Am I Doomed to Life as a Cat Burglar?
Dear Most Esteemed and Knowledgeable Kitties: My mom rescued me from a cage in a shelter last year, and now I’ve got a wonderful home with all the food, water and snuggling places I could possibly want. She’s even taught me how to sit, stay, come, follow and get things for her. She loves me and in her eyes there’s nothing I can do wrong … well, except for one thing. I have this habit of stealing hair bands and all kinds of other things, and I put them all in my water dish. Yes, all of them. Sometimes Mom comes in to find that I have plastic wrappings from food, or even ties that secure…
Can Cats Spread Bed Bugs?
Dear Most Esteemed and Knowledgeable Kitties: Can cats carry bed bugs, and if they can, how do you get rid of them on the cat? The place where I’m staying has bed bugs and I have three cats. ~ Jammie Siouxsie: Well, Jammie, bed bugs sure are a drag, and they’re the just about single biggest pain-in-the-tail pest of modern life in the U.S. But the good news is that no, your cats will not carry or spread bed bugs. Thomas: Bed bugs generally don’t live on their hosts. They hide in cracks and crevices and come out at night to feed. Once they’ve eaten their fill, they hop off again and go about their nasty business…
Why Is My Cat Scared of Her Toys?
Dear Most Esteemed and Knowledgeable Kitties: My cat is approximately 5 years old. I adopted her from the ASPCA over a year ago. She seems to be afraid of her toys — the ones with little stuffed animals or feathers hanging from sticks — and runs away when I try to play with her. She prefers to pounce on my arm and grip it, play biting it. How can I make sure she is getting enough stimulation and exercise without sacrificing my arm? ~ Maureen Siouxsie: This is an odd situation, Maureen, but we think we can help. We cats do love to play, but there’s a right way and a not-so-right way to play…
How Soon Can Newborn Kittens Be Petted?
Dear Most Esteemed and Knowledgeable Kitties: I am fostering a mother cat who just gave birth to five kittens. As I write this, the kittens are two days old, and my little girls are dying to pet and hold them. Is this a good idea? I don’t want to see Nala, the momma cat, become resentful toward her kittens if they’ve been touched and handled. Nala’s restless, but I’ve been keeping her in a warm room with the kittens. How much longer should Nala stay in the room without going out of the room to roam around the house? She’s has been a very kind and good mommy to her five kittens. Please give me…
My Deaf Cat’s About To Get Me Evicted. Help!
Dear Most Esteemed and Knowledgeable Kitties: I have a 6-year-old deaf white cat that meows excessively and loudly throughout the day while I’m at work. While I’m at home she rarely meows, and when she does, it’s early in the morning, not at night. I give her lots of love and attention, plenty of food and water, and I’ve bought her all kinds of toys. I have found that she isn’t interested in the typical cat toys, but she loves shadows, so I have bought toys with lights and movement. I’ve done all kinds of research and tried everything I can think of, but nothing seems to keep her from crying all day. I live…
Pet Poetry Contest Inspires Kids to Write
It wouldn’t surprise anyone who knows me even a little bit that my love of words and my love of cats developed almost simultaneously. This was due in large part to the almost-prescient wisdom of my mother, who in the earliest days of my life procured a copy of Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot. I liked that book so much, I asked my mother to read it to me again and again and again, until I’d memorized the words themselves. It wasn’t too long afterward that I began to realize all those odd shapes on the page had sounds associated with them … and soon enough, little toddler JaneA was reading!…
Pets Add Life: If Your Cats Could Speak …
Did you ever wonder what your cats would say if they could speak? Well, let me share with you a little vignette from an early-morning conversation at Paws and Effect Headquarters. Dahlia: Thomas? Thomas: Yes, darling. Dahlia: I hate to disturb you, but I really have to go to the litterbox. Thomas: Can’t you wait just a little while? We’re going to have to wake Mama up soon, and then I’ll get up, too. Dahlia: But Thomas, I really have to go! Thomas: But Dahlia, I’m so in love with your deliciously warm fur … your golden eyes … your ear-grooming … Dahlia: I’ll groom your ears once I get back from the litterbox, I…
