How Much Would You Spend to Save Your Pet's Life, Survey Asks

The Kroger Company recently polled more than 300 pet owners to determine their attitudes about veterinary expenditures and pet insurance.

The survey revealed that a majority of pet owners (61%) would be willing to spend between $100 and $1,000 on medical procedures to save their dog or cat's life. Fifteen percent of those surveyed said they would be willing to spend between $1,000 and $3,000 for medical life-saving procedures for their pets while 10% said they would spend more than three-thousand dollars.

Participants in the survey were also asked what they fear most about their pet's health. Nineteen percent of cat owners fear kidney disease, 17% worry about cancer, and 10% are concerned with their cats getting injured in cat fights or fights with other animals. Twenty-seven percent of dog owners worry about cancer, 17% fear a hip, leg, or knee injury, and 16% are concerned about their dog getting hit by a car.

While only 2% of cat owners and 4% of dog owners said they currently have pet health insurance, 48% of cat owners and 61% of dog owners said they would consider buying pet insurance if it cost under $20 a month. In addition, about half, 55% of dog parents and 51% of cat parents said they would be interested in putting their pets on their own health insurance if it were allowed.

None of us want to think about how much we are willing or able to spend if our furry friends need a life-saving medical procedure, but it's an important decision to think about and prepare for. Do you know how much you would spend on a medical procedure to save your cat's life? What are you doing to prepare for medical emergencies? Have you considered getting your cat pet health insurance? Please feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments section.

Source:

CatChannel: Survey Asks How Much Cat Owners Are Willing to Spend on Cat Vet Bills

An Abandoned Kitten

Today, I saw something really sad - an abandoned kitten. Please read the story I wrote about it here: http://anxiety.today.com. While you're there, please feel free to check out the rest of my blog, which has to do with anxiety and overcoming it.

I hope to see many of you over there!

Let Your Kitty Enjoy the Great Outdoors, Safely

Now that it's soring, your cat might enjoy the sunshine and fresh air the outdoors has to offer. If your kitty likes the outdoors, you may want to consider making him or her a cat enclosure. This article provides information, tips, and resources for building safe cat enclosures for your furry friends.

I hope you find this article helpful!

Homewood Suites Pet Contest

Homewood Suites is having a pet photo/video contest from April 15-July 18, 2008. The site is asking that pet owners upload photos or videos of themselves or their families with their pets, sharing a simple moment.

Each entry is eligible to win a trip to New York. The winners will also be shown on billboards in Times Square!

For more information, you can visit the Homewood Suites website.

Human Medication a No-No for Cats

According to Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI), the most common claims for cat poisoning were a result of cats ingesting human over-the-counter or prescription medication.

I want to remind all of the pet parents and owners out there that while I know it can be costly to make vet trips when your cat is sick, you need to do so in order to get the right medication prescribed for your kitty.

Sometimes, well-meaning pet parents can give their cats a dose of over-the-counter or prescription medication in an attempt to reduce their furry friend's suffering. However, this usually leads to more suffering, not less. Our kitties bodies are much smaller than ours, and often require different and/or smaller medication doses than we do.

If your kitty is sick or injured, please take him or her to a vet and allow the veterinarian to prescribe the right medication for your kitty.

To read the report by VPI, please visit: http://www.catchannel.com/News/pets-ingest-human-medications-more-often-than-other-poisons-vpi-reports.aspx.

Laser Pointers Provide Beneficial Exercise

About a week ago, I bought my cats a laser pointer. They absolutely love it!

It's a great way to play with my cats and to give them an opportunity to get exercise at the same time.

Exercise is very important to cats. They need it, just as we do, to keep them from becoming obese. Obesity causes many health problems, such as Diabetes for cats.

It also makes cats feel loved when their parents take the time to play with them and to engage them in activities.

Vote for Your Favorite Picture in the Funniest Pet Card Contest

A few days ago, Hallmark announced their finalists for the funniest pet card contest. Each finalist was selected by a pannel of judges, which consisted of Dog Fancy's magazine art director, a veterinarian, and creative staff members of Hallmark. Finalists were judged based on humor, theme, and send-ability.

Beginning on June 16th Hallmark will begin to sell cards featuring the pictures of the 67 finalists. The finalists include cats, dogs, chinchillas, birds, guinea pigs, and rabits.

Hallmark is now asking the public to vote on which picture they like the best. The grand prize winner will receive $1,000, a trip to Hallmark, and a professional photo shoot with his or her pet.

To vote for your favorite photo, please visit Hallmark's website.

Lonely cats?

I just read a Q&A on Cat Channel and I am APPALLED at what this lady wrote in about her boyfriend and his cat. It's not the question she asked, because maybe she really didn't know, but the WAY she phrases it.......

"Q: I have a question about my boyfriend’s 13-year-old cat, Bart. My boyfriend can be a little paranoid and overly protective. He seems to think that he needs to make sure he never leaves his cat alone for any longer than 10 or 12 hours because it is "not nice." He believes the cat gets lonely. This causes a problem for us because we live about half an hour away from each other. It’s hard now for him to stay over, because he feels he has to rush back to be with the cat. It effects what we do, but he doesn’t realize that it’s not necessary. I’ve tried to explain it, but he thinks he is right.

The great thing about cats is that they have no concept of time. So its not like he’s staring at the clock saying, "Man, where is he?” Plus, cats sleep most of the day. I have a Rottweiler that needs more care then a cat, simply because she has to go potty outside. I can’t leave her. But a cat?"

There's a third paragraph, but you get the idea.

I don't normally do this, but what on earth is this woman thinking??? Sure, she may not know that cats have their own sense of time and schedules, but she *should* know that cats need love and companionship!

I just want to say that I APPLAUD Bart's dad for not leaving him alone for more than 10-12 hours at a time, for loving his cat, and for being a good dad to him.

If you'd like to read the answer that was given, you can go here.

Any thoughts? I know that Carmine and Milita don't like it when I'm gone for more than a few hours at a time because I work from home.

How to Prevent Your Cat from Chewing on Electrical Cords

When Carmine was a young kitten, he really loved chewing on electrical cords! This always terrified me because I knew how dangerous it was for him to chew on cords.

If your cat chews on electrical cords, he or she may get electricuted or get severe electrical burns in and/or around his or her mouth.

To prevent your kitty from chewing on cords, you can do several things:

-Spray your cords with Bitter Apple spray, which can be found at pet supply stores

-Put tabasco sauce on the cords

-Cover your cords with plastic covers

-Wrap your cords in duct tape or electrical tape (I have heard this works for some cats, but I have not tried it myself)

I used to spray Bitter Apple on all of my cords, which Carmine really didn't like. He eventually grew out of the behavior he had as a kitten and it is no longer necessary for me to spray my cords.

I hope you find these suggestions useful for the curious cat who loves to chew on cords.

How to Brush Your Cat's Teeth

Brushing your cat's teeth may be challenging, but you can acclimate your kitty to regular teeth cleaning.

Acclimating your kitty to regular teeth cleaning may take a while, so be patient with your little furry friend.

Talk to your kitty throughout the process of teeth brushing. Tell your cat what a good kitty he or she is, that everything is okay. Keep your voice gentle and calm. This will let your furry friend know that everything is okay.

First, take the toothpaste cap off the tube of toothpaste and allow your kitty to smell it. Put a little bit on your finger and let your kitty smell it and taste it if he or she desires.

Next, you can stick your finger or a finger toothbrush into your cat's mouth and gently rub the gums and touch the teeth so that your kitty can get used to what it feels like to have your finger or toothbrush in his or her mouth. Don't attempt to actually clean your cat's teeth just yet.

On another occasion, brush one or two teeth with a small toothbrush or finger brush.

Keep working with your kitty gradually. Build your way up to brushing all of his or her teeth every week, if not more.

Each time you take a new step, reward your kitty with a treat, a nice scratching, some extra play time, or something else your kitty really enjoys.

Acclimating your cat to teeth brushing may take some time, but with patience and positive reinforcement for good behavior, you can teach your kitty to tolerate teeth brushing.

Cats Reduce Risk of Heart Attack in America

I know I promised a guide to brushing your cat's teeth, and I still plan on sharing one with you, but I simply couldn't resist sharing this with everyone!

A new study lends more evidence to support that cats are excellent promoters of physical and mental health.

In this study, Dr. Adam Qureshi and his colleagues followed 4,435 individuals for ten years. Two-thousand individuals in the study were not cat owners while the remaining 2,435 were cat owners.

The researchers indicated that their results show cat owners have a 30% reduced risk of having a heart attack. They also found that people who owned cats were less likely to die from a heart attack than those who did not own cats.

If you'd like to read more about this study, you may do so at Forbes.

Signs Your Cat Needs a Professional Dental Cleaning

You can tell when your cat's teeth need cleaned professionally by a veterinarian if he or she exhibits any of the following signs:

-Bleeding and/or red gums

-It appears to be difficult for your kitty to eat crunchy or hard food (like dry cat food)

-Yellow staining on the gum line

-Bad breath

-Tartar on the back teeth, which looks yellowish-brown

In my next post, I will review how you can acclimate your cat to regular teeth brushing at home.

Making Teeth Brushing More Enjoyable for Your Feline

In between professional teeth cleaning by your veterinarian, it is recommended that cat owners brush their cat's teeth at least once a week at home.

You can buy special beef flavored toothpaste in some pet stores (like PetSmart). You can also buy a traditional toothbrush for your kitty; however he or she may tolerate a finger brush better. Sometimes a finger toothbrush is included with a traditional toothbrush at pet stores.

National Pet Dental Health Month

February is National Pet Dental Health Month.

It's important to remember that, like humans, cats need regular dental check-ups and care.

I haven't posted in a few days, so I thought I'd post a picture of my sweet Carmine!! He's sleeping on the couch right now, actually!

Controlling/Maintaining Your Cat's Weigh (and Health)

January is Cat Obesity Awareness Month.

Here are a few tips in order to help you reduce and/or maintain your kitty's weight:
-Feed moderately. It is ideal to have specific mealtimes for your cats so that they do not overeat by snacking on dry food that is always available to them.
-Feed them quality food. I find that when I feed my cats more wholesome food, it fills them up faster and is more satisfying to them. It is more expensive per bad; however, it tends to last longer than typical store-brand cat food, too.
-Exercise your kitty: If your kitty is an indoor cat, make sure he or she has plenty of toys to play with and spend time playing with your cat everyday. When you are not at home, having interactive toys available for your cat will encourage him or her to play in your absence.

New items in Bead Paradise

Bead Paradise has been updated with a couple of new items.

As always, $1.00 of each sale will go to the ASPCA, an organization that aids homeless cats and dogs.

Holiday decoration hazards

The most recent poll on Cat Channel asked cat owners what holiday decoration most interested their cats. The results show that cats are most intrigued by Christmas trees, with 59% of respondents reporting their cats being most intrigued by this holiday decoration. Thirteen percent of cat owners answered that their cats are most intrigued by garland, 9% said their cats are most interested in the holiday lights, and 6% responded their cats are most interested in stuffed animals/toys related to the holiday season.

Although Christmas has passed, I urge all of the cat owners out there to watch their cats closely when they are under the Christmas tree. While some cats merely enjoy laying under the tree, as one of my cats did, some kitties attempt to climb the tree, which can result in a dangerous situation. In attempting to climb the tree, a kitty can inadvertently knock , cat owners, catit over, which may injure your kitty, not to mention the potential fire hazard this situation presents.

I urge you to watch your kitty as you take down your Christmas tree and put away decorations as well. Curious kitties may try to eat small hooks, ornaments, tinsel, or pine needles.

Beaded bracelets now help homeless cats!

I am starting a bead bracelet selling business, which may sound like nothing out-of-the-ordinary, except that $1.00 of every purchase will go directly to the ASPCA, an organization that helps homeless cats and dogs.

I'm very excited to be starting this business and to be donating to such a worthy cause!

I encourage you to check out my selling blog at: http://www.beadparadise.blogspot.com/ often as I will add new items regularly!

Please tell all of your cat-loving friends about Bead Paradise and the great cause it supports!

I will be adding a link to this blog in the "Sierra's other blogs" as well.

Feline Blood Types

In browsing CatChannel today, I found this quiz on Cat Blood Types.

Enjoy learning about your feline's blood type :)

For blogging services, please contact me at: miniemedia@gmail.com.