Ingrid King's Blog: The Conscious Cat, page 466

Polydactyl Cats: Why Do Some Cats Have Extra Toes?

Cats have a total of 18 toes: five on each front paw, and four on each back paw. But some cats boast extra toes, usually on their front paws. These cats are called “polydactyl.” The word polydactyl has a greek root, “poly” meaning multi, and “dactyl” meaning “digit” or “toe.” Polydactyly, as this condition is called, is most commonly found on the front paws only, it is rare for a cat to have polydactyl hind paws only, and polydactyly of all four paws is even less common.

In a recent article fo...

Jackson Galaxy Names Fancy Cats Resue Team Shelter of the Month

Every month, Jackson Galaxy designates a rescue group or shelter as his Shelter of the Month. I’m delighted to announce that Fancy Cats Rescue Team, based in Herndon, VA, is his Shelter of the Month for November.

I’ve supported Fancy Cats Rescue team at a number of fundraisers for the past couple of years. This wonderful organization was founded in 1997, and has evolved into one of the largest rescue groups in northern Virginia. Fancy Cats Rescue Team has placed more than 18,000 cats in perman...

The Conscious Cat 2013 Holiday Gift Guide

Welcome to The Conscious Cat 2013 Holiday Gift Guide – your one stop shopping solution for all the cats and cat lovers on your holiday gift list! The guide contains not only some of the best products for cats and cat lovers on the market, many of the companies featured are offering exclusive discounts to Conscious Cat readers.

You’ll find gifts ranging from cat furniture to toys to art to litter boxes, and more. You’ll be sure to find something to delight everykitty and every cat lover in your...

Kitty Halitosis: Why Does My Cat Have Bad Breath?

Bad breath in cats is almost always an indicator of a health problem. While some odor, as a reflection of a cat’s normal diet, is to be expected, bad breath and unusual odors are a cause for concern, and require a visit to the veterinarian.

The most common cause for bad breath is dental disease, but bad breath can also be an indicator of kidney disease, liver disease, gastrointestinal disease or diabetes.

In a recent article on Answers.com, I explained what causes bad breath, what it might mean...

Conscious Cat Sunday: Learning to Live With Impermanence

Impermanence is a principle of harmony. When we don’t struggle against it,

we are in harmony with reality. – Pema Chodron

The two photos in the collage above were taken five years apart. On the left is Ruby, looking out of our living room window one day last week. On the right is Buckley, enjoying the fall sunshine in the very same spot, in late 2008, about a month before she died. Looking at these two photos made me realize that accepting impermanence is a fact of life when you love cats. The...

Whole Foods Gift Card Winner

Congratulations, Glogirly and Katie! You’re the winner of a $50 Whole Foods Gift Card! We hope Katie and Waffles will enjoy their new Whole Paws food.

Look for an e-mail from Ingrid*.

*Winners were 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. If this information is not received, an alternate winner will be chosen.

The post Whole Foods Gift Card Winner appeared first on The Conscious Cat...

Mews and Nips: Dell Computer Users Complain That New Laptop Smells Like Cat Urine

Cat related news doesn’t get muchstranger than this story: ABC News reports that a number of people who bought Dell’s latest Latitude 6430u Ultrabook computer opened the box to find that the laptop, and primarily the keyboard, had an odd odor that resembled cat urine. “The machine is great, but it smells as if it was assembled near a tomcat’s litter box. It is truly awful,” one user posted in June.Earlier this week, Dell finally issued a statement that “the odor was not related to biological...

Review and Giveaway: Too Cute Kittens: Animal Planet’s Most Impossibly Adorable Kittens

If you watch Animal Planet, you’ve undoubtedly come across their Too Cute series, which raises cute to a whole new level. Since I’m more of a reader than a TV watcher, I was delighted to find out about the new book Too Cute Kittens: Animal Planet’s Most Impossibly Adorable Kittens.

The press release for this book came with an appropriate warning: “Some material in these books may be too cute for human consumption. Reader discretion is advised.” And the press release didn’t lie: this little boo...

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween

from

Allegra, Ruby and Ingrid

We’re celebrating Halloween on our Facebook page today: post photos of your Halloween kitties!

Make sure you keep your kitties safe tonight! If you open your door to trick or treaters, keep your cats in a safe room so they can’t dash outside. Click here for more Halloween safety tips.

The post Happy Halloween appeared first on The Conscious Cat.

How to Keep Cats Off Counters

Cats love to be up high. Whether it’s the top of the cat tree or the top of the refrigerator, cats like to survey their territory from elevated vantage points. This is normal behavior for cats and goes back to their wild origins. Cats are hunters and climbing trees allowed them to lie in wait for prey as well as to escape for safety.

I’ll confess: at our house, counters and table tops are not off limits to Allegra and Ruby. However, I do realize that not all cat parents want their feline famil...