Caturday--Things We Keep On Hand

Working with ferals over the years have taught us to keep a few things on hand at all times. 

Nutri-Cal is a must for cats who are malnurished or weak. It helps them to start eating again. It's also good as a hair-ball remedy.

If your tube of Nutri-Cal ends up going through the washing machine as mine did last week, light corn syrup can work in a pinch for cats who are weak and need a quick boost.

Apple cider vinegar is good for giving cats a quick bath, especially for those who have ring worm. Use a 1 TBSP to 2 Cups of warm water and dab on affected areas. This works as good as the bleach solution, without the side effects of bleach.

Olive oil is also a necessity. It's perfect for treating earmites, soothing areas affected by ring worm, and for a quick hair ball remedy to get the gut moving.

Baby food chicken or turkey are excellent nutrition starters and are handy to have if you have a sick cat. The baby food can be diluted down with Pedialyte or KMR to provide a nutritious slurry.

 

A great milk replacer for unwweaned kittens, pregnant and nursing mothers. It helps them by giving them added nuttrition. We have occasionally used it to help nurse sickly cats back into health. It's not meant to give to cats as part of their regular diet when they get older. It also goes bad quickly after opening. We try to keep one can on hand in case of emergencies.  

 

Unflavored Pedialyte is excellent for combatting dehydration if the cat can drink on it's own. We mix it with baby food chicken or KMR. If the cat can't drink or eat on it's own, please see your veterinarian.

 

Cotton cosmetic pads and QTips work well for dabbing on apple cider vinegar mixture or adding olive oil to the ears. They come in handy for so many uses, like cleaning, adding topical ointments, or giving kittens something to play with.

Flannel nursing blankets and fluffy towels are necessities for wrapping cats up after bathing, keeping them warm, or for "burrito" purposes. Please do not use that heirloom baby blanket--tending to sick cats means getting messy stains. Don't use your good, expensive towels either. We find our supplies at the thrift stores or yard sales. 

 

We've tried to use blow-dryers for drying, but we found a space heater in the bathroom works very well at keeping the room warm enough for kitties that are ill, wounded, or recovering from surgery. Small space heaters also will help dry a bathed kitty, along with fluffy towels. 

 

And finally, some excellent books that offers information, knowledge, and ideas in dealing with ferals. The books do not replace your veterinarian's expertise and knowledge but they can help you save some time and money. They are  reference books.