Archive for the ‘Education’ Category

Cat health:  Has your cat been through a traumatic experience? Unless you’ve been living under a rock this past week you’ve probably been watching the news coverage of Hurricane Harvey and its aftermath along the Texas coast.  I live in Houston, and I can only describe the devastation of flooding as inconceivable.  It is simply […]

One of the premises of optimal health for cats revolves around feeding them a biologically appropriate diet. If you think about it, it’s really no different for people! If we eat junk food, fried foods, sugar, sodas, fast food and processed foods all the time, there’s really no amount of supplements that can out-do the bad diet.

Baggage. We all carry it with us, and many times it’s often overlooked. However, events and situations that affected us while we were very young often shape our behaviors and attitudes throughout our lives. This may come as a surprise, but guess what? It happens with cats, too! Cat behavioral problems and physical health issues can be related to untreated emotional issues.

For most of us who are owned by cats we will most likely face some type of cat health issue at some point in its life. While these circumstances are rarely inexpensive, convenient, or painless, I am learning to look at them as an opportunity to learn. My cats have taught me so many things over the years, and just like with human experiences, we tend to learn the most through the struggles and times of trial.

Has your cat ever had a skin rash or red areas that seemed inflamed? What about watery, runny eyes? Our cat Snowbear’s eyes were sometimes runny, but he never had skin irritations. From time to time we would notice our cat Lili had some redness on the skin above her eyes. It seemed to come and go, and we didn’t notice any scratches or scabs. Until this week.

Let’s face it. Most cats don’t complain at meal time about the food in their bowls. As long as it tastes good they will eat it. 😻 They trust us as cat parents to give them food that’s good for them, not just something that tastes good. But how do you really know if the food you’re feeding your cat is really good for them?

I love cats. In fact, I love them so much I can’t have just one! Nearly all my life I’ve had a multiple cat household, and as far as I know I have never had issues with a cat marking its territory in the house. Cats mark territory to send messages to other cats (either indoors or outdoors), establish dominance, display jealousy, and control their “space”.

Medical emergencies for cats often result in a surprise diagnosis. When Vanilla was diagnosed with feline diabetes we took several steps after she was released from the hospital to put her back on the road to health and recovery.

Should you transition your cat from kibble to a raw diet? What we feed our cats has a huge impact on their long-term health:  kibble diets can cause disease and raw diets can prevent and even cure disease.  I spoke to a friend this week whose cat has developed bladder stones, and the only food […]

Knowing what I’ve learned over the past several years about the dark side of the pet food industry it’s no surprise at all to see how certain pet food companies have made alliances with veterinarian professionals. These companies, along with pharmaceutical companies, wield incredible influence on the curriculum taught at vet schools, too. In the end it’s all about business.