat Allies

15/05/2024

Trust the Hands
No matter how put together the person is, the hands tell the truth.
TNR volunteers tend to have dirty hands. From climbing in corners, under bushes and exploring holes. They bait traps with sardines and chicken, by hand and sit for hours in snowstorms and heatwaves.
Fosters tend to have dry, cracked hands. It's from washing in bleach or concentrated Res-Q chemicals. They wash their hands before, between and after handling fosters, to ensure illness isn't transferred.
Rescue fosters who do both have the roughest hands. Cracked to bleed almost.

19/03/2024

Are you looking for low-cost options to get a cat spayed or neutered and vaccinated in Utah? Or maybe someone you know or someone in your neighborhood needs to spay/neuter their cat? Maybe you have community cats that need to be neutered to prevent kittens and reduce illness? I compiled these current resources from their websites, and the locations are Salt Lake City, Murray, St. George and Peoa, UT. These resources are for both pets and community cats. I hope this info helps. I hope this post is shared all over utah so that everyone knows that low-cost options are available and how to find them. Save the attachment so you can have it for a resource.
All my love to the cats in need and the people who want to help them live a long, happy, illness-free life.

Low Cost Spay/Neuter & Vaccination Resources for Pet Cats:

Orchard Animal Outreach Clinic - Salt Lake City
NEUTER FELINE (MALE) $*50.00 (Must add another service or vaccine for this price)
NEUTER ONLY- FELINE (MALE) $*65.00 (Must have proof of current rabies vaccine)
SPAY FELINE (FEMALE) OVER 5 months old, ADULT K9 teeth VISIBLE $*75.00
UNDER 5 months old, NO ADULT K9 teeth VISIBLE-NONE $*60.00
All (tame house) cats must be brought in their own clean, hard plastic ANIMAL carrier.
Due to the high risk and health issues - purebred, "designer" breeds breeder or pet store purchased kittens and cats will not be accepted for surgery. Deposit may be forfeit if you bring one in. ​Brachycephalic will be charged an additional fee. Aggressive, unhandleable cats may be charged extra.
*Pregnancy may be an extra charge, $15 and up. Nursing females should have 2 weeks with NO KITTENS NURSING on her to allow her mammary glands to dry up before spay surgery, to avoid possible complications. ​We are able to spay female cats in heat (*an extra charge may apply $5-$30)
RABIES $15.00 (Required by law for all cats over 16 wks. old, but can be given as early as 13 weeks old) This is a 3 yr vaccination for cats over 12 months old, 1 yr vaccination if under 12 months old.
FVRCP (Nasal or injectable distemper/ upper respiratory combo) $15.00 This is a 3 yr vaccination for cats over 12 months old, 1 yr vaccination if under 12 months.
Please see website for all pertinent info and follow directions exactly as explained on the website. If you have questions, you can call 801-886-1770. As they are only a staff of two, Please leave a detailed message or email them @ [email protected] and they will return your message within 72 business hours. Most questions can be answered on their site.
Book an appointment through the scheduling link on the website at
https://www.orchardanimaloutreach.org/orchard-animal-clinic.html


Humane Society of Utah -

Spay/Neuter & Vaccination Clinics in Murray & St. George
If you are interested in spay/neuter surgery for your pet cat, Please
call our Murray Clinic at 801-261-2919 ext. 230 to make an appointment.
Spay/Neuter surgeries are done by appointment only Monday through Saturday.
Cat Spay or Neuter $150
All pet cats must be brought in their own clean, hard plastic animal carrier.
https://www.utahhumane.org/clinic-locations

SNIP Program - For members of the Utah community who are struggling
with financial hardship. Please see website for more info or call the
SNIP Coordinator at 801-261-2919 extension 253 for more info and to get the prices.
https://www.utahhumane.org/clinic-locations/murray-clinic/snip

Last Litter Program -
The Last Litter Program is for pet cats who have a litter of kittens or pet dogs
who have a litter of puppies whose guardian needs help rehoming and getting
their mama cat or dog spayed to prevent future litters. HSU will intake the kittens
or puppies for adoption and vaccinate, spay, and return the mama cat or dog to
you on the same day. The intake fee for a litter of kittens or puppies is $100 to help offset the cost of care provided to the kittens or puppies (including vaccination & deworming, spaying/neutering, and microchipping) until they can be adopted. There is no additional fee to vaccinate, spay and return mama cats or dogs to their homes through donations and grants from our generous supporters. A $30 deposit is required to hold the appointment, which will go toward the total $100 intake fee. Please fill out application on the website
https://www.utahhumane.org/programs-services/lastlitter

Salt Lake Spay and Neuter - Murray
801-262-6414
Cat Spay Price: $90.00
In heat +$10.00-$15.00 additional
Pregnant +$15.00-$50.00 additional
Feline Neuter Price: $70.00
Cryptorchid:
Inguinal $15.00 per testicle additional
Abdominal $40.00 per testicle additional
There is no charge for the recheck appointment as long as the aftercare instructions are followed.
Please call for an appointment
https://spayandneuterofslc.com/

Nuzzles & Co
The Nuzzles Rescue Ranch in Browns Canyon (20 min east of Park City) – 6466 North High View Road, Peoa, UT
Cat Spay: $90
Cat Neuter: $80
FVRCP (cats), FeLV (cats), Rabies: $25
Cat vaccine package (FVRCP and Rabies): $45
*There is an additional $50 charge for all brachycephalic (flat-nosed) breeds (ie Pugs, Bulldogs, Boston Terriers, Shih Tzus, Persian cats, etc) to cover extra anesthetic precautions.
Book an appointment through the scheduling link on the website at
https://nuzzlesandco.org/community-clinic/

************* *************
Low Cost Spay/Neuter & Vaccination Resources for Community Cats/Feral Cats:

Orchard Animal Outreach Clinic - Salt Lake City
Orchard Animal Outreach is our nonprofit 501(c)(3) division, which will allow us to continue to provide low or no cost spays and neuters, veterinary care for feral and community cats, as well as take in shelter animals facing euthanasia for time, space constraints, need for veterinary care or having received unfavorable behavior evaluations.
Our feral/community cat protocol is fairly rigorous. We feel this may be the only time this cat will get medical attention, so we make sure they are in better condition when they leave us then they came to us.
We comb mats, pull teeth if needed, clean wounds, remove growths, anything they need to make their lives better.
FERAL/COMMUNITY CAT TNR SURGERY
MALE CATS $45.00 or FEMALE CATS $55.00
FERAL Cat TNR Surgery's for a $30 copay per cat are available. These surgery's are made possible by and if funds are available by donations to orchard animal outreach. Lower or no copays may be available for larger sites.
The TNR surgery prices include: Neuter/Spay, RABIES VACCINE, FVRCP, topical Revolution, exam, anesthesia, surgery, spay incision tattoo for females, an antibiotic injection and one pain management injection, ear tip & overnight at the clinic in their trap.
*Pregnancy may be an extra charge, $15 and up. Nursing females should have 2 weeks with NO KITTENS NURSING on her to allow her mammary glands to dry up before spay surgery, to avoid possible complications. ​We are able to spay female cats in heat (*an extra charge may apply $5-$30)
All feral/community cats must arrive in a trap. Please see website for all pertinent info and follow directions exactly as explained on the website. If you have questions, you can call 801-886-1770. As they are only a staff of two, Please leave a detailed message or email them @ [email protected] and they will return your message within 72 business hours. Most questions can be answered on their site.
Book an appointment through acuity scheduling on the website at
https://www.orchardanimaloutreach.org/communityferal-cats.html

Humane Society of Utah - Murray
Community CATNIP Program - Community cats only - $25
(Includes spay/neuter surgery, eartip, rabies, & feline distemper vaccinations)
All community cats (unowned, free-roaming outdoor cats and kittens who may be feral or social with people and may or may not have a human caregiver) must arrive in a trap. Please follow directions exactly as explained on the website.
Book an appointment on the website at
https://www.utahhumane.org/programs-services/catnip

Salt Lake Spay and Neuter - Murray 801-262-6414
We usually accept 10 community cats daily Monday through Thursday from 7-9:30am on a first come first served basis. Pick up is the same day from 5:30-6pm. We close at 6pm. Please call or text us the day before you plan on trying to trap them to be added to the trapper list. This is not considered a scheduled appointment as we can never guarantee if the trapping will be successful. They must be brought in a humane trap, not a carrier. To qualify for Community Cat services, they must be unowned, have their left ear tipped, must receive a rabies vaccine, and you must have the intent to release the cat back to where it was.
Community Cat Services:
Feral/Community cat spay...........................$60.00
Feral/Community cat neuter.......................$40.00
Ear tipping...................................................No Charge
Rabies vaccine.............................................$8.00
FVRCP..........................................................$15.00
FeLV.............................................................$25.00
Revolution...................................................$7.00
Dental..........................................................$350.00 or less
Minor wound care.......................................prices vary
https://spayandneuterofslc.com/services/community-cats

Nuzzles & Co
The Nuzzles Rescue Ranch in Browns Canyon (20 min east of Park City) – 6466 North High View Road, Peoa, UT
FREE-ROAMING COMMUNITY CATS (ALSO CALLED FERAL CATS)
We offer reduced fee spay/neuter packages for community cats who will be released back into their colony or previous habitat. This service is for cats who live exclusively outdoors and are mostly unsocialized to humans and is not for owned, social outdoor cats.
Community Cat Package $35 (includes the following):
Spay or neuter, Rabies Vaccine, FVRCP Vaccine, Deworming, Left Ear Tip
ALL community cats MUST arrive in a humane wire cat trap. Please cover each cat’s trap with a sheet or blanket to reduce stress. Community cats who arrive in a regular cat carrier will be charged a cage transfer fee. Email at [email protected] or call 435-608-1424 for more information.
Book an appointment through the scheduling link on the website at
https://nuzzlesandco.org/community-clinic/

07/01/2024

We are completely out of cat food. 😔
Over 200 homeless cats wait for their meal every evening. Please help! 🙏🏽

You can Venmo us to

Or check out our Amazon wishlist below:
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3T02FVKQEXUL0?ref_=wl_share

PLEASE SHARE • VOLUNTEER • DONATE

07/01/2024

We are now taking spay and neuter appointments for the public's "owned" house pets. Please follow clinic requirements so OAC may continue to offer these services at an affordable rate. We can only do this when caregivers choose to help us help them. Thank you.

07/01/2024

***update****Finally got to talk to the doc..shadow is not blocked however he has a severe UTI that they believe has moved into the kidneys. They are getting us an estimate for overnight care to be placed on IV antibiotics to help knock it out better because he is not eating. However it may be more than what I can reasonably say yes to. We already have a back balance with the er vet and if we agree to hospitalizing shadow we are looking at an additional 2500 to 3k. They will also be doing a fast scan to make sure shadow doesn't have any stones or any masses doc mentioned the dreaded c word. Shadows kidney values are elevated as well.

We are currently at the er with shadow. Shadow isn't eating I checked his temp and he's over 105. He was growling when I touched his belly so something is going on and he couldn't wait to be seen this is his current estimate for the er visit the ya and bloodwork.

If anyone can help us cover this id appreciate it PayPal is below

https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=MHQQKMTP39NVC

Venmo is shadescommunitycatssanctuary

13/12/2023

"Excited to announce" less animals saved and returned home, shirking the responsibility in order to force the public to rely on already drowning small rescues that are donation & volunteer run all the while re-routing funds and focus away from animal welfare, TNR and community animal care programs.
Three steps back, in a state that already ranks in the bottom for animal rights and welfare.
This is their new model.
This is their future. Rescues full and begging for donations and fosters. Public being referred to these rescues for assistance. Rescuers and Veterinary personnel killing themselves or running themselves into the ground due to compassion fatigue.
This is neglect for animals and a failure to the local community at its finest.
This cannot be accepted. I urge everyone to contact YOUR representatives and mayors. This decision was made for Tooele residents without any say. This decision was made without any input from the rescues that will now be bombarded with the results of this decision. Your shelter IS next. Donation funded rescues do not have the capacity to shoulder this on their own. Hell, we don't even have the capacity to do what we have been doing and it kills us to not be able to have the resources to help; forcing us to turn people with animals in need away. Losing sleep over the ones we couldn't help.
I encourage everyone to go directly to this post to see the rescues screams for help and begging for this direction to be reconsidered.
I am disgusted and repulsed by this direction. Please, make your voices heard. This cannot be allowed to become the new normal.

03/05/2023

Today Maddox is going in for his 80 day bloodwork check. We have done 82 days of 84 so far and I'm hopeful we will be able to enter observation Thursday after his last shot on day 84.

This journey with him hasn't been easy, in fact it has been damn hard to go through not only for me but especially for him. I do not regret my decision to go through this vigorous treatment to cure him from wet fip. My other choice was to allow him to be crossed over.

If you would have asked me a few years ago if I would have done this treatment it would be something I would have needed to think about and weigh the pros and cons of it but being faced with it right smacked in my face I knew I couldn't let him die.

So we endured and kept pushing and now we are almost done and I can't believe it. So crossing paws we can enter observation and it goes smoothly.

03/05/2023

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=694383579360779&id=100063674285179&mibextid=ZbWKwL

28/02/2023

30/11/2022

Watcher has a chance at a happy, spoiled life. A major part of that chance is that I had access to a low cost veterinarian that not only specializes in community cat/feral medical care but that they are committed to each individual cats quality of care. And anyone with the will and desire and tools has access to their medical services. You don't have to be in rescue or work in a shelter. Orchard does this specifically to make low cost vet care and spay/neuter accessible to help all community cats. Each cat gets a full exam with the knowledge that if this is the only chance this cat gets to see a vet then it's get the full exam and all issues addressed. For pennies on the dollar for a cost at a full service vet, many of which do not normally take in feral or under socialized cats. This vet is the main reason everyone of my colonies are fixed, vaccinated and get access to medical care. They helped me give Watcher a future. For I would ask you to consider donating to Orchard Animal Outreach. It is only because of donations that they can continue to offer care and low cost services like spay/neuter and the medical assistance I was able to get Watcher.
Without Orchard, many cats would suffer illness, repeated pregnancies, fighting injuries and even death.
There's no doubt in my mind, Watcher would not still be here with me, without them. 🖤🐈‍⬛
If you can't donate please share. Each share could be another cats difference between life and death if each one results in one more donation.
And if you can donate, tell em Watcher sent you

25/10/2022

Ever wonder why there are usually community cats living where cars sit for extended periods of time?
Parking lots, dealerships, auto shops, junkyards...

17/10/2022

One day, a few years back I had an experience with a different kind of tortie.
It was a rough trapping area. The caretaker had been trapping but not correctly/effectively so the cats were trap saavy. I literally laid in a the marsh, amongst the cat tails, soaking wet, mosquitoes having their way with me the whole time, while holding the drop trap rope and waiting for the cats to go in.
I caught a huge tortie who did not have a tipped ear so she went in for spay surgery.
The next day I found out from Orchard when I went to get her that "she" was unusual and when I asked why, I was told that she did not have any female parts. Or male parts. And they weren't removed. They were never there to begin with.
I released this special cat back to the caretaker with a scratch of the head but happy to see them home safe.

17/10/2022

Feral seems to be such a bad word with the general public.
Some would say Doug is feral because he lives outside and I don't touch him. He's at least 15 years old. He was ear tipped when I met him and he was ear tipped by a vet so long ago that the wrong ear tip is done. I came across him while helping someone looking for their lost cat. He says" How" instead of "meow". Orchard said he was at least 9 years old when I brought him in for a check up because he was thin and missing fur. That was 5 years ago. He lives in a fenced off area behind a repair shop. He gets arthritis medicine every day and food. When I drive up, he knows its me and starts calling to me. I've only ever accidentally touched him while reaching for his bowl in the dark. He won't survive the winter this year because he is so old and I need to be able to monitor him better so I will be bringing him into a home environment. Hopefully he will understand. I do not do this lightly. Some ferals degrade quickly inside. Outside is all he has ever known.
He waits for me every single day. He relies on my care. I bring him warm wet food with arthritis meds in it and warm water and dry in case he gets hungry after I leave...
But the winters are too hard on his arthritis.
Feral lives matter. It's not his fault that I am literally the only kindness he has ever known.
He deserves life and love and care. Even if he never trusts me enough to letme touch him. Its not about touch. It's about care on his terms.
Doug says Happy National Feral Cat Day! He says, Please see us and help us.
He says, please understand. Some of us didn't get to grow up loved in a home. But we are still sweet and deserving of love and care.

09/10/2022

In my experience, it has depended on the cat. Some outdoor hide away and a small few stay near their caregiver.
Of all my indoorcats, two have gone out of their way to be in my arms when they died.
Individuals. They are very much still individuals.
https://www.facebook.com/1464627623796304/posts/3285776341681414/?sfnsn=mo&mibextid=ZKfs5x

Some people wonder whether cats run away to die, or even if they know they are dying. The reality is that they do not leave because they “know they will die.”

When a cat is not feeling well, they usually look for a quiet, safe place. The sicker they are, the more they feel the need for security. When you think of it from a wild cat’s perspective, if you aren’t feeling well, you are more vulnerable to predators. But according to cat logic, if no one knows you’re sick and no one knows where you are, you should be safe.

Usually, sick cats don’t go far from home. Instead, they seek out the quietest, safest nearby spot they can find. If they are too weak to get food or walk home again, they may be in danger of passing away in this spot.

If your cat is missing, do a thorough check of the crawl space under your home or apartment building, as well as underneath the porch, in a barn or shed, or around a neighbor’s home.

Cats are capable of some pretty amazing return-home feats, but it’s best to not rely on this alone if your cat is missing. Keep checking the neighborhood and local shelters, as well as around your house or your neighbors’ houses. Check with the new tenants if you moved.

Be sure to take precautions as well. Keep your cat safely contained while traveling and have them spayed/neutered and microchipped. If you’ve moved, introduce your cat to their new home slowly. If you tend to let your cat go outdoors, try keeping them indoors at your new location for a month or more before allowing them to venture out. You can also allow them to go outside on a leash for at least 30-60 days.

Source: petmd

08/10/2022

We have all fallen into the trap of wanting to get that little female cat spayed before she has kittens so much that we forget about all the tom cats that will help her make kittens. The truth is that male cats can father more kittens in one week than females can produce in a year! Plus, a neuter surgery is quicker and less painful than spay surgeries! Ultimately, male and female cats both benefit significantly from spaying or neutering. Both enjoy improved overall health, weight gain and longer lives once they have been altered. The moral of the story is that EVERY outdoor cat deserves to be spayed or neutered and vaccinated to live its best life.

08/10/2022

This year, I’m again participating in Strut Your Mutt, a fundraising walk hosted by Best Friends that saves the lives of homeless pets right here in my community and all across the country.
Please support me by making a donation to my page. I am on the CAWS - Community Animal Welfare Society Team again.
Your gift helps homeless pets and will support CAWS so that they can help more dogs and cats in need of help, foster homes and forever homes. .
We have a matching donor today through VCA who will match up to $1000.
Our goal this year was to raise $40,000
and we are only $8,500 away from that goal!!
Every dollar donated today up to $1,000 will be matched!

Rescues fundraising to reach a no-kill nation by 2025. Strut With Us to Save Them All.

06/10/2022

Alley Cat Allies is working on cases of community cats being wrongfully removed or threatened in multiple states. Most importantly, we are educating advocates and citizens on how to stay proactive in protecting cats, and to know their rights under law to do so.

Learn more: http://ow.ly/Y0Fa50L3xwR

03/10/2022

It's starting to get cooler and now's the purrfect time to build shelters for community cats in your area if they need them and to add new straw to existing shelters to help keep them warm...

This is one way to build a cheap shelter, there's many other options online, I'll leave a link in the comments section as well 😺

Purrlease do what you can for them 💙

03/10/2022

A cat allergy is nothing to sneeze at! Follow these simple tips to help keep your cat allergies under control.

02/10/2022

Straw will reflect body heat back to a cat and actually repels moisture. Straw is tough, thick, dry leftover stalks from crops. It's lightweight and golden in color. Straw has a hollow center which makes for great insulation (just like double pane windows).

Do NOT use hay (OR blankets) for bedding in outdoor cat shelters. Hay is green and heavy. Hay is typically used to feed animals, like horses. It absorbs moisture, making it damp, cold and uncomfortable for cats, and has the potential to get moldy. By using materials such as blankets, towels or anything cloth, including fleece and wool, will retain moisture from the air and freeze, making cats colder.

You can buy straw bales at your local co-op, farm/ag supply stores, local garden center/nursery, Home Depot, Lowe's, Tractor Supply or Ace Hardware. We’ve even seen bales of straw being sold outside grocery stores along with pumpkins. Farms selling pumpkins often sell bales of straw too.

Don’t need a whole bale? Perfect time of year to go by Walmart, JoAnns, Micheals etc. for their small decorative bales. They should be on clearance for a couple dollars. Be sure to check manufacturing materials to guarantee they’re 100% straw.