Cats
Understanding CatsUnderstanding cats is easy, we just need to know how they live in their natural environment, and then make sure we meet their needs. Outdoors, cats hunt for food, hide from predators (often by climbing), and defend their home territories. Indoors, these behaviors may look hostile (biting and scratching) or spiteful (climbing and marking),…
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Sections Adoption Behavior Care Chapters Health Links Pictures & Fun About HRS Headquarters Site Help Other Indexes What’s New? What’s Popular? FAQs HRJ Articles Opinion True Stories Kids Vets New Bunny Site Map Contact Us… Cats and Rabbits Amy Shapiro A cat and a rabbit really can be friends.Yes, really. What seems an unlikely combination, given the predator-prey…
Read More Cat, (Felis catus), also called house cat or domestic cat, domesticated member of the family Felidae, order Carnivora, and the smallest member of that family. Like all felids, domestic cats are characterized by supple low-slung bodies, finely molded heads, long tails that aid in balance, and specialized teeth and claws that adapt them admirably to…
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A new Cornell study published this month in Environmental Pollution finds that glyphosate, the active herbicidal ingredient in widely used weed killers like Roundup, was present at low levels in a variety of dog and cat foods the researchers purchased at stores. Before you go switching Fido or Fluffy’s favorite brand, however, be aware that the amounts of the herbicide found correspond to levels currently considered safe for humans. The study grew out of a larger interdisciplinary research project led by Brian Richards, senior research associate in biological and environmental…
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The first study to document interactions between feral cats and a wild rat colony finds that contrary to popular opinion, cats are not good predators of rats. In a novel approach, researchers monitored the behavior and movement of microchipped rats in the presence of cats living in the same area. They show the rats actively avoided the cats, and only recorded two rat kills in 79 days. Published as part of a special “rodent issue” in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, the findings add to growing evidence that any benefit…
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The American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) today released the AAFP Consensus Statement, “Feline Feeding Programs: Addressing Behavioral Needs to Improve Feline Health and Well-being” and accompanying client brochure to the veterinary community. The Consensus Statement, published in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, explores the medical, social, and emotional problems that can result from the manner in which most cats are currently fed. This statement focuses on “how to feed” because an often-overlooked aspect of feline health is how cats are fed. This Consensus Statement identifies normal feeding…
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The cat is the only animal, aside from humans and primates, which spontaneously develops type 2 diabetes. Therefore, researchers are interested in studying how diabetes develops in cats in order to learn more about the disease in general. Now an interdisciplinary team of researchers from the University of Copenhagen have come a step closer to understanding the disease by studying it in cats. The new study shows that the composition of gut bacteria in cats suffering from diabetes is different from the composition seen in healthy cats. ‘We can tell…
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Source: University of Zurich Summary: It is a known fact that microbes on farms protect children from asthma and allergies. But even non-microbial molecules can have a protective effect. Immunologists have shown that a sialic acid found in farm animals is effective against inflammation of lung tissue. This study opens up a wide variety of perspectives for the prevention of allergies. FULL STORY Milking cow (stock image). Credit: © Ror / Fotolia It is a known fact that microbes on farms protect children from asthma and allergies. But even…
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There are a number of common “human” foods that your dogs and cats should “NOT EAT”. The important thing is to know exactly what to avoid. There are some very commonly known ones, such as Chocolate, Alcohol, and Coffee but some lesser known ones such as Grapes, Nutmeg, Onion and the artificial sweetener in gum, Xyitol. In this article, I will give you an overview of the toxins, PLUS what to do if your dog or cat ingests any of these poisons. Alcoholic Beverages It is often sweet attracting dogs…
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