cats-explained

[cats-explained]

My cat vomited, ate some food, and then vomited again in quick succession (took place over about 15 minutes) and I noticed one of my own hairs (my hair reaches to my lower back) sticking out of his mouth. Before I panic that he swallowed plastic or something, do you think it just could of been the hair stuck in his throat? I gently pulled it out and have been keeping an eye on him, and he ate some more food since then without vomiting it back up. If he vomits again tonight hes going to the er

This is not a veterinary blog and dispensing medical advice over the internet without examining your pet is illegal. If you are concerned, please contact your vet.

[cats-explained]

[cats-explained]

So perfect!

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[cats-explained]

Obviously I want you to take care of your pets and make sure they get food and fresh water on a regular basis, but cats being huge drama queens and screaming hysterically at you and acting like they’re tragic famine victims who haven’t eaten in weeks and are about to drop dead from starvation right mcfuckin now, because you’re 10 minutes late feeding them is always going to be one of the funniest things to me

[cats-explained]

Ugh wrong blog

I recently took in a pair of kittens who had, up to this point, lived outside. They were well taken care of by the friend who gave them to me, but they don't enjoy being pet or picked up. What can I do to help them better enjoy socializing and make them more comfortable at home?

Give them time, and approach petting and being picked up like behaviors you’d actually train an animal to do. Work in small approximations, only at their comfort level, and reward them heavily for tolerating any part of the process. Don’t expect it to go fast. 

I’d also ask you, though, to sort of self-examine how you’re approaching the situation. Why do the cats need to enjoy being petted or picked up? It’s important for them to tolerate such things, sure, so you can make sure they’re not injured and move them if there’s a safety issue, but past that? It feels like kind of a human priority thing: it’s important to us that our cats like these things we want to do to them, but we’re not taking into account that it might be okay for these animals to just have a preference for those things not being done. Will asking the cats to tolerate handling and contact they don’t like make them more comfortable at home, or will it just make you happier? Will they enjoy socializing more when being asked to allow petting, or will you just be more comfortable engaging with them socially through that method rather than figuring out how they prefer to be social with humans instead? I’m not saying you’re wrong to want to condition your cats to be more accepting of tactile interactions, but I do think it’s important to know what are human priorities being projected onto the cats that you’re telling yourself are “for their benefit”, versus what pieces of interactions it is actually necessary for them to be willing to tolerate to successfully coexist in a human home. 

[cats-explained]

Hi! My cat adores playing with hair ties and rubber band (it will often end up in her bowl of water). While she is cute when she carries them around, I'm afraid that it will end up in her stomach. Is there any safe alternative?

Hello!

You are right to be concerned. As you may know our mom is a vet (which means we have to deal with all kinds of nonsense) and has seen vast quantities of hair ties pulled or cut out of kitties’ stomachs.

I, for one, play with hair ties all of the time, but I have no desire to eat them. She says she got lucky with me.

I’m not clear whether you are asking if there is a safer hair tie available, or if there is something like a hair tie that she could play with instead. As far as I know, the latter isn’t very likely. The ones that are supposedly ‘no crease’ are wider and have a knot, which may or may not deter a particular kitty. The safest option is to never leave them lying around. Mom’s last kitten would go into the cabinet and open a drawer to get the hair ties - she had to tie it shut!

I really like twist ties and the plastic ring that comes off the milk jug. But this is cat dependent because a cat that likes to ingest lots of things may eat those as well. Letting us get our hunting instinct out using wand toys or other great enrichment items may make us less likely to eat random items like that.

If your cat is determined to eat inedible items, like plastic or cloth, make sure to visit your vet to make sure there isn’t a medical reason.

- Chupie

[cats-explained]

Happy Thanksgiving!

From Chupie and Ducati

(via peartree impressions)

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[cats-explained]

My cat hates nothing more than having her nails clipped, won't let me touch her paws EVER. But lately she's been pawing at my hand until I "hold hands" with her (which, yes, involves touching her toe beans), and she gets upset if I let go before her nap is over. Still won't let me clip her nails, though! Not really a question, just thought I'd let you know what a weirdo she is.

This is Cat Behavior 101.

All things are on the cat’s terms, not the human’s terms. Paw holding does not equate with nail trimming!!

-Ducati

[cats-explained]

New footage of the elusive Chinese Mountain Cat! 

(Image Credits: Shan Shui Conservation Center)

This documentation of a barely-known species of small wild felid is incredible - it’s potentially the first active Chinese mountain cat den ever found! As documented in a recent blog post, a researcher working on a crane conservation project took photos of what he thought was a Tibetan fox, only to discover later that he���d actually photographed a cat so rare it was only discovered as a species in 2007! Researchers returned to the site later and were ecstatic to find that the cat was a mother with two young kittens. The placed a camera trap close to one of the den entrances and was able to record multiple days worth of footage before the family moved on.

Chinese mountain cats (Felis bieti) live in a very small, high-altitude range in remote northern China. They’re well-adapted to the harsh weather at those heights, with a stocky build and thick fur in the winter, and are often called “grass cats” by locals because they blend into the the dry grass of the alpine meadow habitats where they’re most often observed. What little information we have about these elusive felids comes mostly from observations by herders whose livestock graze in those meadows. The IUCN lists that no substantive knowledge has been gained about Chinese mountain cats since 2010, so this new footage from Shan Shui Conservation Center is a major contribution to the scientific understanding of the species. 

Click through here to watch the footage of the Chinese mountain cat family! 

[cats-explained]

Life hack

Got something you need to do at a certain time every day (e.g., take meds)?  Start giving your cat a treat right before you do it.  You may have trouble remembering, but your cat absolutely will not.  

[cats-explained]

Hey cat people, take this quick 5 minute survey to help us learn more about cat behavior. Feel free to share with your cat loving friends!

Hi everyone!

After a lot of time and revision, my research project for my residency is now collecting data. This is a quick 5 minute survey looking at cat behavior in homes. if you have a cat, I would be very grateful if you would fill this out! You are able to fill it out multiple times if you have multiple cats. 

I tried to make wording clear but if anything is confusing, let me know.

I really appreciate it!

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[cats-explained]

This blog has been really quiet lately. Our mom is going through advanced training so she can be an official pet psychiatrist, so we don't get as much time as we'd like online. But she's making us a ball pit!!! Anyway, we just want to know if you guys have questions you want answered, or topics you'd like covered on cat behavior. Let us know so we don't get bored! -Chupie and Ducati

[cats-explained]

By Lucas Turnbloom

[cats-explained]

The second one is never a waste.