Oh my, are there are lot of choices when it comes to cat food these days. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. It probably means there are more excellent food choices for our cats and also more inferior foods that could actually be causing some of the health maladies cats are contracting as they age. Or are we seeing more illness in cats simply because they’re living longer?
Feeding cats has become difficult on many levels. Do we feed what they’ll eat or what we believe is good for them. Certainly, if they won’t eat it, they won’t get any benefit from it. But who wants to give their cats food with no real nutritional value?
How do you choose your cat’s food? Price? Tradition? The label? What the cat will eat? Or have you actually gone to the trouble of learning about your cat’s intricate nutritional needs?
Maybe your cat is like so many now, she requires a special dietary formula for diabetes,
kidney issues, or urinary tract problems. I have a friend whose veterinarian said her cat could no longer have fish in her diet because it was causing crystals in the urinary tract. Our Lily is on a special low protein diet because she has kidney disease. So is over-the-counter cat food harming our cat? Is the higher priced cat food actually healthier for every cat?
I did some research and I’ve provided you with some great resources below. Ever hear of the AAFCO (Association of Feed Control Officials). Some say that your cat food should have their seal of approval on the package. What is this association all about? They establish nutritional standards for complete and balanced pet foods. According to experts, you want to buy a product that says on the label, “complete and balanced” and/or that has the AAFCO stamp.
Interestingly, one concern with cat food today is over nutrition rather than under nutrition. Can you believe that? Experts say that this is actually a bigger problem with pet foods today. Here’s an in-depth article about pet food standards. It’s designed to help you determine which is the best cat food for your cat by label-reading. When you’re ready to study the labels on your cat’s canned food cans, get out your magnifying glass. You may have noticed that the print is ultra-tiny. https://www.petcoach.co/article/cat-food-standards-by-the-aafco/
Here’s a separate article listing the best brands of cat food for 2018. Is your cat’s food on this list? https://www.petcoach.co/article/cat-food-standards-by-the-aafco/
You know how I enjoy using my camera. Today I thought I’d share some of my more interesting cat photos. I don’t know how I got this double shot of Lily. (It’s like Lily and a half.)
Here’s baby Lily getting to know Max. I caught her before she slipped off the desk in fright.
the old saying, “Any ship in a storm,” or something like that. 
Dinah did love a lap!
The New York Times ran an article last month about a Cat count in Washington DC. It sounds as though they are practically going door-to-door to count every cat in the city. They’re also documenting feral cats using cameras and other clandestine tactics. I’m not sure what they’ll do once all of the cats are accounted for. Feral cats are protected by TNR (Trap, neuter and release) policies. The article mentioned that some believe cats have contributed to the extinction of at least 63 species, however, so I’m sure there’s going to be an attempt to change the TNR policy.
believe TNR isn’t working and they want to return to the old “lethal” way of handling the overpopulation of feral cats.
Do you fear for or wonder about the cats living in the world’s war zones? Here are a couple of stories that show the heart of the people when it comes to their cats. One veterinary student has created Iraq’s first cat hotel—providing a safe haven for cats amidst chaos.
Parts of the US have had record heat waves this year, and those of us with animals are reminded regularly to keep our pets safe during these extreme weather events. If you don’t have an air conditioned barn for your farm animals, make sure they have shade and plenty of water. We used to hose our horses down on hot days. Our neighbors fill large plastic bottles with water, freeze them, and place them in their rabbit cages. It’s all rather elementary, isn’t it? If you’re suffering from the heat, most likely the animals are too. So what can you do to make your cat more comfortable?
cooler. While most cats won’t lounge in front of a fan or small air conditioner, some will. Our Himalayan, Katy, loved to lay inches from our window air conditioner and feel the wind blowing through her fur. She looked like she was on a wild ride in a convertible. Smart cookie.
3: Some experts suggest providing a water feature in your home for the cats. Fill your bathtub or a well-secured bin or children’s swimming pool with a few inches of water and float ice cubes or plastic balls in the water. Your cat might enjoy batting at the objects and, in the process, cool off a bit.
Yesterday I visited our county’s first and only cat café. As you know, I’ve written about cat cafés and I visited one in Houston when I attended the Cat Writers Association conference in June. It’s interesting how cat cafés in the US are all created pretty much with the same premise—to find forever homes for homeless cats—yet they each have their own charm. The Purrfect Cat Café in Camarillo, California is tucked between some major restaurants and other businesses in a strip mall. Since, in the US, you can’t mix the cats with the refreshments in the same room, we were first greeted by a charming young man who invited us to partake of a beverage (coffee from machine or a canned soft drink), browse among a small array of cat items for sale (we bought tee-shirts), then we were ushered into the cat room. We paid $5 to see the cats ($10 for non-seniors).
These photos are all of cats we met at the Purrfect Cat Café. All of them are up for adoption and, in the meantime, are loved, well-cared-for, and have quite a variety of interesting guests not to mention activities, toys, climbing apparatus, tunnels, and cozy beds. Those who want to be petted and cuddled will approach, those who want to be simply admired will pose out of reach, and those who wish for a little privacy will curl 
up out of sight until they’re ready to be social. There are plenty of comfy perches for visitors, as well, and a table with an inviting array of adult coloring books and pencils if you want to see if your creative side is inspired by a room full of beautiful cats.
I’d like to hear your experiences visiting a cat café.
Well, today I dug up something that will make absolutely no difference to any of us. Science has proven that dogs love us more than cats do. Any surprises there? I didn’t think so. Everyone knows that cats are aloof and that they stick around us strictly because of what they can get out of us—food, regular massages, and every other whim satisfied. Yeah, I’m fabricating here. Of course our cats adore us. They may not worship the ground we walk on like a dog does, but that would be silly when cats prefer to be worshipped.
Actually, cats deserve to be revered. In their studies, scientists have discovered that cats are better at survival than dogs. This does not mean it’s okay to turn a cat out to fend for itself, like too many people do. But they have found evidence that cats have certainly managed to survive historically—particularly in ancient times—often at the expense of dogs. Studies show, for example, that at one 
time there were more than 30 species of dogs—all originating from the wolf here in the US. But when the cat showed up here from Asia, dog numbers began to decline. You might be interested in knowing that now, because of that competition for survival, there are only 9 dog species now.
The numbers don’t lie—or so they say. Actually, as I conduct research for this blog, I find all sorts of statistical contradictions—they’re usually close, but no cigar. Here’s what the American Pet Products Organization people say—actually, I believe this is the general consensus. There are more households with dogs than cats, but there are more cats owned in the US than dogs. I suppose that’s because one or two dogs is generally enough, whereas you can’t have just one cat. In fact, stats show that the average cat owner has like two and fraction of the furry critters as pets.
Yes, there will be kittens. But first let me give you the link to the latest Klepto Cat Mystery. Both the print and Kindle version of Revenge at Its Felinest (Book 30!) are available here:
you don’t get tired of seeing Lily, Sophie, and Smokey. Today I’ve deemed as kitten day. Problem is, I have many more kitten photos than I have space here to post them. So I’ve decided to use kitten photos for here at the Catscapades blog for the rest of the week. Any objections? I didn’t think so.
Here’s one for the books (in fact I might include the concept in one of my stories). It’s Flats for Pets. PetsnFlats is a German company that pairs live-in pet sitters with residents who have an extra room. From what little information I could gather, it’s like an airbnb for pet sitters. If you have a home, a pet or two, and travel plans, or you want to travel, like pets, and would like a free place to stay, PetsnFlats will help you make a connection.
like to share a site that understands our attachment to our cats and our desire to make them happy. Check this out: 
And if you like kitty-cat jewelry, you MUST visit this site. While I was oooing and ahhhing over the beautiful pieces, they offered me a $9 voucher. Here’s the link: 
