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Pawsitively Purrrfect Presents for Cat Moms

Diana Faria
by Diana Faria
Published:  February 2nd, 2022

From dainty necklaces to an adorbs dress, there is a multitude of fashionable ways to let everyone know you’re a crazy cat mom – and that’s cool with us. Here’s our list of must-have gifts to let your inner kitty run free.

1. Editor’s Choice: MSC International Cat Tea Infuser

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Nothing says content cat lady-like nestling up to your cuddly feline with a warm cup of tea grasped in your hands…especially when your infuser is also shaped like a cat. Win-win!

2. Runner Up: Cat Donut Pillow

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You like cats. You also like fluffy pillows. And donuts. Combine your three loves with his adorable cat-shaped donut pillow – the perfect addition to your cat- and food-related home decor items!

Get your purr on at Etsy!

3. Best Headband: Merroyal Glitter Cat Ears

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Accessories are to your outfit what Christmas ornaments are to trees – a necessary adornment to celebrate something special. This time, that special something is none other than YOU! Treat yourself to this kitty headband and prepare yourself for all the “Where did you get that?! questions.

4. Best Watch: Top Plaza Women’s Platinum Plated Analog Quartz Watch

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With this fashion-forward timekeeper, you won’t wait for anyone to ask you for the time! Each hour is marked by a different cat however, so if you’re not used to reading analog clocks, this might not be the watch for you!

5. Best Purse: Purrfect Purse

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This Chloe Cat Purse will absolutely complete your feline-friendly fashion ensemble. Goes purrfectly with the cat wristwatch and kitty ear headband above!

This purse is available at Meowingtons. Nope, we didn’t make that domain up – it’s that awesome!

6. Best Sweater: Unisex Hoodies Pet Holder With A Large Pouch

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Finally, something for the both of you! If your cat is always on your lap, constantly looking for somewhere warm and cuddle to rest his sweet little head, this hoodie will be a staple in your wardrobe. Your little kitty can rest easy in the front kangaroo-like pouch while you go about your daily business. Get them while they’re warm and cuddly!

7. Best Ring: HANFLY Sterling Silver Cat ring

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If you like it, then you should make a ring out of it – that’s what Beyonce said, right? Anyway, this super-cute sterling silver cat ring will no doubt bring a smile to your face every time you look at it.

8. Best Dress: Allegra K Women’s Cat Face Mini Dress

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Simple, sleek, and subtle, this gorgeous cat print dress can go from a day at the office to a weekend on the town with ease. It’s printed cat face paired with it’s crisp collar adds a nice contrast to the basic cut of the dress. And if maroon isn’t your color, not to worry, this dress is available in seven other colors and a wide range of sizes so you can find the best dress for you.

9. Best Cup: KIAN ABBOTT Cat Paw Cup

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If your wardrobe and room is littered with cat-related items, why should your kitchen get away scot-free? Throw some cats in your kitchen (not literally) by introducing these adorable cat paw drinking glasses! Drinking milk has never been so punny.

You can buy these frosted, heat-resistant glass in a pack of four, sets of two, or individual cups.

10. Best Sticky Notes: 360 Cute Cat Sticky Notes

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Now, since we’ve rid you of all your financial stability with these fantastic feline gifts, we’ll give you a break and show you these chic (and cheap!) sticky notes. It’ll no doubt perk up that cat-crazy student in your life and, well, they sure do need it after all that studying.

11. Best Socks: Geoot Cartoon Animal Pattern Thigh High Stockings

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These 100% nylon thigh-high socks pair wonderfully with that little black dress you never wear. Get that thing out of the closet and pounce into the clubs!

12. Best Necklace: Cat Chain Necklace

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This simple yet striking design shows you’re both cat- and fashion-friendly.

Etsy has everything!

13. Best Game: Catopoly

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It’s like the traditional game of Monopoly we all know and love…EXCEPT WITH MORE CATS! This set includes tokens in the shape of cat essentials: a fish, a ball of yarn and even a mouse. Prepare for a cat-astrophic game you’ll never forget.

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Diana Faria
Diana Faria

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Protein is a very important part of a dog’s diet. However, some doggos might have a sensitive digestive system or even allergies. In such cases, a hydrolyzed protein diet becomes essential as it provides important nutrients without being heavy on their tummy. But what is hydrolyzed protein exactly? A hydrolyzed protein diet for dogs is a type of food that is formulated specifically for dogs that have allergies or certain food sensitivities. The protein sources in this diet are all broken down into smaller molecules, thanks to a complex process called hydrolysis. What this process does is reduce the size of the protein molecules, making them less likely to trigger an allergic reaction. So, if your doggo is a bit sensitive, this could be what’s needed!Veterinarians often recommend hydrolyzed protein for dogs that are diagnosed with intolerances or  food allergies. Thanks to this, your pet can receive all the essential nutrients without any adverse reactions being triggered. The most common sources of hydrolyzed protein in these diets are beef, chicken, salmon, or soy. So it’s just like most of the common dog foods - but in a different, better form. 

Wish Your Dog Could Understand You? New Study Says They Can!

You don’t have to be a dog owner to know that dogs can learn and understand commands like “sit” or “come”. But, a new study has made a groundbreaking discovery that dogs also know that certain words stand for specific objects. This finding won’t come as a big surprise to any dog owner who has ever asked their pup to “go get your toy” and, a minute later, been handed a chewed-up rubber ball or slobbery stuffed animal. Scientists have long been interested in learning whether dogs can truly associate words with objects. However, researchers couldn’t figure out whether dogs and other animals get a mental image when they hear an object's name. This would suggest that dogs have a better understanding of language than believed before. Researchers in Hungary have discovered that in addition to being able to respond to commands such as “sit”, “roll over”, or “stay” dogs can also grasp the essence of nouns. This relationship with language is called referential understanding, and it has been unproven in dogs until now. “When we are talking about objects, objects are external to the dogs and dogs have to learn that words refer, they stand for something that is external to them,” explained the study’s co-lead author, Marianna Boros, of the Department of Ethology at the Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary.To get some answers about what is happening in the dog brain when it processes words, Boros and her colleagues asked 18 dog owners to bring their pooches to the lab along with five objects the dogs knew well. The objects included balls, slippers, leads, rubber toys, frisbees, and other items.Researchers instructed the owners to say the words for the items before showing their dog either the correct object or a different one. For example, the owner might say “Rover, look, the ball”, but hold up a lead instead. During the tests, the researchers measured the dogs’ brain activity using non-invasive electroencephalography, or EEG. The idea was to see whether EEG could offer a better insight into dogs’ understanding of language. The brain recordings showed different patterns in the brain when the dogs were shown an object that matched or didn’t match the owner’s spoken word. The difference was even greater for the words owners believed their dogs knew well.The same results were seen when humans performed these tests and are widely accepted as people understanding the word well enough to form a mental image of the object they were later shown. “We expected that if a dog really understands the meaning of the object’s word, it will expect to see that object. And if the owner shows a different one, there will be a so-called surprise reaction in the brain. And this is exactly what we found,” said Boros according to ABC News.Lilla Magyari, also of Eötvös Loránd University, and the other co-first author, said that although some other animals have shown some degree of referential understanding of language, they have typically been trained to do so. In dogs, she explained, such capacities seem to be inborn and don’t require any particular training or talent. Researchers stress they aren’t claiming that dogs understand words as well as humans. Future studies are needed to determine whether dogs can generalize in the same way humans learn to as children.This study raises an interesting question of why, if dogs understand nouns, more of them don’t show it. One possible answer is that dogs know more than they are willing to show us.Join the PetGuide community. Get the latest pet news and product recommendations by subscribing to our newsletter here.

Are Bengal Cats Really That Wild? Here's What Science Has to Say.

Bengal cats are a truly stunning feline breed, in many ways. According to the International Cat Association (TICA), they hold the title of being the most popular cat breed globally, and it doesn’t really come as a surprise. Their unique and exotic appearance, their unavoidable charm, and their slender physique are certainly the reason for this prestigious title. But even though they are popular, Bengal cats are a relatively new breed in the field of domesticated cats. While most ordinary domestic cat breeds have been around for thousands of years, Bengal cats have been around for less than a century, which comes as a stark contrast. They are a hybrid breed as well, having been created in the 1960s. They came about from the crossing of the domestic cat (Felis Catus), and the Asian Leopard cats (Prionailurus Bengalensis), which are a small, spotted, wild cat species living in Asia. What makes the combination unique is the fact that these two cat species had a common ancestor about 6 million years ago, which means that the genetic differences between them are incredible. The differences are even greater than between humans and chimpanzees!The resulting breed is the Bengal cat, and it is adored for its exotic appearance. It has special spots, just like ocelots or leopards. But most folks ascribe the unique coloration and patterns of these felines to the DNA they received from their wild and distantly related ancestors. And that’s why scientific folks paid special attention to the ancestry of Bengal cats. Greg Barsh, MD, Ph.D., Faculty Investigator at HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology and Professor of Genetics at Stanford University,  himself an expert in the genetics of feline coat coloration and patterning is a key figure in the research process of Bengal ancestry. Together with his team, which is led by Chris Kaelin, Ph.D., and Kelly McGowan, MD, Ph.D., Mr. Barsh is working hard towards unraveling Bengal ancestry through the genetics of popular color traits."Cats are wonderful companions," he explains for  Phys.org, "but our interests go beyond their beautiful and exotic appearance. Like the amazing variation among different dog breeds, artificial selection can be a very powerful engine to create morphologic diversity. What's different about Bengal cats from dogs is the raw genetic material–dogs trace their heritage to wolves from tens of thousands of years ago.""In contrast, Bengal cats trace their heritage to completely different species from millions of years ago. Understanding how these distantly related genomes interact is a general question that applies to any situation when different species exchange genes, from crops to aquaculture to humans and Neandertals."And even though this is a relatively new breed, started about 60 years ago by a few cat enthusiasts, it has grown incredibly during this time. Today, there are hundreds of thousands of registered Bengal cats, which are produced by about 2,000 breeders. Chris Kaelin, the leader of the Bengal cat DNA study, said “Cat fanciers and breeders are very interested in the research, in part because they want to know more about the science behind artificial selection, and in part, because they want to know if our results can help them produce cats with rosettes, stripes, or other exotic markings.” He also added "This is a great example of citizen science–our work has been enabled by the willingness of breeders to participate, and we share our results with the community."One of the surprising discoveries that was produced from the study is that Asian Leopard DNA contributes no more than a few percent to the overall Bengal Cat DNA. In fact, it is revealed that there isn’t one or even a few Asian leopard genes that are causing the unique spotted Bengal appearance. "One of the original motivations for bringing together DNA from the two species was to select for Asian leopard DNA that would recapitulate the appearance of an exotic wild cat in a companion animal," said Kaelin. "It turns out that some of the most striking examples of selection in the breed are for traits that were already present, but very rare, in domestic cats."So, the study reveals that the Bengals are in many ways totally unique. Mixing the two very unique breeds resulted in a cat that is exotic, elegant, charming, and above all loveable. And now, the results published are providing valuable information to all the enthusiasts in love with the Bengal breed. 

UK Insurance Giant Names Pets as Culprit in Over 6,000 Claims

Between 2019 and 2023, dogs and cats identified as cause for missing jewelry, broken electronics, and property damage.

Why is My Dog Vomiting White Foam?

Sometimes, our dogs can exhibit behavior that can cause great panic in any owner. After all, they can’t talk to us and tell when something is hurting them, or when they feel ill, scared, or angry. So they let their bodies do the talking. One of these scary behaviors is vomiting white foam. It can happen all of a sudden, and frighten you to no end. But is it really a reason to panic? And what causes a dog to vomit white foam in the first place? Let’s find out more.Why Do Dogs Vomit White Foam?The reasons for white foam vomiting can be many, and the cause might not be clear to you immediately. What’s even more frustrating, there are several possible causes for this occurrence. In some cases, the reason for the vomiting can be complex, but often enough it is super simple. It could end up being a sensitive tummy irritated by a new brand of food on the menu, or just a passing belly ache that’s nothing to stress over. However, you should always consult with a vet to eliminate any underlying health issues, as there are many conditions whose symptom is vomiting. One of the conditions that manifests as vomiting foam is bilious vomiting, which is caused when a dog's stomach is empty for an extended period. This leads to the production of gastric acid, so the stomach contents may include a foamy, white substance. Feeding smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day may help prevent this.  Gastritis, or the inflammation of the stomach lining can also cause vomiting. This condition may be triggered by various factors, such as dietary indiscretion, changes in diet, ingesting foreign objects, or infections. The vomit can likewise be white and foamy. The same can happen in the case of gastroenteritis, an inflammation of the stomach and intestines, which is often caused by infections, dietary changes, or the ingestion of inappropriate or spoiled food. Be careful of the expiration dates and the quality of food you give to your dog, as an innocent mistake can cause a lot of digestive issues for your four-legged bestie. Another possible reason for white foam vomit can be the  ingestion of foreign bodies. Dogs may ingest non-food items that can cause irritation or blockages in the digestive tract, leading to vomiting. If you notice them dry heaving, this could be the reason why. The same goes for the ingestion of  toxic materials. Ingesting toxic substances can lead to white foamy vomiting. Common toxins include certain plants, human foods (like chocolate, xylitol, or onions), and household chemicals.

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