Have you ever had your cat sitting on your chest while you lay in bed or watch TV on the couch, and suddenly a waft of the worst possible breath floats past your nose? Does it seem worse than usual? Ever wonder what is causing your cat’s bad breath?

We see emotional support animals more and more now in public and in the news. Once in a while, there might be a story about someone bringing a peculiar emotional support animal (such as a bird or a reptile) on an airplane or into a restaurant. Cats, however, are not all that peculiar and they actually make wonderful emotional support animals. There are a few reasons why.

Taking a cat to the vet is a stressful activity even for the most seasoned cat owners. The car ride and time in the cat carrier is foreign and often unnerving to them, regardless of the number of times they’ve been in one. This results in a relentless tidal wave of sad and stressed-out meowing.

The answer is simple. Ethylene glycol, also known as antifreeze, is extremely poisonous to cats and can even prove fatal. A small teaspoon is enough to cause serious illness or death. It is up to us as cat owners to ensure they are never allowed to interact with this dangerous liquid despite it being such a necessity in the winter season.

Cats lick themselves every day. While that sounds like a lot on the surface, they do it because they are grooming themselves. This is just another reason cats are such great pets – they don’t stink (in most cases).

Indoor cats benefit from the added safety of being shielded from predators, but in that safe space, a new enemy can rear its head, and that enemy is poor health. According to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention (APOP) (an American association), 59% of cats living in the United States are overweight. While these numbers may differ slightly for Canada, it paints a fairly obvious picture that indoor cats need help keeping fit. You can help them stay trim with a few new activities and the odd gadget.

property. In fact, the snow is melting so quickly there has been some concern from the other woodland creatures who live in the valley.

Gary and Morris were talking to Kyle, a local prairie dog.

“So that’s the gist of it,” said Kyle. “Our homes are becoming harder to live in as the water starts to build up. I live underground and things are starting to get very wet!”

Cat lovers are a unique breed (pun intended) in that many of us love to incorporate our feline friends into as much of our lives as possible. So, when planning our impending nuptials, the thought of a cat-themed wedding may have crossed our minds.

It’s Halloween, and Gary and Morris are getting ready to go for a walk around the community to take in the festivities. The two of them love seeing all the trick or treaters, the decorated homes, and the general spirit of the day. 

If you’ve found our blog, you can see our love and admiration for cats is no secret and we encourage people to adopt cats as there are so many who need a safe place and to be loved. So, for the first-time-cat-owner-to-be, we’ve put together a list of things to consider when getting ready to bring home your very first cat into an apartment or condo.

Cats are often labelled as nocturnal creatures but are actually crepuscular (most active at dawn and dusk). They sleep during the day for long periods of time and some spend their nights and early mornings driving their owners up the wall making noise, attacking their feet, or meowing incessantly. Outdoor cats especially enjoy the nighttime as it allows for them to embrace their instincts with less human interaction. So, what do cats do when they are outside at night? 

Cats are more than a pet. Their personalities are unique and their love for their owners can be plainly seen every day online. When we have a cat for a number of years, we fall into routines with them. They seek attention and we are more than happy to oblige, to feel loved by this mysterious creature and reciprocate it. We set up spaces for them, allow them into our most vulnerable moments, and care for them as a member of the family. They recognize when we are in pain, when we are excited, and they want to share these moments because they care.

Much like humans, cats, too, have phobias and experience anxiety. These emotions are tools designed to help all living creatures survive. When something bad or traumatic happens, we associate elements of that experience with fear or anxiety. This helps us avoid those things in the future but is undoubtedly a difficult feeling to live with. Fear and anxiety, at a primal level, may have helped us survive as a species, but it can make daily life difficult for those suffering under it. Cats experience these things as well.

Domesticated cats were not always domestic animals, but they have been for a very long time. Thousands of years, in fact! According to the Smithsonian Museum, the process of the cat’s domestication may have begun some 12,000 years ago!

It can be hilarious, sweet, or even painful at times, but our cats need to knead. Why? The behaviour starts from a very early age for cats. As kittens, they knead their mother’s stomach to stimulate milk production while they are feeding. This gives us a window into the cat psyche. The action of kneading to receive their mother’s milk, as babies, is such a positive feeling for them they carry it on into adulthood. 

It was a cold and dark winter afternoon at Hervey Cats. A visitor was chatting with Marjorie, the shelter owner, about some interesting theories they had about their cat.

“I swear to goodness, he sees things I can’t!” said the visitor.

“I know what you mean! It’s like they get spooked by things we will never understand,” said Marjorie.

Cats make excellent companions for seniors, especially those living on their own. Having another fun, loving little personality around the home can make the difference between a good day and a bad day.

Their devotion and curiosity make them ideal emotional companions while their associated maintenance is much lower than some other pets (example: cats don’t need to be taken for walks). They also sleep on average 15 hours a day, with some sleeping for longer than that, and even a half-hour a day of play is enough to keep them satisfied. 

We have all experienced this before. Your cat is scratching all your furniture and they seem to be ignoring the little scratchpad you bought them, the small scratching post, or even their mid-sized cat tree.

Cats can be fussy eaters, but some are curious enough to try different things when the opportunity presents itself. Truth is, not all foods are good or even digestible for cats, and some can present a real danger to their health.

It was a chilly day at the shelter. Winter had blown its cold breath the night before and with a fresh blanket of snow on the ground, temperatures were low outside. Gary and Morris woke up with the sunlight, gently stretching and licking their chops. Both cats got up, got through their grooming routine and then grabbed a bite to eat.