5 Ways I Want to Be More Like My Cats

By Julia Williams

Hardly a day goes by that I don’t see my cats basking in a sun puddle and think, “Why can’t I be a cat for just one day?” I would get caught up on my sleep, that’s for sure. I’d have zero stress because I would not stir all day long, except to follow that warm sun puddle when it moves. I wouldn’t worry about where my next meal is coming from or if it's going to taste good. Everything I could possibly need would be provided for me by my human servant. Which means, of course, that I wouldn’t have a care in the world…unless you count making sure the servant got out of bed when I said it was time for breakfast and not when the clock said.

Yes, my cats have a great life. And I admit … I am jealous! I want to experience catdom for myself because frankly, I don’t think my kitties appreciate just how good they have it! Being human, I know they have it good, and I want some of what they’re having. It seems only fair. But alas, all I can do is dream.

Here are 5 ways I want to be more like my cats:

1. Embrace every opportunity, even those that turn out differently than expected. 

Cats go with the flow, and they don’t get upset when things don’t happen the way they thought they would. They just adapt. Take Mickey, for example: he loves Cheetos, so I’ll share one with him occasionally. One day I left an open bag of Jalapeno Cheddar Cheetos on the couch while I went to get something from the kitchen. Now, if you’ve ever had those, you know they have quite a “kick.” He didn’t know; he stole one out of the bag, and ate the whole thing! Sure, it wasn’t the mild, cheesy Cheeto he was expecting, but Mickey didn’t let a little Jalapeno spice keep him from enjoying his stolen snack. (He did, however, drink a lot of water afterwards!).

2. Enjoy the simple things life offers.

Cats have a unique ability to find joy in everything, no matter how mundane it might seem. If it moves, chase it. That feather’s not a real bird? No problem! If a paper bag magically appears on the floor, turn it into a mancat cave/tactile toy. A cardboard box or a wicker basket is an open invitation for a nap. Pens become projectiles, magazines become chew toys, and every little thing lying around becomes something fun to play with.

4 Year Blogiversary Bash and a Giveaway!

By Julia Williams

Bow wow WOW! It’s been four years since CANIDAE began the Responsible Pet Ownership blog, and what a ride it’s been. Let’s pop a cork and have a PAWTY!

I’ve been Editor of the RPO blog for nearly all of that time, and I’ve watched it grow and evolve to become something better than I ever imagined. Blogging has been around for awhile now, but in many ways is still in its infancy, and there’s so much yet to discover.

I can’t wait to see what the next four years has in store for this blog, as well as for all of the other pet blogs and bloggers I’ve come to know and love. Social media is a unique sign of the times; unless you have a fairly new dictionary, you won’t find the terms “blog” and “blogging” in there. And yet, blogs have become a part of daily life for many of us. Whether we read blogs, write blogs or do some of both, it’s hard to imagine them not being there.

CANIDAE began this blog with a few simple but heartfelt goals – to connect with customers, make new friends, share interesting and fun stories, and impart knowledge to help people be the best “pet parents” they can be.

Four years and nearly 2,000 posts later, I’m happy to say these goals have all been met, and so much more. Responsible pet ownership is at the heart of everything this blog stands for and strives to accomplish. It’s the cornerstone of the CANIDAE brand as well as the philosophy of all who work for the company.

Cat Chat: Text Abbreviations for Tech-Savvy Felines

By Julia Williams

The advent of computers and cell phones spawned a new way of communicating for many people. Words and phrases became abbreviated to save time while typing in chat rooms, online forums, mobile text messages and on Facebook. Chat abbreviations have become so commonplace that most of us know what LOL, BRB, TMI, ETA, IDK, OMG and BFF mean. However, I saw a text abbreviation recently that stumped me, so I did what I always do nowadays when I need information – I googled it. Paydirt! I not only found the one that had baffled me, but a comprehensive A to Z list that blew me away. Who knew there were thousands of text abbreviations just waiting to make our lives easier by shaving two seconds off our typing time? Wut?

Naturally, that got me to thinking about texting abbreviations cats would use in their everyday communications with other cats (and perhaps even a stray human or two). Never mind the lack of opposable thumbs. Plenty of cat crazy people are willing to buy into the fantasy that felines are capable of typing. Why wouldn’t cats want to save precious time by using text abbreviations? After all, that leaves more time for what is really important to kittehs – such as, eatin' a big bowl of FELIDAE cat food, then settling down for a long nap as only a cat can do.

As responsible pet owners, we should be keeping tabs on Tabby while she’s online and especially when she’s texting that Tomcat hotty who has a reputation for wooing every ladycat within hissing distance. To make it easy for you, I spied on my own wily felines and compiled a list of all the texting lingo that tech-savvy cats use.

What Makes a Cat's Coat Change Colors?

By Linda Cole

When I was in high school, my family had a Siamese cat. She had a beautiful light colored coat with chocolate brown markings on her face, tail and legs. As she aged, however, her coat began to darken up. Three of my cats are black, but I've noticed one has a reddish tint starting to show up in his coat. If you have a cat with a darker coat, and have noticed a change in the color, there are reasons why the coat color may be changing.

Sun Exposure 

My cats love to lie in the sun. Since they're all inside cats, I find some stretched out in warm puddles of sunlight entering through a window. As a sun puddle ebbs across the floor, the cats move with it. I can usually find a cat lying in an opened window enjoying an afternoon sunbathing as they spy on the neighbors. Jabbers is my biggest cat and always makes sure he gets a window spot, but his black coat has gotten a red tint to it from lying in the sun. Cats with dark coat colors who spend too much time in the sun can start to get a bleached out look from too much exposure to the sun. The darker colored coats of outside cats who spend a lot of their time in the sun can also have their coats fade in time due to sun exposure.

Temperature 

The coat color of oriental breeds like the Himalayan and Siamese are determined by temperature. More precisely, the temperature of their skin. Himalayan kittens begin life with an almost creamy colored coat. Siamese kittens are born white. As they begin to grow, color changes begin to take place in their coats and the points begin to emerge. Because the neck and body of the cat is warmer, their coat stays a lighter color and the tail, legs, face and ears turn darker because those areas of the skin are cooler. Air temperature can also play a role in coat color and their points can darken or become lighter depending on the season. A change in coat color can also indicate that your Siamese or Himalayan cat is sick and has a higher than normal temperature.

The Aging Process

Just like us, our precious kitties can begin to get gray hairs mixed in with their coat as they age. It's harder for us to see hairs losing their pigmentation on lighter colored cats, but you may notice a change in their coat color the older they get. One of my cats, Scooter, had just turned twenty a few months before she crossed over the Rainbow Bridge. She had a striking gray coat that faded into white on her chest and stomach. Bits of gray around her mouth began to whiten the older she got. It's a reminder to never take for granted the unconditional love we get from our pets and to give them an extra hug at night, in the morning and any other chance you get.

An Itchy Kitty Gets a New Lease on Life & Fabulous Fur

By Guido the Italian Kitty

Catzowey! I’m itching to tell you about my itches that have gone arrivederci and bye bye too, and you must believes it cuz itza for sure my fur is more meowvalous and shiny than ever in all a cat’s 9 lives. And it’s not cuz I went to the deeziner fur salon and had a makeover! But I would purr to let you in on a giganticat secret.

For the first 4 years of my catzowey life, I was itching. Yep, just itching and scratching and biting my handsome man-cat fur like gnawing on myself. It was not so comfy having to live like this and strike a pose on the catwalk at the same time! My photo shoots were done around not showing my itchy tummy cuz I itched so much that I ate all of my EyeTailYun tummy fur right off of my bod. And like that’s not a furry worry, then I started on taking all the furs off of my famous legs. CATZOWEY! When I looked into the mirror, I didn't see my EyeTailYun buffed self but instead saw what I thought was a long lost scraggly relative! Catzowey, it was me looking half naked from biting off my handsome fur coat.

Oh sure, I visited abundacat dreaded V E T persons – more than I want to remember and they all said “he needs allergy tests.”  Then most of them said I was probably having an environmental reaction! Holy Cannoli – like I’m allergic to my sofa?

Do Groups of Cats Form a Hierarchical Family?

By Langley Cornwell

Our cat and our dog are completely bonded, with one another and with us. I’ve had dogs all my life but this is my first cat. As such, I’d never had the opportunity to observe feline behavior; the only thing I knew about cats was what I’d been told. One thing I heard over and over was how independent cats are. Sure, they are socially quite different than dogs but still, our cat loves his family time. He and his sister (the dog) play together, hang out together and even sleep together. The cat follows right along on our dog walks, which keeps the neighbors laughing. He’s an indoor/outdoor cat and enjoys his time patrolling the neighborhood, but whenever we come out for dog walks, he magically appears by our side and trots right along.

I certainly wouldn’t classify our cat as the independent type. I’ve always attributed his loving, bonding nature to the fact that we rescued him at a tender age (he wasn’t properly weaned). Moreover, we rescued our dog at the same time, so they were raised right alongside one another. We think both of our animals have a bit of species confusion; our dog digs a hole before she eliminates, but that’s a different article entirely.

Several years ago an older male cat named Jack moved into the neighborhood. It wasn’t long before the two cats were best friends. They hang out on one another’s front porch. They wait at each other’s door if the other one isn’t out yet – just like kids who go to their friend’s house to see if ‘Johnny can come out and play.’ It’s gotten to the point where Jack likes to hang out in our house and vice-versa. My cat and Jack have even shared a meal or two, especially now that I have Jack’s guardian feeding him FELIDAE cat food. Jack’s human companion is absolutely amazed, because until they moved into our neighborhood, Jack had always been a solitary cat. She says he used to get into ferocious cat fights in their old neighborhood. Not here, Jack and my cat are tight.

Where is all the aloof, standoffish behavior I’d been told of? I thought cats were not a social species, but my observations (granted, of a very small sample size) made me think otherwise. I started wondering: do cats form social bonds? Do groups of cats form a hierarchal structure?

How to Spoil your Cat

I am trying hard to look innocent

By Rocky Williams, Feline Guest Blogger

Let me just say right up front: I am a privileged cat. I know I’m spoiled, and I don’t apologize for that because really, it’s a blessing. The day the Warden took me out of that flea-ridden shack, I didn’t have many hours left. I call that my lucky day – I won the cat lottery, because I came to live with someone who spoils me.

Now, sometimes that word ‘spoil’ is seen as a negative thing, especially when it pertains to children and even at times, dogs and cats. The Warden used to get upset when her mother (not an animal lover!) accused her of spoiling her cats. It stopped bothering her when she realized it was true, but wasn’t something she should be ashamed of. Spoiling your cat is a good thing. I speak from personal experience.

The Warden spoils me by letting me sleep pretty much anywhere I want, even if that’s on her chest and she can barely breathe because I’m such a strapping lad. When I leave my luxurious black fur on her light-colored couch, she doesn’t care. Ditto for whatever she’s wearing. She knows that walking around town covered in cat hair is a badge of honor. She spoils me by stopping whatever she’s doing when I demand my petting time. She believes, and rightly so, that no boring human task could ever be more important than spending quality time with her cat.

The Warden spoils me because when I am naughty, which is often – pretty much every day, all day long – she doesn’t get mad. If I put my paw on her dinner plate hoping to snag some chicken, she just laughs and pushes it away. The day I actually snagged something but unfortunately it was mustard and that promptly got deposited on the couch, she didn’t scold me. Furniture can be cleaned, she says. When I crawl all over her trying to distract her so I can do the grab-and-run with her food, she doesn’t mind that I get cat hair in her mouth or on her plate. It’s edible, right?

One day I swished my big floofy tail in her Caramel Macchiato, and then I flicked the caramel foam all over the carpet. She laughed especially hard that day. The Warden spoils me because she thinks of me as comic relief, a stress buster in kitty form. The Warden knows that being naughty is just my nature, and she loves me in spite of it. Or is that because of it?

Round Kibble is the Cat’s Meow! FELIDAE is Changing Shape.

Same Great Formulations, Same Great Taste. Just a New Round Kibble.

The meows are in! When cats were asked to choose from many different shapes of kibble, they gave two paws up to round, again and again! As a result, CANIDAE Natural Pet Food Company has decided to change the shape of FELIDAE Cat & Kitten, Chicken & Rice and FELIDAE PLATINUM® kibble for cats to a simple round circle.  Our two Grain Free FELIDAE kibble formulas – pureSEA™ and pureELEMENTS™ – already feature this round shape cats prefer most.

We want to make it very clear, however, that although the shape of FELIDAE kibble will soon be changing, all of our premium-quality formulas will remain exactly the same. Rest assured – the formulations and every quality ingredient that is currently in the kibble will still be the same in the new round-shaped kibble. The food will still provide the same high quality, natural nutrition for cats and kittens, just in an improved, new round shape that felines favor over other shapes. We believe your cats will love FELIDAE cat food even more than they already do.

Repeat testing has shown this is the shape cats love the most. Also, this new round shape results in less kibble breakage, which means fewer crumbs and less “kibble dust” at the bottom of the bag!

A scientific study was done with five different kibble shapes including an X (cross/star), a triangle, a triangle with a hole, a cylinder, and a round “O” shaped flat disc. The study determined that cats overwhelmingly prefer round kibble over any of the other shapes.

The recent research, coupled with the success of this shape in our Grain Free line for cats, led to the decision to change our other three formulas – Cat & Kitten, Chicken & Rice and FELIDAE PLATINUM® – to the round shape as well. Now all five FELIDAE kibble formulas will feature the new, round shape that cats prefer most!

The new round kibble shape will soon begin rolling out to all of our independent retailers across North America. You should begin to see the new FELIDAE kibble in bags featuring the sticker “Cats Prefer Round” on them in the coming months. Depending on an individual store’s stock and turnover, not everyone will have the new round kibble available for purchase at the same time as the product begins to transition into store inventories.

Again, everything you (and your cats!) already love about our premium-quality FELIDAE kibble will remain the same – only the shape is changing for our Cat & Kitten, Chicken & Rice and FELIDAE PLATINUM® formulas. When you have an opportunity to try the new, round FELIDAE kibble, we’d love to know what your cats think of it. Please feel free to leave us a comment below.

Why I Feed My Cats FELIDAE

By Julia Williams

Many years ago, long before CANIDAE started this blog, I became a fan of their FELIDAE cat food. And nearly a decade later, I’m still a fan. I mention FELIDAE in some of my posts because it is, after all, the food my three cats eat. I realized some people might think, “Well of course she recommends this food since she writes for their blog!” It’s actually the opposite – I became a contributor for the Responsible Pet Ownership blog in 2009 because I already had a positive experience with the FELIDAE brand, and I had published an unsolicited review of the food on another website. But I’m getting ahead of myself here. I want to share the tale of how and why this food became the only one I feed to my cats.

I’ve loved cats forever, and I'd never knowingly do anything that would harm them. From my very first cat to my current three, I have promised to not only love and cherish them, but to do my best to keep them healthy. To that end, my cats always get regular vet checkups and also go in whenever there’s even a whiff of trouble.

I thought I was a responsible pet owner and was doing everything I could to keep them healthy. But here’s the thing – I was feeding them sub-par supermarket cat food because I didn’t know any better. I bought the cheapest food too, usually whatever was on sale that week. I bought my own food at the supermarket, so why wouldn’t I buy my cat food there too? It’s safe to say I didn’t know a thing about what might make one cat food better than another. Mind you, this was also before many, if any, premium quality foods like FELIDAE even existed. Still, cat food was just something I didn’t give a lot of thought to, other than buying more when I was running low.

The turning point for me as a cat food consumer came in the late 90s, when I read a book called Natural Health for Dogs and Cats by Richard Pitcairn, a noted holistic veterinarian from Oregon. I bought this book primarily for its holistic approach to cat care and its comprehensive section on pet ailments and treatments. Little did I know, Dr. Pitcairn also addressed nutritional issues I had never even thought about before, and it forever changed the way I looked at pet food.

Top Ten Reasons to Love a Cat

By Julia Williams

Ah, to love a cat. What’s not to love, really? Well for starters, there are those nights when you get up to use the bathroom and your bare feet step in something squishy. I don’t love my cats all that much in that moment. And then there are those days when they are naughty for no other reason than because they just want to see how red your face can get. But other than that, there are plenty of reasons to love a cat. One that won’t make my list, however, is the oft-used “they give you unconditional love.” I’m pretty sure my cats have at least one condition, which is that they be fed regularly. If I withheld their food for very long, I’m thinking they’d give their love to a neighbor without so much as a backward glance at me. But I digress. Here are my top 10 reasons to love a cat.

10. Cats are such good little helpers around the house. They keep the tub from getting water spots by licking it dry right after you shower. They make sure any crumbs that fall to the floor never need to be swept up. They help you decorate by re-arranging your knickknacks. They keep the coffee table free of clutter, and they make sure your bookshelf is always dusted (with a built in duster no less!). 

9. Cats are always willing to give fashion advice. Case in point: the hilarious feline ‘Catfoodbreath’ posted my favorite tweet ever – “I napped on your outfit to keep you from leaving the house looking like someone who didn’t own a cat.” Having a cat also serves as a deterrent to wearing drab black too often. (Black pants are THE biggest fashion faux pas if you have a cat!).

8. Cats are remarkably self cleaning. There are very few good reasons to give your cat a bath, and considering how they react to being submerged in water, it’s not something you should be doing anyway.

Do Pets Make the World a Better Place?

By Julia Williams

If you’ve ever shared a special bond with a pet, that question probably seems a bit silly. Of course the world is a better place because of pets, you’d say. As a lifelong animal lover, I wholeheartedly agree. However, I also know there are people who have no use for pets. Just as I can’t fathom why anyone would ever want to live without a pet, the non-pet people don’t really understand how humans can form strong bonds with animals, or why they would want to. I suppose the universe is big enough for all kinds, but just between us, I am eternally thankful that I’m a pet person. My world is absolutely a better place because of my pets, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.

I am the polar opposite of the cat-hating boyfriend featured on Must Love Cats, who demanded that the bedroom be a “cat free zone.” I have very few cat free zones in my home. For sanitary reasons, I do try to make the kitchen counters and table cat free zones, but Rocky challenges that notion daily. I don’t have cat free zones because my home is their home too, and they should be allowed to live in it.

I certainly could have been – but sadly wasn’t – the person who came up with the funny saying, “If you don’t want pet hair on your clothes, stay off my furniture!” True, this policy of letting my pets sleep wherever they feel like it does present some moments of embarrassment. I’ll never forgot the day a visitor turned to leave and I discovered he was wearing what amounted to “half a cat” on the seat of his pants. It was mortifying in the moment, but I laugh about it now. I came to realize that if he was a pet person, he’d understand, and if he wasn’t…c’est la vie. I don’t much care.

“I could not imagine my life without pets” was a recurring comment in response to my article “My Best Friends All Wear Fur.” Nor could I imagine life without my cats. Well, actually I can imagine it, and it’s certainly not the life I would want for myself. I find that no matter what might be wrong with my life “in the moment,” a head-bump from my heart cat Annabelle can make it right again in an instant. I think I love her exuberant kitty head-bumps more than anything else on earth, and I simply can’t imagine life without them.

Feeding Frenzy at the Katnip Lounge

By Julia Williams

The sponsor of this blog, CANIDAE Natural Pet Foods, selects one reader every three months to receive a free six month supply of their premium quality pet food. The winner is chosen at random from every new reader who subscribed to the blog via email during the past quarter. The winner gets to pick any formula of CANIDAE dog food or FELIDAE cat food.

The lucky winner from last quarter is Tricia C. of Henderson, Nevada. Tricia and her husband Scott have a lot of cats – 13 to be exact! As you can imagine, feeding that many hungry felines is no small feat (they go through about 26 pounds of kibble and 275 6-ounce cans every month!), so Tricia was super excited to find out she’d won some free cat food. She spoke with CANIDAE Customer Service to determine which of the five cat formulas would be the best choice for her “Kat Pack” and decided upon the FELIDAE Cat and Kitten formula. I’m positive her kitties will love this great food, because my cats have eaten it for many years, and they all give it two paws up!

Tricia writes a very entertaining daily blog called the Katnip Lounge, which is subtitled “A Baker’s Dozen of Fabulous Cats.” With so many cats on hand (on paw?) there is never a shortage of good material for her blog. Tricia’s Kat Pack includes six girls and seven boys: KonaKitty, The Baby, Grayce, Sweet Pea, May Ling, Salem, Johnny, Felix, Rupert, Scouty, CC, Maui and Sylvester. Oh, and then there is Henry, an outdoor feral kitty they also feed.

Of Mice and Cats (an American Classic)

By Rocky Williams

I'm currently serving time at the Fleabag Prison with two other feline felons, so I thought it might be fun to tell you a story from my ‘Verminator’ days. They’re just a memory for me now, because I'm under house arrest for ankle biting, toe nibbling, counter surfing and other unmentionable crimes. Hence, I have nothing but time to tell a little cat-and-mouse tale. Steinbeck, eat your heart out!

Once upon a time, I had a job as Chief Verminator of Rodent Valley, California. It was a wonderful place for felines, but not so much for humans since the mice, rats and gophers outnumbered them by the thousands. Catching a rodent was a daily event for me, but not because I took my job seriously. I mean really…what else did I have to do all day?

So one day I caught a rat and promptly took him inside so the Warden could see what a good job I was doing as Chief Verminator. I hoped she would reward me with some of that yummy FELIDAE kibble I’m crazy for, but when I dropped him at her feet she screamed “Rocky, get that THING out of here!” Her lack of appreciation for my wonderful gift was appalling. I proceeded to play two-paw soccer with my rat, which I'd named Ben, but after awhile I lost interest in this little game and looked away.

Unfortunately, Ben seized the opportunity to make a run for it, and he got away from me! The Warden saw Ben scamper behind the stove. I pretended that I didn't see anything. Rat? What rat? Hmmm…I didn’t see a rat, did you?  I nonchalantly licked my paws and sauntered away.

The warden, mouth agape, stared at my backside as I ambled out of the room. I think I heard her calling after me. She might have said something like, “Rocky, come back here and get that THING out from behind the stove.” But if she had said that, what did she expect me to do? The space Ben crawled under is one inch at best, and I'm a big lad. I couldn't fit under there even I'd wanted to go after him, which I didn't.

How Pets See the World

By Julia Williams

I can’t tell you how often I’ve looked at one of my cats lounging around without a care in the world and thought longingly, “Oh Cat, if only I could trade places with you. How awesome that would be!” Our pets are so blissfully unaware of all the struggles we face just being human, not to mention making sure we are responsible pet owners. Pets don’t know a lick about mortgages, utility bills or credit card debt. They don’t ever have to shop for groceries, do the laundry, clean the house or cook a meal. For the lucky ones with doting owners, their whole life is about joy, love and contentment. They only really worry about two things: “Where should I take my next nap?” and “Is it time for me to eat yet?”

I admit, I’m quite jealous of my cats. I want to be the one who gets to sleep all day and have food magically appear in a bowl (although I don’t really want that bowl to be on the floor, thank you very much!). Life is infinitely simpler for our pets, and it just doesn’t seem fair. Why should my kitties get the cushy life while I slave over a hot computer, slinging words together just so I can buy them the meowvelous FELIDAE cat food they love? That settles it – in my next life, I want to be a feline!

So, while contemplating what it would be like to be a cat, I started to think about how our pets see the world around them. I tried to imagine what they might think or feel when they see us doing things that are commonplace to us, but oh-so-alien to them. I began to wonder…Is the life of a cat or dog as carefree as I imagine it to be? In actuality, there are some things that scare the bejeebies out of my cats. Such as:

1.  The vacuum, aka the “Suck Monster.” I don’t even have to turn this noisy thing on to give my cats a fright. The second they hear me getting it out, they run for their safe spot under the bed. Their little cat brains can’t comprehend the Suck Monster’s purpose, and I wonder if they think I turn it on just to terrorize them? Gosh, I hope not!

Do You Have a Finicky Pet or a Foodie?

By Julia Williams

When it comes to their attitude towards food, dogs and cats typically fall into one of two categories – foodie or finicky. A foodie pet will wolf down their food every day like they haven’t eaten anything in weeks, while a finicky pet eats well today but may or may not eat well tomorrow, even when offered the same food they normally love. A foodie rarely presents a problem for a pet owner, but having a finicky pet can certainly be frustrating. After all, a responsible pet owner does a lot of research before deciding which food to buy, and they obviously want their pet to like the food.

I feel lucky that my cats have all been foodies. For one thing, I get to smile every day at their over-the-top antics when it’s time for their breakfast, dinner or TidNips treats. It’s always the same – copious leg rubbing, prancing, pacing, and meowing with a volume level that could wake the dead. There’s no question that they love their food. I’m happy that I can feed them a high quality cat food like FELIDAE and they will scarf up every last morsel day after day, year after year. 

Another advantage of having a foodie pet is that it’s an immediate clue when they aren’t feeling well. This happened to me recently with Rocky, who I’m convinced loves food more than any cat on the planet. When he didn’t want to eat one day, I knew there was a problem, and off to the vet we went. Thanks to modern medicine he’s fine now, but if he wasn’t a foodie, it wouldn’t have been nearly as easy for me to know he had a problem. Cats are masters at hiding illness, but even a diehard foodie like Rocky will lose his appetite if he’s not feeling well.

How I Feed My Pets

By Diane Matsuura, CANIDAE Customer Service Rep

Every day, many customer service conversations at CANIDAE revolve around dogs and cats: what to feed, how to feed, how much to feed, how to get a picky eater to eat, etc. A question I am frequently asked is “What formula of CANIDAE/FELIDAE do you feed your dogs/cats?” I currently share my home with three Labrador Retrievers and three cats. I have fed every formula that CANIDAE makes at one time or another to my pets, and they have all thrived on each variety. One of the great advantages the CANIDAE Natural Pet Food line offers is a wide range of formula choices to suit most dogs and cats. One formula isn’t necessarily better than another, but just a different choice.  All products are made with the same high quality ingredients and balanced nutrition.

I thought I would share what works for me and my pet family. Anyone owned by cats knows that if a cat doesn’t like a particular food, no matter how much we want them to eat a certain brand or formula, you can’t make them eat it. That being said, most cats really like the taste of FELIDAE.  I keep one bowl filled up with the FELIDAE Cat and Kitten formula, and one filled with the Grain Free pureSEA. The next month, I will offer the Chicken and Rice and the Grain Free pureELEMENTS.

Diary of a Bad Housecat

By Rocky Williams

I would be the first to admit that I’m a bad, bad cat. Apparently when I was made, they were all out of the “good” attributes like self-control, willpower and obedience. All attempts by the Warden to train me have been futile, and I pretty much do what I want, with WHATEVER I want. I just can’t help it. Yeah, that’s my defense and I’m sticking to it.

When I see something I covet, I go after it with no thought to the consequences. Usually, what I want is the Warden’s food. It perplexes her, and she says things like “Rocky, I feed you two square meals a day, plus a handful of those scrumptious TidNips™ treats at bedtime – why do you always act like you’re starving?” Well…allow me to explain.

You see, I absolutely love my FELIDAE cat food, and those TidNips are the tastiest treats I’ve eaten in all my 8 years of cathood. But those things are for CATS, and I want what the Warden is having because it’s for people and thus, it’s forbidden. We all know that when something is forbidden, it becomes infinitely more desirable. It doesn’t matter what the Warden is eating, really; I stop at nothing to get my paws on it.

And that, my friends, is what led to the fateful day the Warden screamed the most awful sentence at me. “Rocky!! I don't want to EVER see your face again!” she yelled. Oh my. I was in big trouble.

Ways to Help Your Local Animal Shelter

By Tamara L. Waters

Most local animal shelters are not-for-profit organizations and work on a shoestring budget while relying upon donations and volunteers to help the animals in their care. This year, why not make plans to give a helping hand to your local animal shelter with a few of these ideas.

Volunteer

Your local animal shelter is probably understaffed. Most often, these organizations need every willing body to keep things running and to take care of the animals that end up here. There are so many ways to volunteer your time to help out.

Are you handy with a screwdriver and good at fixing things? Your local shelter may appreciate having someone who can come in and replace and repair things in the building. How about volunteering to do some laundry? Blankets and towels that are used for the animals always need to be washed.

How to Help a Cat with Feline Arthritis

By Ruthie Bently

As cats age they may get feline osteoarthritis, also known as feline or cat arthritis. A cat that is overweight can develop osteoarthritis. Feline osteoarthritis can be difficult to diagnose as a cat’s instinct leads them to attempt to hide their infirmity. (Any signs of weakness can lead to a lion’s place in a pride being compromised.) Osteoarthritis affects the cartilage and soft tissue around the joints. Cartilage is the natural shock absorber of an organism, and is made of protein. It’s like an airbag for your joints. Arthritis causes cartilage to deteriorate from around the joints. If left untreated, the bones can begin to rub against each other, and bone thickening or bone spurs may result. The symptoms are varied and may not be something you might associate to arthritis. While feline arthritis is not curable, it is manageable and you may be able to prevent it in your cat.

Some cats slow down as they age. If your cat isn’t one of those but they are exhibiting some strange behaviors and you are concerned there may be something wrong, here are some of the symptoms of osteoarthritis. A cat may sleep more often and pick lower places to sleep. They may not cover leavings in the litter box, and if the box is too tall for them to easily climb into they may have an accident outside the litter box. Your cat may not want to jump up to high vantage points like they used to. Their leg muscles may look thinner or less filled out than they used to; this is called muscle wasting.

The Great Cat Debate: Indoor Versus Outdoor

By Julia Williams

Should cats be allowed full access to the outdoors to roam at will, or should they be kept indoors 24/7? This question has likely been debated for as long as people have kept cats as pets. Some people are adamant that cats should never go outside, while others insist that not allowing a cat the pleasures and instinctual experiences of the outdoors borders on cruelty. Bird lovers, and gardeners irked by neighborhood cats digging in their flowerbeds, are understandably in the “cats should stay inside” camp. Veterinarians usually recommend that cats be kept inside too, because nearly every day they see firsthand the bad things that can happen to outdoor cats.

Others, like me, believe there are pros and cons for each side of the indoor versus outdoor cat debate, with no clear-cut “winner.” I think the decision of whether to keep your cat indoors or allow it to go outside is an individual one that every responsible pet owner must make for themselves. It does help, however, to be as informed as possible on the subject, so you can feel confident in the choice you are making – because this choice affects you and your feline friend.

It’s a fact that indoor cats live longer, healthier lives. Outdoor cats face many dangers, including getting hit by cars, attacked by dogs, coyotes and even cat-hating humans. Outdoor cats can be exposed to infectious diseases like feline leukemia, distemper and rabies. They can be poisoned by pesticides, herbicides, antifreeze, motor oil, rat bait, ice-melt products and toxic plants. Turf fights with other outdoor cats are common, and bite wounds can become infected. This is called an abscess, and it requires antibiotics and sometimes surgery. Parasites like fleas and ticks are more problematic for outdoor cats as well.

Even something as seemingly safe as a five-acre field with no car traffic can pose a threat to an outdoor cat. My cat Tiger got a foxtail sticker up his nose, which required an emergency vet visit. These nasty barbed stickers mimic a porcupine quill, and will migrate in only one direction after attaching to fur or finding a way into an opening – pulling it out of his nose myself was definitely not an option.

As you can see, the list of bad things that can happen to outdoor cats is quite long. However, I have to dispute the “average lifespan” figures I’ve seen claiming indoor cats live about 12-14 years whereas outdoor cats live only 3-4 years. I realize these are averages, but in my opinion they aren’t accurate. I’ve had outdoor cats that lived to be 19, 16 and 14, and many of my friends have had outdoor cats who lived similarly long lives.

If you have a pet door which allows your cat to come and go as they please, they may bring things into your house that you won’t like, including mice, rats, gophers, lizards, snakes, bugs, possums and frogs. Dead or alive, these are not things you want in your home. There is nothing worse than getting up in the middle of the night and stepping on something squishy in your bare feet. Trust me.

With all the dangers and disadvantages of allowing a cat outdoors, one might wonder why everyone doesn’t keep their cat inside 24/7. One reason many give is that they don’t think an indoor cat can be happy. Until a few years ago, I believed that a cat deprived of the outdoors would lead a miserable existence. This was primarily because I’d always allowed my cats the freedom of the outdoors, and I saw how happy it made them to climb trees, hunt gophers and sun themselves in my garden.

However, my viewpoint changed somewhat when we moved to Montana. I wanted to keep my cats indoors for several months so they wouldn’t get lost or attempt an “incredible journey” back to their old home. Then winter came, and when my California kitties felt snow on their paws for the first time, they decided for themselves that indoor life wasn’t so bad. In the winter, I don’t think they’d go outside if you opened a can of their favorite Felidae cat food and tried to lure them out with it. In the summer they have the freedom to choose, and they still stay inside about 85% of the time.

This arrangement suits me. My carpet stays a lot cleaner, my vet bills are much lower, and I like knowing they are safe. I think it suits them too, for the most part. Were they happier being outdoor kitties in sunny California? Yes, in all honesty I think they were. But I play with them and pet them often, and I find other ways to enrich their indoor lives that hopefully makes up for not being able to play outdoors.

Read more articles by Julia Williams