Purrfect Pets

You still have time to bid on original artwork in an on-line auction, “Art for Cats.” Proceeds for the e-Bay auction go to Anjellicle Cats Rescue in New York City. Anjellicle Cats Rescue is a non-profit no kill cat shelter.

Original artwork pieces were created and donated by 40 great artists and cartoonists including:

-Juliette Borda, who has had her illustrations appear in books and publications, including, “The Girl’s Guide to Absolutely Everything,” The New Yorker, and The New York Times.

-Mark Ulricksen, an award-winning artist and illustrator whose work has appeared in Vibe, The New York Times, GQ, The New Yorker, Entertainment Weekly, and Rolling Stone.

-George Booth, who is a cartoonist for The New Yorker. He has also had work appear in The New York Times. In addition, he illustrates children’s books, such as, “Wacky Wednesday,” by Dr. Seuss.

-Danny Shanahan, who is a cartoonist for The New Yorker. Additionally, The Village Voice has recently named him the most amusing cartoonist from The New Yorker.

-Roz Chast, who has been a cartoonist for The New Yorker since 1978.

The Anjellicle Cats Rescue plans to utilize the first $2,500 raised in the auction to build a room for two kittens who have feline leukemia, as cats who have this condition must be kept separate from other cats.

Starting bids for most artwork pieces is set at $100. The e-Bay auction runs through February 26, 2009.

Source:

Cat Channel: ‘Art for Cats’ Online Auction Benefits Shelter

On Friday, I had to take my cat, Milita, to the vet. I decided to take her because she was shaking her head a lot, isolating herself and hiding in the bedroom, she wasn’t interested in playing with her favorite toys or even in eating all of her wet food, and she seemed to get upset when we touched or looked at her right ear.

The vet looked at her ears to make sure nothing was in there, and there wasn’t. She thinks Milita is having an allergic reaction that’s coming out in her ears. She gave us ear drops to put in Milita’s ears, once a day for a week.

Of course, Milita doesn’t like the ear drops. She would rather not have cold ointment going into her ears; she doesn’t understand it’s for her own good.

We’ve given her two doses of the drops and I can already see that she shakes her head less often than she did before. She is also interested in playing with her favorite toys again and she begs for food at dinnertime once more. I’m glad the ear drops seem to be helping her.

Feline asthma can be a very serious condition, if it isn’t treated appropriately. In asthma, the airways constrict either in response to environmental stimuli or spontaneously. Allergens that can lead to asthma attacks include grass and tree pollens, hair spray, deodorants, air fresheners, flea spray, smoke from cigarettes and fireplaces, and dust from cat litter.

Feline asthma affects cats of all ages all around the world. It affects approximately 1% of the adult cat population, according to the Cat Fanciers’ Association. The symptoms of asthma in cats are: wheezing, coughing (described as a dry, hacking cough), lethargy, and difficulty breathing. In addition to these symptoms, during an asthma attack, a cat will typically squat with its shoulders hunched and its neck extended and coughs or gags foamy mucus-like material. The cat typically swallows hard after this. It may appear as if your cat is trying to cough up a hairball, but nothing comes out.

The symptoms listed above are typical feline asthma symptoms; however, some cats may have just a few of these symptoms while other cats may present with all of the symptoms. Most cats do not present with asthma symptoms between periods of breathing difficulties.

If your cat is suffering with these symptoms, it is important that you get him or her looked at by your veterinarian because asthma attacks, if severe, can be life threatening. There are several medications you can utilize to treat asthma as well as things you can do around the house to prevent asthma attacks for cats. I will discuss these methods in my next post.

Sources:

Cat Fanciers’ Association: Feline Asthma - Updated Information

Feline Asthma and Other Respiratory Disorders: Symptoms

Do you celebrate your cat’s birthday? I haven’t always celebrated my cats’ birthdays in the past, but I’m making more of an effort to do so because I believe cat birthdays are as precious as human birthdays. It is, of course, the day when your beloved pet companion was born

Carmine’s birthday is on Thursday. He will be turning four years old. I cannot believe Carmine is almost four years old already! I adopted him when he was only a four-month-old kitten.

For his birthday, I got Carmine a new catnip toy, which I’m sure he’ll love. Of course, I can’t spoil Carmine on his birthday and leave Milita out, so I bought her a little toy, too. I’ll treat the cats to their favorite things on Carmine’s birthday, like that great cat milk I found.

Do you celebrate your cat’s birthday? If so, what do you do for it?

A new study indicates cat and dog obesity is on the rise. The study, conducted by the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention discovered more than 57% of cats and 44% of dogs are overweight or obese.

The study was done in October involving 95 United States veterinary clinics, which examined 669 dogs aged 1-16 years old and 202 cats aged 1-19 years old.

According to the study’s findings the number of overweight and obese cats increased by 1% from 2007 to 2008 and the number of overweight or obese dogs increased by 4 percent. It was found that 17.8% of cats and 9.6% of dogs were obese while 39.6% of cats and 34.7% of dogs were found to be overweight.

From these findings, the study estimates there are 15.7 million obese and 35 million overweight cats in the United States. The study also estimates there are over 7.2 million obese and 26 million overweight dogs in this country.

Older pets were more likely to have weight problems than younger ones. Specifically, the study found 55% of cats and 52.1% of dogs over the age of 7 years old were overweight or obese.

Furthermore, most pet owners realized their pets had weight problems. For instance, 71.5% of cat owners with overweight or obese cats admitted their cats were overweight or obese when asked by a veterinarian and 60% of dog owners knew their dogs were overweight or obese.

Obesity leads to many preventable diseases, such as diabetes and arthritis. If you have an overweight or obese pet, please take him or her to a veterinarian to work on a healthy weight loss plan for your pet. You can help your pet live a longer, healthier life.

Just as it is important to keep a child’s toys clean and safe, it is also important to keep your kitty’s toys clean. I thought I’d share some tips about keeping your cat’s toys clean that I read in Cat Fancy magazine the other day. I hope you find them useful and informative.

1. Wash fabric toys in the washing machine several times each year. I’d recommend using a detergent without any odors or dyes, such as detergents made for people with allergies. Try All: Free and Clear.

2. Wash nonporous toys with hot water and dish soap. This will ensure all of the dirt and bacteria are removed from your cat’s favorite playthings.

3. Store cat toys in a container or tub. Ensure the storage container isn’t something your cat can tear apart or eat, like baskets. Those clear tubs with lids department stores like Wal-Mart and Target sell would be a good place to store cat toys.

Give your cat a few things to play with at a time and rotate the toys every couple of days. This way, your house will appear less cluttered and your cat won’t be overwhelmed with choices on which toys to play with.

4. Finally, throw away any toys with loose parts your cat may eat. Throw away any broken toys as well. If string, bells, feathers, or other parts on toys are swallowed, it could cause intestinal blockage, digestive issues, and even death for your cat. Replace any broken toys your cat loves to keep him or her happy.

Cats love their toys. Make sure they stay safe by regularly cleaning your cat’s toys and throwing away and replacing any broken toys.

CAT FANCY magazine wants to hear your cat rescue stories. The magazine is holding the Against All Odds Rescue Contest.

If you have an amazing cat rescue story, this contest is for you. Send your cat’s story (in 200 words or less) and a good quality photo of your cat in to be considered. Put your name, address, and phone number on the back of your photo (if you are mailing it).

All winners will appear in the July, 2009 issue of CAT FANCY as well as on CatChannel.com. Additionally, winners will receive a certificate for Precious Litter. The first place winner will receive a $100 certificate, second place $75, third place $50, and honorable mention $25.

To enter the Against All Odds Rescue Contest, send your story, photo, and contact details to:
CAT FANCY
Against All Odds Rescue Contest
P.O. Box 6050
Mission Viejo, CA 92690-6050

You can also e-mail your entry to: letters@catfancy.com with the subject line, “Against All Odds Rescue Contest.”

There’s a limit of one entry per household. All entries must either be e-mailed or postmarked by March 30, 2009.

Good luck to anyone who decides to enter!

Bideawee, a humane organization in New York, is conducting its own weight loss challenge with several of its adult cats available for adoption. Bideawee has teamed with Halo, Purely for Pets in order to help the cats lose weight.

Weight management is not only important for humans and dogs, but it is also important for cats. Obesity in cats can lead to several health conditions, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, back problems, arthritis, and joint deterioration.

Bideawee is running an eight-week weight loss challenge for seven of its adoptable cats. Every Monday each cat will be weighed in order to determine its progress.

The cats participating in the challenge are: Suki, who is 6 and a half years old and weighed 15.1 pounds at the start of the challenge, Dixie, who is 3 years old and weighed 15.9 pounds, Violet, who is 1 and a half year old and weighed 12.9 pounds, Emily, who is 5 years old and weighed 11.6 pounds, Missy, who is 7 years old and weighed 15 pounds, Minky, who is 8 years old and weighed 14.11 pounds, Domino, who is 8 years old and weighed 16.5 pounds, and Jack, who is 4 years old and weighed 16.9 pounds.

The challenge began on February 2, 2009. Halo, Purely for Pets has helped Bideawee tremendously with this weight loss challenge by donating $32,000 in canned cat food. You can also help these cats lose weight by visiting the Bideawee weight loss challenge page.

Bideawee was founded in 1903 and can be found in three locations, one in New Yokr City and two on Long Island.

Sources:

Halo and Bideawee Team Up to Slim Down

Cat Channel: Shelter Cats Take Weight-Loss Challenge

Dental care is just as important for cats as it is for humans. While it may take some time, you can teach your cat to have his or her teeth brushed at home to promote good dental health.

First, pick a time each day that you’ll work with your kitty on teeth cleaning. Try to pick a time where both you and your kitty are feeling relaxed.

Second, sit with your kitty and gently stroke the outside of his or her mouth with your finger. Do this for a few days until your kitty gets comfortable with this. Next, you can move on to letting him or her taste the toothpaste.

You can find cat toothpaste at PetSmart, PetCo, and other pet stores. The toothpaste usually comes in flavors your cat will find tasty.

Put a little toothpaste on your finger and allow your cat to taste it.

During the next session, start getting your kitty used to the toothbrush. You can either use a cat toothbrush or a finger brush. You can find both types of toothbrushes in pet stores.

Put a little toothpaste on the brush and gently brush one or two of your cat’s front teeth. Be sure to brush the adjoining gum line as well.

In each session, try to brush one or two additional teeth until you are able to brush all of your cat’s teeth.

You decide when the sessions are over. If your kitty learns fussing will get you to stop brushing, he or she will fuss a lot. This won’t make brushing your cat’s teeth enjoyable for either of you.

While you brush your cat’s teeth, praise him or her constantly for being so good. Give your cat some play time, a treat, or scratches after each session as a reward.

Each step of this process may take a few days, or even several days. Take as much time as you need before proceding to the next step. It is important for your kitty to feel comfortable while he or she has his or her teeth brushed.

It is a good idea to brush your kitty’s teeth everyday, if at all possible. Taking good care of your cat’s teeth at home will help prevent many dental problems and diseases.

Cats have an amazing ability to survive. This is the second story I’ve seen about a cat surviving a fire recently.

On February 4, firefighters responded to a three-family house fire in Lawrence, Massechusetts. While no one was home, the firefighters walked through the house to search for survivors, and they discovered the toroiseshell calico cat, Pretty, on the second floor. Pretty was in the burning house for 15 minutes before she was discovered.

She was given oxygen on the scene, then transported to Essex County Veterinary Referral Hospital. Emergency veterinarian Tania Cames and a team of veterinary technicians worked to stabilize the cat, who suffered heat exposure and smoke inhalation.

Sommer Aweidah, hospital spokewoman, said the cat inhaled a lot of smoke, her lungs were very scratchy, and they need to be aired out. Forunately, Pretty’s lungs weren’t damaged in the fire. The hospital staff also say Pretty is resting comfortably and purrs when she’s handled. They say she’ll be able to go home in four days. The hospital has offered to care for Pretty with no charge to her owners.

Source:

Cat Channel: Cat Survives Massachusetts House Fire