Search Results for: blog when cats drool

When Cats Drool

Last week when taking my shift at Petco to look after the shelter cats housed there, I met the strangest feline. He was a real sweetheart; he adored being petted and wanted to climb onto my shoulders. But he drooled. As I held him a puddle grew on my shoulder. I would have been concerned for this cat’s health except that the shelter’s feline coordinator left a note saying that he was fine, drooling was just something he did. Still, I found the experience so odd I decided to research drooling cats. Cats actually drool for a number of reasons, … Continue reading →

Epilepsy in Cats

Epilepsy is relatively rare in cats, but it does happen. We have a regular guest at the cats-only boarding facility with epilepsy; a friend has a cat who has seizures. In general, there are two types of seizure disorders in cats: Secondary/acquired epilepsy — the seizures are a symptom of another condition, like high blood pressure, a tumor, or trauma. This type of epilepsy can appear at any age. Idiopathic epilepsy — there is no underlying cause for the seizures. This often develops between the ages of one and three years. Epilepsy in felines doesn’t always look like epilepsy in … Continue reading →

Cats Who Won’t Groom

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We’ve had guests at the cats-only boarding facility who can’t or won’t groom themselves. I started to wonder why. Looks like there are a lot of different reasons why a cat might not groom him or herself. Here are a few: Illness. A cat that doesn’t feel well might stop grooming. Many times, this is the first warning sign an owner will notice when their pet is sick. Maybe you’ll see mats, or just notice that your cat isn’t as clean as usual. It’s not a bad idea to talk to your veterinarian if your cat has stopped grooming. Hormonal … Continue reading →

Why Pets Do Weird Things: Licking

Why do our pets lick us? We think we know some of the reasons: affection, we have something tasty on our skin. But there are additional reasons why they might lick us. Let’s look at them. One of the first things a mother dog does for her puppies is to lick them: it helps stimulate their senses. Doing so means comfort for dogs, so when they lick you they might be trying to pass those feelings onto you. It’s basically social bonding. Licking can also symbolize submission. In the wild subordinate dogs lick their alphas, so if a dog is … Continue reading →

Summer Reading Series: Secret Agent Splat!

“Cats rule and dogs drool!” If Splat the Cat were old enough to drive himself to the mall, there’s no question he’d feature that phrase on a personalized tee. Only, you won’t find the dog-loathing kitty doing much shopping in Secret Agent Splat! Rather, the newest book in the Splat the Cat series finds our furry feline friend channeling his inner Sherlock Holmes to solve a mystery involving missing duck decoys. Just when you thought you knew everything about Splat, his supportive family, and his unlikely friends, author Rob Scotton unveils yet another deep, dark secret. This time we learn … Continue reading →

A Kitty on a Leash

Every time the rest of the household, human and canine, is outside, Cole gets jealous and lonely. He sits in a window or by a door and cries nonstop until we all come back inside. Cole’s always been a vocal cat, but this feels like a bit much, even for him. The answer is obvious: let Cole outside. Try as I might, I can’t feel completely comfortable with that. I’m a worrier in all aspects of my life, so I know I’m being overly anxious about letting Cole be an outside cat. We live in the perfect area for it, … Continue reading →

Feline Body Language, Pt. 1

After writing about how to introduce pets to newborns, I started thinking about pet body language. By reading that we can most easily determine our pet’s moods, and thus intervene before a potentially negative situation could become worse. Also, we all wonder from time to time what our pets are thinking, and interpreting body language is about the closest we can come to learning that. Amy D. Shojai, author of over 20 books on pet behavior, recently posted two articles on website Paw Nation on what various positions and sounds indicate about feline and canine moods and thoughts. First I … Continue reading →

Genealogy Tails – What Color Is Your Kitty’s Coat?

Just like every person’s genes contribute to the way they look, every cat has his or her own unique genetic makeup that determines his or her appearance. Since I love cats, I decided to look into how cats’ genes determine how they look. The first thing that I learned about cats is that there are only three basic coat colors – red, black, and white. At first, this did not make sense to me because I have seen cats with many different colors of fur, and many different patterns in their coats. As I learned more about cat hair, it … Continue reading →

Household Plants Poisonous to Pets

With autumn upon us and the holidays soon to follow, many households have begun seasonal decorating. A lot of that decorating involves various sorts of plants, and with that come many pet owners’ concerns over whether those plants are poisonous to their furry family members. The ASPCA has a helpful list of commonly kept plants that will hurt your pet and one that actually gets a bad reputation. The site names poinsettia as one of the most misunderstood plants, revealing that about 70% of the population believe that it is poisonous to their pets when in fact it isn’t really. … Continue reading →

How to Speak Cat

When I’m at work at the cats-only boarding facility, I often keep up a running chat with the guests. If they meow, I meow back. If somebody hisses, I’ll imitate it. (We have one guest who is missing a few bottom teeth, so when he hisses, his tongue sticks out the side. Yes, I stick my tongue out when I hiss at him!) The vet who owns the boarding facility passed along an article from The Oregonian newspaper about cats-only services — veterinarians, boarding facilities, and the like. The article had a sidebar about communicating with cats. Do you know … Continue reading →