Tag Archives: stress

34

Gypsy Katt: Humans are So Annoying

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Hello. It’s me, your stressed-out dilute calico buddy. I’ve had a really rough week.

Onyx: Don’t you think you’re being a little dramatic? After all, I’m the one whose human is still missing. And no one is letting me outside to track her down.

Gypsy: That’s your idea of stress? You’ve gotten out a few times. It’s not my fault if they keep bringing you back in.

Onyx: I almost made it the last time. If I’d just made it under the porch in the back yard, I would have been free.

Sgt Stripes: Free to do what? You’ve never lived outside. You have no idea what’s out there.

Onyx: I need to find my human.

Snoops: Be careful. Some of the birds out there would just think you’re a tasty snack.

Onyx: Ugh. I hate birds.

Sgt Stripes: Some of them are rather tasty.

Angel: I agree. Especially the chicken-flavored ones.

Gypsy: Can we get back to me, please? I had a bad week.

Sgt Stripes: What happened?

Gypsy: Well, someone (looks at Onyx) stole my humans just as I was finally getting back to normal after the trauma of being down a human.

Onyx: Don’t look at me. You decided to move into Blondie’s room after she left.

Gypsy: Only after you moved into Mom’s room.

Onyx: I was lonely. You should have shared.

Gypsy: Shared what? You took over the bed. Besides, I didn’t really like it in Blondie’s room. The top of the bookcase was nice. And the food delivery was adequate. But I only stayed a couple of weeks. You could have moved back in.

Onyx: Nah. I need humans. Besides, you moved into the bedroom next door.

Gypsy: I do like Yam’s room.

Onyx: Who’s Yam?

Gypsy: You know. Young Adult Male.

Onyx: I never knew that was his name.

Sgt Stripes: Wait a minute. That’s my human. His name isn’t Yam.

Gypsy: It is to me. Besides, you never use those drawers under his bed. They are perfect for hiding from the little humans. And right across the hall from the kibble, water, and litter box.

Angel: Then you should have stayed there.

Gypsy: I would have, but I got kicked out. Yam had a guest and shut the door. It really was an unpleasant weekend. Both Onyx and Sgt Stripes were up there. And so were the little humans.

Angel: So what? That’s the way it used to be before the big tabby took over downstairs.

Sgt Stripes: I have a name, you know. And I didn’t take over anything. You kept watching me while I ate and intimidated me. Mom had to find me a place on the counter so I could eat in peace.

Angel: You are a drama llama.

Snoops: You two do need to get along a little better. At least Sarge and I can share space without hissing all the time.

Gypsy: Hello! This is supposed to be about me. Between you guys feuding and the small humans, my nerves were shot.

Onyx: Here’s the real drama queen.

Snoops: Be nice, Onyx. Gypsy went through a lot before you guys got here. And things have been very strange lately. Where did you go after Yam’s room?

Gypsy: I tried Mom’s room. But since it’s the spot for Storytime while Blondies’s gone, that wasn’t a good choice. The boys stress me out.

Sgt Stripes: They’re loud. But they do give lots of treats.

Gypsy: I really don’t like loud noises or being touched if I don’t ask for it. They make me very nervous.

Angel: Did you finally find a spot?

Gypsy: I did. I found a drawer in the filing cabinet in the study.

Angel: So why are you out here instead of your new spot?

Gypsy: This is where the annoying part of humans comes in. I can get the drawer open by myself on the outside, but it closes on its own.

Snoops: So you were trapped?

Gypsy: Sort of. The humans didn’t find me for two days.

Snoops: They were worried about you, but you kinda have a history of hiding when you get stressed out. They thought you were hiding in the basement rafters again.

Gypsy: Whatever. I cried a few times but no one came.

Angel: That’s probably because the other drama queen (looks at Onyx) talks non-stop sometimes.

Gypsy: I guess Mom got worried. She was going room-to-room calling my name. She thought she heard something, so she got our human brother to listen. He figured out where I was. I was really thirsty and hungry, but no lasting damage.

Snoops: We saw you got extra food and water.

Angel: And everyone came out to see what the fuss was about.

Snoops: That story had a happy ending. Why was it a bad week?

Gypsy: That was the perfect place to hide. I went back there after I’d eaten and drank. I thought I was set for the night.

Onyx: Let me guess. You were dumb enough to get trapped again.

Gypsy: I was just settling in for a nice nap when Mom opened the drawer and made me get out. Then they put a big box in front of the drawer so I can’t open it.

Sgt Stripes: They were trying to keep you safe.

Gypsy: They knew it was my hiding space. They could have checked on me every few hours.

Sgt Stripes: You’re right. I guess they’re not so fully trained after all.

Ed Note – We would like to apologize to all of our bloggy friends. We have been living in chaos for a few weeks now and have fallen behind reading other blogs. We are in the process of catching up. In addition, we have not been able to access some blogs that are sent on Jetpack. (It’s very weird. We can read some on our computer, but others are only accessible on the phone.) We thought it was  a Jetpack issue. It’s actually a Chromebook issue. Please bear with us as we sift through everything.

14

Scritch, Scritch, Scritch – It’s Dry Skin Season

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If you are like us and live in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s winter. And in addition to being cold, winter is full of dry air. Also, the same process that keeps us warm usually dries out the air. As a result, a lot of us are scratching. And scratching is not good for us, It irritates our skin and can lead to infection.

How Do You Know You Have Dry Skin?

  • Skin flakes on your fur (your human may say you look like you have dandruff)
  • Bald spots (if the scratching gets out of hand and you pull out some fur)
  • Scabs or scaly spots
  • Constant need to groom and/or scratch
  • Itching

How to Bathe Your Cat in 5 Easy Steps - Allivet Pet Care Blog

What Can You Do?

  • Hot Towel – Soak a towel in hot water. Squeeze it out thoroughly and wrap yourself in it. (We think you’re going to need your human to help with this one. Actually, a human helper would be useful for most of these.) Five minutes wrapped up will soothe the irritation and refresh the dry kin.
  • Oatmeal Bath – Not gonna lie. This one sounds awful to us. But it’s all over Mr. Google, so apparently it works. Have your human use a food processor to break down the oats, then mix them with water. How much water you depends on whether you want a paste for one or two spots or a full immersion bath. The oatmeal needs to stay in contact with the skin for at least ten minutes.
  • Coconut Oil – One way to use coconut oil is to spread it on your skin. If you’d prefer, you can add one teaspoon of coconut oil in your food daily. This remedy is contingent on you not hating the taste of coconut oil. It is full of antioxidants. Also keep in mind that coconut oil is a natural laxative.

The 10 Best Cat Brushes of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

  • Brushing – Hopefully, you are being brushed regularly. Brushing is an excellent way to spread the oil from your skin through your fur and keep you glossy and gorgeous. If you are starting your brushing program in the midst of dry skin, be gentle. Brushing may further irritate sensitive skin if done too aggressively.
  • Eat Wet Food – If all you are eating is kibble, you may not have enough moisture in your diet for optimal skin health. Fun fact: Tasty little mousies are 70-80% moisture; kibble is only 10% moisture. Look for foods that have lots of protein.
  • Talk to your human about using a humidifier. They may need to add extra moisture to the air to keep you skin glowing. Remember – A healthy cat is a happy cat.

Tips for Keeping Your Cat Relaxed - NYC Pet

  • CBD-Rich Hemp Oils – Don’t worry, this part of the hemp plant won’t make you high. But some cats swear by its effectiveness in treating dry, itchy skin. It also has the added benefits of being an anti-inflammatory, appetite stimulant, energy stimulant, and pain/anxiety reliever. Some of these products haven’t been around for an extremely long time, so make sure you’re getting the real thing without too many additives.
  • Lower Stress – The more humans study stress, the worse stress sounds. Stress can lead to our skin becoming itchy and dry (doubly bad in this dry season). Impress on your humans the need to keep your lives stress-free.
  • Address Allergies – If you have allergies year round, it is probably not the dry air. Your human should look at the food you’re eating (your vet can help with that). Or if you were fine until until your human stated using a new cleaning product, that may be the problem. Ask your human to avoid fragrances and harsh chemicals when they clean. Our sense of smell is 40x stronger than theiirs, so they might not even really they’re making the place stink Besides, we’re closer to the floor where a lot of the cleaning takes place.

Itchy Cat? Here's Why Your Cat's Scratching So Much | BeChewy

One Final Note

If the scratching doesn’t go away with the cold weather, it may be related to something a little more serious. The following conditions can all cause dry, itchy skin:

  • Parasites like fleas, mites, and ringworm
  • Fungal and bacterial infections
  • Hyperthyroidism
  • Diabetes

How to Keep Your Cat Safe and Warm in Winter - Hastings Veterinary Hospital

We are wishing you all a happy, non-itchy rest of the season. We’re off to Amazon to find humidifiers for cats. There are a lot of choices, so Mom might have to buy several.

Pictures courtesy of Google Images.

19

Cat Council: Dealing with Toddler Trauma

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Snoops: I call this meeting of the Cat Council to order. We need to discuss what’s happening in our home.

Kommando: Should we invite the new cats? They’ve been living with the invaders.

Snoops: Nah. They’re still in quarantine. Let’s deal with one problem at a time.

Sgt Stripes: I’m excited. You ladies usually ignore me.

Snoops:  We need all the brain power we can muster. This is huge.

Sgt Stripes: I did some research on the invaders. I love Mr. Google.

Kommando: Did it say anything about why they sound like howler monkeys?

Sgt Stripes: Not that I remember.

Snoops: It’s kinda true. They get started crying and it just gets really loud.

Sgt Stripes: I have noticed that. I can hear them through the floor. And the doors.

Kommando: We can even hear them in the basement.

Snoops: I wonder if they have “off” buttons?

Kommando: We should ask their Mom. Maybe she just needs to find it.

Snoops: Maybe she can find the self-cleaning button too.

Kommando: Yeah. They’re even messier than you when they eat.

Snoops: I’m not messy.

Kommando: You’re the reason we have mats under our bowls.

Snoops: I can’t help it that I have a more delicate face and don’t want it to get full of food.

Kommando: Whatever. At least you don’t leave a trail. I keep crunching crumbs under my paws.

Snoops: They don’t ever leave good stuff either. There’s never any chicken or fish laying around.

Sgt Stripes: They have kinda smelly milk too.

Snoops: I heard it’s called “oat” milk.

Kommando: What kind of cow is an “oat”?

Snoops: I don’t think it’s a cow. It smells weird.

Sgt Stripes: Nothing at all like cat milk.

Kommando: They have stuff in most of our lounging spots too. It’s really hard to get a good spot on the table anymore.

Snoops: Yeah. And there’s stuff on the sofa and chairs too.

Sgt Stripes: Too bad you guys don’t come upstairs. I lost my own bedroom, but they have a couple of beds I use regularly. Besides, when Mom cleaned the spare room, she found a huge comfy cat bed.

Snoops: I think that was mine!

Sgt Stripes: Hmm. Key word is “was”.

Snoops: Don’t give me another reason to dislike you.

Kommando: On the bright side, they’re not as grabby as I thought they might be.

Snoops: That’s true. The bigger one has petted me a couple of times, but that’s it

Sgt Stripes: I try to avoid them. But they don’t chase me, and their Mom pets me. So it’s OK.

Snoops: Yeah. I agree. Not great. But OK.

Kommando: Did Mr. Google tell you anything interesting about them?

Sgt Stripes: I learned a few interesting things:

  • Toddlers don’t really understand that they can hurt us. They don’t know that pulling our tails, or picking us up wrong, or throwing things at us can hurt us.
  • Adult humans shouldn’t leave their toddlers alone with us. They need to teach them the right way to treat us.
  • The big humans should make sure that we don’t get too stressed. If they pay attention, they can remove us before we get into a fight with the toddler.
  • There should always be a safe space for us to go and hide.

Snoops: That stuff all sounds good. Because if someone pulls my tail, I am not going to be a happy cat. and someone is going to know it.

Kommando: I think we should Mom for a new kitty condo to hide in. It seems like the least she could do for us.

Snoops: That’s an excellent idea.

Sgt Stripes: And some shelves to hide on.

Snoops: So we’re all agreed. Mom need to make this up to us.

Agreement all around.

18

Cat Forum: Cats and Stress

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Greetings fellow felines. It’s me, Sgt Stripes. The lady cats say that I am causing them stress. I don’t mean to; I just want to have a happy home. I thought that maybe I would do some research to help them (I love Mr Google). Here’s what I found.

How to Introduce a Puppy to a Cat | Argos Pet Insurance

The Most Common Causes of Stress

  • Living with other cats – Hmm. wasn’t really expecting this to be the number one answer. Apparently we don’t naturally live with other cats. Guess we all like to have our own way.
  • Strange cats coming into your home. That’s what they say I did. But it’s not true – Mom invited me. Besides, I’m not strange.
  • Putting our stuff in the wrong place or not taking care of it. We like our litter boxes clean and our food and beds in quiet areas. That’s just common sense, don’t you think? And most of us prefer not to share that stuff.
  • Changing houses. More common sense. Who wants to adapt to a new space? (Unless the old one was icky, like the shelter.)
  • Renovating or redecorating the house. A bunch of noise and confusion. And kitties really don’t like change.

Petting May Stress Some Cats Out | Live Science

  • New animals in the house. It’s not just other cats that can make us nervous. Dogs can do it too. Especially if it’s an energetic, noisy puppy.
  • Unsuitable handling. Not all of us like to be petted or fussed over. Some of us will paw back or bite a little. Those are the kitties who know how to maintain their boundaries. There are others who suffer in silence and get stressed out about it.
  • A new baby. Not a surprise. They’re loud and smelly. And take away time from us.
  • Guests visiting. Some of us like people, and some of us do not. And some humans are loud and obnoxious. (Just a personal observation.)
  • Fireworks. Is it even necessary to explain this one? They have loud, scary noises and bright lights. They are awful from a feline perspective.

Feeling stressed? - Meme Generator

How should you let your human know if you are stressed? Different cats handle it differently. Sometimes it’s obvious, and sometimes your human needs to pay attention (which they should be doing anyway.)

Useful Guide to Feeding Cats and Kittens - Parkside Vets

Physical Symptoms of Stress

  • Change in eating habits. We kitties love our food, but we are also generally creatures of habit. Any obvious changes should be looked at closely. For example, we shouldn’t be eating non-food items like plastic or wool (it’s called pica). If we started eating a lot more or a lot less, it might be due to stress.

Quotes About Cat Litter. QuotesGram

  • Change in toilet habits. Stress can cause diarrhea and/or vomiting. It can also be responsible for  us not using the little box as often as we once did. Severe stress can even lead to cystitis, an inflammation of the bladder that causes painful, bloody urination.
  • Changes in the way we look. If you notice bald patches or sores due to over-grooming, the cause is likely to be stress. A generally less-spiffy looking coat may be the result of the other signs of stress.
  • Stress-induced “cat flu”. We might get a runny nose and eyes for no apparent reason if we are under stress. Stress can also make it tougher for us to deal with chronic illness or recover from being sick.

Aggression in Cats - Causes and Solutions - Cat Chat

Behavioral Symptoms of Stress

  • If you notice a kitty who is just not acting like themselves, it may be due to stress. Look for changes in litter box use, spraying/defecating outside the litter box, or excessive scratching.
  • Kitties who become aggressive may be stressed out. They might attack their human or other animals in the house. They may also meow excessively. (Not sure how you tell in those kitties who already talk constantly.
  • A change in a kitty’s interaction with their human is also important. Either wanting a lot more attention or avoiding the humans can be a sign of stress.
  • A general lack of interest is a warning sign. Some kitties stop wanting to play, some don’t want to come inside anymore (or go outside).
  • A kitty who paces around meowing is generally a stressed kitty. (Unless it is a kitty who is trying to get their human to FINALLY feed them.)

10 Signs Your Cat Might Be Stressed | PetMD

The Look of a Stressed Cat

An alert human should be able to see the signs of a really stressed cat fairly easily:

  • Crouches and looks tense when not hunting
  • Ears rotate backwards and flatten
  • Wide eyes with dilated pupils
  • Stares at the floor with a fixed expression
  • Rapid, frequent grooming
  • Frequent head shaking
  • Twitching skin on the back
  • Exaggerated swallowing

Therapist Cat | Funny animal memes, Funny animal photos, Funny animal pictures

What Should You Do if You are Really Stressed?

Humans say that the first step is a trip to the vet. That’s particularly important if there are problems with eating or using the litter box. They even have kitty therapists to help with behavioral change. Of course, sometimes the humans have to change things like moving our food station or litter box.

Why Is My Cat Sniffing Everything All Of A Sudden? - Cats.com

I don’t think the ladies downstairs are quite at that level of stress. Mom tried stress-reducing treats. Not really sure how they would have worked. They tasted so nasty none of us would eat them. Now she’s going to try a pheromone diffuser. Guess it’s supposed to make us think of our cat moms and help us relax.

Why Do Cats Like Being Up High? - Catster

Other possibilities for less-severe stress is taking our minds off whatever is causing it. Some humans experts recommend food puzzles to distract us, more vertical space, more scratching posts, and more safe outdoor access. If we’re thinking about something else, we won’t be thinking about being stressed out. It might work: Snoops doesn’t seem stressed out when she’s hunting mice.

Hope the ladies read this and feel better.

Pictures courtesy of Google Images. (Except us.)

14

Cat Forum: A Day at the Spa

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Image result for relaxed cat

Greetings. Snoops and Kommando here. Thanks for joining us here for this month’s Cat Forum. Today we’re looking at the important issue of how you can de-stress after a hard day of supervising the neighborhood, hunting, and looking for the perfect napping spot.

Image result for cat massage

One of the best ways to relax is to get a massage. Some cats find a human to do this. If you are looking for a human, you need one who uses their whole hand. It feels like extremely good cuddles.

Some humans use their fingertips. They call it acupressure; we call it prodding. However, many cats report that after the prodding, they do feel a lot better.

Image result for cat massage

We prefer a cat-to-cat massage. No one knows where our stress points are better than another cat. And when they’re done, you don’t need to worry about being dumped on the sofa afterwards. You can just relax and take a nap.

Image result for catnip meme

Some of you say ‘nip is relaxing. We don’t want to recommend it here, because it excites as many kitties as it relaxes. Of course, most kitties do fall asleep after the excitement. So, it probably is relaxing.

Image result for catnip meme

If you do choose to relax with ‘nip, make sure you get it from a reliable trader. Some cats have reported finding oregano and other herbs mixed in. That is definitely not relaxing.

A couple of good, long stretches are good for relaxing. Remember to hold the stretch momentarily to get the most out of it. If you are an active hunter, you may associate stretching with hunting. In that case, we do not recommend trying to relax this way.

Image result for cat listening to music

Some kitties like to relax with music. We recommend something in the classical realm, with lots of soothing strings or piano. Do not listen to that current human music with the loud crashes and human yowling. It will cause you more stress than you currently have.

Image result for cats chasing each other meme

If the source of your stress is a housemate, there are two ways to deal with it. Our preferred method is to chase them out of the area. Not only will the running help you de-stress, you no longer have to deal with the source of the stress.

The other alternative is to find a quiet space of your own. However, if you’re stressed because someone has invaded your quiet spot, you’ll need to have several back-ups. Pests can usually find you.

Image result for cats napping

 Last, but not least, is a nice, long nap in a warm spot. We recommend a blanket, a sunny spot, in front of a fire, or in your bed. Do not use a human lap. Just about the time you get settled in, they will decide it’s time for a snack.

Talking about all of this relaxation is making us sleepy. Purrs and snuggles from Cat Forum.

3

Abandon All Hope Ye Who Punch In

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It was a pretty good week at work. They finally hired a stocker for the deli/cheese. He’s a friend of the other stocker, so he has some idea of what he’s walking in to. But it’s his first job and those are still hard to find around here. It should be good preparation in case he ever wants to work, well, I’m no exactly sure where.

The first thing the team leader was looking for in a new stocker was that it was a male. She feels that unloading the pallets is too hard for women. I wanted to thank her for bringing us back to the 1970’s when it was common knowledge that women would never be able to do certain jobs because they lacked the strength and stamina for them.

It was somewhat ironic that she would tell me these things while she was asking me to unload a pallet of chickens (46 lbs to the box, 20-25 boxes). I’m not very big: 5’2″ with weight proportional to height (as they used to say in the personals). It seems to me that if I can do it, gender should not be an issue.

Nevertheless, New Guy (NG) is great so far. Luckily for him, he is strong. And unlike the last male stocker, he isn’t too lazy to use his strength. He learns quickly and is willing to try anything.

That’s why it was so painful to have to tell him the ground rules. Not for working with me or the other stocker (OS), but being in the deli in general. Over in cheese, there are very few rules. Put the cheese where it belongs and don’t disappear for hours on end. It’s kind of depressing how many people have failed at it in the two and a half years I’ve been there.

Unfortunately, it fell to me to tell NG that the rumor about a lot of women working under stress in a very small space is true in our case. Very few of them play well with others. One woman walked out last week because someone kept telling what lousy work her shift did. (Day shift thinks night shift is lazy and worthless and the feeling is reciprocated.) Another woman kept yelling at her (co-worker, not customer).

Luckily for them, someone talked her into coming back. She’s a good worker and didn’t talk about others behind their backs.That’s probably why people were giving her a hard time; it’s like living in a tough neighborhood. One of the women apologized. The other ignores her. It’s also a lot like high school.

Then there’s the team leader (TL). Apparently it’s common knowledge in the other departments that she cannot order efficiently. We just got in five hundred and some chickens to rotisserie. Consensus was that relatively few people eat rotisseried chickens on Easter.

We can’t put the chickens in the deli cooler because it is too full of deli meat that TL has over-ordered. She insists that I can find room for all the extra chickens, meats, and salsa that she does not have room to store. I wish I had not let my magic license expire. Or could match her up with the people who think that if they complain enough I will be able to find something that is currently out of stock.

I’m never quite sure how much to share before it starts to scare people away. Generally, I like to share enough information so that the new person doesn’t think he/she has been singled out for the weirdness. Like the fact that my section is mainly an annoyance to the TL. It is not in the sight lines of the deli (thank goodness). Out of sight, out of mind.

Yesterday TL came around to ask who could work extra hours. NG and I were working together. She said that if no one volunteered, she would have to enforce mandatory overtime. She didn’t seem to understand that mandatory overtime could not be enforced at a company that tells its employees that NO overtime is allowed. Oddly enough, people schedule things for after work.

Newsflash! TL is not a good role model. She takes cigarette breaks on the clock. She parks in handicapped parking (illegally) so her car is convenient for smoke breaks (guess she doesn’t want people seeing her on her third break in four hours). Apparently all of that smoking has made walking to a different part of the lot uncomfortable.

TL doesn’t like working the counter, stocking, doing the daily inventory work or several other tasks. She does spend a lot of time complaining about being understaffed. I don’t think it has really sunk in that she wouldn’t have as many staffing issues if she picked up some of the slack herself.

No one wants to complain to management about TL. The last time someone did, she promised to track them down and file a complaint about that person creating a hostile working environment. That’s funny to everyone who didn’t have to listen to the tirade.

Once all of that was said, OS and I were able to congratulate NG on being a stocker rather than a slicer. He’ll have to spend part of his time stocking deli which is a little scary, but then he can come fall off the radar in cheese.

(Title courtesy of Dante for those of you who recognized it but couldn’t place it. For the rest of you too, I guess.)