Ear Infections In Cats: Symptoms, Causes, & Treatments

Ear infections in cats can affect both the inner ear and outer ear. Those affecting the inner ear are known as otitis media. Those affecting the outer ear are called otitis externa.

In general, otitis media infections can be more severe and dangerous to a cat’s health than otitis externa infections. If you see the signs of either type of ear infection in your cat, then you must get to a veterinarian for a proper diagnosis and treatment.

To read more on this story, click here: Ear Infections In Cats: Symptoms, Causes, & Treatments

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Woman Adopts One Cat Then Returns To Shelter For The One She Left Behind

Cats and dogs are stuck in shelters all over the world. Some are lucky enough to find forever homes, while others are at the shelter for life.

11-year-old Mojo was lucky enough to be adopted. He and 16-year-old Max were dropped off at Anne Arundel County Animal Control in Maryland. They spent years together at the shelter, but it was unknown whether or not they’d spend the rest of their lives together.

To read more on this story, click here: Woman Adopts One Cat Then Returns To Shelter For The One She Left Behind

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Cat Falls Out Of Sky And Onto Pensioner’s Head Knocking Him Out

‘It’s raining cats and dogs’ is a saying most of us will have heard throughout our lifetimes whenever it’s chucking it down outside. But did you ever think you’d be using the phrase literally?

Nope, me neither, but mark this date in your diary because something of the sort has happened in China – and the whole thing was caught on camera.

That’s right folks, the bizarre moment a cat fell from the sky, knocking out an elderly man walking on the path below in the process, has been documented for all to see.

To read more on this story, click here: Cat Falls Out Of Sky And Onto Pensioner’s Head Knocking Him Out

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Stray Kitten Interrupts Live Newscast, Meowing for Help

 

One stray kitty certainly did get her 15 minutes of fame yesterday morning.

The orange tabby totally crashed a local ABC reporter’s live shot in in Washtenaw County, Michigan, seizing the purr-fect opportunity to steal the entire show.

“He’s going to be our new mascot,” Nima Shaffe, the WXYZ Channel 7 reporter stated, before realizing the kitten was a female. “He greeted photojournalist Andy Zaremba and I here in the parking lot and he’s been pretty vocal. He tried to take over my time and he’s been hanging out underneath our truck here and so we’ve taken him under our wing.”

To read more on this story, click here: Stray Kitten Interrupts Live Newscast, Meowing for Help

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Reddit Has Suddenly Exploded With Photos of Dads Who Did Not Want Pets

You know a dad like this, or you’ve at least seen one on the internet, the kind of dad who adamantly refuses to have a pet and then once that cuddly fur ball is brought into the house, that pet becomes his best buddy. Sounds familiar, right? Well, the internet loves these dads, too. Reddit’s https://www.reddit.com/r/dadswhodidnotwantpets/community saw a 98% increase in traffic this week, according to a Reddit communications staffer, and it makes sense why.

To read more on this story, click here: Reddit Has Suddenly Exploded With Photos of Dads Who Did Not Want Pets

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Adorable Reasons Cats Love Sleeping in Their Owners’ Beds

It seems that pet comfort is a supreme concern among cat owners. These craftspeople in Japan, for example, make miniaturized super-high-end furniture for cats. Even their battle armor looks comfy. But while tiny furniture and soft armor may appease our furry overlords, what really puts them at ease are their owners’ beds. And this video lists the many adorable reasons why.

To read more on this story, click here: Adorable Reasons Cats Love Sleeping in Their Owners’ Beds

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Meet Rexie The Cat: A Handicat Here To Steal Your Heart

All cats are totally adorable. But there are some cats who are naturally photogenic and will make you fall in love with them just by looking at their photo. Rexie, a male handicat, is basically the equivalent of an emoji cat. He is always ready to express himself for the camera. And his owner, Dasha Minaeva, took notice of it. Since she started sharing him with the world, he’s stolen hearts everywhere. Rexie the cat, you are certainly the thief of hearts that you claim to be.

To read more on this story, click here: Meet Rexie The Cat: A Handicat Here To Steal Your Heart

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These Cute Cats Wear Their Hearts On Their Fur

One of the best things about cats is that they come in all different colors, and there are no limitations when it comes to coat pattern. There are cats with stripes, swirls, splotches, and even polka dots. Tabbies, calicos, tuxies, and so many other different kinds of cats have interesting coat patterns that really turn heads. You can find some crazy designs if you stare at a multicolored cat for long enough. Out of all the possible shapes you can find in a cat’s coat, we especially love it when our feline friends wear their hearts on their fur.  There’s just something about cats with heart markings that makes us go, “AWWWW!”

To read more on this story, click here: These Cute Cats Wear Their Hearts On Their Fur

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Humane Rescue Alliance is Participating in NBC Washington's Clear the Shelters

HRA is participating in NBC Washington's Clear the Shelters, but it looks a little different this year. Instead of dedicating just one day to the event, we’ll be virtually celebrating all month long by sharing some of our favorite Clear the Shelters success stories, as well as dogs, cats, rabbits, and more who are available for virtual adoption!

On August 29, we will not be holding the in-person event at our shelters out of an abundance of caution due to COVID-19. Instead, we’ll be celebrating the day online. Keep an eye on our social pages for more details about our digital celebration!

Can’t adopt but still want to participate in the fun? You can with a donation to HRA! Your donation will help support the animals in our care, from medical treatments to daily enrichment and beyond. Donate here: SUPPORT

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The 12 Most Important Things You Need to Know About Cats

Not all cats have all of these traits but if you are thinking of getting a cat, you should know that the cat you end up getting may or may not exhibit all of these traits, but it will have some of them.

It’s kind of like a menu at a Chinese restaurant and just about as scientific too.

• Sleeping on your lap — most, but definitely not all cats, have this trait. It starts out as a good thing, especially when they’re mere kittens. But as they get older, they also get heavier. Some cats, however may bite and scratch when placed on a human’s lap because that’s the last place on Earth they want to be.

To read more on this story, click here: The 12 Most Important Things You Need to Know About Cats

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Cat, Kitten, Feline, Pet, Cat Health, Kitten Health, 

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Feral Cats: The Neighbors You May Never See

It is estimated that the feral cats living on the streets of the United States number in the tens of millions. What are feral cats? They are distinct from stray cats—“domesticated pet cats who have been raised among humans but became lost or were abandoned. These stray cats are accustomed to, and in many senses depend upon, human society; they therefore can and should be returned to their owners or adopted into a new home.

Feral cats, on the other hand, are cats of the domesticated species who have been raised apart from humans or separated too long from human company and have returned to “wild” ways. They cannot be socialized and are not adoptable as pets, although kittens born to feral cats, if taken before about the age of eight to 10 weeks, can be socialized and adopted. Some people attempt to “tame” feral cats in order to make them adoptable, but this has been shown to be virtually impossible, as a feral cat’s nature is to live independently among other cats and to range freely outdoors, avoiding strangers and escaping from confinement. A feral cat may rarely learn to accept human companionship and live inside a house, but it is not the cat’s natural home, and the situation is far more stressful for the cat than living outside in its colony. Further, the amount of resources spent on trying to make a few feral cats adoptable could be better used in other ways, such as spay and neuter services.

To read more on this story, click here: Feral Cats: The Neighbors You May Never See

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Cat Neglected For Years Finally Gets A Haircut That Uncovers His Real Identity

Most of us had that moment growing up when we wanted to be a veterinarian. Animals operate on the very edge of “fun” and “dangerous,” which makes a profession dealing with them seem seriously cool. But as anyone who truly works with animals knows, it’s not all cuddly cats and puppies.

Shelter employees especially understand the darker side of working with animals that many people don’t know about. Day in and day out, they see heartbreaking cases — and in 2018, Douglas County Animal Care & Services in Nevada saw one of the worst situations they'd ever seen.  

To read more on this story, click here: Cat Neglected For Years Finally Gets A Haircut That Uncovers His Real Identity

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Maternal Gorilla Received Box Of Kittens For Her Birthday

Koko was one special gorilla. She could communicate very well with her handlers and loved taking on a mother role to other animals. After becoming a part of the longest experiment to teach language to another species, Koko had become an icon for The Gorilla Foundation. Aside from art, Koko also loved kittens.

According to The Gorilla Foundation, Koko loved babies. Although her handlers weren't able to find Koka a baby gorilla, they did find her the next best thing. As a gift for her birthday, her handlers got Koko a box full of adorable kittens.

To read more on this story, click here: Maternal Gorilla Received Box Of Kittens For Her Birthday

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9-Year-Old Boy Sells Custom Pet Paintings For Food and Supplies For Shelter Animals

You don’t have to be supersized to do something wonderful. In fact, even the smallest of people can make a difference in this world. That is what you will see with this young child, who is stepping up to the plate and making a difference in a big way.

The nine-year-old Russian boy, Pavel Abramov, is doing his part to help animals at local shelters. He is an artist at such a young age who lives in the small city of Arzamas in Nizhny Novgorod. He has been busy painting pictures of pets but he isn’t collecting money to buy the latest gadget, he is exchanging the pictures for supplies and food to be donated to a local shelter.

To read more on this story, click here: 9-Year-Old Boy Sells Custom Pet Paintings For Food and Supplies For Shelter Animals

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People Are Crocheting Adorable Tiny Couches For Their Cats

All cat owners know that when you have a cat, your house is not your own. In the cat’s mind, it’s their home and you’re just paying either the rent or mortgage on it. But they’re so adorable, you don’t mind. Let’s face it, a cat’s assertiveness is a big part of why we love them.

However, even though the cat runs the household, we still sometimes try to keep them off the furniture since they shed a lot and it makes keeping up with the vacuuming a little easier if they don’t constantly lounge on the good sofa or the good chair.

To read more on this story, click here: People Are Crocheting Adorable Tiny Couches For Their Cats

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Overweight Cat Is Going Viral After Passerby Shares Vet Clinic’s Hilarious Sign

A post-it and several sheets of paper were tapped to the door of a vet clinic – all to describe the resident cat.

A chunky cat named Fat Fred has captured people’s attention and apparently the clinic has received many inquires about him – so they decided to post a witty note.

Someone was strolling by the clinic when they noticed the note and snapped a photo to share online.

KneeAppallingTanIceCream posted the hilarious sign to Imgur with the caption, “Walking by a vet clinic when I saw this sign…” and it immediately went viral.

To read more on this story, click here: Overweight Cat Is Going Viral After Passerby Shares Vet Clinic’s Hilarious Sign

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Can Pets Get The Coronavirus, And Can We Catch It From Them? Here's The Science

Humans and animals share many diseases. And as dramatically shown by the tigers that tested positive in the Bronx Zoo, the coronavirus is one of them.

As three veterinary epidemiologists who study infectious disease, we have been asked a lot of questions about if and how the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 affects pets.

Can my pet get the coronavirus?

When talking about a virus, the words "get" or "catch" are vague. A more precise question is: Can my cat or dog become infected with SARS-CoV-2?

The answer is yes. There is evidence from real-world cases as well as laboratory experiments that both cats and dogs can become infected with coronavirus.

In Hong Kong, health officials have tested 17 dogs and eight cats living with COVID-19 patients for the coronavirus. They found evidence of the virus in two dogs: a Pomeranian and a German shepherd, though neither became sick.

None of the eight cats were infected or had been sick. However, there is a separate report of an infected cat from Hong Kong.

To read more on this story, click here: Can Pets Get The Coronavirus, And Can We Catch It From Them? Here's The Science


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Lisbon Business Donates 50,000 Pounds of Pet Food

Pet food is considered an essential item here in Ohio and in Pennsylvania, and it can get expensive

LISBON, Ohio (WKBN) – We’ve seen thousands of people go through food donation lines here in the Valley, but one thing that often gets overlooked is the need for pet food.

Pet food for dogs and cats was one of the items we saw people panic buying in March. During that time period, dog food sales spiked almost 54 percent, which made finding it difficult.

Pet food is considered an essential item here in Ohio and in Pennsylvania, and it can get expensive. Buying dog food when you’re unemployed or furloughed can be tough as the average bag costs about $20 to $30.

To read more on this story, click here: Lisbon Business Donates 50,000 Pounds of Pet Food

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When Pet Owners Fall Ill With Coronavirus, What Happens Next?

Spain, which is enduring one of the world’s biggest and deadliest outbreaks, grapples with moral and practical questions on caring for animals when their owners are suddenly sick.

MADRID — The coronavirus strikes. The patient — at home, sometimes alone — becomes desperately ill. The ambulance finally arrives to take the person away.

Then, a second team, clad in hazmat gear, follows to rescue a household member abandoned in the chaos and suddenly in need of a new caregiver: the patient’s pet.

The teams, from the Madrid animal shelter El Refugio, end up placing the pets in foster homes with people who will care for them temporarily while Spain’s strict lockdown is in place and so much is in flux.

To read more on this story, click here: When Pet Owners Fall Ill With Coronavirus, What Happens Next?

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Pet Owners Note Behavioral changes in Their Cats and Dogs During the Coronavirus Pandemic

While the impact of this pandemic has ranged from absolute boredom to more serious things like job losses and health issues, some of our pets are coping in their own ways.

A local veterinarian who focuses on animal behavior and stress is not surprised to hear our pets are stressed, too.

Matt O'Donnell spoke with Dr. Carlo Siracusa of Penn's Ryan Veterinary Hospital about Bailey, his generally happy and spoiled 8-year-old Shichon.

To read more on this story, click here: Pet Owners Note Behavioral changes in Their Cats and Dogs During the Coronavirus Pandemic




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