Archive for January, 2010

I’m sure most of you have seen a cat chasing a laser pen spot but, for those who haven’t, this is what happens!  Also, for those who have seen it, this video will almost certainly be one of the funniest laser-chasings you’ve ever seen!

[youtube]www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8BKSTWn4zY[/youtube]

Now, it must be pointed out that laser pens can damage a cat’s eyes so, if you are going to play this game with your cat, be ultra-careful not to get it anywhere near the animal itself.  Also, cats don’t realise it’s a game, so they can get very invovled indeed – be careful where you lead them.  In fact, the Cat Health Blog can’t honestly advise playing this game with your cat…but it doesn’t make for a funny video!

Another kitten video for you today, to be added to the Best Cat Videos collection!  This time the kitten is very much awake, but equally as cute as the others!  In fact, some might say this one is the cutest cat video yet - what do you think?

[youtube]www.youtube.com/watch?v=vShXnK5QgUI&feature=related[/youtube]

As winter drags on and both ends of the day remain dark, I’m sure many of you are starting to feel a little down in the dumps. This is commonly referred to as the SAD (seasonal affective disorder) or the ‘winter blues’ and is a huge cause of depression across the world.

What is interesting about SAD, however, is that a recent report has suggested owning a cat can actually help alleviate the depression caused by the lack of daylight in winter! A five-year study carried out by Dr. June Nicholas in Haywards Heath found that, during SAD times of the year, cats have a soothing impact on both physical and mental health! Dr. Nicholas discovered that we cat-owners are less likely to get depressed than non-cat-owners, to the expect that we suffered 60% less headaches and 21% less colds and flues, as well as less tension, impatience and insomnia! Now if that’s not an impressive list of benefits to owning a cat, I can’t imagine what is!

I must admit it’s hard to stay gloomy with a furry friends rubbing against your leg, or purring in your lap. What’s more, the added company of an animal is far preferable to being home alone – making cat owners far less likely to get lonely. Good news all round for us!

Cat-lovers all over the world will be delighted to hear that Chinese legal experts are proposing to ban the eating of cats, “because it is causing many social problems”. Recent thefts and even murders over the animal meat trade support the claim that eating cat meat is causing more harm than good to humans, as well as animals. Although the movement will end thousands of years of tradition, the proposal will be submitted in April, as part as a movement to tackle animal abuse in China.

The internet is, without a doubt, partly responsible for the massive support these legal experts are receiving from people all across the country. Online videos showing the maltreatment of animals have sparked protests at meat markets and online petitions against eating cats have tens of thousands of signatures already!

Animal welfare activists, pet insurance companies and care shelters have joined in the support for this movenment. Founder of Beijing’s Lucky Cats shelter, Zeng Li, summarised their position well; “Whether you judge this as a question of food security or emotions, there is absolutely no necessity in China for people to eat dogs and cats…Beijing’s dog restaurants get their meat mainly from vagrant and stolen dogs. In the suburbs, dogs are hung and slaughtered in front of buyers.”

Whether the proposal is accepted or not, this is a landmark step in changing public opinion about animal cruelty.

More pets than ever have been abandoned over the Christmas period, as the recession continues to take its toll on animal welfare in the UK. 60 cats were abandoned in Warwickshire over December whilst, in the south-west, 11 cats were handed over to the RPSCA on Christmas day alone! As fewer and fewer animals are being adopted, many homes are struggling to accommodate all their new arrivals.

Animal charities across the country blame the recession, in particular people’s irresponsible approach to pets when regarding their financial situation. Many people buy cats over Christmas without properly considering the financial implications of owning a pet; cat food, cat insurance and vets bills to name but a few.

In my opinion, this disposable-pet philosophy is yet another indication of a deeper problem with our society – recession or not. Failure to consider the well-being of an animal before personal gimmick-based happiness is simply a side effect of modern culture; even if we could afford to keep the animals, thousands of people would still buy them without putting any thought into it. What we need is change of heart, not a new economy.

We figured it was about time for some humour in our Best Cat Videos, so here is the first entry into the funniest cat videos category. If you think you can find a funnier video of a cat, submit it to us and, if we like it, we’ll post it up here. We can’t promise we’ll like it more than this one though – it’s very funny!

[youtube]www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnYoanP_m3E[/youtube]

Being the cat lovers we are, we assume this cat didn’t hurt itself – it wouldn’t be very funny otherwise.  What the video also does, as well as make my sides hurt from laughter, is emphasise the importance of cat insurance – you never know when your cat might mess up!

Check back again for more of the Best Cat Videos!

Last time we mentioned what to look out for if your cat starts to vomit. Although it could be a simple explanation, like they’ve eaten something that doesn’t agree with them, it could also be something more severe that will require medical attention and the use of your cat insurance. Today I discuss a few ways to tell what might be causing your cat to vomit.

Strong odours, blood, bile or mucus in the vomit are all indications that something more serious could be wrong with your cat. Intestinal problems can be indicated by a range of symptoms; strong odours suggested intestinal obstructions, excess mucus could be caused by an intestinal inflammation and dark blood in the vomit can also be an indication of further intestinal problems. As a general rule, darker blood comes from deeper inside the body; bright blood in the vomit, for example, could well be in an indication of problems in the stomach – often this can be caused by stomach ulcers. If your cat’s vomit has bile in it, this may suggest pancreatitis or some form of inflammatory bowel disease.

Undigested food is not uncommon in vomit, but can also be an indication of over-eating, stress or food poisoning. Although all the aforementioned piece of advice are accurate ways of assessing what might be wrong with your cat, always take it to the vet as soon as you can and make certain you invest in some cat insurance to help you handle any unexpected expenses. Bring a sample of the vomit and stool with you to the vet as well if possible.

[youtube]www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZ860P4iTaM[/youtube]We can’t decide whether to put this video in for the cutest or the smartest cat video…what do you think? On the one hand, it is exceptionally cute – but on the other hand, this is probably the best I’ve ever heard a cat play the piano. Next thing you know, Norah the cat will be buying her own cat food and filling in her own pet insurance paperwork!

It’s a tough choice…so I think we’ll go ahead and enter it into both! It’ll be a hard job beating that sleepy kitten for the cutest cat video though. Let us know what you think – which is cuter?

Keep sending in your findings and we’ll keep putting the best cat videos on the cat health blog!

If you’d have asked me this morning what I thought was the cutest cat video on the internet, I would have said the sleepy kitten video we posted on the Cat Health Blog on New Year’s Day.  However, thanks to your feedback and submissions, I have changed my mind and declare this new entry to be the cutest cat video in our ever-growing Best Cat Videos collection!

I shall call it simply Suprised Kitty, ater the Youtube video name – it is the perfect description really!  You have to see it:

[youtube]www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Bmhjf0rKe8&NR=1&feature=fvwp[/youtube]

Now is that not one of the most adorable things you’ve ever seen? If this was my cat I’d sell my car to afford the best cat insurance in the universe to protect this bundle of fur!

Although it doesn’t fit perfectly into any of our categories of Best Cat Videos, this is one we thought you simply had to see.  How many of us wish we could teach our cat to do this?

[youtube]www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8lyu4ZcHv4&feature=related[/youtube]

Granted this kitty doens’t remember to flush, but it’s still one exceptional piece of learning!  Especially considering my cats would rather fall from a tree than risk hovering over some water!  My hopes are with both the cat and the owner that it never slips up part-way through!  That’s a health-hazard I’m not sure cat insurance covers!