Greetings Rangers – Mango here

I bet you feel safe in your own home don’t you Rangers.  That’s because your parents take every precaution to ensure your safety.

There are hidden dangers all over a home that cats need to be protected from.  Some are obvious, like an open window. Then there are things that seem harmless but they’re not.  Here is a list of some dangerous things that are harmless to humans but dangerous to us:

• Pills /vitamins left out on a counter ( we might eat them thinking they’re  cat treats)
• Anything stringy like dental floss, thread, rubber bands, and tinsel (we could swallow these things and cause a bunch of trouble in our bellies)
• Hot stove / iron / fireplace (remember we can jump high and quick)
• Chocolate / grapes (very, very dangerous if we eat these things)
• Cleaning Chemicals (we can’t read – we don’t know glass cleaner is bad for us)
• Washing machine / Dryer (we like warm cozy places and these are not safe nap spots for us)

There are many hidden dangers in the home.  A good way to know if something is dangerous or not is if you wouldn’t give us something as a toy then you need to make sure we can’t get our paws on it.  Still not sure – then just ask your vet.  They can answer any questions you and your family might have.

Remember to share everything you learn from me and Rocket with your family and friends.

Meow for now!!!

DON’T WORRY THIS PICTURE IS NOT ME!!

Hey Rangers – what’s happening!!  I’d like to take a moment to talk about a “heavy” issue and that is weight.  Did you know that a few extra pounds on us could be a danger to our health? Just like you humans, being overweight can cause diabetes, arthritis and problems with our hearts.

Have you ever seen an obese lion or a chunky cougar – nooooooooooooo!!!!  Cats in the wild don’t eat junk food and they don’t over eat.  They eat enough to satisfy their hunger and give them enough energy to fit their active life-style.  Indoor kitties need to watch their calories carefully since we’re not doing sprints in the jungle.  Another thing that really helps us maintain a healthy weight is to never give us table food.  In addition to table food packing on extra pounds, there are many foods that are dangerous, even deadly to us kitties.  Did you know that chocolate can kill us? There are even some healthy foods for you that are dangerous to us – like grapes. Yikes!!!!!!!!!!!

Our age determines what kind of cat food we should eat. Cats that are a year old and younger should eat only kitten food (they need the extra protein and calories).  When we reach a year old and up to the age of seven, we should eat cat food designed for adults.  Cats that are older than seven should eat food for seniors.  Always talk to your vet about the best food to feed your kitty.  They will know best.

So remember, if kitties are fed a high-quality diet made especially for us, then we will be healthier and we can live a longer more active life.

This morning Barb weighed me and we decided that at 12 1/2 pounds that I am about 1 pound overweight! Some of you have said that you think I’m a little bit chubby when you see my pictures.I’m not going on some crazy diet, but Barb is going to cut my food back about 10% until I weigh 11 1/2 pounds. She is also going to play with me with my favorite toy  which is a feather on a stick!! If I chase it a whole bunch, I get exercise. I don’t go outside because I am afraid of coyotes and hawks so I need indoor exercise. Wish me luck and I’ll send you a photo when I am in better shape

Thanks for listening Rangers.  Remember to pass along all the great information you learn to your parents and other adults that live with kitties.

I love you Rangers! I wish I could come visit you at school but I don’t like going out of the house and I hate the car!!

Meow for Now!

Mango

Hi Rangers!  I’d like to talk about a very sensitive subject to us kitties, and that is our claws.  When a human baby is born they have fingernails which they keep for their whole life.  When kitties are born we have fingernails too but ours are pointy and sharp.  We call them claws.

Some humans have the wrong idea about kitty claws. They think that we will go around their home and just rip everything up!! That’s why they sometimes declaw us with a surgery.  I know some kitties that have been declawed and they said it really hurt.  I promise that cats can live in homes with humans and keep their claws without causing a lot of damage… really! It’s natural for us to use our claws on things that are textured and rough.  When we live in the wild we use real trees to scratch (we love tall objects).  We do this to remove the outer shell of our claws called the husk and to mark our territory (that means we are claiming something as OURS!).   It also keeps our claws in great shape.  So humans just need to give us our own indoor tree or scratching post.  You see them all the time in pet stores.  Cat trees are sometimes made of burlap and thick rope (remember we like textured, tall things). Try to avoid cat trees that are made of carpet.  That will confuse us because we might think its ok to scratch the carpet on the tree AND the carpet on the floor.

Another way to prevent us from scratching the furniture is to keep our claws nice and trim. That’s right – a manicure! Kitty nail clippers are really inexpensive and very easy to use.  The best teacher is your vet, vet technician or a friend that has a lot of kitty experience.  Once you get the hang of it, it’s a breeze.

So remember, kitties are much happier when we keep our claws and humans are happier when we scratch only designated items like our own cat tree. Let’s all be happy with kitty claws!!

Meow for Now

Mango

Hi Rangers, it’s me, Mango!  Most of you know that when dogs need to go to the bathroom, they go outside in the backyard or somewhere when you take them for their daily walks. (I know you pick it up and throw it in the garbage !!)  We kitties use a litter box instead.  This is like our bathroom – our own personal toilet so to speak.

I know everyone likes to have a clean bathroom. Guess what — cats like to have a clean litter box!!  Our boxes need to be scooped out every day.  Scooping is like when you flush the toilet.  After you flush, the toilet bowl just has clean water inside.  After you scoop, the litter box just has clean litter inside.  Could you imagine if you didn’t flush the toilet for an entire day or days even?  YUCK!!!  Cats are very fussy about having a clean litter box.  Sometimes, if the box is not clean, we might find somewhere else to go …you know, like on the rug behind the sofa…uh-oh!   Of course the grownups won’t be happy if that happens, so let’s make sure the litter box is always clean.

Besides scooping the box, the litter should be dumped, replaced and the box should be washed at least every two to three weeks.  The more cats you have, the more frequently the litter should be replaced.

It’s always best to keep the litter box in a separate room from our food and water if possible or, at least, as far away as possible.  You don’t eat a hamburger in the bathroom do you???!!!  The same goes for us kitties.

My last bit of kitty advice is that, if you have more than one cat in the house, then it’s best to have more than one litter box.  A general rule is each cat should have their own box.

Meow for now.  Keep reading for more fun kitty facts

I love you Rangers!

Mango

Hi Fellow Animal Lovers – It’s me Mango. As you know I have two doggie siblings, Rocket and Lucy. I love my brother and sister very much. The reason we all get along is because my mommy knew how to introduce me to my new family members. So I’d like to share with everyone some of the dos and don’ts when a new kitty arrives at your home.

I know our human parents want everyone to get along from day one but that doesn’t always happen without a little help. The key to a happy pet family is patience, patience, and patience. Kitties can be very frightened in new places and will often hide from everyone. The best thing to do is to put your kitty in a small, quiet room with no other animals. Make sure they can see their litter box and food and water bowl. It’s important to keep the bowls away from the litter box. This will prevent litter from getting into the bowls. We kitties are very fussy and like our bowls cleaned every day and our litter boxes must be scooped at least once a day.

Humans should spend lots of time in the room with the new kitty so they get used to their voice. Young kittens will usually get comfortable with their human family quickly. An older cat might take more time (remember patience). Talk in soothing tones so they get accustomed to your voice.

Your current four-legged family members will sniff at the door and sometimes they will play footsy under the door. This is normal.Don’t worry if there’s some hissing – this is just kitty talk for “who are you?”. This is part of the slow introduction period. After aminimum of one week to ten days you can take kitty out of their room and put them in a carrier. Then open the door to let the other kitties/doggies go in and investigate. This will really get everyone used to each other’s scents. If all goes well then it’s time for everyone to be out and about in the same room. It’s important that these first initial visits be supervised. When you feel everyone is comfortable together then you get let everyone interact on a daily basis. New kitties should be tested for FeLV and FIV before meeting any other kitties living in your home. We want everyone to be healthy!

Remember, we kitties do things on our on time line. Please don’t rush us. If you’re patient with us then I promise everyone will live happily ever after.

Meow

MEWS FROM MANGO

Hi I am Rocket’s brother Mango ! Even though he is a DOG, I must admit he is one of my best buddies. He seems to know that CATS RULE and lets me have the best spot on the bed when we are allowed up. I like to rub up against him to show him that I really do love him.

I’m almost 10 years old but it’s kind of a miracle that I’m still here! I was born in a little shed up in Colorado with three brothers and sisters. Mom was feral and one night when we kids were 3 weeks old she went out prowling for food .It was COLD and there was a frost so we ventured out to find her to be by her warm body. We didn’t know we were too small to be out alone and we were freezing !! I am so sad to say that the other kittens didn’t survive but Barb found me half frozen and barely breathing and took me home. She wrapped me in a facecloth and put me under a desk lamp for heat. I was only breathing about 2 times a minute. She watched me so closely and talked to the vet on the phone. She opened the face cloth and rubbed my tummy and that seemed to do the trick cuz I started breathing more. I was so tiny that she had to feed me with a bottle and carried me around wrapped in a scarf around her neck.That was FUN!! For some funny reason , I knew how to use a litter box which made Barb really happy.

I am an indoor kitty which makes me feel very safe especially after what happened when I was little. There so so many dangerous things outside like coyotes and hawks and owl and cars..yipes..too many for me! I was neuterd when I was little so there won’t be any kittens for me and that is just fine by me as I like being the only one. It’s a big enough job watching after Rocket and our other dog sister Lucy who has soooo much energy!

I am going to write to you kids on Rocket’s website about kitty news and information since I know some of you have kitties. You can write to me for fun or if you have some questions about cats. Like most kitties I know A LOT and I also have friends that know even more. I hope we can be good friends!

Love and purrs,

Mango