News for You and Your Cat

December 15, 2014

Dear ,

Ingrid and Amber

I hope you're having a wonderful holiday season. There's still time to find the purrfect gift for the cats and cat lovers on your list, and our Holiday Gift Guide has you covered, with gifts ranging from the practical to the whimsical, and with lots of fantastic discounts for you. Click on the image below to view the guide.

In this issue:

'Tis the season to decorate. Unfortunately, holiday decorations can present problems for our feline family members, but with some precautions and common sense, you don't have to forego decorating, and even cats and Christmas trees can coexist peacefully,

2015 is almost here, and you don't want to start the year without your 2015 Conscious Cat Wall Calendar, do you? We still have calendars available. If you want to give the calendar as a gift, we can ship directly to the recipient.

Wishing you health, happiness and purrs,

Ingrid.

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

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In This Issue

Cats and Christmas Trees

2015 Conscious Cat Wall Calendar Now Available

Highlights from The Conscious Cat

Upcoming Events

Marketplace

Cats and Christmas Trees

Putting up my Christmas tree is a tradition I look forward to every year. For the past couple of years, I've approached this annual event with some trepidation: after almost two decades of sharing my life with older cats, I now have two relatively young, high energy cats. Surprisingly, neither of them has shown all that much interest in the tree.

Christmas tree hazards

I'm aware of all the hazards. Christmas trees can be deadly to cats (they could ingest pine needles, and the water cut trees are placed into usually contains pine resin, preservatives and fire retardants, all of which are toxic).

Artificial trees are safer than live ones, but ingesting the needles can still cause intestinal blockages. We've all heard the warnings about tinsel, but does anyone really still use tinsel? My first cat, Feebee, put an end to having popcorn garlands on the tree: He discovered to his great delight that Christmas tree decorations were edible, and of course, I was much too worried about him ingesting the string to leave them on the tree after that.

Ornaments present additional hazards: glass ornaments can break, and small pieces and hooks from ornaments can be ingested. Cats might chew on twinkling lights and light cords, not to mention that they could climb the tree and topple it over.

It's enough to make a cat owner question her sanity for even wanting to have a Christmas tree, isn't it? But without a tree, it just wouldn't be Christmas for me, so, using common sense and some additional precautions, I once again took a deep breath, and put up my tree on Thanksgiving weekend.

Common sense precautions

I have a relatively small artificial tree that sits on a side table covered by a tablecloth that reaches all the way to the floor, creating a perfect little cat tent underneath. None of my cats have ever bothered the tree, and all have always loved this arrangement. Hiding underneath the tree and stalking toys or each other provides endless entertainment. The table is just large enough to hold the tree, and there's not really a good angle or enough room to jump up on it, so that's never been a problem.

When I brought out the tree for Allegra's first Christmas with me, Allegra was a little scared of all the commotion. She puffed herself up and mounted several fierce attacks on the tree branches spread all over the living room floor. By the time I had put the tree together and set it on top of the table, she couldn't have cared less about the tree. It was all about the tent underneath. It became a favorite hiding and napping spot.

I was really worried the following year: it was Ruby's first Christmas with us, and at barely a year old at the time, I had visions of this high energy kitten trying to scale the tree. Thankfully, she wasn't all that interested in the tree, either. The tent underneath was so much more fascinating.

Every year, I make sure the tree is seated solidly in its sturdy base. I contemplated anchoring it to the wall or ceiling, but decided to wait and see what would happen once I added lights and decorations. Since neither of the girls has ever made any attempts to even go near the tree itself, I didn't bother. I make sure to hang breakable ornaments toward the top of the tree, and I don't leave anything dangling from the lower branches to reduce temptation.

With some precautions, and a little common sense, your cats and your Christmas tree can coexist peacefully.

ŠIngrid King, 2014. All Rights Reserved.

2015 Conscious Cat Wall Calendar Now Available

It's back by popular demand: The 2015 Conscious Cat Wall Calendar is now available for purchase!

So many of you told me last year that you loved the calendar, and we think we made this year's even better. Allegra and Ruby spent hours picking out just the right photos, and they made sure that they received equal representation.

To my knowledge, this is still the only calendar on the market that exclusively features tortoiseshell cats. Here is a preview of some of the pages:

Calendars are $18.00 plus $7.95 shipping and handling (US only, please contact me for international shipping rates.)

Purchase Your Calendar Now - Supplies Are Limited!

Your purchase is secure and processed through PayPal. You do not need a PayPal account, you can pay with any credit card.

Highlights from The Conscious Cat

Cat Toy Safety

I'm pretty paranoid when it comes to making sure the toys I let Allegra and Ruby play with are safe. We have plenty of "blind and deaf mice" at our house because I remove glued on eyes and ears from toy mice before I even give them to the girls. Toys with rubber bands or [...] The post Cat Toy Safety appeared first on The Conscious Cat. ...ť

Cat Photography Q&A with Michele West

Michele West has been a photographer most of her life. She considers herself fortunate to have studied photography early when it was still "film" and in the style of the great masters. Henri Cartier-Bresson, who is considered the father of photo journalism, and who coined the term, "the decisive moment," was one of her great [...] The post Cat Photography Q&A with Michele West appeared first on The Conscious Cat. ...ť

How Cats Show Affection

Cats have a reputation of being aloof, but nothing could be further from the truth. Cats express affection for humans and for each other in a multitude of ways. Each cat is an individual, so not all cats will show affection in quite the same way, but there are some common ways how cats show they [...] The post How Cats Show Affection appeared first on The Conscious Cat. ...ť

Santa Paws Drive Brings Holiday Joy to Shelter Cats

The Santa Paws Drive 2014 is now open for donations! For the past five years, this amazing organization has raised more than $55,00o in toys, treats and donations for 28 shelters around the world. This year, the drive will benefit two organizations that work together to save animals in kill shelters by transporting them to [...] The post Santa Paws Drive Brings Holiday Joy to Shelter Cats appeared first on The Conscious Cat. ...ť

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Upcoming Events

March 4 - 6, 2015

Global Pet Expo
Orlando, FL

June 6 and 7, 2015
CatCon LA
Los Angeles, CA

Please visit the Events Page on my website
for more information and directions.

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