Caring for Cats : How to Give a Cat Medicine

Danger of a collar on a free-roaming home cat or a community cat

mms by a visitor to Blk 709 Bedok Reservoir Road in the afternoon of 1st February 2010 (Monday). SPCA rescue team responded very quickly to her call but failed to trap the cat as he was frightened by the high pressure cleaning going on at the void deck. CWS was also informed and caregivers in this area were notified to look out for this cat to release the paw.

How Owning a Dog or Cat Can Reduce Stress

How Owning a Dog or Cat Can Reduce Stress

When thinking of ways to reduce stress in life, usually techniques like meditation, yoga and journaling come to mind. These are great techniques, to be sure. But getting a new best friend can also have many stress relieving and health benefits. While human friends provide great social support and come with some fabulous benefits, this article focuses on the benefits of furry friends: cats and dogs! Research shows that, unless you’re someone who really dislikes animals or is absolutely too busy to care for one properly, pets can provide excellent social support, stress relief and other health benefits—perhaps more than people! Here are more health benefits of pets:

Read on....

Babies born in dirtier conditions are healthier

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Babies born in dirtier conditions are healthier

Here's another interesting article about how dirt may actually be good for babies. For all the parents who are worried their children are being exposed to 'dirty' animals, they may actually be doing their children a big disservice.

WHEN CATS GRIEVE

WHEN CATS GRIEVE
Copyright 2004, Sarah Hartwell

One of the most frequent questions I am asked is whether cats grieve or mourn the passing of a feline or human companion. When a cat dies, owners often notice behavioural changes in their remaining cats. Some of these are due to adapting to a changed hierarchy, but other behavioural changes are due to a sense of loss. Many cats grieve the loss of a close human companion and others show signs of loss when a canine companion ides or goes missing.

It is impossible to say exactly what emotions cats feel, but when a close companion goes missing they are certainly be aware of the absence. It is unlikely that they mourn in the human sense of the word, but there will be some behavioural changes as they adjust to the gap in their lives.

Read on.....

Cat Flu: How to get your cat healthy and happy again

http://www.catflu.biz/

Humans cannot catch flu from their cats so there’s no risk of you becoming ill too when your pet catches cat flu or cat cold.

It’s also worth noting that cats and kittens cannot catch colds or flu from their owners.

Vets often recommend antibiotics for the problem - but sometimes this is the wrong course of action since cat flu is a virus and antibiotics can often prove ineffective cures or remedies.

It is usually caused by one of two viruses - feline herpes or FHV-1 (which is also known as feline viral rhinotracheitis or FVR) and feline calici virus (FCV).

Vaccination for Cats: Helpful or Harmful?

Vaccination for Cats: Helpful or Harmful?

Written by Dr. Don Hamilton

Vaccination is not as widely and unquestionably accepted today as it was in the past. Many pet guardians and veterinarians believe we have taken the concept much farther than its usefulness warrants. In twenty years of veterinary practice, I have made the transition from believing strongly in the protective power of vaccines to becoming continually more certain that they create at least as much illness as they have ever prevented. In truth, I now consider vaccination to be tantamount to animal abuse in most cases.

Read on......

14 Year Old Cat Brings Happiness To Seniors

A "Cat Theraphy [sic]" poster in a nursing home

Should You Collar that Cat?

This cat was abandoned in an industrial car park with a collar that was displaced to encircle his neck and shoulder. Fortunately he was trapped for neutering on 20th November 2008.
He was named Copperfield.

After he was neutered, he was released back into the car park.

Surprisingly, his personality transformed from being shy and distrustful to being trusting.

On 25th January 2009, decision was made to board him for rehoming as it was feared that he would disappear like his "partner" at car park (another abandoned cat that was also recently trapped for neutering).

Photo of Copperfield in a shelter.

He was adopted by Kenneth on 21st March 2009.

Copperfield was renamed Tiger and he became a member of the family.

Photos taken on 16th April 2009

Kids' best friends: Pets help prevent allergies

August 28, 2002 Posted: 5:39 AM EDT (0939 GMT)

By Gina Greene
CNN

(CNN) -- Flying in the face of conventional wisdom, a new study shows that children who grow up with pets in the home have a reduced risk of developing common allergies.

"It was very strongly the opposite of what we expected to find," said lead researcher Dr. Dennis R. Ownby, who is chief of allergy and immunology at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta. "Allergists have been trained for generations that dogs and cats in the house were bad because they increased the risk of you becoming allergic to them; we know that before you become allergic to something you have to be repeatedly exposed to it."

But the study, released in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association -- which tracked a group of 474 babies from birth to about age 7 -- found differently. Researchers found that the 184 children in the group exposed to two or more dogs or cats in infancy were half as likely to develop common allergies than the 220 children who had no pets in the home.

CNN NewsPass VIDEO A new study shows that children who grow up with pets in the home have a reduced risk of developing common allergies. CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports (August 28) Play video EXTRA INFORMATION Chart: Rate of pet allergies among children

The researchers found the group exposed to animals had fewer positive skin test to indoor allergens -- such as pet and dust mite allergens -- and also outdoor allergens like ragweed and grass.

Moreover, the kids exposed to cats and dogs were almost half as likely to have hyper-responsive and easily irritated airways -- a risk factor for asthma.

The research also suggests that more is better. For example, 15.5 percent of kids without pets were allergic to cats compared with almost 12 percent with one cat or dog. That number dropped to just under eight percent when two or more pets were in the home.

"This contributes to the mounting evidence that the things allergists have believed for years and parents have lived by are wrong," said Ownby, Indeed the body of evidence is growing. In fact, a recent study sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases found that low-to-moderate amounts of cat allergen triggered allergies in children while high amounts had a preventive effect against allergies -- and asthma as well.

So what is it about cats and dogs? Researchers think the secret may lie in endotoxins, the breakdown products of bacteria found in the animals' mouths. They're thought to force the body's immune system into developing a response pattern that's less likely to lead to allergic reactions.

"The bottom line," says Ownby, "is that maybe part of the reason we have so many children with allergies and asthma is we live too clean a life."

Ten Ways to Avoid Cat-Related Sleep Deprivation

http://cats.about.com/od/youandyourcat/tp/sleepdeprived.htm?nl=1

Does your cat constantly wake you at night by either playing on the bed, waking you to be fed, or wanting cuddle time when all you want is sleep? Many people with sleeping disorders have problems going back to sleep after being awakened by a cat. There is no need to suffer from cat-related sleep deprivation. Try one or more of these suggestions to get a full night's sleep, and still give your cat the attention he needs.

1. Give Your Cat His Own Bed

If you already have a sleeping disorder, it is best that you never encourage your cat to sleep on your bed. This means making your bedroom off-limits at all times. Once a cat finds your bed a comfortable place to snooze during the day, he will automatically want to sleep with you at night. Give kitty a comfortable bed in a spare room, corner of the living room (with a screen for privacy), or even a bathroom. If necessary, rub a bit of catnip on the bed initially, to encourage him to use it.

2. Schedule Playtime Before Bed

Cats are normally nocturnal animals. They sleep all day and play or hunt all night. You can help readjust their schedules by scheduling an interactive play period of at least 15 minutes before bedtime, with a toy such as da Bird. Follow the play sessions with a snack for kitty and a warm bath for yourself. Both of you will feel more like sleeping when you are through.

3. Close the Bedroom Door

A determined cat might scratch at the door for awhile, but he will eventually give up and either go to sleep or find some other activity. You can help prevent damage to the door by either mounting a vertical scratch pad on it, trimming his nails, or using Soft Claws.

4. Use Earplugs

If his scratching at the door keeps you awake, even though he eventually stops, use earplugs. Swimmers' earplugs effective seal the ear canal and should give you some sleep relief

5. Use Ocean Sounds or White Noise

There are a number of commercial products on the market for peaceful sounds that will help you sleep (with the cat on the other side of the door). You can select from bird sounds, ocean/waterfall sounds, or just "white noise," and earphones will help amplify and enhance the sleep-inducing effects.

6. If He's Home Alone, Adopt a Second Cat

A single cat may easily become bored at home alone all day, and rightfully will expect his human companion to give him attention in the evening and at night. A second cat will give him companionship of his own kind to keep him happy during the day, and will lessen those nocturnal urges to wake you for play. This is especially true with kittens, who have much more excess energy to burn during their first year of growth. Two kittens are almost always better than one.

7. Darken the Room

If you are only bothered by those pouncing, biting attacks at your toes at night, use those room-darkening shades to completely darken the room. Replace the digital or florescent dial clocks by the bedside. Although cats can see in very low light, they cannot see in total darkness. (They'll also be more inclined to go to sleep.)

8. Don't Give In To Food Demands

If your sleep annoyance is those little pitty-pats or nose bumps to your cheeks in early morning hours when kitty thinks it's time for breakfast, don't allow her to train you. Tell her firmly, "no!," then cover your head with the sheet, blanket, or even pillow, if necessary. When your own clock (internal or table model) tells you it's time to wake up, feed her immediately. She'll soon learn that breakfast is served on your schedule rather than hers.

9. Try a Temporary Sleep Aid

Drink a glass of warm milk flavored with a drop of vanilla after your bath. If that doesn't help, as a last resort, ask your doctor to prescribe a mild sedative to help you sleep. It doesn't necessarily have to be something that will "knock you out for the count," but a mild relaxant should do the trick. You should consider this only a temporary solution as your feline nocturnal training progresses.

10. Establish a Predictable Schedule

Cats do not like surprises, and are most happy when their household revolves around a predictable schedule. Giving them a set time for food, safe outdoor play, interactive play, grooming, and petting will go a long way toward maintaining their well-being and giving you a good night's sleep, every night.

Dogs are 'allergy-busters for children'

By Ashley Hall

Posted Wed Apr 30, 2008 11:00am AEST

The study seems to give weight to the theory that children growing up in an environment that is too clean are most vulnerable to allergies. (AAP Image: Greater Port Macquarie Tourism)

If you are the parent of a young child with asthma, you will be well aware of the range of views about whether it is a good idea to have a pet in the house.

A six-year study of 9,000 children in Germany has found they run less risk of being sensitive to allergens if they share their home with a dog.

Professor Guy Marks, the head of the epidemiology group at the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research in Sydney, has researched the effectiveness of pets as allergy-busters.

"This research is another piece of evidence which fits with previous research to suggest that there's something about having pets which seems to be associated with protection against development of allergic disease," he said.

"There have now been a number of these studies. Most of them have related to cats, but some like this one relate to dogs.

"I suspect there's nothing specific about pets, about cats and dogs, it's probably a general phenomenon about having household pets.

"What it is about having the pets that's protective still remains unclear."

The study seems to give weight to the theory that children growing up in an environment that is too clean are most vulnerable to allergies.

"That's been one of the interpretations of this type of evidence - that having pets around the house, or not having pets, is associated with a cleaner environment and that that increases your risk of having allergy," he said.

Bacteria exposure

"In fact, they looked in this study at one particular aspect of cleanliness, which is exposure to endotoxin, a substance that's associated with bacteria, to see whether or not that was a marker for reduced cleanliness.

"And in fact, they didn't show an association with endotoxin. So it remains unclear, as I said previously, what the mechanism is - it may or may not be associated with cleanliness."

The study also found the dog had to live at the home, not just be a frequent visitor or infrequent contact with the children for there to be a benefit in this study.

"One of the possible hypotheses is that people who have pets and other behavioural characteristics or other lifestyle characteristics which are associated with protection," Professor Marks said.

"In other words, just having a pet is just a marker for something else in people's life that is the real factor that protects them against developing allergic disease.

"What that would be, I don't know."

Professor Marks says unless a child is already allergic to pets and has symptoms associated with allergy to pets, people do not need to avoid getting pets.

"But ... if you're not a family that otherwise would want to have cats and dogs in the house then you don't need to go out and do that," he said.

"I think in other words what I think it does is free parents to make up their own mind on other grounds, as to whether or not they want to have pets."