Month: September 2011

Book review and giveaway: Cat Calls by Jeanne Adlon and Susan Logan

Books, Giveaways| 23 Comments

Cat Calls Susan Logan Jeanne Adlon

Cat Calls: Wonderful Stories and Practical Advice from a Veteran Cat Sitter combines two of my favorite things in one book: cats, and New York City. Jeanne Adlon has been a cat sitter in Manhattan for thirty-five years, and has cared for hundreds of cats. I looked forward to reading her stories, which range from keeping cats kosher and feeding pampered felines out of Waterford goblets to wrestling a determined cat for the Thanksgiving turkey and playing ghost with a psychic cat. There’s even a story about the time John Lennon came into the pet shop Jeanne ran at the time to purchase the big cat tree out of the front window.Continue Reading

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Gorgeous cat quilt to benefit Siamese cat rescue

Feline Lifestyle| 16 Comments

Siamese cat quilt

There were a lot of vendors and rescue groups at the National Capital Cat Show last weekend, and there were a lot of beautiful cats, and cat things, to look at, but nothing caught my eye more than this gorgeous quilt.

Created by a volunteer for the Siamese Cat Rescue Center, the quilt is an oversized queen size quilt featuring Siamese cats.  Continue Reading

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Adopt a “less adoptable” pet week

Feline Lifestyle| 9 Comments

special needs cats less adoptable pet week

Black cats. FIV+ cats. Senior cats. Special needs cats.  These are just some of the factors that can make a cat seem “less adoptable.” To promote these special cats (and dogs, too), Petfinder has designated September 17 – 25 as “Adopt-A-Less-Adoptable-Pet Week.” I actually don’t like the term “less adoptable” at all, which is why I put it in quotes – I prefer to think of these cats as extra special.Continue Reading

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Product review, giveaway and $10 off Comfort Zone with Feliway

Giveaways, Products| 30 Comments

Comfort Zone with Feliway diffuser and spray

If you’ve ever had a cat with behavior problems, whether it’s territorial aggression, urinary marking, or simply a stressful trip to the vet’s, you may have been told to try Comfort Zone with Feliway® to help your kitty calm down.

Comfort Zone with Feliway® is a synthetic copy of the feline facial pheromone, used by cats to mark their territory as safe and secure. By mimicking the cat’s natural facial pheromones, Feliway® creates a state of familiarity and security in the cat’s local environment. As a result, Feliway® can be used to help comfort and reassure cats while they cope with a challenging situation and help prevent or reduce the stress caused by a change in their environment.Continue Reading

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Tips and Tricks for Photographing Cats

Feline Lifestyle| 15 Comments

two cats sitting by a door

Every once in a while, you get a picture of your cats that’s just so purrfect, you can hardly believe you managed to get the shot. After I took the photo above, I literally danced around the room with joy.

Everything lined up just right. I had noticed the girls sitting very close together out of the corner of my eyes. I quietly snuck to my office to grab the camera, and equally quietly snuck back to where they were sitting, hoping that they wouldn’t hear me. Frequently, when I try to photograph them together, one or the other will walk toward me when they see me coming with the camera. This time, everything was perfectly aligned: the camera was in focus, they both looked at me at the same time, and I managed to get the shot in before one of them moved.Continue Reading

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Could your stress make your cat sick?

Feline Health| 8 Comments

stressed cat

Stress, whether physiological or emotional, is the root cause of illness for humans as well as pets. We may wonder, as we look at our feline charges sleeping the day away on the sofa, what in the world could possibly cause them to be stressed out?

Actually, a lot of things.  Since most cats prefer familiar routines, anything from other cats in the household to a new baby, a move, remodeling, or even just furniture being moved around can create feline stress.Continue Reading

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Are your cats prepared for an emergency?

Feline Lifestyle| 7 Comments

cat in the rain with umbrella

September is National Preparedness Month. We recently experienced an earthquake and a hurricane here in Virginia, all within one week, so emergency preparedness has definitely been on my mind. It also made me realize how woefully unprepared I really am. Irene was one thing: at least with a storm, you get a few days advance warning and can think about what you need to do while you’re not in panic mode. With the earthquake, I truly didn’t know how to react, nor would I have known what to do to keep Allegra and Ruby safe. Now granted, earthquakes are not a common occurrence in my part of the world (the last time Virginia had an earthquake was something like 100 years ago!), but it still provided incentive for me to focus on making a plan and being more prepared in the future.Continue Reading

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Happy Cat Month 2011

Feline Lifestyle| 3 Comments

happy smiling cat

The American Veterinary Medical Association and the CATalyst Council are celebrating Happy Cat Month this September. Of course, here at the Conscious Cat, every month is Happy Cat Month – after all, that’s what we’re all about: “conscious living, health and happiness for cats and their humans!”

None of us here have to be convinced of the benefits of living with cats, but did you know that studies show that people who live with cats have a 40% less chance of having a stroke or heart attack? Of course, cats bring so much more into our lives than just health-protective benefits, and in return for making us happy, we all do everything we can to keep our cats happy.Continue Reading

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Book Review: The Cat Master by Bonnie Pemberton

Books| 7 Comments

The Cat Master is not the kind of book I would have normally picked up, despite the mesmerizing cover. It’s written for ages 10 and up. It’s a fantasy along the lines of Erin Hunter’s Warriors series, which is not something that appeals to me all that much. The book was sent to me along with a number of promotional items from Sticky Paws®, which Bonnie Pemberton invented. I kept moving the book to the bottom of my very large pile of books to be read, but finally, a couple of weekends ago, I decided  to give it a try. And I’m very glad I did.Continue Reading

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