Jazmine and Kizmet are my poster cats for Dr. Buffington’s Feline Home Environmental Study.

Feline enrichment is a subject dear to my heart. The correlation between providing our feline friends a stimulating and enriching environment befitting their instinctual nature in relation to their happiness, health, and well-being is significant, especially considering most cats now live indoors for their safety.

We humans as their entrusted caretakers provide them with everything they need – food, water, shelter, and more. They no longer need to hunt for survival, which is one of their primary means to release pent up energy and keep their minds and bodies fit and sharp. Without proper environmental enrichment, cats are suspectable to obesity, heart disease, dental disease, gastrointestinal disease, kidney disease, thyroid disease, and diabetes. They can also become bored, which often results in behavioral problems, such as litter box issues. Read more

It can be stressful for us to leave our kitties when we travel but it’s also stressful for them and they shouldn’t be left alone without supervision.

Halloween has come and gone, so its officially that time of year when the holidays – Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, and New Year’s – rapidly descend upon us. For many of us, our lives become completely topsy-turvy, especially for those that pack their bags to go visit with friends and family for some, or all of these special days. In these instances, even if it’s just for an overnight stay, if you’re a cat parent, it’s important to make arrangements for your feline friend and not leave her unattended because her life has become topsy-turvy as well. Read more

September is Happy Cat Month, a month created by the CATalyst Council to assist in spreading the word about the health, welfare, and value of cats as companion pets, as well as to educate cat guardians what they can do to ensure their pet is happy.

Making sure a cat’s basic needs are met – food and water, safe shelter, clean litter, and regular veterinarian checkups are all important to that happiness, but it’s also important to provide a cat with fun and stimulating challenges that cater to their natural predator instincts to keep their minds sharp, their bodies fit, and their hearts happy and healthy.

It could be a cat condo that provides options for climbing, hiding, and scratching, or sometimes it’s an empty box, an unmade bed, or a puddle of sunshine to nap in. Or maybe it’s an unexpected treat, or a fun, catnip toy, or just the simple love and companionship from fellow catmates, or human caregivers.

Just some of the many things that make my cats happy!

A few more things…

Whatever it is, nothing gives me greater joy than knowing I’m making my cats happy, because the happiness they bring to my heart and home is returned a thousand times over. What are some of the little things you like to do for your cats to make them happy?

While the worst of it is over and I’m grateful for the success of my recent vitrectomy eye surgery, the recovery period was intensely difficult and one that gave me an unexpected virtual perspective of the life of my cats. For nearly two weeks, I was confined to a 3’ x 4’ cushion on the couch. I had to remain in a seated position, with my head upright, including when I was sleeping. After day 10, I was in tears, exhausted from the monotony, and it hit me like a lightning bolt – this is what it must be like to be a cat, captive to the 24/7 same old, same old of whatever world we provide for them. Read more

This is an older photo, but it gives you a sense of me at home on Tuesday prior to surgery.

Tuesday, June 26^th was a hectic day. I was squeezing every last thing I could possibly jam into my life prior to 12:30 p.m., the designated time Dan was going to drive me to my scheduled vitrectomy surgery to remove a macular pucker that had developed in my left eye after I had emergency laser surgery in January to repair a tear in my retina.  I did laundry. I cleaned my office. I paid my bills and like a mad lunatic, I sent about a dozen emails to various people at my day job, outlining projects they were already fully aware of what needed to be done with. Read more