[00:00:02] Speaker A: The Michael Hatfield ReMax team presents real estate and more. Bay area real estate is different than in all of America. And why? What's up with home buyers? What's on sellers minds? How is the market?
[00:00:17] Speaker B: And much, much more.
[00:00:19] Speaker A: Now here's your host, Michael Hatfield.
Welcome back to the real estate and more show, and I'm so glad you've tuned in. Today we're talking about felines, men and women's great, perhaps greatest friends. Almost everyone loves cats, especially the humor from crazy cats. To help us better understand these pets, we have a lady who works her livelihood at the cat hospital of Petaluma. They endeavor to keep these cats working as our family members. We have this lady that her personal quest is to just to help us understand the cats with their issues, their crazy behaviors, and to help families who need the humor that the cats just seem naturally to possess. To talk about cats, she. We have Jenny Fotley on on board today. So welcome. Jenny, how are you?
[00:01:12] Speaker B: Oh, very well, thank you. Thanks for having me.
[00:01:15] Speaker A: Yeah. Well, tell us a little bit about yourself. As long as I've known you, a number of years, you've been interested in cats. You've had cats, you've been around them, you're very knowledgeable about them. How did you get this affection for them and where did all of that come from?
[00:01:32] Speaker B: Well, I grew up in a house that always had animals, tons of animals, cats, dogs, birds, fish, hermit crabs, rats, mice. I mean, you name it, I would come home with it or my mom would come home with it, and we just would take on rescues all the time. And I don't remember a time when we didn't have pets. But I've always loved cats, especially their independence just had a special place for me. And then as I grew up and grew out on my own, cats work better with my schedule. They're. They have a little bit of more independence and a little bit of attitude, much like myself. And it just kind of went from there. And I. I can't imagine not having cats in my life in one shape or another.
[00:02:19] Speaker A: Yeah. And like during the COVID you know.
[00:02:21] Speaker B: Like dogs and other other things too.
[00:02:23] Speaker A: Really looking for some type of pet to make life better for them. And some people chose cats, some people chose dogs, some people chose cats and dogs. And it's just amazing that the amount of joy that they can bring you as a family member. You know, I was reading the other day, the history of cats goes back several thousands and thousands of years. You know, we're talking maybe ancient Egypt, you know, 7,500 to 10,000 years ago, and they were there to help protect against disease and help protect the crops. Cats were regarded as sacred creatures by ancient Egyptians, so it's no wonder that we today as people, really like to have them as pets.
[00:03:11] Speaker B: I was going to say, if you go online now, you might still think that we worship cats. You know, most of the videos on cell phones and stuff now are funny cat videos and cat T shirts, and they're still pretty high on our list.
[00:03:25] Speaker A: Yeah, they, their behaviors are something that'll definitely inspire you into it. But now you're into a different issue. Now you're into maintaining the health of the felines. Can you tell us a little bit about the cat hospitals? There's not many of them around.
[00:03:42] Speaker B: No, we're the only cat exclusive hospital in Sonoma county currently.
What's nice about a cat exclusive hospital, in my opinion, is that our Doctors and our RVTs, like any doctor, they have to do continued education and continue to learn beyond going to vet school. And they focus all their continued education on cat specific illnesses and medications. So they're really on top of all the newest things that are coming out in the cat world. And also we're used to handling cats that might be considered spicy, as we like to say, or cats that might have behavioral problems. And some people are afraid of that.
You know, we do have leather gloves and things for the very bitey ones, but we focus 100% of our energy on these cats. So we're able to take on some things that other people might not be able to. We can do some things without knocking them out completely that maybe other people aren't comfortable doing.
But I think most importantly, our, our focus is 100% on cats. So we're going to be up to date on what's new in the world and keeping them healthy and happy.
[00:05:01] Speaker A: You know, I've always thought that cats didn't need a lot of veterinary care, unlike dogs, but I think they do now. I think in order to keep them really healthy, you have to have specific checks. What do you recommend for people and their, their feline pets? How often should they bring them to the cat hospital and. And be seen?
[00:05:22] Speaker B: Well, I would say a minimum for a healthy cat is every 12 months. I always bring my cats in for their wellness checks every 12 months. The thing in my experience with dogs is if they get a little hurt, Paul, they want the attention. And they're like, my paw, my paw, give me some cookies. You know, whereas a cat, their predatory nature, they hide. If they're in pain. So by the time they're, they're showing you that they're uncomfortable, there's something's wrong, it might be really bad. So if you're taking them in and we're palpating them and checking them once a year, we're going to catch things before they're big problems. And we can tell you like, hey, it looks like in a couple of years you might have this issue cropping up and then you can start planning rather than having an emergency, you can plan for it, put a little aside for, or a dental procedure that might need to happen in the, in the future.
So once a year with senior cats, I do recommend if they're under treatments for like hyperthyroidism, things like that, every six months just to make sure they're on the right doses. Because again, you're going to be going for the exam but you're not going to have an emergency. And emergencies are expensive and they're stressful for you and the cat. So I'm pretty, pretty adamant that every, every 12 months is a good idea to bring your cats in for a full physical.
[00:06:40] Speaker A: You know, I was always under the impression that cats just didn't need the amount of care that dogs do. I'm, I'm not too sure about that. I think any, any pet, you have to be responsible and get them in there for their, their wellness checks. Would you not think always?
[00:06:56] Speaker B: Absolutely. Especially when you have animals that are good at hiding how they, they feel. And I know that some owners don't want to deal with putting their feisty cat in a cat carrier. Talk to your vet. There are things that we can do to help you with that. There might be a medication such as gabapentin or something that's an anti anxiety medication that your vet could prescribe to give before your cat comes to the vet. There are certain types of carriers that can help you get your spicy cat to the vet. There's certain techniques. So talk to your veterinarian about your specific case and we might be able to help you reduce those anxieties and barriers that keep you from bringing your cat in all the time.
[00:07:35] Speaker A: Ah, how, what should someone expect for a lifespan of, of a cat?
[00:07:41] Speaker B: How long they say?
I've read, you know, 12 to 18 years.
We have a hospital cat or she just recently passed away that lived with us at the hospital and she passed away two weeks after her 21st birthday. We had a 21st birthday party for her and I've seen we have quite a few patients that their cats are 20 years old. I think it depends on indoor outdoor lifestyle, how often they've seen the vet and if we've been able to treat minor problems. While there's still minor problems, indoor cats do tend to live longer than outdoor cats. Now everyone has the story about a barn cat that lived to be 23. That happens. But let's face it, indoor cats are less likely to get things like abscesses, hit by cars, attacked by other animals. So they're gonna generally live a longer time. And if you take care of them, they can, they can live to a pretty good old age.
[00:08:41] Speaker A: Well, I always wanted to ask this question. Why do cats purr? Why do they, you hold them up and they, they seem to be content and what, they start purring. Why do they do that?
[00:08:52] Speaker B: It's a self soothing in some cases. In other cases they're just, they're just happy. And that's how they show it. Some cats have learned that if they purr when they're picked up, you're going to keep doing what it is that you're doing, whether it's petting them, brushing them, just showing them affection. And sometimes they do purr to self soothe if they're not feeling good. So if you have a cat that isn't well and you know they're not well and they're purring, don't take that as a sign like, oh, everything's fine, Fluffy's purring. They might be trying to soothe themselves because they're nervous or scared or uncomfortable.
[00:09:27] Speaker A: Interesting. I never thought that it would be the opposite. I just thought that they were calm or they were, you know, relaxed and so forth. Maybe I, maybe I should start purring around my wife or something. Maybe it would be a good thing, I don't know. We're going to take a short break. We'll be right back.
Welcome to the real estate minute with Re Max expert Michael Hatfield. Michael, what traits should we look for in selecting an agent? Look for a deal maker with a positive attitude who will work tirelessly for you. An agent who is adept in multiple offer situations, drafting contracts, marketing and advertising. A client's home is familiar with multiple cultures, experienced in mortgage financing. Inspections and escrow is a huge asset to his client. What can you do as a plus for clients? Your agent is your eyes and your ears. One who works behind the scenes scenes on your behalf, A great attitude, working well with others and keeping clients priorities number one is a given for us. Call 925-322-7775 now to schedule an appointment or complimentary home analysis for excellence in real estate. Call the Michael Hatfield ReMax team at 925-322-7775 or go to michaelhatfieldhomes.com now back to our show. But anyway, cats are.
[00:10:47] Speaker B: I growl sometimes.
[00:10:49] Speaker A: So do wives sometimes. Cats are smart, and they're a bit quirky at times, and some of the things that they do will just make you laugh. I saw a video the other day where this cat was in a. In a stand, so to speak, with his bed up there. And this German shepherd came up and was just messing with him a little bit. And that cat just started.
The next thing you know, I'm just laughing out loud for the longest time. But they're so smart, so, so quirky. It's kind of unbelievable that an animal is like that.
[00:11:24] Speaker B: Yeah, sometimes we do get owners that go, I think my cat's going deaf. I, you know, they don't answer when I call them for this thing or that thing. Or we, we run some tests and really, no, the cat just doesn't want to listen to you.
[00:11:37] Speaker A: Well, we have a dog like that right now. Just had a. Emergency surgery and, oh, my gosh, it's. It was pretty extensive. It's nuts to know that the animal medicine now has advanced so far with our dog. He's a German shepherd. He had a spleen that was just huge. And it's an area where there's so much vascular activity, so much of the blood goes through that area. And if it were to rupture or burst, you've lost your pup. And so our pup had a growth on it and it was discovered and they, they pulled it out of there. And I couldn't believe that it was so large. It weighed four and a half pounds. And he has been so happy since he's had it out there. His breathing is so much better. I think it's just something of the breed of German shepherds. And I imagine cats have various things with their breeds, too, do they not?
[00:12:34] Speaker B: They do. The thing I feel like in cats is we see a lot more mixed breeds, better dogs. You know, a lot of people say, you know, this is my cat. I found it a dumpster. We don't know what kind of breed. It's all kind of jumbled together.
So a lot of times we don't know. But recently, one of our cats who is rescued from a shelter, but she was clearly part Persian. She had a situation where she gets lots of cysts in her organs and things like that. And that is something that Persian cats or cats that are related to Persians tend to get. And so you do see those in more purebred or cats that are closer to their breed that their great grandfather might have been things like Bengals. A lot of those cats do tend to have a little more issues. They're bred for looks or they're bred for this, that, the other thing. And some times some of these health issues crop up because of that.
[00:13:34] Speaker A: Wow.
[00:13:35] Speaker B: And there's also the joke. All orange cats share one brain cell. That's not medically proven. That's just a joke.
[00:13:42] Speaker A: Well, what regular duties do you find yourself doing at the cat hospital? What do you find yourself doing? A lot of that. Maybe the owner could take on that and avoid having to take them to the vet. What do you find yourself doing the most?
[00:13:57] Speaker B: Well, one thing that owners could do at home and save themselves the trouble of coming in is handle their feet, get them used to nail trims before it is crisis, because as they get older, their nails are going to get thicker and they'll grow into their pads and actually cause infections and things like that. And you see that in older cats. They don't want their feet touched at that point unless you've been training them since they were young. So that's one really simple thing you can do at home, is start touching your cat's feet, playing with their little beans, you know, get them used to being handled, things like that, so that you can watch a YouTube video and trim your cat's nails at home. Not only save yourself the money, but save yourself the stress of the. The whole thing. And when they're younger, it's not so much a problem.
But when they get older, they need those regular nail trims at least every couple to a few months or their nails will grow into their beds. And then you get infection, abscess, things like that.
[00:14:53] Speaker A: Then you're in the vet for sure. Absolutely.
[00:14:56] Speaker B: Yeah. So that's one simple thing.
[00:14:58] Speaker A: That's really great to know. I've. So what are some of the funniest things that you've seen? These felines. Do you have any stories for us?
[00:15:06] Speaker B: I do.
They are always up to something.
I was taking a bubble bath one time and my. My cat was. Jack was sitting on the side of the. The tub. And Fay, our orange cat, she must have had the brain cell that exact moment because she just looked at Jack and pushed him right in. In one swipe. Pushed him right in the bathtub on me. And we were all a little surprised. And, yeah, she knew exactly what she was doing. And then sometime later, Jack saw Frey in a similar situation and he was like, I'm gonna get her. But we could see his gears moving and so we were able to stop that before it ended up with an orange cat in the bathtub. But I could see he was like, I can get revenge on.
[00:15:52] Speaker A: Anyway, we're listening to the Real Estate and More show and I'm your host, Michael Hatfield. We have the joy of speaking with Miss Jenny Fotley today. She's a feline care specialist and a cat lover to boot. Let's just get back to it. So enlighten us as to what benefits to adopting a cat from a shelter versus from a breeder.
[00:16:13] Speaker B: Perhaps so many. So many. When you adopt from a shelter, depending on the age of the animal that you're adopting you, you get to know that's obviously have their personalities already set. Whereas with a kitten you're not sure their personality is going to be, are they going to be a lap cat, are they going to be very feisty, things like that. What we say is, especially with say people who find a cat on Craigslist for free or very cheap.
Free cats cost a thousand dollars is kind of the saying. Because when you get that cat, they need to be spayed and neutered, they need their vaccines, they need to be dewormed, they might need FIV FeLV testing or other.
When you adopt from a shelter, generally speaking, they're going to have all the vaccines that they need that are appropriate for their age. They're going to have a full health inspection already. They're probably going to be dewormed, defleed, detect, spayed and neutered. Our cat Jack, when he was found, he had calicivirus and actually the virus was so bad that one of his eyes had ruptured. So he got an enucleation which is about a fourteen hundred dollar surgery and I adopted him for $120.
So you get all of this for a bargain price plus you're getting other animals out of the shelter so they can take more in.
I feel like a lot of shelters they have, sometimes their animals are in foster homes before they go up for adoption. So the foster parent will be able to tell you like, oh, this kitty is very food motivated. This kitty might need this special care, you know, but I feel like you get more of a, a personalized selection. Whereas if you, if you do your research and you make sure that you're going to a breeder that has a home type situation where they're in the house and they're in the home and not just out in kennels, out in the yard. A lot of times with those purebred cats. If, if you think like you're just adopting a bangle because they're pretty, you're going to find out you need a cat wheel. That cat is going to be high energy, is not going to want to sit and watch TV with you necessarily. Whereas, like, if you adopt a senior cat from the shelter, you know their personality already. And if, if you're looking for a TV buddy or maybe you're looking for a cat to go jogging with you, then great, get a bangle.
[00:18:26] Speaker A: We're gonna take a short break. We'll be right back. ReMax and here's Michael Hatfield. Business owners, have you considered how important the appearance and impression your offices make to prospective customers? Appearance and impression are critical to clients, thus to your overall success. If your company could use that warm, inviting and welcoming appearance. I have an amazing complex of offices just listed for lease in the quaint town of Danville. Freshly remodeled, meticulously built, the 3,700 square foot space enjoys incredible street exposure, front and side entrances, abundant parking, reception, conference room, 11 individual offices, even a team member kitchen. This premium space is located in a blue ribbon building maintained by the renowned Sherman Properties group. Waste not one minute. Call us now. Get help with buying or selling by calling the Michael Hatfield RE MAX support team at 1-800-857.63. That's 1, 800-857.63. And now back to our show.
So the answer is, is that once you do adopt from a shelter or whatever, you're ready to go straight to the pet store and buy all those little fun things that go along with your pet. Is that correct? You don't have to go to the vet first.
[00:19:45] Speaker B: One of the toys, if you want to call it that, that I highly recommend for all cat owners is cat trees. Because cats do want a vertical escape. It makes them feel safer and more comfortable. And you want to make sure that tree is tall enough that they can feel eye to eye with you at very least. If not tower over you because cats want to tower over us, get them a cat tree. Talk to your vet specifically about what diet to have your cat on. Different cats have different needs, but yeah, I, they need toys, they need play. If they get bored, they're going to do naughty things.
[00:20:19] Speaker A: Got you there. So what would be a point in a cat's life that they become an adult? But one year, two years, something like.
[00:20:29] Speaker B: That, it can depend on the Breed, for example, Maine coon cats, they continue to mature and grow to about two years of old age.
About two years is when I find that my cats have kind of settled down a little bit more. Before that, they are crazy kittens, no matter what size they are, but it really depends. I also had until recently a 17 year old cat who fee would take down our younger cat that was three times her size, no problem. She didn't know that she was 17.
[00:21:01] Speaker A: Oh my. So if you waited till they're two, they're, they're actually an adult cat. There's nothing wrong with adopting an adult cat, but you're gonna, you're gonna have a 10 to 15 years with them, wouldn't you say? If you did an adult cat, there's nothing wrong with, you know, adopting adult cat. And then one other question I had. Well, I have a couple more. But what is a good time to spay or neuter your cat?
[00:21:26] Speaker B: There's different thoughts. Yeah, there's different thoughts. I tend to want to do it as soon as safely possible and again, talk to your vet about specific breed. But I've seen the effects of cats that are not spayed until they're older and that does increase their chances of certain cancers. Cats that aren't neutered at a young age, there could be behavioral problems. Female cat, for example, that's not spayed and goes through many cycles of heat, maybe even has kittens. You know, cats will escape, even indoor cats, if they want something they can bust out your screen window. I've seen it many, many times. But it also increases their chances of mammary cancer and different illnesses that are associated with that that we don't see in the spayed and neutered cats. So I usually say female cats, they can get pregnant at four months. So you definitely want to get them spayed before they start having kittens and doing that. And then a lot of people don't know this, but female cats will spray as well. A lot of people think that's a male cat thing, but anybody who wants to mark their territory is going to spray. And we want to decrease those chances as best we can.
[00:22:33] Speaker A: You know, someone told me that you semi pioneered a do it yourself food puzzle to keep indoor cats from getting bored. Is this true?
[00:22:46] Speaker B: Well, I wouldn't say I pioneered it. There are indoor food food puzzles for cats, but I do make my own and I've really experimented with that. Like to make them out of cardboard toilet paper roll cores. So you can take a toilet paper core roll, cut it into different heights and glue it to the bottom of a cat food box like a wet, that wet cans would come into. And then I put the kibble in it and they have to reach down and grab it out of the different tubes. Works well for treats I've made. They've gotten more and more advanced. Yeah, you can do your own at home if you want to spend the money. There are companies that will happily sell you all kinds of food puzzles. But I like, I like to make it up and customize them to my cats.
[00:23:31] Speaker A: Animals have behaviors, especially cats, and they're actually animal behaviorists. It sounds like to me that you have an interest in that particular area of dealing with cats. Is this true?
You like to deal with their behavior?
[00:23:48] Speaker B: There is someone that we refer to our doctor does do some behavioral stuff. But for really challenging cases, we do have a cat behavioralist that does online over the phone and in person and really gets into it. And it's important because cats, they're. They're very. They have lots of feelings just like people, they get their feelings hurt and they will remember things like that and, or they have trauma. You know, after the fires we saw a lot of cats that get really anxious at night around the times that they. The fire started and you know, needed some anti anxiety medication. There are medications as well as things that you can do if your cat needs it. And there's certainly no shame in, you know, having a cat on Prozac if that's what's going to keep your cat happy and in your home and not at a shelter. Hey, it's worth a shot.
[00:24:41] Speaker A: It's worth a shot. Emergency events do tend to happen and I imagine that it might have some, you might have some things to say about that. What, what do you do in regards to your feline to prepare them for an event that might be an emergency?
[00:24:56] Speaker B: Well, I have a lot of feelings on that. We have had to evacuate where we live previously due to fires and at the time had five cats. You know, some of them are rescued ferals. So getting them at that time is really scary and hard. So what I encourage people to do is plan ahead. You know, if you plan, it's going to make it so much better. If you have a go bag for yourself, you should have a go bag for your pets as well. And it should include at bare minimum a little bit of first aid stuff, three days worth of water and food. And I also encourage people to make sure, even if it's saved on their email, a copy of their rabies certificate in case they need to board their pet somewhere during a disaster.
I also give people tips on how to evacuate their pets. So a lot of people don't know this, but pillowcase, for example, that's not ideally what we think of using as the cat carrier. But you're in an emergency, you gotta get your cat. Your cat is already scared of the cat carrier because it knows it goes to the vet. Cat doesn't know that a pillowcase, it doesn't see that as a threat. So you can catch your cat with a pillowcase. They can breathe through it. You can tie off the end if you need to, or you can just scoop it, put the pillowcase in the cat carrier. Or if you can't find the cat carrier, you know, at least your cat's contained and you can leave the house.
[00:26:17] Speaker A: That's so good to know. So in closing today, what would you say, what would you like folks to to most think about with their cats? Is there any parting thoughts here?
[00:26:28] Speaker B: They rely on us a great deal for care, and when we take on that guardianship, we need to be responsible for it and do what we can and. And know that they're not. They're not the wild ancestors. They're. They need the creature comforts of a soft bed, a safe home and medical care.
[00:26:46] Speaker A: And a lot of love.
[00:26:48] Speaker B: And a lot of love.
[00:26:50] Speaker A: And a lot of love. Well, a huge thanks to our new friend and cat enthusiast, Jenny Fodley. She works at the cat hospital of Petaluma. Thank you for being on the show, Jenny.
[00:27:00] Speaker B: Thank you for having me and letting me talk about the creatures I love the most in this world.
[00:27:06] Speaker A: How nice. We're so glad there are people who have an interest in helping care for our pets. And when they become ill, there's places you can take them. Heaven knows our world is much better with our humorous crazy cat pets in it and better off for people like Ms. Fodley who helps us to take care of them. After all, our cats are essentially part of our, our families. So please help our show by going to our YouTube channel at my real talk show. That's at My real talk
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