CAT OWNERSHIP

It can be hard to find room in the house for all your cat’s stuff: scratching post, food and water bowls, toys, bed, litter boxes. Many people relegate many or all of those resources to a back hallway, a staircase landing, or a mudroom off the kitchen. It’s understandable. It keeps the items close by yet more or less out of sight. But from your cat’s point of view, narrow areas like that make unnerving choices.

It’s often said that the best life for a pet cat is entirely indoors because that will keep her safest. But the new 2024 Position Statement on indoor/outdoor lifestyle from the American Academy of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) makes it clear that the truth is more nuanced.

Grief shared is grief abated.

In recent years, veterinarians have seen an increase in the popularity of pedigree cat breeds with extreme body shapes and features, such as flat faces or folded ears. Though these features may seem endearing or striking to pet owners, many are unaware of the associated health and welfare issues that can result in lifelong suffering. For instance, a very pushed in face (think of a Persian whose face is flatter than usual) can make it difficult for a cat to breathe comfortably, as well as lead to skin and eye problems. Folded ears are associated with a very serious condition known as Scottish Fold Disease, which affects a cat’s joints and makes getting around extremely painful.

If you haven’t yet met a cat named Marshmallow, Pumpkin, or Cinnamon, you will soon. Almost one in every seven cats is given a food-themed moniker, according to a database of more than 50,000 pet names. More cats are given food- or drink-themed names than dogs, in fact.

An estimated one out of every 100 people in the United States has celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder characterized by sometimes severe and dangerous reactions to ingesting even a microscopic amount of gluten — an ingredient in wheat and many other products. Those afflicted work assiduously to avoid gluten, which is in everything from bread to soy sauce and beer. It’s also in many brands of cat litter.