Cat Reviews

When it comes to helping cat and dog owners, Traci (last name held by request) is willing and able to offer assistance where she can.  Traci has worked in the veterinary field for over ten years. Working from the same clinic under the title of Emergency Vet Technician, she has seen it all. Her clinic is fast-paced and as she says, “boredom is rarely a luxury there.”   

With the onset of the Internet, Traci began to notice a lot of misinformation being passed around on dog and cat message boards. Alarmed at the content of some of the posts she read, she decided to do something positive about this problem, and so in 1999 she started Cat Health Online. She was taught the basics of HTML by a friend, and learned the rest purely by trial and error, but over the months the board began to take shape and people started to join. 

At first, the board consumed most of her time as she put up an impressive array of accurate cat health information in a mini reference section. Everything from nutrition to kitten care can be found there, and since emergency veterinary care is her specialty, she placed a handy Emergency Reference guide on her site as well.   Developing a no-nonsense approach to answering posts, her board quickly gained a foothold with cat rescuers and other cat care specialists, as well as cat owners themselves. Several members have been with her from the beginning and along with her they continue to add to the substantial knowledge base that has grown there. She spends about two hours a day on her board answering questions, and her extensive knowledge of veterinary medicine is evident when you read her replies.

I asked her once why she hadn’t gone on to be a vet, and she laughed and said that in her position she has the best of both worlds. She works with a wonderful team of veterinarians, and in her duties as a vet tech; she gets the hands-on experience of taking care of each animal that arrives. Giving medications, doing treatments, monitoring the in-house patients and dealing with the emergency cases, all serve to keep her motivated to learn and helps to expand her knowledge base, for each situation she encounters at the clinic is unique. And after work is over and she comes home, if she can help someone on the internet who is struggling to understand lab results, or give them added

information to ask their vet so that an

informed decision can be reached and ultimately help a cat or dog, than her role is clear. For Traci, the animals come first and all pets are the priority.  http://www.cathelp-online.com/phpBB2/ 

Recently, I was asked to review a new type of cat food. One created specifically for young kittens aged 1-4 months. I couldn’t help but think about all the participants I have here at home, rescued from tumultuous beginnings, and more than willing to become test subjects for Royal Canin’s new BabyCat 34.

As an experienced cat rescuer and caretaker, I am well aware of the importance of good quality food, especially during the early months for fragile and sometimes compromised kitties. While I waited for the shipment to arrive, I did my own research on Royal Canin and I was impressed with what I discovered.

Royal Canin works closely with leading veterinarian colleges and universities throughout the United States and Europe. In state-of-the-art research labs, they develop foods specifically adapted to your cat’s needs. Along with veterinarians, and breeders, their employees work hard to develop foods which help you maintain the high-quality of standards that each cat deserves, in whatever growing stage they happen to be in.

The day finally arrived and I received the bag of BabyCat 34. As I stood there, looking hesitantly at the new bag, while the kittens milled about my ankles. I could just see it in their faces. They were all hoping that this bag, like its predecessors before it, would, when I tried to open it bare handed, explode it’s contents all over the room while they gave merry chase. McGilly Kitty had already dashed under the bed, as if she knew this would be the place for all the kibble to land and she could feast to her heart’s content before her siblings finally drove her away from the tasty treats.However; the kittens were disappointed, and I was delighted. The bag gave way easily to my one gentle tug and the kibble was poured into the waiting bowls.

McGilly came slowly out from under the bed. The runt of the litter, and the smallest of the crew, she always had trouble managing the standard-size kibble in her tiny mouth. But, as she got to her feeding bowl, she discovered that BabyCat 34 is comprised of smaller, tiny kibble to accommodate small mouths and baby teeth. She plunged right in and it was evident to me that she was enjoying the fact that it was so easy for her to chew.I couldn’t tell her in words she could understand, but I can let you know Dear Reader, that Royal Canin has developed this food especially for kittens in their tiny frames. They add extra moisture to each morsel making it easier for the kitten to swallow, aiding in the digestion as well. With added essential fatty acids Omega 6 and 3, which helps to maintain a silky coat, improves circulation of the blood, aids in clotting, and helps support compromised immune systems.

BabyCat 34 contains all the essential vitamins and minerals necessary for growing kittens.I couldn’t tell McGilly that this chicken-based product had enough nutrients that would fortify her, so she would be able to grow up strong and stand up to her brothers and sisters assaults. That Royal Canin understands each cat is different in each stage of their lives, and so they take into account these differences and develop the right food for the right stages. I couldn’t tell her all that, but as I looked at her face as she finished off her dinner and mewed up at me for more. I could tell her and all my crew that I loved them by only feeding Royal Canin from now on.

I was that impressed. I am still impressed when a week later, the kitties were still in love with there new food and they appear to be thriving on it. Their coats are shinier; they have brighter eyes and are full of more energy just like kitties ought to be! Now, if I could only keep them off the drapes! 

On the edge of my property in Richmond Virginia, a swamp teems with life. Moss hangs like primordial ooze off the bald cypress, and water ash trees. Water fowl, birds, squirrels, raccoons and beavers consider this place their sanctuary. Inadvertently, many critters find their way to my sanctuary as well. As they arrive, they are greeted with tidbits I leave out for them. My belief lies with those who think that any kindness extended toward these “outside critters” brings along with the act, a spiritual prosperity. In 2001, the natural animals gave way to another critter not indigenous to the swamplands. A critter that blew in with a fierce snowstorm, and upon arriving, changed my life.  The storm arrived with a vengeance, bringing freezing temperatures and gusting winds. The winds rattled my window panes, seeking out additional victims to cover in bone-chilling cold. I first noticed the kitten when it appeared at the window. Peering longingly at the warmth, its fearful eyes caught mine. Slowly I edged toward the window, wanting only to rescue this creature. The porch light illuminated this little waif, revealing its appalling condition. The kitten was bone-thin,  and scruffy Sludge and muck blended onto black and grey fur. Perhaps it had wrestled a mud creature to gain access to my porch. The fur matted together in a sticky goop. I could not tell where the fur began and the mud started! I raced to the kitchen to find some food, but by the time I got back to the front door, the kitten was gone.  In the hopes the kitten would return, I set the food down on the porch, and kept vigil by my window. Pretty soon, I gave up my mission and headed upstairs.  The next evening the kitten returned. Limping badly, it made its way straight for the food. I observed a flap of skin hanging over a bite wound on its leg. I knew I had to do something, so I approached him slowly. Due to his consuming hunger and weakened state, the kitten allowed me to get close. Using an old towel, I scooped the tiny creature up. It was a boy!  And I brought him inside. He lay quietly as I cleaned his wound, understanding perhaps that my mission involved helping him. When I finished cleaning his leg, I scouted up a large vinyl basket and placed some soft bedding inside. Setting the basket out on the porch well out of the wind, I watched as the kitten hobbled his way directly to the basket and jumped inside. He laid there waiting until I covered him. He stayed in that basket for two days, until I finally carried him inside and put him in the downstairs bathroom. I decided to call him Harvey.

Harvey became our sole housecat for a year, and during that time, he developed quite a personality. He adored being picked up and would wrap his big paws around my neck and nuzzle my chin in greeting.

 

Harvey grew into a sleek, healthy male. We had him neutered and he developed a sturdy build with a short tail. His long legs, big paws and other physical features would assist him in a positive way, as you will soon learn. He earned the name of Harvey The Entertainer  when PEOPLE Magazine came to do a photo shoot with my creative partner, Dika Newlin, ( an 80 year old female punk rocker) Harvey stole center stage by climbing up on Dika and wrapping himself around her neck like an expensive stole. He stayed there as flashbulbs popped around him, perfectly content to bask in his moment of fame. He knew that he had captured yet another musician’s heart. Being a musician myself, I own an extensive collection of guitars. I play almost every night. One evening while in the kitchen with my 7-string Gibson Kramer, I noticed

Harvey sitting at the doorway looking in my direction. Pointing the guitar at him, I asked jokenly, “Care to try? To my amazement, he came over and hopped on the table. The guitar was lying right in front of him. Tentatively he reached over with his paw and plucked a few tines. Elated, I propped the guitar up sideways on a stand and watched in complete amazement as he reached over to pluck a few more tines! When he stopped, I picked up his toy mouse from the floor nearby and held it in different positions on the bar.

Harvey would reach out to grab the mouse, but instead hit the strings. He was making music, and he seemed to really enjoy the feel of the music. We began weekly jam sessions, one human, and one feline, until a year later when another half-frozen kitten showed up at my door.

 It was the winter of 2002, the wind was blowing and blew a kitten onto my porch! At first, I thought it was a leaf, but where it landed, it was out of the wind, and it was trembling. Carefully, I made my way to the tiny form, and bent to scoop it up. But, the kitten scooted off into the darkness. Concerned, I went to the kitchen and got the newcomer a bowl of warm food. Setting it on the porch, I backed away into the house, than stood by the window waiting. Minutes later, the black ball appeared and began to eat. I decided to call the kitten Onyx and for two days, Onyx and I resided together in an uneasy alliance. This time

Providence brought me a female. Onyx allowed me about three feet from her. She ate the food that I offered and made her home on top of a pillow I gave her.

 What became evident to me was that she needed some place safe to shelter the storms, so I went out and bought her a plastic doghouse, and placed it on the spot she normally slept. Then I retreated back into the house, keeping watch. Pretty soon, she came creeping up, climbed inside and vanished in the shadows.  I went to bed that night, confident that she would be warm and safe.  When I came down in the morning, I peeked outside and saw she was still sleeping. Taking a chance, I walked outside and she didn’t move. As I looked closer, I saw she was barely breathing! I reached in and grabbed her (expecting her to bite).She was barely a whisper in my hands. I carried her inside to the bathroom, where I washed her face off, and cleaned her nose. Within five minutes Onyx the Pygmy Pet started acclimating to the warmth of the house. Her motor started and she rolled on her back, kicking her soft black paws in the air at me. After finding out she had bronchitis, I started her on a two-week course of antibiotics and kept her in the house with us.  When

Harvey finally got a close-up view of her, there was instant acceptance. She ran up to him and they nuzzled, the look in his eyes was priceless. Ever since that first meeting, I have referred to Onyx as ”

Harvey’s kitten.”

 Early on, both cats showed an unusual interest in music and the guitars. I would play a guitar in front of them, setting the instrument on a stand leaning next to a chair. Onyx would watch while

Harvey plucked the strings, or she would sit next to me and chase my fingers as I played. One night, she walked over to a chair and started playing the guitar next to it. Using her claws, she produced such haunting music it shocked me to the point I spilled my coffee. Her soul must be connected to a  musician of years past, for to this day,  she will sit by the guitar and play the instrument with her teeth. Much like Jimi Hendrix used to do.

 One night, while watching the two of them “play” I decided to hook up the two guitars directly into a Phillips Music CD Recorder and digitally record my cats’ musical muses. Word of my incredible band started spreading, and in April of 2003 a reporter from the Richmond Times Dispatch appeared at my studio. He observed my cats playing the guitars which prompted him to report the following: “They seem to be musical, especially a kitten who plucks a guitar apparently with some understanding of what’s going on.” 

Watching these two cats chasing music and playing runs, I decided to name the band “2  Real Catz”.  Their first CD “MUSIC 4 CATZ (& KITTENZ)”  is considered  a feline meditation collection. Onyx went on to record a solo CD “THE LONELY KITTEN” which appeals to one’s softer side.  With many hours of original cat recordings completed, we have a lot of material available from which to draw on. I have recently renamed this band “Hiss-Hop” With the help for a friend by the name of Gee Pee (a DJ who spins previously recorded cat tracks behind the cats) this completes Hiss-Hop as the first true inter-species band. These recording sessions, completed during the winter of 2003, were produced at my own 2 Loud! Records Studios (under the musical direction of Dika Newlin). The first Hiss-Hop CD is “Pawz 4 the Clawz” which was followed up by a live concert (from my living room) that produced the  CD “Scratch N Hop” to celebrate the first day of Spring.            

Harvey and Onyx are currently working on a new 2 Real Catz CD to be called “Outside Petz” that will be completed later this year.  Onyx is working on some new compositions.  Their music is unique, exotic, mesmerizing and soothing to listen to. Labeling this music is difficult for it falls between traditional meditation music and easy techno. Playing these CD’s back to my cats produces a strange, tranquil effect on them, even if they are hyperactive. They both blew into my life on the tail of  a blizzard and took my heart and my home by storm. I feel truly blessed to have these gentle souls sharing my life. Their music guides them it directs their souls.         

                                           

When it comes to the field of Digital Imagery with Photoshop, John Lund is a pioneer and a quiet force to be reckoned with.  John is well known nationally and internally for his ground-breaking work and visual mastery.  When John was growing up, His dream was to be a high- profile lawer, but after enrolling in college and sitting in on a few lectures and classes he decided to  change his major to English.  After graduating he daubled in the art of being a writer. John quickly learned the realism behind the statement that writers sometimes do starve. Not wanting to eat beans and cornbread as his main meal, John picked up a camera. In 1989 John saw Digital Imagery performed for the first time. As John explains it, that first moment he watched the magic unfold before his eyes, he knew he had to follow this technique, for it “would eliminate the barriers between imagination and execution.” He started fooling around on a Macintosh computer while trying his hand at traditional advertising jobs. His ability to sell a product or an idea grew with each assignment and though he was advancing in the firm, John was left feeling unfulfilled.  Shifting his focus to animals,  his first animal image he created; a cat with a canary feather in its mouth sealed his fate.  

Now John focuses on animals and thoroughly  enjoys his work. Receiving emails from people all over the world telling him how his images make them smile is sweet reward. John, this is truly gratifying for him.  John has been working with Photoshop for fifteen years. When asked if he considers himself a Master? John humbly replies, “Let’s just say I am comfortable working within the realms of Photoshop.” John doesn’t work solo, his team of helpers stand by ready to help with positioning, treats and different points of view. Photographing animals can be painstakenly slow. He relies on his team to help handle the animals of his photoshoots provided by Bow Wow Productions. After a photo shoot, the process continues long into the night inside his studio where he carefully catalogs all the parts into his computer to be used at a later date.  

When I view John’s portfolio and the fact that he deals with so many cats, I am struck with how all of this is achieved and made into final prints, greeting card, or calendars. John tells me that when it comes to working with cats, it all boils down to “patience, a lot of shooting- and food!” The work is either done on location or in his studio or makeshift sets. John is blessed with  insurmountable patience, a gentle nature and a wry sense of humor which he is grateful for these are the tools of his trade. 

Helping with this process, developing ideas behind all the creations are a collaborative effort on the part of his talented team; writer Peter Stein, Art Director Collette Carter and two assistants known simply as Sam and Annie. John works long hours in his studio in San Francisco. A visit to his website reveals cats and dogs and other animals in every conceivable and inconceivable situation. In between his work, he has time to write books. Animal Antics, and Animal Wisdom. He has a recent book about Photoshop called Adobe Masterclass: Photoshop Compositing with John Lund. Portal Publication handles all sales of his amazing and whimsical greeting cards. 

For the little boy who dreamed of being a lawyer, John had no idea that his appearances would not be before the bench but behind a camera lens. The jury doesn’t have to deliberate long on this verdict, with his email box filling up with evidence in his favor; John Lund is truly the Master Raster.  To visit John’s amazing website click here:  http://www.johnlund.com 

On www.themagiczoo.com   the Magic lies in the fine craftsmanship. Merry Rosenfeld pours into each piece of jewelry her truly artistic flair. Merry presents a variety of animals in sterling silver, pewter and polymer clay not caged and unavailable, these pieces can be used to accentuate any animal lover’s wardrobe.

In keeping with the theme of any zoo, among Merry’s collection one can find elephants, giraffes, koalas, possums and exotic birds. Also catering to the petting zoo clientele, Merry presents farm animals and true to form also includes for the warm-blooded animal lovers cats and dogs. Those preferring reptilian creatures can also find their favorite reptile among Merry’s stock. Constantly searching for new ways to challenger herself, Ms. Rosenfeld welcomes custom orders.

Her polymer clay animals are whimsical and lifelike. Adorably posed, produced in bright contrasting colors she displays breed specific cats and dogs as well as stray cats and mutts.

Any cat lover would feel privileged to own her pieces. Her designs make you smile. Even her fruit bats hanging upside down elicit a grin. Her pieces are not only worthy of becoming family treasures but they also make great conversation pieces at parties and gatherings.

The Magic is not only in the hands, but in the details. Take a cyber-tour of Merry’s Magic Zoo and I suspect you will enjoy the experience.