I am currently the proud ownee of two all American, genuine CATs. Both are just less than a year old. Roxie was a gift for my daughter’s 6th birthday but she proudly calls me hers. (She would have it no other way). And Turbo, who started out as my son’s stray rescue kitten from under our long parked Honda, has turned into his namesake. A compact powerhouse with a purr that could shake windows, Turbo finds me the coziest place to nap. My two babies. My two toe assassins.
Over the years I have realized that cats are perfect for someone like me. Busy, lazy, intense, quiet. All at differing bursts. Anything that can give you that much intense love and attention and walk away like they don’t really care anyway, commands my respect. I am sure you are the same. Tranquility that bursts into acrobatics all over the flicker of a shadow (”I am sure I saw something…”) Cats are indeed my reflection on many different levels.

Actually, this is a reunion for me and cats. I had cats all my life except for a stretch of eight years. (Has it really been that long!?) None, except the ones in my head. Not until I began to express them in my art. Have you ever heard of the book “The Purpose Driven Life”?

-This sounds really strange but is true. A little over 2 years ago I had two joint surgeries (unrelated) both to left side extremities. One wrist and one knee. I had eight weeks off work and received that book from someone I have never heard of in Missouri. I started reading through the book, wondering what it was and why I had been sent it. At the same time I was mulling over a request that my sister had made of me some time before to do a sculpture of her cat. Thinking of how I would go about creating the sculpture. While that was going on, her cat had to be euthanized and then I guess everything kind of came together for me.

To understand what was happening, you must understand that for YEARS I had floundered around without any direction for my artistic skills. I had even dropped out of college because– I did not want to be an art teacher or a graphic artist. I had no idea what to do with my skill if I could even I could really own it as that. Everyone else told me I was talented but I had not found a calling; I did not believe in myself. That was in *ahem* 1991. I dabbled in drawings over the years, much as I had all my life. Everyone loved them, but I was not satisfied. About three years ago, after much encouragement from my supporting family, I took a ‘continuing education’ class that was a satellite of our community college courses in pottery of all things. Just something that I had never tried. I fell in love with the mud! Clay was everything that I couldn’t express. Somehow I was able to coax the feeling out of it that paper could never give. Then I went from making pots to sculpting. Somehow it makes sense looking back; my mother and grandmother used to have a ceramic shop of their own. I didn’t have much interest at the time because I was young; but I was there every day with the dust and the smell of greenware and the firing kilns. It must have sunk into my core.

When my sister asked me to do a sculpture of her cat, it just made sense. My sister was crushed when her cat died. She had had that cat since we were both in high school. When I found out that she had had her cat cremated, it only made sense that she would be able to place the ashes inside the cat I created in her likeness. So my purpose, as it were, was revealed. Why shouldn’t everyone that loved their cat be able to memorialize them the same way? So I began the journey of the last few years. Now finally realizing that potential, I have a purpose for my art. Cats that are art, that are sculptures, that are urns, that are art. It lifts me every time I think of it. The healing that it can bring for cat owners. To see a likeness of their cat. Not a box or a jar with their cat’s name. Something that can be placed in their favorite sunny spot or wear their collar.
I have toiled and collected and gathered and spent. I have sweated blood and tears and now I am there. Standing on the brink. With a ball of clay in one hand and a computer mouse dangling in the other. I taught myself how to build a website and opened up for the prying eyes of the public web. To be crawled over by search engine “spiders” and Googled. But– there is purpose behind this I remind myself. And as if on cue, here is Roxie. Jumped into my lap; purring and reminding me that it is worth it.

Stephanie

EternalPetStudio.com EternalPetStudio.com

Born and raised in eastern Iowa; land of low expectations and high hopes. Self taught sculptor and animal lover. Rising above the cubicle of midwestern mediocrity to find expression in the most unlikely of sources. Family, loss, and felines.

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Tags: kitten

The evolution of a kitten

On day one the newly born kitten depends entirely on it’s mother, it
cannot even control it’s body temperature on it’s own. On the next day
it will know which of it’s mother’s udders contains the most milk. It’s
the beginning of a race for the kitten; first arrived, first served!
Kitties evolve quite fast, on day four they can crawl up to 50
centimeters to join it’s mother. After seven days it can smell it’s
mother to join her & direct itself without having any eyesight
yet. Day ten: it’s brain is more & more capable of coordination
of it’s members. Incredibly most kittens are capable of using the
litter box after 18 days! At three weeks old it can stand up straight,
see, ear and react to it’s environment. It’s at the tenth week that it
acquires a perfect equilibrium. No kitten should be separated from it’s
mother before it’s ready to go on it’s own which occurs on week seven.

Felines stats:

-In 1987 a 30 years old female cat gave birth to two kittens!

-In Texas, a female cat gave birth to a total of 400 kittens in it’s
life.

-In the 1950’s the oldest cat known a British Tabby died at 34 years
old.

-The heaviest male cat was a Tabby Australian male which weighted
approximately 21 kilos.

-The lightest cat was a siamese mix bred which weighted only 790 grams!

-The smallest wild cat that exist is the black paws cat, it measures
only 57,5 centimeters long from tail to snout.

There are so many cat lovers in the world! With a total of 41
recognized pedigreed breeds, cats are the most popular pet in most
European countries and the United States. Over 90 million cats are keep
as pets in our American households. Over 27 million website, discussion
groups, web rings are dedicated to cats on the internet! Everything
from tips with your cat, feline memorials, breed associations, cat
lovers gift related ideas & much more!

Blue Crockatt
silversmith artist exclusively at sterlingsilverart.com sterlingsilverart.com with many great gift ideas for cat lovers and much more, specialized in cameo jewelry, medical caduceus symbols & fleur-de-lis emblem all on sterling silver unique jewelry!

A cat lover herself she has breed siamese cats all her life. All those beautiful feline friends have sure inspired her into beautiful designs.

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Tags: kitten

Great cat care is an important part of keeping your feline companion happy and healthy. However, there are benefits to cat care that go far beyond ensuring that your cat stays in peak shape and enjoys a high quality of life. Caring for your cat can actually be great for your own physical and mental state of being. Cat care can even help you maintain a healthy emotional life. When you achieve better cat care, you are achieving a better lifestyle for yourself.

Scientific experts have shown that caring for and enjoying a pet is great for your body. Spending time with a tame, happy animal is relaxing, and studies show that people who regularly spend time with pets have lower blood pressure and lower cholesterol levels than their pet-less friends and neighbors. These factors can not only improve your quality of life, they can actually extend your life expectancy and help you stay in better physical shape for a greater number of years than the average person. The really great news is that both the process and the result of cat care are equally beneficial to your health, so whether you are maintaining your cat or enjoying a friendly tug of war using a ball of yarn, you are helping yourself stay happy and healthy.

If you are looking for a way to make exercise a seamless part of your day, cat care may be the answer. A top notch cat care regimen includes a wide range of activities from trimming nails to cleaning the litter box to more advanced and challenging tasks like training your cat. Almost every single aspect of cat care, from wrestling your kitten into the sink for a bath to petting your cat gently while you are watching television, is great for your health simply because it keeps you moving. Whenever the process of cat care gets you to move even a single muscle that would otherwise be lazily slumped on the couch, cat care is helping your body and your mind. When you chase your cat around the room for a playful game, you are also chasing a healthier heart, stronger bones, and a more robust circulatory system. Cat care helps you life a more active lifestyle.

Cat care is also great for your emotional health. When you rub your cat behind the ears as it purrs softly, you are sure to feel as happy as your cat does. These regular sessions of happy, comforting relaxation are an important part of cat care, and can contribute to a more positive psychological outlook throughout the day. When you spend time sharing love and peace with your cat by providing cat care, your brain releases hormones that make you feel great, and help you manage stress and keep a positive outlook on life. Cat care is a great way to keep yourself feeling positive and happy.

Find out more about how to care for your cat.

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Tags: cat care, kitten

Obesity was once only considered a condition affecting the health of adult men and women, who for some reason or another, didn’t take care of themselves properly. Statistics indicate that the severity of obesity has far more reaching implications than impacting on basic fitness quality. Obesity kills approximately 280 000 adults in the US alone.

This would be an alarming concern on its own, but research has proven that obesity also affects children. A survey has revealed that the rate of childhood obesity has grown rapidly in recent times with 4.2% of children aged between 6 and 11 years of age in 1963 to a staggering 17.5% in 2004. (CDC.gov.) In reflection one might even determine that these statistics are not completely surprising given that children today are not performing the same physical activities as they were in the 1960s. This is true.

The roles of domestic animals have also changed through the years. At one time it was considered an affluent novelty to care for a pet in the home, especially if the animal did not perform some necessary task on the property. Latter as companion pet ownership became more usual the job of the pet typically changed to involve more “play time”, accompanying the children as they ran and played, or being a companion to its master in the duration of daily events. Then being rewarded at the end of a long days “work” with a hearty meal (it is strongly recommended that dogs should be fed two smaller meals a day, and even skipping 1 day a week).

As the usually daily tasks of our lives have changed, so have the duties of our four legged companions. As with humans pet obesity has become a major health issue. An estimated 25-40% of dogs in the United States are obese (*1). Pet obesity is not an issue involving dogs alone, cats and all domestic pets are at risk from this potentially fatal condition.

Pet obesity is a major health concern. Overweight pets suffer more physical ailments and do not live as long as animals of recommended weight. Obesity often reduces a pet’s enjoyment of life. Health risks associated with weight gain include: Heart and respiratory disease, diabetes, liver disease, joint diseases such as arthritis and spinal disc problem just to name a few

As with humans the lack of physical activity is not the only contributing factor to health issues related to obesity in our pets. There are in fact a number of causes, and indeed a number of ways we can works towards in improving the quality of life for our companions.

Our first question should be “are we killing our pets with kindness”. Diet plays a significant role in contributing to pet obesity. While we should consider physical activity as a changed circumstance over the years, we should also consider reevaluating the food we feed our pets.
Instead of examining the changed daily routine of our pets, and altering their diets to suit. We have either neglected to serve an appropriate diet, or over compensated for physical activity with the issuing of treats often with little or poor nutritional quality.

While we are well aware that fast food is bad for our kids, few of us realize that fast food is also bad for our pets. You might be wondering what fast food for pets is. Simply fast food for pets is a tin of dog food. Take the time to read the label on a tin of manufactured dog food and you will discover that it is packed with processed this and processed that and a whole variety of weird and wonderful additives.
Not all tinned foods are the same; surprisingly many of the more expensive and well known labels are not ideal. I am sure my children will eat heartedly if I fed them McDonald’s every night, but I certainly would not do this simply because it is not good for them.
There are many good quality pre-prepared pet foods available on the market that do contain good healthy ingredients. Shop for your pet with the same concern you would when you shop for the human members of the family.
Alternatively preparing your own healthy meals from fresh ingredients is surprisingly a cheap and easy option.

Keep in mind that treats are just that, treats!

And my favorite health routine for both myself and my pet, make time. A walk or play each day will not only improve your pets health, it is just what the doctor ordered for you also. A daily walk or play will improve health and wellbeing of mind body and soul for you both.

(*1) Wolfsheimer, KJ. Obesity. In: Ettigner SJ, Feldman EC. , editors. Textbook of veterinary internal medicine. 5th edition. WB Saunders Company; Philadelphia (PA): 2000.

Lauren a.k.a “The allpetsteps.com Pet Steps Lady” loves pets and is concerned about their health in today’s world. She helps injured, elderly, and post-surgical pets with her quality allpetsteps.com/PetSteps_s/2.htm dog and cat steps and is now looking to reach out to help those pet owners who have overweight and obese pets. Lauren is the proud owner of her dog Mollie B, her cat Pumpkin, and the newest addition to her family kitten Kingston.

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Tags: dog food, kitten

So you are thinking of adding a cat to your family? Have you thought about which breed of cat is right for you? Each breed of cat is different. In this article I will be telling you about the Siamese Cat, the most popular cat in the world.

The Siamese Cat is a mysterious looking breed that originated in Siam, hence the name, Siamese Cat. Siam, which is now Thailand calls them Wichian Maat. There are many breeds of cat that are offshoots of the Siamese Cat. The Burmese, Balinese, Colorpoint Shorthair, Ocicat, Tonkinese, Himalayan, Javanese, and the Oriental Sorthair and Loanghair are all derived from the Siamese Cat.

For cat shows there are certain standards for Siamese Cats. Balance is the first thing to look for in a Siamese Cat you intend to show. Long, slender, and tall are features that every Siamese Cat that you wish to show must have.

The head of your Siamese Cat should be long and balanced. The points at the ears down to the muzzle should be aligned symmetrically. The muzzle should be straight. They should not have an uneven bite and a strong chin is a plus.

Their expression should be alert and their eyes should be a piercing blue color. The eyes of your Siamese Cat should be oriental in shape but there should be space between them and the nose. Deepset eyes are not a sign of a good show cat for the Siamese breed. The haw should not cover more than just the corner of the eye. Their ears should be large and wedge shaped. (Large at the base tapering up to the tip).

The hind legs of your Siamese Cat should be slightly longer or higher than the front legs. The feet should be oval shaped and not too large. The overall length and shape of your Siamese Cat should be well-balanced. A long tapering tail is also desired. Any kinks in the tail will likely mean your Siamese Cat should not participate in shows or at least you should not expect to win.

The mask should be complete unless you are showing Siamese Kittens. All points should be clearly defined, a clear contrast between the points and the color of the body. All points should be the same basic color as well.

Your Siamese Cat’s coat should be short, have a fine texture and should be glossy. Proper care and feeding of your Siamese Cat will help you achieve this.

Even if you are not planning to participate in cat shows, a Siamese Cat is a wonderful pet and the guidelines above will help you determine the value of the cat you choose to adopt.

One thing you should know about owning a Siamese Cat is that they can be as loud as a siren with a voice that sounds like a crying baby. They demand your attention and will do whatever it takes to get it. They are playful, fun-loving pets that you will come to love. Their dependence on you for attention is a sign of love you will be more than happy to return.

Robin Darch, of PRT Specialised Services Limited has a website,

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Tags: kitten