Health

The Neely Cat Center in Pasadena, CA is named after a beloved 18 year old Siamese cat named ‘Neely.’  Neely’s owner-father, Bill Payden, wanted to establish a facility for cats that would provide compassionate, loving care. Following Mr. Payden’s death, his sister funded most of the facility from a $2.5 million dollar donation from the William R. Payden Philanthropic Trust.  The result is the Neely Cat Center. 

FIP Awareness Day is Saturday, April 9 according to the 2016 Cat Writer’s Calendar of Cat Holidays and Causes.   The day is also called “Mr. Swanson’s Day.”  Mr. Swanson is a kitty that died from FIP.  Twenty-two years ago, I lost my precious cat, Mr. Tweedy, to FIP.  My husband used to say that Mr. Tweedy was “the cat of a thousand expressions.” We thought that he was trying to understand us by sweetly gazing up at our faces to learn what we were thinking.  He was the sweetest, most expressive, interactive cat that I/we have ever had.  I affectionately called him “my little Tweedy-Bird.” 

Three of the Cat Authors are Scottish Fold Straight-Eared cats.  They are wide-eyed, curious, playful, attentive, not real talkative (except when they want to eat) and VERY soft-voiced.  And that is where the similarities end.  Gracee (the red-orange Cat Author) is bossy (including swats and hisses), high-strung and ever watchful.  She hangs back when two-legged critters visit.  Inkee-Bear (the all black Cat Author) is the total antithesis.  He is laid back and social.  He greets two-legged visitors by stretching out on the floor in front of them.  Sophee (the calico Cat Author) is also laid back, extremely curious and playful.  She doesn’t want to miss a thing.

The third week in March (March 20 to March 26) will be the 54^th Annual National Poison Prevention Week.  In February 1962, President Kennedy signed a joint resolution proclaiming the third week in March as National Poison Prevention Week.   The goal of the week is to raise awareness of the risk of being poisoned by household products, medicines, pesticides, plants, bites and stings, food poisoning and fumes.

PoisonPrevention.org reports that over two million poisonings are reported each year.  Ninety percent of the poisonings occur in the home.  They are the leading cause of death among adults (two-legged critters).

We are cat and pet caretakers extraordinaire.  Our pets depend on us to feed, help, play and love them.  Would you panic if you didn’t know what to do in a medical emergency if one of the following happens to your pet?

The following is a list of what CATS do for us:

The main observable symptom of cataracts in cats is an icy blue or whitish spot that develops on the pupil of the eye.  The spot may appear small and increase slowly over time or the spot may quickly spread over the pupil.  A cataract is described as a cloudiness in the normally clear lens of the eye. When the lens becomes cloudy, light is blocked from passing to the retina in the back of they eye. The density of the cloudiness determines the loss of vision.

There are many differences between cats and dogs.  Some of the differences are listed below:

• EATING:   Cats eat carefully requiring at least several minutes (sometimes longer) to eat; they can be finicky eaters.  Senior cats require even more time to eat, tipping their head from side to side while chewing.  Cats cannot be fasted; quick weight loss diets can cause life-threatening complications (liver failure, etc).

Dogs devour their food seemingly in a matter of seconds.  They can tolerate a lack of food much longer than cats.

The word “VACATION” has many implications.  For us humans, it means fun, excitement, visiting with relatives and friends, seeing new places, meeting new people, trying new food, experiencing new cultures, etc.  But to our cats?  It means being boarded or staying at home with pet sitters. They might be worried or scared.  We humans worry that our cats will be well taken care of, that they will eat, that they won’t hurt themselves or get sick, that they won’t get depressed or that some unforeseen disaster, like an earthquake or fire would happen in our absence.

Have you ever found yourself walking up and down and back and forth in the cat food aisle at the store?  I have. Isn’t it enough that I read the ingredients and labels for my own food?  Now I have to do it for the Cat Authors too?  The simple answer is:  “Yes.”  So, what should I be looking for to choose the right food for the Cat Authors?