Category: Cats

Posts just about cats.

Posted on

What Do Cats See?

colorvision

This is so cool!  These photos approximate what cats see compared to what we see.  Artist and researcher, Nickolay Lamm, consulted with veterinary ophthalmologists before creating these photos.  (This guy has one sexy brain!)  It’s just a hypothesis based on facts, but it definitely makes it easier for me to imagine what they see, because trying to imagine that is like trying to imagine a color I can’t see.  The color one and the night vision are especially interesting.

(Btw, Nickolay Lamm also did What Barbie Would Look Like As an Average Woman.)

 

Posted on

Thunderstorms & Lost Pets

SaffronThunder

We had a huge thunderstorm last night here in our corner of the Pacific NW.  Like Texas-size huge.  Our cats deal with it better than our dog, Saffron.  We gave her the valerian-based calming supplement we use (RelaxSaver), put her in her awesome Thundershirt, and draped her in a sheet.  I’m always thankful when the weather is bad that Saffron is with us now and not still a feral dog left exposed outside to such scary things.

Sadly, this morning our neighborhood blog is full of notices of lost dogs & cats and one found dog because they ran off during the thunder.  Unless they just let their animals roam, most people don’t expect to lose their pets.  So, any lost-pet posters you see and any pets you see running loose who clearly have a family belong to someone who didn’t think their pet would get lost—meaning those pets belong to someone like you and me, someone who thought their pets were safe & protected.  We can all probably do more to make sure our pets are safe.

Thunder actually factors into the decisions I make about our cats and our dog. (Of course, it isn’t the only thing that informs our decisions.)

Thunder means:

  1. Our pets are micro-chipped, and we keep the contact information up-to-date.
  2. Our dog always has a collar with tags on when she’s outside.
  3. We never leave our dog tied up anywhere.  Ever.  (This is a bad practice at any time, but even worse for a panicked dog since escape or strangulation are quite possible.)
  4. Our cats are indoor cats.
  5. We never walk our dog off-leash in an unfenced area.
  6. Our dog isn’t left in our backyard when we’re not home.
  7. Our yard is has a fence tall enough that our dog can’t get over it.  You should realize, though, that a panicked dog can clear extremely tall fences, tear through a fence, squeeze through very small gaps, or quickly dig under a fence.
  8. We keep our gates locked, so they can’t be opened by strangers.
  9. We have gate springs to automatically shut the gates.  (Check out this post on how to install gate springs.  It’s easy & cheap!)
  10. I taught our cats and dog to never bolt through an open door and we have storm/screen doors, all to avoid accidental escapes.
  11. I make sure any open window has a screen that cannot be knocked out.
  12. We have calming supplements and calming pheromone spray on hand.  (I’ve been using RelaxSaver for our dog & Comfort Zone Spray for our cats.)
  13. We have a Thundershirt.
  14. Our cats have lots of hiding places around our house.
  15. We reassure our dog Saffron.  It doesn’t reinforce their fear to comfort your frightened dog.
  16. We run a fan and play music or watch TV, to help mask the thunder.

If your pet does panic and run away, this very thorough article has excellent advice, including putting out items scented strongly with your smells and your pet’s like your dirty clothes and your pets bedding or your cat’s litterbox.  Here are more good tips from a pet detective on finding your lost pet. Advice on how to make the most effective posters for your lost pet.  Post lost notices on Craigslist, with newspapers, and on your neighborhood blogs.  Be sure to watch out for scams.

Posted on

Friday Fun: Tiny Hats On Cats

catchefshat

Take:

  1. an excess of construction paper that’s just lying around
  2. add artistic talent & a sense of humor
  3. fold in a commitment to go big or go home, even if you’re just making little paper hats for cats
  4. finally, mix with a very agreeable cat(s)

and you get Tiny Hats on Cats!

These come from Adam Ellis, who has written a book, Books of Adam; The Blunder Years and also does derpy portraits from photos.  See more of his kettehs on Adamtots.

Posted on

Recall: Huge Recall of Iams & Eukanuba For Cats & Dogs

Iamslogo  Eukanubalogo

Procter & Gamble has issued a massive recall in the U.S. of both Iams & Eukanuba foods for cats and for dogs due to salmonella contamination.

________________________________________________________________

Salmonella can cause severe illness in cats & dogs and cross-contamination to humans is possible resulting in serious illness.

________________________________________________________________

If you have affected product, stop using it and discard it. For a replacement voucher, clip the code date and the UPC from your bag and mail to the address below. Include your complete address and telephone number.

If you have multiple affected bags, they want you to include a “register receipt with the code and UPC.”  I think that’s a shitty way to do business!  Other company’s recalls haven’t required this.  Boo on Procter & Gamble—I’m not impressed!

Consumer Relations
Attn: Katie
8700 Mason-Montgomery Rd.
Box 1534
Mason, OH 45040
All replacements will be processed within 4-6 weeks. If you have further questions please contact consumer care at
1-800-208-0172.

 

Eukanuba:

Eukfull

Iams Dog Food:

 IamsDogfull 

Iams Cat Food:

Iamscatfull

 

Proudly powered by WordPress