Ingrid King's Blog: The Conscious Cat, page 407

Mews and Nips: Cats Outnumber People on Japan’s Cat Islands

There are about a dozen “cat islands” all around Japan: places where there are significantly more feline than human residents. The Atlantic recently featured a photo spread from Aoshima, where cats outnumber humans six to one. The islands are seeing a steep increase in tourist visits because they’ve become so popular online. While the photos are wonderful, and the cats appear to be well fed, they also raise questions as to whether these islands are really a sanctuary for the cats who live th...

Spoil Your Cat Bundle Winner

Congratulation, Kelly D! You’re the winner of a Spoil Your Cat Bundle from MyThreeCats.com.

Look for an e-mail from Ingrid*.

*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 not received, an alternate winner will be chosen.

The post Spoil Your Cat Bundle Winner appeared first on The Conscious C...

Review and Giveaway: Texts from Mittens by Angie Bailey

If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if your cats had opposable thumbs and got a hold of your cell phone, Angie Bailey’s Texts from Mittens: A Cat Who Has an Unlimited Data Plan…And Isn’t Afraid to Use It will probably make you grateful that your cats haven’t figured out how to text.

From the publisher:

Texts from Mittens is a series of text message conversations between a snappy, self-absorbed housecat named Mittens and his long-suffering human, a single woman who works away from home...

Leash Training Cats

There is no question that indoor cats live longer and healthier lives. The average life expectancy for an indoor cat is 12 to 15 years vs. 4 to 5 years for an outdoor cat. To ensure that indoor cats also live happy lives, it is imperative that cat guardians provide a stimulating environment.

If you feel strongly that your cat should have access to the great outdoors, leash training is a way to allow her to safely enjoy being outside. For some cats, safe outdoor excursions can help prevent be...

Japan Cat Network: Helping Cats Inside the Fukushima Restricted Zone

More than four years ago, on March 11, 2011, a devastating earthquake struck 40 miles off the coast of Japan. The quake tilted the earth’s axis and triggered a series of powerful tsunamis, which wrought destruction for more than 6 miles inland. Sixteen thousand people died. There are no statistics on how many animals died in the quake, but the number is sure to be staggering. The earthquake damaged the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, resulting in the complete evacuation and closure of...

Caring for Abandoned Kittens

Raising abandoned kittens can be challenging, but it can also be very rewarding. Kittens may need to be hand raised or because their mother has died, has rejected or abandoned the kittens.

Ideally, kittens should be with their mother until they’re at least five or six weeks old. The longer they can nurse, the better. Young kittens need their mother’s milk not just for nutrition, but also to receive important antibodies that will protect them against disease later in life. Since orphaned kitt...

Pot for Pets: How Medical Marijuana Can Help Your Cat

Medical marijuana (or cannabis) has been used for thousands of years across many cultures. More recently, cannabis is used to effectively treat symptoms of cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis, pain, glaucoma, epilepsy, and other conditions in humans. Use of medical marijuana is controversial.

Drs. Sarah Brandon and Greg Copas, two Seattle veterinarians, pioneered the use of medical marijuana for pets two years ago. They developed CannaVet, a hemp-based supplement for pets. I had a chance to spe...

Zen Cats: Meditations for the Wise Minds of Cat Lovers

Whether one believes in a religion or not, and whether one believes in rebirth or not, there isn’t
anyone who doesn’t appreciate kindness and compassion. – His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Zen Cats: Meditations for the Wise Minds of Cat Lovers opens with the lovely quote above, and it purrfectly sets the tone for this gem of a book. This little volume features gorgeous cat photos alongside excerpts from the Dhammapada, a collection of sayings of the Buddha in verse form and one of the most widely...

Mews and Nips: Klepto Cat Steals Balls in Sydney Suburb

For the last two years, Chilli, a five-year-old Burmese, has been spending his nights stealing various balls from Sydney’s eastern suburbs. Soccer balls, tennis balls, beach balls – Chilli deposits all of these on Noran Chadhuri’s bed each morning. Chadhuri estimates that at one point, he had almost 100 balls. Attempts to solve the mystery of the origin of the balls have been fruitless. “We’ll leave the window open and he jumps in while you’re asleep and makes this strange meow sound that he...

Review and Giveaway: The Cat Sitter’s Whiskers

The Cat Sitter mystery series, featuring Dixie Hemingway, a pet sitter who lives on one of the Florida keys, has been a favorite of mine ever since the first book in the series came out seven years ago. The series was originally written by Blaize Clement. Her son, John Clement, continued the series after her death in 2011. Blaize had been collaborating on plots and characters for future novels with John.

In The Cat Sitter’s Whiskers, Dixie’s heads off early one morning to see her first cat c...