Someone has figured it out: kitty litter detects sick cats. There are many kitty litter products on the market, for many purposes, but none that detects sick cats – sounds like a good idea.
cat in kitty litter box photo by shari smith dunaif 2015
Pretty Litter is a new company that offers kitty litter that detects sick cats. My Kitty Care went on Pretty Litter’s website, and saw this
…changes color to detect common feline health issues.
but couldn’t find out what material is used for the product so My Kitty Care contacted The company. Erin Vadala handles the company’s media, and responded with the following:
Pretty Litter uses natural ingredients made of silica gel with an additive similar to the ph dipstick a veterinarian would use to test a cat for any urinary anomalies. It’s scoopable, flushable, dust-free, feline-safe, and
eco-friendly.
Thanks, Erin
cat looks at Kitty litter box photo by shari smith dunaif 2015
This kitty litter may be helpful in detecting CKD (chronic kidney disease) or acute kidney disease, which many cats get, and urinary infections. These health problems, like most health issues with cats, are difficult to detect, especially early in the disease – so it would be terrific if this Pretty Litter kitty litter really works.
Singapore recently opened its first cat museum: Lion City Kitty Cat Museum Singapore. The Lion City Kitty cat museum celebrates the diverse history of Singapore’s cats. It’s also an adoption centre. Located at Purvis Street in the heart of Singapore’s city centre, the three-storey Lion City Kitty Cat Museum features multi-media exhibits that showcase a variety of cat themed artwork and various items of feline kitsch.
The museum is the brainchild of Jessica Seet, a former local radio news reporter and a cat lover herself.
“There are a few cat museums in the world, but I believe the Lion City Kitty of Singapore is the very first museum with live cats. And I didn’t want a museum where people just come to see arts and crafts, I really wanted people to understand there was an inspiration behind the art and the inspiration is really the beautiful animals. Visitors can interact and play with real cats on the two upper floors of the museum, the Muse Gallery and The Mansion.The purpose of the museum and having resident cats is to change the public perception towards cats, and to create a stronger interest in local breeds.
Lion City Kitty is the term we coined for the local kitty cats that live right here in Singapore,” said Ms. Seet.
To achieve that, Seet works in collaboration with the Singapore Cat Welfare Society (CWS). The organization brings in rescued or abandoned cats to stay in the Muse Gallery, an entire floor dedicated to the cats available for adoption, for a three month rotation period.
“I think we have changed the perspective of some people. Previously they may have thought that it would be better to buy exotic cats, because they are more exclusive and expensive as opposed to local cats. Also people realise how easy it is to take care of a cat,” said Sya Shukor, Cat Welfare Society.
“The Lion City Kitty museum is very different from the cat café that we have around here, because it is a non profit organization, it’s more about educating the people…and we can save a life and adopt instead of buy,” she said.
Seet also hopes to expand into cat therapy programs and plans to work with the Cat Welfare Society to provide cats identified with a calm personality as therapy cats. The cats would be brought to hospitals and senior homes to visit patients or senior citizens.
The cat video festival winner 2015 was announced August 12, 2015. One of five finalists was the winner of the coveted Golden Kitty award. Check out 2015 internet cat video finalists to watch the five selected videos for the internet cat video festival 2015 Golden Kitty award contenders. It’s hard not to be fun if cats are involved, but these are all especially really good, entertaining cat videos.
from ABC news, Australia –
Four years ago an experiment by the Walker Art Centre to explore the phenomenon of internet cat videos began and this week, their sell-out 4th Internet Cat Video Festival highlighted what we all already knew: The world cannot get enough of cats behaving — well, like cats.
“The crowd is absolutely awesome. We’ve got 13,000 people here and we’ve not had a single call,” Sergeant Paul Poulos of St. Paul, Minnesota, said, while patrolling the stadium.
by Jennifer King
The internet cat video festival 2015 winner of the Golden Kitty (People’s Choice) was
All cat and animal lovers: Save lions World Lion Day is Monday August 10. World Lion Day is a day to promote preservation of our lions around the world. Click Who To Support , it’s a page on the World Lion Day website. There are many organizations to support, including:
National Geographic’s lion conservation organization The Big Cat Initiatives. But do go to worldlionday.com to get more information.
Singapore Zoo photo by shari smith dunaif 2014
All of us, hopefully recognizes the need to preserve the priceless wildlife around the world. Lions, and all wild cats, are particularly special to My Kitty Care. We love and respect these magnificent creatures.
Yeah, yeah, dogs are bouncey and friendly and like to wag their tails. Not cats.
So people assume dogs relate better to people. Maybe you, or your friends, or someone in your family, has had little or no contact with cats and believe the stereotype: cats are aloof, unemotional. In fact, they think cats are incapable of interacting with people. They wonder, why even ask are cats better companions than dogs?
I like dogs, really, I do. But the stereotype about indifferent cats come from the uninitiated. Cats are wonderful companions, yet display their attachments differently from dogs, and differently from each other. They are, after all, individuals.
Most cats love being with their humans. Some cats follow their caregivers around the house, greet them at the door and curl up in their laps.
Some cats like being held, as if sharing a mutual hug. My cat Toby purrs madly when I hold him. Marnie needed to gradually get comfortable with being held. It took me a year; watch can I teach my cat to be held? Others like to rest on your shoulder or sleep on your pillow. There are cats who prefer solitude, but they too will appear and find their humans for attention. Many cats like to sleep with their people, and I prefer it too. Many cat people do: read about should my cat sleep with me?
Cats often sense if you’re not feeling well, and they will comfort you, cuddling next to you in bed.
Tom with Edwin Gehlert
Dr. Dennis Turner, an expert on feline-human bonds, found that cats can help us through feelings of anxiety, depression and fear, as effectively as a human partner. They also lower blood pressure and reduce stress.
According to Dr. Turner, “…the cat’s presence and their interactions can reduce bad moods. This wasn’t in any sort of clinically ill population or people with psychological problems, this was with average cat owners.”
There’s no doubting that cats are intelligent creatures. Cats are able to learn pointing gestures, and follow them – similarly to dogs. One measure of intelligence is determined by the number of neurons, rather than brain size. Cats have 300 million neurons in their cerebral cortex (the area of the brain area responsible for processing, problem solving, and perception). Dogs have 160 million neurons.
In addition, scientists consider a dog’s memory as lasting about five minutes, while cats can remember up to 16 hours. Cats seem to remember human kindness. I KNOW that rescued cats know their caregiver saved them from likely euthanasia, or minimally, brought them into a loving home. Over the years, whether my husband or I selected the rescued cat, that cat had a particular strong bond with the cat’s rescuer. Bear and I loved each other and had a sweet relationship, but it was my husband who scooped her up from hiding beneath her shelter cage. Bear was my husband’s. It was me who succumbed to Marnie at the Floridian kill shelter, and although she loves us both, she has a special bond with me. Coincidence? I don’t think so.
What about this? Dogs aren’t the only pets who play fetch. Years ago, our beloved cat Ludlow loved a good game of fetch. He preferred shoelaces. We’d toss them, he’d retrieve them and wait until we tossed them again, and again. Cats are easily amused with small things around your home, like a wadded up ball of newspaper or a cardboard toilet-paper roll.
Cats, like many pets, give us a consistency that life often disrupts. Our cats are with us, thick through thin. During upheavals in our lives, good and bad, your cat will be there, loving and supportive, curled up next to you, purring like crazy as you pet them, providing a moment of mutual contentment.
