Ingrid King's Blog: The Conscious Cat, page 487

5 Tips on Picking a Quality Raw or Canned Cat Food

Guest post by Joseph J. Wakshlag, DVM

For the cat parent looking for commercial raw and ultra premium cat foods, there are plenty of choices, and lots of claims to wade through. Since these foods are often more expensive, how do you read the labels correctly and make sure you’re getting the right food for your extra cash?

Too often manufacturers throw out the terms “holistic” or “natural” which have little to no regulated meaning. “Holistic” has no definition in the pet food industry and can be...

Making Health Care Decisions for Your Cat in a Crisis

Today marks the third anniversary of the day I had to let Amber go. She died after a sudden, brief illness, most likely a virulent strain of the calici virus, complicated by an underlying heart condition we weren’t aware of at the time.

It was the first time I had lost a cat so suddenly. The cats that went before her had long illnesses – Feebee had lymphoma, Buckley had heart disease – so I not only had time to prepare myself for their eventual passing,I also didn’t have to make medical decisi...

Conscious Cat Sunday: Happy Mother’s Day

Happy Mother’s Day

from

Allegra, Ruby and Ingrid

Mother’s Day is a bit of a bittersweet holiday for me. My mother passed away in 1994, but even after all these years, I still feel a pang whenI see Mother’s Day cards appear in stores. My mom and I had a complicated relationship, but I always knew that she loved me.

I owe many things to my mom, but the two most important ones are my love of cats, and my love of books.

Even though we never had cats when I was growing up, my mom was a cat lover. The...

Mews and Nips: Special Mother’s Day Edition

Tomorrow is Mother’s Day, and today’s stories and our video are all about love! As a proud cat mom, of courseI had to start this post with a photo of Allegra and Ruby!

Angie Bailey shares A Mother’s Day Letter from My Cats in her Feline Wisdom column in Edge Magazine this month. Her three cats Saffy, Cosmo and Phoebe (follow their antics on Angie’s blog, Catladyland) know how to live happy and balanced lives, and they want that for their cat mom, too. Read A Mother’s Day Letter from My Cats on...

Sol Box Winner

Congratulations, Michelle S! You’re the winner of a Sol Box from Pawsitive Lighting!

Look for an e-mail from Ingrid*.

For those of you who didn’t win, remember that you can still take advantage of Pawsitive Lighting’sspecial 30% discount on all Sol Box purchases for Conscious Cat readers only. Simply enter code CONSCIOUSCAT at checkout.

*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...

Review: Outsmarting Cats by Wendy Christensen

When it comes to understanding felines, few people know these lovable, but sometimes frustrating, creatures as well as Wendy Christensen. Wendy spent her entire life with cats, and has gained a deep appreciation of the many sides of feline behavior. She shares her wealth of knowledge in Outsmarting Cats: How to Persuade the Felines in Your Life to Do What You Want.

This book was first published in 2004. This second, revised edition was published in March of this year, and contains updated info...

Best Interactive Cat Toys

Interactive toys are a great way tokeepyour cats stimulated both mentally and physically, and a great wayfor both you and your catsto get in on the fun.

Interactive toys fall into two categories: toys that your cats can play with on their own,and toys that are designed for joint play for cat and human. I introduced you to Interactive Puzzle Toys for Smart Cats a couple of months ago.

Interactive toys provide fun for cat and human

Toys such as feather teasers,wand toys orfishing pole type toys ca...

Meet Leann Sweeney, Author of the Cats in Trouble Series

I’ve been enjoying theCats in Troubleseries, featuring cat quilter Jillian Hart, who settled in the small town of Grace, South Carolina with her three cats, since the very first book. The latestin the series, The Cat, The Mill and the Murder, was just released yesterday.

In this installment in the delightful series, Jillian volunteers to help a local animal shelter relocate a colony of feral cats living in an abandoned textile mill. She never expects to find a woman living there, too. The woma...

Pre-order Cat Daddy, the Paperback, and Help Homeless Cats

If you watch My Cat From Hell, currently in its fourth season on Animal Planet, you’ve seen Jackson Galaxy demonstrate his almost uncanny ability to connect with troubled cats and their often equally, if not more, troubled humans, again and again. I love watching the transformation his work brings not just to the cats, but also to the humans. And isn’t it almost always the humans who need to change? The cats are just being cats.

Preorder the Paperback or Ebookbefore May 1oth

If you haven’t alre...

Chronic Diarrhea in Cats

Chronic diarrhea is probably one of the most frustrating conditions, both for the affected cat, and for her guardian. Diarrhea is considered chronic if symptoms persist for longer than three weeks, but any time your cat has diarrhea for more thana day or two, a visit to your veterinarian is indicated, especially if your cat is not eating or drinking water and/or is vomiting as well. Chronic vomiting and diarrhea can lead to dehydration, and, if left untreated, can become life threatening.

Comm...