Happy New Year! And, to our feline patients, a Happy Mew Year. (Cats actually celebrate the new year on January 2nd.) As we turn our calendars forward to 2024, many people are thinking about the things they want to achieve in the coming months. Our feline friends also have a few things on their to-do lists for this year. A local Pendleton, IN veterinarian goes over some of them in this article.

Catch That Red Dot

Kitties are always adorable, but they are really never cuter than when they are hard at play. Fluffy may be a cold, efficient killer, but she’s also pretty comical when she’s on the prowl. It’s important and beneficial to play with your feline pal. Interactive play is both more fun and more challenging for cats than just batting a catnip mouse around. Laser pointers are an easy way to do this: just keep one near your favorite chair or sofa spot, where you watch TV. (Note: never shine the light directly into your pet’s eyes.)

Get More Sleep

If we know one thing about Fluffy, it’s the fact that she gets very, very tired. Kitties can sleep up to 20 hours a day, though most of them somehow manage to scrape by on about 12 to 18. (We aren’t entirely convinced that cats actually need that much rest, but that’s another topic.) Help your drowsy little pet out by offering lots of comfy spots for her to curl up, sprawl out, or just flop down in. 

This can be a great resolution for people as well. Making sure that you’re getting suitable rest is very important for your health and well-being!

Consider Coordinating With Research

We’ve learned quite a bit about our feline pals over the last year or so. For instance, we’ve found that cats can make nearly 300 different facial expressions, and that they actually get much more attached to their humans than many people give them credit for. We also learned that our feline pals prey on a wide variety of animals and insects. There were a whopping 2,084 creatures on Fluffy’s menu, including 347 that are listed as threatened. Another recent discovery? Our furry pals make a mental map of their surroundings, and track their humans’ locations. Think of it as a kitty GPS. While cats will never give up all of their secrets, they do benefit from us having a better understanding of them. Of course, it’s not always easy getting them to cooperate with researchers. Perhaps Fluffy will have a change of heart this year.  

Work On Hairball Placement

Hairballs are no more fun for Fluffy than they are for you. These are an unfortunate side effect of one of Fluffy’s best features: her cleanliness. Kitties are very diligent about keeping their pretty coats soft and shiny. Your pet will spend as much as a third of the time she’s actually awake grooming herself. That’s a whole ten minutes a day! However, in the process, she’ll swallow some of her own fur.

There are ways you can reduce the number of hairballs Fluffy gets. Brushing your kitty regularly can go a long way here, as you’ll capture that fur in the brush before it ends up on your sofa.

Back to the hairball placement. You may have noticed that Fluffy has a way of leaving her hairballs in the most inconvenient spots possible. She may very well want to up her game this year. However, this is one goal you want to nip in the bud. If your cat seems to be getting too many hairballs, talk to your Pendleton, IN vet. Your pet may also benefit from hairball formula. 

Take Over Scotland

This one may seem like a lofty goal. While Fluffy probably won’t be gaining control of Scotland, she may very well make a mark. Researchers involved in a rewilding program have successfully released 19 Scottish Wildcats into the wild. The breed, which was formerly declared ‘functionally extinct’ is poised to hopefully make a comeback. In addition to the cats that were freed, another 13 kittens are being prepared for their own release. We’re hoping that next year we’ll be able to announce that even more kitties are returning to these lands.

Assume Control Of The Humans

You’ve likely heard of the Crazy Cat Lady syndrome. Believe it or not, there is a bit of truth to this. As it turns out, some cats do carry a parasite, toxoplasmosis. This particular parasite affects its victims’ brains … by making them more amenable to cats. This, in turn, makes hunting a bit easier for Fluffy. While most cases resolve on their own, there is a risk to pregnant women and those with immune deficiencies. Fortunately, taking a few simple precautions, like having someone else clean the litterbox and washing hands thoroughly, will mitigate the risks. Keeping your cat indoors will also do it, as most cats contract the parasites when eating freshly-killed prey. Ask your vet for more information.

As to Fluffy? Well, she may be working on other ways to take over the universe. Cat World Domination Day is coming up on June 24th: we’ll check back then.

Figure Out New Ways To Boss The Humans Around

Kitties are very, very good at meowpulating us. In fact, they may have started meowing specifically to boss us around. Cats don’t usually meow at one another: they usually communicate with each other using facial expressions and body language. It seems our feline pals figured out that having a meow that resembles a baby’s cry is very helpful at getting us to, well, spoil them.

Modern technology may lend a helping paw here. You can now get your cat programmable paw pads. These speak specific words when Fluffy steps on them. While results will vary, some of our feline overlords pick the idea up pretty quickly.

Show Love. At Least Once.

It’s hard not to melt when a cute kitty shows affection. Of course, cats have some pretty interesting ways of showing their love. Fluffy may curl up on your lap, follow you around, rub against your legs, meow at you, or sleep on your pillow. Then again, she may also bite you, scratch you, try to trip you. You just never know! 

Soak Up More Sun

Our feline friends are always  on the lookout for warm napping spots. (Fluffy isn’t actually cold blooded, and she doesn’t utilize solar power, but we aren’t sure anyone has told her that yet.) It’s probably safe to say that at some point, you’ll find your kitty snoozing in the sunlight. Get your cute pet’s motor going by making her a comfy spot in a window, where she can relax and watch birds and squirrels. You get bonus purrs if the spot has sunbeam access. 

Make The Humans Laugh

Cats are small, but they are worth their weight in gold when it comes to comedic relief. Fluffy’s adorable antics never stop being funny. Kitties’ charming vocalizations, cute expressions, and generally comical reactions to things fill our lives and hearts with love and laughter. At some point this year, you’ll find yourself chuckling at your cute pet’s antics.

Astonish Researchers

It’s quite interesting to look back at our history with Fluffy. We may have domesticated cats as far back as 9500 years ago. French archaeologists discovered an early burial site, in which human remains were interred with those of a kitty. The find, in the Neolithic village of Shillourokambos on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, is 4000 years older than the earliest Egyptian art of cats. We’re looking forward to finding out what we can learn about Fluffy this year! 

Take Over The Internet

Fluffy is well on her way to achieving this goal. One thing that we have to chuckle at is the way our feline friends have become internet stars. We’ll never stop laughing at those cute videos of playful kitties being silly and adorable. We’re looking forward to meeting next year’s social media celebrekitties! 

Do you have questions about your cat’s health or care? Contact us, your local Pendleton, IN pet hospital, today!