Ingrid King's Blog: The Conscious Cat, page 355

Rad Cat Diet Voluntary Recall

Rad Cat is recalling several of its formulas for possible contamination with Listeria and Salmonella. The following products are being recalled:

Grass-Fed Beef (8oz, 16oz, 24oz, Samples) Lot 62384, Best By Date 2/6/17
Grass-Fed Beef (8oz, 16oz, 24oz, Samples) Lot 62361, Best By Date 1/8/17
Free-Range Chicken (8oz, 16oz, 24oz, Samples) Lot 62416, Best By Date 3/14/17
Free-Range Turkey (8oz, 16oz, 24oz) Lot 62372, Best By Date 1/21/17

Lot numbers and best by dates are on the lids of all of the...

Giveaway: Merrick Backcountry Starter Kit

This giveaway is sponsored by Merrick Pet Care

I got a first look at Merrick’s Backcountry Ancestral Feline Diet line at Global Pet Expo in March, and I liked what I saw. These grain-free, protein-rich formulas meet the dietary needs of our obligate carnivores.

While I don’t recommend any dry food for cats, I have to give Merrick credit for introducing a line of kibble that includes freeze dried raw protein pieces. I still don’t consider it a good choice for cats, but if you absolutely must...

June is Adopt-a-Cat Month. What Can You Do to Help?

Each spring during kitten season, thousands of newborn kittens join the millions of cats already in shelters and foster homes across the country.The American Humane Association has designated June as Adopt-a-Cat Month to help find these cats permanent homes.

Shelters and rescue groups across the country can use your help, even if you can’t adopt right now. Here are a few ways you can help find homes for catsduring Adopt-a-Cat month (and every month):

Donate. Contact your favorite shelter or...

Darwin’s Raw Cat Food: Feed Your Cat the Way Nature Intended

Cats are obligate carnivores, which means they need meat in their diet to thrive. Their systems aren’t designed to digest carbohydrates. A raw diet is one of the best ways to fulfill cats’ nutritional requirements. There are numerous benefits from feeding a raw diet to your cat, including improved digestion, reduced stool odor and volume, increased energy, ability to maintain ideal weight, better dental health, and better urinary tract health.

Embraced for decades by holistically oriented pe...

How Often Should You Clean the Litter Box?

When it comes to litter boxes, cleanliness truly is next to godliness. Cats are fastidious creatures. Using a dirty litter box is, at best, uncomfortable for them, and at worst, will cause them to eliminate outside the box.

A dirty litter box, to a cat, is the same as a public restroom with unflushed toilets and toilet paper all over the floor is to us. How many times have you walked out of a restroom like that without using it, no matter how badly you needed to go?

Keeping a clean litter bo...

Happy Father’s Day

Whether your kids are human or furry, enjoy your special day!

Father’s Day can be bittersweet for those of us whose fathers are no longer with us. My dad passed away 12 years ago, but I still get a little sad when friends talk about what they’re going to do to celebrate, or when I see Father’s Day cards pop up in stores.

Two years ago, I shared some reflections on what it’s like for fatherless children, no matter what our age, to commemorate our fathers on Father’s Day. If Father’s Day is a...

Mews and Nips: 25-Year-Old Cat Finds New Home

When Sandi Smith heard about 25-year-old Tiger, whose guardian had to give her up for adoption due to a medical procedure, she said “my heart just broke.” Tiger doesn’t like other pets, and even though Smith already had seven cats and two dogs at home, she adopted the senior kitty, who now lives at Smith’s antique store. She has the run of the place, with plenty of pieces of furniture to hide behind and lounge on. For more about Tiger and some photos in her new residence, visit the Naples Da...

Who Will Care for Your Cats if You Can’t Get Home in an Emergency?

In the aftermath of the horrific shooting in Orlando, the lives of the families of the 49 victims who were killed, and the more than 50 who were injured, will never be the same. But there’s another set of lives that was also affected by this tragedy: the lives of the pets whose humans will either never come home, or won’t come home for a very long time.

It made me think once again about just how important it is to have a plan in place to provide for our cats’ care during unexpected emergenci...

Stress to Success: The Essential Guide to Medicating Your Feisty, Grumpy or Reluctant Cat

When it comes to giving pills to pets, dog owners tend to have it easier. Put the pill in a little bit of peanut butter or cheese and most dogs will think they’re getting a treat and won’t argue with the owner. When it comes to cats, it’s usually not quite that simple. Rumor has it there are some cats who will allow their humans to pill them easily, but if my personal experience and that with veterinary clients is any indication, they’re few and far between.

Dr. Kristopher Chandroo, a veteri...

Tortoiseshell Cat is a Diabetic Alert Cat

You’ve probably heard of diabetic alert dogs. These dogs are trained to monitor smells in the air for a specific scent on the human breath that is indicative of rapidly dropping or low blood sugar levels, and to alert the diabetic person. Goldie, a 6-year-old tortoiseshell cat who resides in Maine, has been performing this life-saving service for her human dad. What’s truly remarkable is that nobody trained Goldie to do this. But why don’t I let Goldie tell your what she does in her own word...