More Purrs

17/08/2024

Early morning sunshine, Autumn vibes, Coffee and a stretch!

Happy Saturday 😊

10/08/2024

🐈‍⬛

08/08/2024

Is your veterinary practice an accredited Cat Friendly Clinic? 🩷

🏥 🐈 For over 10 years, our Cat Friendly Clinic programme has been transforming the way cats are treated in veterinary clinics across the globe, and it’s one of the ways we love to .

The Cat Friendly Clinic programme was developed with a cat’s unique nature and needs at its core. It empowers veterinary staff to be advocates for their feline patients. By supporting cats, their caregivers and veterinary professionals, cats receive a higher standard of care, reducing stress and making clinic visits easier.

On we’re pleased to share that we have almost hit a milestone of 4,000 clinics in over 50 countries! 🎉🌍

Find your nearest Cat Friendly Clinic or start your clinic’s accreditation journey by visiting our website 👉 https://catfriendlyclinic.org/

We’d love to hear from anyone who visits or works at a Cat Friendly Clinic about how you 😻👇

08/08/2024

Have you see these? 👀

Have you explored our helpful guidance yet? 🐈 📚 One of the ways we all year round is by developing carer guides to help you through a variety of situations where you may need to provide special care to a cat in your life, including:

🐾 Caring for a new kitten

🐾 Visiting your vet and Cat Friendly Clinics

🐾 Encouraging your cat to drink or eat more

🐾 Making changes at home to support a cat with joint pain

🐾 Treating chronic pain

Check them out here 👉 https://icatcare.org/advice-cat-carer-guides/

Plus, we have answers to your commonly asked cat behaviour and wellbeing questions on our advice pages 👉 https://icatcare.org/advice

Enjoy the rest of ! 😺

08/08/2024

Happy ❤️
A huge shout out to International Cat Care for championing this day and inviting us all to

In a world where cats are still largely misunderstood, International Cat Care are pioneering change globally and inspiring cat professionals and cat lovers to understand cats as a species.
By doing this, we can provide homes and veterinary environments that are respectful of the cat's natural instincts, taking care of their physical AND emotional wellbeing (each with reliance on the other!)

My life has been significantly enriched by the cats I've been privileged to shared it with and I'm taking this moment to reflect and smile as I remember each and everyone that has been so precious 💖

Starting with Buster & Spartan, who continue to bring joy every day and with gratitude for the precious time shared with:
2Sox 🩷
Spooks💙
Onyx🩷
Whoopie🩷
Precious🩷
Natalie🩷
Minnie🩷
Friday🩷
Sooty🩷
Smudge🩷
Max💙

Also; Pudsey, Pep, Penny, Cali, Casper, Rolo, Marlow, Pippin, Panther, Bobbins, Simon, Luci, Snowflake and The Gingers💜

and all those who I spent time with in the shelter, over a number of years ❤️

Every single one, a reason to celebrate cats 🥰

08/08/2024

Happy ! 😻🎉 Share with us how you will today. 👇💬

Follow along with us as we share all the ways we will be celebrating and how we celebrate cats all year round. 🐈

Check out our website for fun ways you can fundraise and how to show the cats in your life how much you care 👉 https://icatcare.org/international-cat-day/

03/08/2024

Records will be broken

Join us on Patreon! Patreon.com/ScottMetzgerCartoons

03/08/2024

One of the best things about being on a Hypoallergenic diet is that is gets delivered in a big box! Perfect for a Saturday afternoon wash, pre snooze...

03/08/2024

SAVE THE DATE! 🗓️😻 Be a part of THE event for the global unowned cat community.

We’ve got an exciting FREE virtual event planned on 13 - 14 November 2024 for anyone working with unowned cats, from volunteers, to foster carers, homing centres and community cat caregivers. Featuring our very own iCatCare experts, plus a fantastic lineup of special guests!

Registration opens on 3 September. More information coming soon! 👀

Sign up for our Cat Friendly Solutions for Unowned Cats newsletter for the latest updates 👉 https://confirmsubscription.com/h/i/CE09DF999249AE68



Supported by

30/07/2024

Hello friends!

In case you've been wondering what we've been up to, it's mostly shoelace related! 🤣

As a treat though, More Purrs Nanny came to stay (which meant extra fuss!) and when More Purrs Grandad came to collect Nanny on Sunday we had a picnic! 🥰🥰🥰

Ooh and we also have a new scratching tunnel as the old one was on it's last legs!

18/07/2024

This one is bittersweet...

My highest academic grade, achieved through the work Spooks and I did together upon his diagnosis of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (huge thanks to Dr Sarah Ellis who suggested at the time that I kept a video diary of our progress with the dreaded inhaler).

Spooks loved 'training' and was an incredible learner.
He quickly learned the phrase 'shall we do training?' and with bright eyes awaited my prompts.

His legacy is one of living in the moment, giving everything 110% and above all, proving that cats CAN be trained - not for human entertainment, but for coping with the stressors, which are weaved into every day life such as vet visits, other pets, other people, medication etc.

Thanks to Solihull College & University Centre & Oxford Brookes University and the exceptional tuition from Jenni JefferiesMSc I was able to study this individual module and secure a grade which reflects the true companionship we shared.

If you want to know more about the modular offer, or the full FD/BSc Animal Behaviour & Welfare Degree please get in touch. The module content was so fascinating I'd happily do it all again if I could!

Alternatively, if you are an owner who wants to learn how to improve your cat's life through training, I highly recommend 'The Trainable Cat' by Sarah Ellis and John Bradshaw - a compassionate and empowering read for cat lovers.
Also, the beautifully crafted training videos by Linda Ryan: Inspiring Pet Teaching - Cat & Dog Behaviourist & Trainer which are available through International Cat Care

Now... off to update my training session for our year one Veterinary Nurses next month! (we've added feline behaviour awareness to our apprenticeship programme and encourage all students to make a pledge, committing to the International Society of Feline Medicine 's Cat Friendly Princples for Veterinary Professionals throughout their careers) 🩵

22/06/2024

Spartan 'aka King of the Castle' 🥰

We'd like to thank Cat Tree King for our new and super sturdy Cat Tower 🐈‍⬛👌

At 7kg and despite being blind, Spartan doesn't do 'careful or steady'... he's big, bold, brave and takes living life on the edge literally!

So, the time came to find a new stronger and more solid tower for him to pursue his evening gymnastics routine before snuggling up!

This tower turns out to be just purrrfect! He helped with the build by testing out the middle compartment and checking it for crazy gymnastic suitability ✔️ and the top is just right for stretching out and being brushed ✔️
It is slightly higher than I realised, so the chair is a permanent feature to assist him in safely climbing up and jumping down.

Training him to find the top was easy peasy, I run my fingers over his brush and he follows the sound 🥇what a champ.

08/06/2024

What greater gift than the love of a cat? Charles Dickens

01/06/2024

Sun's out Tum's out!

Yes... he's on the garden table 🙄
My blind shoelace extraordinaire is always happy when he's up high and living on the edge! 🥰🙈

Blind Schmiiiiined, I'm doing it!

28/05/2024

It's 2 years today since my beautiful boy went to sleep, taking a ginormous part of my heart with him.

Spooks aka Tiny, lost his brave battle with the devastating Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy in 2022 at just 3.5 years.

I've brightened up the house with some yellow flowers to represent the sunshine he brought to our lives 💛
I've also made a donation to BSAVA PetSavers in Spooks' memory in hope that one day soon, there can be advanced treatments for cats with this cruel disease.

Forever grateful that his short life was with me 💙

22/04/2024

Happy Earth Day ☀️🌻

16/04/2024

Honouring our beautiful girl (featured) who went to sleep in September and who would have been 20yrs old today '2Sox' 🩷

Take care of & cherish your oldies. Don't unintentionally allow them suffer by assuming changes are 'inevitable' due to age. Veterinary care is available to support aging cats to live more comfortably and to stay healthier for longer.

And finally, if your cat is now more demanding than they once were, which is challenging for you, be patient and kind and remember that they won't always be here 😢

Age related pain and discomfort is only inevitable if signs are overlooked or ignored. Here are 12 practical tips to ensure your senior cat experiences a rich quality of life.

01/04/2024

Why do I have Lillies tattooed on my arm?

Because I love them and they are a token of appreciation for my first job (selling flowers!)

BUT... because I share my home with cats I will NEVER have lillies in my home or garden...

Did you know that Lillies are highly toxic to cats and can be fatal EVEN if they don't eat them?

Yep! The airborne pollen from Lillies can easily land on your cat's fur, and when your cat washes their fur, they unknowingly ingest the toxins ☠️💔

Please don't take the risk 🙏
There are lots of alternative flowers/plants that are safe for cats (even scented ones such as Roses, Freesias and Stocks).

Cats Protection have created an amazing resource to help owners identify which flowers/plants are safe for homes with cats... Check it out! (I've taken a screenshot of the pdfs for when I go plant shopping!) 🪴
https://www.cats.org.uk/help-and-advice/home-and-environment/dangerous-plants

31/03/2024

☺️

Happy Easter! 🩷

30/03/2024

Good morning my friends and Happy Spring to us all! 😊

It's been a very busy and productive start to the year for me as I have a new day job that's required my full attention (plus fitting in the shoelaces of course!)

Then as you'll have seen, last week I supported BSAVA PetSavers at the BSAVA Congress in Manchester. I'm the Layperson on PetSavers Management Committee which is a real privilege as the organisation raises money for studies that fund clinical research - which in turn contributes to the advancement of veterinary care and treatment.
Please show your support by following and sharing PetSavers page. You may even consider them for any fundraising that you do this year... ❤️

I'm still buzzing from finally meeting a dear friend in person Linda Ryan: Inspiring Pet Teaching - Cat & Dog Behaviourist & Trainer at the Congress. Linda is professional behaviourist with oodles of compassion and a wealth of veterinary experience. A supporter of More Purrs and someone who helped me immensely when Spooks passed ❤️
Please follow Linda's page to keep up to date with her wonderful work 🙏

Talking of veterinary care, Buster's condition is sadly deteriorating and I'm monitoring his quality of life carefully.
He is now in stage 3 Kidney Disease and has completely lost his sight. Being an older cat (nearly 15) the sight loss, coupled with the other symptoms are a struggle for him.
I can say with confidence however that he's thoroughly enjoying his renal diet and peaceful naps in the sunshine.
His outdoor trips now require human supervision too, to keep him safe.

Spartan continues to live a life that operates around shoelace activity... he demands the shoelace BEFORE breakfast and tea!
He's also found a love of shredding flyers that come through the letterbox and nibbling the edges of all cardboard boxes...

How are you all? ☺️

25/03/2024

A lovely article by the Queen of Cats Dr Sarah Ellis proving that not only is playing with your cat/s great for their emotional wellbeing (and your own!) it can also save the precious lives of birds! I call that WIN, WIN AND WIN!

🥰🐈‍⬛🐦

Sarah Ellis, head of cat mental wellbeing and behaviour at iCatCare shares her thoughts on how playing with your cat can help cats and wildlife. From SongBird Survival, your voice for songbirds and other small birds in the UK, a specialist charity.

25/03/2024

23/03/2024

Very important message about this breed...
Please watch 🙏

22/03/2024

Very proud to be here representing BSAVA Petsavers with Rosie Godfrey and Sarah Williams at the BSAVA Congress in Manchester!

Fabulous to meet Sarah Collins from International Society of Feline Medicine (who had heard about Spartan's Shoelace Challenge!) 🩵
International Cat Care

If you'd like to support the advancement of veterinary treatment and care, please show your support by following BSAVA PetSavers

28/01/2024

Sunday shoelace spam in case you need it! 😍
Spartan is full of beans today! 🐈‍⬛

Sad song (though purrrfect words) so I've left myself chattering away in the background 🤣🥹🥹

26/01/2024

always

❓ Did you know Scottish Fold cats have many health and issues, including serious cartilage and bone problems, leading to painful joint disease and severe arthritis?

It’s disappointing to see the new film, Argylle, normalising and further fuelling the popularity of the this cat breed. always advocates for , and we encourage anyone looking to get a pet to do the same.

Learn more about the issue of extreme conformation in pets 👉 https://ow.ly/ZhSl50QuQU9

25/01/2024

Please share & support 🙏

International Cat Care and other leading UK animal charities and welfare groups are expressing their joint concerns over popularising Scottish Fold cats and potentially harmful behaviours shown towards cats in the trailer for the upcoming film Argylle.

Read the full statement here https://icatcare.org/argylle-movie/

Cats Protection PDSA BSAVA Battersea Woodgreen Pets Charity Blue Cross UK RSPCA (England & Wales) The Animal Behaviour and Training Council The Governing Council of the Cat Fancy Pet Industry Federation - PIF

21/01/2024

A friend sent this to me this morning and I LOVE IT!!! Credit to "off the mark" comic by Mark Parisi

Did you know that spraying a cat with water will simply frighten/confuse them and damage the bond they have with you? This so called method of 'training' is ancient and unethical, but sadly still used in many cases to punish cats for doing what cats do i.e. scratching furniture or toileting in the wrong place.

I mean, fancy a cat (aka another species) not having an appreciation of human house rules? pffft...

If you are interested in understanding how cats learn and at the same time, how to increase your bond with your cat, I highly recommend the book 'The Trainable Cat' by Dr Sarah Ellis and John Bradshaw.

It's much kinder to reinforce desired behaviours and this book gives you step by step instructions for successful training! By understanding how cats learn, you can train your cat to cope with all sorts of things that they need to feel comfortable with in the modern age, like going in the cat carrier and allowing you to groom or give medication.

So keep your spray bottle purely for the purposes shown in this image - squirting humans who don't love our cats! 💦🔫

19/01/2024

What a purrfect way to support a well deserving charity! Great work ProtectaPet 👏🥰😻

Together we raised £289 in 2023 for International Cat Care from your ProtectaPet reviews🎉

Help us raise more in 2024:- https://g.page/r/CaC8dqci-7KjEAI/review