Time to Think Outside the Box!

One of the most common problems caregivers encounter with their cats is inappropriate peeing. While normally quite fastidious, cats can start urinating outside the box for any number of reasons including feeling threatened by a new member of the household, wanting to mark territory, not feeling well, or just feeling neglected and wanting your attention. A veterinary visit is in order to first rule out any physical problems. When you know your kitty is physically okay, it's time to get to work figuring out what she's trying to tell you.

 

There are so many possible scenarios, from not liking the cat litter you use, to feeling that her routine has been disrupted due to the furniture being rearranged. Some of the basic remedies you can try are as follows: adding an extra litter box or two, scooping and cleaning the litter box more frequently, adding a cat attractant to the litter, giving her and any new house mates some additional space while they get to know each other, and just giving her more attention. You can even ask your veterinarian for suggestions, or consult with a cat behaviorist. Rest assured, you are not the first person to have this issue with your cat, and it may take some time and patience, but you can find the solution.

Being a responsible pet owner means learning all you can about proper care, keeping current on health trends, and staying attuned to your pet’s behavior and other wellness indicators. I’ll admit it, that when I was a first time cat mom, I did not know very much about properly caring for a cat. 

 

When I was growing up, my own family always let the cat roam outdoors, fed her lots of dry food, and never scooped the litter box, but instead changed it weekly. Boy did I have a lot to learn! Thank goodness we have the library, and now the convenience of the internet, with virtually no topic off limits if you want to educate yourself.  If you are a new pet owner, I highly recommend learning all you can sooner rather than later. Being a highly informed pet owner will help you give your cat, dog, bird or reptile the best chance at a long, happy life, and it will also guide you in finding the best veterinary care.

 

I will say that probably my biggest regret so far in all my years of caring for kitties is that I fed dry food for so long, and even with the “blessing” of my veterinarian.  After being lectured by a friend, and doing my own research on the topic, I changed my cats’ diets completely to wet food, as it is sooooo much healthier for a cat's kidney function. In addition, I am now much more discerning when it comes to my babies’ veterinary care! 

Taking Kitty to the Veterinary Clinic

Cats get nervous very easily and going to the veterinary clinic makes most cats quite upset. They don’t like to be taken out of their known environment; they don’t like car rides; and they certainly don’t like all the strange sights, sounds and smells of the clinic. I had a cat that got so nervous in the car, she pee’d in the carrier every single time we went to the vet. If you have the resources, there are some veterinarians who make house calls, and this is especially useful for kitties. But even then you will likely have to take a trip to a clinic at some point. You can take steps to make the ordeal a little easier on Kitty. First, bring the carrier into your cat’s living space a day or so prior to the trip, so she can see it, smell it, and even go inside if she wants to, under relaxed circumstances. Make the carrier comfortable with a soft towel or blanket to snuggle into. Cats feel more comfortable if they feel hidden. So cover the carrier with another towel or blanket for the duration of the excursion. This will also serve as back-up bedding in case she soils inside the carrier. Talk to her in a soothing voice during the trip and at the clinic. Kitty may never get used to going to the clinic but you will probably notice that she is a bit more calm if you take these extra steps. Please share any additional tips you have below! =^..^=

Pet Loss and Grief

As caregivers, we share each other’s joys and sorrows in loving these beautiful creatures. Sometimes, only a fellow pet owner can understand the grief of losing a furry (or feathery, or scaly or otherwise) family member. We need time to deal with a death, whether human or feline. I think only by allowing ourselves to feel the loss and taking the time to mourn can we properly move on. We all experience grief in a different way and for different lengths of time; it may even feel different for each pet. So don’t be hard on yourself for what you’re feeling. Seek out others who have lost furry friends, or who at least understand the depth of your love. Don’t push yourself to move on unless it begins to interfere with your work or family relationships. I will take this opportunity to advocate for multiple-pet homes. We can’t always be there for our cats, and having more than one cat means they not only play and keep each other company when we're not at home, but they will be there for you when one of them crosses to the Rainbow Bridge. I don’t think I could bear to come home with an empty carrier to an empty home. So if you don’t already have more than one cat, I hope you will consider adopting another one when the time is right.

Drink lots of water in the summer!

The summer heat can be difficult not just for you, but for your cats, too. Where I previously lived, there was no air conditioning and it occasionally got blazing hot in the summer. I could tell when the indoor temperature crossed the threshold from uncomfortably warm to "this is NOT FUN" when the cats were all sprawled across the tile floor all day long. No cushy bed or bedding of any kind needed or wanted when it’s this warm!  

But even without air conditioning, if you’re doing okay, then your indoor cat is likely doing fine as well. Just remember that she can’t remove her fur coat, so ALWAYS have plenty of fresh, cool water available for your cats and any other pets. Many pet owners have fresh water available in a number of different places. You can even drop an ice cube in the water for fun and to keep things cool. And some cats train their caregivers to provide running water on demand :-D If you prefer not to watch precious water go down the drain while Kitty takes her time with a long, cool drink, there are many automatic fountains on the market such as this one.

Senior Cats

Today, our cats are living longer than ever before just like people are living longer than they did in the past. We can definitely thank for advanced veterinary medicine, pet nutrition, and preventive health care for extending their lifespan. The percentage of cats over 6 years of age has nearly doubled in over a decade. The average lifespan of an indoor cat is 15 years.

It’s estimated that FCD (feline cognitive dysfunction) affects more than 55% of felines aged 11 to 15 years and more than 80% of felines aged 16 to 20 years. The cognitive dysfunction means that memory, ability to learn, awareness, and sight and hearing perception can all deteriorate.

On top of FCD, senior cats may be plagued by more than one of diseases at the same time making diagnosis and management of these cats more challenging. Common disease in senior cats are listed below.

• Kidney Failure (RenAvast is highly recommended)
• Heart disease
• Diabetes mellitus
• Arthritis
• Hyperthyroidism
• Dental disease
• Cancer
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease
• Liver Disease
• Bladder stones

Cat Café

It was originated from Taiwan in 1998 and became popular in Japan around 2004. Now you can find cat cafes in Middle East, other Asian countries, Europe,  and North America. That goes to show you that adding cats to coffee and cookies became a hugely successful global trend. The newest cat cafe opened was the first pop-up Cat Café in North America run by the pet food company Purina starting with Manhattan, New York. People waited in a line for a couple of hours to experience this fancy and furry cafe.

The cat cafe concept seems brilliant because although apartments are getting more pet-friendly lately, it is nice to have a place you can go to interact with feline friends on your spare time. Also having your own pet is a huge responsibility and long commitment. If you are too busy or not ready to commit, this is definitely a way for you to enjoy their company temporary. 

Rescue Is The New Breed

Once I was told that shelter cats were not desirable cats to adopt because there must have been reasons why they were taken to a shelter. The person who educated me with the incorrect info is gone from my life, but if I have a chance to reconnect with him, I would really like to educate him.

"Rescue animals are not broken, they have simply experienced more life than other animals. If they were human, we would call them wise. They would be the ones with tales to tall and stories to write, the ones dealt a bad hand who responded with courage. Do not pity them. Do something. Help to rescue. Donate. Volunteer. Foster. Adopt. And be proud to have their greatness by your side." - unknown

I am a proud mama of 3 rescue cats.

Grain Free Cat Food

For the last couple of years, grain free cat foods seemed to become very popular. A decade ago, if I remember correctly, there was only one brand making grain free cat kibbles. Since cats are obviously carnivores, it’s easy to assume that they must prefer to eat a high protein low carbohydrate diet. In the wild, cats eat the entire kill to get their necessary vitamins and minerals. That has been the long term theory of mine, and I have been raising my cats on raw chicken diet with supplements. Once a while, they get grain free kibbles. As far as I can tell, their coats are shiny and soft, they are alert, happy, normal body weight, and their stools are solid. That are signs of good diet. However, you need to know that some cats just do not do well on a grain-free diet. Like every person has her/his preference in food, cats have it too. You just need to watch them closely and adjust their diet accordingly.

Mercury Poisoning

Some cats love eating fish but some has no interest. My cats definitely prefer fish over meat. However, I stopped giving them fish regularly when I found out that cats could get mercury poisoning. Although they were getting canned fish cat food with necessary vitamins and minerals, they were ingesting far more mercury on a body-weight basis than a human did. Also I realized that most pet food companies use the lowest grades of fish because the higher grades are mainly for human consumption and expensive, the canned fish food I was giving them must have even more toxic waste. Looking back, my cats might have been lightly poisoned by mercury.

Here are sgins of mercury poisoning in cats.

• Over-excitement
• Irritability
• Incoordination
• Convulsions
• Bleeding gums
• Alveolar bone loss
• Loosening of teeth
• Excessive salivation
• Foul breath
• Stiff hind legs
• Tremors
• Blindness

Dear Kitten

It is too cute not to share this video. Unless your cats are pretty laid back and peaceful, there is always an adjusting period when you introduce a new kitten to an older family cat. Usually the little one gets hissed at and smacked for a couple of times or even more until the older cat say OK. My favorite part of this video is when the older cat teaches the little one about "vac-um" which can eat and yell at the same time. That is very valuable lesson as many of cats are afraid of "vac-um." Enjoy! 

Vegan Diet

Although some of my vegan friends are successful putting their cat on vegan diet, in some cases vegan cats ended up removing their penises due to severe urinary tract problems. Since urinary tract problems are fairly common in cats especially male cats, and vegetable protein are highly alkaline than meat which could cause to develop excessive urine crystals.

Also, unlike dogs and other omnivores, cats are carnivores because they need to have a higher protein requirement than many other mammals. In addition, plant-based cat foods can't naturally provide their key nutrients such as taurine, arachidonic acid, vitamin B12 and vitamin A unless synthetic form is supplied.

So the question is, is plant based cat food safe for cats? I have to say NO to this unless you exactly know what you are doing and take your cat to the vet regularly for check-up.

Declawing

 The truth is that declawing is the amputation of toes at the first joint. It is nowhere near just nail trimming nor the removal of portion of a claw. It is major surgery and not to be undertaken lightly. Declawing has no benefit for the cat. Instead, it takes away the way for them to defend themselves and enjoy exercising with their claws. Declawing is VERY CRUEL, and it is pretty much an American thing to do as other countries like Australia, Brazil, Israel, Austria, United Kingdom, Finland, Estonia, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, and more countries forbid the practice. It is banned in at least 22 countries. Although declawing is legal in most U.S., it was outlawed in West Hollywood, California, in 2003. The first such ban in the US, and Los Angeles, San Francisco, Burbank, Santa Monica, Berkeley, Beverly Hills and Culver City followed in 2009. Thanks to PawProject who put so much effort to raise the awareness and work on banning the cruel practice.

Happy Mother's Day!

Kidney Failure

Unfortunately, chronic renal failure is extremely common in older domestic cats and is a leading cause of death in cats. Thanks to the raw diet, luckily none of my cats show the signs of kidney failure but as they are getting older, I have been doing my best to keep a close eye on them and prevent it by giving them RenAvast. Several of my fellow cat lovers have told me that RenAvast helped to halt the progression of kidney failure in their cats. Since I am all about preventions and natural remedies, I highly recommend RenAvast.

Here are common signs for Chronic Renal Failure in cats for your reference.

• Anorexia
• Vomiting
• Lethargy
• Diarrhea
• Constipation
• Depression
• Weight loss
• Increased thirst
• Acute blindness
• Seizures and comas
• Blood in the urine
• An increase in the frequency and amount of urination

Administer RenAvast is very easy. Check this out!

FLV and FeLV

I often get confused between FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus) and FeLV (Feline Leukemia Virus). As a cat guardian, these topics are discussed among fellow cat lovers from time to time. I feel not too smart for not being able to tell which is which all the time. 

Maybe having this table like below will help me and others who are still confused about these two cat diseases.

When you welcome a new feline family member, you must test the new cat for FIV/FeLV before introducing to your current resident cat(s). If you are adopting a cat from a shelter or rescue group, the test should be done already when he/she was with them.

	FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus)	FeLV (Feline Leukemia Virus)
Symptoms	1. Loss of appetite 2. Weight loss 3. Poor coat condition 4. Anemia 5. Gastroenteritis 6. Gingivitis and stomatitis 7. Diarrhea 8. Chronic or recurrent infections of the skin, eyes, urinary tract, respiratory tract etc. 9. Cancer	1. Loss of appetite 2. Weight Loss 3. Jaundice 4. Anemia 5. Squinting, watery eyes 6. Difficulty breathing, coughing, or swallowing 7. Slow recovery from bite wounds, abscesses, or upper respiratory infection 8. Constipation, diarrhea or bloody stools 9. Excessive thirst and urination 10. A syndrome like Panleukopenia
Transmission	Blood transfusions, badly infected gums, in-utero from mother to offspring, or penetrating bite wounds during mating or cat fights.	Saliva. Therefore mutual grooming, nose-to-nose contact, and shared food and water bowls can be sources of infection. It's widespread, contagious, and often fatal virus.
Housing	Can live with other cats as long as they don't fight	Should be isolated from other cats
Life Span	Most often live long	May live long
Prevention	KEEP CATS INDOOR

Raw Cat Food Recipe

I was researching online about raw diet and found this post by The Conscious Cat. Well written and interesting topic, Feeding Raw Food – Separating Myth from Fact. You might want to check it out.

Okay, here is my raw cat food recipe that I have been using over an decade to feed my beloved cats. Most importantly, you need to have a meat grinder. I use STX-1800-MG Magnum. You can find most of ingredients at a local health food store.

Ingredients:

• 2,000 mg. l-taurine (12 cap.)
• 50 mg. Vit. B complex (5 cap.)
• 400 IU Vit. E (3)
• 1,000 mg. salmon oil (6 cap.)
• Psyllium husk (5 tsp.)
• Kelp powder (2 tsp.)
• Nori seaweed (2 sheets)
• Food graded 3% Hydrogen peroxide (1 dropper)
• Vit. C powder (2 tsp.)
• Spring water (4 cup)
• Raw egg yolk (6)
• Grinded chicken meat, skin, bone (4.5 lbs.)
• Chopped chicken liver (1.5 cups)
• Chopped chicken heart and gizzard (1.5 cups)

Just mix everything up very well. Divide them in small portions and freeze them. I usually thaw one portion everyday to feed my cats.

Raw Diet

I have been raising my cats with raw diet whenever I can. Nowadays grain free cat foods are very popular, but I highly recommend switching to raw diet. Years ago, there were only few companies sell raw cat food. And they were not too affordable for me. Now we got at least several of them that I know of. One brand that my cats and I like is Instinct Raw.

Once in a while, when I run out their raw food, I feed them can/dry food. Immediately I notice that their energy levels drop. Here are some more facts how raw food could benefit cats.

Benefit of Raw Food:

• Increased energy
• Improved digestion
• Reduced stool odor and volume
• Balanced body weight
• Better dental health
• Better urinary health
• Healthy coat & less shedding
• Well hydrated

To be honest, buying a commercial raw cat food for all my cats is still not totally affordable. So I often make it at home. I will share the recipe in the next blog.

Bottle Feeding Kittens

When I find kittens age up to 4 weeks without their mom, I bottle feed them till they are interested in eating solid food. I used to use a commercial formula like KMR but decided to switch to goat milk. It has been working great. Kittens love it, and it is much cheaper than purchasing KMR. So I thought I would share the recipe here. This homemade kitten formula should last up to one week in a refrigerator.

Ingedients:

• Whole Goat's Milk (1 Quart)
• Light Corn Syrup (1 Teaspoon)
• Nonfat Plain Yogurt (1 Heaping Tablespoon)
• Egg Yolk (1)
• Knox Unflavored Gelatin (1/2 Package * per week of age)

The easiest way to make it is to put all ingredients in a mixer like VitaMix and leave it for 30 minutes. Or simply put them in a saucepan and heat without boiling. Don't forget to whisk.

It is said that 8cc of formula per ounce of body weight per day is targeted food intake for a kitten. But you will not go wrong by feeding them as much as they eat.

Feeding Schedule:

• Newborn ~ 1 week - Every 1 ~ 2 hours
• 1 ~ 2 weeks - Every 2 ~ 3 hours
• 2 ~ 3 weeks - Every 3 ~ 4 hours
• 3 ~ 4 weeks - Every 4 ~ 5 hours

If they seem hungry. Do not wait for the next feeding schedule. Just feed them.

Kitten Age

Since it is Kitten Season, you may find a kitten separated from his/her mom and walking/crawling by him/herself on the streets. If that happens, unless the kitten is in danger, please wait for a while if the mama shows up. Since the average size of a litter is 4-6 kittens, the mama could be in the middle of moving her babies from one place to another. In that case, when kittens are still too small to follow her, she has to transport them one by one with her mouth. If the mama is nowhere to be found and the kitten seems to be too small and/or sick to survive on his/her own, please consider fostering/adopting the kitten. Or you can reach out to your local cat rescue organizations.

Here is how you figure out kittens' age

• 4 days or younger - Umbilical cord still attached
• 7 ~ 8 days - Eyes begin to open
• 10 days - Eyes should be open
• 2 ~ 3 weeks - Baby teeth grow
• 3 ~ 4 weeks - Canines grow & ears stand up & mobility is still unstable
• 4 ~ 5 weeks - Lower molars grow & start eating solid food & start running pretty well
• 5 ~ 6 weeks - Mobility is getting very stable and can run around quickly
• 6 ~ 7 weeks - Eyes generally change from blue to blue/gray then yellow/green
• 8 weeks - Upper molars grow & weight about 2 lbs
  
  
  
  

Kitten Season

It is RIGHT NOW! Anywhere from March to October is considered "Kitten Season." Although it is an unofficial term, during this season, mama cats give birth and flood animal shelters and rescue groups across the nation with homeless litters. Why does this happen? It's because too many cats are not spayed and nurtured. When the weather gets nice, they start mating and make more babies. Here are the fact about "Kitten Season."

• At 4 months, a female cat can become pregnant.
• There can be more than one mating partners.
• In one litter, kittens can be conceived 4-5 days apart.
• Gestation period averages 65 days.
• The average size of a litter is 4-6 kittens.
• An unspayed female cat will go into heat every 3 weeks.
• One mother cat can produce 18 kittens in one season.
• In 7 years 1 female cat and her offspring can theoretically produce 420,000 cats.

No wonder there are so many homeless cats! Please spay and neuter your cats especial if you let them go outside.