Month: January 2015

Fear in Cats: More Than Just an Emotional Problem During Veterinary Visits

Feline Health| 24 Comments

fear-in-cats

Did you know that you can actually find the word “scaredy-cat” in the Merriam Webster dictionary? If you have one of those fearful cats, you already know that her fear may be affecting her quality of life. A fearful cat is a stressed cat. Fear or anxiety is more than just an emotional problem for cats. It can also cause many serious physical health problems and aggravate others.Continue Reading

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It’s National Answer Your Cat’s Question Day

Feline Lifestyle| 23 Comments

answer-your-cats-question-day

Cats communicate in many different ways. Their primary means of communication is body language, but they also communicate vocally. It’s up to us as their guardians to learn how to interpret their communications, but no matter how well-trained a human may be in learning to speak feline, sometimes, we all wish our cats could talk. Apparently, somebody felt that this wish for better interspecies understanding deserved a national holiday, because believe it or not, today is National Answer Your Cat’s Question Day.Continue Reading

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What to Expect When Your Cat is Expecting

Feline Health| 1 Comment

cat with kittens 2

Cats can become pregnant as young as four months of age, which is why it’s important to spay female cats before they go into their first heat. Allowing your cat to have a pregnancy because you believe that your cat needs to have the experience of giving birth, or your children need to witness the “miracle of life,” is unacceptable. There may, however, be circumstances when you find yourself caring for a pregnant cat. Perhaps you took in a stray cat, or you are fostering a pregnant cat.Continue Reading

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Pain Management for Cats is Not Optional

Feline Health| 6 Comments

pain-management-for-cats

Cats are masters at masking pain. This ability to hide pain goes back to their wild origins; in the wild, a sick animal becomes prey. While acute pain may be fairly obvious to cat guardians, it may be more difficult to discern whether your cat is in pain when it comes to chronic pain from conditions such as arthritis. Sadly, many veterinarians still overlook signs of feline pain, or are not aggressive enough in treating it.Continue Reading

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Oma’s Pride Recalls Purr Complete Feline Poultry Meal

Feline Nutrition| 3 Comments

Omas-Pride-Recall

Oma’s Pride of Avon, CT is recalling Purr-Complete Feline Poultry Meal because it has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.

Purr-Complete Feline Poultry Meal was distributed nationwide through retail stores, distributors, and directly to consumers. Purr-Complete Feline Poultry Meal is sold frozen. It is packaged in clear 12 oz. (UPC: 8 79384 00017 9) and 2 lb. (UPC: 8 79384 00018 6) plastic packaging under the Oma’s Pride brand as a poultry blend with code #1524. It was manufactured on September 12, 2014 with a use by recommended date of September 12, 2015.Continue Reading

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MDeluxe Modern Handmade Pet Products Beautifully Combine Form and Function

Products| 4 Comments

MDeluxe cover

I love discovering cat products that are not just functional, but also beautifully designed and well made. Domen and Miha Grošelj, two brothers from Slovenia who share a great love for cats, have created an incredibly gorgeous line of products ranging from beds to scratchers to food bowls.

The brothers spend countless hours in front of the computer searching for something that their cat Rossi would love, but that would also fit into their home. Continue Reading

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Age is Not a Disease

Feline Health| 21 Comments

zach 1

Cats are living longer and healthier lives, thanks to improved veterinary care, better nutrition, and the fact that most pet cats are indoor cats. A cat is usually considered a senior between the age of 11 and 14, cats older than that are considered geriatric. Senior cats usually require more care then younger cats, and when problems occur, they can often be more serious or more difficult to deal with.

However, age should not be a reason to not treat an illness.Continue Reading

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New Biomarker Could Provide Early Warning of Kidney Disease

Feline Health| 0 comments

tabby-cat-biomarker-kidney-disease

Chronic Kidney Disease, also known as Chronic Renal Failure (CRF) is a common condition in aging cats. It is the result of a gradual decrease in kidney function. Healthy kidneys act like a filter to remove waste products from the body. They regulate electrolytes such as potassium and phosphorous, and they produce erythropoietin which stimulates red blood cell production. Kidneys produce rennin, which contributes toward regulating blood pressure. Kidneys also play a major role in turning vitamin D into its active form, which controls calcium balance in the body.Continue Reading

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Mews and Nips: Algonquin Hotel’s Chief Cat Officer May Have the Best Job in Hospitality

Cats| 3 Comments

matilda algonquin hotel

When Alice de Almeida first answered a job ad for an executive assistant position at New York City’s iconic Algonquin Hotel, she thought her daily tasks might include answering the phone and keeping up with her boss’s schedule. Little did she know then that she landed a cat lover’s dream job.  As the hotel’s Chief Cat Officer, Almeida is in charge of caring for Matilda, the famous resident cat of the hotel, as well as managing her VIP appearances and social media accounts. For more on Almeida’s work with Matilda, visit Condé Nast Traveler.

If you missed any of the stories featured on The Conscious Cat this week, here’s a recap:Continue Reading

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Review: Cat Lady Chic by Diane Lovejoy

Books| 3 Comments

Cat_Lady_Chic

I’m not fond of the term Crazy Cat Lady. It diminishes those of us who love cats for the unique and wonderful creatures that they are by assigning a label that usually has a derogatory connotation, even if it’s used with humorous self-deprecation. I’m not even all that comfortable with the term “cat lady,” because most people immediately add the “crazy” in front of it in their minds. However, the “cat lady” image is changing, with trailblazers such as the stylish Kate Benjamin of Hauspanther leading the way. A new book, Cat Lady Chic, also blows the image of the unfashionable, unkempt, frumpy cat lady out of the water.Continue Reading

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Consumer-Funded Pet Food Testing Reveals Disturbing Results

Feline Nutrition| 24 Comments

pet-food

The Association for Truth in Pet Food (ATPF), an advocacy group established by Susan Thixton, the publisher and founder of The Truth About Pet Food, recently published the results of an unprecedented pet food testing project conducted by U.S. labs late last year. The results reveal serious concerns for pets and for the human families that purchase and handle the pet food.Continue Reading

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