The Cat Vet

homemade cat toy video

2007-08-01T09:12:00.000-05:00

Just got a look at a really funny video on YouTube;
look under 'homemade cat toy'
I cannot recommend this to anyone as ingestion could cause
a potential impaction in your cat but I do think this is a really funny spot
Enjoy
PJR

where do cats come from?

2007-07-27T13:52:00.000-05:00

nice research on cat ancestry in the new Smithsonian magazine
here's an article from BoingBoing blogsite extraordinaire!

Housecat history

Scientists now estimate that cats were first domesticated 12,000 years ago in the Near East. According to research published last month in the journal Science, every housecat is a descendant of a Middle Eastern wildcat with the name Felis sylvestris ("cat out of the woods.") In a new online article, Smithsonian outlines what we know about the secret history of domesticated cats. From Smithsonian:

When humans were predominantly hunters, dogs were of great use, and thus were domesticated long before cats. Cats, on the other hand, only became useful to people when we began to settle down, till the earth and—crucially—store surplus crops. With grain stores came mice, and when the first wild cats wandered into town, the stage was set for what the Science study authors call "one of the more successful 'biological experiments' ever undertaken." The cats were delighted by the abundance of prey in the storehouses; people were delighted by the pest control.

"We think what happened is that the cats sort of domesticated themselves," Carlos Driscoll, one of the study authors, told the Washington Post. The cats invited themselves in, and over time, as people favored cats with more docile traits, certain cats adapted to this new environment, producing the dozens of breeds of house cats known today. In the United States, cats are the most popular house pet, with 90 million domesticated cats slinking around 34 percent of U.S. homes.

Link

posted by David Pescovitz on July 26, 2007, 03:55 PM permalink | blogs' comments

note from Dr. R-anybody who has cats could have told you that they domesticated themselves;now they are trying to domesticate US! (with limited success in most cases)

my neighbor just this morning was complaining bitterly at her own lack of understanding of cat behavior. Communication between our two species is very challenging. Cats have limited facial expressions and vocabulary and WE have a poor sense of smell!

remodeling

2007-01-26T11:47:00.000-06:00

well, the pain of remodeling 2121 west alabama has faded and now we are embarking on an upgrade for 2125. The old hardwood floors in the waiting area are going to be refinished!!!! Am waiting for a $$number from the floor guy. Hope to have everything ready to go before Easter.
Also will have the parking area resurfaced. Our 'decomposed' granite has decomposed into a mudpit! Am looking into other surfacing options but we don't want to hurt the big oak out back.
Our two boy kitties, Smooch and Karl(the cat formerly known as Charlotte) have gone east to live at a ranchette just outside of Baytown. They LOVE it! We are so happy as it looked like those boys would never find homes.
We do have a nice tortie kitten named 'Detroit' who has been harassing our Puff. If you know anyone looking for a kitten please keep us in mind. Detroit is about 5 months old with a terrific disposition.

2007-01-12T10:08:00.000-06:00

here's our logo, but the wrong colors

Post Xmas return - spraying data

2006-12-26T11:34:00.000-06:00

A fine holiday weekend here in H-town. Dasher and Dancer went off together to live with two nice little girls. Its a good match, I think and we hope all will go well for them. Poor Karl(the cat formerly known as Charlotte) came back from his test drive. The home he went to did not work out for him but we are hopeful another situation will come his way.
Karl is a fine fellow, with orange tabby siamese type markings. I think he has a picture posted on our website. It is easy to find homes for little kittens, especially at Xmas time but not so easy for the big boys.
I believe boy kitties make better pets than girl kitties but many people are frightened about the chance of spraying. That is really too bad because even girl kitties, if they are unhappy enough in their environment (crowding or other stressors) can and will spray as often as male kitties.

Spraying is NOT an abnormal behavior. Spraying is just socially unacceptable in the house. Outside both male and female cats spray to mark territory. The most offensive odor comes from an unneutered male cat. Although humans are less than enthused by this odor it drives intact female cats mad with desire! It will also make neutered cats of both sexes cuckoo and can be a trigger for inside cat spraying.
We have a handout on this on our website if you want to read more.
Still have a few 'Buckos' left for sale. It is a fantastic cat toy and every cat should have one. Money back guarantee if your cat is not happy with the toy. Come by and we can fix you up!
PJR
=^,,^= HAPPY NEW YEAR

WISHING FOR PEACE ON EARTH, GOOD WILL TO ALL!

Dr. C's latest rant

2006-12-14T15:41:00.000-06:00

hmm, just read Dr. C's latest blog entry where she expounded at length about proposed changes to 2125. hmm. Guess its time for that little chica to take a vacation. Also, I need a rest from her too fertile mind. She's a pistol. Ixnah on the shag carpet but I will consider the Star Bucks. I would love to build an observation deck up in the top of our old oak treee. Wouldn't that be fine on a cool evening?
Two kittens who lost their mittens are available for Xmas time. Dasher and Dancer;pictures should be posted on our website by tomorrow. They came to us rather unhealthy but are thriving on Puff's TLC along with Krista's fine cooking.
Hope nobody out there is stressing too much over holiday nonsense. Try to enjoy these holidays and watch out for those crazy drivers out there! Also, hang onto your purse in the mall. Pickpockets love crowds and distracted shoppers.
Be merry and bright!
PJR

Antibiotic use and misuse

2006-12-06T12:12:00.000-06:00

Why in the world are veterinarians and human physicians so worried about antibiotic misuse?
Its because bacteria will develop resistance to known antibiotics when those antibiotics are ingested for too short a time.
See, bacteria are not killed all at once. Usually the weaker bacteria die first and if you just use the antibiotics for a few days rather than the prescribed course the stronger bacteria will live and reproduce stronger bacteria. That is how resistant bacteria form.
Some antibiotics don't even kill bacteria, they just keep the bacteria from reproducing more bacteria. If the antibiotics are not in your system long enough for the original bacteria to die off then the bacteria will go back to making more bacteria.
Even worse than that, some bacteria who hang around with resistant bacteria exchange DNA and become resistant to antibiotics before anybody even uses those particular antibiotics against the formerly susceptible bacteria.
Its a bad situation. If you talke to anybody over about sixty five years old they can tell you what life was like before antibiotics. Not pleasant. Life with resistant bacteria is not pleasant either.
The take home lesson is TAKE YOUR ANTIBIOTICS FOR THE PRESCRIBED TIME. We need some kind of slogan like 'don't mess with Texas' or 'only you can prevent forest fires'

a fun book

2006-11-30T15:33:00.000-06:00

I just read my post of earlier this week. Boy, just like the lady who wrote 'Eats Shoots and Leaves' my post should have included a few carefully placed parentheses. Boing Boing is a blog and on that blog a posting discussed ingestion of methylene blue (which is an old timey cure for urinary tract infections) in order to turn one's urine blue.
Thought I needed to clarify my previous post. Beg pardon for any confusion this might have caused.
Recommendations for books to read this winter; 'The Good Good Pig' by Sy Montgomery; a true story of her beloved pet pig Christopher Hogwood with a lesson for us all about enjoying life! Also 'Mockingbird' a wonderful new biography of Harper Lee. Both books were terrific.
Hope this winter storm is not too terrible for everyone. Stay home and stay warm!
Curl up with a good book and your favorite cat; its that time of year!
:) =^,,^=

Outside the Box

2006-11-28T08:46:00.000-06:00

I just read a post in 'Boing Boing', one of my favorite blogs about making one's urine turn blue. Too kookie for me but it got me thinking about a trick one can use to ferret out which cat is spraying or urinating in the wrong place.
Outside the box is a real problem in multi cat households. Many times the true offender is stealthy and this makes treatment difficult at best. Often the cat which the owner THINKS is urinating outside the litterbox is either the WRONG cat or NOT the ONLY ONE!
here's how you can find out WHO and WHERE such 'inappropriate elimination' occurs. There is a special stain called fluorescein used by ophthalmologists to check eyes for corneal damage. If you stuff several of these stain strips inside a gelatin capsule and feed it to a cat it will cause the cat's urine to glow under a black light. By performing this test one cat at a time the evidence can be seen glowing when viewed with a black light at night!
Multi cat household often have at least one cat 'marking' inside the house or urinating outside the litterbox. Statistically in a household with ten cats the chances of at least one cat not using a litterbox are 100%!
Anyway, you can play 'CSI, the home game' with this test.
oohhh, here's another hard to swallow factoid; the animal behaviorists at Cornell Veterinary College report households should have one MORE litterbox than the total number of cats!
hmm, that means a lotta litter.
Food for thought. I think we have a data sheet posted on the website about reasons for 'inappropriate elimination' and 'territorial marking'. Much more details therewithin.
Remember that urine marking is NORMAL for cats that live outside. Inside cats usually do not mark unless they are ill or socially stressed. It is one of the few ways cats have of communicating with us insensitive humans.
happy holidays!

Catnip A Natural High

2006-11-07T17:22:00.000-06:00

here's the scoop on catnip; scientific name nepeta cataria; contains a relative of the hallucogens, an essential oil called nepetalactone. Not all cats have the genetic code needed to 'appreciate' catnip. Those that do will not react favorably until they are 8 weeks old and then not fully until at least 3 months old.
The pleasurable experience of catnip lasts about 15 minutes and is dependent on propicious (sp?) environmental factors. It takes the cat about one hour to recover from this little episode in order to attain another 'high' from the catnip.
No, cats cannot overdose on catnip but some do act 'drunk as a lord'
there is your daily dose data;use it as you will!

hm, taxi ride

2006-11-06T09:36:00.000-06:00

just finished reading Dr. C's account of her San Antonio taxi
ride. glad she and Dr. F got home OK!
have a great Monday..........
note to all Cat Owners;avoid Turkey Gravy for your cats;a bit of
white meat w/o skin is OK but Turkey Gravy will give some cats a nasty diarrhea.
just a word to the wise
PJR

2006-11-02T10:45:00.000-06:00

Quilt Show
if you've never been, I highly recommend it. But pace yourself and wear sensible shoes. The International Quilt Show here in Houston, running through this next Sunday, is sensational. I mean really.
I meet a friend who comes over from New Braunfels and we get sensory overload in short order. It is a truly amazing experience.
As an aside;lost track of my friend several years ago while attending the show. It is not easy to track down a little white haired lady of a (ahem)certain age in the vast sea of same cramming the aisles at the George R Brown convention center. Thank God she was wearing pink tennis shoes. I quit looking at white heads and concentrated on the search for pink sneakers.
SO, its a good idea to carry cell phones or set up a rendevous site w/in the convention center. Just be prepared to be overwhelmed by all the great artwork on display.
Its a hoot!
gotta go =^,,^=

2006-11-01T10:18:00.000-06:00

Blog It! Blog it GOOD!
Nov 1st marks the beginning of national novel writing month. I highly recommend a month of frenzied writing to anyone vaguely interested in writing. Its a hoot. There is a terrific website to get you started.

here's another answer ; 'Absolutely' Angelina Jolie in Tomb Raider

(she's a hoss) If you haven't seen Mr and Mrs Smith she kicks Brad Pitt's butt!

Ohh, 'Patrick' our little special adoptee went for a test drive this past weekend and the lady is going to keep him!!!!!!!!! I am happy as he seemed to resist domestication with all his might.

Dr. Filip was very disgusted with me last year since he thought I was writing a cat tell all. Instead I started a romance novel that evolved into a swashbuckler! It awaits badly needed editing and rewrites. But enough about the past; a blank page awaits. Yoikes and away!

=^,,^=

All Hallows Eve

2006-10-31T12:07:00.000-06:00

watchchaself tonight! Note to all cat people; all cats indoors tonite!
You all need to avoid any, shall we say, unpleasantness that might arise.
Also all the weather folks strongly recommend mosquito repellant for your little
ones out tonight. The rains of the past few weeks have nourished a bumper crop
of blood suckers.
Anyway, keep safe and remember;don't let nobody pawn off rubbish treats.
Hold out for the good stuff. Better yet, attend some kick ---- party instead.

Ohh, answers to a previous post about lines from movies.
here's the first one; Robert Duval 'True Grit'
PJR

Monday, Monday

2006-10-30T11:29:00.000-06:00

passing out the attaboys here at work;we are so lucky to have such a great crew. If our clients knew just how much we worried about their little kitties then they would never worry!
We are trying to adopt out a couple of 'special needs' cats, a bit older than kittens but both sweet potatoes. Karl (the cat formerly known as Charlotte) and Smooch who must go to a home for lots of attention. Karl is part Siamese but shy and Smooch is 100% shy until he gets to know ya.
'Sad to be all alone in the world' (from Thoroughly Modern Millie for you films afficionados)
just remember, there is NO snooze button on a cat who wants breakfast
have a terrific week and don't settle for raisins when you trick or treat

=^,,^=

blog again, blog again jiggity jig

2006-10-23T12:26:00.000-05:00

interesting weekend. Saw Prestige. It was a great escape. I would recommend it but not to anyone squeamish or too young. Heard a youngun crying near us at one point in the film. It could cause nightmares in a youngster or even worse desensitize.
just a warning of sorts. Still a terrific movie. That Michael Caine. He is truly amazing.

back again

2006-10-19T11:13:00.000-05:00

So, our website is updated and wfeuh, the newsletter is dun, now off to the post office.
Dr. C took in an orphan kitty dropped off at the clinic Sunday. Yes, its hard to believe but some really slimey people will occassionally, dump off unnamed kitties. Once had a *&#@!%?!! cross out the name on the carrier with a black marker with a note saying the SPCA was too far away!
We were not amused.
Nice kitty, this one from Sunday. 'The cat formerly known as Charlotte' is an orange tabby point siamese cross (my favorite cross!). Seems that on closed (ahem) examination Charlotte was actually Carl. We hope to list him with Siamese Cat Rescue and find him a permanent home. I would love to take him home but my two girls, Echo and Callie are not too interested in sharing.

Well, here are some quotes from various movies. See if you can name the actor and the movie.

'I call that bold talk for a one-eyed fat man!'

'Absolutely!'

'Beulah, peel me a grape'

'Where shall I go? What shall I do?'

'Strange things afoot at the Circle K'

'I found a HOME in the Army'

'We're the pros from Dover'

wonderful South Florida

2006-03-10T11:31:00.000-06:00

Just got back from a weekend of shelling and major big time bird watching in South Florida. It was beautiful. Sanibel and Captiva islands are great shelling meccas. A friend wanted to attend the Sanibel Shell Show and it was great fun. I saw more Ospreys than I knew even existed; they are nesting all over the area and flock across the waterways fishing with spectacular dives. Several nested on the rooftops of our hotel and we were able to enjoy very closeup views from our nineth floor balcony. It was a great treat!
Also, do not underestimate the beauty of Florida Keys sunsets! Ohhh, baby;it was wonderful!
anyway, I was happy to see an endangered bird of prey thriving down there. Also saw many many bottlenosed dolphins closeup including a momma with a baby about 1/3 her size swimming and feeding. The people were pretty nice down there but the traffic is horrid.
Makes me feel better about our highway issues.
Anyway, highly recommended for a winter adventure
=^..^=

2006-02-20T09:17:00.000-06:00

Super freaking cold here this weekend;I still have tomatoes so loaded down the plants with twinkly Christmas lights to keep them warm. Houston had no hard freezes but it is really chilly!
I have to recommend 'You Tube' for some really funny and also some really stupid vids. You can place your own creative efforts out there for all to see and comment. I have to say it is amazing what incredibly dumb stuff people will do for the camera.
Just google ' you tube' and tell me what you think.
HAPPY PRESIDENTS DAY! =^..^=

blogtime

2006-02-16T13:30:00.000-06:00

Today someone asked how to tell when a cat is not feeling well; it can be hard to do because
domestic cats are descended from desert cats. In the wild it is advantageous to hide disease and thus avoid predation by other carnivores. Unforetuneately little Fluffy still has this coping mechanism and this makes it very hard for Fluffy's person to determine a disease state early in the course of any given disease.
the American Association of Feline Veterinarians sponsors a wonderful website for anyone interested in early signs of illness in a companion cat.
www.catwellness.org
just a tidbit FYI =^..^=

One Fine Valentines Day

2006-02-14T15:58:00.000-06:00

We once again test this blog.

Be sure and see/hear the new cat song over at rathergood.com:

http://www.rathergood.com/knees/