Sorry about the lack of updates and replies folks – I’ve had a busy (and rough) couple of weeks, and I’ve been writing but it’s just not flowing (but it’ll be great when I get the stuff I started finished, I promise!)

Particularly rough is that over the weekend I went to the Humane Society to volunteer and found out my favourite cat, Nestle, had gotten quite ill and was euthanized on advice of the vet. I was planning on adopting her if she was still there come this fall.

I feel particularly bad, because her story is sad from start to finish. She was removed, along with several other cats, from a home where she was not properly socialized. Not feral but very fearful and anxious. She never really got over her timidness the entire time she was at the shelter (almost 2 years) and was in and out of foster care to no great improvement.

She did not show well in the shelter. She spent most of her time in her cage in her little house, burrowed under blankets, so half the time you couldn’t even tell that there was a cat there at all. Yet, despite her shyness, she was an extremely sweet, nice cat, who loved being pet and cuddled (as long as you didn’t pick her up.) She was tiny and a beautiful chocolate brown. She had a small growth on her ear that I’m sure further hindered her chances at adoption, but that just further endeared her to me.

I know it’s a bad idea to get attached to animals in a shelter, but I did – she was going to be my baby, and this hurts. At the same time, I’m also glad that she was loved by at least one person during her difficult, too short life. I hope she’s at peace now.

For those not already aware, Nutro has voluntarily recalled a variety of dry cat food products.

Today, Nutro Products announced a voluntary recall of select varieties of NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Dry Cat Foods and NUTRO® MAX® Cat Dry Foods with “Best If Used By Dates” between May 12, 2010 and August 22, 2010. The cat food is being voluntarily recalled in the United States and ten additional countries.  This recall is due to incorrect levels of zinc and potassium in our finished product resulting from a production error by a US-based premix supplier.

Two mineral premixes were affected.  One premix contained excessive levels of zinc and under-supplemented potassium. The second premix under-supplemented potassium.  Both zinc and potassium are essential nutrients for cats and are added as nutritional supplements to NUTRO® dry cat food.

This issue was identified during an audit of our documentation from the supplier.  An extensive review confirmed that only these two premixes were affected. This recall does not affect any NUTRO® dog food products, wet dog or cat food, or dog and cat treats.

Affected product was distributed to retail customers in all 50 states, as well as to customers in Canada, Mexico, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, New Zealand, and Israel.  We are working with all of our distributors and retail customers, in both the US and internationally, to ensure that the recalled products are not on store shelves. These products should not be sold or distributed further.

Consumers who have purchased affected product should immediately discontinue feeding the product to their cats, and switch to another product with a balanced nutritional profile.  While we have received no consumer complaints related to this issue, cat owners should monitor their cat for symptoms, including a reduction in appetite or refusal of food, weight loss, vomiting or diarrhea.  If your cat is experiencing health issues or is pregnant, please contact your veterinarian.

Consumers who have purchased product affected by this voluntary recall should return it to their retailer for a full refund or exchange for another NUTRO® dry cat food product.  Cat owners who have questions about the recall should call 1-800-833-5330 between the hours 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM CST, or visit www.nutroproducts.com.

If you feed Nutro to your cats, visit the FDA’s website for a list of recalled products.

I love a good bed cat, and I’m fortunate that I have three. All of my girls pack onto the bed with me, sleeping on me, under the covers or next to me.

When we first got Violet, she wasn’t allowed in the bedroom. My husband is allergic to cats, and the bedroom was going to be the one cat-free space in the apartment.

Fortunately, his will crumbled before mine did, and Violet had soon insinuated herself onto the bed, sleeping between us (and having occasional night time adventures across the top of the headboard.) By the time we got the other two, cats were an established fixture in the bed, and I’d never go back.

I’m not sure exactly what it is about bed cats. There’s something extremely soothing and relaxing about being surrounded by cats while you sleep. And it’s not that I generally enjoy being touched or restricted in my movements at night – drape your arm over me while I sleep and I’ll fidget in discomfort until you move it or till I shove it off. But pin me down with cats so that I can’t move a single limb, much less change position and I’ll happily stay in bed long after I had planned to get up.

Sleeping with cats is special. It’s comfortable and loving and adds another dimension to the relationship we have with our cats – they love us and trust us and grace us with their presence. I intuitively feel the value in this gift they give and I deeply appreciate it. I know they could easily fall asleep anywhere else – on the couch, on the pile of reusable grocery bags in the corner, in my laundry pile, in the middle of the kitchen floor… but they choose to sleep with me.

Do you let your cats sleep in the bed with you? Are they cuddlers or do they prefer to find their own sleeping spaces? Do you have cats that go under the covers?

It’s spring time, which means shedding, lots of shedding. And shedding means brushing. So this weekend all the girls got thoroughly brushed and I ended up with a rather massive ball of cat hair (which is good – it’s a massive ball of cat hair that isn’t on my couch or clothes.)

My three cats are indoor cats, but I’ve been taking them outside for some supervised romps in the back yard, for fresh air and exercise, which they absolutely love. I herd them around the yard and keep them from wandering off the property, and they run, play, explore and exercise their catness.

Normally I throw my mats of cat hair into the compost bin, but in discussing ways to be eco friendly cat owners, Ingrid of Conscious Cat suggested letting the cat hair fly free for the bird to use in nests. What a great idea! So this is what I decided to do.

I took the girls outside and pulled little tufts of hair off the ball and let them loose in the wind. Well, I’m sure the birds will enjoy them eventually, but the cats got an immediate serendipitous treat. Little bits of cat hair, flying around in the wind make for fabulous hunting and chasing.

I stood up-wind of the cats and let a few bits go every time there was a good strong breeze. The cats chased the fast moving pieces, and got in some really good stalking and pouncing of the ones stuck on grasses or just vibrating on the ground. It was great fun for everyone and the cats got a great workout. They all play well with their toys in the house, but there’s nothing quite as exciting as something that moves and flies around on its own. We must have spent an hour out there enjoying the wind and the fruits of our grooming session.

If you have a windy day, a ball of cat hair and an enclosed yard (or a cat you know won’t go wandering) I highly recommend partaking in this fun activity.