Cats, Coats and Colors

Designed by Terdpongvector     by Nomi Berger   What’s in a name? Everything, especially when distinguishing a cat’s color from a coat’s design. From light to dark, betwixt and between, there’s a purr-fect fit for every feline on the palette of pussycat colors and patterns.   Coat patterns are combinations of colors in a […]

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Cats As Blood Donors

(Photo By Courtesy art)   by Nomi Berger   What do ailing people and ailing animals often have in common? The need for life-saving blood transfusions. And when it comes to pet transfusions, it can be particularly difficult to find donors. This is why an increasing number of veterinary clinics are calling on caring cat […]

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Cats as Alarm Clocks

    by Nomi Berger   Few cat guardians need alarm clocks when their own favorite felines are fixated on the time. Especially early in the morning, when they crave everything from caresses to cat food. Consider, then, the wonderfully wacky ways in which kitties capture and hold their human sleepyheads’ attention.   The Head […]

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Colds in Cats

  by Nomi Berger     Can cats catch colds? Paws-itively! The culprits behind a cold, or upper respiratory infection (URI), are bacteria or viruses, sometimes both, and its symptoms can include sniffling, sneezing, coughing, a runny nose, wheezing, clear to pus-like discharge around the eyes, and lethargy. Fortunately, cats can’t pass their colds on […]

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Cats and Flu and Cold Meds 

  by Nomi Berger   According to the ASPCA, flu and cold medications for people could prove fatal to our kitty companions. And according to the Pet Poison Hotline web site, almost 50% of the calls they receive involve a pet’s accidental ingestion of a human’s medication. Both physicians’ prescriptions and over-the-counter products used to […]

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Feral Cats Deserve Warmth This Winter

  by Nomi Berger   As the thermometer plunges and the days grow darker earlier and stay colder longer, there are entire colonies of cats that could not survive without the compassion and warmth of humans. With North American winters becoming increasingly more severe, feral cats are faced daily with the terrible reality of either […]

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When Pills Pose a Problem

(Photo: By Maggie on Flickr, CC BY 2.0)   by Nomi Berger   While some cat guardians are either extremely blessed or exceptionally adept at getting their furry family members to swallow pills whole without issue, most pet parents seek a safer (sneakier?) solution, known unscientifically as “hiding.” Sound all too familiar? Then you already […]

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Caution: Cats and Essential Oils

  by Nomi Berger   For years, certain essential oils were considered safe for cats and were often recommended for use in treating everything from stress and ear mite infestations to upper respiratory problems. But recently, some studies have shown that essential oils can be toxic to cats, whether taken internally, applied to their skin […]

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E-Cigarettes and Cats

by Nomi Berger   With the increasing popularity of electronic cigarettes, commonly called E-cigs, comes an increased risk of toxicity to cats whose owners use them. Marketed as smoke-free substitutes for traditional cigarettes, they’re shaped like a long cigarette, battery operated, and filled with a replaceable cartridge of E-liquid that contains a mixture of ingredients […]

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A Cat’s Need to Knead

via GIPHY   by Nomi Berger   Do cats really need to knead? This question abounds with as many ideas, theories and suppositions as answers, and yet it remains an endlessly fascinating topic for feline aficionados. While not all cats knead, most cat guardians know a “knead” when they see or feel one. That unmistakable […]

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