Most cats do a great job with general hygiene maintenance, with their careful and thorough daily routine of self-bathing using their tongues and paws. Their rough tongues are effective at getting most of the day-to-day detritus that works into their coats, and frequent brushing by a doting pet parent is not only a pleasant bonding moment for most, it can also help them maintain their cleanliness with fewer hairballs to clean up in various nooks and crannies of your home. However, The National Cat Groomers Institute of America recommends that you bathe your feline friend with water and shampoo about once every four to six weeks, to get to the dirt and grime that can build up deeper under the surface and lead to skin irritation or unpleasant smells. [Read more…]
Keep Your Cat Safe This Thanksgiving
Your Thanksgiving feast may look irresistible to your cat, but most of your Thanksgiving menu should be for human consumption only. Many Thanksgiving foods can be dangerous to your cat (and dog), ranging from causing stomach upset to toxic ingredients. [Read more…]
Cats and Sleep
You may notice that your cat’s favorite hobby is sleeping a lot. Your cat finds the coziest spots, on top of a windowsill soaking up the sun, a comfy place on the couch, and sometimes on the pillow right by your head. Also, you may notice that your cat sleeps at odd times throughout the day and is wide awake right before you decide it’s time for bed. Your cat’s sleep cycle is complicated, but some of it is understood.
How many hours a day do cats sleep?
Despite all the cat naps, cats typically sleep between 12 and 16 hours each day. Older cats may sleep up to 18 hours a day or more to conserve energy. Cats sleep in a polyphasic sleep pattern; this means that they sleep in many smaller periods each day rather than the one long period we humans usually do—cats, on average, rest 50 to 113 minutes at a time.
Cat Sleep Cycle
Cats have a circadian rhythm or internal biological sleep clock that dictates their daily sleep-wake cycle. Cats sleep in a crepuscular process driven by predatory nature. This includes two peaks of activity, one before sunrise and one around sunset, to prey on morning birds or nocturnal rodents.
Like humans, cats experience sleep stages, including rapid eye movement (REM) and non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. During REM, cats may dream as humans do.
Why is sleep important for your cat?
Cats need sleep for a variety of reasons to survive, including:
- Plays a part in memory formation
- Boosts their immune system
- It helps the body recharge
- Helps conserve energy
- Helps regulate emotions
- Helps with recovery processes
My cat is having sleep issues
If your cat seems to have unusual sleep patterns or seems to be experiencing excessive wakefulness – these could both indicate underlying health conditions.
- Too much sleep and lethargic behavior can indicate kidney disease, deafness, and hypothyroidism.
- Too little sleep and restlessness can indicate lack of stimulation, hyperthyroidism, and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV).
Other changes observed in addition to sleep issues can include changes in behavior, bathroom habits, eating habits, and signs of disorientation. If you observe unusual changes in your cat, you should talk to your veterinarian.
Cat News Making Headlines October 2021
Read all about it – the top cat news in the headlines include a cat sitter, a cat that loves taking road trips, and more.
Shot-gun riding cat
Frodo, the cat, loves to travel in cars and will jump at every chance to take a ride with his family. He has even been known to become a stowaway on other people’s vehicles.
A Cat Sitter Tell All
Stephen Taylor, a Bay City residence, used his ten years of experience cat sitting to write and publish a book called “Your Cat Won’t Do That!: Observations and Advice for Cat Companions from a Longtime Cat-Sitter”. He got the idea after cat owners would tell him what their cat would do, and they would not always do it. Learn more about this book on Taylor’s book website.
Fancy Feast Advent Calendar Returning for 2021
Don’t want to leave your cat out of your holiday traditions? Fancy Feast is releasing its advent calendar for a second year. This calendar features a 24 can countdown of cat food, with two limited-edition food offerings, including Yuletide Turkey Feast with Sweet Potato and Tomato in Gravy and Hearthside Salmon Platter with Pumpkin and Spinach Pate. Also included: a Fancy Feast Holiday Ornament—a decoration inspired by a sugar cookie, which comes with a cat-shaped cookie cutter and an exclusive recipe from Nestle Tollhouse. If that wasn’t enough, 100% of the proceeds would be donated to RedRover.
“The holidays are all about bringing everyone together, and that should also include our festive felines,” Lindsey Klippel, marketing associate at Fancy Feast, said in a release. “That’s why we’re so excited to be bringing a variety of new items and holiday flavors, perfect for the cats and cat-lovers in your life.
The advent calendar is $25 and will be available at Amazon, Chewy, Walmart, and Target.
Protect Black Cats
Black cats are synonymous with Halloween, but they are not a holiday decoration! Black cats are the most at-risk cats as rescues, strays, and those in loving furever homes. Black cats need extra consideration all year, but especially during Halloween. Let’s talk about why that is and how you can help protect black cats.
Why are people scared of black cats?
Historically, many stories and rumors spread that created superstitions and naive beliefs about black cats. This caused many people to fear them over a long period. From bad luck to a witches’ familiar to satanic worship – black cats get a bad rap.
It wasn’t always this way many black cats were worshipped:
- In ancient Egypt, they worshipped a cat goddess named Bast that was often a black cat, and people kept them in their homes hoping to be blessed by Bast.
- In Celtic mythology, a black cat form of a fairy was called Cat Sith – people believed if you left a saucer of milk on Halloween, also known as Samhain, the household would be blessed with an entity.
- Scottish people peopled a black cat in a house meant prosperity for the household.
- In Britain, black cats are considered good luck, and in fact, King Charles I gave his black cat credit for his good luck.
- In Japan, they also believe black cats are good luck, especially with finding love.
So when and why did people start thinking that black cats were bad luck?
- There was a horrible mass killing of black cats in the middle ages because they were associated with Satan, witches, and the supernatural. They were also associated with bad luck and death.
- Puritans in America thought black cats were associated with witches or witches’ familiars. They also believed that witches could inhabit a black cat.
- In Italy, during the 16th century, people believed that if a black cat lay on a person’s sickbed, death was imminent.
- If a black cat crosses your path, it is bad luck – another widespread myth along with a black cat walking away from you, seeing one from behind, or they are spotted during a funeral procession.
What is Black Cat Syndrome?
Black cats are adopted at lower rates than other cats and are more likely to be euthanized – this is a long-held belief in the cat rescue community. However, according to a recent study, this is a myth, and the reason people believe this is because there are more black cats overall.
Black cat syndrome is a term coined by cat shelters. Of course, this phenomenon has more to do with ignorance or superstition than something wrong with black cats. October is black cat awareness month to dispel these beliefs. However, many shelters and rescues are hesitant to allow black cat adoptions during October, as they must be cautious of adopters that do not want to adopt for the right reasons.
How to protect black cats during October
Halloween isn’t the only day your black cat is in danger; it is the entire month leading up to it.
- It is a good idea to keep your black cat inside during the month to avoid someone snatching your cat and doing something horrible – some people sadly play tricks with black cats and hurt or kill them in the process
- If you are at a rescue or adoption center – be wary of people asking for a black cat before Halloween – many people adopt them just before as a party prop and then abandon them on November 1st
- All cats are safer inside on Halloween night and far from trick or treaters and candy that may be toxic to them – for more about Halloween safety tips – click here.