How is it possible that 2016 is almost over? We hope all of you have a safe and happy New Year’s Eve, and wish you a 2017 filled with health, happiness, prosperity, and purrs. Earlier this week, we took a look back at the old year.Continue Reading
Ingrid King is an award-winning author, former veterinary hospital manager, and veterinary journalist who is passionate about cats.
Christmas Eve has always been a day of reflection for me – we live in such a fast-paced world, Christmas Eve seems to be the one day when many of us take a breather. You can find my reflections on Christmas Eve here as I leave you with this abbreviated edition of Mews and Nips.
If you missed any of the stories featured on the Conscious Cat this week, here’s a recap:Continue Reading
Ingrid King is an award-winning author, former veterinary hospital manager, and veterinary journalist who is passionate about cats.
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If you’re reading The Conscious Cat, you probably already have an interest in holistic modalities. I believe in an integrative approach to medicine, both for myself and for cats (and dogs.) The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) at the National Institutes of Health, defines integrative medicine as “combining mainstream medical therapies and CAM therapies for which there is some high-quality scientific evidence of safety and effectiveness.” In other words, integrative medicine lets you pick the best of both worlds.Continue Reading
Ingrid King is an award-winning author, former veterinary hospital manager, and veterinary journalist who is passionate about cats.
While there is never a guarantee that two cats will get along, proper introductions are the key to creating a harmonious relationship between your resident cats and the newcomer. Cats are territorial creatures, and more often than not, bringing a new cat into a home creates at least temporary stress for everyone. Doing your homework before bringing a new family member home greatly reduces the likelihood of problems down the road.Continue Reading
Ingrid King is an award-winning author, former veterinary hospital manager, and veterinary journalist who is passionate about cats.
In an ideal world, every cat would have a home where she’s cared for and loved forever. The sad reality is that millions of cat don’t. Municipal shelters and private rescue groups are working hard every day to find homes for these cats, but most work with limited resources, and there’s only so much they can do. The holiday season is a time for giving, and there are ways you can help homeless cats even if you’re not in a position to adopt right now.Continue Reading
Ingrid King is an award-winning author, former veterinary hospital manager, and veterinary journalist who is passionate about cats.
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The bond between cats and women has been written about at length, as has the bond between a man and his dog. But what about men who love cats? In Men With Cats: Intimate Portraits of Feline Friendship, photographer David Williams celebrates the connection between men and cats.Continue Reading
Ingrid King is an award-winning author, former veterinary hospital manager, and veterinary journalist who is passionate about cats.
Foraging toys, also knows as food puzzles or puzzle toys, are a great way to engage cats’ senses by bringing out their natural hunting instinct. I love the concept behind these toys, but for obvious reasons, they can’t be used with canned or raw food. I am a firm advocate that cats should never eat dry food, but you can still take advantage of these toys by using freeze dried treats instead of dry food. And while I don’t recommend feeding a lot of fish based food or treats, tuna flakes work well for these toys, since you only need a very small amount to satisfy your little hunter.Continue Reading
Ingrid King is an award-winning author, former veterinary hospital manager, and veterinary journalist who is passionate about cats.
This post is sponsored by Balanced Blends
Embraced for decades by holistically oriented pet parents and holistic veterinarians, raw feeding is becoming more mainstream as pet parents look for alternatives to feeding highly processed commercial pet foods.Continue Reading
Ingrid King is an award-winning author, former veterinary hospital manager, and veterinary journalist who is passionate about cats.
This post is sponsored by Katris
I’ve long been a fan of KATRIS modular cat furniture. KATRIS is a system of cardboard shapes that you can arrange in endless configurations. Remember the computer game Tetris? You get the idea. KATRIS uses super dense paper for the construction of these sturdy pieces, and they also offer covers in multiple colors so you can make Katris part of your home decor.
We reviewed the original Katris system two years ago, and we reviewed KATRIS Lynks, two pieces that can function as standalone scratchers or be added to the existing blocks or furniture, earlier this year. Continue Reading
Ingrid King is an award-winning author, former veterinary hospital manager, and veterinary journalist who is passionate about cats.
This post is sponsored by Assisi Animal Health
When your cat is extremely ill or in pain, there’s probably nothing you wouldn’t try to get him or her to stop hurting. Unfortunately, treating pain in cats is often challenging. For starters, cats are masters at masking pain. Then, once the pain is diagnosed, there are very few medications that are approved for long-term use in cats that don’t also carry some serious risks.
As an alternative to pharmaceuticals, many cat owners have turned to non-drug modalities like Reiki and acupuncture. Another therapy that is garnering more widespread use is targeted pulsed electromagnetic field therapy (tPEMF™). This therapy can benefits cats with pain associated with arthritis, pancreatitis, wounds, or post-surgical swelling as well as many inflammatory conditions.Continue Reading
Ingrid King is an award-winning author, former veterinary hospital manager, and veterinary journalist who is passionate about cats.
Even though Nutmeg won’t qualify for a Guiness World Record since his guardians don’t have documents that show his age, he is probably the world’s oldest cat. Bored Panda reports that Nutmeg was taken in as a stray in 1990, and his guardians were told that he was at least five years old then. For more about Nutmeg, including some wonderful photos, please visit Bored Panda.
If you missed any of the stories featured on the Conscious Cat this week, here’s a recap:Continue Reading
Ingrid King is an award-winning author, former veterinary hospital manager, and veterinary journalist who is passionate about cats.
