For Cat Owners

Feeding a Finicky Feline

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If cat food stayed the same, it would not be a problem feeding a finicky cat, but unfortunately brands change, specific varieties may be discontinued, or you may have to change your cat’s food for health reasons. If your cat is a finicky eater, this can be a huge challenge. There are a few things that may work to help.

The best thing to do is prevent the cat from becoming finicky. This is easily accomplished while the cat is a kitten. Do not feed your kitten only one brand and flavor of food. Offer the kitten many different brands of food and flavors as well as textures.

Most cat owners do not consider the texture of the food, how the food feels in the cat’s mouth is important. Cats are aware of the appearance, smell, taste and feel of the food. With so many aspects to consider, it makes substituting one brand of food for another more difficult.

If you must change the cat’s food, offer the new food in a separate dish next to the cat’s normal food at feeding time. Another method that can work is to mix a small amount of the new food with the food that the cat likes. Gradually add more of the new food until the cat will eat the new food exclusively.

There are a few other feeding tips that can help a cat. I like to feed my cat both dry and wet food. Feeding dry food will not harm the cat as some people believe, nor will it cause dehydration. If your cat is on a self-feed system, the dry food will stay fresh longer. It often works well to leave a dish of dry food out and twice a day offer wet food.

Each meal does not have to be the same amount of food. For example, the cat may get a smaller amount of dry food in the morning with a larger portion of wet food, and then in the evening, more dry food and less wet food, or more of both at one feeding and a less amount of both at the next feeding.

Cats may enjoy food puzzles because they satisfy their hunting instinct. Food puzzles also encourage the cat to exercise as they work the food out of the puzzle. If food puzzles are new to the cat, offer them on a quiet day at mealtime. Put their normal amount of food in the puzzle and offer the puzzle as close to their normal eating area as you can. Be sure to thoroughly wash the food puzzle with hot water and soap after the cat is finished with it. Because of a cat’s very good sense of smell, be sure to thoroughly rinse the puzzle so that the cat cannot smell the soap.

If the cat will not use a food puzzle, dry food can be hidden in and on a cat tree if the cat uses one. For example, my cat is blind so a food puzzle will not work with her. I have a three-tiered cat tree that has a “den” in the middle of it. I scatter her treats on the cat tree in different places. She loves to jump on it and using her sense of smell, find the treats. If you do not have a cat tree, you can hide treats around a room. Let the cat see you place one treat and show the cat where it is. You can tell the cat to find the treat as you do this. As the cat gets the idea hide the treat in a place near where you started and tell the cat to find the treat, gradually expand the area. Most cats will get the idea quickly and enjoy the game. This too satisfies their hunting instinct.

The bottom line is do not give up trying different foods and puzzles to keep your cat healthy and happy.

How cats show affection

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People who do not own cats have a hard time understanding the deep affection that cats have for humans and that humans have for cats. In many ways, cats are not much different then dogs. Granted, you cannot do the same things with cats that you can do with dogs, but the relationship is a deep, quiet one. There is something special about the love that cats have for people, it is hard to put into words. The best way to describe it is to imagine sitting quietly with your closest friend, no words needed, but knowing that you are there for each other no matter what. Imagine the feeling of security, peace, and understanding that you and your friend share. This is what cat love is like.

 Some cats are very demonstrative and easily show their affection while other cats are more like the best friend experience described above. This does not mean that they are not bonded or don’t love their owners, they simply show it differently. Just like dogs and people, cats have different personalities. Some are cuddly and others like to share from a distance.

 Many people recognize canine displays of affection, but do not recognize feline displays of affection. While each cat has their own special way of demonstrating their love for their owner, some types of body language and behavior are common with all cats.

 Here is a list of the most common ways cats show affection:

 1. The most recognized sign of affection is when a cat purrs, however, not all purring is a sign of affection. For example a cat who is in pain or stressed will often purr. It is thought to be a way to relieve stress. However almost without a doubt if a cat is near a human and purrs along with a contented face, it is a sign of affection.  Cat purrs can range from soft and subtle to very loud. Kittens can purr from the time they are two days old. There have been a number of studies about how and why cats purr, it is considered the equivalent of a cat smile, a healing mechanism and a form of communication, but by and large, it is still a mystery.

 2. Tails are another indication of affection. Kittens will greet their mother with their tail straight up and the end tipped over just a little.  When the cat gets close to his favorite person, the tail will stay up with the end slightly tipped and the cat will raise their butt, sort of like walking on their hind toes. This is an invitation to scratch them above the tail. Happy cats usually have their tails raised and the tip of the tail in a slight hook.

 3. Cats can show affection by the location they choose to sleep.  This is because a cat sleeps up to 16 hours a day and they are the most vulnerable while sleeping. Therefore if a cat sleeps near, on or next to his person, it is a way the cat tells you that he trusts and feels safe near you. When an owner is not at home, the cat may choose to sleep on their person’s bed, chair or pillow.

 

4. Much to the dismay of some cat owners, cat gifting is another sign of affection.  I does not matter if the gift is a dead critter, a bug, or a toy, cats only give gifts to the people they love.

 5. Rolling is another sign of affection. If your cat throws himself down in front of you or near you, it is a sign that they love you and often that they want to play. Cats will only do this to engage you to play with them. It does not mean that they want their belly rubbed or scratched. Some cats do not mind belly rubs but most do not care for it.

 6. Scratching is another signal that a cat feels that you are theirs. When cats do this, they leave their scent from scent glands that are located between their pads and toes. They will do this to say that the object of their scratching is theirs. Much the same as family members feel that their family is theirs.

 7. Bumping or bunting is a term that is used when a cat will cheek rub, head butt or wrap themselves or their tail around you. This is a very high complement from a cat.  A cat will do this to other cats, dogs and their favorite human.

 8. Kneading is another sign that the cat is very happy and contented. They often do this while purring.  The behavior goes back to kitten hood when the kitten would knead the mother’s breast to help milk production. Cats only do this with people they hold in high regard.

A very happy Mimi

 9. Playing is an engaging behavior that a cat will only do with someone they feel safe with and love. Often a cat will bring a toy to their person and drop it just out of reach. This way you have to go to them. Playing is also a form of gifting.

 10. Cat eyes are very large in proportion to their heads. This makes them easy to read, cats use their eyes as a form of communication. When a cat puts his face near yours, with wide soft eyes, it is a sign of love. If the cat is across the room and gives you a slow blink, it is sort of the cat’s way of throwing kisses to you.  Often if you blink slowly to your cat, the cat will blink back.

 11. Nose nibbles are one of the most flattering things your cat can do to show affection. Often a cat will do it while you are asleep. It is not a bite and does not hurt, but is a gentle nibble on the tip of your nose.

 The next time you interact with your cat, pay close attention to what your cat is telling you, it may be a pleasant surprise.

 

Dogs understand words from a soundboard

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A new study investigated whether dogs understand the words on a soundboard or if they were responding to cues from their owners. The study was conducted by researchers at the University of California San Diego as well as other institutions and have proven that dogs who are trained with soundboard buttons can comprehend specific words and will perform contextually appropriate responses. The study was led by Federico Rossano who is an associate professor in the Department of Cognitive Science at UC San Diego and is head of the comparative Cognition Lab. This study was the first empirical study from the world’s largest longitudinal or panel study of button-trained pets.

The way the study was conducted removed bias, owner cues, and showed that the dogs truly did understand the words on the sound board. One of the more important findings is that it shows the complexities of dog cognition and communication.

Sue’s Note: Since I first started training dogs and working as a behaviorist, we have come a long way in understanding how intelligent dogs (and other animals) are. One of the key lessons that we as pet owners must keep in mind, is that dogs are much smarter than previously thought and understand much more than most people give them credit for. This is important to keep in mind when training any animal. What you do and how you do it is critical in building your relationship with your dog or other pet and having them understand what you are teaching them or want them to do. This is why it is very important to use the same word for a specific command. For example, do not use the word DOWN to tell your dog to get off you or furniture and then say the same word to tell your dog to lie down.

Journal Reference:

  1. Amalia P. M. Bastos, Ashley Evenson, Patrick M. Wood, Zachary N. Houghton, Lucas Naranjo, Gabriella E. Smith, Alexandria Cairo-Evans, Lisa Korpos, Jack Terwilliger, Sarita Raghunath, Cassandra Paul, Hairou Hou, Federico Rossano. How do soundboard-trained dogs respond to human button presses? An investigation into word comprehension. PLOS ONE, 2024; 19 (8): e0307189 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0307189

Cite This Page:

University of California – San Diego. “Dogs understand words from soundboard buttons.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 28 August 2024. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/08/240828154926.htm>.

A new cancer treatment for dogs and cats

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Researchers have found a new way to extend the life of terminally ill dogs who have cancer. This new form of chemoimmunotherapy repurposes stem cells that uses a non-viral gene delivery treatment instead of the usual virus treatment. The new method is safe has had great results.

The researchers treated 65 dogs and two cats who had either adenoma, lung metastasis or sarcoma. After three to eight weeks of treatment, 55 showed signs of positive response. Of that 14 had a full recovery. Two animals remained cancer free for at least 30 months and 46 enjoyed a good quality of life for 32 months. None of the animals treated had significant side effects.

The research team are conducting further studies and plan to research the possibility of using this treatment on humans.

Journal Reference:

  1. Yoon Khei Ho, Kin Man Loke, Jun Yung Woo, Yee Lin Lee, Heng-Phon Too. Cryopreservation does not change the performance and characteristics of allogenic mesenchymal stem cells highly over-expressing a cytoplasmic therapeutic transgene for cancer treatment. Stem Cell Research & Therapy, 2022; 13 (1) DOI: 10.1186/s13287-022-03198-z

Cite This Page:

National University of Singapore, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine. “Novel cancer therapy extends lives of terminally ill dogs.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 30 January 2023. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/01/230130112405.htm>.

Stress causes overeating in pets

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Researcher Sora Shin, an assistant professor at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech has discovered a molecule that triggers the need to eat high fat foods in mice 24 hours after being exposed stress in the form of the scent of cats.

This molecule is found in the hypothalamus section of the brain which is the part of the brain that is connected to changes in the brain that lead to emotional overeating.

 The same molecule is found in people as well as animals. This discovery may lead to treatment methods that can help people who react to the emotionally driven need to overeat, even when they are not hungry.

Sue’s Note: There are many animals, particularly dogs and cats that tend to overeat which result in them becoming obese. Pet owners who have pets that have this problem should consider stress as a factor that causes their pets to overeat. First be sure that the family or friends are not over feeding the pets. If this is not the case the pet owner should evaluate the possibility that stress may be a cause. Since the study showed that the effects of stress can cause overeating 24 hours later, the pet owner should consider events that happened in the last 24 hours. An example would be someone or something that passes the pet’s home when the owner is not home that causes high stress in the pet. In situations where stress is a factor, reducing the amount of food that the pet has access to may cause a greater amount of stress. In this case over the counter calming remedies may help the pet. If not a visit to your veterinarian would be in order explaining to the veterinarian that you suspect stress is a cause of the overeating. Print a copy of the article in the link below to show your veterinarian if necessary.

Journal Reference:

  1. In-Jee You, Yeeun Bae, Alec R. Beck, Sora Shin. Lateral hypothalamic proenkephalin neurons drive threat-induced overeating associated with a negative emotional state. Nature Communications, 2023; 14 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42623-6

Cite This Page:

Virginia Tech. “Scientist discovers potential brain link between stress, emotional eating.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 27 November 2023. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/11/231127180702.htm>.

Scent and Memory

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According to a study done by researchers at the UCI Center for the Neurobiology of Learning & Memory at the University of California, adults who were ages 60 – 85 who were suffering from some sort of mental impairment partook of the scent therapy test.  

The subjects of the study were given a diffuser and seven cartridges, each with a natural oil. The subjects used the diffuser each night when going to bed. The diffuser ran for two hours. The results showed that the group with the full-strength diffusers improved their cognitive skills by 226%.

Imagining showed that there was better integrity in the brain pathway called the left uncinate fasciculus, which connects the medial temporal lobe to the decision-making prefrontal cortex.

In addition to having better memory, the subjects said that they slept better, more soundly.

Sue’s Comments:  We know that essential oils have numerous benefits when smelled. For example, lavender is known for its calming properties. What this study brings to mind for me is the possible connection with scent work in dogs. There are many accounts of animals, dogs, elephants, and other animals, who recognize a person that they have not seen in years. Scent is one of the keys for this, indicating that there may be a connection similar to the findings in this study. Previous studies have shown that in dogs, scent is linked to sight, they are not separate in the dog’s brain. I would love to see further studies that involve this finding and how it might apply to animals. Would it be possible to help elderly animals in the same way. Dogs and other animals suffer from dementia the same as people.

Journal Reference:

  1. Cynthia C. Woo, Blake Miranda, Mithra Sathishkumar, Farideh Dehkordi-Vakil, Michael A. Yassa, Michael Leon. Overnight olfactory enrichment using an odorant diffuser improves memory and modifies the uncinate fasciculus in older adults. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 2023; 17 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1200448

Cite This Page:

University of California – Irvine. “Sweet smell of success: Simple fragrance method produces major memory boost.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 1 August 2023. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/08/230801131700.htm>.

Gene therapy to prevent pregnancy in dogs and cats

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A Research team led by David Pépin, PhD, Associate Director of the Pediatric Surgical Research Laboratories at Massachusetts General Hospital, and an Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School has developed a gene therapy as an alternate to spaying and neutering animals. They are hopeful that this method will eventually be available to be able to control outdoor pet populations.

While this discovery is promising, the researchers have yet to develop the infrastructure to treat thousands of unowned feral cats. This will also give pet owners an alternative to traditional spay and neuter programs to prevent pregnancy in their pets.

What is interesting is this gene therapy was first used in people. Typically discoveries in animals help humans, in this case it is the reverse.

Journal Reference:

  1. Vansandt, L.M., Meinsohn, MC., Godin, P. et al. Durable contraception in the female domestic cat using viral-vectored delivery of a feline anti-Müllerian hormone transgene. Nat Commun, 2023 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38721-0

Cite This Page:

Massachusetts General Hospital. “Gene therapy produces long-term contraception in female domestic cats.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 6 June 2023. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230606111636.htm>.

Cat’s can detect odors as well as a dog

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Until now, no one has seriously studied a cat’s ability to detect odors. A collection of researchers found that when a cat takes in air, their nose divides it into two flow streams. One flow stream is cleansed and humidified which goes to the lungs and the other is sent quickly to the olfactory region. What the researchers found is that a cat’s nose is a highly efficient dual-purposed gas chromatograph. This makes the cat’s ability to detect odors equal with that of a dog.

The odor detection part of the cat’s nose acts very quickly so that the cat can determine what is food, foe or friend. The researchers feel that the discovery about how a cat can detect odors may inspire improvements to the gas chromatographs that are used today.

Journal Reference:

  1. Zhenxing Wu, Jianbo Jiang, Fritz W. Lischka, Scott J. McGrane, Yael Porat-Mesenco, Kai Zhao. Domestic cat nose functions as a highly efficient coiled parallel gas chromatograph. PLOS Computational Biology, 2023; 19 (6): e1011119 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011119

Cite This Page:

Ohio State University. “How the cat nose knows what it’s smelling: Study reveals function behind complex nasal structure.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 29 June 2023. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230629193238.htm>.

Cats know when you are talking to them

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It is commonly understood that dogs and other animals recognize when their owners talk to them but do cats? A study conducted by Charlotte de Mouzon and colleagues from Université Paris Nanterre (Nanterre, France) found that cats do recognize when their owners are talking to them. The research showed that the cats did not react to other adults who spoke to them. The study showed that a one-to-one relationship with their owners is important for the cat to develop a strong bond with their owners.

Sue’s Note: For a long time, people did not feel that cats developed a bond with their owners, that cats were independent. However, studies of feral cat colonies show that cats have a very close-knit social relationship with members of their colony. This bond is often transferred to their human family. Just like other animals, cats have different personalities and can be independent or very attached to their people.

Journal Reference:

  1. Charlotte de Mouzon, Marine Gonthier, Gérard Leboucher. Discrimination of cat-directed speech from human-directed speech in a population of indoor companion cats (Felis catus). Animal Cognition, 2022; DOI: 10.1007/s10071-022-01674-w

Cite This Page:

Springer. “Cats distinguish between speech directed at them and humans, study finds.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 25 October 2022. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/10/221025090458.htm>.

A worthy product to promote health

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I do not often post articles about products but I feel this is important. So please forgive the departure from purely animal topics. Years ago, I purchased an Ecoquest air purifier. I ran it 24/7 for about 15 years before it quit, so no complaints on that part. When I told a few people about the difference it made in my house, I was surprised to learn that most of the people I talked to had no idea what this type of air purifier was.

It is not an air filter, this product does so much more. It kills germs, bacteria and odors in the house. It takes care of dust, dust mites, mold, mildew, and pollen, just to name a few things. No one has ever walked into my house and smelled what I had cooked, or that I had dogs, cats and birds. My husband and I rarely catch colds or other airborne illnesses and the house smells springtime fresh all of the time. Since I suffered for years with allergies and now asthma (I am even allergic to my cat) I find that this air purifier lessens my symptoms and often eliminates them. I feel that this product will also help animals that have airborne allergies and help to keep birds healthy.

You can google the air purifier but I highly recommend that you contact Don Coon, who can help you select the right model and save you quite a bit of money from the on-line prices. His contact information is: adcoon99@gmail.com or phone in the U.S. 406-360-0956. I do not get any credit for recommending him but offer this because it is a great product and he is a great guy.