cats – Page 24

Grumpy Cat Toys and a Not-So-Grumpy Dirk

* Originally written by me for katzenworld.co.uk

I’m sure most of you have read about Grumpy Cat or seen pictures of him. I think he’s super funny even if it’s unintentional. I doubt he’ll be happy to hear I love him or that he now features in cat toys – at best he probably can’t care less.

Yes, you read it: Grumpy Cat toys!! I have to admit I think I might like these even more than Dirk does. The toys have the characteristic grumpy face which just makes me laugh out loud.

How do Dirk and the grumpy faces get along? Well, let’s find out!

Whoa, seriously what’s that look on his face?!?!
(It’s his natural facial expression Dirk, Grumpy can’t help it)

All right then, but I sure want to give it some good kicks 🙂

The Catnip Sock has some bells attached to it and the sock itself makes a funny rustling, crinkly sound. Most cats absolutely love this. Dirk will come running as soon as he hears it. You can hide the toy and squeeze it a few times to arouse his hunting instincts. Wait for you cat to get into ‘hunting mode’ and just watch him pounce and kick it around 🙂 And of course it contains the much-loved catnip… I’m afraid Dirk is an addict and I’m his enabler…

The other Grumpy Cat toy we play with a lot is technically a door hanger. I say technically because Dirk much prefers playing with it on the floor or anywhere else rather than the door. It makes sense too, because it is quite big and really suited for interactive games or stretching&kicking it around – which Dirk loves 🙂

No mom, I don’t want to play with you. It’s all mine!

The door hanger looks like a cat and thus has also got four legs. Initially Dirk wasn’t so sure about all those dangling legs, but he soon discovered you can stretch and kick all at the same time. Another fun feature: when he gives the head some proper kicks it makes a squeaky sound too – which sent him flying the first time around.

While Dirk prefers dragging and kicking this toy around, you can absolutely hang this toy on the door knob. We only have door handles in the house and it’s therefore a bit difficult for Dirk to get the toy off the handle and play with it. However, if your doors have knobs then your can can easily grab hold of the toy’s legs and pounce them. With some effort they might be able to get them off the door knob. Just imagine the look on your cat’s face when they succeed!

Dirk is truly becoming one of Grumpy Cat’s fans and as they say “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”!

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(work those ears&eyes a bit more Dirk)

Featuring: Jakks Pacific Grumpy Cat Plush Door Dangler and Jakks Pacific Grumpy Cat Catnip Sock, Smell This!

Health & Welfare, international cat care

How to help our arthritic cats

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* Originally written by me for citikiti.co.uk

From the ICatCare Conference

Like people and dogs, aging cats can suffer from arthritis. In itself this doesn’t sound too surprising, but this disease has been under-diagnosed. In part, this is because cats rarely show signs of illness unless and until they are seriously ill; in part this is because symptoms of arthritis can easily be dismissed as signs of ‘old age’. Astonishingly, research has shown that around 90% of cats older than 12 years suffer from joint disease.

Arthritis is very painful, but many cats will try to hide the fact they are suffering. However, there are signs your cat may be suffering from arthritis. One of the things you may notice is that your cat no longer jumps up or down or is quite hesitant to do so. You may notice their legs are stiff, especially after the cat has been resting for a while.

They may sleep more and play less. Your cat may be a bit grumpy when you pick him up or stroke him. And because their joints are painful it may be difficult for them to use the litter tray: you may notice ‘bum sticking out’ types of litter tray accidents or an accident near the tray because the cat couldn’t manage to posture correctly inside the tray.

International Cat Care has created a checklist that you can use if you suspect your cat may be suffering from joint disease: https://icatcare.org/…/kcfin…/images/mobility_check-list.pdf

Obviously, a vet needs to make the diagnosis and will discuss treatment with you.

Besides medical treatment there are many things we can do at home to make our aging cats’ lives a bit easier.
• Make sure the cat’s sleeping & hiding places are easily accessible: either build steps or a ramp so your cat doesn’t have to jump to get to his favourite resting places. And give your cat soft and warm beds.
• Provide a large litter tray that is easy to step in to and out of: either make sure the litter tray has a lowered side so your cat doesn’t have to lift its legs too much or build a ramp for easy access. Use sandy litter, that is nice and soft underneath their feet.
• Food and water should be within easy reach: provide raised bowls so they don’t have to stretch their neck too much to reach it.
• Food, water and litter trays should preferably be available on every level of the house so your cat doesn’t have to go up- or downstairs to use these essential resources. Walking up and down the stairs can be quite painful for the arthritic cat.
• If your cat uses a cat flap: provide steps or a ramp on either side of the cat flap for easy access.
• Maintain a healthy weight: extra weight just put more pressure on those painful joints.

And let’s not forget some TLC: groom and play with your cat. Your cat will have more difficulty grooming himself, but most cats enjoy feeling prim and proper. They will be quite grateful to receive some gentile grooming with a soft brush.

Play with your cats too. Cats are naturally playful and frequent short play sessions will help ease the pain in their joints. Hunting style games are interactive and mimic the cat’s natural behaviour, so he will surely appreciate this. And of course it’s fun for you too

For more information about arthritis in cats see International Cat Care’s website.

Health & Welfare

Dirk aiming to beat the Flab

I don’t know about your cats, but my lovely Dirk is a bit overweight… According to International Cat Care about 39-52% of cats in the UK are overweight or obese, so Dirk is certainly not the only one. As you all know, being overweight can lead to other health problems as well, diabetes for example.

It can also lead to issues with the lower urinary tract, such as cystitis. I didn’t actually know this until Dirk developed urinary issues (bladder stones) 6 years ago. At that point he weighed 5.9 kg, so his weight may well have been a contributing factor. He’s a pretty big guy, but should really weigh around 5 kg.

So, how to beat the flab?

Given his bladder and weight issues, Dirk is permanently on a special diet, which also means he doesn’t get treats… Fortunately he seems to love his dental dry food as much as treats, so we make him chase those all around the house. We strictly monitor how much he’s eating and of course we try and get him to play as much as possible. Luckily he loves his toys 🙂

He can’t go outside, which would have been an ideal way for him to lose weight, but we let him run up and down the stairs in our apartment building. He absolutely loves it!

His weight has been coming down slowly but steadily, and he’s been at 5.3 kg for a while now (yes, he has a waistline again!).

How has he managed to lose weight?

A few years ago we also started using activity feeders. He used to have a feeder ball during the day and a bowl of food during the night.

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Admittedly, Dirk was not immediately taken by the feeder ball. Initially he just ignored it (or didn’t get it) and would wait till evening when we put his food in the bowl… Eventually his curiosity got the better of him and he started playing with the ball. He then discovered food coming out of it! Now he’ll happily chase the ball all around the apartment.

Two issues with the ball, though. First, when you’re trying to sleep and you keep hearing the ball being knocked against the door or walls, that’s not great. And second, whenever we’re on holiday and one of my cat sitting colleagues takes care of him, Dirk always hides the ball (preferably under our bed, shoe cupboard or the sofa). Yes, he prefers a ready meal 🙂

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Where’s my food?

We tackled this issue by getting him two more activity feeders, but ones that he doesn’t actually have to move around the house: the toilet roll tower and activity board.

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He now always has access to his food, but always has to work for it. He’s eating smaller portions more often during the day and actually seems to enjoy the food games. Hopefully it will also help him lose those final 300 grams to reach his target weight!

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And it even works for wet food – don’t worry, your cat will clean up the mess :-)

Product reviews, Toys

Dirk on a roll with Catkins Feather Roller

* Originally written by me for katzenworld.co.uk

Dirk is going a bit crazy over this toy…

Fellow cats, I don’t want to make you (too) jealous, but check out my new toy! It’s made of straw and feathers and brings out the inner wildness 😉

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My mom likes to throw it around the house for me to chase which is sort of fun. The roller has a rattling noise inside and that makes me really curious. Though honestly, I’m mostly intrigued by the straw and feathers. It’s one of those toys that’s worth taking a break from napping for.

You can sort of play football with it and run around the house. I like rolling around with it all over the floor and giving it some good kicks.

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Just look at me, I’m on a roll!

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Yeah, so I look kind of silly rolling around the house like this, but who cares. After playing with it I always like to lick the feathers, as I would with an actual prey (if only……)

So, this is a cool toy: I can kick it around the house and then it makes this funny rattling noise, I can really grab the straw with my nails and give it a good kick and finally when I’m tired of all that I can chill with it and lick the feathers 🙂

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Product reviews, Toys

Dirk’s inner football player loves the JW Cataction Rattle Ball

* Originally written by me for katzenworld.co.uk

Another piece “by Dirk” and this time he is a bit more personal!

Hello people, it’s Dirk again 🙂
Before I tell you about the JW Cataction Rattle Ball, I want to share something personal with you.

First of all, I love pink! It’s such a cool colour. My litter tray is pink, I have some pink toys and my scratching posts are pink too. Apologies, the armchairs I meant…

But that’s not all I wanted to share with you. Not many people know this, but I was actually named after a famous football player, or at least he’s famous in The Netherlands and in Liverpool 😉

So now that you know a bit more about me I can tell you about my new Rattle Ball and it will come as no surprise that I love it. I mean, it’s purple & pink and it looks like a mini football! Totally my kind of thing.

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Of course you can play with it on your own or with a cat friend. I like bouncing it against the walls and generally running around with it. On lazy days I just lie around and pounce the ball back and forth a bit.

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Here’s the best thing about this ball, so fellow cats, pay attention! You should TOTALLY share this toy with your humans. They seem to enjoy kicking and throwing it as much as I like catching it. My mom and dad often kick or throw the ball to each other until I catch it and chase it around the house 🙂 It’s such fun to watch your humans running around for a change. Makes my day every time!

I just wish I knew how to take pictures so I could show you how happy my parents are running around throwing the ball…

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I just wanted to add that luckily Dirk doesn’t know how to use a camera 😉
It’s true though that he enjoys this toy most in combination with human interaction. The 3 of us have a lot of fun with it.

I do also catch him ‘accidentally’ stepping over the toy and then chasing it because “OMG that just moved?!?” He’ll then play with it on his own and gets quite enthusiastic!

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