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Section: Being Well

Proud to be Cat Ladies
Story and photos by Sarah T. Schwab

The SPCA is a great source for cat adoption.

Linda Graovic, with some of her cats.

Graovac and another furry friend.

Have you ever come home after work to be greeted by your cat curling around your ankles? Or found he or she nestled next to you in bed, purring? If you are a woman who reflects on these experiences and smiles, you can probably consider yourself a “cat lady.”

There are roughly 90 million cats owned in America according to American Pet Products Manufacturers Association. And yet “cat lady” connotes a unique individual: a senile old woman who lives alone with countless uncared-for cats.

So how accurate is this representation? According to Gina Browning, public relations director of the SPCA serving Erie County (www.yourspca.org, 875-7360), it is skewed. Browning owns two cats and considers herself an “animal lady.”

She explains that the description of the “crazy cat lady” fit hoarding cases when she first started in 1990. But in the last eight years, all types of people hoard animals. She said current research recognizes hoarders — once considered “collectors” whose good intentions went amiss — as individuals with a mental illness or compulsion.

Dr. Marcia Levine, founder of Summer Street Cat Clinic in Buffalo and Getzville, agrees that hoarding may be a form of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. She also owns two cats and has been a “cat lady” from a young age.

“There are many well-intentioned cat lovers,” Levine says. “But it can get out of hand quickly … especially if the cats are not spayed and neutered. The caretakers do not see that they are in over their heads and continue to accumulate animals.”

Browning says that another problem is the “higher status” given to dogs over cats. City ordinances mandate that dogs be licensed. “The government recognizes that accumulating too many dogs can be unsafe for the animal(s). There’s no legislation protecting cats,” she says. “Because of this, it is more difficult to gauge exactly what cat hoarding means, and when it’s animal cruelty.”

She suggests a hypothetical situation: one house with five cats and another with 40. She says that people might assume that the latter is a hoarder. But let’s say the 40 cats are well cared for — have at least 60 large litter boxes, been vaccinated, spayed/neutered, and are properly fed — and the five cats have one litter box, not been to a veterinarian and are malnourished. Browning would call the person with five cats a “hoarder.”

“Hoarding is not so much a quantity issue, as it is the level of care for the number of animals in a person’s home,” she says. Because of the “great strides” in research at Tufts University (www.tufts.edu/vet/cfa/hoarding), the Erie County SPCA is working on better ways to help animals in abusive situations, and hoarders.

Wheatfield native Linda Graovac owns five cats — four Birmans and one Maine Coon. She agrees that a person is not necessarily a hoarder because they own numerous cats.

“People think that your house must smell, but it doesn’t have to. We have three very large litter boxes in the basement, and we bathe them when necessary,” she explains while cradling her kitten First Knight. She laughed while the 8-month-old Birman pawed playfully at her cat-decorated turtleneck.

Some studies argue that there are medical advantages to owning cats. Researchers at the University of Minnesota, for example, found that feline-less people were 30 to 40 percent more likely to die of cardiovascular disease than those with cats.

Graovac is not familiar with statistics, but she believes cats are very intuitive. “I had a cat that passed away two years ago. Whenever I was sick, he would sit on the bed looking at me. When I woke up, he’d still be there. He knew something was wrong,” she says with a smile, adding, “People need to realize that owning animals is a responsibility. It’s something you should do if you can.”

Summer Street Cat Clinic locations: 25 Summer St., Buffalo, 883-3324; 2323 N. Forest Rd., Getzville, 689-2287; www.summerstreetcatclinic.com.

Keep Your Cat Healthy

Cats should have a health plan tailored to its individual needs, taking into consideration: age, indoor-outdoor status and health issues. Here are some tips:

• Cats should be examined once per year if they are in good health and under 10 years of age, and twice per year if it has medical problems or is older than 10.

• Over-vaccination is the biggest mistake cat owners commit. There are core (essential) and non-core (specific situation) vaccines. Ask your vet which are best for your cat.

• Monitor and report changes in appetite, water consumption or behavior. Cats tend to hide symptoms until disease is well advanced — even a small change could indicate a problem.

• Canned diets are generally better for cats because it resembles their natural diet. It is recommended that at least a portion of their food is moist. Recently, there has been a movement towards “holistic” cat food. Many of these new diets have not been carefully designed or tested. The AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) label should be on any product. This means it meets the stated claims on the label.

• Always look for balanced nutrition, and make sure to follow the feeding directions on the back of packages.

—Sarah T. Schwab

How to Choose a Good Pet Groomer

While some pet grooming can be done at a home, a professional groomer is the safest, most sensible option. Keep these tips in mind when choosing a groomer:

• Recommendations from veterinarians, friends and even the Internet are a good place to start. Consider scheduling an interview, or checking with the Better Business Bureau.

• Check into hours of operation and costs. Do these details work for you?

• Visit the facility for a tour, and make sure it smells clean, has a caring staff and proper caging.

• Train your pet at home to ensure that he or she will respond well to grooming.

• Make sure all vaccinations and shots are up to date before the first visit.

• Don’t make a choice until you feel comfortable that this is a place that can responsibly groom your pet.

Why take your pet to a groomer? Besides protecting the animal’s health, you’ll lessen shedding. And perhaps the best reason is that you’ll keep your friend’s coat soft and huggable.

—Bill Harford