About Cats: Fading Kitten Syndrome

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Cats Cats Cat Basics Health & Behavior Photos & Forums From Franny Syufy, your Guide to Cats March is almost over, and Spring is really in the air. Two brand new articles this week, with many more in the weeks to come. Here's a roundup of the new content in March: Review: Making Rounds With Oscar Cat Health 101: Veterinary Care Toxoplasmosis in Cats Fading Kitten Syndrome Loss in the World of Cats Have a great week, love on your cats, and I'll see you again in April. Fading Kitten Syndrome When we first adopted our Billy, pictured here, he was underweight to the point of emaciation, had a URI (upper respiratory infection), and was generally in poor physical shape. Had Billy really been just a few weeks old, as our vet estimated, he would have been a prime candidate for Fading Kitten Syndrome, which targets kittens from birth to about 12 weeks. Photo Credit: © Franny Syufy Most of us who have never worked in the rescue of pregnant cats or kitten fostering, have never heard of fading kitten syndrome, aka FKS. Really, a label is all that Fading Kitten Syndrome is. It isn't a disease, per se, but a collection of symptoms, as are all "syndromes." Learn more about fading kitten syndrome, and file it away, even if you currently have no kittens. It may come in useful some day. See More About:  fading kitten syndrome  diseases in kittens  kitten care RCA Winners Announced Tomorrow The 2012 Readers' Choice Awards winners will be announced early tomorrow morning. The following link will not be live until 1 a.m. ET on March 30. I'd like to thank all the nominees for their participation, and to thank all of you who supported your favorites by voting every day and rallying for your favorites, both with blog comments and social media... Read the results here. Loss in the World of Cats Almost all of us have known the pain of losing one of our own family cats. Those memories give us the compassion to help friends when they experience similar losses. But in the world of cats, there are a number of different kinds of losses that bring us sorrow. One of them is the loss of a good friend or loved one who also was a fellow cat lover. It doesn't much matter if we knew them "in real life," or if we'd only been friends through our Internet connections, and/or by phone. Other losses in the world of cats include Loss of a Cat Because of Finances, Loss of Cats in Shelters, and loss because of our Shattered Illusions This last one may be hard to understand, until you consider the recent events surrounding Caboodle Ranch. There are more kinds of Losses in the World of Cats than I have listed here, and your comments are welcome here discuss them. Shared sorrow is sorrow diminished. See More About:  loss of a cat  cat memorials  cats show and tell Cat Picture of the Week: Matariel aka Matis Matis is a sweetheart of a cat. It's no wonder, because Matis came into the home already "pre-loved." He was chosen at the animal shelter when his mom was still there, pregnant, and she must have been a beauty too, because David wanted one of her kittens. It's easy to see that he has David's number. Read more of Matariel's story and if you are lucky enough to have a tabby too, submit photo and story to the Life With a Tabby Cat Show and Tell. Photo Credit: © Guest, DavidRC See More About:  cat pictures of the week  tabby cats  pregnant cats Cats Ads Cat Cats Rescue Cats Animal Care Cats Cats Diarrhea Cats Having Kittens Featured Articles Reasons to Adopt an Older Cat Shelter Cat Adoption Cat Sex 101 Kitten Care Shopping for Cats Your First Cat   More from About.com Financial Emergencies An unexpected change in your financial situation can be incredibly stressful. Here's how to cope. More> Retirement Planning Learn the top five things you need to do in order to start building a retirement nest egg. More> This newsletter is written by: Franny Syufy Cats Guide Email Me | My Blog | My Forum   Sign up for more free newsletters on your favorite topics You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About Cats newsletter. If you wish to change your email address or unsubscribe, please click here. About respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 249 West 17th Street New York, NY, 10011 © 2012 About.com   Must Reads Cat Behavior 101 10 Top Mistakes of Cat Owners Cat Years Is Your Cat in Heat? Your Kitten's First Year   Follow me on: Advertisement

Cat of the Week: Cat of the Week: Sesame

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Cat of the Week Cat of the Week: Sesame From Franny Syufy, your Guide to Cats This Week's Cat Sesame Sesame lives in China, and has an interesting story. Her owner relates, "We call her Sesame cus of her pretty tabby coat, and in Chinese, sesame has an underlying meaning as small and tiny. That's our first impression when my boyfriend and I saw her crawling and meowing on a man who's selling her for 20RMB (approximately 2 American dollars) on the street." More Tidbits Where to Get a Cat Although the way Sally found Sesame is unusual in the western world, there are some other excellent ways of finding cats to adopt, many of them involving rescue of a different sort. Kitten Care If you have a new kitten of your own, you might be interested in enrolling in this email class - all about caring for a kitten. This email is written by: Franny Syufy Cats Guide Email Me | My Blog | My Forum   Missing a lesson? Click here. About U. is our collection of free online courses designed to help you learn a new skill, solve a problem, get something done, or just learn more about your world. Sign up now, and we will email you lessons on a daily or weekly basis. You are receiving this email because you subscribed to the About.com 'Cat of the Week' email. If you wish to unsubscribe, please click here. About respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 249 West 17th Street New York, NY, 10011 © 2010 About.com   Advertisement

About Cats: Spring Cleaning, Toxoplasmosis

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Cats Cats Cat Basics Health & Behavior Photos & Forums From Franny Syufy, your Guide to Cats Spring is in the air, and my embarrassing need to finish unpacking after almost four months in my new home is a good impetus for some thorough Spring Cleaning with my cats' safety in mind. Hug a kitty or more every day. And if you enjoy my newsletters, consider forwarding one to a fellow cat lover. Follow Me On: Facebook | Twitter | Google + Cat Picture of the Week: Pele Photo Credit: © About.com Member astropurr Pele is what you might call a "volunteer cat," in that several years ago, she volunteered to become the greet-cat and hostess in Astropurr's home. Pele was also somewhat opportunistic (as most cats are), she was pregnant at the time, and her former "home" was not the kind of place she wanted to stay, under the circumstances. Her perception in gauging human worthiness was amply rewarded, as she still lives with Astropurr, ruling the roost with a velvet paw. Her son, Andrew, shares the home, and his siblings were all found loving homes too. See More About:  cat pictures of the week  tabby cats  pregnant cats Top Myths and Facts About Cats We've all made mistakes with our cats, and I certainly am no exception. Readers have given some interesting input with their true stories about "My Dumbest Mistake With Cats." ... Read more See More About:  myths about cats  spay and neuter  feral cats Spring Cleaning With Cats Spring has sprung and today is a good day to start your Spring cleaning, if you haven't already. We all agree that a clean house is not only desirable, but essential to the health of both humans and the cats who share our homes. Ironically though, our homes are full of household cleaning supplies which can be harmful to our cats' In an effort to protect our cats from exposure to toxic substances, while keeping our homes free from dirt and germs, the About Cats Forum members have brainstormed and came up with a list of helpful "clean green" tips and ideas. We have discovered that there are a number of safe products we already have on hand that can be diverted toward safe cleaning. Spring Cleaning Around & About Spring Cleaning at About.com Home & Garden Aquarium Substrate & Live Rock Clean Up (Saltwater Aquariums) Clean Your Home of Household Poisons (Vet Medicine) See More About:  about spring cleaning  cat-proofing  cat safety Toxoplasmosis in Cats and Humans Toxoplasmosis, a zoonotic disease caused by the Toxoplasma gondii organism, is carried by over 60 million men, women, and children in the United States, according to the CDC. Fortunately, most of us haven't shown any harmful effects. However, the studies by Jaroslav Flegr and other scientists are casting concerns that the issues may be deeper than we've realized in the past. An article in the Parasites in Humans Website refers to studies that indicate that women with T. gondii are more inclined to cheat on their husbands, and that men affected by the organism are more aggressive. Studies have also indicated that T. gondii may be responsibile for an increase in traffic accidents, (referring to slower reaction times.) Photo Credit: © CDC The CDC considers Toxoplasmosis seriously enough that it is one of the five infectious diseases on the Neglected Parasitics Infections list. Learn more about Toxoplasmosis in Cats and Humans in this new article from About.com. See More About:  toxoplasmosis  zoonotic disease  pregnancy and cats Cats Ads Cats and Dogs Pet Cats Cats Health Symptoms Cat Cats Spring Cleaning Featured Articles Cool Cat Photo: Boo Haz Catnip Hangover Cat Breed of the Week: Himalayan Kitten Care: All Aspects of Kitten Care Cat Health Feline Behavior Problems and Training Cats Reproduction in Cats   More from About.com Financial Emergencies An unexpected change in your financial situation can be incredibly stressful. Here's how to cope. More> Retirement Planning Learn the top five things you need to do in order to start building a retirement nest egg. More> This newsletter is written by: Franny Syufy Cats Guide Email Me | My Blog | My Forum   Sign up for more free newsletters on your favorite topics You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About Cats newsletter. If you wish to change your email address or unsubscribe, please click here. About respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 249 West 17th Street New York, NY, 10011 © 2012 About.com   Must Reads Cat Behavior 101 10 Top Mistakes of Cat Owners Cat Years Is Your Cat in Heat? Your Kitten's First Year   Follow me on: Advertisement

Cat of the Week: Cat of the Week: McGee

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Cat of the Week Cat of the Week: McGee From Franny Syufy, your Guide to Cats This Week's Cat McGee McGee has a propensity for being cute, and her proud mom, Hayes never misses a photo op. She's a calico, and like last week's tortie, calico girls rule the roost. More Calico Beauties Calico cats represent the brilliant rainbow of colors in a sunny July day. Of all cat color patterns, Calicos are perhaps the loveliest with their tri-colored exuberance. Although most Calicos are females because of genetics, the rare male does sometimes pop up, as you will see in this album. This email is written by: Franny Syufy Cats Guide Email Me | My Blog | My Forum   Missing a lesson? Click here. About U. is our collection of free online courses designed to help you learn a new skill, solve a problem, get something done, or just learn more about your world. Sign up now, and we will email you lessons on a daily or weekly basis. You are receiving this email because you subscribed to the About.com 'Cat of the Week' email. If you wish to unsubscribe, please click here. About respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 249 West 17th Street New York, NY, 10011 © 2010 About.com   Advertisement