by Nomi Berger
 
Does your favorite feline have a belly that sways from side to side? Could it be … fat?
 
According to veterinarians, it’s not fat at all! It’s a primordial pouch: a loose flap comprised of a mixture of fat, skin and fur on the underside of a cat that hangs between her midsection and hind legs and feels floppy to the touch. Although it may look as if an overweight cat who recently lost weight retained the extra skin, that so-called extra skin has less to do with her condition and more to do with genetics.
 
While all cats have primordial pouches, they vary in size depending on each individual kitty. Cats start developing these telltale stomach pouches during kittenhood, usually around 6 months of age. And, perhaps most fascinating of all is the fact that “big cats” a.k.a. lions and tigers have them as well!
 
Even experts can only theorize as to the purpose of these legendary pouches. Protection: a primordial pouch might shield a cat’s vital organs during rough activities and/or fights. Flexibility: it might allow a cat’s abdomen to stretch during movement, making her even more agile. Food storage: it might help accommodate larger meals when she eats a great deal at once. Heat regulation: it might be of assistance in temperature control by allowing air to circulate more effectively. Then again, the primordial pouch may merely be an evolutionary trait left over from a cat’s wild ancestors.
 
No matter how large or small your own kitty’s swaying belly flap is, having a primordial pouch isn’t an indication of her overall health or whether she’s either underweight or overweight. Like people, a cat’s skin tends to sag, stretch and lose elasticity with age, leading inevitably to a belly that seems to sway more as she matures into a senior cat.
 
If you’re still unsure as to whether you’re seeing your kitty’s primordial pouch or fat, consider the following advice to help you differentiate between the two. Focus less on the size of your cat’s belly flap and more on her body condition score (BCS), a visual tool used by veterinarians to determine if a cat is at her ideal weight. Begin by looking down at her from above. Healthy cats will have noticeable waistlines whereas overweight ones won’t.
 
Then, run your fingers gently across her ribs. If she’s at an ideal weight, her ribs should feel similar to when your knuckles are being rubbed on an open palm. If she’s overweight, you’ll feel a pronounced layer of fat covering her ribs. If she’s underweight, however, her ribs may feel prominent, much the way the backs of your knuckles feel when you make a fist.
 
While helping your cat shed some excess pounds won’t make her primordial pouch smaller, helping her maintain a healthy weight through a balanced diet and regular exercise will help prevent an accumulation of unwanted fat. If, however, you’re either uncertain as to whether your cat’s at a healthy weight or want advice to help her reach her ideal weight, reach out to your vet.

by Nomi Berger
 
Curious as to why a cat’s tongue feels surprisingly like sandpaper, so rough and so scratchy, when you’re the recipient of some loving licks?
 
If so, examine the topside of your kitty’s tongue up close and purr-sonal and you’ll see what look like teeny, tiny spikes covering a good portion of it. These are called papillae – pointy, curved cones comprised of keratin, the same material that makes up our human fingernails. According to veterinarians, in cats, they’re known as filiform papillae since the “spines” face towards the back of their mouths.
 
This rough texture helps cats groom themselves so skillfully, drink water and eat food so efficiently, and socialize and communicate so effectively. (While it’s usually harmless when your kitty licks you, if her licking becomes excessive, provide her with lick mats as an alternative).
 
Grooming: cats spend 30% to 50% of their day grooming themselves, and the papillae on their tongues can reach all the way down to their skin. This allows them to detangle their fur, remove loose fur, debris, dust and other particles from their coat and help evenly distribute their body’s oils across their coat, keeping it shiny and smooth. Their tongues also act as a form of temperature control. Since papillae are hollow, they suck up saliva that is then deposited in their fur while they’re grooming, and when that saliva evaporates, it helps keep them cool.
 
Drinking: cats, like dogs, lack the ability to suction water into their mouths. But unlike dogs accustomed to scooping up water with the tips of their tongues, cats extend their tongues to just touch the water’s surface and then deftly and swiftly flick them back in. Water adheres to the top of their tongues, thanks to the papillae, and is pulled into their mouths without even breaking the surface of the water.
 
Eating: purr-fectly suited as efficient eating “utensils,” the papillae on their tongues helped cats in the wild wipe clean the bones of their prey and moved that food towards the back of their mouths. Even if our domesticated cats’ form of “hunting” is finding some long-forgotten treats behind a sofa or a chair, their papillae-covered tongues will ensure that they thoroughly enjoy them down to the very last crumb.
 
Communicating and socializing: cats use licking as a way of bonding both with their fellow felines and with members of their human family – as cat owners already know. But they also use their tongues to understand the world around them, particularly where pheromones (chemical signals released by other cats) and fascinating scents of all kinds are concerned, by opening their mouths, sticking out their tongues slightly, and inhaling!

by Nomi Berger
 
A tabby cat is NOT a specific breed. Rather, a tabby cat refers to that particular cat’s coat pattern. In fact, the tabby coat – the most common pattern of fur paws-ible -- is found on cats of any breed, mixed breed and on both male and female cats. And because of this, it’s extremely difficult to find cats who AREN’T tabbies.
 
Most tabby cats are easily recognizable due to the distinctive M-shaped marking on their foreheads. Tabby cats’ coats come in a fascinating variety of colors, including brown, calico, gray, orange and even tortoiseshell, and have spots, stripes or swirls on their bodies, legs, tails and/or faces. Since the tabby gene is a dominant gene, it only takes one parent with that particular tabby gene to pass the pattern on to a kitten.
 
There are five different types of tabby cat patterns:
· Mackerel: The most common tabby pattern, the mackerel features narrow, tiger-like stripes.
· Classic: Cats with a classic tabby pattern have a marble-like swirl on their sides much like a cinnamon roll.
· Spotted: True to its name, the spotted tabby pattern has spots instead of the more common narrow stripes.
· Patched: Patched tabbies are calico or tortoiseshell cats who not only have the tabby pattern but are known as caliby and torby cats, respectively.
· Ticked: The least common of the five tabby cat patterns, ticked coats are often more subtle than the other varieties. In this particular pattern, each individual hair, called agouti hairs, contains bands of different colors that create an iridescent or shimmering effect.
 
Due to the fact that any cat can inherit the tabby gene, the breeds that recognize a tabby pattern in their breed standard include: Abyssinian, American Bobtail, Bengal, British Shorthair, Cornish Rex, Devon Rex, Exotic Shorthair,
LaPerm, Maine Coon, Manx, Norwegian Forest Cat, Ocicat, Oriental Shorthair, Persian, Scottish Fold, Siberian,
Turkish Angora, and Turkish Van.
 
As to how long do tabby cats live? Because a cat’s lifespan varies by breed, tabby cats can live 10 – 15 years. But, blessed with the finest of care, some cats can live well into their 20’s.
 
If your own favorite feline is a tabby, a cat DNA test will tell you which breeds are in her DNA, thereby enabling you to “guess-timate” her lifespan.

by Nomi Berger
 
What IS it about cats and their affinity for cardboard boxes?
 
If you’re curious, do paw-lease consider the following five reasons.
 
1. Cardboard boxes provide them with a sense of security: Despite being domesticated for some, today’s cats retain much of their original, natural instincts. One way for cats in the wild to remain vigilant and keep themselves safe from predators is by squeezing into small spaces that make them feel secure. Studies show that those cats given cardboard boxes as hiding places adapted more quickly to changes in their environment than those who weren’t. Many animal behaviorists, therefore, recommend that cat owners provide their feline friends with cardboard boxes in such paw-tentially stressful situations as bringing home a new pet, home renovation, moving and/or after visiting the vet.
 
2. Cardboard boxes are purr-fect for scratching and biting: Both are normal, instinctive behaviors and serve several purposes. Cats utilize the boxes to express their emotions, sharpen their claws and “mark” them with the scent glands located in their paws. The texture of the cardboard is ideal, allowing cats to sink their teeth and claws into it while rewarding them with a most satisfying sound. Not surprisingly, due to its popularity, many commercial cat scratchers today are constructed out of cardboard.
 
3. Cardboard boxes are warm: Famous for finding comfy, cozy places in which to nap, cats will typically curl up contentedly in the sunniest areas of their homes, next to heat-generating sources like radiators and on top of their owners’ beds. Since cardboard retains its heat so efficiently, it’s an especially effective insulator and allows cats to control their own body temperatures when they cram themselves into snugly fitting cardboard boxes.
 
4. Cardboard boxes are fun: Cats may be creatures of habit and comfort, but as natural-born predators, they must still exercise their hunting instincts through play. And because cats love hiding and stalking their prey before pouncing on them, they find that cardboard boxes will allow them the precise concealment they need from any and all unsuspecting targets. Although the “prey” for indoor cats is most often restricted to their owners, their feline and/or canine friends and their toys, a cardboard box affords them the concealment they crave while they wait to pounce, albeit playfully, on their next chosen “victim.”
 
5. Cardboard boxes satisfy their curiosity: As affectionate, active and entertaining as they are, our cherished cat companions are purr-haps best known for their endearing, enduring and boundless curiosity. Luckily for them, having a cardboard box in their midst is both enticing and exciting, definitely peaking their interest and sparking that oh-so-legendary curiosity. Wondering what this mysterious material is all about, they will gravitate towards the cardboard, and in the blink of a kitty-cat eye discover its various awesome uses. Whether it serves as their new, favorite napping spot, a secret space from which to view their indoor world, a multi-purpose makeshift toy or a surprisingly efficient scratching post, endless hours of self-entertainment are as limitless as their own imagination.

by Nomi Berger
 
Have you ever pondered the question: “Is my cat capable of dreaming?” Simply put, the answer is “yes.” Like most other mammals, cats do dream. Why? Research has shown that it’s an essential occurrence to help their brains organize and arrange images from the day.
 
Dreaming mainly occurs during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep when their brains, similar to our brains, exhibit activity akin to wakefulness. And while the specifics of cats’ dreams are, as yet, unknown, it’s likely that their brains are reviewing their days’ activities, consolidating these memories, and processing various other experiences.
 
Dreams also help cats reinforce learning, retain memories, and even serve as a form of enrichment, paw-tentially allowing them to imagine such splendiferous scenarios as catching mice as large as cars! Close observation of your own cat can provide you with clues both about her sleep behavior and when she may be dreaming. With time, patience and focused attention, you may even be able to guess what she’s dreaming about.
 
Overt signs that your cat is dreaming may include: twitching, particularly of her whiskers and paws, body movements, running-like motions, chirping and purring sounds, muffled meows and various facial expressions. Fortunately, however, the brain is equipped with a safety feature that prevents both cats and humans from physically acting out their dreams: the pons.
 
What, then, DO cats dream about? Do they dream about their pet parents? Do they dream about interacting with their housemates? Do they dream about hunting mice or chasing after birds? Do they have nightmares? While there may not be truly definitive answers to these questions yet, by closely observing cats while they dream, and considering what’s known about dreaming in other species, one can make some educated guesses as to what they do dream about.
 
Dreaming about their daily experiences: Since most mammals use dreams to process the events they’ve experienced, it’s reasonable to assume that cats re-live their daily experiences at night, perhaps with some imaginative additions. Whatever your own “meow-meow” may have been interested in during the day will, in all probability, play a featured role in her dreams that same night.
 
Dreaming about their pet parents: Cats, in all probability, will dream the most pleasant and pleasurable of dreams about their devoted and doting pet parents.
 
Dreaming about their preferred pastimes: Our feline friends are equally likely to dream about such exhilarating and satisfying activities as eating, playing games and “hunting” such indoor prey as laser beams, plastic balls and rolling cat springs, interactive wands and treat-dispensing toys.
 
Nightmares: If cats have had an especially frightening experience during the day, such as a fight with a housemate or something as seemingly mundane as the sound of the vacuum cleaner, the apartment buzzer or some unexpected visitors, they may indeed have what we would consider to be nightmares.
 
In conclusion: Sometimes when cats are sleeping, they may twitch, stretch, snore, purr or make unusual squeaking noises -- all associated with REM sleep. When your own cat twitches in her sleep, it’s generally due to signals being sent to her brain during the “dreaming” phase.

by Nomi Berger
 
Do you fret about black cats crossing your path and bringing misfortune your way whenever the page of a calendar turns to that fabled Friday the 13th?
 
Did you know that history has provided humans with 13 paws-itive reasons to refute this age-old superstition?
 
Skeptical? Curious? Read on, then, for reassurance …
 
The Ancient Egyptian goddess Bastet, who resembled a cat, was the goddess of love, joy, music, dance, protection, and last but not least, cats. And because cats were particularly popular in ancient Egypt, they were considered to be her sacred animal.
 
Freyja, the most renowned of the Norse goddesses, was the goddess of love, fertility, battle and death. She rode in a chariot that was drawn by cats, and farmers would leave offerings out for the cats to guarantee them a bountiful harvest.
 
The Ancrene Wisse, written in the 13th century, was a guide for devout recluses whose lives were dedicated to devotional reading, meditation and prayer. The anchoresses usually lived in enclosures attached to churches, and while they were permitted minimal to no contact with people, they were permitted to have cats.
 
A Chinese proverb states that having a cat assures its owner of having good luck. A more practical proverb states that  “Black cat or white cat: If it can catch mice, it’s a good cat.”
 
The prophet Muhammad had a favorite tabby called Muezza and, according to Hadith (a report of the prophet’s sayings and deeds), he prohibited the persecution and killing of cats.
 
In India, a cat is believed to be magical and the bearer of good luck. One belief states that if you kill a cat, you must offer a cat in gold to a priest.
 
In Yorkshire, England, keeping a black cat in your house not only brings you good luck, it ensures that your favorite fisherman will return safely from the sea.
 
It’s considered good luck on your wedding day if you see either a sneezing cat or a black cat.
 
An Italian superstition, on the other hand, believes that a sneezing cat is a good omen for everyone who hears it.
 
The Scots believe that finding a strange black cat on your porch brings you prosperity.
 
An American superstition believes that dreaming of a white cat means good luck.
 
Another American superstition believes that if you see a one-eyed cat, you should spit on your thumb and stamp it into the palm of your hand. If you then make a wish, that wish will come true.
 
In France, there’s a saying that dogs may be wonderful prose, but only the cat is poetry.

by Nomi Berger
 
Have you noticed your kitty drinking water from her water bowl, not with her tongue but with her front paws, using them like a tiny furry paddle or cup? A common sight, purr-haps, and yet, have you ever wondered WHY she’s behaving this way?
 
If so, paw-lease consider the four following paws-ibilities.
 
The water bowl is too small: Since our feline friends favor having easy access to a large supply of water, and that supply, i.e., their bowl is too small, they may have difficulty drinking from it properly and comfortably. Enter ingenuity! How clever of them to dip their paws into the water as their way of getting several cool and refreshing sips from the bowls to their mouths. If your kitty is drinking water like this, check the size of her bowl and replace it with a larger one.
 
She may be experiencing “whisker fatigue”: As odd as this phrase may seem, truth, as they say, is often stranger than fiction. Cats have extremely delicate and sensitive whiskers on their faces that can be easily irritated by rubbing against the unforgiving sides of their water bowls. It makes purr-fect sense then, for them to drink their water by using one or both paws and avoid irritating their whiskers even more. And so, if your kitty is getting her water in this manner, replace her current bowl with one of the many available commercial bowls designated as being “whisker-friendly.”
 
She may simply be playing: As naturally curious, not to mention, creative, animals, kitties enjoy experimenting and doing things differently. Case in point: they LOVE “playing” and engaging with various parts of their bodies, such as chasing their tails and grooming themselves. Therefore, when your “meow-meow” uses her front paws to splash around in her water bowl, she may “see” this as another form of experimenting, exploring and engaging in play.
 
Cats turn up their noses at tepid water. Finicky about what they drink, felines tend to avoid any water in their bowls that fails the “fresh” test. And because they LOVE moving water, they’re never shy about sipping water from the sink faucet or attempting to drink from the toilet bowl. By using their paws in their water bowls, they’re literally “stirring” the water up to create more movement and flow. The solution: invest in an automatic pet fountain that will allow your purr-ecious puss to either drink from the fountain’s bowl or from its continual stream of clean and fresh falling water.

by Nomi Berger
 
From body language to vocalization, cats use various signs and signals to communicate – with other cats and with humans. And although we may not be able to detect them, pheromones rank highest on that list. What, then, ARE pheromones?
 
Pheromones are a form of chemical communication that felines employ when engaging with each other, with the world around them and with their pet parents. The “messages” they send are released from special glands located throughout their bodies, and they produce a wide assortment of pheromones that influence many of their behaviors, emotions and interactions. Different pheromones send different “messages” or signals to other cats, both indoors and outdoors cats, which all cats, young and old, will understand.
 
Many of the glands that release pheromones are located on cats’ faces -- on their foreheads, lower ears, cheeks, chins and around their mouths. They’re also located in their paw pads to help them “mark” their territory when they scratch and/or knead, and around the nipples of females. To share or deposit these messages, your own cat will engage in a range of behaviors – the most positive of which is rubbing her head on you, on various household objects’ surfaces, even doorways, throughout your home, and bumping heads with you and, when applicable, with her feline friends. These are clear signals that your kitty is happy, relaxed and content in her environment, and that by putting her scent on them and on you, she’s marked them and you as being “safe.”
 
Pheromones are used, among other things, to help mother cats and kittens bond, identify and be in harmony with each other, to self-soothe as well as to signal discomfort, stress or fear. All cats use a special organ called the vomeronasal organ (VNO) that’s located in an opening on the roof of their mouths to recognize pheromone messages throughout their environment. When detecting them, your cat will open her mouth slightly and pull back her lips, exposing the roof of her mouth. If you witness your cat standing still with a strange expression on her face, she’s clearly detecting and receiving a single “message” or more.
 
On the other hand, many cats may suffer from anxiety or stress caused by changes in their environment such as adding a new cat to your household, decorating, moving and visiting the vet. Their anxiety will most commonly manifest itself in such negative behaviors as biting, excessive scratching, hiding, refusing to eat, urinating and defecating outside of the litter box, fighting with the other kitties and/or spraying. Should your kitty exhibit any of these behaviors, try using artificial pheromone products.
 
The most popular ones are plug-in diffusers and sprays. Cat calming plug-in diffusers and sprays can help with general anxiety in individual cats and promote harmony in multi-cat households by emitting a synthetic version of the feline facial pheromones given off by mother cats while nursing their kittens.
 
In instances where such measures have little to no effect, animal behaviorists encourage worried pet parents to contact their vets. Hopefully, with an appropriate behavior modification program, including positive reinforcement for appropriate behavior and desensitization along with counter-conditioning, these ‘fraidy cats can overcome their fears or anxiety regarding certain situations and live calmer, happier lives.

by Nomi Berger
 
Curious about the amount of time cats sleep, and why they seem to sleep so much? Consider then, the following comfy, cozy feline facts.
 
Cats are fundamentally predators and being crepuscular creatures, are most active between dawn and dusk. Why? Because their ancestors, who lived in the wild millions of years ago, realized that hunting during those hours enabled them to avoid predators and maximize their chances of catching prey. They, therefore, developed a unique sleep cycle to support that lifestyle.
 
Our domesticated cats sleep, on average, between 12 and 16 hours a day, an extensive period that’s essential for their overall health and general wellbeing. They’re designed, anatomically and physiologically, to “hunt” for their food even if it’s provided for them in a bowl or involves them, their toys, tunnels and cat trees. Not only is the effect the same, they employ the same energy-intensive techniques such as stalking and pouncing, running, chasing and climbing. And since they use high levels of adrenaline to keep their body fueled during these relatively short periods of time, the result is, understandably, the need to re-charge their batteries by curling up for a long, satisfying snooze.
 
Like humans, cats experience different stages of sleep, including rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non-REM sleep. During REM sleep, cats will very often be seen twitching their whiskers, paws and tails, possible indicators of the fact that they’re dreaming. Non-REM sleep, on the other hand, is a deeper, more restorative sleep, so essential for both their physical and emotional health.
 
Kittens and older cats tend to sleep more than adult cats – up to 20 hours a day. Additionally, any changes in their usually familiar environment as well as various, assorted health concerns can impact both the duration and quality of their sleep. Unusual sleep or excessive wakefulness patterns, however, may indicate an underlying health condition that pet parents don’t know about. If they’re ill, they may exhibit other symptoms such as changes in their “bathroom” habits, signs of disorientation and/or unusual weight gain or loss.
 
Any changes at all in their sleep patterns, any symptoms that are out of the ordinary, are red flags for conscientious pet parents to promptly arrange a visit with their vet.

by Nomi Berger
 
While the average lifespan of our feline friends is 13 to 17 years, many can live to be 20 years old or more. With such a long life, ensuring that your cats receive the proper care for each stage of their lives is essential, especially when they enter their senior years.
 
According to the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP), cats are considered seniors after they turn 10. Many veterinarians, however, may begin treating cats as seniors at the age of seven, thereby increasing your own aging kitty’s wellness exams from yearly to every six months.
 
Some of the health conditions that senior cats can develop include:
 
Cancer: intestinal, mammary and oral cancers are all more common in seniors.
 
Cognitive dysfunction syndrome: 80% of cats suffer from cognitive dysfunction syndrome or dementia at 15 years of age and older. The telltale signs include disorientation, having accidents in your home, hiding, poor grooming, sleeping more than usual and vocalizing, particularly at night.
 
Dental disease: 80% of cats over the age of five suffer from dental disease. Daily toothbrushing at home coupled with annual dental cleanings at the vet’s can help keep your cat’s teeth and gums healthy and her breath fresh.
 
Diabetes: extremely common in older cats, especially those who are overweight, makes a concerted weight management program on your part vital in preventing this disease and its myriad complications.
 
Hyperthyroidism: increased appetite, weight loss and vocalization are classic characteristics of feline hyperthyroidism.
 
Inflammatory bowel disease: diarrhea, vomiting and weight loss are three of IBD’s typical symptoms in both middle-aged and senior cats.
 
Kidney disease: 20% of all cats suffer from kidney disease. Symptoms of this condition can be either subtle or overt and include increased drinking, lack of appetite, larger clumps of urine in your kitty’s litter box and slight weight loss.
 
Osteoarthritis: over 90% of cats 10 years of age and older suffer from arthritis, a degenerative joint disease.
 
Ensuring that your purr-ecious kitty’s senior years are truly “golden” begins with consistent and considerate in-home care.
 
Since senior cats sometimes forget to eat and drink or find it difficult to climb up and down the stairs in a house, make certain that your kitty always has easy access to fresh food and water. As for litter boxes -- keep one on each floor, although low, large litter pans will be easier on her joints.
 
All cats love warm places, especially seniors. Consider keeping yours comfy cozy by providing her with a heating pad or a heated cat bed.
 
To keep her looking – and feeling – her best with the least amount of effort on her part, groom and brush her every few days.
 
Because senior cats should be fed a senior-specific diet to meet their unique needs, most veterinarians recommend transitioning them to a senior diet by the time they’re seven years old. When it comes to choosing between over-the-counter diets and prescription diets, dry kibble and canned food, consult your vet who knows your cat best and make this all-important decision, based in part on her health and weight, together.
 
Purchase a high quality scale (one that weighs accurately to an ounce or less) to monitor her weight, allowing you to catch any sudden weight loss early and easily.
 
As mentioned before, bring your beloved senior kitty to the vet every six months for a basic wellness exam that includes a complete blood count (CBC), biochemistry profile, urinalysis, thyroid hormone testing, and blood pressure assessment.
 
In between these visits, observe her closely for any physical or behavioral changes, making note of them and contacting your trusted vet for guidance.