Frequently Asked Questions - El Jardinet dels Gats

What should I do if I find a cat?

If you are in Barcelona and you find a cat, take it with care, put it on a carrier and notify 092 so that they come from the Animal Reception Center of Compayia in Barcelona to take care of it.
You can also count on the protection of your neighborhood, district or town.
You can take it to a nearby veterinarian to see if it carries a chip.
If you have a dove of cats or a space where you have found a cat you can send an email to https://w10.bcn.cat/StpQueixesWEB/prepararFormularioBtoB.do?i’c&ambit’t listens indicating the area in detail and requesting that the protector of the area or the City Council itself act if applicable.

Take a photo of him and hang signs in case someone lost him.

What should I do if I lose my cat?

Check every corner of the house and make sure you are not sleeping hidden in a closet.
Act fast
Call the CAACB: 934 284 417 Schedule: From Monday to Friday: from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays, Sundays and holidays: from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. As if they found and collected it.
Notify ANICOM at 93 567 42 00, anicom.tes-gencat.cat and AIAC 902 170 401 (24/7) or93 418 92 94, registration sites of the identification chips so that if someone finds it they can notify you.
Put up posters throughout the neighborhood.
Disseminate the notice through social networks and contact the protectors of the area.
Look at the ground floor, parking, sewers, interior courtyards, neighbors of the neighborhood.
Go out on the nights that the area is quieter and leave under the cars or in strategic places, water and feed, tin.
Go down with your transport in case you find it, be aware that it may be in shock and it does not recognize you.

Put the sandbox in an outdoor place so that it can feel the smell, cats can smell its trail at a long distance.

Do not lose hope and look for it well daily and ask for help from the protectors of the area, neighbors and merchants.
The 1st 15 days are vital to find it in good condition.
To prevent a cat from getting lost, it is essential that we have a protected house to give it a good quality of life, since the cat is curious by nature, unnecessary risks must be avoided.

How many years can a cat live?

A cat can live between 10 to 18/20 years, they depend on the life it has led and the health pathogens it may have, so it is very important to be aware that adoption is a decision for many years and we must be prepared to assume what it implies.

It is also important to think about what type of cat we will adopt, if 10 or 15 or 20 years we believe that it is a lot, we can adopt adult or senior cats giving a chance to cats that we already know the character and that adapt better to our lifestyle.

How is a cat? Psychological traits

Very sensitive, it captures extraordinarily the emotions of the environment: stress, tranquility, anxiety,… And he makes them his own.

Lover of routine, peace, and softness of sounds.

You have to earn their trust by treating them with respect and giving them the time they need. The cat is not a hurry lover… “Everything has its time.”. Once their trust is won, their love will be profound.
Each cat has a very marked and unique personality
He communicates to us any situation that makes him happy (panxa enlaire, cua alta, roncant….) or the anguish (not using the sandbox, hiding, stopping eating….) They are very clean, they like order and cleanliness.

What psychological needs does a cat have?

Feel respected and loved, always living in a safe and stable environment

Let us talk to him and he is always present

Play to stimulate their intelligence and their hunter qualities
To scratch nails, have a scraper and play spaces, an enriched and stimulating CatFriendly atmosphere.

What physical needs does a cat have?

Having a sandbox, in an intimate place, we have covered, uncovered, with a door, without
Food: Quality feed, avoid white brands (food found in the supermarket)
Clean water every day, preferably a source of water for cats.
Place to scratch nails, there are cartro scrapers, vertical, mats.
Place for leisure and toys to stimulate your entertainment.
A brush and brush it regularly to prevent hairballs from forming.
Annual visit to the veterinarian for review and vaccines
Internal and external deparasitation
Sterilization when the time comes, in case we have a kitten.
It is very important to identify with chip

What do you need to know about the sandpit?

It must be placed in an intimate and isolated lake. They don’t like to do their needs before everyone

Far from the plate of food and water

Every day the manure must be removed and the sand will be changed when necessary. The sandbox likes clean.

If they don’t like the sand we put, they won’t use the sand. Other sands will have to be tried. We have
“Normal” silicon ‘ is economical, makes dust and must be changed often
“Conglomerate” , cleaner, lasts longer, makes less dust and smell
“Cristalls” . It is the most expensive, it does not make dust, nor smell, it lasts longer.

Scented sands must be avoided.

What do you need to know about food?

The dish must be located far from the sand
There must always be food, because they eat little often a day. They self-regulate.
The feed must be of quality to avoid diseases. Supermarket feed, after a few years, causes allergies, urine problems, kidney problems…
We will give a little moist food as a prize and to get used to another type of food, in case in the future the food has to be changed (cat senior, oral problems…)
A couple of times a week, we will give you some malt paste to help you expel the hairballs.

What do you need to know about the lake to scratch nails?

It is a basic need for them

We can buy large scrapers or use cardboard scrapers, rope carpet, wicker or banana leaf furniture, tree trunk, some object covered with rope

What to know about the place to play?

They love the heat, therefore, a hot bed in a quiet place.
Cardboard box with cushion and blanket inside
Hammocks by radiator, igloos, baskets.
And they love to sleep in our bed!

What do you need to know about toys?

Cardboard boxes with holes to enter and exit
Plastic tubes or clothing
Journal paper balls or silver paper
ball of string
botlle caps
To chase the point of a laser or a string
Toys that stimulate their nature,: reed toys, pads with valeriana or catnip and above all not using hands as a toy or feet, to prevent them from jumping to play with hands and feet .

What do you need to know about brushing hair?

Strengthens the emotional and emotional bond with us
Avoid hairballs in the stomach
We have the cleanest house in times of moulting.

Under what conditions should we adopt a cat?

It must have passed through the veterinarian to deparasite internally and externally, vaccinate, test immunodeficiency and feline leukaemia, identified with the sterilized chip and general review.
They must give us all the documentation and inform us if they suffer from any illness
They have to explain the character of the cat. For this reason, it is better that the cat has passed through a House of Reception, which is sleep truly takes its character.
We must sign Adoption Contract and change the name on the identification chip

Why adopt and not buy?

Why female mothers are exploited and suffer greatly

Parents and children cross and puppies with genetic problems come out
Deficient hygienic and sanitary conditions cause many diseases in puppies

The separation of the mother before time causes physical and psychological problems to the puppies.

Adopting a protector gives health guarantees and we have the advice of volunteers to find the best cat according to our lifestyle and family.

By adopting a cat from a protector, we give a future and a chance to two cats: the adopted and the new that they can rescue. In addition, we do not contribute to the exploitation of females

You can act as a welcome home if you can’t adopt or you don’t know if you can live with a cat.

What should I bear in mind when adopting?

If we have enough time to devote it
If we have sufficient economic resources and stability to provide quality food, veterinary care and everything you need
If we take care of it and we can take responsibility for it throughout its life
If we are not disturbed by the hair that leaves us at home, if someone scratches us, if I look, if he goes up to the sofa or the bed…

If I want to acquire the commitment to love him all his life as part of my family

Do you have to protect windows and balconies with a network?

Yes, and above all if they are puppies. Cats are playful and curious, this leads them to throw themselves behind a pigeon or a falling sheet.
Or to explore the courtyards and roofs of the neighbors, where they are often lost or fall, if we protect the balconies and windows in an adequate way, we will avoid displeasures, and when we talk about protecting we do not trust half a balcony but about 2m high.

How is the presentation made among cats?

When a newly arrived cat enters the house, we leave it on the ground inside the closed carrier. The cat in the house will come to smell. They will surely blow and interact.

Let them do some time. If we see that everything is calm, we open the door of the transportin.

If one of the cats is nervous, we will close the newcomer a few days in a room with its sandbox, food and water. In these days we will exchange sandals and, at some point, we will close the cat of the house and let the newcomer leave the room and leave his smell for the house. After a few days, we will open the door and remain calm and calm, while they interact.

What does it mean to be a foster home?

It is a voluntary service that involves feeding and caring for a cat, providing food and shelter, as well as love and trust.

If there were, during the reception, any problem of a veterinary or behavioral nature, the El Jardinet dels Gats Association would attend at all times.

The Welcome Team of the Jardinet dels Gats is next to the Welcome Houses at all times, to support and solve any doubts or problems that arise.

How long is the reception established?

There is no established time in the reception contract, since it is specified by the person who is responsible for their reception, according to their availability and the needs of the cats pending reception. It can be weeks, months, or until a final adopter is found.

Which cats go to foster home?

Cats that go to foster home can be of various types: cats that cannot be cared for by their families, cats that are abandoned, cats that need a calm environment to relax and socialize, cats that need to take regular medication or convalescent cats from an operation.

Why don’t you use the sandbox correctly?

Due to physical cause (renal failure, infection…) it is very important that a veterinarian visits it in the event of any change in behavior.
The sand is dirty
He doesn’t like sand
Have your plate of food next to the sand
Fear, he’s stressed, depressed…
Never scold him! Try to find the cause and you will solve the problem and if you do not get out, consult specialists, veterinarians, feline professional etology…

Why can a cat be depressed or stressed?

We have guests at home
We have changed our house
We are doing work at home
There are stress or family problems
We have changed the schedules or habits at home
Someone from the human family or a four-legged companion has died
We have gone on holiday
A new cat or dog enters the house
Anything that alters peace, routine and balance at home.
Abandoned cats always suffer from it

How should we treat a depressed or stressed cat?

We never scold it because the problem is further aggravated

We will talk to you with positive messages: “how I love you”, “how beautiful you are”…. They understand the message
To caress and embrace it more often
Put a feliway diffuser
There are specific feeds for stressful situations, and the valerian or e catnip also helps them.

What do I do if I scratch nails where I don’t want to?

Do not scold the cat, because it does not understand and we do not solve the problem
Look for a scratcher you like and put catnip
Protect the area we don’t want it to scratch

Put feliway into spray where we don’t want it to scratch

Fry the area that we do not want to scratch with lemon (they hate the smell of citrus), if we clean it with bleach, it is a smell that attracts them and we may even motivate scratching more.

How can I give medication to my cat?

Put the pill mixed with the tin that you like
Put the pill in a piece of boiled chicken or sweet ham, a bunch of cats.
Dumped in tuna juice
Directly in the mouth, pressing slightly once we have placed it inside to prevent it from slipping.
In these cases it is important to consult a veterinarian, so that he advises us.

Is a cat or two better?

Two cats are better because they get company when we are not at home, they create positive emotional ties because of their emotional balance, they play together, they are safer
The work is practically the same as if we have only one cat
We can leave them alone longer

What do I do with the cat if I go on holiday?

If it is a few days, it is better to leave it at home and for a babysitter to take care of it.
If there are many days and you can’t take it, look for a home for friends or family, who take care of it. It is always best to avoid house changes or extreme changes that can stress it, or cause it to escape.

What do I do if I find a kitten?

Bring it to the nearest veterinarian to buy milk for cats, deparasit it, check your eyes and the general state of health.
Keep it warm (we can use a bottle of hot water, a bag of hot water wrapped with a towel.
If we can not take charge, contact the protector of our neighborhood or call 092 to ask the municipal service to come and take care of it.
If we have another cat, keep the two cats separate for health safety
We can enable a room or a bathroom, a cardboard box

How do I give a kitten a bottle?

The four paws of the kitten must touch the ground.

It is the most similar position of how they breastfeed the mother and the one that will prevent us from producing aspiration pneumonia.
We must make sure that the milk is for cat puppies and that the milk of the bottle is at the appropriate tempreture to give it.

Can we give cow’s milk to cats or vegetable milk?

Never in the case of kittens because it is laxative and produces diarrhea that can dehydrate them.