Boulder house cat meets mountain lion

by Catherine Holland, KMOV.com

BOULDER, Colo. -- A house cat in Boulder, Colo. had a close encounter of the mountain lion kind, and his owner caught it on camera.

Gail Loveman said Zeus, her 11-year-old Maine Coon, tend to show his rough-and-tough side, standing firm, puffing out his fur and hissing when other animal, usually squirrels, invade his porch. Zeus was somewhat less assertive and perhaps more confused when the invader on the other side of the sliding glass door was a young mountain lion.

Loveman told The Denver Post last Thursday's face-off between Zeus and the mountain lion lasted about five minutes before the mountain lion apparently got bored and wandered away, stopping to check out a statue that looks like it could be his cousin in her yard.

Loveman said she was working in her home office when she heard a noise. She saw the mountain lion on her porch, grabbed her camera and started snapping a way as Zeus made his way to the sliding glass door to check out the interloper.

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It's Halloween for pets, too

The myth of the unlucky black cat is just a superstition for most. But for animal adoption centers, it's a real problem.

Black cats are among the last cats adopted from shelters and rescues.

They are less likely to find a permanent home than non-black cats, according to Janet Winikoff, director of education for the Humane Society of Vero Beach and Indian River County.

"It's always a challenge for animal shelters to adopt out black cats," said Winikoff. She said that too often, black cats stay at shelters for long periods of time because people are afraid of them and less likely to adopt them.

Other problems include the cultural stigma that is attached to a black cat.

"Black cats are associated with being sneaky, Halloween, Satan, bad luck and ghost stories," said Winikoff. "And they're usually depicted hissing and with their backs arched."

For many years, shelters stopped adopting out black cats around Halloween because there were fears that the cats may be injured or killed for ritualistic purposes. But over time, shelters have realized that in reality, these situations rarely occur but they urge cat owners to keep their cats indoors.

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Cat-Dogs & Pumpkins: America’s Favorite Pet Costumes

NEW YORK (MainStreet) – America is going all out for Halloween this year. Overall spending for Halloween is projected by the National Retail Federation at $6.86 billion, the highest since it started tracking those numbers nine years ago. Of that, $2.5 billion will be spent on costumes alone, with $1 billion spent on children’s costumes and another $1.2 billion to be spent on adult costumes.

That other $0.3 billion? We’ll be spending that on costumes for our pets, of course.

According to the NRF, we can expect to see a lot of dogs dressed up as pumpkins this Halloween, as that’s apparently the most popular pet costume for the year. That’s followed by devils (devil dogs, presumably, being the operative pun here) and hot dogs, which we imagine will be the costume of choice for many long, skinny dogs like dachshunds.

Many other owners will be going for more minimalist costumes. The seventh most-popular “costume” is a simple anthropomorphizing accessory tied around the neck, including bowties, fancy collars, and bandanas. We supposed this is the inverse of humans who dress up as cats by putting on cat ears.

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Swimming cat that was victim of hit-and-run is nursed back to health

Tootsie does the moggie paddle:

Swimming cat that was victim of hit-and-run is nursed back to health

When two-year-old Tootsie was knocked down and left for dead by the side of the road, he was not expected to survive.

Vets told owner Sue Wilson that the black cat was unlikely to make a full recovery from his injuries, which included a shattered right leg, and recommended she considered putting him down.

But in a last ditch attempt to give the unlucky feline a second chance at life veterinary surgeons suggested the moggie get his feet - and everything else - wet.

Now thanks to six weeks of intensive hydrotherapy at a specially designed two-foot deep pool for dogs, Tootsie is back to full fitness.

The little black battler swam at the Hereford Canine Hydrocare centre - the first cat to use the pool - every day for more than a month and now has the strength to doggy-paddle unaided.

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Genuine Fat Cat

Fat cat Eddie gets snatched up by hawk, but dropped in neighbor's garden due to weight
BY JOANNA MOLLOY
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Saturday, July 16, 2011


It was dawn on the upper West Side the other day when a young woman heard a screech usually heard in the countryside: the raspy kreeing of a red-tailed hawk capturing its prey.

It got louder and more horrible as it suddenly mixed with the mews of a terrified cat. Her beloved cat, Eddie.

She ran out to her fifth-floor terrace where Eddie had been stretched out on a bench and saw nothing but "fur, broken nails and feathers."

The woman, a beer microbrewer who doesn't want her name in the paper, looked everywhere, including nearby Riverside Park, where, "all the bird/park people said he was surely dead."




NewYork Daily News

Cat may have swam to island

A calico cat is seated across from some buildings on Governors Island in New York. According to the New York Daily News, security guards on the island found the cat with salty, matted, and seaweed caked hair over the weekend of April 16. Workers on the island believe the cat swam over from New Jersey, which is more than a mile away.

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Solutions for a biting cat

Q: Our 13-year-old indoor/outdoor cat is very affectionate, yet for seemingly no reason, sometimes circles our feet and legs, sounds aggressive, then bites us savagely. How do we address this? -- R.T., Toccoa, GA

A: "Notice your cat's body language, and simply find a way to separate yourself from the cat before the attack," says cat behavior consultant Pam Johnson-Bennett, author of "Starting from Scratch: How to Correct Behavior Problems in Your Adult Cat" (Penguin Books, New York, NY, 2007: $15). "And don't run away; that will only cause your cat to chase, maybe thinking it's a game. It's important to play (with your cat) daily using an interactive toy, teaching him to chase and pounce on it -- and not you."

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Vaccine could cure cat allergies, study suggests

Sniffly-nosed kitten-lovers rejoice: A new vaccine could soon banish allergies to cats.

The vaccine isn't ready for prime time yet, but a new study finds that the shots are safe, researchers reported March 31 in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. They're also effective at reducing allergic reactions, the researchers reported.

About 10 percent of people are allergic to cats. Currently, the only solutions are to stay far away from felines or to get multiple injections of kitty allergens to help the body build up a tolerance. But that process can take years, wrote McMaster University immunologist and study researcher Mark Larche.

Larche and his colleagues developed the vaccine by isolating the protein shed by cats that causes the most allergic reactions. They then used blood samples from people with cat allergies to determine which segment of the cat protein binds to and activates immune cells. (An allergic reaction occurs when the immune system interprets benign substances, such as cat dander, as invaders and launches an attack.)


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Cats Are a Bird’s No. 1 Enemy

While public attention has focused on wind turbines as a menace to birds, a new study shows that a far greater threat may be posed by a more familiar antagonist: the pet house cat.

A new study in The Journal of Ornithology on the mortality of baby gray catbirds in the Washington suburbs found that cats were the No. 1 killer in the area, by a large margin.

Nearly 80 percent of the birds were killed by predators, and cats were responsible for 47 percent of those deaths, according to the researchers, from the Smithsonian Institution and Towson University in Maryland. Death rates were particularly high in neighborhoods with large cat populations.

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Things that my cat can do better than your cat

My smart, annoying cat
by John Carroll, San Francisco Chronicle

My cat can sleep with one eye open longer than your cat. Merely lying on the daybed with one eye open doesn't count; that's just a cat being watchful. Conscious cats are always watchful. They have many enemies. Suppose a human sneezed within a three-room radius? They'd be so on top of that.

The sneeze is a noise that predators make. Few people know that.

But my cat can be dead asleep, totally zonked, and if you look closely, you can see that one eye open a slit. You know how some people call sleeping "40 winks"? They were talking about my cat. My cat can wink at you for hours and still be fast asleep. Should the sneeze monster arrive, my cat would be on guard. Perhaps a little slowly and stiffly, but on guard.

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The Love Cat that needs a home

Feline's unique fur pattern means she's a real heart-throb

At first glance she looks like any other black and white moggy, but a closer look at her markings reveal she could well have been the inspiration for The Cure's top ten hit The Love Cats in 1983.

The abandoned cat has become a heart-throb with animal carers after they noticed she bore a unique marking on her side - a perfect HEART.

Black and white 'Bette Davis' was handed in to Gables Farm Dogs' and Cats' Home last month looking dishevelled and emaciated after she was dumped by her previous owners.

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Rare Andean Cats Discovered in New Locale

A new population of the Andean cat, a house cat-sized feline thought to live exclusively in the high mountains of South America, has been discovered at lower elevations, extending the range of the endangered and elusive species.

Previously, it was believed the Andean cat lived only at and above elevations of 9,800 feet (3,000 meters), among the arid, rocky slopes of the high Andes. However, a lone photograph of two Andean cats in the foothills of central Argentina, captured in 2004, prompted a search for the species in the region.

Survey results show evidence of the cats at elevations as low as 2,100 feet (650 meters) in the Patagonian steppe region.

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A Guide to Feline Dental Care

Feline dental care is perhaps the most overlooked and under-treated area in small animal medicine. Cats are affected by many of the same dental problems that affect dogs (periodontal disease, fractured teeth, and oral masses) in addition to special syndromes (tooth resorption, gingivostomatitis).

More than fifty percent of cats over three years old will be affected by tooth resorption (TR). These tooth defects have also been called cavities, neck lesions, external or internal root resorptions, or cervical line erosions. Teeth affected by lesions will erode and finally disappear when they are absorbed back into the cat's body. The root structure breaks down; then the enamel and most of the tooth become ruined, and bone replaces the tooth. This most commonly happens where the gum meets the tooth surface. Some molars are most commonly affected; however, tooth resorptions can be found on any tooth. The reason for the resorption is unknown, but theories supporting an autoimmune response have been proposed.

Cats affected with tooth resorption may show excessive salivation, bleeding in the mouth, or have difficulty eating. Tooth resorptions can be quite painful. A majority of affected cats do not show obvious clinical signs. Most times it is up to the clinician to diagnose the lesions upon oral examination. Diagnostic aids include a probe or cotton tipped applicator applied to the suspected resorption; when the probe touches the lesion, it causes pain and jaw spasms. Radiographs are helpful in making definitive diagnosis and treatment planning.

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Hats: Are your pets afraid of people who wear them?

Dear Gary:

I went out of town for a couple of days. I hired a cat sitter I had used previously. She is a vet tech and very competent.

The first night she came over, our "Furnami," a 4-year-old male tabby, was very friendly to her. (Furnami is what you get when you combine fur with a tsunami. When he was a kitten tearing through the house like a maniac, I said to my husband that he was a tsunami with fur and my husband said, "Furnami.")

He has a mellow, laid-back personality, and is the kind of cat that's not deterred when he's laying on your feet in bed and you try to kick him out of bed so you can turn over. The kind of cat if you squirt him with water to discourage him from doing something, he is unaffected.

The second night, the pet sitter came over wearing a stocking cap and he approached her growling and hissing. He has never done that behavior in four years. She threw the hat on the floor and he "killed" it.

The third night the sitter came over without the hat and he was fine. She said that sometimes dogs react to her hat the same way. There was nothing unusual on the hat, no trim or anything.

Have you heard of this before?

Barbara Bushee,

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Year of the Cat brings about nationwide cat campaign

By David Archibald

The Guardian

This is the Year of the Cat, according to the Vietnamese calender, and a network of Canadian cat welfare advocates are honouring the year with a nationwide awareness campaign.

Care for Cats is a collaborative effort to bring the major problems facing cats to the attention of the public.

Started by a Hamilton, Ont. feline practitioner, Elizabeth O’Brien, the initiative seeks to deliver its message through events and theme months.

Veterinarian Anne Marie Carey, from the Atlantic Veterinary College in Charlottetown, works with spay and neuter programs across Prince Edward Island to combat cat overpopulation and has been providing O’Brien with information from her research.

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Stress can make cats ill: study

Researchers hope cat owners and vets will look at a sick cat's environment before deciding on euthanasia.

In a three-year study, Ohio State University researchers found healthy cats showed signs of illness when stressed and sick cats became healthier when stress levels were reduced.

The 20 sick cats in the study were all diagnosed with a chronic pain syndrome that affects a cat's bladder and were scheduled to be euthanised.

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The researchers say about 1.5 per cent of house cats have lower urinary tract diseases and many pet owners can't stand the messes that come with them.

As a result, they say millions of sick cats are euthanised or turned over to shelters every year.

To cats, stress might be unwanted attention, a dirty litter box or strange noises.

source

Strange but True: Cats Cannot Taste Sweets

Sugar and spice and everything nice hold no interest for a cat. Our feline friends are only interested in one thing: meat (except for saving up the energy to catch it by napping, or a round of restorative petting) This is not just because inside every domestic tabby lurks a killer just waiting to catch a bird or torture a mouse, it is also because cats lack the ability to taste sweetness, unlike every other mammal examined to date.

The tongues of most mammals hold taste receptors—proteins on the cellular surface that bind to an incoming substance, activating the cell's internal workings that lead to a signal being sent to the brain. Humans enjoy five kinds of taste buds (possibly six): sour, bitter, salty, umami (or meatiness) and sweet (as well as possibly fat). The sweet receptor is actually made up of two coupled proteins generated by two separate genes: known as Tas1r2 and Tas1r3.

When working properly, the two genes form the coupled protein and when something sweet enters the mouth the news is rushed to the brain, primarily because sweetness is a sign of rich carbohydrates—an important food source for plant-eaters and the nondiscriminating, like humans. But cats are from the noble lineage Carnivora and, unlike some of its lesser members, such as omnivorous bears or, even more appalling, herbivorous pandas, they exclusively eat meat.


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Alley Cat Allies - Winter Tips

Winter Weather Tips

Stray and feral cats are at home outside, but they can always use some extra help in cold or severe weather. Follow these tips to help them stay even safer, warmer, and healthier during severe storms and winter months.


Shelter

Shelters keep feral cat colonies comfortable in cold and other harsh or severe weather conditions. Placing discreet shelters in quiet locations away from foot traffic helps keep cats from taking shelter in places where they are in danger or not welcome.

There are endless variations of cat shelters. Check out our list of shelter ideas sorted by ease of set up, or learn how to build one yourself. Dog houses also do the trick with a few modifications (read on.) Here’s a few tips to help you get started:

A good size for a shelter is at least 2’x3’ and at least 18” high. Larger shelters are not necessarily better, since heat disperses quickly, leaving the inside as cold as the outside.

Cats will huddle together inside for warmth, so provide colonies with multiple shelters that can fit three to five cats each. If you are caring for fewer cats, use a smaller shelter so it takes less body heat to warm up.

Make sure the door is no bigger than six to eight inches wide to keep out other animals. If you’re modifying a dog house, you’ll need to block off part of the door to make it cat-sized. A flap on the door will also keep snow, rain, and wind out.

Insulate the shelter with straw to repel moisture and keep cats warm and dry (note: Make sure it’s straw, but not hay, because hay absorbs moisture). Blankets may seem like a good idea, but since they are also extremely absorbent, they make bad bedding.

Raise shelters off the cold ground to conserve warmth. Wooden pallets stuffed with insulation work well for elevating shelters and keeping out drafts.

That’s a start – read more about constructing feral cat shelters in our Colony Care Guide.

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I am a man who loves cats - Times Online

Owning six cats is nothing for a fellow to be ashamed of

Tom Cox

Everyone knows about Mad Cat Lady. She's a social cliché, a cautionary tale, a character that, when she started to pop up on The Simpsons, was so instantly resonant that she didn't have to be named or introduced. She's the childless woman who lets her cat obsession take over her life, to the detriment of domestic and, finally, personal hygiene. In truth, as a stereotype she seemsunfair. After all, there is no established Mad Dog Man - the subtext being that a man's best friend will help him to see out the autumn of his life with dignity, while a woman's will put her alone in a supermarket, giving off a mildewy odour and pushing a trolley containing a malt loaf, some hairnets, a packet of wafer-thin ham and two dozen cans of Felix.

The phenomenon of Mad Cat Man is even less widely reported. One of the reasons for this is that us males are still suspicious of cat ownership. Being a heterosexual man and admitting to another heterosexual man that you like cats can feel a little like telling him that you still sleep alongside your childhood collection of teddy bears.

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Natural Remedies for Treating a Cat Cold

Sneezing and a runny nose are signs of the typical cat cold, caused by a bacterial infection in the nose membrane. If the cat is exposed to cold weather or is dehydrated, the nose's thin membrane, which is the cat's defense against bacteria, is infected or dried out, letting bacteria freely pass through. Bacterial infections will produce the same symptoms as a common cold, but may be the means of a more serious respiratory disease. Have your vet give an assessment of the cold if the nose discharge turns yellow or green.

A low immune system is also the culprit of many cat infections. Boosting your cat's immune system will be a good approach to improving her health if she is frequently ill.

Viral infections may also cause the cold. If the runny nose discharge is clear and fluid, your cat probably has a viral infection. These are not cured by medicine, but should run their course. However, you can make your cat a little more comfortable with some natural remedies.


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