Keep Your Cat Safe in a Heat Wave

The temperature is soaring, and it’s only going to get hotter. Make sure you know how to keep your cat safe in the summer heat.

1. Watch out for heatstroke. Symptoms include panting, lethargy, drooling, fever, vomiting and       collapse. If you think your cat may have heatstroke, get the vet ASAP — the condition can cause permanent organ damage and death. Learn more about heatstroke in pets.

2. Offer your cat several ways to cool off. Leave a fan on in a place where your cat can sit in front of it, add some ice cubes to her water or offer her a cool treat (check out our recipe for catsicles.)

3. Let your cat find cool spots in the house. Your cat will seek out the cooler parts of your home, so make sure she has access to areas with tile floors or rooms that don’t get much sun.

4. Play in the morning or evening. Any exercise should take place during the cooler hours of the day. This is especially important for young kittens and seniors, both of whom are very vulnerable to heatstroke. (If your cat has just eaten, make sure you give her some time to digest before you begin playtime.)

5. Brush your cat often. A well-groomed, tangle-free coat will help keep your cat cool. (Learn more about grooming your cat.)

Article originally published by PetFinder.

Celebrate Pet Safety this Memorial Day

As the unofficial start to summer, Memorial Day is a great excuse to get outdoors. But whether you’re partying, barbequing, or just soaking up some rays, it’s important to keep your pet’s safety in mind at all times. To prevent any Memorial Day mishaps, we’ve put together five tips to help protect animals this Memorial Day weekend.

Party Smart

Barbequing is one of the best parts of Memorial Day, but remember that the food and drink you serve your guests may be poisonous to pets. Keep alcoholic beverages away from animals, and remind guests not to give them any table scraps or snacks. Raisins, grapes, onions, chocolate, and avocado are all common at barbeques—and they’re all especially toxic to animals.

Be Cool Near the Pool

Don’t leave pets unsupervised around a pool or lake—not all cats are expert swimmers! Introduce your pets to water gradually and make sure they wear flotation devices when on boats. Also, try to keep your pet from drinking pool water, which contains potentially dangerous chemicals like chlorine.

Skip the Spray

Unless specifically designed for animals, insect repellant and sunscreen can be toxic to pets. Signs of repellent toxicity include drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, excessive thirst, and lethargy. DEET, a common insecticide in products for humans, may cause neurological issues in pets.

Made in the Shade

Pets can get dehydrated quickly, so if you’re spending time outside, give them plenty of fresh, clean water and make sure they have a shady place to get out of the sun. Note that animals with flat faces, like Persian cats, are more susceptible to heat stroke since they cannot pant as effectively. These pets, along with the elderly, the overweight, and those with heart or lung diseases, should be kept cool in air-conditioned rooms as much as possible. 

IDs, Please

Time spent outdoors comes with the added risk of pets escaping. Make sure that your pet is fitted with a microchip or ID tag with identifying information, or both. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Source: http://www.aspca.org/blog/celebrate-pet-safety-memorial-day

Reasons To Act More Like Your Cat

Cats aren't always easy to take care of, and they often require a substantial time commitment, but they provide an amazing return on that time investment, especially when it comes to your health. Case in point: According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, pet owners tend to have lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels than non-pet owners. But that’s not all. Cats also model many surprisingly healthy behaviors that humans would do well to emulate. Here are just a few, according to veterinarians and other pet experts. 

1. They focus on what matters most. You may get grumpy after a bad day at the office, but your feline never does. Cats mostly care about food, love, and shelter (not always in that order). As long as they have those things, they don’t need much else,” Mary Gardner, DVM, a veterinarian and cofounder of Lap of Love Veterinary Hospice tells Yahoo Health. Cats also don’t complain much at all. People believe they hide their pain; I simply think they manage it differently.” If humans could model these behaviors, Gardner adds, we’d be healthier, happier, “and more people would want to be around us.” 

2. They practice portion control (even if not by choice). Snowball might not want to limit her kibble intake any more than you want to limit your tortilla-chip intake. Nonetheless, she typically eats reasonably sized helpings of nutritionally balanced food — and never gets to eat straight out of the bag. Follow her lead. “Both animals and people need structure and regulation when it comes to portion size,” says Jme Thomas, executive director of Motley Zoo Animal Rescue based in Redmond, Washington. 

3. They know how to de-stress. Your feline doesn’t pour a glass of cabernet when the going gets rough (though, yes, it would make a very popular YouTube video if she did). She may, however, start begging to play a game. 

4. They hit the hay. People don’t get enough sleep: According to a 2014 survey by the National Sleep Foundation, 45 percent of Americans said that a lack of sleep had impaired their activities at least once in the previous week. Learn from your cat, who knows just how important it is to get enough shut-eye, says Jeff Werber, VVM, president and chief veterinarian of Century Veterinary Group in Los Angeles. “You will always find your cat taking a quick cat nap, so you won’t find them burning the candles at both ends.” 

5. They stretch! There’s a reason one of the most common yoga moves is named after pet behaviors. Cats stretch constantly — and we should do the same, notes Russell Hartstein. Why? Stretching can improve flexibility and reduce your risk of injury. 

6. They’re open to new things. Cats are naturally curious. “Open a box or empty a bag and before you know it, your cat will have climbed in to investigate. “And they’re always up for some fun.” Since research has found that seeking out new experiences can keep people feeling young and healthy, we’d do well to follow suit.

7. They’re comfortable getting zen. Numerous studies have found a correlation between mindful meditation and reduced stress, decreased heart disease, and a stronger immune response — and that’s something your cat already knows how to do instinctively. “Each morning I sit on the sofa with my cat, Turtle, while I drink my first cup of coffee,” says Kristen Levine, a pet living expert. “We spend about 10 minutes together, her getting neck and head rubs, me enjoying her purring and having a few meditative moments at the start of the day. It sounds simple, and it can be, but depending on the activity, it can have a powerfully relaxing or invigorating effect for both human and critter.” 

Source: https://www.yahoo.com/health/7-health-lessons-our-pets-teach-us-112252958927.html

New Gadget Let's You Play with Your Pet from Anywhere in the World

PETCUBE:

Petcube is a box with a laser pointer, speaker, and light that you can control from anywhere in the world via the Petcube smartphone app.

You control the laser by moving your finger around your iPhone or Android phone’s screen. Anywhere your finger moves, your pet will follow, as long as she likes lasers.

You can also take screenshots of the app and share them via Petcube’s social network. What’s more, you can make your Petcube open to the public, so you can let anyone play with your pet while you’re home or away.

To be honest, letting strangers get a view of your home when you’re away (or home) sounds kind of strange, so maybe you’ll just want to stick with the lasers.

SOURCE: https://www.yahoo.com/tech/2-new-gadgets-let-you-play-with-your-pet-from-107338896099.html

COLD WEATHER CAT SAFETY TIPS

Brrrr—it's cold outside!  The following guidelines will help you protect your pet cats when the mercury dips.

1.Keep your cat inside. Outdoors, felines can freeze, become lost or be stolen, injured or killed. Cats who are allowed to stray are exposed to infectious diseases, including rabies, from other cats, dogs and wildlife.


2.During the winter, outdoor cats sometimes sleep under the hoods of cars. When the motor is started, the cat can be injured or killed by the fan belt. If there are outdoor cats in your area, bang loudly on the car hood before starting the engine to give the cat a chance to escape.


3. Make sure your cat always wears ID tags.


4.Thoroughly wipe off your cat's legs and stomach when he/she comes in out of the sleet, snow or ice. They can ingest salt, antifreeze or other potentially dangerous chemicals while licking their paws, and their paw pads may also bleed from snow or encrusted ice.


5.Never leave your cat alone in a car during cold weather. A car can act as a refrigerator in the winter, holding in the cold and causing the animal to freeze to death.


6.Like coolant, antifreeze is a lethal poison for cats. Be sure to thoroughly clean up any spills from your vehicle, and consider using products that contain propylene glycol rather than ethylene glycol. Visit the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center more information.


7.Make sure your feline has a warm place to sleep, off the floor and away from all drafts. A cozy cat bed with a warm blanket or pillow is perfect.






SOURCE: https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/cold-weather-tips

Get Your Cat Off of the Couch with Agility Training

Feline agility?

We know what you might be thinking. The chances of getting your cat to do agility are about as likely as:

1. Winning the lottery

2. Getting struck by lightning

3. Your cat finally accepting that you are the master of the house

Yet cats around the country are competing in agility competitions or doing courses in their own homes.

Still don’t believe it? Check out this video: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAI32TbMh2U

Not only is putting your cat through hoops fun, it’s also great for your cat, says Marla McGeorge, DVM, of The Cat Doctor animal hospital in Portland, Ore.  That’s because agility training fights obesity and boredom, two very common cat problems, she explains.

Want to keep your cat fit in body and mind, but not sure where to start? Check out this video tutorial (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q787R2DNDJI) to see one way to train a cat. If it doesn’t work, there are plenty of other methods to try: This is just one of YouTube’s 4,500 videos on cat training.

As you get started, keep these points in mind:

Watch for signs of osteoarthritis or other joint pain.

If your cat suffers from joint pain or other soreness, some of the obstacles in an agility course could make your cat’s condition worse. But knowing whether your cat is in pain can be nearly impossible, because cats don’t give obvious signs.

Watch for these signals that your cat is in pain:

• hesitating before jumping

• walking up stairs more slowly than he or she used to

• missing the mark when he or she jumps

If your cat does any one of these things, visit a veterinarian to find out what hurts and to relieve the pain.

And don’t give up altogether on agility. Modify it to work around your cat’s sore spots.  So, for example, if jumping hurts your cat, then have your cat crawl through a tunnel or walk up a ramp instead.

Protect your cat from mental stress.

Agility competitions reward cats and their owners for their hard work, but traveling from place to place and dealing with the hustle and bustle of competitions can be nerve-racking for a cat that is not used to it. 

If your cat freaks out when you attend a competition, don’t push the issue, she warns. Instead, build your own agility course at home.

Feeling ambitious? Duplicate the blueprint of the course from the recent the Cat Fanciers’ Association–Iams Cat Championship’s Feline Agility Competition. Or stick to simple, homegrown tricks like jumping from couch to couch or weaving through chair legs.

Remember—you have a cat, not a dog. Cats are not small dogs.

Cats have short bursts of energy. You’ll be lucky to work in 10 minutes of training in a day. You’ll have the best luck if you train for five minutes at a time, twice a day.

When it comes to motivation, cats and dogs couldn’t be more different. A dog will do anything for a treat, but cats consent to undergo agility training only if it is fun.

And that’s a good thing. You never have to worry if you’re forcing your cat to do something that he or she doesn’t want to do. As Weller says, “Cats will look at you and be like, ‘whatever’, and walk away.”

SOURCE: https://www.aaha.org/pet_owner/pet_health_library/cat_care/general_health/get_your_cat_off_of_the_couch.aspx

Labor Day Safety Tips for Cats

1. Do not apply any sunscreen or insect repellent product to your cat that is not labeled specifically for use on animals.

2. Made in the shade. Pets can get dehydrated quickly, so give them plenty of fresh, clean water, and make sure they have a shady place to escape the sun.

3. Always keep matches and lighter fluid out of paws' reach. Certain types of matches contain chlorates, which could potentially damage blood cells and result in difficulty breathing-or even kidney disease in severe cases.

4. Keep your cat on his normal diet. Any change, even for one meal, can give your pet severe indigestion and diarrhea.

5. Keep citronella candles, insect coils and oil products out of reach. Ingesting any of these items can produce stomach irritation and possibly even central nervous system depression in your cats, and if inhaled, the oils could cause aspiration pneumonia.

Source: http://www.catster.com/the-scoop/labor-day-pet-safety-tips