Cats Is All About

I'm a foster parent to several cats which are running into some challenges getting adopted from my local shelter. Cats that are perceived as too old or too overweight are often overlooked during the selection process. Black cats, too, are prejudiced for some reason.

I volunteer at our shelter several days a week. Most of the time I walk the animals to give them an opportunity to stretch their legs and smell the outdoor scents. Sometimes I get close to the ones looked over by others and I also agree to take them home to make room for new incoming animals.

While not an official adoptive cat parent, I take my charges seriously. I buy them good food, not the cheap kind, and I make certain that they have plenty of toys and entertainment. It's unsettling for them to transfer from environment to environment, being unsure of themselves and their surroundings and any other animals that may be around.

I believe if you're a foster parent or a real parent of cats, you should invest in keeping them mentally and physically stimulated. That's why I have a couple of cat trees in different rooms of my home, especially to provide the felines an outlet for their energy and their natural instincts.

Sometimes the older cats need extra help getting onto comfy places, so I have a set of cat steps next to the couch and another set of cat steps next to the bed. It can take them awhile to get used to using them, but it sure seems easier on the hold bones.

I also have a cat scratching post - a smaller version of the cat tree - in the kitchen. That way, the cats can all spread out and do their thing without anyone getting territorial.