A cat must lose weight very slowly. Rapid weight loss can cause liver failure as the liver cannot process the fat fast enough. So if your cat is tipping the scales either weigh the cat yourself (baby scales are a great investment when you have small animals) or take the cat to the vet.

Once you know the cat’s weight your vet will tell you how many calories a day the cat should eat to slowly lose weight. Since we are not veterinarians we cannot advise you on this.

When you know how many calories your cat needs a day call the cat food company and ask how many calories are in their food. They usually are more than happy to tell you. If you are feeding raw look up meat in any calorie counting book for people.

If you have just one cat it’s easy. Feed two meals a day. Half of the portion in morning, and the other half at night.

If you have more than one cat here’s how we helped Tasha lose 3 pounds about 10 years ago: We picked a room in the house with a door that shuts to be her special dining room. We put her portion of food into TWO BOWLS! Ha! We could tell by the look in her eyes what she was thinking “oh boy, two bowls, twice as much!” Her bowls went into the special dining room, we picked her up and put her in the room and shut the door. Then we fed the other cats in the regular kitty dining room. After 30 minutes we collected their food bowls and washed them out. Then we collected Tasha’s food bowls and washed them out. No more food for any of the cats until the next meal.

It took awhile for all of the cats to realize that they needed to eat when the food appeared. After a few days Tasha figured out that she ate in a special room and she’d follow us at feeding time.

It took about a year for Tasha to lose the 3 pounds. Her vet was very pleased, and we could tell she felt a lot better. She continued to eat separately for a few more years until we felt that she no longer wanted to pig out on food.

One last thought: Before separating her from the others, Tasha used to gulp down her food, then clean up everyone else’s food bowls. But by putting her portion into 2 bowls after awhile she’d leave a few bits behind. Also, not having the competition in the kitty dining room was very relaxing to her she no longer gulped, she ate slowly.

When you have multiple cats each cat needs their own food bowl. Set them at least 3 feet apart for privacy and to minimize food competition.

Here’s our first blog post:

The citizens of the city named after St Francis are trying to convince the Board of Supervisors to ban the de-clawing of cats.  Can we do it?   Cat Faeries certainly hopes so!

At present only one city in the US has successfully banned the procedure which declaws cats.   Several years ago West Hollywood banned the cruel, painful, and unncessary amputation of a cat’s joints.

Santa Monica is “considering” a ban.   What’s up with the good people of this country?  Nearly every European nation has banned this horrible operation!   Why are we lagging behind?

Tragically, the San Francisco SPCA is no longer the cutting edge shelter it once was when it lead the way for the No Kill movement under the guidance of Richard Avanzino.  Under the direction of controversial Jan McHugh Smith they are refusing to support the ban!     Heck, with her at the helm, they are not even a No Kill shelter any longer!

People just do not realize that de-clawing a cat can cause the cat to be in life long pain.  De-clawed cats can be more prone to biting.  A cat without claws is defenseless.  De-clawed cats are often more inclined to not use their litter boxes.

Martha Stewart once had an episode of her TV show inside one of her homes.  The camera went to one of her sofas to reveal that the arms of the sofa had been shredded by her cats.  Martha chuckled and said something like “when you live with cats, you live with this.”  Now really folks, if Martha Stewart can live with a few shreds so can we mere mortals!

But what if you can’t live with a shredded sofa arm?  Trim the cat’s nails!  It’s beyond easy once you get the hang of it.  Your veterinarian or a vet tech can show you how.  In a matter of minutes you’ll be as good at it as they are.

You can purchase professional cat nail clippers or use the straight edge toe clippers you probably already own!   Trim your cat’s nails every 10-14 days and everyone is happy!

San Francisco is where Cat Faeries lives and works.  We are actively getting petitions signed, and we will make a formal statement before the Board of Supervisors.  And we will keep you posted about the ban.  Please see if you can be a pioneer  and get de-clawing banned in your community!

Are you a San Francisco resident who wants a petition?  Email us and we’ll send you one as an attachment.  We need it mailed back to our PO Box by October 15, 2009.  Not a resident?  Send us a letter and we’ll include it with the petitions?   Cat Faeries, PO Box 31885, San Francisco, CA 94131.

Going to a holiday party held at a home with cats? Cat toys make great “hostess gifts.” Its always thoughtful and meaningful to gift the host’s or hostess’s cats or children. We don’t carry items for children, but we can help you with goodies for their cats.

Keep checking our website. We plan to introduce some absolutely mouth watering new cat toy shapes . . . and rumor has it that our muse, Betty the cyber cat, is launching her signature “fragrance.” The paparazzi have been staking out our office hoping to catch a glimpse of Betty for a quote about the return of Cat Faerie Mist – our wildly popular Catnip floral water spray. But we can’t let the cat out of the bag just yet. Stay tuned!

Enjoy all the festivities this time of year offers! And drive carefully, be kind to strangers, and smile!

Here’s a quote from a long time customer of ours:

Christmas isn’t Christmas without Cat Faeries’s toys. I have 5 cats, and they have been enjoying these great toys for several years now. We have “spread the wealth” to the cats of friends – always well-received and well-enjoyed!

My cats are veggie-lovers, corn and carrots are their favorites!! Thanks for the many hours of enjoyment!!

Amanda