Can a Cat Hear What Humans Hear?

Beasley. Note position of ears which are pulled to the side which denotes some anxiety.

Beasley. Ears pulled forward and pupils dilated. Appears interested but also a bit frightened.

A cat’s hearing is far superior to that of a human. On the low end of the scale, the cat and the human are about the same. When a sound becomes high pitched and goes all the way up to 64 KHZ, cats have humans and dogs beat, for their hearing is extremely acute.

If you are a reader who owns a cat/s or the cat/ owns you, watch the movement of the ears. Cats are able to move their ears forward, backward, or to the side to pin point a sound. The ear movement enables the cat to locate its prey within inches even if the sound is more that 3 feet away.

Cats also move their ears to denote anger or fright. The ears will be to the side of the head and almost
flat.

I’ve used Beasley, one of my favorite cats as the examples here. I ‘ve always said that cats have expressive faces since they use their ears and eyes to denote fear, anxiety, anticipation, happiness or when generally not pleased with what’s happening.

 

 

Beasley, 7/2015  Waiting for his bowl of food. Ears forward in anticipation.

 

 

Beasley not looking happy as he watched me prepare his medication. Head is down, pupils dilated. Seems to be frowning.

Need info for “Easy” Editing Video Software

Mira, saved as a tiny kitten from euthanasia by Dr. D.

Lisa with 15 year old, Marley. Lisa found Marley as a tiny puppy in her neighborhood.

Hope, saved from euthanasia

Kit Kat is Lisa’s cat that she saved as a tiny kitten while working at an Austin clinic.

Elkie, attacked by dogs. Saved from euthanasia

Note to the good folks who “follow” me. I have been terribly busy and have not had the time to properly reply to comments on the post prior to this one. I hope to get to those soon.

I have had several ill cats and lost one of my favorites 2 weeks ago. She was 15 years old but possibly older. I treated/nursed her for 4 weeks and carried her around like a baby. I sat outdoors with her so she could enjoy the sun, the wind and all the sounds of nature and, then at the end learned she had cancer. Anyhow save your sympathies. I’ll do a post about Meri later- at some point in time. To note: I have 8 cats on meds and or sub cu fluids. They are all old just like me. My animals are either keeping me alive or killing me before my time. REALLY!

Getting to the crux of this post. I need advice from some of the smart folks that know computers, videos, You Tube, etc. and who can advice me about an “easy to edit” video software program.

You need not comment unless you feel compelled to do so.

I’ve had to cut my time on WP. Now and then I go to FB but it sure is crazy on FB. Not sure that I like it over there. I have limited my friends because I can not see the trees for the forest with so many postings.

The young woman with the dog is my daughter Lisa, with her dog Marley, who is now 15 years old. All the cats were saved by Lisa when she worked at one very busy Austin vet clinic about 10 years or more ago. They were brought to the vet clinic as foundlings and all were doomed for euthanasia. Hope was approximately six months old, pregnant and unable to birth her kittens that had died inside the womb. Click on the link below for Hope’s story. https://petspeopleandlife.wordpress.com/2011/11/04/from-hopeless-to-hope/

Cat photography by Yvonne Daniel. Photos are property of Yvonne Daniel and may not be copied or reproduced.

Photograph of Lisa with her dog Marley was taken by her neighbor.

Note: I have written Part I about all her pets except Mira. If my health continues to improve I hope to finish all the pet’s stories.

Female Solid Orange Cats Are Rare.

This post has not been “fixed” and the comment bar is open. A forum member gave me the instructions. You can read where and how in the post re: comments. The link is in the post giving directions if your comment bar is ever in “trouble.” 🙂

http://en.support.wordpress.com/enable-disable-comments/

Oh and I’ve read various blogs that have written it is in bad taste when writing to use the “faces.” However, I don’t consider myself as a writer. I’m merely a dispenser of information, therefore I will continue to use the “faces.” 🙂

Regards,
~yvonne

Gingerlee. Age approx. 14 years. Formerly feral. Trapped at about age 6 months.

Approximately (75% of solid orange tabbies are MALE). However, the solid orange gene produces a FEMALE now and then. The cat in the photos above is named Gingerlee who was once feral. Gingerlee is a petite little girl who is now 13- 14 years old and one of the sweetest of my cats. She is quite a talker but her meow is barely audible. Gingerlee makes me laugh when she is telling me something.

The next two photos are of Gweenie, another former feral that was caught at aproximately 8 months of age. I love this little cat who I consider to be highly photogenic. I could take photos of her all day and never get tired. She is all the things that I would want in a human friend. Gweenie is now 14 years of age.

Another solid orange female is Tooley ( no photo available for this post) who is about 9-10 years old. She is also a small cat but not as talkative as the other two females but thrives on affection as well.

I’m not sure how Tooley came to be in my husband’s shop. I went out to the shop early one morning to discover a young kitten looking at me and then scurrying back to duck under some machinery. I began putting out food and water at night after I got home from work. After a few days I set a Have-A -Heart which I baited with sardines. I checked the trap at 2am and there she was looking so scared. I brought the trap inside and was able to shake her out into a cage. After 2 weeks she was a “tweetey” cat that was putty in my hands.

So if you see a solid orange cat it is most likely a male. When I stumbled across these three girls I was lucky.

Gweenie napping in a box.

Gweenie. formerly feral and now a much loved house cat

Post and photos by ~Yvonne Daniel (all photos on this blog are the sole property of Yvonne Daniel). Please do not steal from me.These are my copy rights. Thank you. 🙂

Pancreatitis in Pets

Have you ever heard of pancreatitis in humans? Well it happens in cats and dogs as well. And it is a condition that is extremely serious and something that you as a responsible pet owner do not want to happen to your dog or cat. The possibility that your pet could quite easily get pancreatitis is generally caused by eating the wrong foods, and holidays often are the times that a pet either willfully is given rich food or the pet sneaks bites of or maybe consumes the entire roast, turkey, or whatever meat you left on the kitchen counter or dining room table.

Now you ask. What has the food got to do with my pet? For starters- feeding your pet any of this rich food that he/she is not used to eating can lead to a (dangerous and sometimes fatal condition) if left untreated. Am I ruining your holiday mood yet? It would be awful to enjoy the day and then later in the night or the day find that your dog or cat is acting strange and perhaps actually looking sick. As in: lying around, vomiting, groaning in pain, diarrhea, weakness, decreased body temperature. Your pet might not exhibit all of those symptoms but if your dog and to a much (lesser degree cat) is showing any of these signs then get your pet to a vet or animal emergency room immediately.

In mild or minor pancreatitis the outlook for your dog or cat is good. In pets that are very sick the road to recovery is difficult and only 50% of these animals will live. According to Dr. Daniel, other veterinarians and the vet books, eating food other than what you normally feed your dog/cat is the cause of most cases of pancreatitis. Rich food such as the drippings, gravy, the meat, mashed potatoes, deserts, etc, etc. are all bad for your pet.

In little dogs it only takes a small amount of food to make the dog sick. By now some of you might be saying, “I give my pets table scraps all the time.” Perhaps your pet has just been one lucky dog not to have gotten sick. But that does not mean that at any given time in the future your animal is safe from eating table scraps. “Rich food and excessive amounts of food are the problems here.

<span style="color:#800000;In the summer of 2011, I was at Dr D's and I tagged along with her when she was called to look at a 15 year old Yorkie. Indeed the little one was sick.  Dr. D. treated the little dog on site with some emergency meds and then told the people to take the little dog to the emergency room. The Yorkie recovered but early intervention and follow up at the ER probably saved that precious little dog. Her owner had given her a small piece of barbecued rib in the morning and by 2PM the Yorkie was ill. The dog had not previously eaten fatty meat- she had only eaten DOG FOOD.

So don’t be a turkey on turkey day. Give your dog or cat only the food that it normally eats, as in dog or cat food. Even small amounts can make your pet ill.  After all, you want your pet to be around for what ever holiday you celebate or not celebrate in December and in the years to come.

Post Yvonne Daniel

Peritonitis in Pets

BONES-  these are  dangerous during holiday time or for that matter, anytime time you are tempted to give Rover or Fluffy that delicious looking bone that has just a  bit of meat left on it or maybe no meat. One way or the other it does not matter! DO NOT GIVE YOUR PET ANY KIND OF BONE! Cooked and/or raw bones splinter easily.  

For a pet owner what could be worse than giving your pet a bone that splintered as your dog/cat gnawed on what you deemed  a treat? And what happens to that sharp piece of bone that your pet will swallow? The nitty, gritty of this scenario is the sharp piece can become lodged in the esophagus where it remains stuck unless removed surgically. A splintered bone can pierce the stomach lining or the wall of the intestines. When this happens the contents in the stomach  or the intestines (guts) slowly begin leaking into the abdominal cavity where it immediately proceeds to set up an intense infection which then leads to sepsis meaning that the entire body of the un-lucky pet will have bacteria coursing through its body and to every vital organ. The fact is that by this time your animal will  be too ill to raise its head. This infection is- PERITONITIS.

The crux of the matter is this: when the aforementioned happens, the pet has a small window for a chance of recovery. All of this is gut wrenching( no pun intended) not only for the pet but for the owner who must make the decision for the veterinarian to go all out in an effort to save the pet. But, if money is  limited and it is, for the average person, then the other choice is euthanasia. What a way to end a lovely holiday and then every holiday there after.  The memories of your pet will be there to forever haunt you.

I read a post on another pet site several months or so, ago about how much, would you spend, in an effort to save your pet’s life -WHAT EVER CAUSED  the need for veterinarian intervention.  Saving a critically ill pet involves incredible skill plus treatment and nursing to get your pet back home. There were probably 20-25 individuals who commented on that particular post. Of all the people who commented,  at least 98%  said that no amount of money would prevent them from begging, borrowing, using a credit card, selling possessions, or even re-morgaging their home to pay the cost to give their pet a chance to live. Most wrote that they were not people of means. But they would give up all extra amenities and live as frugal as possible in order to repay the money, however the money was obtained.

Do you think it is okay to feed table scraps and or bones to your dog or cat?

Next post: how to keep your pet from escaping from your property when everybody is celebrating and your home is like grand central station.

Post Yvonne   November 4,2012                                                Original post November 22,2011

A Homeless Recovering Addict And a Cat He Befriended

Of note: I’ve had more than a headache while trying to get the comment section to work. It has a mind of its own. I think that it is finally working. It has been quite a while since I last “put out a post” but now that I am have a tad more energy I hope to publish a number of posts that are still in draft form.

James Bowen was a recovering addict for about 10 years.I happened to read about the Englishman some time last year and I have wanted to present his story here. I found it fascinating. He now has written two books about his experience with a homeless cat that adopted Bowen before Bowen adopted him. It almost seems like fate and destiny to suddenly be adopted by a stray tom cat that Bowen could not shake from his life.The cat who he named Bob helped turn Bowen’s life around and has helped make them both celebrities and popular with tourists.

I really hope that this incredible true tale will be made into a movie. I think it would be extremely popular and an even better movie than “Marley and Me.”

Watch the short video. If you are a cat lover or not, I think you’ll enjoy the video.

PS: I bought the first book (not the first book that was published) and liked it very much.

Cats Are so Bold Sometimes

Link for video here: http://www.wimp.com/dogbeds/

This is an aside and has nothing to do with my lazy way out till I finish work on a long post. I’ve been working a bit at a time since my days are filled with so much pet care and I have little time and energy left after 8pm when I am mostly finished with pet chores for the day.

I’ve had back and forth ID problems as I’ve attempted to determine 2-3 butterfly species. Of course that has nothing to do with this video that I think is so darn cute. I figured I had better throw something out lest this blog site totally dry up. Most days there about 2-3 visitors and that is just “plum pitiful.”

I hope whoever drops in will find this video worthy of a look. It is cute for sure and I’ve had the same thing happen in my house with a cat or two who seem to love the smell of a dog’s bed and thus find it more appealing than a bed of their own. Cats are so bold and have no problem going to sleep on one of my dog’s bed or in a favorite chair.

I initially saw this video on Paulette Mahurin’s blog. Paulette and her husband Terry have been involved in dog rescue for about 28 years or more. She is donating all proceeds from her book, “The Persecution of Mildred Dunlap,” to a no-kill shelter in Ventura county, California.

The idea for this book came about while Paulette was taking a creative writing course and her teacher showed the class a picture of two women back in the 1890’s. The class was asked to look at the pic and write a story that involved a secret and maybe a mystery? Anyhoo that was Paulette’s original story which took on a life of its own while researching for the assignment. I may not have all of this exactly right but that is the gist of how her book began. It is a good one and has over 200 reviews on Amazon.

http://thepersecutionofmildreddunlap.wordpress.com/ (Paulette’s blog address)

Click on the link below to open the video. Thanks for visiting and watching.
http://www.wimp.com/dogbeds/

Meet Henri of YouTube Fame: View Only if You Like Cats

Will Braden is the young man who initially filmed the family cat as part of an assignment while attending film school. The project received high praise and Henri the French gatto was born. Each video is solely produced by
Will Braden.

Perhaps all or most of the viewers who are fond of cats are already familiar with Henri.

Personally I find these videos hilarious and I hope that viewers of this video, will as well.

Soldier and His Rescued Afghan Cat. Happy Ending But You Might Shed a Tear

Please click the link which takes you to this wonderful story. I know that I am posting other writer’s stories of late but these are too good not to pass them on to you guys/readers/subscribers/lurkers. Oh well. I know not how to refer to those of you that have been so faithful to read my postings.

Soldier and Cat Save Each Other in Afghanistan
By Caroline Golon

http://halopets.com/freekibble/donation95.html

The Nitty-Gritty About Declawing Cats (Original post 1/10/2012)

 

Sassy, declawed

Sassy, 17 years old. Toothless

Sassy is considered the old type of Siamese cat. She arrived at our house when she was about one year old. Sassy actually had a home at an apartment that was not far from our back fence. I discovered her one morning sleeping in the driver’s seat of my husband’s bass boat that was parked in the boat port/shed. I called the apartment manager and asked if anyone was missing a cat and I was told that Mrs x’s cat had been missing for about 2 days. I called the number that I was given and soon a young woman appeared and said, “oh there your are.” She related that the cat was always rushing outside whenever she opened the apartment door.

The cat appeared on average once a week for about 5 weeks and each time I would call Mrs. X and she would grumpily retrieve her cat  and take her back home. The cat would alway be lying in the driver’s seat of the bass boat when she ran away. The last time the cat appeared I did not call the woman and she did not call me. I just did not bother for I believed that Sassy liked our place and did not really care for Mrs. X. So I brought Sassy (her new name) into the house and she became part of my cat clan. Previously I had noticed that Sassy had been declawed. Maybe that is one reason she did not care to live with the young woman.

Sassy is now about 17 years old. Two summers ago all her teeth were pulled and she has adjusted very well.  She much prefers dry food. I tried feeding her canned food. Most cats love canned food but not Sassy.

I have never had any of my cats declawed but presently I have 3 cats with no claws. The other 2 cats also came with no claws.

About Declawing

Can you imagine what it would feel like to have the last joint of each finger amputated? I can only imagine the pain involved if you needed to scratch around in the dirt or to try to pick up an object.  Pain medications would enable you to function to some degree but it would probably be difficult.

So what does this have to do with declawing your cat?  So allow me to explain what is involved when a cat is declawed. But first a little info about the feet. Cats walk on their toes which is not like other mammals. A cat’s weight is distributed by the toes- for any kind of movement. The claws on the toes allow the cat to stretch as it digs in on where ever it happens to be. Without claws the cat has no way of grabbing onto any surface so that it can stretch. Stretching is an essential component of a cats well being.

Declawing in medical terminology is called onycgectomy. This means that the last digit of each toe is removed. These digits are the equivalent of the last joint of a humans fingers. The claw is not a nail of itself- meaning just the removal of the nail will not get the job done. The entire digit must be removed or the nail will grow back. The digit is a bone called the distal phalanx. If the surgery is not done carefully the result will involve complications such as infection, hemorrhage, abscess, not to even speak of the pain it causes.

The surgery is an amputation of the joint- removal of  bone, ligaments, tendons, and nerve endings. If the veterinarian is not a good surgeon and some or not just like human doctors, then the cat is really going to experience problems. Behavioral  issues may result such as not using the litter box or no longer being a playful pet.

Cat owners have and still are misled by veterinarians who minimize  the seriousness of the surgery. The amputation of the last joint of ten toes often involves a great deal of pain which could last a very long time. Do you want to put your cat through this kind of torture?

Without the last joint of the toes, a cat will have a little problem such as being able to balance without effort. The last toes on a cat’s foot provide secure footing.

This information was obtained from AVAR (Association of  Veterinarians for Animal Rights.)

The only valid reason for declawing a cat is if that is your only alternative to keep your cat from scratching the furniture or family member is immuno compromised and should not risk being scratched by a cat.

Cat owners can research the Internet and get all kinds of info about providing scratching posts, etc. There is information galore on the Internet.

Post by Yvonne

Importance of Dental Care (for a longer life of your pet)

Yawning dog (Muddy) showing his teeth

Dentals are important to extend the life of your pet. Brushing your pet’s teeth is excellent but I have yet to meet anyone that can actually brush their pet’s teeth.

The key to that is to start when you pet is a kitten or a puppy. And of course if you can brush the teeth then you will avoid dental care by a veterinarian.

The summer of 2011 I put out a lot of money for dentals on about 12 cats. Currently there are more that need dentals. I am waiting for my $$ to build back up. Even though I have used the same veterinarian for about 30 years I had to pay when he  finished with an animal. I have probably spent- well I don’t want to think about it- HEAPS of money at that clinic. Many moons ago, I was getting a pretty good discount. But then that all fell by the wayside.

In August of this year (2012) I changed vets. (finally)  I found a very smart veterinarian who gives my animals a complete exam and weighs options of what to use as the best medication for x disease or illness. He is compassionate and has 2-3 vet techs working at all times. My daughter told me that having adequate clinic staffing is generally the sign of a good vet. I think she is right. I just wish that I had changed vets a long time ago.

My new veterinarian does great dentals and uses the safest possible anesthesia. He removed a small benign tumor on one of my cats and he “threw in a dental” with no extra charge. I was most appreciative. I know that he is glad to have me as a client and it never hurts to do a “little something” extra for a good paying client.

Post and photograph:  Yvonne

 

 

Yawn All About It!

Liddy. Just waking up from a long nap.

Mommie. Looks like she is belting out a song.

Bobbie. Looks like an angry cat but she is yawning. Somehow I have been lucky to catch some of my pets yawning. I was able to get a few shots because I generally leave my camera out on the kitchen table (put it away at night) and spend quite a few hours waiting for a dog or cat to awaken. I have not been able to predict which cat or dog is going to yawn but I have noticed that certain ones or more prone to yawn after a long nap. Recording that yawn with the camera is just a “little” tricky.  

I read not long ago that yawning is “catching” between some pets and their owners but I have yet to notice that any of mine caught the “yawns” from me.

Other animals such as snakes, (yes, snakes), fish, dogs, and a host of other animals also yawn. I could not find a real or viable reason why animals and humans yawn. As for me, a good yawn is sort of relaxing or maybe not- it just seems  an invitation for a good nap.

 The past summer of 2011 I put out a lot of money for dentals on about 12 cats. Currently there are more that need dentals. I am waiting for my $$ to build back up. Even though I have used the same veterinarian for about 30 years I have to pay when he is finished with an animal. I have probably spent- well I don’t want to think about it- HEAPS of money at that clinic. Many moons ago, I was getting a pretty good discount- now I don’t have to pay the fee of an office visit.  Any discount is better than no discount.

 In August of this year I changed vets. (finally)  I found a very smart veterinarian who gives my animals a complete exam and weighs options of what to use as the best medication for x disease or illness. He is compassionate and has 2-3 vet techs working at all times. My daughter told me that having adequate clinic staffing is generally the sign of a good vet. I think she is right. I just wish that I had changed vets a long time ago.

The veterinarian  in Austin,Tx. that performed major dentals on 2 of my cats in the summer of 2011 was extremely generous to lower the total bill for both cats. He knew that these were rescue cats and both cats are senior cats- as past 13 years or so. Maize was a feral that I trapped when she was about 6 months of age. She is in one of the pictures in this post.

Another aside to this post: dentals are important to help extend the life of your pet.

Post and photographs Yvonne