Kittens are curious and crave constant stimulation. A single, bored kitten will often entertain itself by chewing on plants, climbing drapes, climbing furniture, unrolling toilet paper, exploring electrical cords and sockets, etc. This is not to say that kittens who live with other kittens won’t also sometimes do these things, but if they have another kitten to tumble around and play with, it is less likely that they will need to entertain themselves with behaviors like these, which at the least are destructive and at the worst can be very dangerous. Kittens tend to be very active at night ..read more

One of the traits that make cats such wonderful house pets is that they are clean and can reliably use litter boxes within the home. When there is a breakdown in this fastidious behaviour and elimination of urine or feces occurs outside of the litter box, the bond between you and your cat can naturally become strained. Why is my cat going outside of the litter box? Medical causes such as urinary tract issues often cause a cat to urinate outside the litter box. For example, a cat that experiences pain during urination may associate the litter box with the experience and develop an aversion ..read more

Though it may not be apparent as its citizens go about their daily lives, Toronto has a significant population of homeless cats. There are at least 50,000 strays (cats that have wandered from home and become lost or cats that have been abandoned by people) and ferals (a cat born on the street to strays). That number is only a best estimate as there are no actual statistics on homeless cats available. (Cats, alas, are terrible at filling out census forms). Each stray cat is capable of contributing many more to that number if it reproduces unchecked. Through its Trap-Neuter/Spay-Return program ..read more

If you suspect a cat is lost or stray, here is a checklist to follow: Try to catch the cat (gently and using a carrier) and take him to your neighbourhood vet to check for a microchip. The vet will be able to read the cat’s microchip very quickly if there is one and contact its owner. If the cat is injured or sick, please consider helping with immediate vet care. You could save a life. Check Pet FBI and report the cat to the Toronto Humane Society and Toronto Animal Services (via 311) as soon as possible and follow-up with them regularly. Someone may be calling there looking for him. Also tr ..read more

WHAT TO DO FIRST: Look both in the house and in the immediate area around the house – enlist others for extra eyes Report the cat and their microchip number to Toronto Animal Services to ensure the cat hasn’t been brought in. You can also check their listings of all animals found within the last week. And sadly, you might want to check their list of found deceased animals. Make a report at Pet FBI. See if there is a local Facebook group for lost pets where you can post. Make flyers with cat’s photo, info, and contact information for yourself & put up in your neighbourhood as well as any ..read more

Why do cats become feral? Feral cats are descended from domestic cats who were abandoned, or whose owners failed to spay and neuter. Feral cats’ domestic kin may also have got lost or run away from abusive owners. Like domestic cats, feral cats multiply very quickly. In five years, an unspayed feral female can have 20,000 descendants. Are feral cats solitary? No! Feral cats tend to live in colonies or groups. Often, as many as three or four generations of a family will live together. Females help in raising each other’s young. What is a feral cat colony? A colony is a populatio ..read more

There are all kinds of felines in this world. Each comes with varying appearances and personalities — some are easier, some more challenging, and some are overlooked just because they are little bit different or have medical problems that sound scary and intimidating. For that reason, we’ve devised this quick fact sheet to help you better understand coronavirus, which is a common but often poorly defined virus afflicting many of the cats we interact with in our everyday lives. 1. What is coronavirus? Coronavirus is a common viral infection in cats, which is especially prevalent among ..read more

We just adopted a cat – now what? Settling in For the first 12-24 hours, keep your new cat or kitten confined to one room so it can establish a place where it feels safe. Make sure it has plenty of water, food, an easily accessible litter pan and a comfortable bed. If you start by letting your cat have the run of the house, you may not see it for days! You have no idea the small and ingenious places a frightened cat can find to hide until you have spent hours searching under beds, inside drawers, behind bookcases — or worse — between walls where they have become trapped. Introducing other p ..read more

Autumn was on the streets and trapped in spring 2021. At first, it was thought that Autumn was a spicy kitten. However, Krista, Autumn’s foster, quickly learned that Autumn was just super-shy. Autumn settling in with Krista Autumn was initially skittish, and Krista had to approach her very slowly in order to not scare her. But as time went on — and with the help of Krista’s other cat, Elsie — Autumn ended up being sweet and curious. Elsie and Autumn got along very well, and it greatly helped Autumn in becoming more confident and sociable. “The two of them were so wound up together,” recalls Kr ..read more

When Annex Cat Rescue foster Olivia signed up to bring home a 10-month-old kitten named Ollie, she had no idea that he would soon become a new member of the family. But Ollie’s story almost went a very different way. Ollie’s starting point “He came from a colony at the Finch and Bathurst area,” Olivia recalls. The volunteer who had trapped him, April, thought that little Ollie wouldn’t be able to adjust to life in a household; he was incredibly skittish and shy around humans. She was planning to trap, neuter, and release him back to the wild. But then one day, April heard a noise that startled ..read more