News for You and Your Cat

June 15, 2014

Dear ,

Ingrid and Amber

I hope all of you are enjoying summer - it will be over before you know it! While Allegra and Ruby love the plentiful sunshine and warm breezes wafting in through our screened windows, there's one aspect of summer that they'd just as soon do away with: 4th of July fireworks. And most likely, they're in good company. If your cats share the girls' aversion, there are things you can to do help your cats cope with fireworks.

The tag line for The Conscious Cat is "conscious living, health and happiness for cats and their humans." I believe that living consciously is the key to happiness not just for us, but also for our cats.

Wishing you health, happiness and purrs,

Ingrid.

Website: www.ConsciousCat.com
E-Mail: ConsciousCat@cox.net

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In This Issue

How to Help Your Cat Cope with Fireworks

Why Conscious Living is Good for Your Cat

Highlights from The Conscious Cat

Upcoming Events

Marketplace

How to Help Your Cat Cope with Fireworks

By Ingrid King

The 4th of July is probably a cat's least favorite holiday. I know it is at our house. Even Ruby, who's not afraid of thunderstorms, becomes unsettled when fireworks start going off in our neighborhood. The noise usually begins a few days before the holiday, and I'm afraid that this year, with the holiday falling on a Friday, it may last throughout the weekend.

A cat's sense of hearing is much more acute than ours, and all the noises associated with the holiday are much more intense for them. Add to that the lack of understanding of what is going on, and you can have a very scared cat on your hands. Here are some tips for helping your cat cope with fireworks:

Create a safe room or safe hiding places

If there's a room in your house where the noise from fireworks is the least noticeable, you may want to designate that as a safe room during the holiday. Put beds, food, water, toys, and cat trees and scratchers in the room. Leave a radio or tv on in the room, this may act as white noise and block out some of noise. "Igloo style" cat beds can also be a good option. If you keep these types of beds in areas where you and your cats spend a lot of time, they may use them to hide from the noise rather than hiding under the bed.

Close all the windows

Close windows and lower shades and/or draw blinds to at least lower noise levels somewhat.

Play some calming music

Don't try to drown out the sound of fireworks by blasting the music. Choose soothing classical music, or calming music especially designed for cats.

Natural calming remedies

Remedies such as Stress Stopper or Storm Soother can help keep kitties calm. Pheromone plug-ins such as Comfort Zone with Feliway can also help - use in the area where your cat tends to hide during storms.

Remain calm

Our cats pick up on our emotions, and if we're anxious, they'll be anxious as well. Reassure your cat, but don't overdo it. While it's tempting to cuddle and comfort your cat during fireworks, in your cat's mind, this rewards the fearful behavior. Speak in a calm, but cheerful voice.

Medication

If your cat has reacted very badly to fireworks in the past, you may want to talk to you veterinarian about prescribing anti-anxiety medication. Photo by Walt Eis, Flickr Creative Commons

Why Conscious Living is Good for Your Cat

The tag line for The Conscious Cat is "Conscious Living, Health and Happiness for Cats and their Humans." I choose this motto, along with the name for the site, because I believe that living consciously is the key to happiness for all of us.

What is conscious living?

The definition of the word conscious "to be aware of one's own existence, sensations, thoughts and surroundings". It also means "being fully aware or sensitive to something", "aware of oneself", and "deliberate and intentional". All these terms take us right to the heart of what conscious living means. Conscious living means making choices that are in alignment with who we really are at our core. We make choices about everything we do all day long, from the food we eat and feed our cats, to the products we use on ourselves and in our environment. The more we make these conscious choices, the more whole our lives will become, and the happier we will be - and so will our cats. There are three components of conscious living: health and nutrition, environment, and mental, emotional and spiritual health. We have to attend to all three of them, for ourselves, and for our cats, to ensure that we live a balanced and happy life.

Health and Nutrition

Nutrition is the foundation of good health for ourselves and our cats. We can't change genetics, but we can control what we put into our bodies, and what we feed our cats. You'll find lots of information on species appropriate feline nutrition as well as a wealth of feline health topics right here on The Conscious Cat.

Environment

There are two parts to the component of environment: the space we live in, and the products we use in that space. At their core, cats are still wild animals, and while we've invited them into our homes to share our lives, we can't expect them to completely give up all their instincts. We have to look at our living space from the cat's point of view and provide an environment that keeps them stimulated. Make your home cat-friendly by creating a kitty paradise of cat trees, shelves, scratching posts and cat cubes and tunnels. By providing plenty of options, you'll avoid behavior issues and keep your cats happy. Don't use commercial cleaning products that contain harmful chemicals. Many of these products can be extremely toxic, and even deadly. Cats are especially susceptible since they groom themselves by licking and as a result ingest anything that comes in contact with their feet or fur. Use cat-friendly cleaning products instead - they're better for your cats, for you, and the planet.

Mental, emotional and spiritual health

I don't think it comes as a surprise to any of you who are reading this that cats are good for our health. Studies have shown that simply petting a cat (or dog, for that matter) lowers our blood pressure. A 10-year study at the University of Minnesota Stroke Center found that cat owners were 40% less likely to have a heart attack than non-cat owners. Cats are not just good for our physical health, they're good for our mental, emotional and spiritual health.

All of my books are about learning from our cats. Cats teach us to live in the moment, to slow down, and to not take life quite so seriously. And they open our hearts; sometimes, in a very big way. The argument for conscious living is compelling. And it's not just good for us, it's good for our cats.

Photo: since Amber was the inspiration for The Conscious Cat, I thought it was only fitting that I used a photo of her with this post.

Highlights from The Conscious Cat

Euthanasia: A Vet's Perspective

Guest post by Elizabeth Colleran, DVM The software we use in my practices will color code appointments by "reason for visit." The one for euthanasia is, as one would expect, a very dark color. A few weeks ago, I came to work. As usual, I looked at the schedule before rounds to see any issues [...] The post Euthanasia: A Vet's Perspective appeared first on The Conscious Cat. ...ť

Summer Reading for Cat Lovers

One of my favorite summer pleasures is spending time outside with a good book. Even though a beach vacation is not in the cards this year, I spend as much time as I can on my deck each summer, and I make sure I always have a good supply of summer reading on hand. And [...] The post Summer Reading for Cat Lovers appeared first on The Conscious Cat. ...ť

Why Do Cats Groom Each Other?

It's one of the sweetest behaviors guardians of multiple cats can witness: two adult cats grooming each other. Have you ever wondered why some cats do that, and others don't? The scientific term for this behavior is allogrooming or social grooming. A 1998 study conducted by researchers at the University of Southampton, UK and the [...] The post Why Do Cats Groom Each Other? appeared first on The Conscious Cat. ...ť

Holistic Treatments for FIV Positive Cats

FIV is is an often misunderstood condition. According to the Feline Health Center at Cornell University, the virus affects approximately 1.5 to 3 percent of healthy cats in the United States, with slightly higher rates in cats that are sick or at high risk for infection. FIV is a lentivirus, which means it moves very [...] The post Holistic Treatments for FIV Positive Cats appeared first on The Conscious Cat. ...ť

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July 22-24, 2014
Superzoo
Las Vegas, NV

September 6 and 7, 2014
National Capital Cat Show
Chantilly, VA

Please visit the Events Page on my website
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Marketplace

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