Month: April 2017

Review: Cats for the Genius

Books| 2 Comments

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I’ve never liked the “for dummies” or “idiot’s guide” series of books, available on just about any topic you can think of, including cats. While they certainly seem to be popular, and while they often provide good information, the self-deprecation implied in the titles just doesn’t resonate with me. Wanting to learn more about something doesn’t make you a dummy. The newer “for the Genius” book series takes a somewhat more positive, tongue-in-cheek spin on this approach, but I’m still not crazy about it.

However, setting aside my admittedly very personal opinion about the book’s title, Ramona Marek’s Cats for the Genius is a fantastic, comprehensive guideContinue Reading

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Cat Behaviorist Mikel Delgado Answers April’s Questions

Feline Behavior| 15 Comments

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Earlier this month, we launched our new “Ask the Cat Behaviorist with Mikel Delgado” segment. Once a month, we’ll post a reminder for you to post your questions for Mikel. She’ll answer as many of them as he can each month, and I’ll publish her answers in a subsequent post.

Mikel is a Certified Cat Behavior Consultant at Feline Minds, offering on-site consultations for cat guardians, shelters, and pet-related businesses in the San Francisco Bay Area, and remote consultations around the world. She is currently completing her PhD in Psychology at UC Berkeley, where she studies animal behavior and human-pet relationships.Continue Reading

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Review: Scratching Tree from Pet Tree Houses

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Scratching posts are a vital part of sharing your living space with cats. Cats scratch for a variety of reasons: they scratch to groom their claws, the scratching motion helps remove dead sheaths from their front claws (they usually chew them off their back claws). They scratch to mark their territory. Their front paws contain scent glands, and scratching leaves behind their unique signature on the object being scratched. They scratch for exercise; scratching stretches the muscles in the front legs and all along the back. And they scratch simply because it feels good.

When it comes to scratching posts, bigger is usually better. The Scratching Tree from Pet Tree Houses is a beautifully made, solid vertical scratcher. Continue Reading

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Anesthesia Free Dental Cleaning May Do More Harm Than Good

Feline Health| 14 Comments

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You may have heard about anesthesia-free dental cleaning from a pet store, groomer or even your veterinarian. Anesthesia-free dentistry involves scaling (scraping off tartar) a cat’s teeth without putting the cat under anesthesia. Sounds too good to be true? That’s because it is.Continue Reading

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Mews and Nips: Happy Earth Day!

Mews and Nips| 6 Comments

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We’re all about conscious living here at The Conscious Cat, and green living is a big part of living a conscious life. Earth Day is a great day to remember that green living isn’t just good for us and the planet, it’s also good for our cats. For some tips on how you can celebrate Earth Day (and beyond,) read Going Green With Your Cat.

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: Sorry Honey, but the Critters Come First

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Okay, fess up: for how many of you does the title of this book ring true? Sorry Honey, but the Critters Come First is Kelly Meister-Yetter’s third installment in her animal themed memoir series. The book features Kelly’s adventures with ducks, horses, dogs, and, don’t worry Allegra, there are also cats in the book.Continue Reading

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Wet Food Puzzles for Cats

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Food puzzle toys are a great way to keep your cats entertained. They range from treat balls to complex platforms with tubes and tunnels to entire feeding systems. These puzzles help cats exercise their natural hunting instincts. The problem with most food puzzles is that they can only be used with dry food – something I don’t recommend for cats, not even as an occasional treat. I recommend using freeze-dried meat treats in food puzzles.

The challenge of making a food puzzle that can be used with wet food is, of course, the “mess factor.” You certainly don’t want your cats to drag the puzzle all over your house, spilling wet food as they go! That’s why I was thrilled when I recently came across a couple of puzzle toys that can be used with wet food.Continue Reading

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A Visit to the Orlando Cat Café (With Pictures)

Feline Lifestyle| 14 Comments

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While I was in Orlando for Global Pet Expo, the Orlando Cat Café hosted me for a book signing. This was only my second visit to a cat café (Meow Parlour in New York City was the other one I visited,) and once again, I was impressed with how well executed the concept was. Continue Reading

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Mews and Nips: Best Friends Adoption Center Opens in New York City

Mews and Nips| 0 comments

best-friends-nyc-adoption center

On April 4, 2017, doors opened at the brand new Best Friends Pet Adoption Center in New York City. While Best Friends has been working to save pets in NYC for some time through adoptions and large-scale events, the center’s opening is a new beginning. The state-of-the-art space welcomes visitors to meet adoptable cats and dogs, and engages them in Best Friends’ mission to end the killing of pets in shelters by 2025. For more about the new adoption center, visit BestFriends.org.

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: Dining and Driving with Cats

Books| 4 Comments

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Dining and Driving with Cats: Alice Unplugged by Pat Patterson is one of the more unusual books I’ve read in a while. This story of a couple who takes their two cats on a road trip from Mexico to North Carolina is memoir, love story, travelogue and restaurant review all in one highly entertaining package.Continue Reading

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