How Are The Wildfires Affecting My Cat?

How Are The Wildfires Affecting My Cat?

All Posts, Cat Blog Articles, Vet's Corner
How Are The Wildfires Affecting My Cat? Written by Sela Garza If you live in California at the moment and own a cat, you might be wondering how the wildfires are affecting cats and what we can do to keep them safe. Smoke and low air quality can affect your cat just as they affect humans. It’s easier to keep indoor cats safe from harm, but we can protect our outdoor cats, too, by limiting the amount of time they spend outside. It will be an adjustment for them—and probably for you—but it will be worth it when you see them emerge from the house happy and healthy! As in humans, smoke can irritate your pet’s respiratory tract, which can lead to labored breathing and coughing. Needless to say, they cannot…
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Your Cats’ First Week Home Pt.2

Your Cats’ First Week Home Pt.2

All Posts, Cat Blog Articles, Vet's Corner
Your Cats’ First Week Home Pt.2 By Cece Gu When it comes to cats, bonding can be unpredictable due to their moody behavior. Some cats, such as Persian, Burmese, or Ragdoll, have a more friendly and sociable personality and can be easier to bond with. Some breeds, such as Siamese, tend to be a little more standoffish. But one thing to keep in mind is that if you’re patient, you can form a bond with any breed of cat as long as you do it the right way. Bonding does not happen over a few hours but may take days or weeks. Here are some more tips for gently and effectively introducing new cats to you and your home. Tip #1: Set up a small space to bond in. Cats…
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Enjoying the Outdoors Safely

Enjoying the Outdoors Safely

All Posts, Cat Blog Articles, Vet's Corner
Enjoying the Outdoors Safely By C. M. Saracco It’s a dilemma many cat parents face:  they want their cats to enjoy the outdoors while remaining safe and protecting wildlife. What if it wasn’t strictly an either/or choice?   Leash / Harness Training   Training your cat to tolerate a harness and leash can help your cat explore the sights, sounds, and smells of the outdoors while remaining safely near you.  Combined pricing for both units is affordable, often $15 - $40.  For more than a decade, I’ve used this option with my now 19-year-old cat Ezekiel, a rescue who had been accustomed to roaming outdoors and occasionally fought with neighbor cats or dashed across the street.  He’s now indoors-only except when we harness him for a backyard sunbathing or garden exploration session. …
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Growing Your Own Kitty Treats

Growing Your Own Kitty Treats

All Posts, Cat Blog Articles, Vet's Corner
Growing Your Own Kitty Treats By C. M. Saracco The sunny days of Spring are a great time to grow cat grass or catnip for your kitties.  Both are easy to cultivate in Santa Clara County, in containers or in the ground.  And both are reputed to offer mild health benefits – for example, cat grass can aid digestion and help cats eliminate hairballs, while catnip can reduce anxiety and encourage exercise. Most cats like them.  Growing these treats for your cat is actually quite easy.  You just need a couple of sturdy containers and a sunny spot indoors or outdoors.  If you’re impatient or just don’t want to get your hands dirty, many garden shops carry cat grass and catnip plants.  But growing your own is fun and inexpensive and…
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Naomi Smalls Goes Home!

Naomi Smalls Goes Home!

All Posts, Happy Tails, Meet Our Pets
Naomi Smalls came to our shelter as a surrender in May when she was just 6 months old. Having moderate-severe Cerebellum Hypoplasia (CH), She cannot keep her balance and has trouble walking.  CH is a neurological condition in which the cerebellum is smaller than usual or not completely developed, and it has been reported in many animal species. Naomi lived in a wonderful foster home where she was socialized and given the love and care that her needs require.  She was adopted by a former volunteer who wanted to open her heart and home to a special needs cat. Ensuring that her home was made safe for Naomi and doing extensive research to be able to provide her with the purrfect home, she is now happy and healthy in her…
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Summer Tips For A Bay Area Cat

Summer Tips For A Bay Area Cat

All Posts, Cat Blog Articles
Summer Tips For A Bay Area Cat Summer in the Bay Area can mean a lot of different things in terms of weather. Within a single day, temperatures can soar to heatwave levels and then drop to the high 50s. At noon, you might need lots of sunscreen and a popsicle or two to keep you cool. But don’t be surprised if, by 3:00, you’re zipping your jacket up to your chin! Some days, the sun is blocked by clouds or an impenetrable fog layer. That is what you can expect from a Bay Area summer—in other words, the unexpected. For example, Morgan Hill, the home of Town Cats, averages a high of 88°F for the month of August, whereas San Francisco averages a breezy 67°. These temperature variances are…
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