Cat Pets for Kids

Welcome back!

Cat pets are a wonderful way to introduce your child to the joys of pet ownership and responsibility. When our children were very young, we brought a one year old tabby cat into the household. She came from an animal shelter, and despite her reported skittishness around children settled in well.

I just read an article written by a vet that covered a lot of great information about this sort of thing. If you have small children and are thinking about getting a cat, this would be a good place to start your research.

One point the doctor makes that I would certainly agree with is that the parent is going to be the primary caretaker or the animal, especially if your child is very young. But since kids learn by imitating the adults around them, this is a great way to introduce them to proper pet care.

Yes, cat pets are a great way to teach your little ones gentle animal care at a tender age.

Technorati Tags: Cat Lovers, children

Cat Baths

Cats taking baths. Why is this cute? From tiny kittens clumsily learning how, to lions grooming themselves after a delicious wildebeest supper- the image of a cat bathing is always adorable and a little humorous as well.

Unlike most people, bathing cats could care less who is watching or even taking their photos!

Technorati Tags: Cat Lovers, Cat Pictures, Cats

Cat Shelter Finds Home for Fat Cat

A cat shelter in New Jersey found a new home for “Prince Chunk”. I have never personally met a cat as fat as this one, who weighed in at 44 pounds. How is that even possible? I have a good friend with a male cat that weighs 30 pounds, but Prince Chunk would look like a sumo wrester in a whole different class next to Tiger.

Apparently his owner was forced to foreclose on her house and he was found waddling around his old neighborhood, forlorn and unwanted. Because of his impressive girth, the prince received offers of adoption from as far away as England. Strange.

He was given a clean bill of health, despite the obesity issue. Let’s hope his new owners put this fellow an the appropriate for his size menu plan!

Technorati Tags: cat lover, cat shelter, Cats, fat cat

Kitties, Very Large Ones

Dave Salmoni, in his post Aggressive Kitties, writes in a way I found hard to stop reading. He’s been spending some time with the really big cats in Africa and seems to have mixed feelings about their temperament. Understandable, since one of the big female lions has been making a habit of charging him.

I suspect that journaling wasn’t part of his original job description as an Animal Planet host, but I think he’s doing pretty darned well. The best writing is the kind that makes you feel like you know the guy (or girl) and from this short passage I’d say he is unpretentious and honest. Plus he’s given all the lions being observed names. Good names.

He’s also thrown in a little of his own philosophy. Excellant stuff! I’ll be checking on his blog again soon.

Technorati Tags: animal lover, Animal Planet, Cat Lovers, kitties, lion

Catnip- What’s with this Stuff?

I’ve had some catnip loving cats and some that seemed to give it one disdainful sniff and move on. Maybe it’s a hereditary thing, but according to what I’ve read, somewhere between 70% and 80% of all cats both wild and domestic go crazy for the stuff.

I think it smells like hay, which isn’t unpleasant to my senses, but to a cat it works more like a pheromone. The active ingredient is something known as nepetalactone which can really excite sensitive cats. It’s easy to tell the ones affected; they roll in it, yowl, salivate and look all goofy for about 10 minutes.

And supposedly it’s not that difficult to grow. As a side benefit, you can make yourself a cup of catnip tea, which I’ve heard is relaxing to people.

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Kitty Jewelry for People

Kitty jewelry comes in lots of shapes and sizes at The Magic Zoo. But going back to the dawn of my time as an animal artist, the fat cat pendant has always reigned supreme. I try not to be preferential; there are lots of wonderful cat breeds jewelry designs, but it’s hard to beat that fluffy cat.

If being overweight is considered unhealthy and not particularly aesthetic, why does everyone love a fat cat? Well, not everyone. I’m sure your veterinarian isn’t a big fan of overweight kitties. But you know what I mean. And I am just as guilty of it as everyone else. Could I be encouraging this trend with all my fat kitty jewelry designs? I wonder.

Technorati Tags: cat jewelry, Cat Lovers Jewelry, fat cat pendant, kitty jewelry

Natural Cat Care

I read an article on holistic cat care that really got me thinking, especially since it was written by a DVM, someone I would trust to make a judgment on the care of cats. The article made a lot of sense, and paralleled the problems we see with “normal” human health care.

I’ve long been a proponent of a natural diet both for me and my family as well as any pets in my vicinity. And when you think about it, how do you think you’d feel if all your nutrition came from a can or a bag? Cats must need fresh food just as much as we do for optimum health.

But I’m not a health food all natural fanatic, either. There may be a time when your cat needs a shot, or an antibiotic for instance to get over an illness or save his life. However, there is a lot of wisdom in nature, and cat care done naturally for the most part has many advantages over the alternative.

Technorati Tags: cat care, holistic cat care, Veterinarians

Cat Care - Traveling with Kitty

I was interested in Driving Miss Kitty: Restrain your cat for safety while you drive because it covered a topic in cat care that most people don’t think much about. I realize that a yowling cat in a carrier can be pretty disturbing, but think of your cat as a toddler that has to have some restraint. You wouldn’t let your 3 year old grandchild wander off down the road without an adult just because she’d cry if you tried to stop her!

Same thing with a cat. You are the one in charge, and you are the only one who knows the dangers that could very well result from an accident with an unrestrained cat aboard.

I thought Melanie, who wrote the post, had some excellent advice. She puts her cat (in the carrier of course), next to her with the seat belt snapped through the handle. That way her cat can be watched over which of course is comforting to both of them.

Technorati Tags: cat care, Cat Lovers

Cats and Dogs in Our Lives

Cats and dogs make strange bedfellows, at least most of the time. In Cats, Dogs, and their Owners agree on Dog Parks Barbara Arietta has written a thoughtful piece about the need for a dog park in Pacifica California. I know this area well, having lived just up the hill in Santa Cruz almost 20 years ago.

Barbara is a cat lover and owner, but I found her explanation of the benefits of a dog park compelling. Where can dog owners go to let their pooches run in freedom, making new friends at random and rolling around in dirt and water ? Some of the current eccentricities in dogs and cats like “separation anxiety syndrome” might be handled by giving animals what they need- a place to blow off steam and be themselves.

I loved the way Ms. Arietta ended her thoughts, with an opinion from her cat on the advantage of dog parks as a way to exhaust that canine aggression so troubling to those of the feline persuasion.

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Black & White Cat Earrings, Just for Cat Lovers

My black and white cat earrings dangle enticingly from French wires, looking ready to pounce on something. At least that’s what I had in mind when I designed them.

There’s something neat about a tuxedo cat; almost as if their little two toned suits were designed by someone with an eye for clever combinations. There are so many different styles- black with white toes and tail tips, black coats with white tummies and a white blaze, black everywhere but muzzle and toes. All of them have their own appeal.

I hope my version covers most styles, in a general sort of way. But even if my version doesn’t match your own lovable kitty, how can you go wrong with a classic pair of black and white cat earrings that match just about anything you wear?

Technorati Tags: black and white cat earrings, Cat Lovers, tuxedo cat

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