Jezza
Just added a photo album of a lovely cat called Jezza. Check this out:
Pregnant women: Stay away from your cat’s poo poo!
If you are newly pregnant, you should stop scooping your cat’s poo poo litter box. Cats, particularly outdoor cats that touch dead animals, are known to carry a parasite called toxoplasma gondii. This parasite can pass from cats to humans. Most humans have immunity over these parasites; if not, it will just bring mild flu that will last for a few days. But they are very dangerous to fetuses that are in the first three months of pregnancy. This disease is called toxoplasmosis. Symptoms will not show in most mothers and babies born under this disease may be sick at birth or disease symptoms may occur weeks to years later. Signs of toxoplasmosis include mental retardation, eye and nervous system disease, deafness, lung disease, fever, jaundice and rash.
Cats shed toxoplasma gondii cysts (eggs) in their feces 3 - 10 days after eating infected meat that are infected with toxoplasma gondii. So if your cat always stays indoor and you know what he/she eats all the time (I suppose there is not any meat lying on the floor of anyone’s house!), then you don’t need to worry. But if your cat wanders outside all the time and your are pregnant, don’t stay near to your cat, at least for the first three months of your pregnancy!
Grooming
Grooming plays an important role in maintaining your cat’s health.
Regular grooming helps minimize excessive shedding problem, preventing your cat from ingesting and coughing up hairballs. Gentle brushing can also massage your cat’s coat while removing its dry & dead skins to promote healthy hair growth.
Remember to always brush gently from front to back, slowly working your way through the entire coat, especially when you are trying to comb out fur mats. Reassuring your cat with a soothing voice can also be a great help if your cat tends to get nervous while being brushed.
Keeping A Cat Happy
Dear Cat Lover:
My job requires me to work very long hours, and sometimes I don’t get home until late at night, with occasional short business trips. Normally I give all my attention to my cat whenever I’m around. What I’m worried about is while I’m away, since I am living alone. What are some good ways to help minimize my cat’s anxiety?
Natalie
Dear Natalie: Busy individuals like Natalie who are always away from home may find their cats extra clingy and demanding whenever they return home, mainly caused by the long separation. For indoor cats, you can try to set up a few simple “entertainment systems” for them, so they don’t feel too lonely, especially for kittens, they sometimes develop depression much easily if they are left alone for long hours.
- My favorite is to get a small fish tank. Most cats enjoy watching fishes swimming and can sit and stare at the tank for quite a while. But please make sure to get those with lid covers, you don’t want your cat to start catching fish.
- Get a small water fountain. They likes to play with water, and a small fountain can keep them entertained for hours. Avoid putting this near your expensive furniture or carpet, as sometimes, they can make a mess with water spilling all around.
- There are videos developed specifically for cats to watch. Even though human would think the video is absolutely boring, cats love it. They would never get bored of it even after watching it million of times. Prepare a small stool for them, so they can easily and comfortably sit in front of your TV and watch. One drawback is, sometimes they’d start “hunting” the bugs shown on the video, and may scratch your TV screen.
- Keep your curtain/ blinds open, cats love to look out of the windows, and like to lay under the warm sunlight as well. Please make sure your windows are shut to avoid them from jumping off the building.
- Leave plenty of toys that your cat loves inside your house, preferably with catnips: balls, small stuff animals, small paper bags, small carton boxes, etc. If you have enough space in your apartment, a large scratching post and one of those indoor cat houses are good alternatives.
- Lastly, depending on your situation, you can consider getting a 2nd cat so they can keep each other company. Watch out, as sometimes they don’t get along. I personally have tried it a few times, with different breeds of cats, but not every time they get merge into each other’s lives as easily as expected.
All the above are suggestions that you can try to help keep your cat happy and entertained while you are away, for work or for small trips. Please never take these “methods” for granted, and please keep in mind to always spend more time to interact and communicate with your cats. Let them feel content, secure and comfortable, as they need your love.
Cat Lover
