Archive for September, 2009

A missing cat from Midlothian, Scotland has been found 478 miles south of his home – in Woodlands Veterinary Surgery, Plymouth! Owner Linda Jansen declares she has no idea how Sampson got so far from home, but likes to believe he walked -“Forget the Proclaimers, my cat really did walk 500 miles.” However he managed it, the Janson family is delighted to have him back, after Eagle Couriers shipped him back home for free; “I don’t suppose we’ll ever find out how the animal ended up on the south coast of England” said Director Fiona Deas, “but we can make sure it gets home safely”.

I’m not sure of Sampson’s breed, but if his namesake if anything to go by he must be a longhaired cat! From an owner’s point of view, it is very interesting to know that Sampson was found thanks to the microchip in his neck. I for one think the Jansens should have their cat insurance policy reviewed and the price lowered – clearly Sampson is a hardy individual!
 

A digital infrared camera set up in the jungles of Uganda has caught three photographs of the African Golden Cat; one of the most elusive of all wild cats in the world. The cat is so rare that few researchers have ever seen it and it is though that only one other picture of the species exists – taken in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Even Dr. Aronsen of Yale University (who set up the camera that took these pictures) saw his first and only wild African golden cat this summer.

Golden cats are medium-sized, compact and muscular felids, but the photographs have revealed that the individual in question actually has a dark coat! Dr. Aronsen explained that, despite its name, the cat’s coat varies over its lifetime; changing colour and even pattern (it can be spotted or not!) depending on age and location across the continent. Having set the camera up to take pictures of primates living the park, Dr. Aronsen is delighted to have caught the cat on film, but admits to being “disappointed that the cameras could not give me more data on [the cat's] colour”

I can’t even imagine the price of the cat insurance you’d have to take out on a cat you’d only see once in a lifetime!

Even less safe than alcohol for cats, is chocolate. Shocking, isn’t it? It contains a substance called theobromine; which raises their heart rate and makes them urinate more often – causing hyperactivity, an irregular heart beat and thirst. Before too many hours have elapsed it can also cause to vomiting and diarrhoea; eventually even leading to heart attacks before the day is done.

This is the only way cats and chocolate should mix.

The most dangerous kinds of chocolate to give you cat are those containing high amounts of cocoa; cooking chocolate, gourmet chocolate and cocoa powder. Milk chocolate is the least dangerous type of chocolate to give your cat, but is still dangerous to their health. Chocolate may be a treat for you, but there are a huge range of cat-treats available that your pet will like a lot more! Give you pet and your cat insurance a real treat next time and put some effort into finding a truly delicious treat.

Nobody should take on a cat without fully intending to look after it – no matter what the price. Sadly, with the price of pet health care ever rising, more cats and being put up for adoption and less owners say they are willing to pay up for emergency surgery and expensive treatment. Given the current economic climate, it’s understandable that people aren’t keen to see their finances thrown out of whack by a big vet bill, but surely this is all part of the responsibility of having a pet?

Either way, having to choose between the health of your pet and the stability of your bank account is something not cat owner wants to do. When it comes to life-saving surgery, a bill of hundreds if not thousands of pounds could be on the agenda – which 85% of cat owners said they wouldn’t pay if they exceeded £1500. By contrast, cat insurance that covers you pet for up to £1500 can be found from as little as £4.88 per month! At just over £1 per week, protecting your cat and your bank account doesn’t have to cost a fortune.

We may turn to alcohol in good times and bad, but it’s very unsafe to give to your cat.

What with the war on drugs, it’s easy to forget that alcohol is as much of a drug as any other – more so than cannabis so say. The fact that it is legal is not to do with it being safer for us to consume, but more because it’s too dangerous for us no ban it! With regards to cats, let us never forget that alcohol is “poisonous”; human beings have been consuming it in some form or another since prehistoric times and have literally evolved to handle it better than animals. Cats, on the other hand, have not. Their livers help handle the vast amounts of protein they require; not to detoxify substances like alcohol.

Repeated consumption of alcohol will cause liver damage, gastrointestinal irritation and breathing difficulties, as well as potentially comas and death. Granted this is also true in human beings, but we’re a lot bigger than cats and have evolution on our side! It may seem like a funny idea at the time, but don’t give alcohol to your cat; it’ll hurt your pet and your cat insurance policy.