by Nomi Berger
 
Have you ever wondered how many of their legendary nine lives cats use up when they fall from extraordinary heights?
 
Have you ever wondered how they, more often than not, manage to land safely on their feet?
 
Known as the righting reflex, this innate ability to reorient their bodies during a fall has been observed in kittens as young as the age of three weeks, and this gravity-defying skill is fully developed by the time they’re seven weeks old.
 
Historically, cats falling from greater heights (five stories and more) suffer less severe injuries than those falling from only a few stories. This longer free fall allows them more time to right themselves and position their bodies correctly so that by the time they reach the ground, their feet will touch down first.
 
Visualize a kitty falling in slow motion. She starts shifting her balance the instant her flight begins. First, her body determines which side should be up, guided by her eyes and ears. A cat’s inner ear’s vestibular system acts as her balance and orientation compass, alerting her to where her body is in relation to the ground. She then begins rotating her head until she’s facing the proper way and can see precisely where she’s going to land.
 
Secondly, her spine follows as she arches her back. Possessing a unique skeletal structure, a cat’s spine has no collarbone and an unusually flexible backbone with 30 vertebrae – unlike humans who have 24 – and it’s the suppleness of this backbone that enables her to correct her course during her fall. And since a cat has a low body-volume-to-weight ratio, much like a flying squirrel, she’s able to slow her velocity when falling by expanding her body size which, in turn, creates air resistance.
 
Thirdly, she positions her front feet under her, followed by her hind legs, with her front paws placed close to her face to protect it from the impact of landing on the ground. More like a parachute and less like an airplane, she relaxes her falling body and spreads it out in preparation for landing, ensuring her leg joints bear the impact of her weight.
 
Several years ago, a cat who fell a staggering 32 stories from a high-rise apartment to land on the concrete sidewalk was released from a veterinary clinic after 48 hours with only a chipped tooth and a minor lung puncture!

by Nomi Berger

As you deck the proverbial halls this season, paw-lease keep your purr-ecious kitty in mind. Any changes in her regular routine – a home suddenly filled with new scents, sounds and strangers -- may send even the most sociable cat scampering for safety.
 
Be conscious of and careful about the plants you bring into your home. Despite their obvious beauty, holly, mistletoe and poinsettia are toxic to cats and should be kept out of reach, while a single leaf from any form of lily is lethal. The oils of a Christmas tree can irritate their mouths and stomachs, causing vomiting, while the prickly needles are hazardous to their entire GI tracts.
 
To err on the side of caution, consider buying an artificial tree and artificial plants instead.
 
Consider next the breakable ornaments and dangling tinsel, shiny ribbons and artificial snow, ropes of small lights and flickering candles. All eye-catching eye candy to curious kitties with batting paws, small, sharp teeth and swishing tails.
 
Hang delicate ornaments higher on the tree and resist placing any in decorative bowls on low surfaces. Not only can cats choke on them, but the sharp edges of any broken pieces can lacerate their mouths, throats and intestines. Drape tinsel higher on the tree as well, and keep ribbons on gifts underneath the tree to a minimum. If tinsel or ribbons are swallowed, they can twist and bunch inside a cat’s intestines, causing serious, sometimes fatal damage if not caught quickly enough.
 
Artificial snow is toxic and should be avoided at all costs. Lights, large and small, solid and flickering are another danger, not only because they are hot and breakable, but because of the electrical cords holding them together. If bitten, they can cause electrical shock if not properly grounded, and if frayed, they can cause severe lacerations to your cat’s tongue.
Place all lighted candles out of reach to reduce the risk of singed fur and pads, paws and tails, and lower the chance of them being tipped over, leaving burning wax everywhere or worse, starting a fire.
 
As appetizing as holiday fare is for people, it can prove agonizing, even lethal for pets. The most notorious offenders are:
Raisins and grapes: A handful of raisins can cause sudden kidney failure in a cat. Also avoid giving her grapes, while watching for signs of toxicity should she accidentally eat some. Signs that usually occur within 24 hours are lack of appetite, lethargy, weakness, abdominal pain, diarrhea and decreased urination.
Onions and garlic: The sulfoxides and disulfides in both destroy red blood cells and can cause serious blood problems including anemia.
Fat trimmings: They cause upset stomachs, vomiting and diarrhea.
Bones: Whatever the size, shape or texture, they all spell the same thing: danger. From throat scratches to stomach perforations to bowel obstructions. To safeguard against these painful possibilities, all leftovers, particularly bones, should be carefully wrapped and promptly disposed of.
Alcohol: It’s traditional to celebrate the holidays with more alcohol than usual – in cooking and in drinks such as eggnog and fruit punch. For safety’s sake, keep these temptations (including partially eaten plates of food and half-empty glasses) out of the reach of your cat to avoid intoxication and alcohol poisoning.
Chocolates: Although chocolate has long been taboo for cats, most chocolates are wrapped in foil for the holidays. Now, not only can your cat get sick from eating the chocolate, the wrappers themselves can get stuck in her throat or cause problems as they work their way through her digestive tract.
Christmas pudding, cake and mince pie: Filled with potentially toxic raisins, currants, and sultanas, they are also made with fat and suet, and laced with alcohol -- from scotch and brandy to sugary liqueurs.
 
And so, with some thoughtful planning beforehand, you and your purr-ecious kitty can enjoy the happiest and healthiest of holidays.

by Nomi Berger
 
Did you know that cats are capable of making more than 100 sounds?
 
Did you know that every year veterinary behaviorists discover even more sounds as they attempt to decipher exactly what those sounds and combinations of sounds mean?
 
Curious about the most common sounds that kitties make? Consider the following:
 
Short mew: Not only can it serve as a feline’s greeting, but it’s also similar to a person’s asking a question. Examples: When you hear a short mew, your kitty may be asking, “Are you concerned about me?” or “Could you please pick me up to get me away from the dog?”
 
Rapid-fire meow: Often, when a cat’s excited or craves attention, she’ll emit this rapid-fire meow. While its most common meaning is “I’m hungry, paw-lease feed me now!”, it may also be a sign of concern, discomfort or distress.
 
Chirping or chattering: As part of a cat’s natural hunting instinct, she’ll usually emit this familiar sound when she’s sitting in front of a window staring at the birds, chipmunks or squirrels outside. The reasons: she’s excited because she sees them as potential prey or she’s frustrated because she can’t get to them.
 
Long plaintive meows: These usually indicate worry, annoyance or an objection on the part of your cat. Tending to be more repetitive in nature, they mean that your kitty REALLY wants something specific – from waking you up in the morning because she’s hungry to demanding an immediate release from the room she’s in.
 
Growling: Announcing the potential start of a fight, it’s a cat-to-cat sound that literally means, “back off.” Consider this as a warning sign that your kitty is extremely agitated and requires some space.
 
Purring: While people generally think that a purring cat signifies contentment and happiness, in some instances, it can be a sign that your cat’s uncomfortable or in pain and is purring as a way to soothe herself.
 
Hissing: Unprovoked cats will often hiss at other animals and people when they’re either threatened, frightened or in pain.
 
Trilling: While most cat sounds are made with their mouths open, trilling is one sound that cats make with their mouths closed. Not only is trilling used by mother cats to get their kittens to pay attention to them or follow them, veterinary behaviorists see it as a positive, happy and friendly greeting.
 
Yowling: Outdoor, intact females in heat will often emit this sound in a seductive attempt to lure tomcats their way. Yowling can also signify that a major cat fight is about to start or that a particular cat is in great pain.

by Nomi Berger
 
Thanksgiving is a festive time, filled with feasting, family, and friends. But it’s also a time of potential distress for our feline companions. Any changes in a cat’s regular routine – a calm home now crammed with new scents, sounds and strangers — can send even the least “fraidy cat” cat scampering for cover.
 
To reduce your furry friend’s stress level (and YOURS), maintain her regular feeding and playing routine with some extra interactive play sessions for good measure. Keep all but the most social cats in a separate room, then ensure that your social “cat-erfly” doesn’t dart out into the night when the door opens and your guests arrive. Should the worst happen and she does disappear, make certain that she has either been micro-chipped or is wearing a collar with up-to-date tags for proper identification and a swift return to your waiting arms.
 
As tantalizing as Thanksgiving food is for people, some can prove painful, even fatal for cats. The most notorious offenders are:
 
Chocolate: All chocolate, especially semi-sweet, dark and baking chocolate contain the toxic, caffeine-like ingredient theobromine. Candy containing the artificial sweetener xylitol, is also dangerous. If you suspect that your cat has eaten something toxic, promptly call your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at 1-888-426-4435 or the Pet Poison Hotline at 1-800-213-6680 (fees apply in both instances).
 
Turkey stuffing: It often contains onions and garlic, raisins and spices – all of them toxic to cats. The sulfoxides and disulfides in onions and garlic destroy the red blood cells and can cause serious blood problems, including anemia. The effects of ingesting raisins and/or spices usually occur within 24 hours and include lack of appetite, lethargy, weakness, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and decreased urination.
 
Cooked turkey bones and gristle: Turkey bones splinter easily and can get caught in your cat’s throat or esophagus. They can also cause intestinal blockages or perforations leading to infection, while turkey gristle presents a clear and present choking hazard. To safeguard against these painful possibilities, all leftovers should be carefully wrapped and promptly disposed of.
 
Alcohol: To avoid intoxication and alcohol poisoning, keep all full glasses and half-filled glasses of wine or spirits out of reach of your cat’s curious nose and playful paws.
 
And yet, there’s no harm in providing your kitty with her own Thanksgiving feast, one that includes a few small, boneless pieces of cooked turkey, a taste of mashed potato or even a lick of pumpkin pie.
 

by Nomi Berger

Does cat hair dominate your world? If so, consider the following seven steps to remedy the situation.

1. Use a lint roller: Roll it back and forth and up and down on your clothing and watch your kitty’s hair disappear. Should your lint roller be empty, however, use either masking tape or packing tape. Simply apply a strip to your clothes, sticky side down, peel it off and with it your cat’s hair. Repeat the process as many times as necessary.

2. Use a vacuum cleaner with a pet hair remover attachment: Many vacuum cleaners are not only equipped with special brushes to remove hair from furniture and carpets but are reasonably priced.

3. Use a cat hair remover glove: This specially designed glove, with its rubberized surface, is best for rapid clean-ups of smaller surfaces. Simply rub the glove across the object in question – from an accent table or sofa cushion to a bed pillow – and presto!
 
4. Use white vinegar: If your clothes or bedding are heavily encrusted with cat hair, add one half cup of white vinegar to the rinse cycle of your washing machine. The vinegar will effectively loosen these hairs from the fabric fibers. And to combat the vinegar’s acrid smell, add a natural floral sachet (lavender is the most popular) rather than a dryer sheet to your dryer to give your laundry a light, clean scent.

5. Use your dryer before your washer: Run your soiled items through the dryer on heat mode before putting them into the washing machine. The tumbling action of the dryer will loosen the cat hairs and trap them in the lint filter. Remember to clean the filter before putting in a fresh load of laundry since a clogged filter not only decreases the machine’s efficiency but it can start a fire.

6. Use a carpet rake or rubber broom: If you have low-pile carpets in your home, either one will work wonders when it comes to removing the cat hair that regular vacuum cleaners may leave behind.

7. Use a damp cloth or sponge: Excellent for removing cat hair from furniture, rub a dampened cloth or sponge over the surface and the offending cat hairs will form easily removable clumps or blobs.

by Nomi Berger
 
Everyone is familiar with the old adage “Curiosity killed the cat.”
 
But as conscientious cat owners, paw-lease ensure that your cherished companions’ natural curiosity NEVER gets the better of them – especially when it comes to their seeing and then swallowing small, strange objects. While some may pass through their intestinal tract without incident, some won’t, lodging there and causing not only extreme discomfort but a dangerous and potentially life-threatening obstruction.
 
Thread threat! Another potentially life-threatening situation can occur when a cat swallows thread, particularly when it’s attached to a needle. As she swallows the thread, it can wrap around her tongue and pull against it with every swallow. But even worse, the needle can pierce her stomach or intestines multiple times and prevent the thread from passing through her digestive tract.
 
Consider, as well, these other culprits:
 
Hair bands and rubber bands, ribbon and blind cords, dental floss and carpet fibers, stuffing from inside your cat’s toys, and tinsel.
 
Bones, particularly from cooked chicken, can be very sharp, extremely brittle, and lodge in your kitty’s intestines resulting in severe illness.
 
String and string-like objects: If swallowed, string can cause the intestines to bunch up, making for one very sick kitty and usually requiring surgery to remove it.
 
Coins, buttons and earplugs, fruit stones, nutshells and bottle tops, but especially small round objects which are the ideal size to block the intestines and require surgery to remove them.
 
If YOU suspect that YOUR kitty has swallowed something suspicious, watch for one or more of these symptoms: vomiting, diarrhea, lack of appetite, straining to defecate, constipation, lethargy and behavioral changes such as biting or hissing when being picked up. To err on the side of caution, promptly contact your vet and bring in your kitty for a thorough examination and assessment.
 
In order to detect a possible blockage, your vet will have x-rays taken (several x-rays, using dyes, will often be needed to locate a suspected object). Your vet may also order blood and urine tests to determine whether your cat’s overall health has been compromised by the obstruction – should there be one. 
 
Most of the time -- especially in uncomplicated cases -- the prognosis for cats with a gastrointestinal blockage is very good. But the overall prognosis depends on several factors: the location of the object, how long the intestine has been blocked, the size, shape, and characteristics of the object, whether or not the object has caused a secondary illness and the general health of your kitty prior to ingesting it.
 
Your vet will provide you with a detailed treatment plan based on these factors. If the object has lodged in your pet’s stomach, however, an endoscopy may be performed. This involves inserting a long tube through her mouth and down her throat to pull the object out. If this is the case, your vet may also suggest hospitalization of your cat for close observation and follow-up x-rays.
 
But if the foreign object has traveled to and is trapped in her intestine, your vet will have to surgically remove it.
 
Whatever the scenario, time is critical because stomach and/or intestinal blockages can cut off the blood supply to these organs, causing the tissue to become necrotic or “die.” 

 by Nomi Berger
 
Are you familiar with the term “scruffing” as it relates to our feline friends?
 
Long considered the most effective way of restraining cats, it involves taking the looser skin on the back of their necks (the scruff) in one hand and holding it – like a handle. This effectively immobilizes most kitties allowing their owners to perform such tasks as nail trimming or administering medications without dealing with struggling, squirming pets.
 
Some owners still believe that scruffing is a “natural” way in which cats reprimand each other. Nothing could be farther from the truth. While mother cats carry their newborn and young kittens by the scruff to move them from one location to another – usually for reasons of safety – it’s never used as a form of inter-feline discipline.
 
According to the experts, scruffing as an accepted practice is not only outdated, it’s hurtful, harmful and potentially traumatic. The result? Rather than pacifying some cats, it can panic others, causing them to swat, scratch or bite in a frantic effort to free themselves. Continued scruffing only heightens their negative association with the experience and serves to make their reactions to it progressively worse. While often used by pet parents as a shortcut, scruffing, in the long run, may have serious health implications for their terrified kitties, making essential future visits to the vet all but impossible.
 
The solution? Other, more humane ways to safely restrain a cat when the situation calls for it. In fact, a great deal of work has been done in the area of “low-stress” and “fear-free” handling of cats. Permitting them the use of at least one leg and providing distractions such as high value treats or especially tasty foods coupled with a more measured approach to restraining them is key to earning their trust and winning their compliance.
 
Enter the towel. Always close at hand, a towel (or a small blanket) is one of the most popular choices for subduing without scaring your own purr-ecious puss. One suggested option for its use is having your kitty hide her head under it like a petite, protective tent, and the second is gently wrapping her entire body inside of it. Akin to swaddling an infant, containing her on all sides and providing her with a feeling of safety, ensure that the towel provides a steady, even pressure but isn’t so tight that it impairs her ability to breathe.
 
Consider the wildly popular social media meme featuring a “burrito cat” – one who’s not only being humanely restrained but is obviously enjoying it! There are products on the market that accomplish the task just as easily and effectively such as ThunderShirts for cats, available in various models and styles.
 
And so, if you MUST restrain your cat, patience and gentleness are essential. Forcing her to do something she doesn’t want to do produces only negative results. Even if you’re using the “burrito” method and you notice her resistance beginning to escalate, unwrap her immediately, allow her to relax, and try again once she’s completely calm and settled. For routine procedures such as nail trims and doses of medicine, waiting for an hour or more can mean the difference between failure and success.
 
So, paw-lease, for your kitty’s sake, put all thoughts of scruffing behind you.

by Nomi Berger
 
A cautionary tail: Never put your cat’s carrier on the front seat of your vehicle where it can be crushed and your pet killed by deploying air bags in the case of abrupt braking or an actual collision.
 
That said, have you ever wondered why, despite there being more cats than dogs in American households, they visit the vet far less frequently than their canine counterparts.
 
Studies have shown that our prescient pusses can SENSE what’s coming and that they both dread and detest the entire process of GETTING to the vet. Some kitties become so stressed that they vomit or defecate out of fear while others morph into hissing, spitting balls of fury.
 
Since annual (twice a year for seniors) wellness exams are essential for monitoring and maintaining your cherished companion’s health, consider the following tips for making the experience of visiting the vet as fear free for your feline as paws-ible.
 
1. Bring out your kitty’s carrier several days before your scheduled vet appointment so that she can get used to the sight of it. Leave the door open, thereby allowing her to enter it, explore it and exit it at her leisure.
 
2. Place some of her favorite treats and/or some catnip inside the carrier to encourage her to associate the carrier with a pleasant and positive experience.
 
3. Make the carrier appear less threatening and more inviting by lining it with one of her blankets topped by several of her favorite toys.
 
4. Spray the interior of the carrier with a synthetic feline pheromone product reputed to decrease and even eliminate stress 30 minutes before using it, then gently put your kitty inside and softly close the door.
 
5. Place the carrier in a secure place on the back seat of your car. This way, should you have to stop suddenly, your cat will remain safe. To be doubly certain, choose a carrier that’s easily and securely fastened in place with a seatbelt.
 
6. Practice making mock trips to the vet by driving around the block. Once ... twice three times ... increasing your driving time as long as kitty seems comfortable, and stopping if she shows any signs of distress. For most cats, the only time they’re crated and inside a car is when they’re going to the vet, setting the stage for a stressful encounter once they arrive. This exercise will hopefully de-sensitize your cat, preparing her for “the real thing”, and rewarding her with especially high-value treats should assist in her associating the drive with something pleasurable.
 
7. If none of this helps and your kitty remains stressed both by the drive to the vet and by the visit itself, ask your vet to prescribe a sedative to calm her down for any and all future visits.

by Nomi Berger
 
Did you know?
 
The color of a cat’s eyes originates with the iris -- the colored area encircling the pupil. Comprised of two layers, the stroma and the epithelium, both layers contain pigment-producing cells called melanocytes. Whereas in the stroma, these melanocytes are loosely arranged, in the epithelium, they’re more tightly packed.
 
The pigment produced by melanocytes is called melanin. The more melanocytes found in your purr-ticular cat’s irises, the darker their color. Unlike people, however, who have either brown or black eyes, the darkest color for a cat’s eyes is infinitely more interesting -- a deep, rich copper.
 
When the melanin-producing cells are highly active, they make a cat’s eye color much more intense. A cat, then, with a medium amount of these highly active melanocytes will have bright, golden-yellow eyes, while a cat with a medium amount of LESS active melanocytes will, in all likelihood, have pale, lemon-yellow eyes.
 
Because purebred cats must meet a specific breed standard (this often includes eye color), breeders will mate cats with either more intense colors or particular colors. Two examples: the breed standard for Bombay cats requires them to have copper-colored eyes and the breed standard for Tonkinese cats requires them to have aqua-colored eyes.
 
Blue-eyed cats have no melanin (pigment cells) in their irises, but because their eyes are naturally rounded, light refracts through those domed surfaces, thereby producing that distinctive blue hue. It’s similar to your gazing through a pane of glass that appears tinged with blue or green around the edges -- an illusion caused by the refraction of light through the glass’s clear surface.
 
Kittens are born with blue eyes simply because their melanocytes haven’t yet begun to function. As the kittens grow and mature, their melanocytes start working -- at between four and six weeks of age – and by the time they’re four months old, their true “adult” eye colors are clearly apparent.
 
Since different genes control a cat’s eye and fur colors, the melanocytes in her fur may be either more or less active than the melanocytes in her eyes. Example: a black cat may have pale hazel eyes while a purebred orange Persian may have dark, copper-colored eyes. The sole exception to this: white cats. Because the epistatic white gene is dominant, thereby masking every other color, white cats are statistically more likely to have blue eyes than random-bred cats with other coat colors.

by Nomi Berger
 
Meow about the marvels of engineering!
 
Presenting the miraculous and multi-faceted cat tongue.
 
Every element of a cat – including her tongue – has, through evolution, been designed for utmost efficiency.
 
One of the main reasons for this enviable efficiency derives from the fact that a feline tongue feels like sandpaper. Unlike the papillae (tiny surface bumps) on a human tongue, hers are barb shaped, made from keratin and face backwards. These minute spine-like structures assist her in grooming as well as in drinking water and eating food.
 
Think of your cat’s tongue as the world’s smallest de-tangling hairbrush. Studies have shown that her tongue moves in several directions during her fastidious grooming process as she removes parasites from her skin, spreads her body oils around, and increases her blood circulation. Whenever her tongue “hits a snag”, it pulls on the “hooks”, causing them to rotate, enabling her to penetrate that snag even further.
 
Then there’s the drama behind her drinking! Whereas dogs utilize their tongues like ladles to drink, cats don’t. A cat uses the tip of her tongue to bring the water from her bowl to her mouth (her scoop-shaped papillae act as petite cups to hold it) creating a continuous column upwards with both accuracy and speed. More remarkable still is her ability to know precisely when to close her mouth before that gravity-defying motion stops.
 
Curious as to why your cat likes licking you? Pussycats lick their people partly because they consider them members of their feline family and partly because they see them as their own purr-sonal property. A ritual learned at birth from their kitty mothers, licking both keeps the family clean and bonds them more closely together. Maturing kittens and grown cats use licking to establish their territory by leaving their scent on it, and like their mothers before them, they also use licking as part of a social, bonding protocol – from licking each other in a multi-cat household to licking their pet parents.
 
Because cats are notorious for using their tongues to explore their environment, always ensure that your home is feline friendly and scrupulously safe. Too many vets have seen what seems like the most innocuous of items wrapped around the tongues of too many curious kitties – including elastics, yarn and all things stringy, human hair, shredding blankets and unraveling rugs. And since their passion for play triggers their instinctual prey drive, they will gleefully proceed, tongue first, to pounce on whatever thin and tempting “toy” beckons them close, closer, closest.
 
Cleaning products pose the same problem for your purr-ecious puss as inappropriate playthings. Not only are they toxic if she drinks them but should some of the liquid get on her fur and she tries to lick off, it can cause burns and ulcers on her tongue once inside her mouth.