Tag Archives: Cat

Do You Need To Neuter Your Pet?

Posted on by

Tortoiseshell_she-catSpring is here the season of new life, as we all know many animals have babies at this time of year. However, this is not always planned or well received. Many pet owners find themselves responsible for litters of kittens and rabbits unexpectedly. As a result, rescue centres across the UK are struggling to cope with the number of animals in rescue.

67,000 rabbits go into rescue care in the UK each year. Recent figures from the RSPCA revealed that more than 37,000 animals were dumped across England and Wales last year, a rise of 34%, from the previous year*. Burns Pet Nutrition is urging pet owners to ensure they don’t fuel the crisis.

As a nation we need to be responsible for neutering our pets and develop a better understanding of how to manage breeding. Fiona Firth, Head Nutritionist at Burns Pet Nutrition has advice for pet owners on how to take care of their pets and prevent unwanted pregnancies this spring.

Cats

One cat can breed 20,000 descendants in just five years*. Cats Protection neuters 175,000 cats a year but there are still thousands without homes. Your pet cat and any kittens can become pregnant from as young as four months.

The cat breeding season is usually between February and August. If your pet isn’t neutered be aware she will have regular heat cycles when she seeks to attract a mate. Indicative behaviours include, restlessness, an increase in appetite and loud meowing.

Be aware this is her attempt to attract a mate. You may also observe her crouching, pressed
downwards but extending her back. If your cat hasn’t been neutered it may be an idea to keep her indoors to protect her from pregnancy and even diseases from stray Tom cats.

Cats usually experience puberty at around five to eight months but it can happen even earlier depending on the breed of cat. You can neuter both male and female cats from an early age. The vet responsible will advise when they recommend carrying out the neutering operation – usually at around four months of age.

Rabbits

Accidental breeding is one of the main contributing factors to the 67,000 rabbits in rescue. In the first instance, if you are buying two rabbits, be extremely cautious that you have the same sex rabbits. This is a common mistake easy to make.

Like cats, rabbits can breed from a surprisingly young age and can reach sexual maturity between five and eight months of age. A female rabbit can be impregnated again, just hours after giving birth!

This can result in another litter of baby bunnies before the first has even been weaned. A potentially overwhelming situation for your rabbit and you!

Neutering prevents or stops this cycle. This is important to your rabbit’s wellbeing and helps prevent the development of diseases. Spaying is important for your female rabbit in particular, as it reduces the risk of her developing cancer of the womb. Up to 80% of un-neutered female rabbits can develop cancer of the uterus.

Spaying can also assist with your female rabbit’s behaviour as when in heat she may show signs of aggression. Female rabbits can be spayed at around four months of age but again your vet will advise on when to perform the neutering.

Rabbits do like company, beware two rabbits of the same sex (two males) or (two females) will fight if not neutered once their hormones kick in. The best combination for companionship is a male and female pair with both neutered.

For anyone needing assistance, there are friendly pet nutrition advisors who can help select the best diet for their pet contactable via the free-phone number 0800 083 6696.

Zoola Cat Ring Jewellery Holder | Home

Posted on by

Designed for Umbra by Alan Wisniewski, this chrome plated cat is now one of my favourite things. It may just be a ring holder but it makes me smile every time I look at it. Perfect so you don’t lose your ring or just as a decorative piece. Size is 2 3/4 x 1 x 2 3/4″ (7 x 3 x 7 cm)

The holder can hold a lot of rings on its super long tail and is well designed. It is good quality and just incredibly cute.

cat jewellery holder

cat, chrome, jewellery, holder
The Umbra Zoola Cat Ring Holder is also available as an Elephant, bunny or a giraffe. They are super cute and very handy.

Lost Cat by Caroline Paul

Posted on by

caroline-tibia-wendyI have to admit, I love cats. I have had four in my life. Two are still alive while the other two sadly passed. So when I got this book to review I was pretty excited.

This is what the dust cover says, “Caroline Paul was recovering from a bad accident and thought things couldn’t get worse. But then her beloved cat Tibia disappeared. She and her partner, illustrator Wendy MacNaughton, mourned his loss. Yet weeks later, Tibia waltzed back into their lives. His owners were overjoyed. But they were also…jealous? Betrayed? Where had their sweet anxious cat disappeared to? Had he become a swashbuckling cat adventurer? Did he lovesomeone else more? His owners were determined to find out.

Using GPS technology, cat cameras, psychics, the web, and animal communicators, the authors of Lost Cat embarked on a quest to discover what their cat did when they weren’t around. Told through writer Caroline Paul’s rich and warmly poignant narrative and illustrator Wendy MacNaughton’s stunning and hilarious 4-color illustrations, Lost Cat is a book for animal lovers, pet owners, and anyone who has ever done anything desperate for love.”

Caroline is a brilliant writer. She is funny, insightful and fresh. The book is an honest and refreshing book on how much a woman loves her cat. Jealousy and slight craziness included. I think every pet owner will recognise themselves in this marvelous book. The book is not just about the cat, it is also about what happens when you are suffering from an injury and are mostly house bound.

The observations about people in cities not talking to their neighbours and only opening the door for the postman is funnily accurate, and as relevant in London as it is where Caroline lives in San Francisco.

The illustrations, drawn by Caroline’s partner Wendy, are excellent. I love the illustrations. They are well done but also capture the spirit of the book.

Lost Cat is a great book. Cat lover or not. It is funny and insightful. As great to read as it is beautiful to look at.

Lost Cat: A True Story of Love, Desperation, and GPS Technology

Secret Service Files – Protecting The President.

Posted on by

This documentary about the Secret Service is riveting  and informative. Broken down into four different events in which a President was in danger. It has access to the Presidents themselves and good archive footage.

Agent Robert Rodriguez and President Clinton talk us through King Hassan’s funeral. Dozens of world leaders were in Morocco for the funeral. Which the secret service agents refer to as a ‘sea of humanity’. There was a two mile walk during the funeral that left the President open to attack. The Secret Service advised him not to do the walk but he Insisted on it. Their were two leaders who were not popular in that part of the world, Presidents Clinton and Bush.

The Secret Service were on high alert as the death of a leader and religious figure is a recipe for disaster.

Agent Staropoli, who was in the counter assault team, otherwise known as CAT, was there to back up their Secret Service colleagues if anything went wrong as they have enhanced weapons that the rest of the team don’t have.

Bill Clinton says of the Secret Service when he was President,  “they were good at trying to be flexible because they knew I liked to be with people.”

The feeling you really get from this documentary is of bravery and courage. Of men risking their lives for their country and the man who runs it. As Agent Rodriguez says, “I would rather be dead than labelled a coward… I have never heard of an agent who had doubts about taking a bullet for the president.”

In another scenario with President George Bush Snr The president had to be evacuated. The agents say that, ‘the welfare of the president is always more important that pomp and circumstance.’

Joseph Funk said this event was the first time the CAT team had a full employment. There were tear gas, gunshots and unruly crowd. The Secret Service work by ‘cover and evacuate’.  They do 360 degree coverage of the President. Above, below and around and they also create a stable shooting platform.

When President Clinton went into Pakistan in March 2000 for a television address the Secret Service were against it. Clinton himself says that he, “knew I was in greater danger after going after Bin Laden”.

The agent says that AK47 are popular and easy to get in that region and that they went in against their better judgement.

They had a decoy airplane and made use of the element of surprise. Intelligence revealed that Pakistani secret police had been infiltrated and had people with Taliban sympathies.

They had six armed cars with the presidential seal so any assassins had a one in six chance of getting the president. Clinton’s speech was only 15 minutes. The Secret Service can never relax or put their guard down. That is what normal people do. “We don’t think it is a job well done until we arrive back at the White House.” they say. They do an impressive job.

When President Bush went into Georgia a loner with violent tendencies, Vladimir Arutyunian,  threw a grenade at him which bounced of a little girl’s head and miraculously did not go off. One brave Georgian policeman took the live grenade and ran away from the crowds with it, knowing it could go off at any moment. The Georgian people love the United States and they wanted to show appreciation to President Bush because of the destruction of the Soviet Union. They even named the highway leading to the main airport after him

Bryan Paarmann, Special agent FBI. said they had metal detectors, which were very important but because of overcrowding the Georgian security team switched off the metal defectors. So they had an unscreened crowd of up to 100,000 people.

The Secret Service say that their greatest fear is an isolated loner prone to violence and that they have to be on their game 100% of the time. There is no room for error.

Secret Service Files – Protecting The President shows on the National Geographic Channel.

Boy’s Best Friend Jessi-Cat named National Cat of the Year 2012

Posted on by

A family puss who has transformed the life of a boy with a severe anxiety disorder has been crowned National Cat of the Year at Cats Protection’s National Cat Awards 2012.

Two-year-old Jessi-Cat was honoured for helping seven-year-old Lorcan Dillon cope with Selective Mutism, a condition which affects his ability to speak and express himself.

Thanks to his pet cat, Lorcan has finally been able to say “I love you” and learnt ways to share his emotions when he finds it difficult to speak to people.

Cats Protection’s National Cat Awards, sponsored by www.verdocatlitter.co.uk, is the UK’s largest celebration of real-life stories of companionship, bravery and survival in the cat world.

At a star-studded awards ceremony at London’s Savoy hotel yesterday (16th of August) winners were chosen in five categories – Best Friends, Hero Cat, Most Incredible Story, Outstanding Rescue Cat and Celebrity Cat.

Jessi-Cat was crowned overall winner after first winning the Best Friends category, chosen by celebrity judge, ex-YES keyboardist and star of Grumpy Old Men Rick Wakeman.

Cat lover Rick said: “All three cats have been a huge support to their owners, but Jessi-Cat is my winner. The bond between Jessi-Cat and Lorcan is incredible and it has clearly had a hugely positive impact on Lorcan’s home and school life. Jessi-Cat helps Lorcan to communicate and express emotions that ordinarily Lorcan wouldn’t be able to do.”

Other celebrity judges attending the ceremony – hosted by ‘Voice of the Balls’ on BBC1’s National Lottery TV programmes Alan Dedicoat – were comedian Ed Byrne, model Lucy Pinder and ex-BBC newsreader Jan Leeming.

Lorcan and his mum Jayne Dillon, 44, of Davyhulme, Greater Manchester, were at the awards ceremony to accept Jessi-Cat’s prizes – a star shaped trophy, three months’ supply of cat food, a year’s supply of Verdo Cat Litter and a framed photograph of Jessi-Cat.

She said the family decided to get a cat to help Lorcan communicate and cope with Selective Mutism, which makes it hard for him to speak to people and leaves him feeling isolated and lonely.

She said: “Lorcan is able to connect love to Jessi-Cat, something he can’t do with people and she’s been a great support to him when things have been really hard.

“He does not express his emotions, he would not say ‘I love you Mummy’, he just doesn’t do it. But with the cat he can cuddle her, he can stroke her, he can talk to her and he can say ‘I love you Jessi-Cat.’

“She is without a doubt the best friend a boy could have and has had a huge positive impact on his life. We’ve had her for a couple of years and in the last year alone he seems to be making excellent progress at school. In the past two weeks he’s started communicating with people he doesn’t know very well and even reads to one of the teachers now – something he’s never done before.”

Other category winners were:

Charley: Charley, of Haltwhistle, Northumberland, won the Hero Cat category after saving the day when owner Susan Marsh-Armstrong, 47, collapsed during a diabetic attack in the middle of the night. As Susan’s life hung in the balance, quick-thinking Charley repeatedly patted her husband Kevin on the face until he woke and then led him to the bathroom where he discovered Susan unconscious on the floor and administered a glucose injection to bring her round.

William: William, of Chorley, Lancashire, won the Most Incredible Story category after making a gruelling half-a-mile journey home on two legs after his back legs were horrifically injured in a dog attack. Despite having one leg amputated the brave puss has since made a full recovery.

Phoenix: Phoenix, of Ballymoney, County Antrim, won the Outstanding Rescue Cat category after she made an extraordinary recovery from horrific burns. She was just a few weeks old when she was found in a coal bunker with hideous injuries but survived against the odds.

Simon’s Cat: Scooping the award for the nation’s favourite Celebrity Cat – chosen in a public vote on Cats Protection’s Facebook page – was Simon’s Cat, the animated moggy made famous worldwide in Simon Tofield’s books and online cartoons.

According to Kate Bunting, the Awards organiser at Cats Protection, Jessi-Cat’s story was an inspiring one.

She said: “The bond between Lorcan and Jessi-Cat is exceptional and it is truly moving to see what an incredible impact a cat can have on the whole family, particularly children.

“We hear many amazing stories of how cats have transformed people’s lives, from elderly people living alone to children like Lorcan.

“There is no doubt that cats can have an incredible calming effect and their intuition, sensitivity and unconditional love can have an incredible impact on their owners.”

Jessi-Cat follows in the paw prints of a long line of feline heroes honoured by Cats Protection. Previous winners have included “moggy midwife” Marmite who loyally stuck by his owner’s side during a difficult pregnancy and labour, and Tee Cee who became a lifeline to his epileptic owner with his ability to detect when he was about to have a seizure.

Cats Protection, the UK’s leading feline welfare charity, has around 6,200 cats and kittens in its care at any one time and rehomes and reunites over 48,000 every year. To find out more about the charity, or to adopt a cat, please visit www.cats.org.uk or call the charity’s national helpline on 03000 12 12 12.

Thanks to Philippa Gedge Photography

Chase PR AW12 Press Preview: Brand Watch

Posted on by

I went along to Chase PR’s press preview. They have some brilliant brands and I picked out some brands to watch.

Butterfly Twists. This are great fold-able shoes and boots. Perfect to have in your bag to whip out when the heels start to hurt.

Daniel Hechter – Crease proof tailored suits. A brilliant idea. A range for travellers and commuters.

Sebago shoes. Most of the brands are using the patriotic colours of red, blue and white for the Olympic/Jubilee year. Sebago have a great new range of shoes.

I love Cat footwear. They also do heels and boots now.

These glasses go dark in the sun and become sunglasses – so cool.

Storm – the only British watch brand. They do great watches and jewellery.

Energie have some great colourful jeans and Christmas type jumpers.

Gok Wan also has a new line of shapewear out.

Red or Dead have great clothes – lots of lace- and some really awesome shoes. Including some green sequined ones. I like!

Miss Sixty. A lot of clothes have a grown-up vibe. Influences from Mad Men and Pam Am. There is a definite vintage vibe. As well as coloured denim.

Patagonia

Bright, coloured waterproof coats.

Geox has a brilliant range of breathable shoes. They stop your feet getting too hot.

And of course...Paul Costelloe. A designer legend.

Laugh-out-loud Chekhov – Two for the Price of One

Posted on by

Backpocket Productions and Scrawny Cat Theatre Company present The Bear and The Proposal by Anton Chekhov, Studio 180, 23 and 24 February 2012

On arrival at this intriguing venue in Waterloo, guests were given a ticket either with or without a white square.  This determined the order in which one experienced the plays, as both were performed twice in the evening, with the audience switching at the interval.  I started with The Bear, which I had not seen or read before.  It turned out to be a very entertaining piece of theatre with the laughs coming thick and fast.  The antagonism and admiration between Popova and Smirnoff was very well played, but for me the most interesting relationship was that between Popova and Luka, which was captivating from the outset.  Rae Brogan (Popova) ran the gamut of emotions, and was particularly effective (and amusing) as the grieving widow at the start of the play.  The irrepressible Avena Mansergh-Wallace (Luka) gave a remarkably physical comedic performance, and I especially liked her despair at the prospective duel.  Noah James (Smirnov) was a suitably angry and commanding Bear.  Well directed by Marisa Freyer, the piece was balanced and well-constructed, and ended on a high note.

After the interval, I moved upstairs for The Proposal, a play with which I am familiar.  I was eager to see the company’s take on this classic comedy.  It was hilarious.  Ryan Wichert (Lomov) was already in position, in dress shirt and tails, nervously waiting to pop the question.  Ryan used his physicality to great effect throughout the show to convey both anxiety and irritation, captivating the audience with voice, twitches and tics, and clever use of a small metal snuff box.  Marie Rabe was humorous and engaging as the lively Natalya, who wants to get married but can’t resist a good argument.  The character written as Stephan, Natalya’s father, was changed to Stephania, her mother, a directorial decision of which I highly approved.  Silvana Maimone proved herself a strong, versatile actor in this role transforming from stately to short-fused with ease.  All three of the actors gave engrossing performances, ably directed by Charlotte Ive, and my only complaint is that it seemed to be over too quickly!

This run of The Proposal and The Bear has finished, but for more information about the companies visit scrawnycat.co.uk.

Cat Footwear AW 12 Martine Rose, James Long collections debut at London Fashion Week

Posted on by

Cat Footwear AW 12 Martine Rose and James Long collections debut at London Fashion Week

Cat Footwear will be showcasing two highly anticipated designer collaboration collections during London Fashion Week AW 12, with emerging menswear designers Martine Rose and James Long. Both collections will be exclusively previewed during the designers NEWGEN MEN Salon and Fashion Forward shows and will draw inspiration from Cat Footwear’s workwear heritage.

This season Martine Rose will be hosting her first solo catwalk show at one of the British Fashion Councils most reputable shows NEWGEN MEN, having successfully moved up from her previous MAN show allocation. Cat Footwear are in their third season of collaborating with Martine Rose and are delighted to be supporting Martine during her debut Somerset House show, whilst collaborating with a designer who’s been described by Fantastic Man as “one of the most exciting designers working in London right now”. The AW 12 Cat x Martine capsule collection will be unveiled during her Salon show on Wednesday 22nd February.

Recently awarded the Fashion Forward prize, James Long is the first menswear designer ever to receive the accolade. Recipients of the Fashion Forward award are selected for their highly credible and innovative collections, with past winners including Christopher Kane and Giles Deacon. Cat Footwear are therefore proud to announce their support of James Long during his debut at the British Fashion Councils Fashion Forward show, whereby the highly anticipated Cat x James Long capsule footwear collection will be showcased for the first time, alongside his highly acclaimed menswear line.