Is your relationship with your beloved cat strained due to frustrating behavioral problems, such as
If you are looking for “people food” that can be shared with your cat, here is a list of healthy options that can be given as a small snack:
apples (toxic core and seeds removed to prevent cyanide poisoning), bananas, blueberries, cantaloupe, broccoli, carrots, peas, pumpkin, spinach and zucchini.
Does anyone out there have a cat with a ”people food” obsession? Chive loves bananas, blueberries and snap peas. 🍌🫐
Cats and their boxes. ❤️
Cheezburger.com - Crafted from the finest Internets.
Happy Global Cat Appreciation Day! In celebration of feral cats and those who TNR, feed and care for them, here is a short video of two of our feral cats, Sage and Poisson (Squeaker). They are well-socialized but still prefer to live their lives outdoors.
Feline Fact of the Day: a new study shows that kittens bond with their humans like babies do. Check out this article at PBS.org for more information on this breakthrough study: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/cats-secure-attachment/
They’re not as aloof as some think.
Feline Fact of the Day: cats do not lap water like dogs do. They draw it up in a column with their tongue. For more information on this cool cat fact, check out this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fgf9y8mo414
For more, visit http://news.discovery.com/videos | The difference between dogs and cats just widened, as scientists have found that the two animals drink liq...
Feline Fact of the Day: cats domesticated themselves. They first established a symbiotic relationship with humans 6,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent, where they controlled the mice population in farming communities.
Feline Fact of the Day: cats will often prefer to drink water from their bowl immediately after you fill it. Or from your glass. Or even the toilet. This is because water that has been sitting out is stagnant, and is associated with decay and disease.
Feline Fact of the Day: spider plants are not poisonous to cats, but act as a hallucinogenic. So if your cat gets the zoomies after nibbling on one, they may be feeling the effects of the plant.
Feline Fact of the Day: cat’s knead, or “make biscuits”, as a comfort gesture. This comes from the instinctual need to stimulate their mother’s milk when they are born, and is a gesture they continue throughout their lives.
Feline Fact of the Day: Did you know that 99.9% of calico cats are female? Therefore a male calico cat is very rare, and are often are born with genetic abnormalities, which, sadly, can shorten their lifespan. Conversely, orange tabby cats are 80% male and 20% female. The X chromosome provides the coding for both orange and black coloring. Female cats have two XX chromosomes, and males have XY. In females, one of the X chromosomes in each cell is randomly deactivated. With calicos, the random mix of color genes activated or deactivated provides the splotches of orange and black in their coats. With orange tabbies, the orange X chromosome gets passed on from their mother. The female orange tabby needs the X chromosome to be passed on from both parents, while the male only needs the X from their mother.
Do you have a calico or orange tabby? Feel free to share stories/photos about them in the comments.
Feline Fact of the Day: a cat’s preference for the type of food they eat is hard-wired genetically. This is why some cats prefer mice over rabbits, and why your domesticated cat prefers pate over chunks, chicken over fish. 😺
Feline Fact of the Day:
Cats socialize throughout their lives, but their prime socialization period is 8-12 weeks of age. If you raise a litter of kittens, make sure they stay with their siblings and mom through this time period (if possible). Introduce them to as many different people and pets as you can, and they will be well-socialized as they mature.
Feline fact of the day: when a cat’s tail is swishing back and forth, that is a warning, not a happy sign, like a dog wagging his tail.
Time to move those hands away and give the cat their space. 😺
Feline fact of the day: cats scratch not only because it feels good and sharpens their claws, but also to leave their scent. They have sweat glands in their paws and when they scratch, they leave behind their scent. This is often why they gravitate towards furniture in your main living areas. They want to add their scent to yours, because you are part of their territory. 😻
Redirecting them to scratching posts strategically placed throughout your house will provide that much-needed outlet while keeping your furniture intact. Pay attention to the kind of surface they like to scratch, and whether they are a vertical or horizontal scratcher. You can then provide both the texture and height that they prefer. Keep those beans and claws healthy!
Feline fact of the day: the hunting instinct for cats is so innate that they will hunt even when they are not hungry, which is why they almost always are up for a play session that simulates a hunt. Keep your kitties engaged by rotating their toys.
Happy Caturday! 😻
Porcini loves sitting in brown bags. And boxes. What about your kitty? Feel free to post a pic of your bag/box-loving kitty in the comments!
Ever wonder why your kitty does this? It is instinctual behavior for them to seek out a confined space, to stay safe from predators in the wild. Being in a box or bag protects them from a sneak attack that could come from the side or from behind them. Anything that wants to come close to them must do so from the front and directly into their field of vision. If a bird or mouse (or a toy) passes by them, they can safely dash out, grab their tasty morsel, and then return to their hiding space.
And that’s your feline fact of the day. 😺
It’s Feline Friday!
Did you know that feral cats will nurse and care for other kittens in their colony, much like their lioness cousins?
Feline Fact of the Day: when cats make a stank face after smelling something, that is called the Flehmen Response. This transfers pheromones and other scents to the vomeronasal organ, or Jacobson’s organ, which plays a role in taking in pheromones and certain scents. 😺
Feline fact of the day: did you know that cats are crepuscular? That means that they are most active at dusk and dawn, which are primary hunting times.
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