FIP research hopeful

FIP research hopeful that within the next 10 years feline infectious peritonitis, FIP, will no longer be a death sentence for cats.

FIP research hopeful

For many of us this is fantastic news because the loss of a young cat can be devastating. The Paws family lost our beloved Tubby to FIP almost 10 years ago, and we think about our black Siamese sweetheart every day.

Most recently, the Winn Feline Foundation announced a major breakthrough in FIP research. Over the past 25 years, Winn has granted $675,000 to the cause. In 2015, Morris Animal Foundation pledged $1.2 million to fund research to better understand the disease and find a treatment for it.

FIP, a devastating condition triggered by infection with a feline coronavirus, is difficult to diagnose, and is always fatal, up to now. Once diagnosed, the cat may only live days or weeks or months; however, a few may live for years. While feline coronavirus is common, especially in places with lots of cats, it by itself is of no concern, except for the cats where it mutates into FIP. Paws wrote about Tubby’s battle. Check out:

FIP, fatal with no cure, most common in young cats like Tubby, can affect cats of any age with compromised immune systems

The little known fatal cat disease FIP strikes home

There’s no single test for FIP. Rather diagnosis is made by taking the sum of numerous findings. Experts at the University of Tennessee’s veterinary college estimate that FIP affects as many as 5 percent of cats in shelters and catteries, as well as some smaller proportion of household felines.

Tubby succumbed to the disease about a year and a half after being adopted from a shelter. We had no idea this kitty was harboring such a deadly disease, nor had we ever heard of FIP before. Now our ears perk up with curiosity when we heard the mere mention of FIP.

FIP research hopeful

Vicki Thayer, executive director of the Winn Feline Foundation, says she’s particularly excited about research on reversing the progression of FIP. The work is a collaborative effort between Dr. Niels Pedersen, a veterinary researcher at the University of California Davis, Drs. Yunjeong Kim and Kyeong-Ok Chang of Kansas State University and William Groutas, a medicinal chemist and professor at Wichita State University.

FIP, SARS & MARS linked to corona viruses

She has reason to be excited. Research is centering on the possibility of FIP vaccines being derived from components used to treat human Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). Both are caused by corona viruses similar to FIP, and this may help advance therapeutics toward FIP. Dr. Pedersen shared this positive news at the 39th Winn Symposium in Chicago, Ill on June 29, 2017.

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Millennials outnumber Baby Boomers as owning most pets

Millennials outnumber Baby Boomers as owning most pets. This cat is owned by a Millennial couple.

Cats aren’t just for older people, they’re for everyone, and the Millennials (Generation Y) now outnumber the Baby Boomers as pet owners. Thirty-five percent of all pets are owned by Millennials. With this change, pets are now going everywhere, and doing everything that their owners do. That includes traveling, camping, and even going to the beach.

Spending on pets mushrooming

Spending on pets is mushrooming with pet industry spending in 2016 being a record $66.75 billion, an increase of over $20 billion in just 10 years.

According to 2017-2018 National Pet Owners Survey conducted by the American Pet Products Association (APPA)  there are 84.6 million pet-owning households in the US, which puts pet ownership at about 68 percent of total households. This is up from 56 percent of U.S. households in 1988, the first year the survey was conducted.

At the 2017 Global Pet Expo, ARPA President Bob Vetere, confirmed the pet industry is experiencing continuous, unprecedented growth.

What’s even more astounding is that pet spending has increased by $20 million in the past 10 years, increasing from $41.2 billion in 2007 to $66.8 billion in 2016, with projection of $69.4 billion in 2017. That could be good news for bloggers like Paws for Reflection, as we reach out to provide quality information to all cat owners, particularly Millennials. Our research has shown the majority of our readers are Millennials with almost an even split between men and women.

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Pet Hacks: Cat Trees and Scratching Posts make life easier for me and my cats

Pet Hacks: Things to make life easier for me and my cats. At Paws for Reflection, we couldn’t live without cat trees and scratching posts. Today, we are joining a host of pawsome bloggers participating in the Pet Blogger Challenge hosted by SomePets.com, and we encourage you to visit the blogs of all my fellow bloggers to learn more Pet Hacks, Things to make life easier for your and your pets.

Cat trees and scratching posts give kitty a place to need and scratch, other than the side of my couch. Strategically placing a three-foot scratching post right next to the favorite corner, gives kitties a place to need, scratch, and stretch – vital to their health and well-being.

Lenny, still a kitten at heart, plays with the scratching post.

Take note, your kitty isn’t trying to be mean or spite you when they knead. It’s a hard-wired behavior they need to do. The trick is to place the scratching posts front and center, so they go to the scratching post and not to your couch, fav chair, or door. Place it where kitty wants to scratch, not in the corner, or in a place your cat is not drawn too.

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Acupuncture can perform miracles on your cat

If you don’t believe it, read on because Pink Collar has turned back the clock on her arthritis about a year. With four treatments, this 17-year-old feline is in much less pain, more alert, walking upstairs, and holding her own with her four male kitty housemates.

Acupuncture can perform miracles on your cat

Earlier this year, Paws consulted with our veterinarian about her increasing arthritic pain. We put her on MetaCam every three days. As she was still in pain, I reached out for pain medication, but before dosing it out, gave pause and thought, What about acupuncture?

Little did we know, the owner of the veterinarian practice, was a licensed veterinary acupuncturist.

Dr. Cathy Morton, trained in acupuncture, gives Pink Collar her acupuncture treatment for arthritis pain.

Cats are experts at hiding pain

Cats are pretty good about covering up their pain, and when they let you see it, you know it’s pretty bad. One day while stretched out on the heating monitor, I could hear her crying in pain.She would walk into the hallway, and look up at the stairs, cry, and then want to come back into the living room. She was restless.

This blog post is for informational and educational purposes. Before seeking out any medical treatments for your cat, seek out your veterinarian’s advise.

Cats can be difficult patients

As cats are cats, they are not necessarily the best candidates for acupuncture. If they don’t like the needles, they’re likely to strike out and bite the hand of the person trying to help them. Pink Collar got my hand on the first visit.

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Kitties get bored! Views of the outside can entertain them.

How many times do we hear our friends say, I’m bored. Or better yet, when you were a kid, can you remember saying, ‘I’m bored’. This human sure can remember saying that endless times, and I sooooo wish, I had time to be bored, now.

Kitty Lenny spends lots of time watching fun stuff safely from the kitchen’s picture window.

With a full-time job, keeping up my blog ‘Paws for Reflection’, taking care of five cats and a big house, the word bored is not in my vocabulary any more.

Kitties get bored

The kitties, on the other hand, have lots of time of their paws. Just like people with lots of time on their hands, they get bored. And bored kitties, just like humans, can get into lots of mischief.

Siamese Linus watches it snow.

Kitties and their human get a nice view of a Snowy Owl to keep them from getting bored.

Kitties get bored and this view of a Snowy Owl keeps them entertained.

This Snowy Owl was a real treasure for the kitties and their human.

Kitties get bored, but these turkeys kept them entertained for a few hours.

Views of these big birds keep kitties from getting bored.

Views of these big birds keep kitties from getting bored.

As responsible cat owners, it’s up to us to be sure they are entertained.  While we may invest a cat-load of dollars into fancy cat trees and toys, sometimes their entertainment comes from a great view of the outside world. While we humans can occupy our minds with the latest happenings of years, days, or months ago, cats don’t hold on to memories. They live in the moment. And when it’s not meal or nap time, they are looking for mental stimulation so they don’t get bored.

At the Paws household, we have a huge picture window in our kitchen, and all the kitties enjoy time sharing that spot. While it does not provide the best sun, it does provide some great viewing opps.

This winter was no different. Today, as we join The Cat on My Head’s Sunday Selfie, blog hop, we want to share some of our views from this past winter. While many of these selfies are not of the Paws’ kitties, we thought we’d share some of the mega photos we’ve taken over the course of this past winter.

This Sunday Selfies Blog Hop is being hosted by Cat on My Head

It was a long one, and the kitties were very amused when they saw a flock of turkeys going through the back yard. They were not as thrilled about seeing the snow bury the TV dish. And the Snowy Owl, well, that’s just something they’ve never seen before (neither had their human).

Today, we share some of our many photos taken this past winter, capturing the kitties enjoying the outside, from the inside out.

Kitties get bored, too! Providing views of the outside world can help entertain them.

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