Also I’d say that appearance differences are more pronounced over the first and last 4 years. Those involved in trap-neuter-return (TNR) know what I’m talking about as we often deal with the frustration of colony cats being trap shy. You will receive notifications within 24 hours. These are just a few I’m seeing over and over on Facebook. That is poor to be totally honest. Stace, I love barn cats. Many animal shelters don't have the staff or money to do TNR. Actual age around 11 according to vet, ‘we’ve adopted several who were said to be 3 and were older than 9’. Uhmmm, I see that. But she is very contented to lie beside me when I'm sitting on the floor (we don't allow the cats on the sofas or our bed). Elisa, I am sure you queried in your mind their ages at the time you took them in. Younger cats are usually leaner and more muscular. It seems natural to me. Also, as a cat gets older their activity level will change. Around 37.1% of dogs and 30% of cats were kept up to a year in shelters before being relinquished by their owners. Actually, how stupid do these shelters think that we are? As cats age, changes in their muscle tone and fur occur. If you knew that they were old cats, why didn’t you confront? Animal rescuer found dead of apparent suicide. There is no point arguing about it. Be gentle and be consistent about applying house rules during this settling in period. Taking into account all factors, breeds and causes of death, the average lifespan of the cat is between fifteen and seventeen years. Read this: https://pictures-of-cats.org/truth-about-toxoplasmosis-and-cats.html. How many of us would consider adopting what we are told was a “child” who had grey hair, wrinkles, was toothless, and talked about bread costing 5 cents? This means that older cats, particularly those past the age of five often stay in the shelter for much longer, however, there is a lot of merit to considering adopting an older cat, as their personalities will already be apparent, they have likely already lived within a home environment, and they will not need the same type of constant attention and supervision that kittens need. An indoor cat will age approximately 4 human years for every one cat year, and an outdoor cat will age approximately 8 human years for every one cat year. USA In the US you ... By Farah Al-Khojai - 5th December 2018 Are you considering the idea of starting a new life in Dubai with your ... Cat Welfare at Heart - seen in 86% of the world's countries (168/195). The ‘new normal’ caused by COVID-19 may make this the wors... 16-year-old cat dropped off at a vet clinic to euthanize because owner... $2,000 reward for two cats dumped by a transport driver who ‘nee... We have the knowledge of the world at our fingertips yet we choose to ... Feral cats may be ‘outsmarted’ by the new Tomahawk “... Compassion fatigue: Animal rescuers can’t save them all and the ... Missouri man admitted he would scour Craigslist ads for free cats then... How much for an animal health certificate (AHC)? I will confirm registration in a return email. Sure, they might be wrong because the age is often a guess. Gosh, you have an opportunity to blast them wide open. I’d have thought a good estimate of a cat’s age would be ±3 years. No one knew how helpless she was feeling. The average life expectancy of cats. I am surprised they default to 2-3 years of age. Actual age around 10 according to vet, Sealy said to be 2. They are not used to a client disagreeing with them and having an opinion. Regardless of their age, cats are adaptable creatures and a cat's reaction to moving into a new home is related to its personality not its age. This only reflects the over-saturation of cat-populations and that people who promote cats will lie and deceive and do everything in their power to dump unwanted cats no matter how they have to do that, even at the expense of their own credibility. It takes about 3 mins to work out an age. Please comment here using either Facebook or WordPress (when available). Leading source from which cats are obtained Animal shelters (26%) Estimated number of pet cats: 74.1M (year-end 2011) 85.8M: 58.4M (year end 2016) 94.2M Percentage of cat owners who consider their cats to be family members: 56.1% 76% Percentage of cat owners who consider their cats to be pets or companions: 41.5% 20% Tom just looked like a big neutered male. However, vets are better or should be better than shelter staff in assessing cat’s age. They watch the other cats, they see that nobody’s going to hurt them and they do adjust.” AFOC cages cats only when they arrive at the shelter, a 3 … For a vet to say a cat is a certain age is just an opinion just as their vet gave an opinion. Some are brought in by owners who can no longer keep the animals. Plus, older cats get gray fur. We were shocked to learn how old Coral is. That's because they don’t come across poisons and infectious diseases or disagreements with other cats, dogs, or Cadillacs. Cattime is a property of TotallyHer Media, LLC, an Evolve Media, LLC company. (Petfinder) Animal shelters statistics reveal that 32% of dogs and 33.2% of cats left in shelters were present from a … Compare how the orange comes across the nose. In the free webinar, Dr. Levy will review how a new FeLV test provides not just diagnosis but also prognostic clues about long-term survival and how FIV+ cats are safely mingling with uninfected cats. 35. Affiliate Disclosure: Evolve Media LLC, and its owned and operated websites may receive a small commission from the proceeds of any product(s) sold through affiliate and direct partner links. We were evaluating what type of home each cat should have and Lily needed quiet. And that was almost 3 years ago on Sealy. Simple as that. I am a failure! FIV+ cats with homes can and DO live long, healthy normal lives … when given the chance. The fact remains that each day in the US, around 4,100 dogs and cats are killed in shelters. Part 1: Why Kids Should Get Involved With Animal Shelters. I am concerned about their welfare. Dogs, on ... Summary: As at the date of this post the answer is No. I am pleased you are so successful as a fosterer. If we believe that a shelter is lying to us, why don’t we confront? According to PETA, It is estimated that one female cat and her offspring can be responsible for the births of 370,000 kittens in seven years. It is definitely Lily judging by the photos. Not even vets are experts when determining the age of any cat or dog. monitoring_string = "44e5bb901650ec61e9e0af1ff1bef5fe". She had to be put on the same food as Sealy as she was starting to look a bit older and we didn’t want her losing weight. She went to the adoption floor either late 2011 or early 2012. I do have a great rescue article for Thursday ready to submit. As they get older a cat may have pronounced shoulder bones and looser skin as well. They didnt necessarily "lie".. but they just went with the best of their knowledge to guess his age. January 4, 2021, 7:31 AM. The pictures show youngsters and the ears are proportionally larger making them very noticeable. Do cat rescue operations in residential homes have to comply with higher fire regulation standards? Perhaps the shelter staff are not very knowledgeable about cats. There are several unwanted cats in the UK and several more abandoned cats or strays, so do be sure you can find homes for your litter of kittens before you decide to start breeding cats. Many cats begin to encounter age-related physical changes between seven and ten years of age, and most do so by the time they are 12. Michael posted an article on this very topic back in September 2017 stating animal rescue, A St. Peters, Missouri man who would scour Craigslist ads for free cats has been charged with felony animal cruelty. We had another round of cats set to go to Greenville in 2012 when my car tore up and we couldn’t make the three four round trip. We also look at the rest of the body — feet, face, eyes, and skin (pigmentation) — to help build a picture of age. Thanks. Read on to find out more. But rescue shelters are always at capacity and there are many more animals being abandoned each day than there are homes that welcome pets in. My email address: michael@pictures-of-cats.org, A well-known animal rescuer was found dead of an apparent suicide Wednesday night. Recognizing when the end is approaching for your beloved feline will help you make the most loving and compassionate choices for her and for yourself. A cat is considered a senior between 8 and 10 years of age. I can’t do that at PoC. Your vet can examine his teeth and give you an estimate on his age. A younger cat will have a smooth, full coat of fur while older cats seem to have coarser hair. We also look at the rest of the body — feet, face, eyes, and skin (pigmentation) — to help build a picture of age. I love exposures. Perhaps I am being to tough on the cat shelter. Lawsuits. Perhaps the errors are genuine but the disparity in the guesstimated and the true ages for Coral and Tom seem to be too great to believe they were errors. Because the ages as stated were quite a long way out. “The servals long legs [the lo, It’s the beginning of a new week and to start that week off with a smile I’d like to present adorable photos of dogs babysitting kittens. Do you have to suck up to them for some reason? This means that more cats are given a second chance at a home and shelters can help many more cats. Older cats tend to be more round and filled out. Pet News. You can still do it. Most clients accept all that they say with due deference. shelters do their best to guess the age of the dog.. or if the dog was an owner surrender, they may just rely on what the previous owner told them. The modern day barn cat is as close as we can get, With the complications of our ‘new normal’ created by countries and states going into strict quarantine due to COVID-19, many who care for feral cats are worried. But back when we began saving cats we were clueless and thought the shelter was an expert at giving the correct age. The FB page referred to. One issue is whether a colony caregiver can physically even get to the, This is Freckles, a 16-year-old female tortie. Perhaps the shelter staff are not very knowledgeable about cats. Do you want to add a furry friend to your family and give back to the world at the same time? That is the way it is and if I am being cynical the shelters know that so they can get away with understating the age. Is it a “best guess,” or is there some type of blood/genetic test that is performed? I’ve been warned by them in the past that I’d better have hard proof. Shelter said I’d better have necropsy results before I wrote. Gizzy had a little old lady cat butt and that told us she was older. I still haven’t heard whether that is Lily but all of my friends think it is. NOTE: VERY GRAPHIC ARTICLE. Same facial markings. “Cats like to look out windows. While plenty of cats still enter shelters each year, that number is on the downswing. While cats can live healthy lives into their late teens and even early 20s, there comes a time when your pet will begin to decline, either due to old age or a progressive or terminal medical issue. There is no benefit for a shelter to lie about the age of their charges. The blaze gives it away (the nose markings). JAVASCRIPT IS DISABLED. I am speculating of course. Craigslist is dangerous and the newspaper freebies was a bad experience and you’ll see from my next article where rescues may offer help but in reality they’re too full to help anyone. He’ll be 14 and we celebrate his birthday in July. I wonder if when they turn 8 years old, they will become even more affectionate than they already are. Ah, nice but sad point. One side says that the elderly should not be allowed to adopt pets from the shelter in view of the fact that if the human dies before them these pets will be orphaned. Your email address will not be published. They like human contact, most of them. We all know that. My other two cats do get on my lap because they are smaller than Mocha. Adopt A Pet From San Bruno Area Shelters: New Dogs, Cats Added This Week Pet News 12/30/2020 U.S. to start distributing coronavirus vaccines directly to pharmacies When Animal Shelters Lie to Place a Dog ... Our veterinarian placed her at about six to nine months of age. How to prepare for travel with your pet to any EU country whether the UK leaves the EU with or without a deal, Cat Ownership in Dubai: Laws, Tips and Other Local Info to Know, Lawyer seen by judge as a talking kitten in virtual court hearing. I’m lost. Do cat shelters deliberately underestimate cats’ ages? Picture of cat covered in polystyrene balls because of static electricity, Cat tail quivering when spraying urine to mark territory, Coral said to be 5. Rock their world! An older cat may have arthritis or difficult getting around and may be grumpier. © 2021 All rights reserved. Can I bring my cats in carriers to the vet with Uber? Here is a helpful calculator to illustrate the chances of false positive and false negative results when However, it would make sense if the shelter were stating that the cat was much younger than the true age because younger cats are more ‘marketable’. The condition of the teeth might mislead, in fact. Please click here and send me an email if you'd like your email address to be added to the list of PoC subscribers. Sealy way a dead giveaway because I don’t know of any 2 year old toothless cats. In a home setting, cats seek out warm, upholstered surfaces for their many catnaps. Your email address will not be published. Back when I was active, Animal rescuers can’t save them all (even though some people think they can) and the stress is taking its toll on those dedicated to trying. Pets from friends are the most likely to be abandoned. No graphic photos but the content is very disturbing. Animal shelters depend entirely on donations and community support. This one really looks like the same cat. There are many reported cases where FIV+ cats live well into old age without ever showing any symptoms. I am sure that they have decent knowledge but assessing age requires quite a lot of skill. Since a female cat can become pregnant as early as five months of age, the number of feral cats in a neighborhood can rapidly increase if cats aren't spayed or neutered. They live in that middle ground between domestication, living in the polished home, and a wild cat existence outside. Use discretion befo. ­Many animal shelters will take just about every type of domesticated animal, including birds, rabbits, and even horses, but by far the main residents are cats and dogs. Indoor cats live a lot longer than outdoor cats. Not even vets are experts when determining the age of any cat or dog. How stupid can we be? This can be controlled by spaying and neutering. We know working out a cat’s age can be tricky but there are good signs of age such as the condition of the teeth, the color of the iris of the eyes, spots in the iris, belly flab/flap, condition of the coat, grey hairs, activity levels, overall appearance (cats do show there are in a general appearance). Hi, I'm a 72-year-old retired solicitor (attorney in the US). However, vets are better or should be better than shelter staff in assessing cat’s age. Adopt A Pet From Pelham Area Shelters: See New Dogs, Cats. That’s why all the accusations made against us hurt so much. How teeth age is partly genetic and partly environment. The commonly held belief that every “cat year” is worth seven “human years” is not entirely accurate. Please enable JavaScript on your browser to best view this site. I had a distemper death a few years ago where a vet stated that as cause of death. Yes, cats can travel on trains although I am referring to domestic cats. Before qualifying I worked in many jobs including professional photography. Hoarders don’t send their cats to an adoption floor. I guess that I don’t understand what editing control means. Your cat’s fur can help you determine the age of your cat. I guess you just went along with it. “A novel must be exceptionally good to live as long as the average cat.” This aphorism is widely attributed to Philip Stanhope, the Fourth Earl of Chesterfield.