Month: March 2013

Review: Parrots Prove Deadly by Clea Simon

Books| 21 Comments

Parrots_Prove_Deadly_Clea_Simon

It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Clea Simon’s cat-centric murder mysteries. I knew I would enjoy Parrots Prove Deadly, the third in Simon’s Pet Noir series featuring pet behaviorist and psychic Pru Marlowe – I just didn’t realize just how much I would love it.

Pru is hired to retrain the parrot of a woman who has died in a retirement home. The parrot needs a new home, but isn’t likely to find one with the vocabulary of swear words he seems to have acquired, and the dead woman’s family is hoping that Pru can help. As Pru starts working with the bird, she is wondering whether some of the parrot’s words are a replay of the woman’s death, and whether that death could have possibly been a murder. The only other possible witnesses are a blind neighbor, her seeing-eye dog, and a non-commital health care aide. Pru can’t help herself: she begins to look into the woman’s death, and she gets drawn into a tangled web of family dynamics, possible land fraud, and a potential rabies outbreak.

With the help of her cantankerous tabby Wallis, Continue Reading

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Prescription Diets May Not Be a Good Nutritional Choice for Your Cat

Feline Health, Feline Nutrition| 114 Comments

cat-eating

You’ve probably seen them on the shelves at your local veterinary hospital, or maybe your cat is currently eating one of these foods: so-called prescription diets that are formulated for cats with specific health conditions ranging from allergies to gastro-intestinal problems to kidney disease. Also known as therapeutic diets, you would think that these diets are high quality diets that are good for your cats, right?

You couldn’t be further from the truth. The majority of these diets are very high in carbohydrates and contain wheat, corn and soy – ingredients that have no logical place in the diet of an obligate carnivore like the cat. They also generally contain a high amount of by-products.Continue Reading

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Review: Crazy Critter Lady by Kelly Meister

Books| 7 Comments

Crazy_Critter_Lady

I love stories by writers whose life has been saved by the love of an animal, or two or three. In Crazy Critter Lady, Kelly Meister shares her stories of the animals who share her life: cats, horses, ducks, even birds, chipmunks and helpless mice.

From the publisher:

In a world where animals are often seen as impediments to progress or expendable pests, Crazy Critter Lady is the story of one woman’s determination to do the right thing for the animals around her. Kelly Meister goes out on a limb – and sometimes a half-frozen pond – to help injured birds, mice and chipmunks, homeless “Aflac” ducks, cranky horses, lost frogs and a host of others. When she’s not chasing squirrels out of the road, the author waits on her five demanding cats hand and foot. Crazy Critter Lady, a memoir, is the story of a love affair with animals. Continue Reading

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Natura Pet Food Recall Includes EVO and Innova Dry Cat Food

Feline Nutrition| 12 Comments

Natura_pet_food_recall

Note: This article covers a recall that occurred in 2013. For up-to-date information on current pet food recalls, please visit the FDA’s recall website.

In 2013, Natura Pet Food, the makers of Innova, EVO, California Natural and Healthwise brands, recalled multiple lots of several of their dry cat food brands due to possible contamination with salmonella. The recall also included a number of dry dog foods. Click here for a complete list of the recalled products.

Natura posted the following on their website:

Dear Natura Family,

As pet parents and dedicated pet health advocates, it pains us to inform you of the first recall in our company’s 21-year history.

During a recent random sampling, the FDA confirmed the presence of salmonellaContinue Reading

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Why Does My Cat Not Cover Her Poop? Reasons & What to Do

Feline Behavior, Feline Health| 173 Comments

black-cat-going-out-from-a-litter-box

Most cats deposit their pee and poop in the litter box, cover it up, and they’re done. So why do some cats refuse to cover their poop?

There are a few different theories. The first step, as with any change in your cat’s behavior, is always to rule out a medical problem. This is especially important if your cat has previously buried her disposals, and all of a sudden stops doing so. If a cat experiences pain or discomfort during defecation, it could explain her desire to get away from the litter box as soon as possible. Painful or uncomfortable defecation could be the result of constipation, a blockage in the colon, or even a urinary tract problem.

If there are no medical issues, the problem may be behavioral.

In the wild, cats cover their stool to hide their trail so predators can’t track them. One theory as to why cats don’t cover is that indoor cats Continue Reading

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Review: What the Cat Saw by Carolyn Hart

Books| 6 Comments

What the Cat Saw Carolyn Hart

A protagonist who can understand the thoughts of cats when she looks into their eyes? How could I not be intrigued with What the Cat Saw by bestselling mystery author Carolyn Hart!

From the publisher:

Ever since the death of her fiancé, Nela Farley has found herself plagued by a sixth sense: she understands the thoughts of cats when she looks into their eyes. Nela knows that what she’s experiencing is completely irrational and tries to convince herself that she is simply transferring her own thoughts that she doesn’t want to face. When her adventurous sister, Chloe, goes on a trip and asks for a favor, Nela welcomes the distraction and agrees to substitute at Chloe’s job at a charitable foundation. Chloe has arranged a place for her sister to stay, but when Nela shows up, she encounters the previous tenant’s cat and gets a flash of thought:Continue Reading

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Interactive Puzzle Toys for Smart Cats: Recommendations & Tips to Use Them

Feline Behavior, Products| 22 Comments

siamese cat solving pet puzzle to get to the treats.

Puzzle toys are a great way to keep your cats entertained and mentally stimulated when you can’t play with them. The toys are designed to be filled with treats, and they challenge kitty to retrieve the treats through varied openings in the toys. Most puzzle toy manufacturers recommend using dry food with these puzzles. Since I don’t recommend feeding any dry food, not even as treats, I recommend using freeze dried meat based treats such as Pure Bites or Whole Life.

There’s a huge variety of puzzle toys on the market. The toy shown above is the CatAmazing Puzzle Toy, and it’s remained a big hit with Allegra and Ruby. In addition to using treats inside the toy, I put smaller toys inside, and that works just as well as treats in terms of holding their interest.Continue Reading

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Acupuncture Helps Restore Function to Paralyzed Cat’s Legs (With Video)

Feline Health| 26 Comments

Cat acupuncture by vet

When a  good Samaritan found a wounded stray cat in her neighborhood and noticed that the cat appeared to be unable to use her hindlegs, she brought it to a local veterinary hospital for humane euthanasia. The cat appeared to be suffering, and it seemed like the right thing to do. After examining the young (barely a year old) cat, a veterinarian at the hospital decided that this little girl deserved a second chance at a good life, and accepted the cat as what is called a “surrender” in order to avoid euthanasia.

X-rays revealed a shattered pelvis, torn diaphragm and collapsed lung lobe. All of these injuries can be life threatening, and were most likely caused when the cat was hit by a car. The cat was named Pretzel, because the lack of funtion in her hindlegs caused an abnormal gait and a twisted appearance. Pretzel underwent surgery to repair her diaphragm and was spayed. Her pelvis slowly healed, and she began regaining some function in her hindlegs.

Dr. Patrick Mahaney, a holistic veterinarian in Los Angeles, donated acupuncture treatmentsContinue Reading

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Diamond Naturals, Premium Edge & 4Health Cat Food Recall

Feline Nutrition| 3 Comments

Diamond_pet_food_recall

Note: This article covers a recall that occurred in 2013. For up-to-date information on current pet food recalls, please visit the FDA’s recall website.

In 2013, Diamond Pet Foods voluntarily recalled limited production codes of Premium Edge Finicky Adult Cat Formula dry cat food, Premium Edge Senior Cat Hairball Management Formula dry cat food, Premium Edge Kitten Formula dry cat food, Diamond Naturals Kitten Formula dry cat food, and 4health All Life Stages Cat Formula dry cat food.  Tests conducted by the company indicated the products might have a low level of thiamine (Vitamin B1). There have been no complaints regarding thiamine levels, or any other health issues, related to these products.  In association with this voluntary recall, Diamond Pet Foods has tested all other Diamond brands for thiamine deficiency to ensure the safety of the cat food it manufactures.  No other product manufactured by Diamond Pet Foods is involved in this recall.

Only products with the following Best By dates and Production Codes are included in the voluntary recall.  Continue Reading

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Acu-Cat: A Guide to Feline Acupressure (2023 Book Review)

Books| 9 Comments

Acu_Cat_feline_acupuncture

If you’ve ever been interested in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), acupuncture or acupressure, and how it might benefit your feline family members, you’re going to want to read Acu-Cat: A Guide to Feline Acupressure.

This comprehensive guide covers

  • a thorough introduction to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) concepts and theories
  • how these theories and concepts are applied in a feline acupressure session
  • 33 feline health and behavioral conditions that may benefit from acupressure
  • extensive drawings of acupressure charts, meridians and points

If you’re expecting a simple guideContinue Reading

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Jetset Vets: Veterinary Care at 30,000 Feet & How It Works

Feline Lifestyle| 10 Comments

Cat in a carrier bag ready to board an airplane

If you’ve ever had to travel by air with a cat, you know how stressful it can be for both cat and guardian. Now imagine that you have to travel with a sick cat.  You’ll be in the air for several hours – what if something happens to your cat? Flight attendants receive basic medical training in first aid and CPR for humans, but they’re not trained to help in case of a pet emergency. But now there’s a new option for some pet guadians to receive in flight veterinary care for their sick pets.

Dr. Cindy Bressler, a New York City based veterinarian whose clientele includes high profile actors and other celebrities, makes house calls to her clients  both in the city and in the Hamptons. Several of these clients occasionally hired her to accompany them and their pets when they had to travel on private planes. Clients have also taken advantage of this service during a move, or when a pet’s care had to be transitioned to a hospital somewhere else in the country, or the world, for that matter.

Dr._Cindy_Bressler

Seeing a need for this service among her clientele, Dr. Bressler started Jetset Vets,Continue Reading

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