New Simon's Cat - Santa Claws

Simon's Cat - Santa Claws

New Simon's Cat Video - Lunch Break

Simon's Cat Video - Lunch Break

Pathogenesis of Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) - the infection of t...

Aksum Notes: This is only for wet FIP. Dry FIP can present in a myriad of ways and is extremely difficult to diagnose. It does, however, have an experimental treatment that is often helpful. Dry FIP needs this experimental treatment early in the course of the disease, however, in order to have any chance of success.

Simon's Cat in 'The Box'

Sleepy Kitten Is So Cute We Can't Stand It

PawNation - Sleepy Kitten Is So Cute We Can't Stand It

Aksum Abyssinians - kittens playing at 4 1/2 weeks old

Aksum Abyssinians Kittens Playing

Aksum Abyssinian kittens playing

Simon's Cat - Snow Business

New Simon's Cat Cartoon Movie! Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tuf61OjvoPQ

Building a No-Kill Georgia

Building a No Kill Georgia with Nathan Winograd

February 23, 2010
by Nathan J. Winograd

"Join me on Friday, April 16, in Douglasville, GA (metro Atlanta) for an inspirational two-hour multi-media presentation followed by a book signing for Irreconcilable Differences. The seminar has been called 'a prerequisite for rescue groups and organizations that are serious about changing their communities to No Kill.' The seminar is free and open to the public, but pre-registration is required."

"For more information or to register, click here."

"For other dates and locations, including Washington, Florida, New Jersey, and more, click here."

Blood Test for Cancer in Dogs & Cats

First blood test unveiled for cancer detection in dogs

Feb 17, 2010
DVM NEWSMAGAZINE

"Richmond, British Columbia -- You may now be able to diagnose cancer in a dog with a simple blood test. BioCurex has announced the availability of the OncoPet RECAF test, which has detected 85 percent of a variety of cancers in dogs at the standard 95 percent specificity level in premarket studies."

"...OncoPet is in discussions with North American and Canadian distributors, and the test will be available in China as well. BioCurex hopes to have similar tests for other companion animals -- cats in particular -- in the second half of this year."

(read full article)

Is Your Cat Getting Too Many Calories?

Wide Variation In Calorie Content Among "Low Calorie" Pet Foods

"Dog and cat owners buying weight-control diets for their overweight pets are faced with a confusing two-fold variation in calorie density, recommended intake, and wide range cost of low-calorie pet foods, according to a study by the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University."

"...Among their findings is that dry dog foods range in calorie density from 217 to 440 kilocalories per cup (kcal/cup) and a recommended intake that ranged from 0.73 to 1.47 times the dog's resting energy requirement. The diets also varied wildly in price - from 4 cents to more than $1.10 per kilocalorie."

"Similar findings were made in wet dog food (189-398 kcal/can) and cat food (235-480 kcal/cup) marketed for weight control."

"...Another important issue identified in this study was the high variability in feeding recommendations for weight loss based on the labels that were evaluated. In fact, for most of the diets, pets would not lose weight or would actually gain weight if owners adhered to the labels' feeding directions and did not adjust according to their pet's individual calorie requirements."

(read the full article)

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Aksum Notes: The average adult cat needs 20 to 30 calories per pound of body weight every day.

A 5 lb. lean adult domestic cat needs 150-170 calories and a 10 lb cat needs about 200-280 calories. Add about 25 calories per lb to calculate correct calorie needs. For example, an 8 lb cat needs 210-240 calories per day. Adjust up if your cat is very active, and adjust down if your cat is not active.

Enough protein is very important for a cat. With too much carbohydrates in their food, cats are susceptible to diabetes. A 10-pound cat should have about 12.5 grams (approximately 90 calories) of protein and 5.5 grams (about 70 calories) of fat each day. Grains provide "empty calories" for cats, the same way doughnuts and other snack foods do for humans.

Pregnant/nursing cats and kittens need much more calories than adult cats (a 10 lb nursing cat needs about 600 calories). Allow them to eat what they want (free feed).

Measure out the amount of food for adult cats each feeding (Taste of the Wild dry cat food has 390 calories per cup), and feed them when you are there. Feed twice a day or more often. Take up the food after 10-30 minutes.

Tips: Change from dry food to wet food. Limit treats or give no treats. Add canned pumpkin to the food to add fiber intake. Increase exercise. It's fun to play with your cat!

Sources:
The One Best Thing For Your Cat's Health
Your Cat's Nutritional Needs
Adult Cats - Caloric & Nutrition Requirements
Daily Caloric Intake For Cats
Taste of the Wild Rocky Mountain Feline Formula
Feeding Your Cat: Know The Basics Of Feline Nutrition

Pets Help Reduce Pain Meds

Recovering With Four-Legged Friends Requires Less Pain Medication

"Adults who use pet therapy while recovering from total joint-replacement surgery require 50 percent less pain medication than those who do not..."

"'Evidence suggests that animal-assisted therapy (AAT) can have a positive effect on a patient's psychosocial, emotional and physical well being,' said Julia Havey, RN, study presenter and senior systems analyst, Department of Medical Center Information Systems, Loyola University Health System (LUHS). 'These data further support these benefits and build the case for expanding the use of pet therapy in recovery.'"

(read the full article)

Advantage topical flea products now in retail outlets

Bayer to sell Advantage, K9 Advantix products directly to pet retailers
Feb 9, 2010
DVM NEWSMAGAZINE

"Shawnee, Kan. -- Beginning in March 2010, Bayer HealthCare’s Animal Health Division will sell Advantage Topical Solution (Dog), Advantage Topical Solution (Cat) and K9 Advantix directly to pet specialty retailers and specialty Internet sites, the company reports today. The company will also launch a multi-million dollar national advertising campaign aimed at consumers in an effort to drive return visits to veterinary clinics" including coupons for purchases of Advantage and Advantix directly from vets. (read entire article)

Cat urinating outside of box?

Dr. Barchas, well known for his Dogster and Catster articles answering questions for dog and cat owners, has some well-proven methods for solutions to inappropriate urination.

Behavior Modification for Urinating Outside of the Litter Box, by Dr. Eric Barchas

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Aksum Notes: Favorite products used successfully here at Aksum are: Dr. Elsey's Kitten Attract Litter, Simple Solutions Enzymatic Cleaner, Urine Off Enzymatic Cleaner (don't use Urine Off on things that are not easy to rinse off such as mattresses), and various products such as "No Go" that smell bad to cats. We also have several litter boxes that we scoop daily and change out weekly or more often.

Aksum Store - use it as an idea source or click on the links to buy the products online.

Communicating With Other Species

Whale Song

Thanks to Terrierman for sending a link to this amazing video!

The message to this video is so beautiful -- When it comes to communicating, anything is possible! This world would be a better place if we all remembered and practiced this.


YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PnWFlzF3dE

Optus Whale Song Ad Website with background story and more videos

How Vets Help Cats Get Better Health Care

Vets are encouraged to help "get cats out of the shadows" by AVMA

Dogs get better health care than cats, says American Veterinary Medical Association. Most cat owners feel cats can take care of themselves, and don't want to spend money on well visits.

Here's why that attitude can hurt your cat, and how veterinarians are helping cat owners understand why and how to improve medical care for their cats.

Two NEW Surprises at Destiny show!

UPDATE: Destiny Cat Fanciers

Thanks for coming to see Dancer and TWO NEW SURPRISES at Ft. Walton Beach, Florida next to Destin January 23-24th!

Dreamer's web page: http://aksumabyssinians.com/cats/dreamer.html
See our newest Abyssinian queen just four months old, double registered and shown in CFA and TICA.

Second Chance Charlie's web page: http://aksumabyssinians.com/charlie.html
Read all about this miracle cat and how he survived being pierced by an arrow when used for target practice by an uncaring hunter.

Thanks for coming by to say hello to Dancer, Dreamer, and Charlie!

Aksum Abyssinians