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Greetings and Purrs
Welcome to the premiere issue of The Cat
Health Mewsletter, created by veterinarian Dr. Christianne Schelling, a pioneer of
the latest approaches to healthy feline lifestyles.
Cats are endlessly complex, fascinating, and mysterious. Thanks to these
qualities, the Mewsletter will never run out of topics and articles
relevant to you and your kitties. We will write forever!
Actually, the Mewsletter will regularly provide you with useful
articles on subjects such as: understanding the importance of playing
with your cat, solving behavior problems, humanely managing your cat's
fine cutlery (aka, her claws), inspiring perfect litter box attendance,
dealing with holidays, and keeping your cat happy, healthy, and safe
throughout a long, robust life.
The Mewsletter will also report the product reviews of
Fancy, the Mewsletter office cat,
and her staff. We'll feature it allthe good, the bad, and the hard-to-categorize:
What did Fancy like? What did she totally ignore? You need to know and
your cat will thank you with nonstop kneading of her paws!
All of our articles will be human-friendly: no unintelligible jargon.
So read on, and let the purring begin!
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Is your cat overweight or just big boned? Theres a
simple way to tell. Sit your cat on his haunches so that his body is
vertical to the floor. An apron of skin that hangs below the abdomen
is an indication that its not just the bones that are big. Its
the equivalent of a pot belly in humans. You should be able to feel
the cats ribs by running your hands along his sides.
Obesity in domesticated cats is a common problem. One cause may be that
we get fulfillment from feeding our cats, so we overdo it. Once kitty
knows you're a pushover, he'll fine-tune his approach to get food out
of you. You know the drill plaintive meow, pleading eyes, forlornly
looking at the empty food bowl. Here are some possible solutions to
being wimpy in this manner:
- Prefer to hang out with kitty in rooms other than
the one with his food bowl. Out of sight, out of mind.
- If you have a habit of loving kitty with food, try a play session
instead. Kitty may just be looking for attention. After a round of
fun, calorie-burning play, you can reward kitty with a treat or two,
to simulate eating the caught prey.
- Consider a food ball, a toy that deposits kibble as kitty pushes
it around. The idea is that he gets some exercise while eating. Note
that this is, at best, a partial solution; kitty can easily eat more
calories than he uses up in rolling the ball around, and the food
ball is not a substitute for a more relaxing meal at the food bowl.
- Motivation: Extra weight can increase your cat's chances of arthritis
and other diseases, and decrease his quality of life.
Be sure to take your cat in for regular veterinary checkups.
The veterinarian will take kitty's weight and may discuss weight management
issues and strategies with you based on your cat's unique situation.
Before embarking on any weight loss program for your cat, consult with
your veterinarian. Important: No crash diets. Cats should only lose
weight in a slow, steady manner. (This article on the liver explains how drastic cutbacks in kitty's calories can damage that vital organ.)
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Do You Sing to Your Cats?
If so, why? What is it about our cats that makes us improvise nursery
rhymes, or take a Frank Sinatra tune and substitute kitty's name in it?
Do we think the melodic tone of a song is
more pleasing to kitty? Do our cats just
inspire us to be silly? Let us know which
real or made-up songs you sing to your
cats and what they think of them.
Contact us at:
comments@mewsletter.com
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There is almost nothing more soothing at the end of a long day then
to turn out the lights, climb into bed, and settle in to a deep snooze
with your trusty feline friend the master sleeper. Until he wakes
up three hours later and wants to play or be fed, or executes a full
body wash inches from your face.
If you're reading this and its 1am, and youre up because you had to
give kitty a snack, youll probably be interested in this article: How to Train Your Cat to Let You Sleep Sometimes
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Onions and anything in the onion family, such as garlic, scallions,
chives, and leeks are dangerous for cats; they can cause a form
of anemia. While your cat is unlikely to intentionally ingest a piece
of onion that falls on the floor, she may accidentally consume it when
washing, if it sticks to her paws. So be sure to clean up after chopping
onions for your marinara sauce.
Similarly, onion powder is an ingredient in many processed foods for
humans, including baby food. These foods can be toxic to cats. (There
are many other human foods that should not be given to cats. An upcoming
Mewsletter article will have a full report.)
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Worlds Tiniest Cat Quiz
How many housecats (cats living in human families) are there in the
United States?
In 2004, the latest year for which there are figures, there were 90.5
million cats living with us in our homes. The number is almost certainly higher now, as it climbs each year.
In case youre wondering, that works out to about 25,000 households scooping the litter box every second.
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We want your feedback! What would you like to see in the Mewsletter?
What changes would you recommend? Is the Mewsletter too short? Too long?
Do you mind the play on words? Please be honest you won't hurt
our feelings. And even if you do, we won't hold it against you.
The email is comments@mewsletter.com.
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