conscious living, health and happiness for cats and their humans
Guest post by Ingrid R. Niesman, MS PhD
A 101-year-old senior citizen adopts a 19-year old cat from the Catawba Humane Society in Hickory, NC. Penny’s family describes this as a match made in heaven. After losing her cat and realizing a stuffed animal is not an alternative, the North Carolina woman has found her senior soul mate in Gus. Her story is a reminder of the importance of cats in all our lives, but particularly for the elderly.Continue Reading
A new exploratory study funded by the Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) and the Winn Feline Foundation explored the emotional, behavioral, and social benefits of shelter cats on families of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD.)Continue Reading
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You’ve come to know Sarah Chauncey through her compassionate writing about loss and grief here on The Conscious Cat over the past few years. After her heart-cat Hedda died in 2016, she wrote P.S. I Love You More Than Tuna, a beautifully illustrated and healing gift book which is available for pre-order now.Continue Reading
The results of the first empirical study on the connection between cats and humans probably come as no surprise to those of us who share our lives with cats: Cats bond with their caregivers to a similar degree as infants and dogs.Continue Reading
You’ve adopted a new cat from a shelter or rescue group. You’ve set up a safe space for your new family member, and you’ve gradually introduced her to your home and/or your other cats. You’re excited about getting to know your new friend. While some cats will bond instantly with their new humans, others may take more time, and sometimes, a lot of patience from the human who just wants to love and be loved.Continue Reading
I rarely review non-cat books on The Conscious Cat, but Do Unto Animals by former veterinary technician, animal advocate and wife of comedian and former Daily Show host Jon Stewart, is such a purrfect fit for what this site is all about that I want to share it with you. After all, conscious living encompasses caring for all living beings on this earth, not just cats. Continue Reading
I doubt that any of us need scientific proof that cats can show emotions: all we need to do is look into our feline companions’ eyes to know beyond the shadow of a doubt that they do. Since cats express emotions in different ways than humans, being able to read and interpret feline emotion is a key to understanding cats better, and to preventing and correcting behavior problems.
The question whether cats feel emotion has become a much debated topic among feline behaviorists and scientists. Continue Reading
This post is sponsored by Pictarine
I’m sure it comes as no surprise to anyone reading this blog that we love our pets. Just how much do we love them? Pictarine, a multi-platform app that allows you to order prints of your favorite photos from your phone and pick them up at your local Walgreens or Duane Reade store, recently announced the results of their survey around American consumers and pet photography.Continue Reading
Earlier this week, I had a chance to attend the Better with Pets Summit in New York City. The summit was sponsored by Purina*, and while my nutritional philosophy differs greatly from that of Purina when it comes to species-appropriate nutrition for cats, I appreciate the work the company is doing to foster the human-animal bond. This year’s summit focused on how technology and scientific advances are leading to a brighter future with our pets. The daylong event featured 15 expert presentations on why our lives are better with pets – not that any of us at the summit needed experts to convince us of that!Continue Reading
We all consider our cats members of the family, and according to a new study from the University of Messina’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, this blending into our lives extends to our cats taking on human habits – both good and bad ones.
The researchers studied two groups of cats. Discovery News reports on the study:
Each group received excellent care, in terms of food, medical attention and grooming. The owners of all the cats worked during the day and returned home in the evenings.
The first group of cats, however, lived in smaller homes and stayed closer to their owners. The second groupContinue Reading
Guest post by Patricia Fry
Have you ever noticed that the cat who is scheduled for a vet or groomer visit is nowhere to be found when it’s time to go? Most mornings, you’ll find our cats curled up in their cozy beds or hanging out in the lap of an overstuffed chair. I walk into the room often and give them a little hug or ruffle up the fur behind their ears. They love the attention. Except when I approach them with an ulterior motive. Then they scurry for parts unknown and the chase is on. How do they know when a car ride is imminent? Maybe this story will shed some light on the mystery.
It was not on Daisy’s agenda that hot summer day to see the groomer. She, no doubt, planned to loll on the linoleum floor, occasionally sauntering over to the closest window to watch the blue jays feed. She didn’t know I’d arranged for a bath and a flea dip. Or maybe she did.
This was in the 1980s, before spot on flea products, and Daisy was supporting a good number of California’s enormous flea population. This was also the time of year when her long calico winter coat shed and tangled with her summer coat, causing mats.Continue Reading