Big cat Motzie visits Pasco

This weekend the mystical moon cat club will hold a cat show in Port Richey, but there's on cat that's really turning some heads. This Guinness Records cat holds a record as one of the largest cats ever.

Visit Famous Cats House in San Diego

San Diego's world famous Cats' House is open to the public. Admissions benefit the FACE Foundation, a non-profit that provides financial assistance to pet owners who are unable to partically or fully cover the cost of their pets' life-saving veterinary care.

Special Preview

Saturday, April 17th, 6:30-8:30 PM

$30 for individual tickets, $50 for couples

Admission includes free print and behind-the-scenes tour

Open Cat's House

Sunday, April 18th, 1-4 PM, Admission $5, children under 5 free

Bob Walker will be signing The Cats' House book both Saturday and Sunday

Angelenos can get to San Diego by car, or by Amtraak, whose Surfliner trains take approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes to get to San Diego from Los Angeles' Union Station. The Cats House is approximately 6.72 miles from the train station.

The Cats' House

5010 Northaven Avenue

San Diego, CA 92110

Swimming has helped one lucky kitty walk

Nazzaning, a 6-year-old Turkish Van, was injured in June and was unable to move her left side. Her owner, Florence Rostami, took her to the hospital, initially believing she had broken her paw. The veterinarian told Rostami that Nazzaning’s condition was much more dire, and that she would have to stay in the hospital.

“I cried so much,” said Rostami, an attorney in New York City. “We were devastated. My mom, my daughter and I stayed in the hospital until midnight the first night.”

Nazzaning was kept in the hospital for four days, and one by one various causes of her paralysis, such as kidney failure or a tumor, were eliminated. Finally, an MRI showed swelling in her vertebrae, and her vet recommended anti-inflammatory medication. The actual cause of the swelling wasn’t determined.

Rostami inquired about physical therapy for Nazzaning and was excited to find out that hydrotherapy was an option.

“I was very happy,” she said. “Turkish Vans are natural swimmers, and I thought that this might wake up her instinct.”

Boaz Levitin, a neurologist who examined Nazzaning and recommended hydrotherapy for her, told the New York Post that most cats couldn’t handle this style of rehabilitation. “I’m a big believer in physical therapy, but most cats just see water and flip out so I’ve never recommended that for them before.”

Nazzaning was the first cat to undergo hydrotherapy at Water 4 Dogs, an animal rehabilitation center in Manhattan that, as the name suggests, typically only works with canines.

“She was definitely nervous about what was going on, and she was vocal and meowing,” said Jean Marie Cooper, the manager at Water 4 Dogs. “At first she was balling up and not moving, but after a few treatments, I think she started feeling better and relaxed.”

Nazzaning’s treatments consist of 30 minutes of walking on a treadmill immersed in 4 to 5 inches of water, with a therapist helping to keep her upright and ensure proper foot placement.

“Her muscles needed to learn how to move the correct way again, and because she’s partially buoyant in water, if she makes a mistake it’s much less severe than if she’s walking on dry land,” Cooper explained.

After the treadmill, Nazzaning swims in a 4 1/2-foot pool while being supported by a therapist, to help strengthen her limbs and provide all-over exercise.

Nazzaning goes to therapy three times a week, in addition to at-home massages, and stretches several times a day.

Nazzaning lucked out, as hydrotherapy and other forms of animal rehabilitation are rarely available to cats, according to veterinarian Jane Brunt, executive director of the CATalyst Council, a nonprofit coalition for the proper care of cats.

“It’s only in the past 10 years that there’s even been a market for animal hydrotherapy,” Brunt said. “Now, people are realizing that cats need this care, too. There are lots of videos showing how owners can habituate cats to getting wet, and hopefully more institutions will offer rehabilitation services that are cat-friendly.”

At $160 per session, Nazzaning’s treatments don’t come cheap. But her owner says the money spent has been well worth it.

“Now her balance is better and she is walking on her own,” said Rostami. “I really believe that if she didn’t go to therapy, she may not have found the confidence to walk again.”

After Nazzaning’s success, Cooper says she hopes to see a wider range of animals try hydrotherapy.

“There’s no animal we wouldn’t work with,” said Cooper, “from rabbits, ferrets and reptiles or even horses — although it might be tough to get a horse in the pool,” she joked.

For more on the animal rehabilitation center Water 4 Dogs, please visit their website.

Original post on Jul 23, 10

Cat washes up on Governors Island

NEW YORK | Did a calico cat from New Jersey swim across New York Harbor? The mystery surrounds a white, orange and black feline that arrived last weekend on Governors Island.

Security guards found the cat on the island’s north shore. Her fur was salty, matted and caked with seaweed.

A Governors Island spokeswoman, Elizabeth Rapuano, told the Daily News that workers there had a theory: The cat swam to safety after being swept up in torrential rains in New Jersey. That’s more than a mile away.

Rapuano said the calico is a great addition to the 172-acre island but will welcome any leads that would help find the owner.

Original Post on 23 April, 2011

A kiwi cat survived an 18-day voyage

A kiwi cat named Douglas survived an 18-day voyage to Australia stuck in a shipping container without any food or water.

The lucky moggy travelled more than 2,200 miles across the Tasman Sea to Adelaide, with stopovers in Sydney and Melbourne.

Andrew Leota, who works at the depot Douglas calls home, tried to explain how the cat survived.

He said: "Maybe (he drunk) condensation off the roof of the containers but apart form that, he probably slept through the whole thing".

Original post on April 18, 2011

Cat in a jar

Ksyusha- a young Himalayan Cat - has been pictured in a variety of poses, including sat in the washing machine and under the kitchen table. 

The playful female kitten started squeezing itself into jars from when it was a few weeks old. 

Owner Yuriy Korotun, 37, who lives in Moscow, said: 'She was a special kitten from the beginning- always very playful. 

'I came into the kitchen one day to find her in the jar. I couldn't believe my eyes.' She likes hiding in different places and was full of character. 

'It looks like she would have trouble getting out of the jar but actually her body is not as big as it looks because of her large amount of fur.'

Original Post : 18th February, 2011

Cat gives birth to dog

Zhou Yun, the cat's owner, says she knew her furry friend was pregnant so she wasn't surprised when she happened upon two kittens at the beginning of the month.

On closer inspection, however, she noticed that one of the babies was dead.

'I then noticed the other kitten surprisingly looks like a dog,' Zhou, who lives in Yangshan, in eastern China's Jiangsu Province, told reporters.

Zhou, who's also the owner of a pet dog that likes to eat and sleep with its feline pal (hmm...), added: 'Quite possibly the kitty is a mixed child'.

Lai Xiaoyun, president of a local pet clinic, has sagely pointed out (after having a good look at the kitten-puppy, to be fair) that it's impossible for a cat to give birth to a dog.

He reckons Zhou's cat popped out two kittens and one died shortly after: 'So the cat went out and accidentally found a litter of newborn puppies and took one home.' 

'Cats and dogs are two different species and it's impossible to have joint descendants,' he concluded.

Original Post : 14th April, 2011