Cats

A cat’s normal body temperature is somewhere between 100 and 102 degrees Fahrenheit, Johnson says. Because cardboard is an insulator, boxes are great places for cats to both explore and feel cozy. Throw a couple pieces of kibble into one and you’ve got a great foraging activity to keep your cat busy. Sure, you can get your cat any ol’ box. You can also surprise them with a box that has all of their favorite things inside, like with a Cat Goody Box. This extra special box comes with cat treats and toys specially curated by pet parents like you; so your cat will be spoiled with all the gifts—including the enticing cardboard box they surely know and love.,Ever notice that some cats will play with almost anything? From boxes to paper bags to toilet paper rolls, there are plenty of household items cats like to play with. The benefits of playtime for cats are manifold, says Marilyn Krieger, a certified cat behavior consultant and author of “Naughty No More! Change Unwanted Behaviors Through Positive Reinforcement.” In fact, hunting is in a cat’s DNA. Most types of indoor play, she adds, give cats an outlet to act instinctually, releasing dopamine, the brain’s pleasure chemical. To that end, play is also a huge stress reliever, says certified cat behavior consultant Ingrid Johnson. “There isn’t a better way to get the ants out of their pants,” she says. “If we don’t give them an outlet or the tools they need to release that stress, they can suffer behavior, emotional or even physical consequences.” If your feline is starting the feel the seven-year itch with his old feather on a string, maybe it’s time to rethink your playtime strategy. Try these “toys” made with items already lying around the house and let your cat have some good, clean fun.

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If you’ve noticed your cat drinking a lot of water and losing weight, it’s not something to ignore.   This combination of symptoms can signal serious health issues, so schedule an appointment with your veterinarian as soon as possible. 

Cats can be excellent hunters and predators, but not everyone realizes cats can also be considered prey by some larger animals. To protect themselves, cats have developed the ability to hide injury or illness exceedingly well. They do it so well that you may never know anything is wrong until they are in a lot of pain. If you know what sign to look for, however, you might be able to know earlier when something is wrong. Symptoms of a Sick Cat Pet parents will usually notice that their cat is “acting weird,” which could refer to a lot of different type of changes in behavior or habits. Here are some of the ways your cat might be telling you they’re not feeling so well. Suddenly Eating More, Eating Less, or Not Eating One of the first signs you might see in a sick cat is a change in appetite. An increase in appetite can be caused by intestinal parasites, hyperthyroidism, diabetes, or a gastrointestinal disease that causes poor nutrient absorption. Decreased appetite may be due to nausea, fever, food aversion, gastrointestinal disease, or pain in the mouth (due to dental disease, a mass, a foreign body, or trauma). Drinking More There are many potential causes of increased thirst in cats, including: Diabetes Kidney disease Hyperthyroidism Increased calcium Less common endocrine diseases such as acromegaly or hyperadrenocorticism Certain urinary prescription diets designed to increase thirst to promote frequent emptying of the bladder Meowing or Vocalizing More Some cats meow more than others, and this also varies by breed. However, if you notice increased meowing or a change in how your cat meows, they may be trying to communicate physical or emotional distress. Cats may meow more when they are hungry or in pain. As cats age, some develop cognitive dysfunction, or senility, which can also change the frequency of meowing. Suddenly Not Using the Litter Box Seek veterinary care immediately if your cat is suddenly unable to urinate (especially male cats). They may have an obstruction in their lower urinary tract, usually in the urethra, and this is a medical emergency. Cats may also stop using the litter box and start urinating or defecating elsewhere if they associate pain with the litter box. This can happen with a bladder infection, gastrointestinal, disease-causing diarrhea or constipation, or arthritis or other joint pain that makes it difficult to get in or out of the litter box. Another potential reason cats avoid the litter box in multi-cat households is because one cat is guarding it and blocking the other cat from using it. Vomiting or Diarrhea Potential causes of vomiting and diarrhea in cats include: Gastrointestinal obstruction or foreign body Intestinal parasites Food sensitivity, intolerance, or allergy Kidney disease Pancreatitis Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency Inflammatory bowel disease Stress Bacterial or viral infection Medication Toxin ingestion Liver disease Cancer Constipation can also cause vomiting and passage of only small amounts of liquid stool Not Grooming or Overgrooming While it may seem counterintuitive, pain can cause either an increase or a decrease in grooming behavior in cats. For example, a cat with a painful bladder condition may overgroom their belly to the point of baldness. Some cats will also overgroom as a self-soothing behavior when they are anxious. However, pain in a joint or multiple joints may cause a cat to avoid grooming that area altogether, so you may notice clumped or matted hair. Cats that are obese also have difficulty grooming their hind legs and spine near the tail area, so you may see matting of the haircoat in these cats. If your cat has pain in their mouth, they may also not be able to groom comfortably. Bad Breath Bad breath is usually caused by dental disease (e.g., tartar, gingivitis, stomatitis, an abscessed tooth, or a mass or tumor in the mouth), but it can also be a sign of internal illnesses such as kidney disease or diabetes. Daily brushing, using a pet-specific toothpaste, like Virbac’s C.E.T.® Enzymatic Poultry Flavor Dog & Cat Toothpaste, and toothbrush, like H&H Pets’ Cat & Small Dog Toothbrush can help keep dental disease at bay.

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In a litter of kittens, those who are smaller than their littermates may be the ones at highest risk for Fading Kitten Syndrome, which is sometimes referred to as “failure to thrive.” Healthy kittens are warm and have some fleshy padding over their bony points, whereas a kitten may be sick if she feels cold in the presence of sufficient environmental warming or feels bony. Sick kittens may also exhibit symptoms of: Excessive crying, even after feeding, or they may just not nurse well. Healthy kittens nurse almost immediately after birth, while a fading kitten may have a poor suckling reflex. Separating themselves from the rest of the litter Seeming limp or weak when picked up Unpleasant odor not related to normal urine or feces, if infection is present Any vomiting or diarrhea should be considered life threatening and requires immediate veterinary care. Diarrhea is present in about 60% of sick kittens and may cause excessive fluid losses and weakness. Other warning signs that indicate immediate medical attention is needed for a kitten include: Abdominal distension Gray, pale, or yellow mucous membranes Nasal or eye discharge Sneezing Labored breathing Thin body condition Some congenital malformations may be easily seen and others may not. These physical anomalies may predispose the kitten to a shortened life, depending on location and the severity.,Jump to section Symptoms of Fading Kitten Syndrome Watch for These Kitten Milestones Possible Causes of Fading Kitten Syndrome Kitten Fading Syndrome Treatment Options

Cat parents are known for showering their feline friends with cat toys, catnip, beds, cat trees and cat condos. Some take that parental love to a whole new level with cat rooms.

I see this situation frequently. Generally, when cats eat well, it is a sign of good health. An excessive appetite, however, might indicate a problem. In older cats, we’d put diabetes and hyperthyroidism on our list of illnesses that can cause weight loss in the face of a good (or great) appetite. Diabetes is a condition in which the pancreas is not producing sufficient insulin. Typically, cats with diabetes drink and urinate excessively, eat ravenously and lose weight. Treatment generally involves administration of insulin injections twice daily, and a switch to a high protein/low carbohydrate diet. Hyperthyroidism is a glandular disorder in which the thyroid gland in the neck produces too much thyroid hormone. Older cats usually exhibit this, the average age being around 13, so your cat is definitely a candidate. Fortunately, this condition is very treatable. In fact, it is curable, so no need to worry. Have your cat’s veterinarian run some basic blood tests — a complete blood count, chemistry panel, thyroid test and urinalysis. This basic “senior profile” should determine if your cat has either of these disorders. If the bloodwork comes back normal, consider a gastrointestinal disorder such as inflammatory bowel disease, pancreatic insufficiency or even gastrointestinal lymphoma (a type of cancer). Pancreatic insufficiency is a disorder in which the pancreas does not produce enough enzymes necessary to properly digest food. Cats eat, but the undigested nutrients do not get absorbed by the body, and the cat eats excessively because she feels as if she is starving. Affected cats often have diarrhea and weight loss. This disorder is uncommon, and you didn’t mention diarrhea, so I doubt if this occurs in your cat. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and gastrointestinal lymphoma, however, are much more common. In most cases, cats with these disorders have a decreased appetite, although some cats have a normal or even an increased appetite. If the bloodwork rules out diabetes, hyperthyroidism or other metabolic disorders that could cause weight loss, further diagnostic tests such as abdominal ultrasound and/or endoscopy may be warranted to achieve a definite diagnosis. By: Arnold Plotnick, DVM Featured Image: via Pixabay,Q.

When you think of a pet cat, you might imagine a snuggly furball weaving between your legs or cozying up with you on the couch during TV time. But some cats are simply not meant to be domesticated. “Feral cats or semi-feral cats would not be happy in a house,” explains Leah Enderle, program and marketing coordinator for Tails Humane Society in DeKalb, Illinois. “It would be like taking a raccoon from outside that’s lived its whole life there, and trying to make it sit in your lap.” It’s often equally dangerous to leave a homeless cat on the street. There’s little support for the health and safety of feral and semi-feral cats, who often live in dangerous or abandoned environments, explains Theresa Samsingh Bachu, founder of For Animals in New York City. And for too many “unadoptable” cats, entering a shelter can lead to euthanasia. That’s where working cats programs come in. They give so-called “unadoptable” cats a second (or perhaps third and fourth chance) at a healthy, stable life by placing them in homes with plenty of room and a purpose. For cats displaying behaviors like biting and scratching, oftentimes “the best way to get them to calm down is give them a job,” explains Erica Leonard, community animal welfare specialist and working cat coordinator for MSPCA-Angell at Nevins Farm in Methuen, Massachusetts. “Usually, that job is hunting or just patrolling the property. Cats are hunters and they’re natural predators.” “If we go back to the traditional sense of why cats were domesticated in the first place, it was because they helped farmers with their rodent population and in turn, they were given shelter,” explains Melissa Graham, CFTBS, feline welfare specialist at Arizona Humane Society, which “employs” two working cats of its own, Simba and Nala, for pest control at one of the society’s properties. “As we grew alongside our feline friends, cats changed in shape and color, but they never really got rid of their hunting instincts.”,Leah Cullen had always thought of herself as a dog person. But when she went searching for a solution to a pesky mole problem on her acre of land in Western Pennsylvania earlier this year, she gained a whole new appreciation for felines—and working cats in particular. Cullen’s search led her to the working cats program at the Humane Animal Rescue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which places feral, semi-feral and so-called “difficult” cats in nontraditional homes like farms, ranches and other large plots of land. The cats provide pest control, and in exchange, they get to live in an environment better suited to their independent personalities. Today, Cullen is a proud parent to two cats, Lucy and Linus (named, of course, after the Peanuts characters). Not only have they successfully battled the pests on her property, but they’ve found a place in her home and in her heart. “I wasn’t sure what I was getting into, but they’ve been the best part of 2020,” Cullen says. Cullen says her cats have changed her perspective on what a pet can be— and she’s not alone. More than 13,200 working cats have found free-range homes in 2020, and many programs have long waitlists to adopt these uniquely helpful pets, according to data from Shelter Animals Count. Working cats provide a valuable service to pet parents, and in return, their parents provide them with love, care and a safe and spacious home—an especially meaningful exchange for cats who have nowhere else to turn.