Home CAT OWNERSHIP

CAT OWNERSHIP

But is Your Cat’s Litter Safe for You?

An estimated one out of every 100 people in the United States has celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder characterized by sometimes severe and dangerous reactions to ingesting even a microscopic amount of gluten — an ingredient in wheat and many other products. Those afflicted work assiduously to avoid gluten, which is in everything from bread to soy sauce and beer. It’s also in many brands of cat litter.

Before You Take in Another Cat…

You acted with the best of intentions, taking in a homeless cat or perhaps just bringing home a second one because you thought the one you already have would enjoy the company. But the hissing won’t stop. And your first cat is so stressed she has begun urinating outside the litterbox. Or she has begun hiding more and is more irritable. Now what?

Can a child with asthma live with a cat?

Q: My sister wants to get a cat, but her young daughter has asthma. Won’t that just make it harder for my niece to breathe?

When a Cat Dies Suddenly for an Unknown Reason, Should You Request a Necropsy?

Most often, people with cats have to make a decision about euthanasia when a disease overtakes the animal’s health to the point that his life is no longer worth living. It’s probably the hardest decision anyone who loves a cat ever has to make. But sometimes, a cat dies unexpectedly. He hasn’t appeared sick and may not even be old, but one day a human family member comes home and finds him gone. Or a cat dies while in the hospital but not because of the condition for which he has been admitted. Or he has been admitted with a number of ailments, but it’s not clear which one took his life. It’s a misery — and a shock — of a different kind.

For That Last Good-Bye

More and more people are opting for euthanasia at home. It could cost about $100 more than at the veterinarian’s office, but it allows a cat to drift off peacefully in his favorite spot.  It also allows you to grieve without having to drive or be around other people.

Fact or Erroneous Perception: Blacks Cats Are More Likely to End Up Euthanized

“A black cat crossing your path signifies that the animal is going somewhere.”
— Groucho Marx

6 Cat Facts That Aren’t

There’s a lot of cat lore out there that people accept as the truth because it gets repeated so often. But frequently, what’s assumed to...

Falling For Your Cat, Literally

More than 10,000 people end up in the emergency room each year because of an injury suffered when they trip and fall over their...

What’s In a Name? (A Lot, Actually)

Fluffy, Tiger, Snowball, and Whiskers are out. Max, Chloe, Lucy, and Simon are in. Why the shift in the names we give our cats?...

How to Keep Your Cat from Biting and Scratching

Your cat does not bite or scratch out of nowhere, even though it may seem that way. Something is making her anxious enough to...

Shared Decision Making

In human medicine there is a term called “shared decision making.” It means that the patient is provided with the best available evidence about...

Needed: More Therapy Cats

Dogs currently make up some 85 to 90 percent of the therapy animals that reduce anxiety and provide comfort for hospital patients, college students...