Lifestyle

Domestic cats, like many other mammals, use smelly secretions from anal sacs to mark territory and communicate with other animals. A new study from the Genome Center at the University of California, Davis, shows that many odiferous compounds from a male cat are made not by the cat but by a community of bacteria living in the anal sacs.

A study reported in Current Biology shows that most cats are securely attached to their owner and use them as a source of security.

Your cat will seek out warm spots, which must be safe

WBIR-TV in Knoxville, TN, reports that a local animal lover was caring for a bobcat kitten, not realizing it wasnt a lost domestic kitten.

My 8-year-old domestic shorthair panther, Max, has lost his appetite and is losing weight. Kidney values/bloodwork are normal, so the vet is looking at environmental factors as a possible influence. My neighbor uses an electronic nicotine delivery device (e-cigarette) extensively, to the extent that I feel that it may be affecting my health. Is there any research involving vaping and cats, particularly the influence of neo-nicotinoids on appetite?

Just like people, not all cats like each other. Maybe your cat is not thrilled about the latest feline addition to the family, or two long-time housemates are no longer seeing eye to eye. Whatever the cause, there are some things you can do to manage rival cats and prevent rivalries from escalating.

We tend to associate rabies with dogs, but rabies cases reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that far more cats than dogs contract rabies. In 2015, 67 rabid dogs and 244 rabid cats were reported to the CDC; in 2017, rabies was found in 62 dogs and 276 cats.

According to the Naples (Fla.) Daily News, deputies responded to a possible burglary in progress only to find the culprit was a cat.

Sebastian, a big orange longhair, was adopted in 2009. He tested positive for feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), but had no symptoms. In 2017, he started to have eye symptoms and eventually appeared to be blind. He was eating, drinking, socializing, and had regular urination and defecation. Three months ago, he began bleeding from his nose and eventually from his eye and crusting.

While dogs are the best-known therapy animals, cats can help humans who are ill or stressed, too, by promoting relaxation and healing. Therapy cats visit nursing homes, hospitals, courthouses, and schools (some colleges organize therapy animal visits as stress-relief during exams). Therapy visits may also be referred to as animal-assisted interventions (AAI).

Does blood type really matter other than as a matter of curiosity? Yes! Any time a cat needs a blood transfusion, that cat ideally should receive blood of the same type.

Its a common misconception that vomiting is normal in cats. Cats should not routinely vomit more than once per week. The possible causes include everything from gastrointestinal (GI) parasites to dietary indiscretion to foreign bodies. In middle-aged to older cats, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a frequent culprit.