Ingrid King's Blog: The Conscious Cat, page 470

What Being a Cat Lady Really Means

It’s no secret that I don’t care for the term “crazy cat lady.” Itdiminishes those of us who love cats for the unique and wonderful creatures that they are by assigning a label that usually has a somewhat derogatory connotation, even if it’s used with humorous self-deprecation.

I recently wrote an article for Answers.com about what it really means to be a cat lady – and there’s nothing crazy about any of it. I suspect that I hit a nerve with my article, because it was more widely shared than a...

Declawing Cats: Inhumane and Unneccesary

Declawing is a topic that can elicit strong emotions, with most people coming down on the side of opposing it. Declawing is considered either illegal or inhumane in 25 countries around the world, including England, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Finland and Brazil. The United States lacks sadly behind in establishing legislation to make declawing illegal, but thankfully, more and more cat lovers, cat welfare organizations and veterinarians are speaking out against declawing, calling it inhu...

Conscious Cat Sunday: Why Conscious Living is Good for Your Cats

The tag line of this site is “Conscious Living, Health and Happiness for Cats and their Humans.” I choose this motto, along with the name for the site, because I believe that living consciously is the key to happiness for all of us.

What is conscious living?

The definition of the word conscious “to be aware of one’s own existence, sensations, thoughts and surroundings”. It also means “being fully aware or sensitive to something”, “aware of oneself”, and “deliberate and intentional”. All these t...

Mews and Nips: Stray Cat Promoted to Assistant Librarian

Arguably, there’s no better combination than cats and books, so when I saw the story about Kuzya, a Russian stray who became a library cat, on Catsparella, I just had to share it with you. The stray cat showed up one day in search of food and shelter, and the library staff at the Novorossiysk Childrens Library couldn’t resist his sweet nature. Now Kuzya is hard at work entertaining young visitors, looking cute, and sleeping. Visit Catsparella to read the full story, and for more photos of Kuz...

Special Friday Comic Strip: Life with Prince Pangur Ban the Fluffy

We have something a little different for you today. The adorable kitty above is Pangur Ban. I recently did a nutritional consultation for him and his human. Pangur Ban was itchy and had a sensitive tummy. Nothing his veterinarian had recommended was working, so his human asked for my advice. I’m happy to say that Pangur Ban is doing much better on a novel protein diet: his itching has improved dramatically, and his stools have normalized as well.

Pangur Ban’s human, Holly Golightly, is a carto...

Remember Me Thursday: Light a Candle for a Pet

The Helen Woodward Animal Center is asking pet lovers around the world to participate in its global awareness campaign by helping them remember the millions of orphan pets who lost their lives over the last year, and by bringing awareness to the millions of healthy pets who are still awaiting adoption. The campaign encourages individuals to light a candle on September 26th (you may want to use an electric candle or do this virtually – cats and candles don’t mix well!) and opt to adopt, reduci...

Allegra and Ruby Are Interviewed for a Research Project on Feline Personalities

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How to Make Moving With a Cat Less Stressful

Cats don’t like change, and moving probably ranks high on their list of least desirable activities.If cats had their druthers, they’d stay in the place they’re already comfortable in for the rest of their lives.

Moving is stressful for humans, and it’s even more stressful for cats. Unfortunately, at some point in their lives, most cats will have to make a major move with their humans. Making the transition as stress-free as possible for your cat can go a long way toward avoiding problems assoc...

AAFP Releases New Feline Vaccination Guidelines

The American Association of Feline Practitioners updated its vaccination guidelines, previously issued in 2013. Previous guidelines divided vaccines into core and non-core vaccines and recommended that vaccination protocols should be tailored to the individual cat’s health and lifestyle. The guidelines also addressed concerns about injection site sarcomas caused by vaccines.

I was happy to see that the new guidelines are even more conservative. They help veterinarians select appropriate vaccin...

Conscious Cat Sunday: Cats Are Soul Savers

There are hundreds of folk tales and superstitions surrounding cats, and one of them is that cats steal a dead person’s soul. Of course we know that that’s ridiculous. In fact, and I’m sure that all of you agree with me on this: cats are good for the soul.

People may fall into one of two categories: soul suckers or soul savers. But there’s no doubt in my mind that all cats are soul savers.

You probably know a soul sucker or two. Soul suckers are always negative, angry and judgmental. They get t...