The Colony Cat Advocates

17/01/2025

It's ! 🌬️❄️🏠🌡️🐈 What's the best water source for colony cats in below-freezing weather? If your colony has electricity for a heated water bowl, lucky you! No electricity? Don't despair! You can still help your kitties stay hydrated in deep winter.

• Refill the water bowl with warm water at feeding time. The cats should be on a feeding schedule so they'll show up while the water and food are still warm. For extra hydration, add a tablespoon of water to each serving of warmed-up wet food.
• Use a black plastic bowl for water and place it in the sunniest spot in your feeding area. Black plastic absorbs and holds heat, helping the sun melt the ice during the day. Raise the bowl off the cold ground so it doesn't rob heat from the bowl.
• Put a portable heat source under a metal water bowl. A plastic microwaveable heat disc or 8-hour hand warmers may delay freezing for a few hours. Metal bowls are best for this because they conduct heat easily from the heat source to the water.
• Make the most of your portable heat source by placing it and the water bowl inside a small insulated foam box to slow heat loss. Cut a hole in one side, large enough for cats to comfortably reach in and take a drink. It's a great use for foam boxes that are too small to be made into cat shelters.

To learn how to build 4 different DIY cat shelter designs, register for our FREE "Building Shelters for Outdoor Cats" webinar, coming up on Wednesday, January 29: https://bit.ly/BFCIBSR

16/01/2025

I know there will be those people who become upset with me posting this . I don’t care . Keep scrolling . THIS IS THE REALITY of what is happening in our communities . Rescues and shelters can NOT keep up. This is a cat with frostbite on their paws who froze to death waiting for help . It is 14 degrees out , the shelters aren’t enough for a domesticated cat who hasn’t had to always live outside . Blankets don’t keep them warm , they kill them quicker . How many people do you think saw this cat and turned the other way hoping someone else would help or simply don’t care enough to even hope . “ I have cats I can’t bring a cat in.” So do I! If you see a cat in need tag your it ! YOU LIKELY ARE THAT CAT’S ONLY HOPE! I can’t count the help calls and messages this week alone and rarely does anyone want anything other than for me to pick a cat or cats up - Do you know what it’s like to have to say no I can’t help to as many as I have to ? Can you imagine doing everything you can every day to help as many as possibly feasible and people still being mean to you because it’s not enough because you didn’t help them right away? I have SIX cats currently on my porch … MY PORCH! I am feeding and housing them till it’s their turn. I will never catch up but I am going to die trying till my last breath. PLEASE I AM BEGGING THE COMMUNITY TO STEP UP AND DO YOUR PART- this isn’t a rescue problem this is everyone’s problem . ask me how you can help today !🥹💔

16/01/2025

We get a few inquiries about barn cats, but the cats we deal with are from special cases and wouldn’t do well trying to make it on a farm property.

Check out Joy’s Place Animal Rescue for working cats who would love to have barn homes!!

16/01/2025

Do any of these cats have owners?

All social.

Brown tabby girls were in a group of 35+ cats

Orange man was trapped months ago and never claimed. He was also trying to mix in with a large colony.

15/01/2025

📚 Our BACK TO BASICS SERIES: Pregnancy vs. Pyometra

Can you tell? Is she PREGNANT or does she have a LIFE-THREATENING CONDITION?

Pyometra is a bacterial infection of the uterus of an unspayed cat. It causes the uterus to fill with pus, often making the cat appear pregnant. This is a VERY SERIOUS condition that needs veterinary attention immediately as this infection can be fatal.

Signs of pyometra include a bloated abdomen, lethargy, vomiting, decreased appetite, excessive licking at the va**nal opening, blood in the urine, urinating outside of the litter box and more. There may or may not be discharge from the va**na. 🚨🚨 If your cat appears unwell, please take it to a veterinarian as quickly as possible. 🚨🚨 This can't wait. Pyometra can be avoided: spay your cat!

For more information about pyometra, visit https://www.thesprucepets.com/treating-pyometra-in-cats-4784166 or speak with your veterinarian.

Content provided by Stray Cat Project.
Graphic by Catadelphia.

15/01/2025

Pet cats allowed to go outdoors can face many serious hazards to which cats kept indoors are not exposed. https://www.petcoach.co/article/outdoor-cats-face-many-hazards/

Nine Secrets to Keeping Your Indoor Cat Happy https://www.vetstreet.com/our-pet-experts/9-secrets-to-keeping-your-indoor-cat-happy

15/01/2025

🆘

Our group needs to get at least 10 kittens and cats spayed/neutered this week and need help!

5 are booked for TNR appointments this weekend which will cost us at least $300

5 friendlies are booked to go to Precision which is $180/cat to get fully vetted which will be $900

We pay via card or check from our personal accounts 🙀💸

https://linktr.ee/thecolonywi

14/01/2025

📚 Our BACK TO BASICS SERIES: spaying and neutering

Let's continue our discussion on reproduction.....

SNiP Now shared this very informative post regarding female fertility and reproduction. They wrote:
"We have had a few calls from people worried their cats are in pain as they are exhibiting symptoms of yowling and other unusual behaviors (rubbing all over items). What these individuals are describing is their female cat having heat cycles which can occur in females as young as 4-months of age. Yowling, rubbing, raising the behind up in the air (lordosis reflex), spraying, the desire to go outside and find a mate...are all symptoms that can occur during a female cat's heat cycle. Sometimes females can appear more loving and other times females can have more aggressive tendencies during this cycle."

Remember that spaying a cat will eliminate these behaviors as well as help control the cat population. Please have your cat spayed by 4 months of age!

Content and graphic shared from SNiP Now .

14/01/2025

Updates!

🐈‍⬛ Our small team often overlooks messages as we struggle to keep pace. Incredible community members alert us about new cat sightings, missing cats, abandoned ones, requests for resources, ways to assist cats in need, adoption inquiries, and much more. We desperately need more volunteers! If you’re interested in helping us stay on top of everything, please reach out to us through our page. We appreciate all of you!

😻 We are incredibly grateful to some wonderful individuals who have generously offered food, supplies, toys and assistance to help us cover our numerous veterinary expenses! Your kindness in providing food to our fosters and colonies and even contributing to our vet bills is truly remarkable. Your support means everything to us! It really helps us keep going because we have had to deal with A LOT of heartbreaking and frustrating cases lately.

💔 Sadly, an individual who expressed interest in fostering cats in need ended up taking in cats from those who believed they could trust them. We learned that at least two kittens were taken and abandoned at Waste Management last month. One of the young cats was discovered approximately half a mile away, but the youngest one has yet to be found. We continue to search for answers and hope that the orange kitten is still alive. Please help us watch for posts!

There are also cats “vanishing” from Marinette who end up in the middle of the country. There have been several cases where cats were trapped by Golden Sands and ended up off BB near Krause Rd. Please keep an eye out for new cats in the area.

❤️ We have amazing fosters (like Rhymes and Mungo) still waiting for their forever homes 😿

Learn more at www.thecolony.help

14/01/2025

13/01/2025

Kittens are undeniably cute and charming! However, they are also energetic little bundles that never seem to tire. Constantly on the go and eager for playtime, kittens can often find themselves in trouble and become quite the handful! Teaching them household rules can feel like a full-time job, which is why many kittens are returned due to their busy and sometimes frustrating nature.

If you’re looking for a companion who is less destructive and busy, here are wonderful (and overlooked) older cats ready for adoption, like our fosters Crawler, Peg, and Tabea. The charm of senior cats is found in their serene nature; their personalities are fully developed, and they love basking in the sun or curling up on a cozy lap. Senior cats genuinely value the chance for a second chance in a loving, safe home. A senior cat makes an ideal companion for those who enjoy a more laid-back lifestyle!

Crawler (black DSH female) is about 15 years old and is currently in a foster home with kids, dogs and other cats.

Peg (torbie female DSH) is about 15 years old and is currently in a foster home with large, calm dogs and other cats. Both of her humans (since 2012) passed away.

Tabea (tabby DSH) is 13 years old and in a foster home with large, calm dogs and other cats. Both of her humans (since 2012) passed away.

Tabea and Peg are related and would love to go to a new home together!

11/01/2025

These are just two of the many kittens struggling to survive outdoors, desperately in need of help.

Volunteers are tirelessly working to capture, care for, and eventually find loving homes for these vulnerable animals. We still need SO much help!

With collective effort and compassion, there is hope that these cats and kittens will find safety and comfort, and that the cycle of overpopulation will be broken, creating a healthier environment for both community cats and our small community. We still have so much to do before more unwanted spring litters are born 💔

https://linktr.ee/thecolonywi