Signs your Cat may be Sick
~by Nomi Berger~ Has your puss-in-boots lost the spring in her step? Has he turned tail and taken off at your approach? Has she given her food a sudden “paws down”? Has the love light dimmed in his eyes Then, perhaps all’s not well in kitty town. The more attuned you are to your cat’s daily routines and behavior, the sooner you’ll notice even
Should you Kiss your Kitty?
~by Nomi Berger~ Most cat owners I know admit to kissing their cat. It seems perfectly normal among cat lovers, but non “cat” people (not to mention my mother) seem to baulk at the idea. But the question is, is it safe to kiss your cat? If you have a healthy immune system and your cat is free of disease and parasites then giving
Two’s the Ticket
~ by Nomi Berger Question: Why are kittens born in litters? Answer: To be nourished and nurtured, socialized and stimulated. Question: Why should kittens be adopted in pairs? Answer: To KEEP them socialized and stimulated, and to satisfy their innate curiosity. From birth, close interaction with their mother and littermates allow kittens to mature into sociable and well-adjusted, healthy and happy cats. While separating
The ABC’s of Cat Behaviour
~ by Nomi Berger Whether their behaviours are amusing, bewitching and charming or aggressive, bothersome and cantankerous, living with cats is always adventurous, seldom boring and occasionally challenging. Whatever cats do, they do it for a reason, THEIR reason, while humans come along for the ride: to watch, listen and learn. Listed below are some feline behaviors (some naughty, some nice) that may sound
That Peculiarity Called Pica
~ by Nomi Berger~ Pica (from the Latin term “magpie”) is the term for a feline’s affinity for eating anything that isn’t FOOD. And although it appears most frequently in young cats, it can affect older cats as well. Many cats may “nurse” on fuzzy items like wool, fleece and stuffed animals due to being weaned from their mothers too early, while others may
The Marvels of Adopting Mature Cats
~by Nomi Berger How many times have we humans heard the expression, “You’re only as old as you feel”? And why is it that some days, despite our actual age, we feel younger than we are, while other days, we feel older, much older? So it is with our older feline friends, starting at the age of eight. But if, with age comes wisdom,
Cats and Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
~ by Nomi Berger As the days grow darker and shorter, and the thermometer plummets, so does the mood of millions of people living in the Northern Hemisphere. But humans are not the only ones affected by what scientists refer to as Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD. Our cats – even the happiest, most active and energetic ones — can suffer the same dramatic
WHY ADOPT A RESCUE CAT?
by Nomi Berger Why adopt a rescue kitten or cat? Why not buy one from an ad on the Internet or from a pet store? There are many reasons — all of them humane. The growth of the Internet has spurred the growth of ads selling pets. But it also provides anonymity to a more insidious growth: that of kitten mills and “backyard” breeders,
BE SPECIAL: ADOPT A SPECIAL NEEDS CAT
by Nomi Berger Their bodies may be imperfect, but their spirit remains intact. So it is said about the special needs cat. Although caring for one can be challenging, more and more people are opening their hearts and their homes and adopting them. For this reason, more and more cats that might otherwise be euthanized are being given a new lease on life. Experts
ADOPTING CATS WITH FIV
By Nomi Berger A cat diagnosed with the Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) is still an ADOPTABLE cat. What, then, is FIV? FIV is a type of virus called a retrovirus. It is in the same family as feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that causes AIDS in people. It is a slow virus that attacks the immune system over