I keep returning to this subject, but only because it is so important. If you do not feed you cat correctly you run the risk of doing serious damage to its health. I realise that to regular reader it must appear that I’m on some sort of campaign here, but only because the need of a cat for meat is so fundamental to its nature – and not merely a “psychology” but its physical and metabolic makeup.

Today I came across the following article, and as it expresses the facts so clearly decided to put up a link here.

Difference Between Dog and Cat Food | Difference Between

Dog vs Cat Food Most pet owners think that a dog and a cat’s food is the same. People believe that they can feed their dogs with cat food and vice versa. … dogs are omnivores and cats are carnivores. …

Tags: Add new tag, Cat, cat food

I recently came across a breed of cat which surprised me. I’d never seen one, and don’t recall spotting any reference to it in books or magazines (probably due to going around with half-closed eyes!). It was the Sphynx, a breed which is hairless due a mutated gene, and was named after the ancient monument in Egypt. As one writer put it, if you ever wanted to see what a cat looked like naked, then now you know.

Now that I’ve opened my eyes and looked around I find that The Sphynx is not alone as a hairless breed. To my mind (and I’m sure I’m bound to annoy more than one person here) the other two I’ve come across – the Peterbald and the Donskoy – are even stranger, the latter being extremely wizened. And yet, like all breeds each has its enthusiasts. Each to his or her own, say I.

It seems that the Sphynx breed probably originated in the 1960 when a shorthaired domestic cat in Canada had a male kitten which was hairless. The younger male then mated with his mother and so a new hairless breed was born. It took until the 1990s for the Sphynx to be recognised officially and not until 2002 could it be widely shown.

Sphynx cats are friendly, loyal companions, who delight in a lot of personal attention and purr happily when a favorite person is nearby. They are athletic athletic and enjoy tree climbing. The Sphynx have strong personalities and don’t enjoy being lonely. Another cat companion, not neceassarily another Sphynx, will help to keep a Sphynx happy and occupied while the owner is away from the house.

As implied in my opening comments these unusual cats are not to everyone’s liking. But with its unique appearance and bubbly personality you might just decide that one would make a great new companion.

Tags: cat breeds, Donskoy, Peterbald, Sphynx

I have a friend who I often described as “her with two kids, two cats and a dog”.  The dog is a golden retriever; the cats defy description in terms of breed.  The great thing, though, is how well they get on together. Like human brothers and sisters they sometimes tantalise one another, they sometimes argue, but they don’t like being apart – as is seen very clearly when the dog is away being looked after by friends for a few days; the reunion is something to be seen.

This made me think about specific cat breeds, and I started to do some reading.  As is often the case I don’t claim this to be thoroughly researched, but from my reading so far I’ve put Burmese, Siamese and Ragdolls on my initial list of cat breeds likely to live in harmonious coexistence with a dog.

I suppose, though, that peaceful cat-dog coexistence will depend also on the breed of dog. That’s something I haven’t yet researched.

Tags: cat breeds, cats and dogs together, dog-cat coexistence

Portrait photographs of cats and dogs is subject that has exercised my mind quite a bit recently.  I still have not tried taking cat portraits but it’s very much on my agenda for the next few weeks.

In addition to this blog about cats I have several others, mostly on subjects about which I have been enthusiastic for many years.  Having come to the end of a career which demanded a great deal of international travel I’m now able to spend time closer to home and once again enjoy my hobbies as well as returning to a closer interest in pets.

My English travel blog, Around England and its associated site about the English Lake District require a lot more photographs.  So does the one under development about my wife’s and my favourite holiday destination, Madeira.  Recently, therefore I invested in a new camera and some clever lenses.  Landscape photography will be the big thing, and I’ve also tried doing a portrait of a friend’s Golden Retriever.  Cat pictures must come soon.

As I don’t yet have any expertise in the subject I’m not going to flannel my way through writing about cat photography but I did come across what seems to me like a very sensible approach to photographing the family pet.  It’s an interesting article on someone else’s blog.  Here it is: “Taking a Good Cat Picture“.  I hope you find helpful.

For a more extensive treatment of the subject in book form why not try Pet Photography NOW!: A Fresh Approach to Photographing Animal Companions by Paul Walker, or Pet Photography 101: Tips for taking better photos of your dog or cat by Andrew Darlow.

The links above are to Amazon.com.  To buy in the UK from Amazon.co.uk the links are as follows: Pet Photography Now! and Pet Photography 101

Tags: cat photos, cat pictures, cat portraits, pet photography, photographing pets

The Ragdoll breed was initially developed in California in the 1960s and went through a somewhat confrontational period as different breeder groups differed over the standards and administrative arrangements for the breed registration.  By the 1980s Ragdoll cats were being exported to other countries and after about ten years the breed was eventually recognised in the United Kingdom.  Since the early 1990s it popularity has increased around the world and in many major countries is now in the top ten.

The Ragdoll is one of the larger breeds of cat, with long soft hair.  It requires grooming to keep the coat in good condition but is less prone to severe matting than some other breeds such as the Persian.  They tend to be very “laid back” in temperament, are often cuddly with humans, relax when picked up, and are sometimes said to be rather dog-like in their behaviour.  Their docile behaviour is probably inherited from Persian and Birman ancestry; in fact they are usually so docile that some breeders have been coming to feel that this relaxed manner is too much to be good for them

On the whole this breed is likely to inflict little claw damage on furniture as they do not get stressed very easily.  A Ragdoll will usually live peaceably with another cat, but generally prefers human family company.  Kittens are born white but adult colouring varies widely.

For several decades the breed name Ragdoll was a privately owned trademark controlled by an individual breeder, and only since 2005 when the trademark was not renewed has it been possible to use it widely.  As a result the name Ragamuffin started to become widely used, and there now are cat fancy societies with this breed name, such as the UK RagaMuffin Cat Society and the US-based RagaMuffin Associated Group (RAG).  Specialist breeders have focused on producing subtly different characteristics from the Ragdoll although the average owner would find it very difficult to tell the two breeds apart.

Ragdoll Cats – further information:
The British Ragdoll Cat Club
The Cat Fanciers Association (USA) Breed Profile

Video: The Ragdoll Cats of Crack O’ Noon!
The following video captured out attention on YouTube. We have no commercial connection with Crack O’ Noon Ragdolls but couldn’t resist showing their video.

Photographs of the beautiful and humorous cats and kittens of Crack O’ Noon Ragdolls, Colorado

Tags: cat breeds, cat video, ragamuffin cat, ragdoll cat