We all get excited about holiday festivities and decorations—from the Christmas tree and holly berries to the Menorah and other Hanukkah trimmings during the holiday season. As you may see the sparkle in your family’s eyes when you bring out the tinsel, you may not realize that your cat also has a sparkle as well. Does this mean that to keep your cat safe that you can’t have your traditional holiday favorites? Not at all! As veterinarians, we always try to help you strike a balance between keeping holiday traditions intact while keeping your fur friends as safe as possible.

We’ve all seen the memes about dogs fawning all over their owners while cats are a bit more MEH. And while there surely is some truth to the stereotype of cats being more independent, there are plenty of them who are quite attached to their owners. And yes, some cats even get separation anxiety. No matter what your cat’s personality, they will need you to plan for the times you won’t be around them. The holidays are approaching, which means you may be traveling. And with traveling comes decision time on what to do with your beloved kitty if you are not able to take them with you.

Let's get one thing straight—kittens are universally adored because, dang, they're cute. They are playful, mischievous, and there always seems to be a smile associated with watching a kitten play with a paper ball or following a laser pointer. But here you sit, thinking about adopting a senior cat? How did I know this? You would not have clicked on this blog if you weren’t debating the idea.

Congratulations on your new kitten—your bundle of joy, mischief, snuggles, a few loving nips and scratches, purrs, and the softest fur you’ll ever feel. You're already likely feeling like you could have never loved another living being this so much, which hopefully means you want to do everything you can to prolong the life of this wee furry feline.

It’s a silent killer that has no cure, but it’s easily preventable. We may think of heartworm disease as more of a dog problem and, while more dogs than cats contract heartworms, mosquitoes find cats just as tempting of a meal as they do dogs. One shelter found during a year-long study that 26% of cats had been infected with heartworm larvae at some point in their lives, with 10% of heartworms making it to adulthood.

Getting your cat in a carrier and taking them to the vet can be incredibly stressful for both of you. It's extremely common for cat owners who adore their cats to only take their cat into the vet when they are sick because it will stress their cat out. The big problem is that cats will try to hide their symptoms until they fall critically ill. If your feline family member does develop health issues and it is detected early it is more likely to be treated and resolved. With early detection, treatment is likely to be less expensive and easier to manage.

We’ve all seen the memes since this COVID-19 pandemic started about dogs who have had enough of you walking them, thank you very much. And in turn, the cat memes are all about them wondering when we are going back to work and giving them their much needed personal space back. We get it. Dogs tend to be goofy and friendly while cats are, ahem, a bit more discerning about their company.