Month: August 2012

Review: Solomon’s Tale by Sheila Jeffries

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Sheila Jeffries’ e-mail, asking me to review Solomon’s Tale: A Wise Cat Helps a Family in Crisis described the book as “a story about a healing cat who helps a family.” She went on to describe the book in greater detail, but she had me at “healing cat.”

We first meet Solomon in spirit form. He tells us that “in the spirit world, we cats are shining cats, and we live in a way that is impossible to live on earth. There is no meowing or yowling, but we do purr, and we communicate by telepathy. … There are shining people, too. There is no pollution, no illness, and no war.” Sounds like the kind of place you never want to leave. But when Solomon is asked to go back to earth to help Ellen, the human he loved the most, he readily agrees. He had been Ellen’s cat when she was a child. She is facing some major challenges, and Solomon takes on the assignment of helping her through them by reuniting with her.

Helping Ellen is not easy. Ellen’s husband is an alcoholic, her young son John is quite a handful, and Jessica, the resident cat, is not thrilled with the newcomer. Solomon helps the family face the repossession of the family home, relocation to a cramped caravan, Ellen’s illness, and a stint of trying to survive in the wild. It’s a lot for one small cat to deal with, but Solomon is up to the task.

I expected to like this book, but I did not expect Continue Reading

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Allegra and Ruby love their Cat Buddies

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Our friends at Spirit Essences surprised Allegra and Ruby with two Cat Buddies last week! They turned out to be a big hit with both girls, and we would expect no less from any toy recommended by Cat Daddy Jackson Galaxy.

Ruby immediately began wrestling with Cat Buddy Lola, pictured above. I keep finding Lola in different places throughout the house, even though I haven’t seen Ruby actually drag Lola around. Each Cat Buddy is handmade exclusively for Jackson Galaxy in Honolulu, Hawaii. The toys are filled with cotton batting and certified organic cat nip leaves and buds for long-lasting potency, and they’re nice and durable.

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Allegra fell in love with her Mini Krinkle Cat Buddy, which is so new,Continue Reading

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Cat-Friendly Cleaning Products: Keep Your Kitty Safe!

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Many commercial cleaning products are not safe to use around cats.  The chemicals in these products can be extremely toxic, and even deadly. Cats are especially susceptible since they groom themselves by licking and as a result ingest anything that comes in contact with their feet or fur.

Additionally, the chemicals in and fumes resulting from cleaning products can cause allergic reactions in cats (and humans, for that matter). Many chemical cleaning products pollute the air inside your home by off-gassing toxic fumes, or they contain antibacterial substances that are not only unnecessary, but can actually contribute to bacteria becoming more resistant to killing agents.

Thankfully, there are alternatives to these chemical products that are not only safer for your cats, but also gentler to the planet. And they’re inexpensive! Allegra was kind enough to pose with two of my go to cleaning products for this post. You’d be surprised what you can do with vinegar, baking soda, olive oil and lemon juice.Continue Reading

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Review and giveaway: Cat in a White Tie and Tails by Carole Nelson Douglas

Cat in a White Tie and Tails cover

Carole Nelson Douglas’ Midnight Louie series, featuring feline detective Louie and his human, public relations specialist Temple Barr, is probably one of the longest running and best known feline mystery series.

In Cat in a White Tie and Tails, the twenty-fourth book in the series, Louie accompanies Temple and her fiancé, rising media star and former priest Matt Devine, to Chicago so she can meet his family. Louie is catnapped right out of Matt’s mother’s living room. In a series of twists and turns, the kidnapping leads the reader back to Las Vegas. Meanwhile, Las Vegas homicide detective Molina has commissioned Temple’s former boyfriend, magician Max Kinsella, who suffers from amnesia following a recent attempt on his life, to help solve some old cold cases. In a series of wild twists and turns, involving Molina’s former boyfriend and father of her daughter as well as stonecold killer Kitty the Cutter who may have returned from the dead, Louie and his partner in crime and his daughter, Midnight Louise, have their paws full trying to tie up all the loose ends in a fast-paced, fun read that will leave the reader breathless.

If you’re a fan of the series, you will love Continue Reading

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What is purring?

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Purring is usually considered a sign of contentment, but there’s more to a cat’s purr than meets the ear.

While there are a number of different theories of how cats purr, the consensus among researchers seems to be that purring is the result of signals from the brain to the laryngeal and diaphragmatic muscles. Cats purr during both inhalation and exhalation with a consistent pattern and frequency between 25 and 150 Hertz.

Even though cats do purr when they’re content, purring can also be a sign of stress. Cats also purr when frightened or injured. In these situations, purring appears to function as a self-soothing mechanism.

Researchers at Fauna Communications found that the frequency of a cat’s purr covers the same frequencies that are therapeutic for bone growth and fracture healing, pain relief, reduction of swelling, wound healing, muscle growth and repair, tendon repair, and mobility of joints. It seems that with the purr, nature provided cats Continue Reading

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Advantages of Using a Housecall Veterinarian for Your Cat

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According to statistics, cats are substantially underserved when it comes to veterinary care.  Even though pet cats outnumber dogs in the U.S. by 15 million, CATalyst Council and the American Humane Association estimate that cats go to the vet only half as often as dogs. Cat owners often express a belief that cats “do not need medical care.” According to Dr. Michele Gaspar, DVM, DABVP (Feline), “there is a misconception that cats are independent and they don’t need the level of care that dogs do.  Cats also don’t show disease well. We can have cats who look normal but they are covering up a serious illness.”

One of the barriers to regular physical exams for many cats is that a trip to the veterinary clinic can be stressful and even traumaticContinue Reading

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Review: Corpse in the Crystal Ball by Kari Lee Townsend

Corpse in the Crystal Ball by Kary Lee Townsend

I was delighted to discover Corpse in the Crystal Ball, the second in Kari Lee Townsend’s Fortune Teller series. I’m not sure how I missed the first book in the series, Tempest in the Tea Leaves, because it, too, has a photo of the gorgeous white cat featured in the book on the cover, and I usually can’t pass up any book with a cat on the cover.

The series features protagonist Sunny Meadows, a psychic  who lives in the idyllic town of Divinity, New York. The old Victorian house she bought after she moved there,which is reported to be haunted, came complete with a large white cat named Morty. Sunny bonded quickly with Morty, and she wisely accepted that he rules the roost. She also suspects that he might be the one doing the haunting in the old house.

The second book picks up after Sunny had just cleared her name as the prime suspect in a murder investigation. She’s looking forward to some peace and quietContinue Reading

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Renowned pet journalist’s special cat inspired fund to find solution to feline heart disease

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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.

Steve’s passion for cat health extends into many areas, but one particularly close to his heart, no pun intended, is feline heart disease, specifically, feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy or HCM. HCM is the most common form of heart disease in cats. It is also the number one killer of cats between the ages of 1 and 10, and, according to Steve, could well be the number one cause of death in cats overall.

At a recent symposium hosted by the Winn Feline Foundation, a leader in funding cat health research projects,Continue Reading

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Meet BZTAT, artist, writer and cat advocate

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Artist Vicki Boatright, known as “BZTAT” (pronounced bee-zee-tat), is an accomplished artist with several public art projects to her credit. An avid pet lover and business partner to her cat Brewskie Butt, Vicki specializes in whimsical drawings, paintings and prints of cats, dogs and other companion animals. She creates colorful customized pet portraits, which are unique in their original contemporary style. Vicki also creates murals and other artworks that address a variety of themes.

I’m delighted to welcome Vicki to The Conscious Cat today.

When did you first realize that you were an artist?

I cannot remember a time in my life where I was not creating. Being an artist is something I am, not something I do. I remember drawing and doodling and coloring, etc. when I was very small, and I never stopped!

cat_painting_BZTAT

Your unique style is instantly recognizable. How did you develop this style?Continue Reading

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Bloodwork for Your Cat: Why it’s Important and What it Means

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Regular and routine blood testing is an important part of your cat’s preventive healthcare.

Most vets recommend annual testing for cats seven years and older, and, depending on a cat’s health history, annual or bi-annual testing for senior cats over the age of eleven. It’s also a good practice to at least get a baseline for a younger cat. It is critically important that every cat, regardless of her age, has complete bloodwork done before undergoing any kind of anesthetic procedure, even a routine dental cleaning.

Typically, your vet will run a blood chemistry panel and a complete bloodcount. For cats age seven and up, she will also run a thyroid function test.

Blood Chemistry Panel

A blood chemistry panel screens organ function for several organs. The makeup  of a chemistry panel may vary slightly depending on which laboratory runs the tests. Some of the most common parameters screened in a chemistry panelContinue Reading

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Review and giveaway: Julia’s Cats: Julia Child’s Life in the Company of Cats

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A life without a cat is a life without sunshine. – Julia Child

I didn’t know Julia Child was a cat lover until I received Minette’s Feast: The Delicious Story of Julia Child and Her Cat from the publisher. I was utterly charmed by this beautifully illustrated book aimed at children ages 3 and up.

Julia’s Cats: Julia Child’s Life in the Company of Cats by Patricia Barey and Therese Burson brings this little known aspect of Julia Child’s life to light in an engaging and entertaining way. If you weren’t already a fan of Julia Child, you will be after reading this book.

From the book’s prologue: “A reporter once asked Julia Child what she might whip up for her creator when she got to heaven. Julia wasn’t a religious person – she believed heaven was right here on earth, in her own cozy kitchen, hovering over a skillet sizzling with shallots and butter, then sitting down to share a meal with people she loved, a cat wrapped around her ankles, meowing for treats.”

I was, of course, particularly delighted that Julia Child’s introduction to cats began with a tortoiseshell catContinue Reading

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