Catnip - Everything You Need to Know About Catnip!

Catnip is a perennial herb and member of the Mint family Labiatae that  is well known   for it's ability to get cat's high. It is native to Europe & Asia, however has become naturalised in America & Canada after being introduced. There are approximately 250 species of Catnip, and this figure doesn't include hybrid species. Some of the more readily available ones are:

CATS in the WHITE HOUSE

	16th President (1861-1865) Abe LincolnAbe Lincoln was the first President to bring a cat into the White House: When son Tad asked to bring his cat Tabby, Lincoln agreed. Later, on a visit to General Grant's headquarters in the middle of winter, Lincoln found three half-frozen kittens there and took them back to the White House.			19th President (1877-1881) Rutherford B HayesA gift from the American Consul in Bangkok, Siam was the first Siamese cat to reach the United States.  Also had a cat named Piccolomini and a Siamese named Miss Pussy.
	26th President (1901-1909) Theodore Roosevelt His gray, six-toed cat Slippers would fall asleep in a hallway, resulting in the guests at a state banquet detouring around her. The Roosevelts also had a cat named Tom Quartz. Tom Quartz was named after the cat in Roughing It by Mark Twain. [They also had 9 dogs, a garter snake, a pony, pig, badger, rat, guinea pigs, hen, macaw, rooser, and a pony.]			29th President (1923-1929)Calvin Coolidge  Calvin and Grace Coolidge pretty much had a zoo at the White House. Their cats were Smokey, Blackie, Timmy and Tiger. Timmy allowed Coolidge's canary to sleep between his paws. Tiger, a gray-striped stray, traveled around the White House around the President's neck. When Tiger went missing, Coolidge appealed to the people by calling for their help on a radio address.
	28th President (1913-1921) Woodrow Wilson President Wilson had a cat named Puffins.			35th President (1961-1963) John F. Kennedy Daughter Caroline Kennedy's Tom Kitten was removed from office when it was discovered that President Kennedy was allergic.  When Tom Kitten died, it was given an obituary in a Washington newspaper.
	38th President (1974-1977) Gerald FordDaughter Susan had a beautiful Siamese named Shan.			39th President (1977-1981)  Jimmy CarterDaughter Amy Carter owned a Siamese cat with the intriguing name "Misty Malarky Ying Yang" who lived with her in the White House.
	42nd President (1993-2001)Bill Clinton Socks moved to the White House with the Clintons in 1993, and was the first cat to live in the White House since Amy Carter's cat.			43rd President (2001-2009)George W. Bush India "Willie" Bush, a beautiful black cat, had been a beloved member of the Bush family for several years when the family moved into the White House.

Classic Tabby Cat Colors

There are four different types of tabby coats (who knew?), the Mackerel, the spotted, the ticked and the classic, which we will be looking at today. Each of these patterns come in a wide variety of colors and dilutions.

Classic Tabby Cat

The classic pattern has bold, dark lines, swirls and bullseye patterns. Their sides are highly decorated and they generally have thick, dark lines running down the middle of their back.

Characteristics

Although there are different types, there are several characteristics common to all tabbies.

• Eyelid skin is dark & surrounded by light colored fur, creating a dramatic eyeliner effect
• Chin is light colored fur
• Roots of whiskers are dark
• Dark line running from outer corner of eye towards cheek
• Dark colored M on the forehead between the eyes
• Darkest color in pattern on bottom of feet & between toes
• Dark along back of hind legs and tip of tail

Blue Classic Tabby

Bi-Colored Cat Coats

There is a huge variety of different cat colors, so many in fact that we are sure to miss a few here & there. But I wanted to bring you some of the basics, so you’ll know just by looking what color & pattern a cat is.

There are five basic colors, black, red, blue, cream & brown. 

Black & White

Pointed Cat Colors

The earliest pointed cats were Siamese, although the coloring has since spread, many people erroneously assume a pointed cat is, in fact, Siamese. Today there are a variety of breeds that display this characteristic.

All of the colors & patterns are based on a few basic solid colors, from there a variety of patterns & dilutions can be displayed. Today we are looking at pointed animals which don’t just come in solid colors, tabbies can be pointed too.

Red (or Flame) Point

Cooper the Curious Cat Cam

Cooper is a 6 year old American Shorthair cat living in Seattle. Once a week he wears a lightweight digital camera fastened to his collar, which snaps a new photo every 2 minutes.

Amazing facts about cats!

Did you know...

Household which are poisonous to Cats!

There are many items in your household which are poisonous to cats!  Be careful with the following items:

British Shorthair Cattery - LAZIBLUES

ABOUT LAZIBLUES Cattery:

 LAZIBLUES Cattery is a registered name with The International Cat Association (TICA) and the Cat Fanciers’ Association (CFA). We are located in New York City and Westchester County and specialize in breeding blue and lilac British Shorthair cats. During the first few years of the cattery’s existence we stayed true to those colors working with mostly European bloodlines from Belgium, Netherlands and France. Later on we added new lines from Australia, Denmark and United Kingdom. We have also discovered and grown to love other, more rare colors of British Shorthair such as chocolate, black, and some tabby varieties such as a lilac tabby and chocolate tabby. Our cats’ ancestors include such European titles as World Champions, Grand International Champions and Grand European Champions. We have been actively showing cats, and now our cats include Regional and International Winners. This year our youngest stud male IW SGC Laziblues Earl Grey became 6th Best Cat Internationally in TICA.

CATS & OWNERS AGREE: A CLEAN LITTER BOX IS BEST

When the litter box is clean, everyone in the house is happy. But for cat owners, maintaining the box is their least favorite. Finally, there is a solution.  Ever Clean® Premium Clumping Litter contains Carbon Plus, which combines two patented technologies that deliver maximum odor control. It also contains an antimicrobial  agent to inhibit the growth odor-causing bacteria. Available Ever Clean® Premium Clumping Litter has six different formulas. 

Solid Cat Colors

Cats come in a wide variety of colors, dilutions and patterns. That rainbow is part of our inspiration so we thought we look a little closer at the different patterns & colors.

Starting at the beginning, there are a number of solid colors, their coats are made up of only one hair color. This is just the tip of the iceberg, as we started researching we realized just how deep the proverbial rabbit hole goes.  

Black

Famous Cat Lovers

Cleveland Amory (1917-1998) Author and animal rights promoter Amory devoted his life to promoting animal rights. He was best known for his books about his cat Polar Bear, whom he rescued from New York streets on Christmas Eve, 1977. Amory co-founded the Humane Society of the United States and founded the Fund for Animals. He was also the president of NEAVS (New England Anti Vivisection Society) from 1987 to 1998. 

Important Cat Lovers

Sir Winston Churchill: PM of England (1874 - 1965) Sir Winston owned a cat named Jock who attended many wartime Cabinet meetings. Rumor has it that meals at the Churchill household could not begin until the ginger colored tabby was at the table.

Human-cat relationship goes back further.

While ancient Egypt provides the first written record of cats, a burial discovered on Cyprus indicates that humans and felines may have become associated much earlier — extending 9,500 years or more into the past.

This undated handout shows a human burial in Cyprus with cat skeleton, bottom, that is estimated to be 9,500 years old. The research team of National Museum of Natural History in Paris uncovered the carefully buried cat on Cyprus, placed just inches from a human burial that also contained polished stones, shells, tools and jewelry. [Reuters]

Dyson ... a pet owners best friend

All Dyson upright and cylinder vacuums have:

1. No loss of suction - Root Cyclone™ technology means Dyson vacuums don't lose suction power as you clean.
2. No ongoing costs - All Dyson vacuums are bagless, so there are no costly bags to replace. They also come with washable filters and free delivery.
3. Captures allergens. Expels cleaner air.  Dyson cyclones can capture particles down to 0.5 microns - including pollen, mould and bacteria.
4. 5 year guarantee - Parts and labour are covered for 5 years.

400 Year-Old Mummified Cat Discovered in Home Renovation

Many years ago, during renovation of a small house, circa 1901, contractors found the inner walls lined with old newspapers published at that time. Most of them were still in relatively excellent condition. Used at that time for primitive insulation, many of the articles were fascinating, and with gentle handling several pieces were salvaged, restored and framed.  A 400 year-old mummified cat was discovered in the walls of a cottage under renovation. It is thought that the cat was placed within the walls of the cottage years ago to ward off evil spirits. 

Feline Federation of Greece Workshop 2011

Feline Federation of Greece Workshop.

Sunday, November 13, 2011 from 10:00-18:00.

Enjoy a day’s workshop about cats with topics and lectures about Veterinary, Hygiene, Grooming and Behavior.   For the cat enthusiast’s, veterinarians and the general public; it is a great opportunity to share, explore, enjoy and learn about or feline friends. 

 Admission is free for public.  Ethnarchou Makarios 1,  Peristeri.  (Across from ΗΛΕΚΤΡΟΝΙΚΗΣ ΑΘΗΝΩΝ) - Sunday, November 13, 2011.  Sponsor of the event PURINA-PROPLAN. 

What Makes A Cat - A Cat?

And why does a cat stubbornly insist on behaving like a cat?

An offering to the Gods.

Sarcophagus for Cat Mummy, ca 305 B.C.E.-1st century C.E.

Cats were kept to protect food stores from rats, mice and snakes, and were kept as pets. They are shown in paintings beneath their owners' chairs, or on their laps. Egyptian cats resembled modern tabby cats. The Egyptian name for cat is 'miw'.

Cats also had a symbolic or religious meaning, as represented by the goddess Bastet, and in later periods of Egyptian history cat mummies were used as offerings to the gods.

Cat Evolution & Domestication

Cat evolution has been going on for a long time... longer than people have been on earth. And when people finally did show up, the cat let us right on in.

A Cat's Life Span

Felines are generally quite long-lived, though mileage varies depending on owner maintenance and genetic predisposition. In a handful of documented cases, cats have exceeded 30 years in age. Typically, indoor cats may live 12 to 18 years, with many surviving into their 20s. Outdoor cats face greater threat of accident and/or illness, and average roughly 10 years.

Use the chart below to calculate your pet's age:

FELINE NUTRITION

Basic Needs

Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning they must eat meat to survive.

Cats are incapable of digesting and receiving sufficient nutrition from the majority of vegetable proteins. Unless on a specific veterinarian-controlled diet, cats cannot eat a vegetarian diet and survive. Dog food is also not balanced for cats and can lead to health problems. Cats need more fat and protein and certain specific amino acids found in meat, such as taurine and arginine.

Cat Legends

Black Cats In the Middle Ages, cats were not very popular because of their association with witchcraft and black magic. Superstitions about cats, some
of them current today, date back to this period.  Fisherman’s wives believed keeping a black cat in your home meant your husband would always return from the sea.  In the 9th century, King Henry I of Saxony decreed that the fine for killing a cat should be sixty bushels of corn.   There are still people who believe that the cat is a reincarnation of the devil and regard it as bad luck.

Cat Weight

If you are concerned about your cat's health, you may want to compare your pet to a cat weight chart. These charts can differ slightly from company to company, but they may help you assess your pet's condition.

Why You Should Assess Your Cat's Weight

A Short History of the Domestication of the Cat

Ra, sun god in form of a cat triumphant over a serpent Apophis, god of darkness and chaos (Egypt, 1300 BC)

Cat Domestication in Ancient Egypt and the Middle East

Kitten Developtment

That's right. Everything your cat knows, good or bad, she learned in the first weeks of her life. Further, even though she is trainable as she leaves kitten-hood and grows into an adult, it becomes more difficult for her to change the way she does things as she grows older. Is that the reason older cats seem to be crotchety ole' grouches? And why they won't move off of your favorite chair without a lot of grumbling? Maybe. But, it's well documented that the first weeks of a kitten's life is where they develop all the critical elements of their physiology and personality.

MYTHS & FACTS ABOUT CAT SPAYING OR NEUTERING

The animal population is exploding. Each year millions of unwanted pets are born and most are treated like "living garbage" and disposed of. The primary causes of pet euthanasia are the failure by owners to have their pets spayed or neutered and animals that are abandoned or relinquished to shelters because of obedience problems. This is tragic and reprehensible ... but also preventable.

Teach Kids to Bond With Cats

Kids can start bonding with cats at a very early age, and as they grow and learn more about the animals we share this planet with, those early bonding sessions with cats will help mold them into compassionate, responsible adults.  I have a great deal of faith in the young people of today, and I'd like to contribute my part in helping to teach them responsibility toward pets - the cats and dogs who inhabit their lives. Many of them will carry these lessons forward into care and concern for all the animals that populate our world.

The destructive scratcher.

By nature, cats need to scratch. It helps remove the dead outer layer of the claws and lets them mark their territory. Preventing your cat from scratching isn’t really an option, but redirecting their scratching to an appropriate object is. Start by covering the inappropriate object with something unpleasant, such as duct tape sticky side out or the pointy side of a plastic carpet runner. Then place a more appropriate object right next to it. Choose a scratching post based on your cat’s scratching preferences, and encourage your cat to use it. Once your cat has started using the appropriate post, you can move it gradually to your desired location. Only after your cat has successfully used the new scratching post for a length of time can you remove the coverings from the inappropriate object.

Nutrition 101 according to Royal Canin - Why Breed Specific Diets

Many of us will never own a pedigreed cat, so why should we feed a breed-specific diet? Truth is there are some big physiological differences among cat breeds, and the three breeds that we’ve created diets for – Siamese, Maine Coon and Persian – are representative of different breed types, each requiring dramatically different diets to address significantly different nutritional requirements.  Before we can develop a diet for a specific breed, we first closely observe the breed to understand its morphological, physiological and behavioral characteristics. For instance, we studied how to balance energy requirements and weight control in the Siamese, how to enhance the gloss of a Persian’s coat and how an increased kibble size will better suit the Maine Coon’s large jaws.  The end result is a diet customized for a unique set of breed characteristics – and a diet your cat will thrive on.

Casper the commuting cat killed by hit-and-run driver

Bus driver and passengers pay tribute to Casper the cat who would board Plymouth bus and ride around city.

The tale of Casper the commuting cat, who would politely queue with bus passengers before contentedly riding around Plymouth, made headlines and raised smiles around the world.


Sadly the cat's love affair with the open road has proved his downfall after he was killed by a hit-and-run driver, it emerged today.