Month: March 2015

Zen Cats: Meditations for the Wise Minds of Cat Lovers

Books| 3 Comments

Zen-cats

Whether one believes in a religion or not, and whether one believes in rebirth or not, there isn’t
anyone who doesn’t appreciate kindness and compassion. – His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Zen Cats: Meditations for the Wise Minds of Cat Lovers opens with the lovely quote above, and it purrfectly sets the tone for this gem of a book. This little volume features gorgeous cat photos alongside excerpts from the Dhammapada, a collection of sayings of the Buddha in verse form and one of the most widely read and best known Buddhist scriptures.Continue Reading

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The Cat Sitter’s Whiskers – Book Review

Books, Giveaways| 96 Comments

The-Cat-Sitters-Whiskers

The Cat Sitter mystery series, featuring Dixie Hemingway, a pet sitter who lives on one of the Florida keys, has been a favorite of mine ever since the first book in the series came out seven years ago. The series was originally written by Blaize Clement. Her son, John Clement, continued the series after her death in 2011. Blaize had been collaborating on plots and characters for future novels with John.

In The Cat Sitter’s Whiskers, Dixie’s heads off early one morning to see her first cat client of the day. Continue Reading

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How to Star in Jackson Galaxy and Kate Benjamin’s New Book

Feline Behavior| 1 Comment

Jackson-Galaxy-Kate-Benjamin-book

If you’ve read Jackson Galaxy and Kate Benjamin’s New York Times Bestseller Catification: Designing a Happy and Stylish Home for Your Cat (and You!), you’ve no doubt been inspired to tackle a few catification projects of your own. I came away with quite a few ideas; the first one I implemented was our kitchen catification.

Jackson and Kate are working on their new book, Catisfy to Satisfy, and they want to hear from you! All you have to do is show them pictures of your catified space and tell them a little about yourself and life with your cats. Continue Reading

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Review: The Ultimate Cat Tunnel

Products| 24 Comments

cat-tunnel

Cat tunnels are a wonderful addition to any home. They can provide a safe hiding space for “bush dwellers,” cats who prefer to stay low to the ground and tend to seek out spots that are hidden, such as under an end table, or even under the sofa or bed. Tunnels also provide endless hours of play. Allegra and Ruby were very excited when they got a chance to review the Ultimate Cat Tunnel from Pets Can Play.Continue Reading

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How to Keep Your Cat’s Teeth Healthy

Feline Health| 32 Comments

cat-healthy-teeth

Dental disease is the most frequently diagnosed health problem for cats. According to the American Veterinary Dental Society, an astounding 70 percent of cats show signs of oral disease by age 3.

What is dental disease?

Normal teeth should be white or just a little yellow. Gums should be light pink and smooth (except in breeds with pigmented gums). Oral disease begins with a build up of plaque and tartar in your cat’s mouth. Without proper preventive and therapeutic care, plaque and tartar buildup leads to periodontal disease, which manifests in red and/or swollen and tender gums, bad breath, and bleeding. When the gums are swollen, they can be painful – a good rule of thumb is that if it looks like it might be painful, it probably is. Cats are masters at masking pain – when in doubt, assume that your cat is experiencing at least some discomfort.Continue Reading

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No Better Medicine by Kelly Meister-Yetter (2023 Review)

Books| 5 Comments

no-better-medicine

There’s no secret that cats have healing powers – and so do other animals. It stands to reason that the more animals you’re surrounded with, the stronger this healing power can work, right?

This has certainly been the case for Kelly Meister-Yetter. She spent much of her life in darkness following childhood abuse, and the resulting depression led her to often isolate herself from other humans. Animals turned out to be her salvation: spending time around animals, and helping them, contributed to the healing of old childhood wounds.Continue Reading

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Operation Catnip Trains Veterinarians to Help Community Cats

Feline Lifestyle| 13 Comments

operation-catnip

An innovative Florida program that has been spaying, neutering, and vaccinating community cats since 1998 is about to share its successful model with the nation.

Founded by Dr. Julie Levy, director of the Maddie’s Shelter Medicine Program at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, the trap-neuter-return (TNR) program known as Operation Catnip has been running free high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter clinics for community cats in Gainesville for more than 16 years. Since its founding, the organization has cared for more than 45,000 cats. In 2014 alone, they helped 2,693 cats and prevented the births of a projected 6,142 kittens who might have been born to the now-sterilized cats in the first year following surgery.Continue Reading

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How to Speak Cat Helps Children Understand Cats

Books, Feline Behavior| 4 Comments

Chylothorax in Cats

Feline Health| 131 Comments

chylothorax-cats

Chylothorax is a relatively rare condition in the cat in which lymphatic fluid or chyle accumulates in the pleural cavity between the lungs and the inner lining of the chest wall. The lymphatic system collects waste from the body’s tissues and returns it to the bloodstream. Chyle is the lymph fluid collected from the intestines. Since the intestines absorb fat from the cat’s diet, this fluid has a high fat content and milky appearance. When this fluid leaks into the chest cavity, it can partially collapse the lungs. This will cause breathing difficulties.Continue Reading

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Primal Pet Food Recalls Single Batch of Feline Turkey Raw Frozen Formula

Feline Nutrition| 3 Comments

Primal-petfood-recall

Primal Pet Foods is recalling a single batch production code of Feline Turkey Raw Frozen Formula 3-pound bag. The FDA tested product in response to a single consumer complaint. Primal Pet Foods was alerted by FDA that the testing of two bags of this lot resulted in a low thiamine (vitamin B) level. Neither the FDA nor Primal have received any other reports concerning thiamine in Primal products. No other product manufactured by Primal Pet Foods is involved in this recall.Continue Reading

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Review: KeeKee’s Big Adventure in Athens, Greece

Books| 2 Comments

KeeKees-Big-Adventure

I don’t often review children’s books, but the KeeKee’s Big Adventures series by Shannon Jones is so adorable, I wanted to share it with you. KeeKee is a calico cat who travels the world in a hot air balloon. Her previous stops included Paris and Rome.Continue Reading

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