In Memory of Dorothy Whitehead Open Window Issue 2 March 2010 Open your heart to our community’s homeless cats Monthly Meetings ~ Feral Feline Friends meets the second Tuesday of every month at Mr. Gatti’s at 6913 Kingston Pike (just west of Papermill Road.) Please come so you can learn about how you can help the feral cats of our community. Feral Feline Friends of East Tennessee ~ A 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. We are dedicated to the care of feral cats, and members of our group work on a volunteer basis to feed, water, and provide medical care for hundreds of feral cats in Knoxville and surrounding areas. We participate in a trap/neuter/return program in an effort to control the feral cat population. The TNR program is where feral cats are humanely trapped by volunteers, taken to a clinic to be spayed or neutered and vaccinated, and returned to their colony where they are most comfortable. We are not an adoption agency nor do we take in unwanted pets. Our organization only holds adoption fairs in order to find homes for socialized kittens born into feral colonies and to re-home stray pets that are abandoned in our colonies! We are funded solely from donations and fundraisers with 100% of money raised going directly to controlling and maintaining the feral cat population. In Memory of Dorothy Whitehead ~Ann Delap "No matter how much cats fight, there always seems to be plenty of kittens." - Abraham Lincoln

*Proailurus (first true cat). Image of what it probably looked like. Cat Articles The Importance of Clean Water ~ A lot of people know that public water systems can contain harmful bacteria. Giving cats tap water can actually be harmful to them. Cats, like humans, are 80% water. That means they need plenty of fresh, clean water. Bacteria such as Giardia can be living in municipal and well water. Giardia is a single-celled organism that can cause great harm to your pets. If ingested, it will begin to live in the mucous membranes of the intestines. Giardia can cause diarrhea to both pets and humans. Also, there are things in water that can cause cancer in animals and humans as well. If you give your pet filtered water it will help remove sickness-causing organisms and metals from ever being ingested by the animal. Cats are very finicky about their water; they like it fresh. The longer the water sits out, the more oxygen it loses. Regardless of the water used, pet bowls need to be cleaned very frequently. Not just rinsed out. If you don’t clean out your pet’s water bowl, bacteria can grow from mold in the air into your pet’s bowl. So, clean the bowl frequently and keep it filled with fresh, filtered water. If the water is fresh, the cats (other animals as well) are more likely to drink it. Drinking water frequently can help reduce urinary tract disorders, which is a good thing not to have. It really doesn’t matter what kind of bowl to use. A normal stainless steel or glass bowl filled with filtered water works very well in keeping your pet’s healthy. Historical Trivia on Cats ~ Miacis, the primitive ancestor of cats, was a small, tree-living creature of the late Eocene period, some 45 to 50 million years ago. ~ The first true cats came into existence about 12 million years ago and were the Proailurus*. ~ Phoenician cargo ships are thought to have brought the first domesticated cats to Europe around 900 BC. ~ The ancient Egyptians were the first to tame the cat (around 3000 BC) and used them to control pests. ~ Ancient Egyptian family members shaved their eyebrows in mourning when the family cat died. ~ The Pilgrims were the first to introduce the cat to North America. ~ In Siam, cats were so revered that one rode in it’s own chariot at the head of a parade celebrating the new king. ~ There are approximately 100 breeds of cats. ~ The life expectancy of cats have double since 1930-from 8 to 16 years. ~ Cats have been domesticated for half as long as dogs have. *Proailurus (first true cat). Image of what it probably looked like.

 Support Feral Feline Friends of East Tennessee  Happy St. Patrick’s Day! How about sharing what you have with the cat’s of our community?! Make them feel lucky this month. The feral cats will be so thankful for any donation of any amount. The smallest donation makes a huge difference in our efforts to help cats living on the edge in our community.  Support Feral Feline Friends of East Tennessee  In Honor/Memory of Enclosed is my donation of: __$10 __$25 __$50 __$100 __Other Your donation will solely be used for the care of Knoxville’s feral colonies, to include spaying/neutering, food, or other necessary care. Your donations are tax deductible under section 501c3 of the IRS code. Please let us know if your employer will match your gift. Name Address Phone Email Feral Feline Friends of East Tennessee P.O. Box 32121 Knoxville, TN 37930-2121 Phone: (865) 406-6980 Email: kfcf@comcast.net www.knoxvilleferalcatfriends.org Open Window is edited by Amanda Fort. To submit information for the newsletter, please contact her at amanda_1994@comcast.net