February 20 is National Love Your Pet Day!

February 20 is National Love Your Pet Day!

It's hard to believe that The Golden Boys were once as tiny as they were in the photo above! Gilligan was watching as Captain Roughy climbed "blue jean mountain" back when I was first fostering them. They were under 2 pounds apiece! This is how they look now, fully grown and going on 5 years old:

Notice that the Captain is still up front, while the Gilly-Gilly remains in the background. They've also acquired a little "sis-fur" who we rescued during the hurricane last fall. Matilda "Mattie" Stormkitty wasn't much bigger than they were when they came to me, and now she seems almost as large as the boys are. She has become our Purr Mistress here in the Old Maid Cat Lady household. Here are the three of them enjoying dinner together on a recent evening:

Feeding your kitties high-quality food is one way to show them love on National Love Your Pet Day. Raw is best, if you're up to it, but grain-free canned food is second best. Try to avoid the crunchies altogether, although most of us do feed those for convenience. If you do, look for a grain-free brand. It's not cheap to feed your cats properly, but you'll save money on vet bills in the long run.

Here are some other suggestions:

• Spend some time playing with your cat(s). They enjoy interacting with their human companions and need to work out their energy through play. It's an essential part of the human-animal bond for cats! Always use a toy to dangle for them, however, not your hands - you don't want to train them to attack hands!
• We recently experienced a flea infestation, I think from a neighborhood cat who likes to hang around and taunt my cats through the pool screen. One of the ways I showed my cats love was to get them some fresh flea treatment and a new can of spray to flea-proof the house.
• Some cats like to get up high off the floor. This is especially important if you have dogs or small children in the household; sometimes kitties just need a break from all the hubbub below. If you have a cat like this, a new cat tree or a cat shelf or perch may be just the way to show kitty your love!
• Another basic need cats have is to scratch. Scratching exercises their front legs, from the resistance of the scratching surface pulling against the claws. It's also a way that cats mark their territory in the wild, as they have scent glands in the paws that leave behind their tell-tale aroma for any other cats who may pass by. While it's something that most humans can't detect, the feline nose knows! If your scratchers have seen better days, maybe it's time to show kitty your love by buying a new scratcher.
• Cats also have a need to hunt. Prey toys give them that thrill without harming any wildlife, and they enjoy catching their prey, carrying it around, and batting it so they can catch it again. Laser pointers can be frustrating to cats because they never get that satisfaction of actually catching what they're chasing. And it seems like they're always losing their mousies, or tearing them up. So maybe your kitty needs some new cat toys to hunt. 
• Some cats like to go outdoors. But it can be dangerous there for an untended kitty! If your cat will walk on a harness and leash, take him out for a nice walk. If not, perhaps a stroller is a way to get your cat out in the nice early spring weather (at least it's been nice here in north Florida).
• We tend not to take our cats to the veterinarian as often as we do their canine cousins, so check the last time your cat had a wellness check. If it's been more than a year, schedule an appointment for one. Your vet will update any outdated vaccinations (or do a titre test to see which need updating), plus do a thorough examination to check kitty's eyes, ears, coat, & teeth, and make sure there aren't any unnoticed growths, tumors, or other nastiness that needs to be handled. What better way to show love for your kitty?

Bottom line: your cats long to interact with you. Even cats who don't enjoy a lot of touching like it when we talk to them. Spend a little time with your cat(s) today to show your love!