How many of you bought Christmas presents for your cats, only to have them turn up their little noses at them, or play with them once or twice, and then ignore them? I’ve done this more than I care to admit. I don’t even know why I even buy Allegra and Ruby toys. Our cat playroom (known in most homes as the family room) is already filled with more cat products than your average pet store! But there’s just something about Christmas that makes me want to get them something special, wrap it for them, unwrap it with them, and, each year, hope that this time, it’s going to be something they’re really going to like.
Dena Harris is not going to endear herself to fat cats everywhere with her latest humor book, Does This Collar Make My Butt Look Big: A Diet Book for Cats, but she will sure make the humans picking up this tongue-in-cheek parody of diet books laugh.
This little book provides weight-loss tips and tricks for “extra fluffy felines” modeled along popular fitness regimes such as The Mayo Clinic Diet (“Vary your water sources. The water dish is so over. Water from the kitchen faucet or toilet should be available on demand.”), The South Beach Diet (“Phase I of this diet involves the complete denial of all foods that make you purr.”), and the “French Women Don’t Get Fat…But Their Cats Do” diet.Continue Reading
Just like humans, cats have two sets of teeth: deciduous teeth, also known as milk teeth, and permanent teeth.
Kittens are born without teeth, but within the first two to three weeks the deciduous teeth, also known as milk teeth, baby teeth, or primary teeth, erupt. All of the deciduous teeth are present by 6 to 7 weeks of age. These milk teeth will start to fall out around 3 months of age as the permanent teeth begin to erupt. Once a kitten reaches the age of 6 or 7 months, all 30 permanent teeth should be present.Continue Reading
Before cats took over the internet, there were cartoons. From Felix the Cat, who was created in the silent film era in the 1920’s, to Simon’s Cat, the white British feline cartoon character who has taken the internet by storm over the last few years, cartoon cats have delighted and entertained cat lovers for decades. Meet five of the top cartoon cats.
Felix the Cat
Felix’s black body, white eyes, and giant grin make him one of the most recognized cartoon characters of all time. Developed in the 1920’s, Felix cartoons began airing on American TV in 1953. He first appeared in a short film called Feline Follies, and shortly thereafter, he made the transition from screen to print. Eventually, Felix was syndicated n over 250 newspapers all over the world. He is still published today in various magazines and publications.
Tigger
Tigger is the fictional tiger in A.A. Milne’s book The House at Pooh Corner. This sweet tiger with distinctive orange and black stripes bounces rather than walks, which fits his cheerful, outgoing personality. Tigger often overestimates his own abilities and has complete confidence in himself, which leads him into some interesting predicaments. In addition to the books, Tigger has appeared in multiple Disney movies.
Garfield
Garfield was created by Jim Davis in 1978, and the lazy feline who loves to eat and hates Mondays has spawned an empire that includes merchandise earnings of $750 million to $1 billion annually. The strip has also been turned into animated television programs and two full length feature films.
Hello Kitty
This fictional cat was designed by Yuko Shimizu. The female white Japanese bobtail cat with the red bow first appeared on a vinyl coin purse in Japan in 1974. Since then, Hello Kitty has turned into a global marketing behemoth worth more than 5 billion a year.
Simon’s Cat
Simon’s Cat is an animated cartoon series created by British animator Simon Tofield. Based on Tofield’s own cats, the cartoons feature a charming, yet mischievous cat that lives with Simon. His first cartoon alone, Cat Man Do, featuring black and white pencil drawings of a cat trying to wake his human has garnered more than 45 million views since it was posted on YouTube five years ago. In addition to the cartoons, Simon’s Cat has several books out, and Simon’s Cat merchandise ranges from toys to household goods, turning Simon’s Cat into a multi-media empire worth several million dollars.
For most cat lovers, the most enchanting feature of these, and all cartoon cats, is how well they capture cats’ unique traits and personalities.
This article was previously published on Answers.com and is republished with permission.
Making a decision about whether or when the time is right for euthanasia is one of the hardest things cat guardians will ever go through. I’ve previously written about what can help a cat guardian make this difficult decision. But once you have made the decision, there are still more things to consider.
One is location. I am a firm advocate of in home euthanasia. I’m always surprised when I hear from my readers that, until they read Buckley’s Story, they had no idea that having a pet euthanized at home was even an option. There are few veterinarians who offer home euthanasia. Those that do generally don’t advertise the fact, but some will come to your home when asked. Housecall veterinarians can be a good option for in home euthanasias. The In Home Pet Euthanasia Directory can help you locate a veterinarian who performs in home euthanasia in your area.
Another decision you will need to make is whether you want to be with your cat during the euthanasia, Continue Reading
I know, Allegra, I know. But despite the d-o-g on the cover of Quinn Cummings’ Pet Sounds: New and Improved Stories from the QC Report, this collection of stories, drawn from Cummings’ popular blog, The QC Report, features plenty of cats. Additionally, it’s such a funny and at the same time insightful book, I just had to share it with you.
The author writes about a lifetime of living with, and rescuing pets, ranging from Polly, the dog whose “dayplanner would have only three entries: Eat. Sleep. Excrete.” to bloodthirsty rabbits to lizards rescued from the dead. Of course, the cat stories were my favorites, especially those featuring Lulabelle, also known as Lupac, a portly middle-aged black cat with a relentless hunting drive. “Had she been human, she would have been a dour workaholic who spends her rare off-work hours flipping through feline trade magazines like Small Prey Monthly or Professional Dog Smacking.”Continue Reading
If you’ve missed Jackson Galaxy and his cat mojo while My Cat From Hell is on hiatus on Animal Planet, fear not, you can now get a daily dose of the Cat Daddy every Monday! Jackson’s new web-based show, “Cat Mojo,” premieres today on Discovery’s Animalist Network. Episodes will be posted on Jackson Galaxy’s YouTube Channel. Today’s episode will go live at 9 am Eastern/6 am Pacific time.
Each week Jackson will share his thoughts on everything from cat-related issues like declawing and squirt gun diplomacy to his craziest behind the scene stories as a cat behaviorist. He will address trends in animal welfare and the feral cat issue. Rumor has it he will even share his musical talent on the show. All of this will happen live, and it will be interactive, giving viewers a chance to ask questions.Continue Reading
The Dalai Lama’s cat is back! David Michie first introduced the fictional feline, HHC (His Holiness’ Cat), dubbed “Little Snow Lion” by the Dalai Lama himself, in his 2012 novel The Dalai Lama’s Cat. HHC was rescued by the Dalai Lama when he saw the small kitten being thrown in the gutter. In the first book, the reader gets an insider’s look at the day to day life of the Dalai Lama’s world as seen by his cat.
For most of us, our cats are a big part of our holiday celebrations, and they probably take having a warm place to sleep and snuggle, plenty of food, and plenty of toys for granted. Thousands of shelter cats aren’t so lucky.
For the past five years, Dorian Wagner, the founder of YourDailyCute.com, has helped bring some holiday cheer to shelter cats (and dogs) with her Santa Paws Drive program. Santa Paws Drive is an online Christmas toy drive dedicated to pets. The inspiration for the drive was “Toys 4 Tots” and other similar programs that collect donations and then distribute them to the needy – and Dorian wanted to do the same for animals. ” Our ultimate hope is that each of these dogs and cats finds a forever home,” says Dorian, “but if that doesn’t happen, we want our furry friends to wake up on Christmas morning to gifts and toys and treats… and a little extra cash to help the shelters out.”Continue Reading
Feline calicivirus, or FCV, is a viral infection causing severe upper respiratory problems in cats. Entering through the cat’s eyes, nose, or mouth, this virus possesses symptoms similar to that of a common cold. As loving cat owners, it is important to be well informed of the causes, symptoms, and prevention of this fast-spreading infection to help keep our feline friends happy and healthy.
Frequently seen in animal shelters or within multi-cat homes, the FCV infection is typically spread amongst cats that are being housed together in large numbers or kittens with weak immune systems. Once the cat is infected with FCV, they may carry the virus in their bodies for life. “Approximately 10% of household cats exhibit this ‘carrier’ state and have the chance of becoming sick again during times of stress or other illness, although many will not” said Dr. Kathy Scott, lecturer at the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences. “They may continue to shed the virus, however, putting other cats they are near at risk of developing the infection.”Continue Reading
