It is so nice to see the green starting to come up, the white finally melting and to hear the birds again. I don’t know about you, but around here we are definitely ready for Spring. We are starting to get the phone calls about the Behaviors of Spring. The “how many days is a cat pregnant?” and “can you neuter my cat TODAY?” or “I swear she wasn’t yowling like that yesterday!” But bring on the Spring…we’re ready.
April is Keep Cats Indoors Month. We are celebrating the Love of Cats and the joy they bring to our lives. Our monthly specials to go with our theme include Cat activity items (scratching posts, pet stages products, toys) bedding products, grooming products and soft paws are 10% off for the month of April. We are also having our fourth bi-annual Open House on Saturday, April 19th from 2-4 pm. We will be having special sales and promotions, chances to win prizes, behind the scenes tours, exciting educational displays and free gift bags with products for you and your fur baby. Please join us for the fun. Bring the attached coupon for extra discounts as marked, during the Open House. We have joined the WhimsiClay family by carrying not only the adorable pins, but several of the miniature statues as well as ornaments and other products. All WhimsiClay products will be 25% off during the Open House.
May is National Be Kind to Animals Month. We are celebrating the special bond we share with our fur children by “treating them right”. We will have specials on treats, toys and grooming products. If you have questions about the best ways to treat your fur baby, just let us know and we will be happy to help.
June is National Adopt-A-Cat month. If you are thinking about adding a new member to your family, we can help you find the best breed and attributes for you and your life style. We will have lists of what you need to have on hand, as well as special package discounts for “everyday items”. We also have books you can come browse through or borrow with Cat Names, Breed descriptions and other informational books. Just let us know what you are interested in, and we’ll see what we can do to help. Remember, as the days get longer, our furry friends who are not yet neutered seem to find more and more interesting things outside. For their safety and your sanity, remember to have your cat spayed or neutered by their 6 month birthday. We still have several packages for cats of all ages. Ask which one is best for your family. All the packages have at least a 20% savings, and many have a great deal more. You can check them out online, or ask us to mail you a brochure. Yours in Wellness… Robin
Give Your Cat A Heart Health Exam
When I consider which trait I like most about cats, I’d have to say that it’s their mysterious manner. I never know when they will pounce on my computer keyboard, or where they will hide on a particular day. Unfortunately, they are also masters at concealing any illnesses they might have. A cat can have a medical problem and even the most watchful owner may not know until the symptoms have become full-blown.
An unhealthy heart is all too common in cats, regardless of age. Some breeds are more prone to heart illnesses than others. Maine Coon Cats, Oriental Short Hairs and Munchkins are just some of the breeds that commonly suffer from heart conditions. Of course, any mixed-breed cat can also have heart problems. The good news is that if treated early, a cat with a heart condition can still live a relatively healthy and happy life. All we have to do is be proactive and examine our cats. Don’t worry - it’s easy and fun.
Place your cat where you can both be comfortable, as you’ll be examining him from head to tail. As you’ll soon learn, heart problems can manifest themselves in multiple ways.
Are the eyes nice and bright? Heart disease can cause respiratory issues, which can lead to a dull look. It’s easy to notice if the twinkle in your kitty’s eyes has diminished.
Lift the lips and inspect the gums. Most cats should have nice medium color pink gums, although dark cats may have gray gums. When you press your finger on the gums, they should lose color; as soon as you remove your finger, the original color should return. Cats with heart problems can be anemic, resulting in very pale or blue gums. Bright red gums are generally not healthy and could be an indication of heart problems.
The whiskers should be nice and long. Broken or thick whiskers may indicate that your cat is not completely healthy. Please be aware that some breeds, like the Devon Rex or the American Wirehair, almost always have short whiskers.
Examine your cat’s skin and coat. A healthy cat will usually have a silky coat. A dull and brittle coat (again, unless a Wirehair) may indicate a health problem. A cat with heart disease can have poor circulation and, as a consequence, the hair will not receive the necessary nutrients. Dandruff may be another indication that your cat is not well.
Put your right palm on your cat’s right shoulder and your left on his left shoulder. Move your hands together along the spine in the direction of the tail, slightly pressing downward to feel the ribs. If there is more than an inch to pinch, then chances are that your cat is too heavy. Note that the hanging tummy is not an indication of obesity, but more often a lack of particular hormones.
Feel the pads of your cat’s feet - they should be warm. Cold feet may be indicative of a blood clot and/or poor circulation. Pay special attention to your cat’s breathing pattern. It should be steady, not very deep, but not too shallow. A cat with heart problems may appear to breathe with difficulty. As a quick test, take a thick cord and throw it up on something so your cat runs to chase it. Young or old, your cat should have no problem doing this a handful of times. If your cat starts to breathe through his mouth, or begins to breathe with effort, we have a problem.
If you notice any of these negative symptoms, I suggest you consult with us as soon as possible.
Cat Trivia….Did you Know?
A cat sees about six times better than a human at night because of the tapetum lucidum , a layer of extra reflecting cells which reflect light.
A cat uses its whiskers to determine if a space is too small to squeeze through. The whiskers act as feelers or antennae, helping the animal to judge the precise width of any passage.
A cat will clean itself with paw and tongue after a dangerous experience or when it has fought with another cat. This is believed to be an attempt by the animal to soothe its nerves by doing something natural and instinctive.
The Chinese, during the reign of Kublai Khan, used lions on hunting expeditions. They trained the big cats to pursue and drag down massive animals - from wild bulls to bears - and to stay with the kill until the hunter arrived.
A cat’s jaws cannot move sideways.
A cat’s tongue consists of small “hooks,” which come in handy when tearing up food.
A polecat is not a cat. It is a nocturnal European weasel.
Adult cats with no health problems are in deep sleep 15 percent of their lives. They are in light sleep 50 percent of the time.
An adult lion’s roar can be heard up to five miles away, and warns off intruders or reunites scattered members of the pride.
Ancient Egyptians believed that “Bast” was the mother of all cats on Earth. They also believed that cats were sacred animals.
Cat scratch disease, a benign but sometimes painful disease of short duration, is caused by a bacillus. Despite its name, the disease can be transmitted by many kinds of scratches besides those of cats.
Catnip can affect lions and tigers as well as house cats. It excites them because it contains a chemical that resembles an excretion of the dominant female’s urine.
Cats are the only domestic animals that walk directly on their claws, not on their paws. This method of walking is called “digitigrade.” When cats scratch furniture, it isn’t an act of malice. They are actually tearing off the ragged edges of the sheaths of their talons to expose the new sharp ones beneath.Cats have a third eyelid called a haw and you will probably only see it when kitty isn’t feeling well.
Cats have amazing hearing ability. A cat’s ear has 30 muscles that control the outer ear (by comparison, human ears only have six muscles). These muscles rotate 180 degrees, so the cat can hear in all directions without moving its head.A cat has four rows of whiskers.
Cats have better memories than dogs. Tests conducted by the University of Michigan concluded that while a dogs memory lasts no more than 5 minutes, a cat’s can last as long as 16 hours - exceeding even that of monkeys and orangutans.
Cats have more than one hundred vocal sounds, while dogs only have about ten.
Cats purr at about 26 cycles per second, the same frequency as an idling diesel engine.
Cats step with both left legs, then both right legs when they walk or run. The only other animals to do this are the giraffe and the camel.
Cat’s urine glows under a black light.
Cats, not dogs, are the most common pets in America. There are approximately 66 million cats to 58 million dogs, with Parakeets a distant third at 14 million.
Cheetahs make a chirping sound that is much like a bird’s chirp or a dog’s yelp. The sound is so an intense, it can be heard a mile away.
Despite its reputation for being finicky, the average cat consumes about 127,750 calories a year, nearly 28 times its own weight in food and the same amount again in liquids. In case you were wondering, cats cannot survive on a vegetarian diet.
Each day in the US, animal shelters are forced to destroy 30,000 dogs and cats.
Felix the Cat is the first cartoon character to ever have been made into a balloon for a parade.
In ancient Egypt, entire families would shave their eyebrows as a sign of mourning when the family cat died.
When a domestic cat goes after mice, about one pounce in three results in a catch.
Lions are the only truly social cat species, and usually every female in a pride, ranging from 5 to 30 individuals, is closely related.
Neutering a cat extends its life span by two or three years.
Purring is part of every cat’s repertoire of social communication, apparently created by the movement of air in spasms through contractions of the diaphragm. Interestingly, purring is sometimes heard in cats who are severely ill or anxious, perhaps as a self-comforting vocalization. But, more typically, it is a sign of contentment, first heard in kittens as they suckle milk from their mother.
The biggest member of the cat family is the male lion, which weighs 528 pounds (240 kilograms).
The cat lover is an ailurophile, while a cat hater is an ailurophobe.
The cat was domesticated over 4,000 years ago. Today’s house cats are descended from wildcats in Africa and Europe.
The catgut formerly used as strings in tennis rackets and musical instruments does not come from cats. Catgut actually comes from sheep, hogs, and horses.
The cheetah is the only cat in the world that can’t retract its claws.
The phrase “raining cats and dogs” originated in 17th Century England. During heavy downpours of rain, many of these poor animals unfortunately drowned and their bodies would be seen floating in the rain torrents that raced through the streets. The situation gave the appearance that it had literally rained “cats and dogs” and led to the current expression.
The color of the points in Siamese cats is heat related. Cool areas are darker. In fact, Siamese kittens are born white because of the heat inside the mother’s uterus before birth. This heat keeps the kittens hair from darkening on the points.
The declawing of a pet cat involves surgery called an onychectomy, in which the entire claw and end bone of each toe of the animal are amputated.
The domestic cat is the only species able to hold its tail vertically while walking. Wild cats hold their tail horizontally, or tucked between their legs while walking.
