Carl recently shared with FixNation, "Sometime in March I was writing music for an upcoming album that will be my personal take on the blues. Just before Mark passed away I was thinking about my friend, and when I picked up my guitar a minor key piece poured out of me. I called it 'Dodging the Blues,' dedicated to Mark Dodge." This song will be featured on Carl's upcoming blues album. Click below to hear "Dodging the Blues."
CAT MEN WE LOVE — Carl Verheyen, Singer, Songwriter, Musician “Cat ladies” aren’t the only ones with a soft spot for kitties. Men are big fans of felines too! We’re profiling some of FixNation’s favorite cat-loving gents in a special series of emails throughout the month of June. Enjoy! Q. What do you love most about cats? Those furry little carpet subs trolling around on the floor always make me smile. Especially when they follow me around from room to room. Q. How many kitties do you have? Just two. A 17-year-old skinny female named Marcie Dot and a big fat grey [...]
Take a closer look at what we're doing for cats! When the clinic opens at 7 a.m., there’s usually a line of cat lovers outside, eager to bring in their homeless cats and pet cats. Looks like a busy day ahead! Armando Lopez swiftly checks in everyone and assigns a number to each cat. Homeless cats go to one intake room, pet cats to another. In the intake room for homeless kitties, each cat is scanned for a microchip, weighed, evaluated for sex and age and given an antibiotic and eye lubrication. “We also give them love. That’s just as [...]
CAT MEN WE LOVE - Joe Federico, Volunteer Extraordinaire “Cat ladies” aren’t the only ones with a soft spot for kitties. Men are big fans of felines too! We’re profiling some of FixNation’s favorite cat-loving gents in a special series of emails throughout the month of June. Enjoy! Q. What do you love most about cats? I used to be intrigued only by big cats. Lions and tigers and cheetahs, oh my! Now I know there's a big cat in every kitten and a kitten in every big cat. I love getting to know both sides, the soft, gentle, purring [...]
A Thai Buddhist temple in Ontario with a major homeless cat problem recently got some help from a diverse team of cat lovers – FixNation’s TNR expert Joe Federico, three volunteer trappers, the owner of a high desert cat sanctuary, a generous local veterinarian, and students and staff from Western University. Sometimes it takes a village! The Thai Buddhist Temple in Ontario is known for its distinctive architecture, serene grounds, orange-robed monks and – most recently – a growing colony of several dozen homeless kitties, many of which were abandoned and somehow found their way to temple. With the [...]
Unlike spraying, urination outside the box is NOT a natural behavior for a cat –it’s a sign that something’s not right. If you have a cat that pees on one side of the box, on the bed or the carpet, the very first thing that you must do is schedule an appointment with your veterinarian to rule out any medical conditions. Ninety five percent of urination outside the box has an underlying medical issue, such as FLUTD, Cystitis, Hyperthyroidism (older cats), diabetes mellitus, IBD and many more. In such medical conditions, the cat usually stops using the litter box because [...]
Written by Guest Blogger, Simon Campbell While cats continue to be the most popular pet in U.S. households, it’s a sad reality that cases of cat and kitten abandonment are underreported and often go unreported altogether. Compassionate pet lovers may be quick to point fingers at owners who leave their pets behind, but when it comes to those facing foreclosure, the reasons for abandonment can be complicated to unravel. Families with felines often feel like abandonment is their last and best option and typically exhaust other resources before taking this last, most drastic, step. Here we review the top four [...]
How many of cat owners love their pet’s peculiarities? Your cat might like a certain spot in the sun, for example, or may only want to drink water out of a certain bowl. It’s what makes them loveable. That specificity may also relate to food: Your cat’s wet food preferences may be hard to discern, but it’s worthwhile to figure it out. For one, not all cat food is the same when it comes to texture. Some are more uniform and shredded-like, while others resemble morsels—perhaps ones that remind you of dry food, too. If you decide to feed your [...]
Written by Cat Behaviorist, Mirian Hassani With improper elimination, we have two categories: Spraying and Urination outside the litter box. It is very important to figure out which of the two we are having to deal with, as they are quite different and the solutions are too. Let’s talk about SPRAYING First and foremost, the act of spraying is a very NATURAL marking behavior for the cats. It is a communication tool. Of course, we as humans do not like it, as we have to deal with the odor and the cleaning. It is of interest to mention that the [...]
Written by Guest Blogger, Jessica Brody Photo courtesy of Unsplash by Jonas Vincent The first few days, weeks, or months after bringing home a new pet are a special time. This is a time of transition and bonding. Many pet owners develop deep bonds with their pets and think of them more as “children” than pets. Of course, it’s important to keep in mind that there are differences between children and pets and that there will always be some confusion for both you and your pet at times. Here are some tips that can help any first-time pet [...]