Modern Cat Spring/Summer 2019

cat

Turn your cat into a love bug! A how-to for bonded, affectionate behaviour

The lifestyle magazine for modern cats and their companions

How to Talk to Your Cat

SPRING· SUMMER 2019

It's Play Time!

The best toys for every cat

The Secret Language of Cats Explained

HELP, A

Publications Agreement Number 42496543 Return Mail Dept, 202–343 Railway St., Vancouver, BC V6A 1A4

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AGGRESSIVE CAT? WE CAN HELP! P24 moderncat.com DISPLAY UNTIL JULY 31 ‘19

$6.95

Cat-tastic Decor

Cat Tattoos Grow Your Cat an Indoor Garden Giveaways Galore!

Win cat stuff on p 18

p40 Cat Cafes

Could CBD help your cat? This natural remedy is helping cats with everything from anxiety to pain & seizures

cat VOL 8

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PHOTO DHARMADOGKARMACA

SPRING/SUMMER 2019

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FEATURES 24

Feline Aggression Managing your cat’s inner wildcat.

BY MIESHELLE NAGELSCHNEIDER

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11 Tips for Raising a Friendly Cat Encourage bonded, affectionate behaviour with these tactics to encourage approachability from even the most standoffish cats.

BY ROSE FROSEK

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Conscious Living and Your Cat How to bring more mindfulness to your relationship with your cat—and your life in general.

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Cat Cafés Want to have a latte surrounded by cats? Chances are, there’s a cat café near you.

BY ROSE FROSEK

BY JANE MUNDY

50 CBD

Could CBD—a therapeutic, non-psychoactive component

of hemp—help your cat? Increasingly, a whole host

of cat lovers are singing the praises of CBD and its

remarkable efficacy in treating everything from pain to anxiety.

BY TRACEY TONG 58

The Secret Language of Cats Breaking the cat code: how you can understand what your cat is trying to tell you—and how you can actually talk back.

66 Help, I Found a Kitten!

Do You Know What to Do If You Find An Outdoor Kitten?

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THE GOODS 22

It’s Play Time!

Play is essential for your cat’s happiness. Here are the best toys to engage your cat and get her moving!

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Cat-tastic Décor Interior solutions to thrill both you and your cat.

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Want It! Essentials for the self- professed cat lover.

BODY & SOUL 44

Cats for Health Babies & children healthier in homes with Pets—and the more the better!

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Cat Urine: Why It Smells So Bad, and What You Can Do About It

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Apple Cider Vinegar, a Natural Cat Cure-All

In USA: MODERNCAT (ISSN 1929-3933) Volume 8, Issue 1. Published semi annually by Modern Cat Inc. at 142 Churchill Drive, Newington, CT 061114003. Postage paid at Hartford, CT and additional offices. POSTMASTER: send address changes to Modern Dog, PO Box 310402, Newington, CT 06131-0402.

PHOTO CRUMBS & WHISKERS

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We’re Giving It Away!

Win it! We’re giving away loads of cat stuff—find out what’s up for grabs on page 18!

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DIY Craft: Grow Your Cat an Indoor Garden!

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Cute Overload!

Four Instagram cats you need to follow.

REGULAR FEATURES 6 Editor’s Letter 8 Contributors 10 Stuff We Love 12 The Scoop 20 Photo Contest 77 Marketplace

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Handicat Hero Meet this “living emoji cat” that is de-stigmatizing disability & stealing hearts across the globe.

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Find Love Here!

Want more love in your life? Who doesn’t?! Find it in the form of cat cuddles—these cuties are looking for their forever homes. Turn to page 62 to see if one of these adorable rescue cats calls to you.

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Feline Feng Shui 5 tips to create positive energy in your home for harmony and a happy cat.

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Connie’s Book Club Curl up with a good book and a good cat. Editor-in-Chief Connie Wilson’s round up of current must-reads.

80 Last Lick: Cattoos

A love that lasts fur-ever: inked tributes to feline best friends.

COVER CAT Meet the Cover Cat! Gracing this issue's cover is adorable Instagram star Rexie, a “handicat” whose motto is “disability does not mean inability.” For more on this toocute-for-words cat and his inspiring cat-parent, Dasha Minaeva, turn to page 54.

Photographed by Dasha Minaeva

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BY CYNTHIA CHOMOS

38 So Squishy!

PHOTOS @MAPLE.CAT, SWEET PICKLES DESIGNS, DASHA MINAEVA

CAT LIFE

EDITOR'S LETTER Social icon

Circle Only use blue and/or white.

For more details check out our Brand Guidelines.

CONNIE WILSON WITH DAO DAO, PHOTO TANYA KING

OUR R E ADE R S WR IT E

Feelin' the Love “Love the magazine! With 10 cats, it really helps me understand them better, especially when I read about other cats and their family members.”

—Irene Hunt

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couldn’t be more excited to share this issue with you. We dug deep to unearth all the coolest cat stuff—from natural wool cat caves to next-level wand toys, making it easy to turn your home into a haven for your cat, all without sacrificing style. From straight-up beautiful cat trees to gorgeous multipurpose scratchers, it’s in here.

Of course, we’ve consulted our favourite cat behaviourist, Mieshelle Nagelschneider, who is more commonly known as the Cat Whisperer for good reason. In this issue, she tackles a complicated issue that bedevils many households—cat aggression—and breaks down the different causes and provides solutions (p 24). We also talk with Susanne Schötz, Swedish phonetics researcher and author of The Secret Language of Cats, who shares what to listen for in cat-speak and how you can talk back, confirming what many of us already know: of course you can talk to your cat! We also have tips for using feng shui to improve your home’s energy from your cat’s perspective and share actionable steps for making the time you spend with your cat mindful. Plus, we take a look at how CBD, a hemp derivative with no high, is a game changer for cats struggling with pain, anxiety, and more. Also in here? Adoptable cuties, mustread books, cat tattoos, how to grow your own cat greens, and much, much more. We hope you dive right in and enjoy the issue as much as we loved putting it together. Thank you for being a part of our amazing community of cat lovers!

"Caturdays are for curling up with one of my favourite magazines @modern_cat_ mag. Mama reads the stories out loud and I point and tell her what I would like her to buy for me!!"—@kittymojito "Love Modern Cat magazine, I read it everytime that I get it in the mail."

—Alyssia Michelle Corbett

With much love,

Connie Wilson, Founder, Publisher, and Editor-in-Chief

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"Looking at all the featured cats while I enjoy a coffee hoping one day I’ll see myself in a magazine!"—myshkaman

cat

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S P R I N G · S U M M E R 2 0 1 9 VOL 8

The talented illustrator Ryan Garcia is a regular contributor to Modern Cat. He currently lives in Toronto, Canada, the home base from which he takes on assignments from the likes of Scientific American, WIRED, and the Wall Street Journal. When he’s not glued to his art desk, Ryan enjoys reading, drinking coffee, and playing with his roommate’s cat Ginger. Turn to page 24 for Ryan's wonderful illustrations capturing the forms of cat aggression for "Feline Aggression: Managing Your Cat's Inner Wildcat."

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Publisher

Modern Cat Inc. Editor-in-Chief

Connie Wilson Editor & Creative Director

Jennifer Nosek Design & Production

Hayley Schmidt Social Media Strategist

Alice Sewell Afilliate Development & Marketing Strategist

Laura Sluggett Sales & Marketing

Alice Sewell, Linda Helme, Milena Braga Audience Development & Digital Marketing Specialist

Jessica Linnay Accounting Services & Subscription Services

Yvonne Miller Copywriter & Subscription Services

Kyrsten Downton Controller

Cecilia de Roca Chan, CPA, CGA

In this issue, we turn to Dr. Katy Nelson who gives us the low down on how cats affect the health of children.

The research results she shares, on page 44, may pleasantly surprise you! The accomplished Dr. Katy is an associate veterinarian at the Belle Haven Animal Medical Centre in Alexandria, VA., and is the host and executive producer of “The Pet Show with Dr. Katy.” She’s also the expert for the second season of the popular show “Unlikely Animal Friends,” on NatGeo Wild! Find her on Instagram and Twitter @drkatynelson and at thepetshow.tv.

Sales & Marketing Assistant

Georgia Riddle-Olsen Editorial Intern

Ashley Lee INTERESTED IN SUBSCRIBING? Give us a call at 1-800-417-6289 or subscribe online at moderncat.com/subscribe Advertising inquiries call (866) 734-3131 In Canada: MODERNCAT (ISSN 1929-3933) Volume 8, Issue 1.

Published semi annually by Modern Cat Inc. at Suite 202–343 Railway St, Vancouver, BC Canada V6A 1A4 POSTMASTER: send address changes to Modern Cat, Suite 202–343 Railway St, Vancouver, BC Canada V6A 1A4 In USA: MODERNCAT (ISSN 1929-3933) Volume 8, Issue 1.

Published semi annually by Modern Cat Inc. at 142 Churchill Drive, Newington, CT 06111-4003.

Postage paid at Hartford, CT and additional offices.

POSTMASTER: send address changes to Modern Dog, PO Box 310402, Newington, CT 06131-0402.

PHONE

For this issue, we tapped Cynthia Chomos, passionate cat lover, catio designer, and feng shui expert, for the low down on the art of feline feng shui. As the founder of Catio Spaces, she regularly combines her expertise as a feng shui consultant and general contractor to build custom catios in Seattle. Inspired by her tabby, Serena, she creates visually appealing outdoor enclosures to enhance the lives of cats and their humans. Turn to page 70 for Cynthia’s tips on how to use the art of feng shui to create good “chi” for your cat and encourage harmony in your household. Want more? Cynthia offers a variety of DIY catio plans and free advice at CatioSpaces.com.

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(604) 734-3131 OR TOLL FREE (866) 734-3131

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(604) 734-3031 OR

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The publisher is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, images, photographs or other materials. By accepting and publishing advertising the publisher in no way recommends, guarantees or endorses the quality of services or products within those advertisements.

Copyright 2019 by Modern Cat Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced by any means, electronic or mechanical, including the Internet or photocopying without the written permission of the Publisher. Modern Cat and its logotype are the trademarks of Modern Cat Inc. Modern Cat is published two times a year. Two-year subscription prices: Canada $18CAD, U.S.A. $18USD, foreign $45USD. Subscription orders and customer service inquiries should be sent to Modern Cat Subscription Services, Suite 202–343 Railway St, Vancouver, BC Canada V6A 1A4

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www.moderncat.com Publications Mail Agreement Number 42496543 We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada. Nous reconnaissons l'appui financier du gouvernement du Canada.

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STUFF WE LOVE Modern Cat staffers’ picks of the litter 1 Showing my love of cats is easy with these stylish cat hoop earrings from Triple T Studios! Made with nickel-free silver and a choice of black or gold cats, you can update any outfit to show off your proud cat lady status!

—Laura ($25, triple-t-studios.com) 2 Catify your workspace with this adorable painted metal cat Desk Organizer, perfect for organizing papers and bills. It would also make a super-cute napkin holder, so you can't go wrong with this versatile piece!—Jennifer ($45, kittycatartstudio.com) 3 I cannot get my cat away from his amazing scratcher from Scratch Lounge!

This double-sided scratcher is made with durable cardboard (which means less vacuuming for me!) and the raised edge design makes it the purrfect place for my cat to chill and scratch.—Hayley ($25, scratchlounge.com) 4 I love having guests over but it can make my cat very uneasy and anxious, that’s why I’m so happy I found the ThunderEase Calming diffuser! It mimicks natural pheromones—just plug it in and watch your cat’s anxiety symptoms disappear, completely drug-free.—Georgia ($30, thundershirt.com) 5 No matter how much you brush your cat, hairballs still happen. To manage this problem, try Coco Therapy’s amazing Hairball Plus! This oneingredient product contains only high-fiber coconut so it's great for cats with sensitive stomachs, as well as all around skin and coat health!—Connie ($12, cocotherapy.com) 6 Buying litter products isn’t generally a super-fun part of being a cat owner but Neon Litter aims to fix that! Their vibrant coloured litters brighten up the litter box while being dust-free, soft on paws, and delivering top-notch odour control!—Jessica ($15, neonlitter.com) 7 I love that cats can enjoy the outdoors while staying safe with a Modular Catio from SaturdaySolution.com. Configure these modular catios to fit any size, space or need. Kitty will thank you for it!—Yvonne (From $350, saturdaysolution.com) 8 Kitty Box Ramp has made my senior cat’s life so much easier! I just attach the ramp, outfitted with extra grip-able tread pads for added traction and comfort, to his litter box and he can easily walk in and out with no pain to his stiff joints.—Linda ($35, kittyboxramp.com) 9 I just love how cute and stylish my cat looks in Sweet Pickles’ Design’s bow ties! With fun prints—including watermelon, floral, and flamingo designs—she’ll be the best dressed cat this spring and summer.

Patterned collars are available too for the more understated cat.—Alice (from $7, sweetpicklesdesigns.com) 10 Boost your cat’s health with Primal’s raw goat milk. Known as the universal milk, it’s packed with raw nutrients, is a great digestive aid, and it helps cats obtain their daily needed moisture.—Kyrsten ($14, primalpetfoods.com) 11 If your cat suffers from skin issues, wounds, or feline acne, try Vetericyn’s Feline Antimicrobial Hydrogel. Gelling on contact, it helps clean and treat wounds, making recovery easy on your cat.—Cecilia ($18, vetericyn.com) 12 My cat is a hunter by nature, so I make sure to feed her like one too! For this, I rely on Doc and Phoebe’s Indoor Hunting Feeder. Simply hide the mouse shaped feeders around the house and let your cat track down his dinner!

Great for indoor cats and fast eaters.—Ashley ($20, docandphoebe.com) 13 I was introduced to Madeleine Belanger’s beautiful cat tarot deck at a cat event in Vancouver, BC, and immediately fell in love. The deck, featuring over 150 illustrations of cats, most of them real-life cats with stories to tell, stays true to classic Tarot imagery but with a light-hearted, feline twist. It also supports rescue efforts. Love it.—Milena ($55, consideratecat.com)

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PHOTOS TRACI HIGHSMITH

Traci Highsmith and some of her foster kittens.

Good PR: Rescue Cats Find a Home on Social Media Leveraging the power of social media, cat lovers are helping rescue cats find forever homes

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t can often be an overwhelming or even insurmountable task for overrun shelters to promote and find homes for all the cats and kittens in their care. Luckily, social-media savvy community members are stepping up to help.

Volunteers like Traci Highsmith of Raleigh, North Carolina, is one such individual. She has harnessed the power of social media to help her local shelter, Safe Haven For Cats, find much-needed homes for their cats and kittens.

Traci was already regularly fostering for Safe Haven when she discovered “the wonderful community of kitten fosterers” on Instagram. She quickly noticed that some of the accounts were drawing so much attention that the cats and kittens they posted about were adopted almost right away. Inspired, Traci decided to create an account.

Traci started her account in September of 2015 and now has over 35,000 followers on Instagram and has, to date, found homes for almost 100 cats and kittens. “I just kept posting daily,” she shares. “Consistency and adorable subjects is the key!”

Her followers are enthusiastic. “Her fan base is national so we get emails and calls from people who are on a road trip to Raleigh to see if they can adopt a kitten,” enthuses Safe Haven For Cats founder and president Pam Miller. “It’s incredible the number of lives she has saved. The kittens she fosters would have been euthanized at a traditional shelter.”

Safe Haven now encourages other volunteers to share adoptable cats through social media. They have even created a social media policy to help guide staff and volunteers in 

Cute Idea To Take To Your Local Shelter

Safe Haven For Cats does fun things like having their shelter cats create their own individual pieces of art using an iPad and an app. They then print out the artwork and put the pictures on the cats’ enclosures to help them stand out to potential adopters.

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IT'S TOUGH G WORK BEEIN A KITT N! engaging with the public online, with the end goal of getting cats into new, loving homes.

Traci’s cats are usually adopted in under a week, and her account is so popular that it stirs up a lot of interest—“sometimes to the point that people are practically fighting over the kittens,” Pam says, noting that potential adopters come from all across the US. It definitely takes time, but Instagram is a great way to get adoptable cats in front of a vast audience of potential adopters. For those interested in using Instagram to promote cats and kittens needing adoption, Traci advises to “Just start posting photos of those precious babies, use lots of tags in the posts, and join the wonderful foster community by interacting with other fosters!” Your adorable subject matter primes you for success—“cat accounts are a niche that often see rapid growth,” says Traci. We all need more kitten pictures and videos in our lives after all!  —Alice Sewell To see Traci’s account and get ideas for your own, visit @raleighkittens.

Raleigh, North Carolina’s Safe Haven For Cats is on a mission to ensure the wellbeing of every cat through adoption programs, affordable spay/neuter, community outreach, and adherence to no-kill principles. They offer both short-term and long-term fostering volunteer opportunities to fit any schedule. If you’re in the Raleigh area and are interested in volunteering, visit safehavenforcats.org.

WHY

FOSTER? For the Feel-Good Vibes, Of Course!

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How to Take Good Photos of Kittens “Lots of natural light!”, Traci advises. “Kittens don't exactly stay still for long and require a fast shutter speed to capture their boundless energy. Natural light shows off the kittens best and allows you to shoot with a faster shutter speed to slow down the action!”

With Traci’s success as a serial foster mom, she has provided a home for numerous sets of cats and kittens, but the mama cats, with their “sweetness and enviable patience” always end up being her favourites. Mama-cat Silverbell and her six kittens hold a special place in her heart. The kittens arrived at just two days old and took up residence in Traci’s bathtub for a month before moving to the larger kitten room. Traci’s seven-year-old son helped weigh them every day as part of a school science fair project so caring for them was a family activity.

Taking in feral kittens is another highlight for Traci, who says that socializing scared kittens who start off wanting nothing to do with humans but leave as “cuddle bugs” is extremely rewarding.

SPRING · S UMMER 2019

PHOTOS TRACI HIGHSMITH

THE SCOOP

moderncat.com

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THE SCOOP CAPTION THIS! Test your "funny." Create a caption for this cartoon and submit your entry at moderncat.com/cartooncaption. The most comic captions will be published in the next issue.

THIS ISER A LITT?!

BOX

Hey, Good Lookin’!

Finding cat furniture that satisfies your feline friend’s needs and looks great in your home can be a struggle.

Thankfully, Tuft + Paw’s gorgeous, modern cat furniture makes this problem a thing of the past.

And the winning captions from last issue are…

They’ve been called “the West Elm of cat furniture” for good reason. Tuft + Paw provides everything from cat beds to trees and scratchers, all designed with both function and aesthetics in mind. The result? Beautiful objects cats and their people love, no style sacrifices here.

Cat lovers Jackson Cunningham and Vanessa Koo founded Tuft + Paw after a trip to Columbia. In Columbia, street cats are common and often treated as pests. The duo decided to create a business focused on helping cats by combining a mission to provide the kind of attractive cat furniture they themselves wanted but could not find, with felinefocused philanthropy.

They applied themselves to creating high-quality, consciously made cat furniture that was different than anything on the market, nailing the inspired design part, and centered their business model on helping cats in need. Tuft + Paw is highly focused on Animal Welfare and supports dozens of events to help raise funds for non-kill shelters. They also donate hundreds of items to shelters and cat cafes and have even established a donation program that offers 50 percent off any item being directly donated to a shelter. Pinterest-worthy cat furniture that looks good while helping rescue cats? Sounds purrfect to us. tuftandpaw.com

“Honey, you’re in the cat’s side of the bed.”

SUBMITTED BY COURTNEY ANNICCHIARICO

RUNNER-UP CAPTIONS “I know you wanted the cat off the pillow, but I don’t think this is better.”

SUBMITTED BY JIMMY WILSON

“That darned cat's been in my hair all day long... NOW do you believe me!?”

SUBMITTED BY CHRIS POMETTA

In ancient times, cats were worshipped as gods; they have not forgotten this.

—Terry Prachett 16 moderncat

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"Did you know that my new shampoo has fish oil in it?"

SUBMITTED BY JOSEPH DEWAN

“It’d be more impressive without the embedded claws.”

SUBMITTED BY PAUL HANDLEY

C A R T O O N S © 2019 B Y D A V I D J A C O B S O N

Cat furniture both you AND your cat will love

ENTER TO WIN

We’re giving it away! Enter to win fabulous giveaways April through September. Go to moderncat.com/giveaways to enter! Lucky readers will win every two weeks.

april

may

1st-14th

Win a prize pack of 6 assorted Feline Freeze-Dried formulas from Primal Pet Foods! Your cat will love the range of tasty flavours available.

15th-30th

Win one of Armarkat’s most popular cat trees, the X7905! Your cat will love this ultra-soft, 78”, Cat Daddy Approved cat tree.

june

1st-14th

Win 1 of 2 prizes of one-month of raw cat food from Darwin’s Natural Pet Products! Your cat will love their 100% organic, grain free, raw meat.

july

1st-14th

Win 1 of 3 CBD tincture prize packs from Medterra CBD! Includes one chicken, one beef, and one unflavoured.

15th-30th

Win a Lucky Dog Animal House Catio Enclosure that allows your cat enriching, safe and secure outdoor time.

august

1st-14th

Win 1 of 2 $100 credits from Polocats! You’ll have the most stylish feline around!

september

1st-14th

Win 1 of 8 Chicken Soup for the Soul prize packs including a copy of Chicken Soup for the Soul: Life Lessons from the Cat and a 4.5lb bag of nutritious & wholesome Adult Dry Cat food.

15th-31st

Win 1 of 5 Ocu-GLO Vision Supplements! These capsules contain 12 natural pharmaceutical grade antioxidants for optimum ocular health.

1st-14th

Win 1 of 12 FurZoff, the new and better way to remove pet hair from your home and vehicles.

Made in USA of 90% recycled material, it’s 100% durable!

15th-31st

Win 1 of 4 Kitty Litter prize packs containing 6 bags of litter each from Neon Litter! Available in a range of fun colours, this awesome litter will have your cat raving!

15th-31st

Win 1 of 7 Cat Treat prize packs from Crumps’ Naturals. With flavours like Beef, Salmon, Hog and Chicken, these single ingredient treats will keep your cat purring for more.

15th-30th

Win 1 of 2 test kits from 5Strands Affordable Pet Testing! Create a healthier lifestyle for your pets by discovering and managing their food intolerances and environmental allergens.

No purchase necessary to enter or win. Beginning April 1, 2019 at 12:01 AM (PST) through September 30, 2019 at 11:59 PM (PST), enter each day at moderncat.com/giveaways. Each biweekly giveaway ends at 11:59 PM (PST). Every two weeks, the specified number of winners for that giveaway will win the prize featured in the giveaway calendar (ARV: $200). Odds of winning depend on the number of entries received. Contest is open to legal Canadian and US residents 18 and older as of date of entry. Void in Puerto Rico and where prohibited by law. Giveaway subject to complete official rules available at moderncat.com/giveaways.

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INSET PHOTO: HAROLD

s y a w a e v i G t a Gre

R E P cat SU PHOTO CONTEST WINNERS !

E T CU Charlotte

Sydney

Yuki

Tommy Coco Luna

Tucker Hamilton

Bella

Felix

Love!

Kilo & Simba Loki

Koda

Charlie

Ember

Smelly

Ghost

Mango

Skylar

Remmington

Hugo

Thor

Oliver Chucky

Koda

Jack

Mambo

Leo & Lynx

Zzzz

Roxy

Khaleesi

Neo Think your cat ought to grace the pages of Modern Cat? Upload your cat's photo at moderncat.com/photocontest.

Not only will he or she be entered to be our Cat of the Week, but a selection of the photos entered will appear on these pages!

Smudge

Buster

COOL STUFF

It's Play Time!

Toys to delight every type of cat

Does your cat stare at birds all day or go crazy over laser pointers? This bug teaser toy will be your new best friend. With fluttering wings that make rustling sounds as you shake it, the Rustlin’ Winged Bug Teaser wand toy from Petki will have your cat obsessed for hours! $10, rompicatz.com

If catnip doesn’t do it for your cat, try Dezi & Roo’s Cloud Nine Silver Vine.

This natural powder is stronger than catnip and provides stress and anxiety relief for a happier cat! Simply sprinkle on your cat’s favourite toy, sit back, and enjoy the show! $8, deziroo.com

Hot and ready, have a slice!

Share your love of pizza with your kitty with these adorable pizza-shaped toys from Oh My Cat Shop. Made with 100% organic materials and filled with catnip, these too-cute toys will deliver tons of fun! $10, ohmycatshop.com

Let your cat join you in enjoying the finer things in life with Munchie Cat’s Wine and Cheese catnip toys.

Complete with catnip infused cheese, merlot, fig and olive toys, it’s the perfect treat for your playful and sophisticated kitty! $40, amazon.com/munchiecat

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P.L.A.Y.'s Purr and Pounce Cat Tunnel is everything. The luxurious plush interior will make your cat feel comfy cozy while the dangling mouse toy (with a pocket for catnip!) will keep your feline friend occupied for hours. Ideal for play, rest, hiding, and just chilling out! $60, petplay.com

Let your cat bat about a fun toy you can feel great about.

These adorable octopus toys are made using only antimicrobial and odour resistant pure wool, natural soap and water, and non-toxic dyes. The best part? Your purchase supports artisans in Nepal. $18, dharmadogkarmacat.com

BEHAVIOUR

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FELINE AGGRESSION Managing Your Cat’s Inner Wildcat

By Mieshelle Nagelschneider | Illustrations by Ryan Garcia Known as The Cat Whisperer™, Mieshelle is an acclaimed Cat Behaviourist, & author of the cat behaviour bible, The Cat Whisperer.

I

n my feline behaviour science book, The Cat Whisperer: Why Cats Do What They Do and How to Get Them to Do What You Want, my feline aggression chapter is, by far, the longest chapter in the book. The reason for this is there are several types of feline aggression and many more reasons and circumstances as to why the aggression occurs, and I set out to provide, in a very detailed and organized way, behaviour plans and strategies to manage the different forms of feline aggression.

In my 20 plus years of consulting with cat owners around the world who have aggressive cats, I often find they have not only misunderstood the kind of aggression their cats are displaying, but most importantly, they misapprehend the reason the aggression is being displayed to begin with, and what to do about it. Many feel their cats are bad, do not like them, or are trying to spite or get back at them. All of these, of course, are incorrect.

The Most Common Forms of Cat Aggression & What to Do Play Aggression: Kittens have a strong survival instinct to

practice their hunting skills. What looks cute and playful to us, is, in fact, several predatory motor pattern sequences that kittens practice over and over again to become good hunters. Normally they would have their litter mates to sharpen these skills with, but if not, another cat in the household (oftentimes a somewhat unwilling adult cat), human, or even the family dog will suffice for the budding hunter. At 16 weeks of age there is a noticeable increase in their play aggression activity and many kitten owners begin to wonder what they’ve gotten themselves into.

What to do: »» First and foremost, never physically reprimand a kitten. This can cause more aggression and teach them to also fear you, which can then cause new types of aggression to develop. »» The best strategy is to exhaust your kitten’s playful and exploratory behaviour with the appropriate cat toys and kitten habitat you create. This should include battery operated toys, wand toys, solo toys, and items to hide in and also climb and perch on. Change the locations of these toys and environmental enrichment items often so they hold your kitten’s interest and do not become mundane.  moderncat.com

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»» Do not use your hands to play with your kitten directly. In fact, keep hand interaction at a minimum when your kitten is in play mode. Picking up and petting your kitten is a very positive thing, but with certain kittens, too much petting can elicit the “grab and bite” behaviour that their instincts are still telling them to practice. »» When adopting a new kitten, strongly consider adopting two kittens. This will decrease stress for the kitten, provide them a play-fighting friend, and help them further develop into a confident and welladjusted cat.

ALERT: Are You Underfeeding Your Kitten? Sometimes kitten owners unknowingly under-feed their growing kittens.

Because a kitten’s metabolism wheel is spinning much faster than an adult cat, several feedings a day or leaving food always available instead of the old-school and harmful advice of twice a day scheduled feedings, is a must.

Kittens also need more calories per unit of body weight than an adult cat. This can mean at least triple the amount of cat food than an adult cat would eat. In addition to not reaching their full genetic growth, hungry or malnourished kittens can develop aggression issues.

When in doubt, feed your growing kitten!

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Pettinginduced aggression: This is one of the most common forms of cat aggression. Cats can become overstimulated or fearful if you pet them for too long or on an area of the body they don’t enjoy. The cat will lash out clawing or biting as part of a natural fear-based aggression response.

What to do: »» Stop petting your cat while he is still enjoying it and shows no signs of wanting you to stop. Over time, you will raise your cat’s stress threshold to being pet. Simply put, he will eventually begin to trust that your petting doesn’t create a negative feeling. In contrast, most cat owners will wait until their cat tries to bite them or displays irritable signs (ears back, body tensing up, growling or hissing) and then stop petting their cat. While you should absolutely stop petting a cat who has begun to show signs of biting you or who attempts to bite you, from a behavioural perspective, petting up to this point teaches him that every time you pet him it’s a bad experience. Again, the goal is to improve his petting threshold by ending the petting way before your cat would normally try and bite you or shows signs of stress. »» Giving your cat attention in other ways can also be beneficial. Playing with your cat using an interactive wand toy or incorporating clicker training into his daily life can help satisfy the attention and interaction with you that he craves.

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Inter-cat Aggression: Cats not getting

ILLUSTRATIONS BY RYAN GARCIA

along is one of the most common complaints amongst cat owners. If you are introducing cats for the first time, follow a behaviour plan that gradually introduces them to avoid confrontation that can cause aggression. For cats that once got along and no longer are, they may need to be gradually re-introduced. In addition to the introduction and re-introduction process outlined in my book, there are other important strategies to help ensure a peaceful co-existence with multicat households. Cats are territorial (even more than dogs) and this is one of the main reasons for inter-cat aggression. You can decrease territorial thinking to minimize or end the bullying of a victimized cat, as well as resource guarding, fighting between cats, and stress that can lead to other behaviour issues such as litter box avoidance.

Redirected Aggression: This is a typical

kind of aggression that is a result of something triggering your cat’s fear and your cat unable to direct the aggression at the stimulus that caused the fear.

Your cat can then misdirect the aggression on anything nearby—the dining room chair, another cat or person.

Many cat owners will describe this type of aggression as the most baffling kind because they can’t always see the cause and the attack comes suddenly out of nowhere and sometimes several hours after the cat’s fear was initially triggered. About half of all feline aggression towards humans is redirected aggression. The cat’s fear is what needs to be addressed to prevent what might possibly happen next, the redirected aggression.

What to do: »» Avoid fear triggers in your cat’s environment. The most common are seeing a stray or neighbourhood cat or other animals outside, loud noises, new or strange smells, stressful events like a vet visit, and indoor cats not getting along. »» If you see your cat is becoming fearful or if you’re unsure, try distracting your cat with a wand toy to trigger your cat’s playful behaviour. Cats cannot feel fearful when they are watching or playing with a cat toy. This is their most confident and fear-free mood state. »» If you can do so safely, remove the fear trigger or block your cat’s view of it. Do not attempt to pet or move a cat that may be agitated.

What to Do:

»» If your cat has already become aggressive, it’s best to leave him alone until he calms down, which can take anywhere from several minutes to several hours, or longer. Then trigger his happy mood state by maneuvering a wand toy or another toy he enjoys.

»» Make sure you have not created an environment where the cats think the resources are too few. This means not only do you need enough cat resources in your home, but they need to be in numerous locations. For example, you can have five water

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bowls, but if they are all in the kitchen, this can cause competitiveness and worry because of too few locations for this resource. This is one of the most common reasons for the territorial thinking that can lead to fighting between cats. Instead, place each water bowl in very different locations throughout the home—north, east, south, and west locations is a good rule to follow. Food, water, litter boxes, cat toys, cat scratchers, cat trees, and cat beds are all important resources cats take turns using each day. This activity is also known as time-sharing and it’s a way that cats structure their social hierarchy. These resources need to be in multiple locations. If the locations are not plentiful enough, it can create a lot of undue stress that can lead to aggression issues. »» Cats that are fed frequently or have food more readily available are less aggressive and more cooperative with one another. If feeding scheduled meals, instead of two larger meals spaced several hours apart, it’s now recommended to feed cats their regular calorie allotment, but in several smaller meals throughout the day. Cats are designed to eat more frequently than just twice a day. Many cat owners utilize timed-feeders for both canned and dry food to dispense multiple meals throughout the day. A hungry cat with too many hours in between meals is a stressed cat, and this can create inter-cat aggression issues. »» Feline pheromone products can help cats feel calm, safe, and friendly.

The diffusers are the easiest to use and very effective in helping cats get along with one another. »» Humans in families have last names; cats need to have scent last names in order to feel affiliated with one other and to help eliminate aggression issues. Create this very important social glue between your cats by brushing each of them with the same brush daily. Brush each cat 10 to 20 strokes before moving onto the next cat. Go through all your cats three separate times without keeping a particular order.

Gently brush the head, cheeks, neck, shoulders, and ribcage. Leave out the hindquarters and tail for this strategy. Be sure to leave the hair in the brush between cats because the goal is to create a group scent on all your cats instead of the cats smelling differently from one another. If you have two cats, you will be creating a two-cat scent on each cat. Five cats, a five-cat scent. This strategy only takes a few minutes each day and really makes a difference in facilitating friendly social behaviour between cats. Without a group scent, it spells trouble! »» Don’t forget to have toys available for your cats and to play with each of your cats daily. If their natural hunting behaviour is not exhausted each day by playing with a cat toy, their stress response system can become activated which can lead to inter-cat aggression.  moderncat.com

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11 Tips For Raising a Friendly Cat These 11 steps will encourage affectionate, bonded behaviour

By Rose Frosek

Be present. This is a biggie.

Spending time with your cat is absolutely key to raising a friendly cat. If you’re not around and carving time out of each day to pet, play with, and bond with your cat, you can’t expect your cat to be well bonded and lovey. Make time for your cat. Two play sessions a day, morning and night, should be a minimum.

Be calm & gentle.

Take care not to have frightening things happen around your cat or when your cat is around you. First and foremost, your cat needs to learn that you are safe and can be trusted. If something happens that scares your cat—say, a book falls off of a table near her, let her retreat and reappear when she’s ready.

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Make good things happen.

Think giving affection and tasty morsels.

When friends visit, supply them with treats to offer to your cat. If your cat is shy, have your friends simply ignore your cat until she approaches them.

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Teach your cat commands and tricks. To be clear, cats are not dogs;

they retain much of their wildness and are only partially domesticated. That said, amenable, well bonded cats can be taught to do a host of things, including walk on a leash. For how-to, read A Walk On The Wild Side (moderncat.com/articles/ walk-wild-side). Working on skills with your cat can help build a closer relationship.

Affection, affection, affection. Baby-talk

to your cat, make sure your home environment is set up to be feline-friendly (think things like more than one litter box— “The rule of thumb is one litter box per cat, plus one extra,” Jackson Galaxy says, plus vertical space, and food and water dishes separated), and spend time petting your cat each day—but not too much! Watch for signs of overstimulation; contrary to popular belief, cats don’t attack “out of nowhere”). See page 25 for how you may inadvertently be overstimulating your cat.

Talk to your cat. Using a friendly,

slightly raised tone of voice, let your cat know what you’re doing. Repetition of words, especially if coupled with rewards, can help your cat anticipate certain behaviours, like dinnertime and bedtime. moderncat.com

31

Reward your cat’s attentions.

If your cat is winding around your ankles or jumps up for a cuddle, put down what you’re doing and reward her affectionate behaviour with the acknowledgement she’s looking for.

Gently and gradually accustom your cat to visitors,

children, and friendly dogs. The earlier you can accustom your cat to variety of people, places, and things, the better and easier this process will be.

If your cat is extremely shy or scared, go slow. Show your cat she’s safe with you by letting her approach you on her own terms, even if that takes weeks. Give her a safe space to retreat to and figure out what she likes—treats, perhaps, or a particular type of wand toy, and use that to engage her when she’s ready.

Pheromones are you and your cat’s new best friend.

Cuddles are wonderful, but make time for playtime too. Play is a great bonding opportunity, and fulfills important behavioural needs for your cat if done correctly. Make sure to allow your cat to make “the kill” at the end of your play session or he’ll be unsatisfied. For how to do this, read The All-Important Play Sequence (moderncat.com/articles/all-important-play-sequence).

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Synthetic pheromone products mimic a cat’s naturally occurring friendly pheromones that promote a calming effect in cats, help them handle stress better, and are used for communication between cats. For more on how pheromone products such as a spray or diffuser can reduce stress and encourage bonding behaviour, read Feline Pheromones and How They Can Benefit Your Cat (moderncat.com/articles/feline-fine).

PET PROJECT

craft D.I.Y.

Grow Your Cat an Indoor Garden!

your Improve estion cat’s digect your and protplants! house

Is your cat eating your houseplants?

Offer some feline approved greens instead

T

hough cats, being obligate carnivores, don’t need greens, renowned veterinary behaviourist Dr. Nicholas Dodman recommends providing cat grass. It provides “roughage and entertainment,” he says, and cats may also just like the texture and taste—reason in and of itself to provide your cat with a grazing garden.

Don’t be alarmed if your cat coughs the cat grass back up, says Dr. Dodman. It’s nothing to worry about.

Like Dr. Dodman, Dr. Nicky Joosting of the Vancouver Feline Veterinary Housecall Service recommends that cats have access to fresh grass every day.

If your cats are kept strictly indoors, they won’t have access to fresh greens unless you provide them to your cat. The good news is it’s easy to grow your own indoor cat garden. The two most-loved cat plants—cat grass and catnip—are super easy to grow and provide both health and psychological benefits for your cat.

Cat grass also has a calming or psychological benefit and can act as environmental enrichment for stressed out kitties.

Dr. Joosting recommends providing cat grass to cats who are “wool suckers” or destructive chewers. Ditto for cats who have a penchant for nibbling or attacking other houseplants.

CAT GRASS

CATNIP AND HOW IT WORKS

Cat grass is actually just a cat-safe cereal grass like oat or wheat. Grazing on cat grass provides roughage, helping your cat’s digestive tract by moving along indigestible matter such as hairballs.

When cats rub, sniff, or lick catnip, it stimulates a euphoric response.

This reaction is thanks to a volatile oil in the plant called Nepetalactone.

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Cats will commonly overindulge if the cat grass has just been introduced. “Once they get used to it, then they will nibble their daily leaf, and only gorge when they feel the need to vomit— they do seem to use it as a purge,” says Dr. Joosting.

The oil binds to the receptors that stimulate pleasure in your cat’s brain. But here’s the rub: only 70 to 80 percent of cats will react to the plant.

CATNIP ALTERNATIVES Every cat reacts differently to catnip. If your cat has an overthe-top or even aggressive reaction, or is one of the estimated 20 to 30 percent of cats that doesn’t react at all, try a catnip alternative, like silver vine or honeysuckle.

The leaves of silver vine produce a mildly euphoric response, eliciting a catnip-type reaction from many cats. Honeysuckle has properties that act as a cat-attractant. Felines love to rub against the branches, particularly when wet.

Why Your Cat Needs Greens The reigning theory as to why cats seek out plants is that they provide dietary balance. Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning that eating meat is a biological necessity. As such, they typically have protein-heavy prey diets. Plants provide a source of fiber.

DO THIS: CREATE A NATURAL CAT CAVE Dr. Joosting says training honeysuckle or silver vine to grow to form a “cat cave” may be the best thing you’ll ever do for your cat—especially if it’s in a sunny area of your home or protected balcony or catio area.

These climbing plants are best outdoors and do well on a trellis or arbour. Both plants are spring and summer bloomers that like full sun, but honeysuckle can get by in part-sun.

Catnip Uses »» Motivate play and friskiness »» Encourage exercise »» Stimulate a decreased appetite (sprinkle on food)

Get Growing!

By Darcy Matheson

CAT GRASS Growing your own supply of cat grass is easy.

It wilts after two weeks, so plant several pots a week apart for a continuous supply.

Buy seeds from your local garden or pet store. Soak them for a few hours before starting them in potting mix in a sturdy fourinch plant pot. Place in a warm, sunny spot.

It will take around two weeks for the shoots to germinate and grow. Your cat can enjoy it for a few weeks before you need to pull out the remaining shoots and plant more seeds.

Lack a green thumb? Buy your cat live, certified organic, ready to nibble cat grass delivered straight to your door at petgrass.com.

CATNIP Best known for the “natural high” it can give your cat, it’s easy to grow catnip in your home garden. You can give catnip to your cat fresh or dried.

“Cats will roll through it, chew on it, and eat the fresh leaves as well,” says expert gardener and bestselling author Wim Vander Zalm.

This member of the mint family loves damp soil and is partial to full sunlight. You might consider surrounding this perennial plant with a cage or barrier in its early growth stages to prevent your cat from devouring all of it! Until it’s established, you may have to protect the baby plant. “Don’t be surprised if a cat makes a nest in it,” laughs Dr. Joosting.

Wim suggests growing it outside and bringing the clippings inside to provide fresh or dried. “Inside it can dehydrate; it will thrive more in an outdoor environment,” he says.

moderncat.com

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Conscious Living & Your Cat How to bring more mindfulness to your relationship with your cat—and your life in general

By Rose Frosek

I

f you’re trying to live your life in a more mindful manner, from the purchases you make to the way you interact with your cat, Ingrid King might just offer the inspiration you’ve been looking for. Not only is Ingrid the founder and publisher of The Conscious Cat (ConsciousCat.com), she has authored five award-winning books about felines, including Purrs of Wisdom: Enlightenment, Feline Style. Her philosophy, “conscious living, health, and happiness for cats and their humans” is applied here in the advice she offers for making thoughtful choices, tuning into your cat’s wild essence, and being present with your cat. Ingrid reminds us not to make the mistake of thinking cats are self-sufficient: “At the core of every happy cat is a happy relationship with his or her human. It’s up to the human in this relationship to provide what it takes to keep cats healthy physically, mentally, and emotionally.” Read on for her top tips for conscious living, as applied to our beloved cats.

Q: What are the most common misunderstandings people have of their cats?

A: People tend to forget

that at their heart, even our domestic cats are still only a whisker away from their wild origins. We bring these cats into our homes

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and expect them to conform to our way of life, and then we’re surprised when we wind up with cats with behavioural problems. We need to give cats a chance to be cats and not treat them as little people. Unless we allow them to express their wild instincts, they’re not going to be happy. One of the best ways to allow them to get in touch with their inner wild cat is through play. It appeals to their natural hunting instinct, and it’s also a wonderful way for us to bond with them.

Q: What are your top three must do’s for a happy cat?

A: A species appropriate diet, an enriched environment,

and plenty of time to play.Vertical space is an absolute must, especially in multi-cat households. Cat trees, elevated walkways, and perches increase the available territory and allow cats to get away from each other.

Cats are obligate carnivores and they need meat not just to survive, but to thrive. A species-appropriate diet is high in protein and contains less than five percent carbohydrates.

A raw diet is ideal, but raw feeding may exceed the comfort level for some cat parents. The next best thing would be a gently cooked whole food diet, followed by a premium grainfree canned diet. Cats should never eat dry food. Even the premium brands are too high in carbohydrates for an obligate carnivore.

Q: How can people improve their relationship and deepen their bond with their cat? Are there particular areas they should focus on?

A: Play is probably the biggest area that gets neglected.

Everyone is always so busy, plus cats have this reputation of being self-sufficient and not needing much social interaction, which couldn’t be further from the truth. Playing with your cat

Play is probably the biggest area that gets neglected. is one of the best ways to increase and enhance the bond. I recommend structured play sessions, two or three times a day, 10 to 15 minutes, using interactive wandtype toys. Get creative and have fun with these play sessions. They’re not only a wonderful way to bond with your cat, they’re also a great stress reliever!

Q: Many people are confounded by their cat’s behaviour.

How can people better get into the mind of their cat and understand their cat’s motivations?

A: We need to remember that cats are wild animals at heart. Jackson Galaxy

calls this the “raw cat,” the concept being that inside every house-cat live the instincts of his or her wild ancestors. If we truly want to understand cats and their motivations, we need to work at understanding this aspect of the cat’s way of being in the world. Never lose sight of the cat’s true nature. Even our domesticated cats are still hunters at heart.

Q: You’ve authored a book called Tortitude: the Big Book of Cats With Big Attitude. What exactly is tortitude?

A: Ah, tortitude! The term describes some of the unique traits that many of these

beautifully colored cats seem to share: they tend to be strong-willed, a bit hottempered, and they can be very possessive of their human. Other words used to describe torties are fiercely independent, feisty, and unpredictable. They’re usually very talkative and make their presence and needs known with anything from a hiss to a meow to a strong purr.

Q: What can we learn from our cats and how can they help with conscious living?

A: I think cats are amazing teachers. First and foremost, they teach us to live in

the moment, which to me, is really the ultimate lesson for most of us. On a more practical level, they also teach us to relax, make more time for play, and not to take life so seriously. On a deeper level, I also believe that cats (and all animals) help us connect with our spiritual side. Animals are so much closer to nature than we are, and as such, are much more in touch with spirits than most humans. Simply observing a cat can instantly transport me into a state of connection.

Conscious living has long been a guiding principle for me in my life, long before I started The Conscious Cat. It means making choices that are in alignment with who we really are at our core. We make choices about everything we do all day long, from the food we eat and feed our cats, to the products we use on ourselves and in our environment. The more we make these conscious choices, the more whole our lives will become, and the happier we will be—and so will our cats. I believe that there are three components of conscious living: health and nutrition, environment, and mental, emotional, and spiritual health. We have to attend to all three of them, for ourselves and for our cats, to ensure that we live a balanced and happy life.  moderncat.com

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Cute Overload!

4 Instagram Cats You Need to Follow

#1

@maple.cat 254k followers

#2

#3

We’re all about this account.

Follow @iammoshow, creator of The Cat Rapper (Do yourself a favour and download the album Only Cat People Understand), and greatly improve your feed.

@rocky_onwheels 38.7k followers

With its mission to change how the world sees disabled cats, this Instagram account delivers all the feels. Follow along for inspiring photos and videos of superduper-cute Rocky being his adorable self.

8,097 likes

#4

@cheeseandolive 77.7k followers

This gorgeous pair of intercontinental (Sweden and LA) Abyssinian cats share photos of their beautiful, mischievous selves in stylish interiors and out and about adventuring. Follow for cute cats plus life inspiration.

6,013 likes

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5,003 likes

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@iammoshow 223k followers

PHOTOS @MAPLE.CAT, @ROCKY_ONWHEELS, @IAMMOSHOW, @CHEESEANDOLIVE

This squishy-cheeked cutie is too adorable for words. Follow for heartmelting pics and videos that will make you go “awwwwwww”; this British shorthair is pretty much guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

moderncat.com

39

CAT CAFÉS Want to have a latté surrounded by cats?

Chances are, there’s a cat café near you.

as rescues. It’s a win-win situation because cafés usually enjoy a higher resident adoption rate than a shelter might—and turn a profit. And like shelters, they mainly rely on volunteers (or purristas), which there doesn’t seem to be a lack of.

S

ure, Starbucks has its Unicorn Frappuccinos, but does it offer the company of cats? (Rhetorical question. It doesn’t.) For feline aficionados preferring their caffeine with a side of cuddly companionship, chances are there’s a cat café somewhere near you. Since the first cat café opened in Taiwan in 1998, it has become a worldwide phenomenon. (Tokyo alone boasts more than 150 feline establishments). The first kitty café in North America opened in 2014 and since then a litter of establishments have sprung up. Just purr-use the cat café results that a quick Google search turns up—you’ll find guides to the top cat cafes in the US and “definitive” lists of all cafés in North America.

Although offerings are varied, most North American cat café entrepreneurs have the same goal: they have partnered with local shelters to help get cats adopted. Some cat cafes started

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Mauhaus Cat Café, St. Louis, MO; Colony Café in Pittsburgh, PA; Give Purrs a Chance, in Berkley Springs, WV The menu at Mauhaus Cat Café and Lounge in St. Louis, MO, offers gluten-free and vegan options, while at Colony Café in Pittsburgh, PA you can either dine at their restaurant first and pet second, or have food and drinks delivered to the cat loft.

If that’s not enough, you can do your downward dog with cats

PHOTO REBECCA GEROMI PHOTOGRAPHY

By Jane Mundy

Cuddle Puddle !

Sleepy kitties at Mauhaus Cat Café

Give Purrs a Chance

at Give Purrs a Chance, in Berkley Springs, WV, and shop at their boutique selling cat-themed creations by local artists and craftspeople. Wait, that’s not all: On Fridays you can listen to live music with your favorite feline and Saturdays you can dance with cats. Whatever next, Michelin stars?

second space—the cat lounge. From there it was pretty much a DIY endeavour. With the help of an architect friend she built everything from scratch, complete with repurposed benches and cabinets.

Catfé, Vancouver, BC. Vancouver’s Catfe teamed up with the British Columbia SPCA to house eight to 12 rescue cats in a community-oriented coffee house. Once customers adopt them, the SPCA replenishes the supply of kitties with some of these being senior felines.

“The longest stay was a few months with a mother and daughter. I think they were 15 and 16 and we wanted to keep them together,” says Michelle Furbacher, Catfé owner and ‘oppurrator.’ “Sometimes it takes a bit longer to find the right home, and I’m proud of having found homes for cats that would have difficulty otherwise.”

Catfé made headlines when pop singer Adele dropped by and fell in love with Larry—a cat that is. (Larry had already been adopted before his brush with stardom.) Michelle didn’t expect the café to be so busy but the media came knocking way before Adele did.

Michelle has always loved cats and when she saw a video about Japanese cat cafés she was ready to try something new.

“I posted one question on Reddit—do you want a cat café in Vancouver?—and the media called the next day. There was so much positive feedback that I took the plunge,” says Michelle.

That was two years before she opened Catfé.

Michelle’s biggest hurdle was finding the right location. “I wanted a large space with natural light—cats love sunshine.

And a landlord had to be OK with animals,” she says. “Next up, there was a lot of back-and-forth with City Hall and the Health Department. I talked to so many different people and had to explain over and over again. One morning I went to City Hall and noticed that someone had drawn a cat on their white board—the staff was rooting for us and I eventually won them over.”

But Michelle couldn’t bend the rules: you cannot serve food in a place with animals. So she built a lobby with two separate spaces: one space to make and purchase food to take it into the

“I then contacted the head of Animal Welfare at the BC SPCA and we seemed to be on the same page about getting cats good homes and being well provided for,” Michelle adds. People cannot bring cats in from the street. To ensure their health and determine if they can get along with other cats in the Catfé, all cats come through the SPCA first.

While the BC SPCA has a good turnover rate for adoption, Catfé offers a bonus for potential adopters: you get to see how the cats react with other cats and with people. Also some people find it depressing seeing cats in cages. “The SPCA knows which cats will do better here. And it gives more space for timid cats,” Michelle says.

Michelle recommends that you make a reservation a week in advance. As for the future, in December 2018 the BC SPCA didn’t have any cats for her so she called Rabbitats Rescue Society and Catfé temporarily housed bunnies. “So many bunnies need homes, maybe we’ll bring a bunny café to Vancouver.” catfé.ca

Cat Town, Oakland, CA The non-profit rescue and adoption center Cat Town, which has helped over 2000 cats since opening in 2011, partnered with RAWR coffee bar in 2014 to be the first cat café in the U.S. “We have from 40 to 60 cats in foster care and another 40 at our café,” says Quinn White, the adoption center’s development director. Of the 2000 cats they’ve helped to date, “some are still with us—we focus on cats who desperately need our support and would otherwise be euthanized. They all come from Oakland Animal Services, where our founder and executive director started volunteering with cats.”

Quinn says approximately half of their cats find homes from the café and the other half are in Cat Town’s foster program—so the cat café is a hugely important component. As well, Cat Town is a proud recipient of funding from Maddie's Fund, helping to achieve a no-kill nation. cattownoakland.org moderncat.com

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Crumbs & Whiskers, Los Angeles, CA and Washington, DC "Most homeless cats are housed in cages at shelters, which can be an extremely stressful environment. Often it leads to them becoming withdrawn or aggressive, resulting in the cats not being adopted and, in some cases, euthanized," says Crumbs & Whiskers Founder Kanchan Singh.

"A 'free range' environment like ours allows cats to live much healthier lives," she says of her L.A. and Washington, DC-based cat cafés.

After Kanchan saw a cat café in Thailand, she approached a few shelters in D.C. and first partnered with the Humane Society. Next up, she started looking for a venue, but it wasn’t easy figuring out how to get approval from the city.

“They said we had to get a double-door system, with two doors separating the café from the cats. So the café would be in one room and the cats in another,” Kanchan says. That design pretty much defeated the purpose. “Instead I found an existing coffee shop nearby that would deliver.”

Customers can order from the menu and enjoy playing with kitties for 70 minutes, plenty of time for cake and coffee. “We now work with Homeward Trails Animal Rescue in D.C. and Stray Cats Alliance in our Los Angeles Crumbs & Whiskers Café,” says Kanchan. “Both shelters have seen an increase in adoptions, especially with older cats. Many cats in D.C. have been in cages for a year, but we get them adopted within a week because people can see their personalities.”

Kanchan says her biggest challenge was being young (she is 28) and single and navigating a complex business. “To get funding, I launched a Kickstarter campaign, which is a type of crowd funding platform. I raised over $15K overnight and in one month I had almost $40K,” she explains. “Then I spent the next few months getting the word out. One week before Crumbs & Whiskers opened I quit my job.

“If you’re considering your own cat café, first figure out funding and legalities,” Kanchan advises. “The laws are different in every city and getting approval is a hurdle. I love my career and both locations are profitable: we charge $22 in D.C. and $25 in Los Angeles for a 70-minute visit. I don’t allow more than 18 people at a time so the cats don’t get stressed out. They are happy cats.” crumbsandwhiskers.com

Japanese Cat Cafés (猫カフェ)

Give Purrs a Chance

Kitty Overload!

North American cat cafés are set up for adoption, unlike their Asian counterparts, whose clientele typically live in small apartments and aren’t allowed pets.

Paying money just to hang out with cats may seem crazy to non-cat lovers, but they are extremely popular and the clientele is mainly couples in their 20s and 30s , along with a few singles.

Neko (Japanese for cat) Café cats typically live their entire lives in the café, with countless admirers, although some cafés do have sponsor

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adoption programs. However, all cafés will provide your kitty fix and caffeine hit and more than one place suggests it could be a dating opportunity, where you can “meet another cat-crazy single to snuggle up to.”

Several years ago, I visited a Neko café in Tokyo. Cats of all stripes were reclining on top of vending machines offering coffee, beer, and snacks. You could buy kitty treats at reception.

Felines are nestled in corner baskets or in the laps of fortunate patrons.

How a cat café works in Japan is pretty straightforward. You pay for a time-based cover charge, usually about ¥1500 yen an hour (about $13 USD, $18 CAN), buy yourself a drink, and follow a few simple rules on how to pet the cats. If you’re a high roller, kitties accept gifts. And if it’s your lucky day, your charm might also win their affection.

“Please be free to touch and play with our 21 cats but gently,” said Mrs. Hanada, the café’s owner as she directed us to a locker for our belongings and sinks to wash our hands. “Do not feed or hold cats, just to play.” Two middle-aged women came in with a birthday cake complete with five candles for their favourite feline—each cat has its bio on the wall. A couple in their 20’s were playing ‘catch the string” with Chan, a big ginger tom; one young man sat in the corner reading to a cat and another young guy tickled a kitty on his lap. We bought a few beers and twizzled toys with two black felines who vamped by, but they seemed more interested in napping; after all, it was mid-afternoon.

Mrs. Hanada said that most of her customers do not have the time to take care of a pet because of their job situation, which is very hard, sometimes working two jobs. Some people, or a member of their family, have a cat allergy and can’t have a cat at home. She said her typical clientele is women who come with friends, without the kids. “I don’t allow children under 13 because they can hurt the animals.”

Over 50 cats make Calico Cat Café the largest one in Tokyo.

The admission price is ¥1000 (about $10 USD, $12 CAN) for one hour, or ¥2500 ($23 USD, $30 CAN) for a free time plan. Here you can “relax very slowly, such as drinking tea or reading manga while watching the cats in a calm atmosphere.”

“Please use as a place to rest between movies and shopping as it is located near Shinjuku station,” so you can leave and return, putting your shopping bags in the locker. The Calico café menu offers human food such as cakes and pasta and you can also “feed the cat with chicken meat for ¥300 ($2.0 USD, $3.80 CAN) so you can enjoy eating a meal together!” While the Calico takes in any breed, other cat cafés cater to specific categories of cats, “such as black cats, fat cats, rare-breed cats, or ex-stray cats,” explained a Japanese government report.

There are 125 cat cafes in the US and Canada combined, according to Meow Around, an online guide and directory to the world's cat cafes, coffee shops, bars, lounges, and more.

Clearly, cat cafes are clawing their way to a town near you, if not already there. 

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BODY & SOUL

Cats for Health!

Babies & children healthier in homes with Pets—and the more the better!

H

ave you ever wondered if there are any health risks to having cats and dogs around infants and children? We asked the amazing Dr. Katy Nelson, DVM, veterinarian, mom, and advocate, whether cats and dogs pose a health risk to babies and kids. Turns out there are some significant health benefits, from fewer childhood illnesses to a reduction in allergy development. Read on for a compelling reason to adopt another cat.

Q: Is it okay to have pets around a new baby?

A: Parents will move mountains,

part seas, and do pretty much anything humanly possible to protect their little ones. Preventing common illnesses like colds, flus, and infections is no exception, so it makes sense that some parents are wary around potential “germ hubs” like animals or other children.

However, when it comes to household pets, shielding your child from dirt and dander from pets isn’t doing him any favours.

While it is true that cats and dogs are generally considered dirtier than humans because of their exposure to unsanitary floors and the great outdoors, science has proven that their presence actually helps young children stay healthier during childhood and develop fewer allergies as adults. A large body of research suggests that this protective effect may be due to early exposure to the various bacteria

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carried by cats and dogs. Exposing young children to these bacteria early in life helps prime and train their immune systems early so that they’re stronger and better able to resist illness and allergies down the road.

To determine the correlation between family pets and childhood illness, Finnish researchers asked a group of parents to record health information about their children during their first year of life. The researchers found that compared to kids in pet-free homes, kids in homes with dogs had fewer respiratory tract infections, were less likely to develop ear infections, and needed fewer treatments of antibiotics. The study’s lead scientist explained that this might be because of exposure to dirt brought inside by dogs—especially because they found that children saw the greatest health benefit where the family dogs spent a good deal of time outside.

This positive health effect could also be because of the microbiome hypothesis, which states that early-life exposure to a variety of good microbes improves the immune system by altering the microbes in the intestine to protect against allergies and infections.

Living with pets can also help lessen the chance of developing an allergy later on, but only if the pet is living with the child during the first year of life. In a large study conducted by Bill Hesselmar of Sweden’s University of Gothenburg, they

Kids who grew up with two or more pets reported less allergies. looked at the data of two previous studies covering 1278 children overall. Even when accounting for numerous outside factors, these studies found the reports of allergies in children decreased as the number of pets in the household increased.

In one of the studies analyzed, 49 percent of the children with no pets in the home during their first 12 months of life had allergies. That number dropped to 43 percent for kids who lived with one pet as a baby, and again to 24 percent for children who grew up around three pets. Children lucky enough to spend their early childhood with five or more pets had no reported allergies.

Data from the smaller study that Hesselmar examined backs up these numbers, with kids who grew up with two or more pets showing less reports of allergies at eight and nine years old versus their counterparts who were born into a home with one or no pets. “The prevalence of allergic disease in children aged seven to nine years is reduced in a dose-dependent fashion with the number of household pets living with the child during their first year of life, suggesting a “mini-farm” effect, whereby cats and dogs protect against allergy development,” the study’s conclusion reads.

Numerous studies over the years have echoed these findings.

One found that children who were raised on farms with animals were less likely to develop allergies. Another found that children ages five to 11 in three schools in England and Scotland had fewer sick days if they had pets at home. A survey of 11,000 Australians, Chinese, and Germans found that pet owners made up to 20 percent fewer visits to the doctor per year than nonpet owners. Couple these health benefits with the plethora of emotional and social benefits, and it’s no mystery why more and more families welcome furry four-leggers into their homes.

UrineGoneProClean.com

Of course, there are always exceptions to the trend. Certain children are more prone to illness due to immune system weaknesses or other variable circumstances, and parents of these children should always follow their doctor’s advice about how to manage interactions with pets, other children, and even adults. In addition, children who have already developed allergies to cats or dogs should not be exposed to fur and dander if it’s avoidable.

For most young children, being around a pet does not pose any additional risks to their health. When introduced early in life, a pet can actually strengthen a child’s immune system, keep her healthier, and lower her chances of developing allergies in the future. This information certainly doesn’t mean that you should get a cat or a dog simply to improve your child’s immunity or lower the risk of allergies, but it’s definitely another reason to show man’s best friends a little extra love.

Get the Urine Gone Pro Clean AND blacklight moderncat.com

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BODY & SOUL

WHY CAT URINE SMELLS SO BAD

—AND WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT

W

e’re all familiar with the offensive smell of cat pee, but why is it that cat urine smells so bad? The answer lies in the species’ evolution. Today’s cat descended from desert dwellers whose bodies needed to be very efficient at absorbing water, an efficiency modern cats still possess. Cats are able to absorb large amount of water from their urine to maintain hydration. This is the reason why cats don’t drink much water and also why their urine is so concentrated and thus smelly.

Contributing factors. Older cats with diminished or compromised kidney function will have worse smelling urine.

Urine from male cats also tends to smell worse than female urine, due to the presence of steroids such as testosterone.

HOW TO BANISH THE BAD SMELL OF CAT PEE #1 Address the litter box situation.

If your cat is going outside of the litterbox, addressing the litterbox is step one. It should go without saying, but scoop that litter box every day. A recent study, demonstrating what should be obvious, shows that cats without a doubt prefer using a litter box without clumps of pee and poo in it.

Second, make sure you have enough litterboxes. The general rule of thumb, says Jackson Galaxy, is one litter box for every cat, plus one (ie. one cat = two litter boxes; two cats = three litter boxes; etc.)

Third, choose an odour-attacking litter that your cat likes.

Lightweight and biodegradable!

Snappy Paws (by Snappy Tom Pets) new plant based, odour controlling litter not only clumps, but promotes the convenience of easily flushing those clumps down the toilet, for the ultimate in odour control.

BOXIECAT’s litter utilizes probiotics to naturally and safely eliminate 100 percent of

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bacteria in the litter box, keeping your home cleaner. No longer will your kitty track bacteria out of the box and into the rest of your house.

Litter Genie, recommended by Jackson Galaxy, is an ingenious litter disposal system that locks germs and odours away. The standard size can hold up to two weeks of disposed litter for one cat, so no more daily trips to the trashcan!

Next Gen Pet’s all-natural Timber Fresh litter is made from Cypress Wood, a renewable Japanese wood that is highly resistant to bacteria growth therby naturally controlling odours.

#2 Is there hidden pee in your house?

Urine sprayed but gone unnoticed is what gives cat pee its reputation for smelling particularly terrible, says Joe Schwarcz. PhD. “What gives cat urine such a bad name is the fact that the urine is usually left unnoticed until it becomes a problem. After a while, bacteria decompose the urea and give off an ammoniacal odour characteristic of stale old urine,” he explains. “The second stage of the decomposition process emits mercaptans, compounds which also give skunk spray its nasty smell.”

Solution: Use a black light to detect the urine (it will glow under the ultra violet light) and then treat with an enzymatic cleaner designed to bust the odour-causing bacteria, such as the aptly named Urine Gone. This cleaner utilizes enzymes for maximum odour-banishing cleaning power.

#3 Purify that air!

Cats don’t like fragranced sprays. Your cat has 200 million scent receptors versus the 56 million humans have, so scents and fragrance are pretty darn overwhelming and strong for them. The healthiest approach for everyone in your home is to filter the air. Purrified Air makes an ingenious odour filter that is designed to sit on top of both covered and open litter boxes, banishing odours at the source.

BODY & SOUL

Holistic Healing: Why You Should Give Your Cat Apple Cider Vinegar

ACV has enzymes plus gut-friendly bacteria for the win!

With its enzymes, important vitamins and minerals, and gutfriendly bacteria, all-natural Apple Cider Vinegar, or ACV, can be a powerful holistic healing tool, promoting your cat’s digestion, repelling parasites, and even breaking up bladder crystals.

Want to give it a try? First make sure you’re using the right vinegar. Be sure to use organic, unpasteurized (raw), unfiltered, naturally fermented ACV, like Bragg Organic Raw Apple Cider Vinegar. Look for the sediment in the bottom called “the mother” and you’ll know you’ve got the right stuff. Do not buy white distilled vinegar, as it has none of the beneficial elements of ACV.

How ACV can benefit cats: • Boosts the immune system.

• Improves skin and coat health (i.e. hotspots, dander, itchiness, fleas).

• Fights urinary tract infections.

• Thought to help with bladder and kidney stones, metabolism, and candida (aka yeast), among other conditions.

ACV Dosage + Delivery: Add ACV to your cat’s food: Combine 1/4 teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar with 1 teaspoon of chicken broth or tuna water and mix it into your cat’s wet food.

Add ACV to your cat’s water: Add 1 teaspoon of Apple Cider Vinegar to about a cup of your cat’s drinking water

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Goodbye Cone of Shame!

Designed to help injured cats heal, the Recovery Suit from Suitical is a godsend, offering comfortable protection for hot spots, wounds, bandages, skin conditions. and more. The high-quality stretch cotton recovery suit is designed especially for cats, providing a most welcome alternative to the infamous cone of shame that still allows them to still use the litter box and get on with their regular business while they heal. suitical.com

Cat Sitters on Call Your vacation shouldn’t be a punishment for your cat! Kitten Sittin’ offers professional, in-home cat sitting that’s committed to your kitty’s wellbeing while you’re away. Eliminate travel anxiety with cat sitters who customize their visits with your cat’s medical, dietary and playtime needs in mind. kittensittin.biz

Life Hack: Freshen That Litter Box with This Ingredient In Your Cupboard

Want to easily tamp down litter box odours? Add a layer of baking soda at the bottom of the litter box when you change the litter. Baking soda is non-toxic, safe for cats, inexpensive and stellar at absorbing odours.

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All Purpose Goodwinol Shampoo is gentle enough for kittens and puppies when they are six weeks old.

This safe and all-natural formula, includes cedar oil for a clean bright scent that lasts and acts as a natural insecticide. Made in the USA. Goodwinol.com

AquaPurr eC—the only fountain you never clean. Your cat triggers the sensor for a flow of fresh water, whenever they want. It easily connects to the faucet and doesn’t require any filters, cleaning or refilling. You and your cat will love it! Use promo code MCSS19 for 10% off at AquaPurr.com.

You can’t predict when your cat will get sick or injured, but you can protect yourself from costly vet bills with an Embrace Pet Insurance policy. The Embrace plan, which can be personalized to fit your budget, covers vet bills associated with diabetes, cancer, ER visits, hyperthyroidism, and much more.

Get a free quote today. Embracepetinsurance.com moderncat.com

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Could CBD—a therapeutic, nonpsychoactive component of hemp—help your cat? Increasingly, a whole host of cat lovers are singing the praises of CBD and its remarkable efficacy in treating everything from pain to anxiety.

By Tracey Tong Alicia O’Toole & her cat Admiral

C

alico Callie had a rough start to life. me get off all kinds of ibuprofen for pain and it helps with The Calico cat was living under a porch with her anxiety.” CBD, or cannabidiol, is a cannabis compound babies when Dawn Lamsa, who had been doing derived from hemp. Unlike THC, it’s non-psychoactive, volunteer work to help chained dogs, got a call: Would she meaning it won’t get you or your cat high. What it does do be able to help the cat and her kittens? is help with all manner of ailments, from pain to anxiety to Dawn, an animal lover, immediately agreed. She found seizures. Within a week, Callie started coming out of hiding a rescue to take the kittens and adopted Calico Callie herself. and letting Dawn approach her.

But despite Dawn’s best efforts to make Callie feel at Dawn is just one of the many pet owners out there home, the rescued cat suffered from high anxiety. “She was turning to CBD to treat their cats’ ailments, despite the super scared,” says Dawn, who lives in Leonard, Michigan, confusion and misinformation surrounding the compound. surmising Callie was once a pet who had been dumped.

The acronym is getting more recognizable, but On top of anxiety and fear issues, Calico Callie also had a misinformation is still out there. “Sure, it’s controversial, multitude of physical ailments. She suffers from stomatitis, a but unfairly so,” says Dr. Patty Khuly, a companion animal debilitating oral condition that causes veterinarian at the Sunset Animal severe inflammation of the gums and Clinic in Miami, Florida and a pet painful lesions in the mouth. Some of health writer. “It’s only because of her teeth were infected and had to be marijuana’s reputation as an illicit With the CBD oil, you pulled. She also had ringworm, which and the fact that this product get all of your cat back. You drug necessitated a bath every other day for happens to be derivable from the don’t just treat a piece of the marijuana family of plants. The reality a couple of weeks.

“Of course, she really started to not is that if this product came from any disease, it really is like an trust me,” says Dawn. “After working other plant family, it wouldn’t be entire body overhaul. with her, she would allow me to pet controversial at all.” her sometimes. But (if there was) any Calico Callie has become a different change in the home, or if I tried to clip cat since starting her CBD treatment her nails or put flea meds on her, it would take her weeks to four months ago. “I can clip her nails and put flea meds on let me pet her again. Then I went through a divorce and we her, and shortly after, she will allow me to pet her,” Dawn moved. She was really scared then. says. Sometimes, she will even emerge from hiding and play “It made me feel really sad for her. I tried everything,” with the other cats. “Although it is a slow process, I know Dawn says. “I want her to be comfortable in my home.” To with continued CBD use, she will open up more and more.” make matters worse, Dawn’s other rescues began to pick on Cats and dogs are highly sensitive to THC, or Calico Callie, and she started having accidents and hiding, tetrahydrocannabinol, which is the principal psychoactive emerging only to eat. component of marijuana, but as mentioned CBD is derived “I was at my wit’s end,” remembers Dawn. Determined from hemp and is non-psychoactive, so your pet won't get to find a solution, she decided to try CBD oil at the start of high. It’s a natural product, says Dr. Khuly—its value is in November 2018. “I take CBD oil myself daily… it has helped its ability to offer relief from anxiety for patients like

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PHOTO CREDIT: ALICIA O’TOOLE

CBD + your cat

Want to Give It a Try? CBD-infused treats & oils make delivery delicious The CBD Cat tinctures from Canis World are made to entice even the pickiest eater. Made with domestic CBD isolate, you can choose from natural or cheese flavouring! $34/250mg, canisworld.com

Suzie’s CBD Drops are made with your cat’s best health in mind. The organic, full spectrum CBD oil includes whole-plant benefits to increase overall health, vitality, and neurological support. $30/125mg, SuziesPetTreats.com

Made from a blend of CBD and MCT oils, Honest Paws’ 100% Full-Spectrum CBD Oil for cats can help your feline friend suffering from a range of health problems such as stress, seizures, pain, and more. $40/125mg, honestpaws.com

CBD is the most promising drug that has come out for neuropsychiatric diseases in the last 50 years Calico Callie, as well as treat pain and inflammatory diseases, including arthritis and bowel diseases, depression, stress, poor appetite, tumours and cancers, allergies, and nausea.

“The THC gets you high and is toxic to cats. CBD does not get you high and is perfectly safe,” says Dr. Khuly, whose blog, drpattykhuly.com, has won accolades from the veterinary community as one of the Ten Best Blogs in Pet Health by Fox News. She’s been voted one of the 25 People to Watch by Pet Product News, has won the Veterinary News Network’s Rising Star Award, and was selected by Veterinary Practice News as one of 13 Veterinarians to Watch in 2013. “In fact, we’ve learned that most of the effects of these plants aren’t related to the high at all. A sense of well-being, relaxation, and some anti-inflammatory effects are some of the CBD molecule’s effects on the body. These have nothing to do with the high we associate with marijuana.”

Hemp derivatives, including CBD, have been used in pets for as long as they have in humans. Hemp supplements, but not the purified CBD molecule, have been available for decades, says Dr. Khuly. “Now that we have a better understanding of how the CBD molecule works on the body, it’s being made available as a single-ingredient product.”

And according to Dr. Khuly, CBD oils, tinctures, and treats are here to stay. “For comparison, its efficacy has already been shown to surpass that of our ubiquitous joint supplements (containing glucosamine and chondroitin, among other additives), which means it’s no mere fad,” she says.

She sees more and more pet owners finding success treating an array of ailments with CBD. People like Alicia O’Toole, whose cat, Admiral, was diagnosed with stomatitis two years ago.

The nine-year-old Domestic Shorthair/Bengal mixed breed began having trouble eating, and would yelp out in pain when food would hit certain parts of his mouth.

“He became more socially anxious, lost weight, and began avoiding a lot of his usual family interactions,” says Alicia, who lives in Warrington, Pennsylvania.

“After a complete work-up done at the vet, they decided to put him on an oral liquid antibiotic, something he would have to continue to take each day, to suppress his dental inflammations. This, however, was just getting him by, and we could tell he was still uncomfortable. The vets offered no other solutions. After a couple more exams, we were told this was just something he had to live with, and to continue on the antibiotics. It broke our hearts to watch our cat, who was so used to greeting us with his signature licks and stealing our laps, disappear under moderncat.com

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The reason it is so promising is that it has a unique combination of safety and effectiveness across a very broad range of conditions

the beds during the day, and avoid all contact with his other cat pals. He had even started hissing and swatting at them to keep them away.”

Alicia had heard about CBD oil for pets through various news outlets, so when Admiral’s condition wasn’t improving, she started thinking about trying it out.

“I had heard that it helped with inflammation, anxiety, and appetite stimulation,” says Alicia. “I started researching various companies who specialized in CBD for pets.” At the same time, Modern Cat magazine was running its usual Facebook Friday Freebie giveaway and a bottle of CBD oil from Austin and Kat was one of the prizes.

She won, received a bottle in the mail, and immediately gave Admiral his first dose. “It was simple enough, just a dropper full, squirted into the corner of his mouth by his back teeth, to make sure it went down. I had his plate of food sitting on the floor waiting for him. He ran off at first, as he usually did after getting his other medication. But the difference here was after five minutes, he came back down, went to his plate, and ate his food. All of it. Afterwards, he started rubbing on our legs, looking for pets. I couldn’t believe it. This wasn’t just a minor change, this was Admiral back to being Admiral. Within a half an hour, he was laying on the couch with our other two cats, and took a nap curled up against them.”

Still, with all the positive outcomes being reported, many cat owners are still hesitant to try CBD. There is a lot of misinformation out there, and it doesn’t help that many veterinarians, like Dawn’s and Alicia’s, are hesitant when their clients broach the subject. (“My veterinarian never even mentioned it to us,” says Alicia.) Dr. Khuly agrees.

“Most veterinarians are not yet on board with CBD,” she says. She adds that “while it’s a popular topic, veterinarians continue to be more concerned with the product’s legality than with its potential medical uses.”

Alicia says she understands the skepticism. Many people she knows considers CBD oil to be a fad. “Unfortunately, I think CBD oil gets lumped into a lot of the marijuana debates, and isn’t considered a viable option by many veterinarians, probably due to the fact that traditional medicine demands precedent,” she says. “But I know I would use CBD oil if I had a pain that needed treatment.”

The World Health Organization (WHO) has found that there are no adverse health effects from use of CBD. You’re also safe from legal issues: both recreational and medicinal use of marijuana and marijuana-derived products like CBD are legal in Canada, and as of December 2018, with

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the passing of the Farm Bill, it is federally legal both to possess and use hemp and its derivatives (including CBD) in the United States as well. The Senate passed the bill 8713 on Dec. 11, and it was signed into law on Dec. 20, 2018.

CBD still isn’t FDA approved, which limits its production and distribution, but there is no longer the possibility of federal criminal charges for the possession or use of CBD. Even before that, Dr. Khuly says she’s never heard of any law enforcement action against any veterinarian or pet owner for using CBD. For the growing number of pet owners for whom CBD has benefitted, doing their own research has been worth it.

Plenty of humans are using CBD too, and as New York University School of Medicine assistant professor Dr. Esther Blessing told The New York Times in an interview for an article titled, ‘Why Is CBD Everywhere?’ October 2018, “CBD is the most promising drug that has come out for neuropsychiatric diseases in the last 50 years,” she stated. “The reason it is so promising is that it has a unique combination of safety and effectiveness across a very broad range of conditions.”

Both Dawn and Alicia are adamant that CBD oil saved their cats, and agree that it is worth every penny. To Alicia, using CBD oil instead of a traditional antibiotic means that they aren’t pressed for an office visit fee and a stressful exam every time they need a refill. Dawn pays about $40 for a bottle of CBD oil that lasts eight weeks—and it has been so effective for Calico Callie that she wants to get all of her cats on it. “They are all rescues, and have their own issues and anxieties,” she says. “I think the CBD oil would help.”

For her part, “I would love to convince anyone with a cat living with stomatitis to try CBD oil,” says Alicia. “With the CBD oil, you get all of your cat back. You don’t just treat a piece of the disease, it really is like an entire body overhaul.”

Four months after his initial dose, Admiral is slowly but surely gaining back his weight. “It isn’t something we can take him off of, as he’ll always have stomatitis, but as long as we stay diligent on getting his doses to him as directed, he is just your average cat,” Alicia says. “It’s not an overexaggeration to say that CBD oil has saved my cat. I was once worried about losing him. That I would find a full plate of food left sitting cold somewhere, and that would be it. I would have failed him had I just gone along with the usual.

Today, Admiral gets to live. He’s got a full belly, no pain, and is back to stealing laps whenever he can.” ■

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PHOTOS DASHA MINAEVA

cutie pi e !

Handicat Hero!

Meet this “living emoji cat” that is de-stigmatizing disability & stealing hearts across the globe

O

ne of the best things about social networks like Instagram is how it connects likeminded people across the globe, reminding us of our commonalities. Dasha Minaeva lives in Russia. You likely don’t know her, but you may be one of the approaching-halfa-million people that follow her cat Rexie on Instagram.

Known as the “living emoji cat,” Rexie’s ridiculously cute face and joie de vivre have captured hearts across the globe. But the best part of Rexie’s social-media mission, is encouraging people to take another look at disabled cats.

Rexie is a “handicat” with only two working feet. He was mistreated by his former people and ended up with a broken backbone. Despite his entire lower body being paralyzed, 54 moderncat

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Should You Adopt a Special-Needs Cat Like Rexie?

“My advice for someone considering adopting a cat with a disability is to be mentally ready to provide daily care for a cat for 10-plus years and to be financially stable because with a special needs cat it’s better to have regular visits to the vet to monitor their health.”

Rexie’s Daily Routine (besides being RIDICULOUSLY CUTE) “His daily routine ‘special-needs cat wise’ includes having his bladder expressed three times a day and having his bowel emptied. Since his lower part of the body is non-functional, he can’t go potty on his own and needs it to be done by me. It’s not that hard to do once you get a grip on that but you need an experienced vet to show you how to do it beforehand.”

Dasha & Rexie

Rexie is living his best life, thanks to Dasha. Their wonderful mantra? Disability does not mean inability.

“Back then I didn’t know what it takes to take care of a special needs cat but life had a twist and it just happened,” Dasha recollects. Since adopting Rexie, Dasha has learned a whole lot about caring for a special-needs cat, but mostly she wants you to know that they are not that different: “Don’t let the visual disability fool you because these cats are active and full of life despite their handicap.”

Not that it doesn’t involve some sacrifice. “The biggest challenge was changing my lifestyle since I’m the only care giver to Rexie and he cannot be left alone for more than eight hours, so I have to be home pretty much all the time.” Travel is out of the question because Rexie doesn’t like to travel, though this isn’t a problem for cats who do, Dasha notes. “And yes I had to make the house ‘Rexie proof’ to make sure he doesn’t climb up too high—he totally loves climbing!”

Rexie’s Instagram stardom is thanks to Dasha’s efforts. “I guess he has always been good with cameras, it was me who needed to learn how to use one to take nice photos of him,” she laughs. “I used to take quick shots of him first but later I thought to myself that Instagram is full of cat profiles and there were only a few that really stood out. I tried to come up with something that would make Rexie’s profile unique and his photos unusual, and voilà, that’s how the “living emoji cat” Instagram star was born!”

It’s Dasha’s hope that Rexie’s popularity will encourage others to give specialneeds cats a chance. “They’re always determined and are full of strong spirit so it’s plain wrong to put them down,” she says. “People often are in such a hurry to put them down, but these cats are a great example of how you can overcome difficulties and enjoy life even if you fall short physically a little.” Follow @rexiecat

Rexi’s must-follow cats on Instagram!

Roux

from @lilbunnysueroux

Rosalita

from @no_eye_shadow

BenBen

from @benbencatcat

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CAT LIFE

THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF CATS REVEALED Breaking the cat code: how you can understand what your cat is trying to tell you—and how you can actually talk back

Yes, you can actually talk with your cat.

Swedish phonetics expert Dr. Susanne Schötz has done the research to prove it.

our voices, especially the intonation (melody and pitch/tonal patterns) to signal different linguistic as well as paralinguistic (e.g. gender, age, emotion) meanings and how we often change or adapt our voices to the person—or animal—we are talking to.”

I

Susanne, who communicates with her five cats using both visual and vocal signals, “couldn’t help listening to how my cats varied their voices,” she says. “I noticed that cats use a large repertoire of different sounds (e.g. purring, meowing, trilling, howling/yowling, growling, hissing etc.) and that they vary them extensively (e.g. the intonation), depending on the context or situation and their mental state.”

f you’ve ever wondered what your cat is saying, you’re not alone. As every cat person knows, cats do not meow, chirp, growl or hiss randomly. Cat vocalizations have a purpose, and they can carry important messages, both for us and for other cats. Unfortunately, we humans frequently don’t understand what our cats are trying to communicate.

Lucky for us, Swedish cat researcher Dr. Susanne Schötz has applied herself to parsing these complex vocalizations.

Susanne is an associate professor at the Swedish University of Lund, where she teaches courses on human phonetics.

As a cat lover—she herself has five cats—she decided to use instruments and methods typically used in analyzing human dialects to figure out what cats are communicating.

“One of my occupational hazards is that I tend to listen less to what people are saying than how they are saying it,” Susanne admits. Though this might not prove the best approach conversationally, it’s an asset in her research, particularly in the study of melody in human–cat communication.

In her study of human speech, she is “interested in how we produce different consonant and vowel sounds, how we perceive these sounds, and what their acoustic characteristics are,” Susanne explains. “I am also interested in how we vary

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She wanted to learn more about what causes this variation in vocalization and found that there was surprisingly little earlier research on cat communication. She began recording her own cats in different situations and analyzing their vocalizations with the same phonetic methods she uses to study human speech.

Her findings led Susanne and her colleagues to secure a research grant to use phonetic science to back-up and refine what she calls “meowsic,” a.k.a. cat-speak, in order to understand the vocal strategies used in human-cat communication. The end-goal? Improving the communication and thus the relationship between cats and their caretakers.

She has brought her research to the people with her new book, The Secret Language of Cats, in which she introduces the reader to cat phonetics and the full range of feline vocalizations, explaining what they can mean in different situations.

Susanne’s cat Rocky tests a small video camera attached to his collar in one of the first pilot studies.

So, how does one better understand and communicate with their cat? For starters, Susanne tells us “If you talk about things your cat is interested in—food, play, etc.—and use the same words and tone of voice, I think that many cats learn to associate what you are saying with what is about to happen.”

Susanne’s starter tips for talking with your cat »» Listen carefully to the nuances in your cat’s voice. What type of vocalization is it? Is it a meow, chirrup, purr, growl, howl, chirp…? »» How long and loud or soft is the sound? »» Is the pitch high or low and how does the melody change?

Observe to connect a specific type and variant of a sound to a certain context (food, play, etc.) and mental/emotional state to understand what your cat is trying to communicate. Mimic these sounds back in the same context. (You can listen to the many examples of cat sounds in different contexts on Susanne’s webpage meowsic.se/catvoc).

This is the most important cat vocalization sound to understand The most important cat vocalization? “I’ll have to go with the meow,” Susanne says, “because it is the most common sound directed to us humans. It usually means “I want,” and what the cat wants usually depends on the context and the mental and emotional state of the cat. Cats usually meow when they want our attention. But my personal favourite sound is the trill— both the soft low-pitched “grunt” and the more high-pitched “chirrup”—because they sound so friendly.

Do all cats speak the same language?

“Most cats can meow, purr, trill, howl, hiss, etc, but every cat has his own personal voice quality, just like humans,” Susanne

Susanne with Donna.

says. “I also believe that many cats develop nuances in their voices and even may adapt their voices and sounds to their owner to improve communication.”

Remember that cat-speak varies according to the individual and the context, but for one example, Susanne shares that her cat Donna uses different sounds and melodies depending on the type of request she is making (food, play, cuddle, wants to go outside or inside, etc.) For food, she usually meows with a rising melody. When she wants to cuddle she chirrups. And when she wants to play she usually starts by trilling softly, then moves on to meowing, and if Susanne is busy and doesn’t give her attention quickly enough, Donna begins to trill-meow louder and louder with increasing variation in the melody (usually with a final rise in pitch) until Susanne finally gives up and plays with her for a while.

Even Susanne with her nuanced ear was surprised to find that cats are using such a wide repertoire of different sounds.

Furthermore, the tone and melody of a cat vocalization varies extremely and seems to carry an important part of the message.

For instance, the more variation in the melody, the more excited or urgent the message seems to be. Also, every cat has his or her own personal voice quality, just like we humans do. 

What does purring really mean?

It can mean anything from “I’m content” to “I’m stressed” or “I’m in pain,” depending on the context.

Cats can purr when they are happy, hungry, stressed, give birth, are in pain, and even when they are dying. I believe that cats also sometimes purr to relieve stress and to make themselves feel better when they are anxious or sick.

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Is your cat happy, scared, irritated, excited?

Listen to the pitch and melody. As in human speech, cat speech changes with context and emotional state. “The pitch and melody, the length and the loudness (if a sound is soft or loud), as well as the voice quality (if the sound is hoarse, for instance)—these all vary with the emotional state of the cats, much in the same way that human voices often reveal the emotional state of the speaker,” Susanne notes.

How to tell if your cat understands what you’re trying to say.

“Well, I think that depends on what you are saying,” Susanne says. “But generally, if your cat responds in the way you expected, chances are that she will have understood you. I have recently tried trilling to my cats, and have found that when I use a soft chirrup with a rising melody, my cats interpret this as a friendly request, and usually stop what they are doing and come to me.

Our cats are frequently frustrated that their people don’t understand what they’re trying to say?

“Sometimes,” Susanne concedes. “I think that sometimes we are so busy that we forget to give our cats the attention they need and want, even when they are trying to communicate with us with sounds.” Most often cats are trying to communicate this to their people: “That they want our attention, so that we can help them fulfill their needs, desires, and intentions.” ■

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INTER-CAT COMMUNICATION “Befriended cats can greet each other with trills and call for each other with meows,” Susanne explains. “Cats also may howl, hiss, growl and snarl at each other when they try to solve conflicts like territorial disputes. Cats in heat call for a partner, and mothers use purrs, trills, meows, hisses and growls when they raise their kittens and teach them to hunt or want them to stop playing.”

Find Love Here!

These adoptable cats are looking for their forever homes. Your new best friend could be on this page….

SALT LAKE CITY, UT NEW YORK CITY, NY Meet Levi, a devilishly handsome and stout gentleman who shows his affection by cuddling up alongside his favourite humans. There is a lot of Levi to love, so he has a room all to himself at Best Friends Lifesaving Center in New York City where he can get some exercise. He loves pets, naps, and food! Levi has lower urinary tract disease which is manageable in a quiet home with diet, enrichment, and routine.

For info on adopting Levi, please visit bestfriends.org/ny.

LOS ANGELES, CA Beautiful Barbie is a sweet cat who, once she feels comfortable, adores pets and receiving attention. She likes the company of other mellow cats, but would also happily be the one and only in a calm, quiet home. Barbie may be a little shy at first, but quickly warms up to new people and is sure to blossom in a home environment. Barbie's been waiting a long time to find that special someone to love her forever. Could that be you? Barbie is waiting for you at the Best Friends Lifesaving Center in Los Angeles. For info on adopting Barbie, please visit bestfriends.org/la.

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Chloe is a sweet senior—she is 13 years old. Chloe lived with the same family her whole life.

They got her when they lived in Oregon and then moved to Louisiana. She survived hurricane Katrina with her owners! Chloe is a bit stressed and tends to over-groom so she has bald spots. She needs a calm home with a family that will give her lots of love and attention. For more info on adopting Chloe, please visit bestfriends.org/utah.

ATLANTA, GA Smucky is very affectionate once he knows you. He purrs and loves to sit in laps. He enjoys being brushed and rolling in catnip. He also gets very kittenlike with string toys and will run around the room playing with them. He likes attention and being around people, so he'd really like a calmer home and owners that will get to know him and give him tons of attention! Meet him at Best Friends Lifesaving Center in Atlanta. For info on adopting Smucky, please visit bestfriends.org/atlanta.

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Cat’s need stimulation throughout the day, and windows are the perfect kitty TV! This handmade, wall mounted Cat Hammock from Purrfect Cat Bird Seat lets your cat perch with a view, watch birds out the window and lounge in comfort.

Easy to install and washable. $110, catbirdseat.ca

CatTastic Décor Interior solutions to thrill both you & your cat

Looking for a classy, modern cat bed to elevate your house décor? Check out My Three Cat’s Refined Feline Kitty Ball Bed. This stunning, hand-woven bed is durable, claw-resistant and comes with a machine-washable cushion for your kitty’s comfort. $120, mythreecats.com

Catify your home without sacrificing style with this premium Cat Tree, X7805 from Armarkat. This Jackson Galaxy-approved piece features an ultra-soft faux fleece exterior and a stylish hammock for maximum comfort. It’s super easy to assemble and comes with step by step instructions. $199, armarkat.com

The beautifully minimal curved design of the Oscar Cat Rest allows your cat to rest or scratch in almost any position imaginable. It’s the ultimate in chic cat furniture with a multipurpose design cats love. $99, daviesdecor.com

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This super-cute Himalayan felted wool Owl Cave will be your cat’s new favourite spot for sleeping, hiding, and playing. The anti-microbial wool is odour resistant, and the natural lanolin oil in the wool reminds kitties of their mothers, meaning they’ll be obsessed with this adorable hut. Plus, it’s sustainably handcrafted in Nepal through partnerships with women’s collectives, socially conscious artisans and family run businesses.

What’s not to love? $90, dharmadogkarmacat.com

This re-introduction of mid-century design is the ultimate representation of sophisticated cat admiration. The sleek and graceful Brayton Laguna Cat sculpture from Bauer Pottery is exclusively handmade with the utmost care, bringing back a timeless classic to modern décor. $75, bauerpottery.com What could be cuter than a kitty tucked into a plush, oversized shoe? This Giant Sherpa Moccasin Pet Bed is made with faux suede and faux sherpa for an ultra-soft, machine washable bed. Your pets will adore curling up in comfort and you’ll smile every time you see it. $85, nappingjojo.com

Get cozy with a Critter Crafting Cat Mat. These beautiful, hand-crocheted cat blankets are machine washable and the perfect size to place on cat trees or beds for a cozier feel. From $20, crittercrafting.com

With its slats and tapered legs referencing mid-century modern design, your friends won’t believe this multifunctional piece actually houses a litter box!

Inside is a protected space for an optional kitty litter tray, surrounded by holes for airflow and its elevation means your cat feels safe and secure when doing his business. $499, tuftandpaw.com

Prevent whisker and stomach stress for your feline with a raised feeding platform. This refined Elevated Feeder from Vivipet comes with wide, tilted bowls to avoid hitting your cat’s whiskers and the height that supports a cat’s natural crouch-eating style. Bonus: it comes with a free pack of cat grass for the side compartment! $ 65, vivipet.com

Finally, a bed made to grow with your cat! The Buttercup Bed from Bowsers features a string & toggle around the outside so you can pull the sides tight for a smaller, cozy kitty-space, or lay the entire bed flat as a lounge mat for a larger cat. $63, bowsers.com moderncat.com

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PHOTO ALLEY CAT ALLIES

It’s Kitten Season.

Do You Know What to Do If You Find An Outdoor Kitten?

Y

ou’re out for a walk or on your way to work and you hear it: tiny mewing. You’ve happened upon outdoor kittens.

What do you do?

Before you scoop them up, stop and investigate. “Not every outdoor kitten needs saving,” says Alley Cat Allies, a terrific organization dedicated to protecting and improving the lives of cats through cutting-edge community leadership and programs such as trap-neuter-return. “Taking them home may not be what’s best—healthy kittens can take a turn for the worse if they’re brought indoors when they’re still too young to leave their mother.”

The best place for kittens is with mom. Don’t try to separate kittens younger than eight weeks old from their mother unless there is a medical emergency. TIP: Newborn, or “neonatal,” kittens have closed eyes, folded ears, and can’t walk. Be extra careful with these fragile babies.

The first step is determining how old the kittens are, advises Alley Cat Allies. Are they eight weeks or older? Eight-week-old kittens play, behave, and look like adult cats. They should weigh at least two pounds and can be spayed or neutered. At the opposite end of the spectrum, newborn, or “neonatal,” kittens have closed eyes, folded ears, and can’t walk.

If the kittens are eight weeks or older, are they friendly? If so, bring them to a veterinarian to be examined and spayed or neutered before finding them homes where they can be

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socialized to people. If you are fostering until you find them homes, remember that kitten socialization is very timeconsuming. It involves caring for them one-on-one for at least a couple of hours every day, and can go on longer than a month. The last thing you want is to bring a kitten indoors that you don’t have time to socialize, and then find that they are unadoptable, the organization warns.

If the kittens are less than eight weeks old, look at them: do the kittens appear healthy and are they with their mom?

If so, do not separate the kittens from their mother. If the mom is not there, wait and watch for a few hours. If mom does not return, these kittens need your help! Neonatal kittens especially need round-the-clock care, including bottle feedings if mom is not there to feed them.

If the mom is with the kittens and is friendly, consider fostering the mom and the kittens until the kittens are eight weeks old, at which point they can be spayed or neutered and adopted. If you are fostering with mom, be sure to handle the kittens when they start to explore their surroundings away from her. If mom is not there, you will be socializing the kittens by handling them for feeding and encouraging defecation.

If the mom is not friendly and the kittens are less than eight weeks old, leave the mom and her kittens alone, says Becky Robinson, president and founder of Alley Cat Allies, but do make sure she gets plenty of food. Put out double the normal amount of canned and dry food, because the nursing mother is keeping herself and her kittens alive. “The general rule of thumb is that mother cats eat twice as much when they’re with

kittens,” Becky advises. “Keep watching the kittens as they grow, because when they reach two months, the kittens are ready to be spayed or neutered, and mom, too.”

(Alley Cat Allies has a helpful chart for many different kitten scenarios at alleycat.org/ community-cat-care/kitten-and-mom-scenarios)

Newborn Kitten Behaviour + Care Tips from the Kitten Experts at Alley Cat Allies Newborn kittens are completely helpless and rely on their mother—or you—for everything. They can’t stand, keep themselves warm, eat, or eliminate waste on their own. However, they can purr and make distress calls. They spend 90 percent of their time sleeping and the other 10 percent eating.

During their first week, their senses of smell, hearing, and taste slowly start to develop and they may begin to wiggle around a little bit.

Feeding: Kittens need to be fed about every two to four hours (depending on their exact age), round the clock. Use specific kitten bottles to feed them kitten formula.

Make sure you never feed them “Cat Milk,” which is designed for adult cats, or cow’s or goat’s milk, which could give the kittens life-threatening diarrhea. Stick to kitten formula, such as kitten milk replacer (KMR), which can be purchased at most pet supply stores. Use specific kitten bottles to feed them kitten formula. Feed kittens on their stomachs—not their backs like human babies—and tilt the bottle. After they’re done eating, you’ll need to burp them. Put them on your shoulder or on their stomachs and pat them gently until they burp. Alley Cat Allies recommends the kitten feeding chart on kittencoalition.org.

Dehydration: Dehydration is one of the biggest killers of kittens, along with chilling. Some signs of dehydration include limpness, unresponsiveness, sunken eyes, and lethargy. You can also check by pulling up the skin at the scruff when the kitten is in a standing position. If it does not return to resting position quickly, the kitten is dehydrated.  moderncat.com

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Keep neonatal kittens warm: Neonatal kittens can’t control their own body temperature until they are at least three weeks old and get cold easily, which can be life-threatening. From the moment you find them, keep the kittens warm and watch out for signs of chilling (i.e., listlessness and cool to the touch) and hold off on bottle feeding until the kittens have completely warmed up. If you have nothing else on hand, use your own body heat to warm up a cold kitten, and rub gently to aid circulation. Keep kittens warm by building a soft nest, like a box with a blanket and Snuggle Safe heatpad, a rice sock, or a water bottle. Make sure that kittens have room to move away from the heat if they want.

Cleaning: Clean kittens using a warm, damp washcloth after they’re done eating. A kitten can chill if wet, so never submerge kittens in water. If a kitten needs to be cleaned up, wash only certain parts of her body with a washcloth. Be sure to always fully dry kittens with a hair dryer (on low) and towel.

Bathroom habits: Kittens younger than four weeks old must be stimulated to go to the bathroom after each feeding. A mother cat uses her tongue to do this, but you can use a warm and damp cotton ball, tissue, or washcloth to gently rub the kitten’s anal area. Completely solid feces usually will not form while kittens are drinking formula. If you notice the kittens are having trouble urinating or defecating, consult a veterinarian immediately.

A healthy kitten will urinate almost every time you stimulate them and have a bowel movement once or twice a day. 

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FENG SHUI FOR FELINES 5 tips to create positive energy in your home

By Cynthia Chomos

W

e asked Cynthia Chomos, feng shui expert, catio designer, and founder of Catio Spaces, for an easy to implement plan to make sure your home has good chi where your cats are concerned. Cynthia has been a feng shui consultant for over 20 years and is passionate about design, nature, and cats; she’s an expert in creating positive energy for the feline-inclusive home. Here, she tells us how to get that good energy flowing for harmony in the household and happy cats.

based on power spots in your home and your feline’s comfort zone—do they like to be up high in a cat tree or low to the ground in a dome shelter or box, or both? In the kitchen or feeding area, avoid placing the food bowl in the traffic flow of family members or other household pets as it can startle and upset your cat’s digestion when eating. Choose a serene feeding area for health and well-being.

What is Feng Shui?

Chi energy is both yin (restful) and yang (stimulating). A cozy bed in a quiet room or Zen space supports a leisurely catnap and also provides a safety zone away from chi disturbances, including loud noises, remodeling, the vacuum cleaner, or unfamiliar people. To stimulate yang energy for your cat, offer daily playtime and a shelf or perch near a window with natural light, the warmth of the sun, and birdwatching. A catio, or “cat patio” enclosure, provides a safe and enriching space for your cat to enjoy both physical and mental stimulation while outdoors.

Feng Shui is the Chinese art of placement and a design system to create harmonious living spaces based on “chi” energy, the life force that exists in all things, both animate and inanimate. Pets add positive energy to our homes and lives.

Cats, in particular, are highly sensitive to their surroundings.

Feng Shui Tips to Create Positive Chi for Your Feline: 1. Find the Power Spot Power spots for cats (and their humans) are located away from the entrance into a room and out of direct alignment with the door, near a wall that provides support from behind when seated or lounging, and with a commanding view of their territory. Choose and place cat furniture

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2. Yin + Yang Energy

3. Litter Box Placement + Odours Bathrooms can be a convenient place to locate the litter box, however, if the door is left open it can negatively impact household

finances by creating a “chi leak” through the drains, toilet, and shower. Water relates to money energy so keep the bathroom door closed and add a stylish cat door for access.

Other litter box locations include the laundry room or a room where the litter box is out of direct view, camouflaged with cat-safe plants or located inside furniture. Be sure to keep the air in your home fresh with an air purifier, aromatherapy, or open the windows enough to let air in (just be sure you have quality screens so your cat doesn’t escape!)

4. Water Fountains + Faucets The flow and sound of a water fountain creates vitality and enhances the energy of a home. Consider adding a drinking water fountain for your cat in the career (north) or wealth (southeast) area of The Swan Fountain your home (avoid bedrooms), or in ($40, pioneerpet.com) another room in the vicinity of, but not next to, your cat’s food bowl. Be sure to keep the water clean to avoid stagnant chi and adjust the water level to create a pleasant water sound. Avoid a dripping faucet for your cat to play with—leaking water drains remove vital energy from your home and can affect emotions, health, and finances.

5. Balance is Key A harmonious home for your cat is clean, clutterfree, feline-friendly and provides a consistent routine and sense of security while meeting basic needs, such as food, water, shelter and elimination. Daily playtime is essential for human and feline bonding and to keep your cat stimulated and happy while reducing unwanted behaviours that could cause stress for yourself and family members. Be mindful of guests visiting your home. Keep cat hair on the sofa under control with a blanket or throw that can be removed before guests arrive.

Choose cat décor in colours and styles that complement your home for visually appealing and harmonious surroundings.

Lastly, don’t let your cat dominate your life and personal relationships. If you have four cats sleeping on your bed and no room for a romantic partner, your relationship energy is definitely blocked! And remember, your personal chi affects both your cat’s chi and the energy of your home. Keep your life in balance with good self-care and care for your beloved feline family members.

May positive energy flow as you create a feline-friendly and harmonious home.

Cynthia Chomos lives in Seattle with her adorable cat Serena (who has four catios). You can contact Cynthia at CatioSpaces.com.

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Connie’s Book Club Curl up with a good cat and a good book

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF CONNIE WILSON’S SELECTION OF MUST-READS.

Fur and Purr

The Secret Life Of Mac

By Craig and Erich Pearson

By Melinda Metz

With collected quotes and articles from the likes of Ellen DeGeneres, The New Yorker, Sarah Silverman, and The Onion, plus hilarious tweets from everyday folks, this illustrated collection of the funniest things people have said about cats will deliver laughs and nods of recognition.

Expect profound thoughts and musings about cats, like: Why isn’t there mouse-flavoured cat food? And, do cats hate their names? As well as practical cat care tips, like writer Bud Herron’s bath time caveat: “Know that a cat has claws and will not hesitate to remove all the skin from your body.” Get ready to laugh!

The Gift of Nine Lives

By Dee Ready You’ll want to dive right in to Dee Ready’s marvelous, magic-laden take on the history of cats. The Gift of Nine Lives offers an irresistible retelling of the creation story, centered on Bastet-Net—The Great God of Cats—and the first feline created, Mosi. Downfall, revolution, revenge, and, of course, cats—it’s all in here.

We devoured this fun and whimsical romance!

Inspired by the true story of a Kleptomaniac cat (a kitty "burglar"), this sweet story follows tabby cat MacGyver's sneaky habits as they lead to some matchmaking for the humans in his life. It's the perfect light and cozy read filled with romance and adorable kitty antics!

Life Lessons from the Cat

By Chicken Soup for the Soul This collection of 101 stories by fellow cat lovers will have you laughing, crying, and feeling every emotion in between. From heartwarming tales to hilarious anecdotes, this book has it all. Experience Nicole McAlister’s shock when she takes in a stray who turns out to be pregnant; follow Mark Howe as he learns to be a good husband while simultaneously attempting to make peace with his wife’s territorial cat. Make sure to keep a tissue box beside you before picking up this book—it’s a guaranteed tear-jerker.

Jealousy Filled Donuts

The Cats of Laughing Thunder in The New Businesses Adventure

By Ginger Bolton

By S.S. Curtis

Feline Deputy Donut is back on the case! After her owner, Emily, is blamed for bringing an exploding donut to a picnic and killing the queen of the festivities, Emily and her cat Deputy Donut must find out who the real killer is. Facing jail time and a ruined reputation, Emily must find the killer quickly before the felon finds another victim. Grab yourself a donut and a copy of this page turner!

This hilarious children’s book, part of the Cats of Laughing Thunder series, will delight kids aged 9 to 12 and may even encourage a few budding entrepreneurs. In this funny installment, the cats each launch a business to earn money, from a cooking show with dishes that are a bit bizarre to a “How to be Unmannerly” website, facing many hiccups along the way, this sweet entrepreneurial tale is sure to be a crowd pleaser. moderncat.com

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From

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This smart litter is sensitive to urine pH levels, changing colour to indicate potential health issues. Plus, you can sign up for their monthly litter delivery service to make litter box maintenance easy. prettylittercats.com

$25 Introducing the newest form of

catfishing: the Go Cat Da Shrimp Cat Toy! With a sturdy rod and fuzzy and fun Da Shrimp Cat Lures, you’re bound to have a kitty biting at the line. Made from natural fibers with natural non-toxic dyes, the texture of the shrimp will drive your cat wild. christhecat.com

From

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t n a W It!

Shaw—also known as the Kitten Lady—is a professional kitten rescuer dedicated to saving the most vulnerable animal population: neonatal kittens. Her wonderful new book Tiny but Mighty is filled with the cutest photos ever and details on how anyone can help save at-risk kittens. kittenlady.org/books

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Staff Fave “I collect cat pins and the ones from My Cat is People are my favourites!

Jasmine Habart, the creative mind behind the brand, is an illustrator who takes inspiration from her two cats, Mabel and Hubert. A purrfect gift for cat lovers!”—Milena, mycatispeople.com

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$

From

$20 Feeding time is made easy with the Low Feeding

System from PetComfort! Available in a variety of colours and sizes, the system features a 100% stainless steel bowl and attached mat to keep mealtime messes contained. petcomfort.com

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If your cat loves drinking from the faucet, you need to check out the AquaPurr eC! This innovative drinking fountain simply connects to the faucet and is motion sensor activated so your cat can trigger the flow of fresh water when needed.

Ingenious! aquapurr.com

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Must-haves for you & your cat

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LAST LICK

inked tributes to feline best friends

Inked ! fur life

Megan McAulay

Lynn Clayton

Daniel Quagliozzi

Cosmic Lynne Gilmore Melton Kitties

Milena Venancio Braga

Chelsea MacDonald

Kierra Sage

Katy Johnson Social icon

Circle Only use blue and/or white.

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SPRING · S UMMER 2019