Month: January 2012

Review and giveaway: FurCode – the high tech ID tag for your cat

Giveaways, Products| 15 Comments

FurCode-pet-id-tags

FurCodes are a modern upgrade to the pet tag of previous generations. Each tag links to an online Pet Profile allowing pet owners to keep their pet’s contact, vet and care information current. You simply enter the tag ID in a web browser and it instantly renders your Pet’s profile page. You can even scan the tag with a Smartphone’s QR code reader. You select which information displays, and you can update or change the information at any time.

The profile section on the FurCodes website allows you enter your contact information, your pet’s veterinarian’s information, medical and vaccination history, and registration information. I particularly like the option to enter medical information, this can be lifesaving if your pet requires medications, is diabetic, or has allergies.

A combination of a tag and microchip are the best method for returning a lost petContinue Reading

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Natural Remedies for Feline Asthma

Feline Health| 116 Comments

cat in grass

Feline asthma is a respiratory condition that involves inflammation and excess mucous build-up in the airways. Muscles spasms cause constriction of the airway, resulting in respiratory distress. Feline asthma shares some characteristics with asthma in humans, including symptoms.

Signs of feline asthma may be as mild as an occasional soft cough and/or a wheeze. At times it may seem as though your cat is trying unsuccessfully to bring up a hairball. In extreme and chronic cases, one might notice a persistent cough along with labored, open-mouth, harsh breathing. At this point, an asthma ‘attack’ could culminate in a life-threatening crisis.Continue Reading

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Book review: Best Friends, Occasional Enemies by Lisa Scottoline and Francesca Serritella

Books| 5 Comments

best-friend-occasional-enemies-lisa-scottoline

While not technically a cat book, with a cover like this, how could I not review this book! Add to that the fact that Lisa Scottoline is one of my favorite authors, and that I loved the previous two books in this series compiled from her wildly popular columns for the The Philadelphia Inquirer. I previously reviewed Why My Third Husband Will Be a Dog– The Amazing Adventures of an Ordinary Woman and I also enjoyed My Nest Isn’t Empty, It Just Has More Closet Space.

Best Friends, Occasional Enemies: The Lighter Side of Life as a Mother and Daughter was like visiting with a good friend who shares your views on a lot of things, only she’s much funnier than you are. Whether you’re a mother or a daughter, you’re going to recognize yourself in this book. You’ll find yourself chuckling, nodding in agreement, and laughing out loud at some of Lisa’s and Francesca’s revelations.Continue Reading

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Valentine’s gifts for cat lovers

Feline Lifestyle| 8 Comments

valentines-cat-card

Do you exchange Valentine’s gifts with your friends and family? If you do, there’s bound to be a cat lover or two on your list. Even if you just send cards (and who doesn’t love to receive a real card in the mail in this age of e-cards), you’re probably looking for something that expresses your love for cats. Here are some suggestions that will be sure to delight the kitties or the cat lover in your life.

valentines refrigerator cat magnet

Deborah Julian offers a number of wonderful cat-themed Valentine’s cards (like the one at the top of the post) in her Etsy shop. I also love this refrigerator magnet – wouldn’t it make the purrfect gift for the cat guy in your life?Continue Reading

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Review and giveaway: Cat and Crow by Lisa Fleming

Books, Giveaways| 16 Comments

cat-and-crow-an-amazing-friendship

When a video of a cat and crow playing together went viral (shown below), and was seen on The Oprah Winfrey Show, National Geographic, and Animal Planet, to name just a few, some people were initially skeptical and wondered whether this amazing friendship could possibly be anything but the result of creative editing. However, the story is true. For four years, Moses the crow and Cassie the cat met in Ann and Wally Collito’s yard in Massachussetts, delighting viewers around the world with their antics and captivating their hearts.

In Cat and Crow: An Amazing Friendship, Lisa Fleming, a former newspaper columnist and freelance writer with a passion for animals and wildlife, tells the story of how these two natural enemies became best friends. Continue Reading

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Book review: Good Cat! Practical Answers to Behavior Questions by Steve Dale

Books| 7 Comments

Good-cat-Steve-Dale

Steve Dale is one of the most dedicated champions of cats, cat health and cat behavior you’ll ever encounter. He is one of the co-founders of the CATalyst Council, a member of the board of directors of the Winn Feline Foundation, the American Humane Association, and the Tree House Humane Society, a cat shelter in Chicago. This pet expert, writer, radio and tv personality and cat lover extraordinaire is passionate about cats’ health and happiness.

In his new e-book Good Cat! Practical Answers to Behavior Questions, Steve answers common and not so common feline behavior questions. Steve is frequently quoted as saying “Cats are the Rodney Dangerfield of pets; they get no respect,” and sadly, this is true. Cats are more often given up to shelters than dogs, are less often adopted, and more are euthanized.

Much of this is due to the misconception that cats can’t be trained, and that they are often misunderstood. In Good Cat!, Steve dispels these mistaken beliefs, and offers answers and solutions.Continue Reading

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Review: Glacier Point Cat Fountain

Giveaways, Products| 144 Comments

glacier-point-cat-fountain

Water is critical to keeping your cat healthy. Cats as a species don’t have a high thirst drive, and this can lead to chronic low-level dehydration if a cat is fed mostly dry food, which in turn, can lead to urinary tract and kidney problems.  “Water flowing through the urinary tract system is the most important factor in keeping your cat healthy,” says Dr. Lisa Pierson on her website, catinfo.org. “Cats on canned food have been shown to consume at least double the amount of water (from food and water bowl) when compared to a dry food-fed cat.”

While cats get moisture from a raw or canned diet, they should still have plenty of fresh water available at all times. One way to encourage your cats to drink more water is with a fountain.

I’ve never used a fountain for any of my cats, so I was intrigued when Glacier Point offered to send us one to try out. There are multiple benefits to having a fountain for your cats:Continue Reading

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Feline Obesity: Don’t Let Your Cat Become a Statistic

Feline Health, Feline Nutrition| 10 Comments

feline-obesity

percentage of overweight or obese cats in recent decades

Did you know that a staggering 53% of America’s cats are considered overweight or obese? This trend has been on a disturbing increase, and mirrors the equally disturbing increase in human obesity. According to the Centers for Disease Control, one third of adults in the United States are obese.

The serious health problems in cats which result from obesity are the same as in humans:

  • Diabetes
  • Arthritis, joint problems and and torn or strained ligaments
  • Heart and respiratory problems
  • Gastro-interstinal and digestive problems
  • Compromised immune system
  • Increased risk during anesthesia and surgery

There are several factors that contribute to weight gain in cats:Continue Reading

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Book review: The Cat Sitter’s Pajamas by Blaize Clement

Books| 4 Comments

the-cat-sitters-pajamas-blaize-clement

I first discovered Blaize Clement’s Dixie Hemingway series when the cover of the first book in the series, Curiosity Killed the Cat Sitter, caught my eye.  Dixie Hemingway is a pet sitter who lives on one of the Florida keys – just based on those two pieces of information, I had a feeling I was going to thoroughly enjoy the series, and I wasn’t disappointed.  I’ve since read the entire series, and I was eagerly awaiting The Cat Sitter’s Pajamas.

From the publisher:

Blaize’s beloved heroine Dixie Hemingway is back for another adventure, and she has her hands full when the worlds of celebrity hijinks, counterfeit fashion, and naughty cats collide.

Dixie Hemingway, no relation to you-know-who, accepts a job taking care of famous linebacker Cupcake Trillin’s cats, Elvis and Lucy, while he’s away. But what seems like an easy job turns scary when Dixie finds a celebrity fashion model in Cupcake’s house. The woman refuses to leave AND she also claims to be Cupcake’s wife. But Dixie has met Cupcake’s wife, and this woman certainly isn’t her.Continue Reading

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Sleeping With Cats

Feline Lifestyle| 58 Comments

cats-sleeping-bed-cute

I couldn’t imagine not sleeping withy my cats. Every cat I’ve ever had has slept on the bed with me. In fact, the few nights one of them didn’t, it was usually because something was wrong.

Feebee used to sleep in the crook of my arm, with his head on my shoulder. When I was still married, he used to sleep in between me and my former husband. In hindsight, perhaps that was not a sleeping arrangment conducive to marital bliss? Well, let’s just say picking the cat over the ex-husband was a good decision on all levels.

Amber slept curled up in my arms most nights. When Buckley joined us, she started out sleeping at the foot of the bed, but inevitably, at some point during the night, she would make her way up to where Amber and I were sleeping and wedge herself in the small space left between the headboard of the bed and the arm that was curled around Amber. This occasionally made for a rather uncomfortable sleeping position for me, but the joy of having the two cats softly snoring next to me was worth the discomfort, and I often waited until my arm fell asleep before I changed position.Continue Reading

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