This past weekend, I met a very special cat. I had first heard of Moki when he was on Animal Planet’s Must Love Cats, and the story of this little cat with severe neurological problems touched my heart then. I never thought I’d get to meet Moki in person. And I certainly didn’t expect to meet him at a pet blogging conference.
Moki’s human, Crystal Fogg, first met Moki at a shelter where she was volunteering in 2007. The almost feral kitten was about 3 months old, and needed to be socialized. Crystal agreed to foster him, but since she already had seven cats at the time, she had no intention of keeping him.
A few weeks later, Moki developed a severe upper respiratory condition. Despite intensive care at an emergency veterinary hospital, Moki continued to get worse. He eventually recovered, but the illness had left him with severe neurological damage. The doctors told Crystal that Moki would never be able to sit up, walk, or eat on his own again.Continue Reading
Murder on the Half Shelf is the sixth in Lorna Barrett’s bestselling Booktown mystery series featuring Tricia Miles, the owner of the Haven’t Got a Clue mystery book store and her cat, Miss Marple.
The small town of Stoneham, New Hampshire may have its share of bookstores, but had been sadly lacking in Bed & Breakfasts. This is about to change when the Sheer Comfort Inn is ready to open its door. But first, they offer a free trial night to some local residents, including Tricia. What should have been a relaxing night quickly turns into a nightmare when Tricia discovers the murdered body of the inn’s owner.
Feline acne is a common problem in cats. Cat guardians usually notice small, oily black bumps on the cat’s chin, very similar to blackheads in humans. These blackheads may become red and itchy if they get infected.
Causes
The exact cause of feline acne is not known, but it is believed that there are several contributing factors:
Overactive sebaceous glands
Stress
Plastic food bowls
Food allergies
Poor grooming habits
Symptoms
Small black bumps on the chin or lips
In advanced stages, red, swollen pustules that may bleedContinue Reading
Advances in veterinary medicine make it possible to diagnose and treat medical conditions in pets that would have been a death sentence a decade ago. From chemotherapy to kidney transplants, pets can now receive the same level of medical care as humans. Cutting-edge veterinary care by board-certified specialists ranging from internists to oncologists to ophtamologists is becoming more widely available than ever before.
Among pets, dogs are the most frequent travelers. They account for over 85% of pet travelers. Trips to the beach, family vacations, traveling to pet friendly accommodations…no matter what the adventure, most dogs love car rides and can’t wait to hop in and hit the open road. Cats on the other hand – not so much. Most cats’ car travel takes place when they are going back and forth to the vet (no wonder they don’t like the car). However, many cat parents are faced with a big dilemma when they have to move – particularly if the move is a long distance. They are stressed at the thought of putting terrified Fluffy in the car – traveling for hours on end. In addition, a growing number of cat parents would like to include their cat in their daily travels.
We’ve come up with some tips to help make your cat’s car travel experience a better one…for both of you!
Top 7 Tips for Travelling by Car With Your Car
1. Pet Carrier Training
Always use a pet travel carrier for your cat when traveling in a car. Continue Reading
When was the last time you crawled around your house on your hands and knees? As strange as that may sound, you may want to give it a try sometime – because this is how your cats experience your home much of the time. Things that seem innocuous to us can present a real danger to your cat.
Protecting your cat from hazards in your home is not all that different from child-proofing a house. The following tips can protect your cat from common household hazards.Continue Reading
If you’ve read The Conscious Cat for a little while, you may remember reading about Steeler. Steeler was a tortie who belonged to my friend Bernie. Steeler had come into Bernie’s life during a time when she really needed a little angel. Her husband had become severely debilitated by Alzheimer’s, and after Bernie took in the the little stray cat sporting the colors of her favorite football team, she quickly won both of their hearts. Miraculously, Bernie’s husband, who didn’t respond to anyone else at that stage, not even to Bernie, still responded to Steeler’s presence.
After her husband was hospitalized, Steeler became a great comfort to Bernie. Sadly, fate wasn’t done providing challenges for Bernie. Bernie’s husband succumbed to his illness last December. A few weeks later, Bernie’s son Eric lost his battle with lung cancer. And four months after that, Steeler passed away after dealing with multiple health issues.
It takes a strong person to go on after so much loss in such a short period of time. Continue Reading
Responsible cat guardianship includes ensuring regular health care for your cat throughout his life. All cats should have annual wellness exams, and older cats should see the veterinarian twice a year. Costs for routine exams vary; depending on what part of the country you’re in, they will range anywhere from $45 to $150 (exam only). And that’s only for well cat care. Illnesses and accidents can quickly increase these costs. The average cost for a visit to an emergency vet can easily run between $1000 and $2000, depending on the severity of the problem.
Additionally, advances in veterinary medicine make it possible to treat medical conditions in pets that would have been a death sentence a decade ago. From chemotherapy to kidney transplants, pets can now receive almost the same level of medical care as humans. Of course, all of these treatments come with a price tag.
As a result, pet insurance has become increasingly popular over the past decade. Continue Reading
Carrageenan is a common food additive both in pet food and human food. It is extracted from seaweed through the use of a chemical solvent. It is used as a thickener and binder in canned pet food, as well as in many human foods such as ice cream, yogurt, and soy milk. You would think something that comes from seaweed is natural and healthy, right? Think again. Unless your cat absolutely refuses to eat the brands that do not contain carrageenan, I would advice making the switch to food without carrageenan.
The 2 Types of Carrageenan
There are two kinds of carrageenan – degraded and undegraded. According to the Cornucopia Institute, the International Agency for Research on Cancer recognizes degraded carrageenan as a “possible human carcinogen,” based on research showing that it leads to higher rates of colon cancer in lab animals. Carrageenan processors claim that food-grade carrageenan falls entirely in the undegraded category; however, one study showed that not a single sample of food-grade carrageenan could confidently claim to be entirely free of the potential cancer-causing material.
Food-grade or “undegraded” carrageenan is on the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) list of items that are “Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS)” and the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) defines it as an acceptable emulsifier, stablizer, and thickener.
Degraded carrageenan, which occurs at high temperatures and acidity, has been associated with ulcerations in the gastro-intestinal tract and gastro-intestinal cancer in animals.
Image Credit: Nils Jacobi, Shutterstock
Should You Err on the Side of Caution?
All of this has me increasingly concerned about feeding food that contains carrageenan. Even though foods without this ingredient may be a little harder to find, I think it’s well worth reading your labels and finding alternatives if your cat’s current food contains it.
Take the time to scan your cat’s food for this ingredient. Unless your cat absolutely refuses to eat the brands that do not contain carrageenan, I would make the switch.
For the past few months, the veterinary community has been bombarded with ads for a new feline prescription food that is said to cure hyperthyroidism in 3 weeks.
When the diet first came out, I was skeptical. I’m not a fan of prescription diets. While I respect the research that goes into these diets, sadly, they usually contain ingredients such as meat by-products, corn, soy and grains, none of which are optimal for an obligate carnivore like the cat.
Hyperthyroidism is a common disease that typically affects middle-aged and older cats. It is caused by an excess production of thyroid hormones, which are produced by the thyroid gland, located inside the cat’s neck. Thyroid hormones affect nearly all organs, which is why thyroid disease can sometimes cause secondary problems such as hypertension, heart and kidney disease.
This seems to be the year of Julia Child and her cats. Since I didn’t grow up in the United States and didn’t watch The French Chef on tv, my introduction to Julia Child came via the 2009 movie Julia & Julia, which I absolutely adored. When I came across mention of a book about one of Julia Child’s cats, a tortoiseshell cat no less, I had to know more.
The story takes place in Paris, France, where Julia and her husband Paul lived in the late 1940’s. They couldn’t have children, and when Minette, their first cat, showed upContinue Reading
