Hunchcat of Notre Dame: Wacky Wednesday

When I saw this video on another blog called Under the Paw and could not resist reposting it! Please enjoy this video, which definitely helps improve the middle of the week!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxGS-2M6_5I&feature=player_embedded

FeLV Vaccination

Recently I received a notification from my vet that both Bell and Chance are due for their FeLV shot. With having recently moved and losing my health insurance due to my marriage money has been tight, so I wondered if this was a shot that I could skip. With the previous knowledge that this shot was used to prevent Feline Leukemia I decided to do some research. Originally we had both cats tested when our former room-mates brought home a stray that we were unsure if she carried the disease; all turned out negative for this disease. For me to make an informative decision I decided that first I would need to know how the disease itself is transmitted.

An article by Franny Syufy on About.com states that “The disease is transmitted through saliva and nasal secretions, by biting, sharing food dishes, and other close contact.” Also stated in the article was the importance of vaccinating when your cat is “at risk” or indoor-outdoor. The article also states that “People with entirely indoors cats may want to consider eliminating this vaccination, after discussing the pros and cons with their own veterinarian…” Wondering what VAS stood for I continued to read the article and discovered that this shot is given in the back left leg because if a VAS tumor forms the cat can live by losing a leg.

With the risk of this coming from the FeLV shot, and after doing some serious thought I have decided that as a furry parent it is not the right decision to continue the vaccination. With no outside exposure to the disease, it would be unnecessary for us to continue vaccinating them for something they don’t have access to catching.

How do you feel about FeLV vaccinations? Please note that I am not licensed to advise you making your decision; this was my personal decision and your decision should be based on your kitties and shared with your veterinarian!

Officially Married!

I am SO sorry that my blog has taken some serious neglect the past month. I was recently married on August 6th, had my honeymoon following, and then moved. I was also uped to 40 hours a week at work until further notice, so I am just getting back into the groove! Please feel free to check back later today for an updated post and regular updates every few days. Thank you SO much for your patience!

Upcoming Post

Please be sure to check back here later this evening around 8:00 PM for my Tuesday post. While at work I can't do the proper research for the segment; but I will be talking about an amazing product that I use for my cats that has done a tremendous job in preventing flea reproduction this past year; It has been a terrible season for fleas!

My Pet Monday

Still working on increasing the popularity of my blog, I have yet to receive any photos for the My Pet Monday segment. Therefore, Chance is going to be this weeks star! This photo was taken last year after new years with some of the necklaces we saved....isn't he SO CUTE :)

So Sorry

Just wanted to let everyone know that with the upcoming wedding I took the weekend off to hang out with the future in-laws. I hope to have a great post up for Monday!

TGIF Joke

Hope this joke gets you through your day ;)

Kitten Gender

A little boy was with his dad looking at a litter of kittens. Upon returning home, the little boy could not wait to tell his mother that there were 2 girl kittens and 2 boy kttens.

"How do you know?" asked his mother.

The boy replied, "Daddy picked them up and looked underneath. I think it's printed on the bottom."

http://www.facts-about-cats.com/cat-jokes.asp

Source:

Interesting Facts about Cats

When I started working on todays post, I kept thinking about the odd things my cats do and wondered if there were facts that could explain their behavior. After visiting my favorite search engine I came across an article that has multiple random facts about cats…99 in fact! Some facts answer questions I have often asked myself about cat’s behavior, and some are just plain interesting. Below are a few of my favorites, and I also included the link for you to check out the rest for yourself!

· On average, cats spend 2/3 of every day sleeping. That means a nine-year-old cat has been awake for only three years of its life.

· Female cats tend to be right pawed, while male cats are more often left pawed. Interestingly, while 90% of humans are right handed, the remaining 10% of lefties also tend to be male.

· A cat can’t climb head first down a tree because every claw on a cat’s paw points the same way. To get down from a tree, a cat must back down.

· Cats make about 100 different sounds. Dogs make only about 10.

· A cat’s brain is biologically more similar to a human brain than it is to a dog’s. Both humans and cats have identical regions in their brains that are responsible for emotions.

· A cat can jump up to five times its own height in a single bound.

· Some cats have survived falls of over 65 feet (20 meters), due largely to their “righting reflex.” The eyes and balance organs in the inner ear tell it where it is in space so the cat can land on its feet. Even cats without a tail have this ability.

· While many parts of Europe and North America consider the black cat a sign of bad luck, in Britain and Australia, black cats are considered lucky.

· A cat’s eyesight is both better and worse than humans. It is better because cats can see in much dimmer light and they have a wider peripheral view. It’s worse because they don’t see color as well as humans do. Scientists believe grass appears red to cats.

· Spanish-Jewish folklore recounts that Adam’s first wife, Lilith, became a black vampirecat, sucking the blood from sleeping babies. This may be the root of the superstition that a cat will smother a sleeping baby or suck out the child’s breath.

· A cat’s jaw can’t move sideways, so a cat can’t chew large chunks of food.

· A cat almost never meows at another cat, mostly just humans. Cats typically will spit, purr, and hiss at other cats.

· Cats have 32 muscles that control the outer ear (humans have only 6). A cat can independently rotate its ears 180 degrees.

· One reason that kittens sleep so much is because a growth hormone is released only during sleep.

· The normal body temperature of a cat is between 100.5 ° and 102.5 °F. A cat is sick if its temperature goes below 100 ° or above 103 °F.

· A cat has 230 bones in its body. A human has 206. A cat has no collarbone, so it can fit through any opening the size of its head.

· If they have ample water, cats can tolerate temperatures up to 133 °F.

· Foods that should not be given to cats include onions, garlic, green tomatoes, raw potatoes, chocolate, grapes, and raisins. Though milk is not toxic, it can cause an upset stomach and gas. Tylenol and aspirin are extremely toxic to cats, as are many common houseplants. Feeding cats dog food or canned tuna that's for human consumption can cause malnutrition.

· Cats don’t have sweat glands over their bodies like humans do. Instead, they sweat only through their paws.

· Cats spend nearly 1/3 of their waking hours cleaning themselves.

· There are up to 60 million feral cats in the United States alone.

· The most traveled cat is Hamlet, who escaped from his carrier while on a flight. He hid for seven weeks behind a pane. By the time he was discovered, he had traveled nearly 373,000 miles (600,000 km).^c

· The cat who holds the record for the longest non-fatal fall is Andy. He fell from the 16^thfloor of an apartment building (about 200 ft/.06 km) and survived.

· The richest cat is Blackie who was left £15 million by his owner, Ben Rea.

After reading this list of facts I have come to the conclusion that Chance and Bell spend 2/3 of their life sleeping and a third of the 1/3 not spent sleeping grooming….WOOHOO party animals! Here is proof of their laziness, enjoy!

Source: http://facts.randomhistory.com/interesting-facts-about-cats.html

Why We Love Them

This video clip sums up in a couple minutes just why I love cats so much....unpredictability!

Funny Cat Video Clips by videyos07

First Post!

My parents always knew that I had a passion for animals; didn't matter what animal or where I was, I would always find something. I can remember playing with frogs, turtles, cats, dogs, and anything I could get my hands on. My mom is the type of person who believes a pet belongs outdoors or just not at her house. Describing my dream house to her would be hilarious: I can see myself with two cats, two dogs, a bird, a horse, and a pet chicken. Okay, I know the chicken is random, but when I volunteered at the local zoo we did presentations with a chicken that was the friendliest chicken and so entertaining! With two cats, two dogs, and a bird in the house unless they are put away there is no way my mom will come over. Although I have come up with my own solution to this problem (My pets will have a room in my house just for them) this does not solve the hair left behind, the toys scattered, the reminders of being a proud fur parent! So, while searching stumbleupon, I came across this stumble which will be recreated as a sign posted in my home, enjoy!

Photo courtesy of: http://funpics.classicfun.ws/index.php/Funpics/To-all-non-pet-owners

Blog Schedule

I could not be more excited to post the operations of my blog. Because I am going to be updating my blog daily (or as often as possible) I have decided to include a schedule of the type of posts that will occur each day, so that you know which day your favorite segment will appear:

Monday: My Pet Monday. This day is all about your pets! Send in your favorite photo of your pet to purrfectparent@gmail.com ; A couple photos will be selected each week by myself to feature your pet! Please include the following information: Your first name, your pet’s name, pet’s age, pet type/breed, and any caption you would like included.

Tuesday: Regular post, info, product review. This day will focus on a post about the happenings in my home, interesting information I feel is important to share with fellow pet owners, and the occasional product review and giveaway based on the requests received for my review.

Wednesday: Wacky Photo Wednesday. This day will focus on relaxation; it will offer me a break and a chance to spend time with my wonderful cats and soon to be husband! I will post a silly picture of pets found on the web and the occasional video link.

Thursday: Regular post, info, product review. This day will focus on a post about the happenings in my home, interesting information I feel is important to share with fellow pet owners, and the occasional product review and giveaway based on the requests received for my review.

Friday: Funny Joke Friday. This day will also focus on relaxation; as I often have different tasks to accomplish on Friday’s this will provide you with a funny joke that involves pets!

Saturday: Regular post, info, product review. This day will focus on a post about the happenings in my home, interesting information I feel is important to share with fellow pet owners, and the occasional product review and giveaway based on the requests received for my review.

Sunday: DAY OFF.

Blog-Roll

Please check back to this tab for recommended sites that provide animal information or products!

PR Policy

Thank you for reviewing my PR policy! Please note the following terms to a review:

• The item used for review must be provided free of charge and is non-returnable as it will be tested by my animals
• Product will need to be sent directly to my location: Please e-mail purrfectparent@gmail.com for more information.
• Please allow up to a month to see the review posted on this blog; A few weeks will be reserved for testing the product, a review will be drafted, and then will be sent to you to confirm. Please note that although the review is sent for confirmation I reserve the right to post said review to properly inform readers of the product. If there is something in the review you feel could have been fixed, we can work together to resolve the issue and it will be posted that the issue was fixed with the review.

Please note that if you are interested in a giveaway, I require two non-returnable products as I will right a review before doing the giveaway!

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me at purrfectparent@gmail.com

This policy is valid from 12 July 2011

This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. Please email me with comments or concerns: purrfectparent@gmail.com

This blog accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation.

The compensation received will never influence the content, topics or posts made in this blog. All advertising is in the form of advertisements generated by a third party ad network. Those advertisements will be identified as paid advertisements.

The owner(s) of this blog is compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though the owner(s) of this blog receives compensation for our posts or advertisements, we always give our honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the bloggers' own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.

This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest.

To get your own policy, go to http://www.disclosurepolicy.org

Product Reviews & Giveaways

If you are interested in having your product reviewed (or even your book about pets) by myself (Tracy) and my helpers (Chance & Bell) and/or would like to offer a product giveaway please feel free to send me an e-mail to purrfectparent@gmail.com. Please include Review or Giveaway in the subject line. Please note that to provide the most reliable products for my readers I must review a product to do a giveaway! Please see PR Policy tab for my policy information.

About Me

Thank you for visiting Purrfect Parent! My name is Tracy and I am 22 years old. I live in Michigan with my soon to be husband and our two cats. Chance was rescued as a stray and is an approximately three year old male. Bell was adopted shortly after as a playmate for chance and is a two year old female. I have always held the stance that pets are as much a part of the family as any human, and that they should be treated with love and respect. Because I feel so passionately about my own pets I began to wonder what information I should know concerning my pets that may change as well as what products are good and safe for my pets. 

This blog is to help review products for pets and to provide useful information discovered along the way so stay tuned if you have a passion for being a parent to furry children of all shapes and sizes. Although this will be focused toward cats, I will also try to provide useful information about many different types of pets.