CAT OWNERSHIP

As we all ring in the new year, many people also reminisce about the twelve months weve left behind, and how we could have done things differently. Thats probably when the various resolutions come into play - how life would be so much sweeter if we joined the gym and lost those nagging 15 extra pounds; how a weekly call to our aging parents would alleviate our guilt that we live on the other side…

Concerns about cats and husbands health condition Q We have nine rescue cats ranging from one to nine years old. Five go in and out during the day and all are in at night. I change the litter boxes at an outside sink. Heres my problem: My husband has been placed on the liver transplant list. The estimated time for waiting is two years, but that could change. …

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Indoor cat wants to go outside Q I have a wonderful five-year-old cat who was rescued when she was a kitten. This year, Sophie has decided to drive me crazy by going from one door to the other and meowing constantly. She is not allowed out in my apartment complex. Ive had her for most of her life, and she has never acted like this. I tried walking her on a leash, but the experience was not…

Cats: Vermont Loves Em Cats have had a long, symbiotic relationship with humans - 8,000 years, in fact, according to some historians. Currently, Vermont leads this country in cat ownership with almost 50 percent of households owning at least one, according to recent research by the American Veterinary Medical Association. Im not surprised at all, said Dr. Lynn Martin, veterinarian at the Country Animal Hospital in Bethel, VT. When Im at veterinary conferences, cats are overtaking dogs…

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You dont need a special degree or specific expertise to lend a much-needed helping hand at your local animal shelter. All you need is the desire to participate in the worthy cause of helping homeless animals. And it doesnt necessarily have to be a lot of your time, either. In fact, whatever your occupation may be, youre likely to possess certain skills and talents that your local shelter can utilize. Volunteers with legal and accounting skills,…

If you find out that your local animal shelter doesnt accept volunteers, you should try to find out why. Start by asking the director. There may be a legitimate reason (such as not having the proper liability insurance), or there simply may not have been enough interest in the past. Volunteers require supervision, coordination and a liability policy that protects them and the shelter. …

Youre a warm-hearted person with a special fondness for cats - especially the marmalade stray who has been showing up at your back door for the past few weeks looking for the free meal that you never fail to provide. The thought has occurred to you that you might invite him in to become a permanent member of your family, rather than letting him continue to lead his perilous life as a stray in the great…

A normal kitten weighs about three or four ounces at birth and - consuming only her mothers milk - will typically gain as much as a half-ounce per day to double her birth weight during her first week out of the womb. By the time she is three weeks old, she will have tripled her birth weight. And while this rapid growth rate will soon taper off, the kitten will quickly blossom into feline adulthood. …

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To a cat lover, there may be nothing more comforting than a full lap of warm, purring cat - except, perhaps, another one or two nestled nearby. The louder the purr, the deeper the bliss it seems for both person and cat. Purring is the essence of the feline mystique that fascinates us, yet we do not know exactly how and why cats purr. Theories abound - but they remain inconclusive. …