Category Archives: Living with cats

How to bring together your Christmas tree and your cats

We’ve been very busy by the preparations for Christmas this weekend. Our tree is now up and decorated !

Claire is born with cats in the house, then let’s tell you that she knows all the tricks to bring a Christmas tree and cats together.

The fir tree

Choose rather a medium-sized artificial tree. Indeed, the real fir trees have a much more attractive smell, their needles can be toxic, and the water of the bowl also.
Assure that your fir tree has a stable and solid base.
Place it on a table if it’s quite small, or in a clear space. It would be necessary to avoid that a too close piece of furniture can serve as springboard.
The perfectionists will still fix their fir tree to the wall or to the ceiling to prevent it from falling over ; Claire prefers to leave the principle which the fir tree CAN fall over without damage for it or for the cats. You can also place your fir tree in a room which you can close during the night. Our fir tree, for example, is 80 cm high and is put on a stool.

The decorations

Use plastic or cloth unbreakable decorations, and which do not contain small parts which can get loose.
Avoid : garlands, ribbons, and “angel-hair” (risk of breathlessness or intestinal obstruction in case of ingestion), artificial snow (toxin), chocolates (toxin), and real candles.
Fix firmly the decorations to the fir tree.
Don’t let hang the cord of fairy lights ; connect the lights in presence of an adult in the room, otherwise disconnect them and roll up the thread around the trunk. Protect your cords if your cat tends to chew on electric cords.
Be double watchful if your cat is a kitten !

As Claire didn’t find what she wanted, she made herself the small cloth hearts.

Et moi, j’ai vérifié que les décorations étaient solidement fixées.

Tiens, on dirait que cette boule est de travers…

Oooooh ! Un cadeau ! Vous croyez qu’il est pour moi ?

Why do cats snore ?

We took well advantage of our hour of additional sleep this weekend…

ZORRO : It’s true, you even snored !
PIXIE : Zorro ! A young lady does not snore, come on !

What is snoring ?

Snoring is a noise emitted during breathing. It occurs when soft tissues of respiratory tracts begin tp vibrate during breathing, or when they are blocked.
Some cats snore, and for the majority of them, there is no reason to worry. A regular snore during the sleep, which is not bound to a respiratory difficulty, to a cough, or to a loss of appetite, and which does not modify (apneas or worsening) is generally not a problem. Breeds with a short nose, as the Persian or the exotic shorthair are more inclined to snore than other breeds : the shape of their snout involves that their respiratory tracts (and often lacrimal canals) are compressed. Our angel Hercule was a champion : we heard him snoring up to the next room !

However, in some cases, snoring is the sign of a health problem.

Obesity : the surplus of fat around the neck of overweighted cats can lead to snoring. Obesity is more disturbing than the snore in this case, but it would be better to maintain your cat at a normal weight.
Allergies
Foreign matter : a simple blade of grass badly placed in the pharynx can cause a snore, and the help of the veterinarian can be necessary to remove it.
Asthma
Infections : a commonplace affection of the respiratory tracts which is not cured by itself can turn into infection. Tissues are congested, there is production of mucus, and respiratory tracts are shrunk. A medical treatment is necessary.
Cyst, tumor, or polyp : these invisible thicknesses are difficult to detect and require a surgical operation ; it can be cancerous.
Respiratory distress syndrome : a snore combined with difficult breathing, a cat who snores by inhaling with an open mouth in a jerky way, which seems to look for his air, is a medical urgency !

Cats of any age and any breed can snore, but at the slightest doubt, go to the veterinarian !

PS – PIXIE : I do not snore.

How to make a cat shelter for winter ?

We have beautiful sunny days, but for approximately two weeks, it’s clearly cooler in the morning : between 3 and 6℃ at 7 am (37-42℉). The heating is not on all the time, because it’s still 18 to 20℃ (64-68℉) out during the day. We have no fireplace, then sometimes it’s a little cold and damp in the house.

Our humans took out jackets and socks, and blankets did their appearance on the sofa again for watching TV in the evening. Zorro sleeps outside during the day, and this coolness doesn’t disturb him, but I decided to sleep under the spread to have a cosy and comfy spot !

Autumn has just begun, but these lower temperatures reminds us our friends who will soon have to spend the winter outside. The video of Cole et Marmalade shows you here how to make easily a cat shelter :