Roughly a week ago I got an email from a lovely woman who recently took in a gorgeous stray cat she found in her neighbourhood. Worried about the fact that he had symptoms of a cold that never seemed to go away (even after being medicated), and that the vets at her current clinic didn't seem to know what they were doing, she emailed asking for my …
Cat Stress & Anxiety Advice
Cat pet care articles related to lowering and preventing stress & anxiety. Browse through all KittyClysm pet care articles here.
Interested in other pet care subcategories? Take a look through: health, hydration, feeding, training, playing, and grooming.
Why Exactly Do Cats Scratch? 7 Benefits Cats Reap from Scratching Things Up
We all know how frustrating it can be living with a cat who scratches up couches, clothes, and even walls. It's no fun living with kitties who use their claws as weapons of mass destruction. But not every cat is a destructive scratcher, though absolutely every cat is a scratcher at heart. Why cats all love (and need!) to scratch comes down to a …
Why Do Cats Chew on Plastic? Is It Dangerous? Can I Get My Cat to Stop?
As a cat owner, you notice a lot of weird things cats do that just don't make a lot of sense - no matter how hard you think about them. Things like being really eager to knock random objects off tables or counter tops, sitting on paper that just so happens to be placed in the middle of the floor; cats are even weird with each other, often …
How Much Play Do Cats Need? How Often & How Long Should Playtime Be?
Ah, the illusive cat playtime. Most of us cat owners get the drill by now: we should be playing with our felines on the regular. We know that - in order to keep our pets happy and healthy - and especially if our cats are indoor-only cats who don't get stimulation and exercise running around after bugs, birds, and little rodents outside - playing …
Cat Barbering: Why Cats Excessively Lick & Over-Groom ‘Til They Bald
Here's a frustrating behaviour to witness as a pet parent if I ever saw one: cat barbering. It's when your cat bites, licks, sucks, or scratches - basically excessively over-grooming to the point where he or she will begin to lose hair, end up with bald spots, or even worse, have little scabs on his or her skin due to the compulsive …
My Cat Got Sick; He’s Better, but His Behaviour & Personality Changed: Help?
Roughly a week ago, a new reader, Rooksaar, stumbled across my blog while digging for information about behavioural changes in cats, and in particular, about personality changes that occur after illnesses. Her newly adopted shelter cat had taken ill with an upper respiratory infection almost immediately after being taken home, and on his …
Flying with a Pet Can Be More Stressful for the Pet Owner Than the Pet
On Monday September 3rd, at roughly 6:00 in the morning, Thomas, Avery, and I were at the London Heathrow Airport boarding a plane for a flight headed to Lisbon, Portugal. This isn't the first time we'd flown with our pet, our super-snuggly house cat, Avery. We'd taken a flight from Toronto to London approximately two and a half years prior, since …