Short Takes

When New Years Eve arrives, many of us make promises to ourselves-those infamous resolutions-to improve ourselves somehow. Thats because the new year is a traditional starting point, and were happy and motivated. Popular resolutions include losing weight, quitting smoking, and getting the most out of life. Inevitably, however, most of us fail. The reason? Unrealistic goals. Well, were here to help fix that! Spending more time with your cat and improving her life is realistic and satisfying, so weve put together five New Years Resolutions. Are you with us?

Animal shelters in Denver, Colo., may soon be able to prohibit anyone who plans to declaw a cat from adopting one. Declawing would be allowed only when medically necessary, according to the Denver Post.

The September 2017 issue of the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine included the article The Relationship between Brachycephalic Head Features in Modern Persian Cats and Dysmorphologies of the Skull and Internal Hydrocephalus, by Schmidt et al. This study evaluated the two types of Persian cats, the traditional doll-face and the newer Peke-face, for a correlation between brachycephalic (short-faced) traits and internal hydrocephaly, or abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid (the fluid that bathes the brain and spinal cord) in the brain. Each cat in the study received a CT scan and an MRI.

Cats eat differently than we do. If given the opportunity, cats would consume seven to 20 small meals a day and would seek out the texture and protein found in a field mouse over the spongy texture and sweet taste found in a slice of cake.

Pumpkin is an excellent source of potassium—a mineral that is important for a variety of physiologic functions.

Pumpkin is an excellent source of potassium-a mineral that is important for a variety of physiologic functions.

A study published in the January 2017 Journal of Applied Animal Behaviour Science may help you determine if a dog you want to adopt will get along with your cat.

We are saddened to report that our friend and colleague Betty Liddick died June 21 following a brief illness. Betty began her long career in journalism as staff writer for numerous notable newspapers, including the St. Petersburg Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Detroit Free Press and the Orange County Register, before turning full-time to her first love-writing about dogs and cats. A former editor of Dog Fancy (now Dogster) magazine, she devoted the past…

The Morris Animal Foundation recently wrote that a cat’s best defense against cancer may be snuggling with her owner.

A full-time 10-member team working at an archaeological dig in Northwest Germany has found a nearly complete skull of a saber-toothed cat that suggests that the animal existed 300,000 years ago.

A Push to Screen for EarlierDiagnosis of HypertensionCatWatch has previously reported that hypertension in humans can damage the heart and arteries, and cause stroke, kidney damage and vision loss. The Lancet journal predicted that the risk of becoming hypertensive during a lifetime exceeds 90 percent for people in developed countries. Even more alarming, it cautioned that Screening is not done systematically, and the diagnosis is often made at a late stage when target organ damage…

The debate over whether dry cat foods high carbohydate count causes diabetes continues. In the latest development, a study at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences found an increased risk of diabetes mellitus (Type 2) - which resembles the same type found in people - in normal-weight cats on dry food.