Ingrid King's Blog: The Conscious Cat, page 381

How Cats Change Your World: Five People Whose Lives Have Been Transformed by Their Cats

Guest postbyLoren Brutsch

Small and fluffy or big and trim, it doesn’t matter. Sharing life with a cat can change a person’s life. To some that change simply means coming home to unconditional love every day, but for others it can mean fame and fortune.

We’ve selected five cat guardians who, by deciding to welcome a furry friend into their home, have experienced incredible, life changing success.

1. James Bowen and Street Cat Bob

James Bowen was at a low point in 2007, when a ginger cat nam...

Leeo Smart Alert Protects Your Cats and Your Home

This post is sponsored by Leeo Smart Alert

It’s every cat guardian’s worst nightmare: you’re away from home, and there’s a gas leak, or a fire starts somewhere in your home. According to the US Fire Administration, more than half a million pets are affected by house fires each year, and 40,000 actually perish, so this is not an unfounded cause for concern. With the advent of webcams, monitoring your home while you’re gone has become easier and more commonplace, but a webcam requires constant...

Blue Buffalo Recalls Kitty Yums Chicken Recipe Cat Treats Due to Presence of Propylene Glycol

Blue Buffalo Company, Ltd. is voluntarily recalling a limited production of Blue Kitty Yums Chicken Recipe Cat Treats that may contain low levels of propylene glycol, which is not permitted by the FDA for use in cat food.

Cats reacting to high doses of propylene glycol may exhibit signs of depression and may have a loss of coordination, muscle twitching, and excessive urination and thirst. If your cat has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian....

Should Your Cat Eat Grass?

Cats are obligate carnivores, which means that they require meat not just to survive, but to thrive. Cats don’t need vegetables in their diet – in fact, they lack the enzyme required to properly digest carbohydrates and process them metabolitically. The only grass cats eat in nature is the stomach content of their prey. And yet, you will find numerous websites touting the benefits of grass, especially wheat grass, for cats, and some cats seem to really enjoy the taste of grass. So what’s the...

Conscious Cat Sunday: When a Friend of the Heart Moves Away

The one thing in life that you can count on is that things change. Some changes are planned, others are unexpected. Over the course of my life, I’ve found that most, if not all changes, have been for the better, even when it sometimes didn’t feel that way while I was going through the inevitable upheaval change brings. But I’m having a hard time looking at one of the most recent changes in my life as something positive. Last month, one of my closest friends moved all the way to the other sid...

Simon’s Cat Off to the Vet Winners

Congratulations, Cindy B. Brita and Sylvie’s Crew! You won a copy of Simon’s Cat Off to the Vet and Other Catastrophes.

Look for an email from Ingrid.*

Simon’s Cat Off to the Vet and Other Catastrophes is available from Amazon and everywhere books are sold.

*Winners are selected by random drawing. Winners need to provide a physical address to which the prize will be mailed within 72 hours of receipt of notification e-mail or announcement of winner’s name(s) on The Conscious Cat. If this info...

Mews and Nips: World’s Greatest Cat Painting Sold for $826,000

In 1891, San Francisco millionaire Kate Birdsall Johnson commissioned an artist to paint 42 of her favorite cats. The finished product was six feet by eight feet, 200 pounds and the greatest cat painting in the world. On Tuesday, Sotheby’s put the work up for auction where it was purchased by an anonymous cat lover for $826,000, more than half a million over the estimated value. The story behind the painting is as fascinating as the painting itself – read more about it on SFGate.com.

If you...

Kool Kitty Toys Furniture Protector Scratcher Winner

Congratulations, Julie and Tamera! You’re the winners of a Furniture Protector Scratcher from Kool Kitty Toys!

Look for an email from Ingrid.*

For more information about the scratchers, and to purchase, please visit http://www.KoolKittyToys.com.

*Winners are selected by random drawing. Winners need to provide a physical address to which the prize will be mailed within 72 hours of receipt of notification e-mail or announcement of winner’s name(s) on The Conscious Cat. If this information is n...

Better With Pets Summit Focuses on Emotional Wellness for Pets

Earlier this week, I had a chance to attend the Better with Pets Summit in Brooklyn, NY. The summit was sponsored by Purina*, and while my nutritional philosophy differs greatly from that of Purina when it comes to species-appropriate nutrition for cats, I admire the work the company is doing to foster the human-animal bond. This year’s summit focused on emotional wellness for pets and humans. The daylong event featured panel discussions with experts ranging from veterinary behaviorists to a...

Giveaway: SmartCat Ultimate Litter Mat

This giveaway is sponsored by Pioneer Pet

Have you tried litter mats that are more trouble than they’re worth? You may want to give the Ultimate Litter Mat from SmartCat a try. This generously sized litter mat may just be the perfect solution for your litter problems, especially if you use a lightweight litter, which tends to track more than conventional litters. This reversible double layered mat traps litter on contact. It is made of a soft material that it feels good on sensitive kitty pa...