by Nomi Berger
 
Does YOUR cat cherish her privacy more than you may realize? If so, you’re not alone. Since kitties tend to sleep for much of the day, secluded hiding spots provide them with the purr-fect place to “cat nap.”
 
Similar to cats in the wild who, for safety from prey as well as for warmth, seek out small caves or dens from which to peruse their surroundings, our domesticated cats search for little “cave-like” areas in our homes to replicate those same feelings. The smaller the space the better, since they prefer having their backs to the wall, ensuring that they’re not only tucked safely out of sight but ever so comfortable and cozy in their tiny “camouflaged” sanctuaries.
 
Some cats enjoy roaming around underneath your blanket or throw while you’re watching TV on the couch. Others enjoy seeing a bedspread or comforter being shaken into the air and then floating back down onto the mattress when you’re making your bed in the morning. They relish running underneath it, roaming around in the dark with the bedspread or comforter pressing lightly on top of them like the largest, most pleasantly reassuring of cocoons.
 
And speaking of cocoons. “Cocooning” typically refers to the act of cats wrapping or covering themselves in anything from towels and blankets to articles of clothing and sheets of decorative tissue paper. Not to mention squeezing themselves into extremely tight boxes or even tighter cloth bags. Not surprisingly, cocooning affords them the feeling of safety and security, relaxation and restfulness, inviting them to drift off into satisfying and refreshing slumber.
 
As caring, conscientious and committed cat owners, you, therefore, play a vital role in fostering your own favorite felines’ natural instincts to “cave,” to “cocoon” or both. Ensure then, that you provide them with a variety of cozy hiding places tucked away unobtrusively throughout your home, be it an apartment or a house, that will greatly enrich their lives and your lives in return.
 
Doing so creates an environment that acknowledges, even honors, their innate need for security and autonomy. Whether you purchase any of a wide assortment of commercial cat tunnel beds, cat cocoon bed caves and cat caves or create your own hideaways from tents made of plush blankets or a series of cardboard boxes, you will be successfully strengthening the bond between your kitties and you. Expect to be rewarded for your efforts with ample purrs of pleasure and adoring licks of loving delight!

by Nomi Berger
 
All paws up, way up, for Treats 4 Paws! Now in its third year, this unique, annual October event, created by Christy Riley to honor her late, beloved son Skyler, collects monetary and physical “treats” for carefully selected local animal rescues.
 
What originated as a word-of-mouth “reverse trick or treat” observance mushroomed into a much-anticipated Facebook page in 2023 with nearly 600 followers and growing daily. Last year, Treats 4 Paws not only raised $1,125.00, it received cat and dog supplies of every description, several hundred pounds of kitten and cat food and treats, and puppy and dog food and treats – all of which were distributed to four rescues and one shelter.
 
Please visit the official Treats 4 Paws fundraiser Facebook page to like, share and follow this charity event. But most importantly, please consider making a monetary donation or purchasing some of the many items listed there under “Featured.”
 
As Christy candidly admits, “I enjoy going ‘hard’ for this event. It’s definitely a labor of love, consuming every ounce of my energy and filling two rooms in my house. I especially enjoy doing whatever I can to secure donations of all kinds for local rescue groups. It truly does take a village!”
 
Quoting The Cat’s Meow Rescue, one of last year’s recipients: “The Treats 4 Paws October donation drive has been a wonderful way to get the community involved in supporting local animal rescue groups including TCMR. Not only does this humanitarian event help provide the kitties in our care with food and essential supplies, the monetary donations collected have helped us to pay our extremely high vet bills.”
 
Included again this year, The Cat’s Meow Rescue is joined by Regard 4 Life Animal Rescue, Hope for Pets Rescue, Yellow Brick Road Rescue - Longview arm, Animal Protection League and Rosie the Rehabber.

Who, then was Skyler? Born on October 6, 1998 and gone too soon on July 4, 2019, Skyler was the soul of empathy and compassion who was particularly passionate about the fall, holidays and animals. Raised in a pet-loving family with animals of all kinds, he made it his mission as a Cub Scout to take care of them since they couldn’t take care of themselves. He even organized several donation drives to collect pet supplies for the local animal shelter.
 
A gifted musician, he played drums, piano, guitar and bass, mostly by ear, but he read music as well. Highly intelligent with a wide range of interests, he not only loved the writings and thoughts of such visionaries as Stephen Hawking and Neil deGrasse Tyson, he loved cooking, playing baseball and basketball, swimming and riding four-wheelers.
 
In 2022, three years after his passing, his mom, who wanted to stay involved in Halloween and missed children stopping by to “trick or treat,” hosted what was then called Christy’s Reverse Trick-or-Treat. Running from October 1 to October 31, the event is devoted to helping animals. She creates a GoFundMe account (the link will be posted on FB the morning of October 1), cleans out several rooms in her house to store the items she receives, festively decorates her yard and sets up a “donation area” at the end of the walkway.
 
She accepts cash, all animal-appropriate items, gift cards and deliveries from Amazon, Chewy and Walmart, to name a few. Her “event” address this year is Treats 4 Paws, 104 Larkspur Street, White Oak, TX 75693. On weekdays Christy, who works outside the home, will check the donation box in the morning, at 6PM when she returns, before going to bed, and as needed over the weekend. (In case of inclement weather, she asks that donors message her on the FB page to ensure she’s home beforehand).
 
She will faithfully photograph and meticulously record everything she receives and post the exciting results, along with her appreciative “thank you’s” on the Treats 4 Paws FB page and two other social media platforms daily throughout October. She will close the GoFundMe account and remove the designated donation area on November 1.
 
The grand finale: All of the money and donations will then be distributed among 2024’s six extremely fortunate and exceptionally grateful animal organizations!
 
As for 2025? Stay tuned.

by Nomi Berger
 
The unpleasant smell of cat spray is far too familiar to far too many cat owners! Why? Because their kitties all too often urinate outside their litter boxes whenever they feel either ill, stressed or threatened.
 
Not only does the odious odor linger, here, there and everywhere in your home, it’s especially challenging to eliminate. Sound – or smell – familiar? If so, consider some of the following suggestions to help get rid of the scent of your own kitty’s spray easily and effectively.
 
Purchase a blacklight: Cats re-spray in places bearing the smell of their urine -- around doors or windows if there’s an outside stressor or on any new, unfamiliar items. After tracing the odor to one particular room, use the blacklight to pinpoint the spray (the phosphorus in dried urine will make it glow neon green or yellow under UV light) by darkening the room and sweeping the light over the floor, baseboards and walls in search of spray patterns. You might even have to look inside closets, behind furniture and, yes, among piles of clothes! Once you locate the spray pattern, mark its perimeter so that you’ll know precisely where to clean.
 
Use an enzyme cleaner: Unlike many cleaners that simply mask the scent, active enzymes in this cleaner break down the compounds causing the odor. By eliminating the smell completely, it keeps your kitty from picking up the scent again and leading her to re-spray that area. Shake the bottle, saturate the spot, and let it sit for between 10 and 15 minutes, allowing the smell to slowly dissipate. More severe stains, however, will require several applications before all of the urine is removed.
 
Sprinkle baking soda on the stain: While it doesn’t clean fresh stains completely, it’s a simple remedy for removing the smell. Use paper towels to soak up as much urine as possible, sprinkle baking soda over the spot and leave it there for 30 minutes or until the area’s dry. Once it’s odor-free, suck up the baking soda using a wet-dry vac with a HEPA filter since standard vacuums may be damaged by the baking soda’s fine powder.
 
Try a mixture of vinegar and water: As a quick fix for fresh urine on walls, hardwood floors and/or carpets, mix one part distilled white vinegar with one part water in a spray bottle. Blot the offending stain(s) with paper towels to remove as much moisture as possible and saturate the stain(s) with the prepared mixture. Wait a few minutes, blot the area thoroughly with more paper towels and allow it to air dry.
 
Set up a “spray station”: If your cat stubbornly “insists” on spraying, use two litter boxes, setting one inside the other at a 90-degree angle, thereby creating an L shape. Fill the bottom box with litter and put the vertical section against the wall where your cat sprays. As she grows accustomed to using this makeshift “station,” you can gradually move it to a more discreet area of your home. While it may not resolve the issue, it will make cleaning up after her easier.