【英文類】'Cat' scan a life-saver (News)

【貓貓資料分類】 >> 【英文資料類】

As far as cat scans go, it was pretty low-tech. But, it was accurate.Janet Batten was perplexed when her 13-pound orange and white tabby took a sudden and persistent interest in her head.

The Toms Brook resident and her husband Charles had gotten Noah, the 8 1⁄2-year-old cat, from a neighbor when he was just a kitten.  

(Photo from nvdaily.com)

"Noah stays out in my little hobby shop," said Batten, 73.
The feline likes to sit on her desk when she uses the computer, she said.
"He was constantly smelling my head on the right side, in the front, and in my eye and in my nose," Batten said. "Sometimes he would really push to get into my head.
"He would do that and then he would sit back and he would give me a look that I had never seen before. After a while, I began to ask him, 'Is there something wrong up there?' He would just make this sound that I had never heard before. I began to get very suspicious."
Batten started having trouble with her eye, and visited her primary care doctor and then an opthamologist, and nothing was found.
Last August, about six months after Noah's strange behavior began, Batten suffered a mini-stroke and atrial fibrillation, an irregular heartbeat. A CT scan revealed she had a brain aneurysm.
"So, I now have platinum wire in my head," Batten said. "Noah doesn't bother [me] anymore. He was trying to tell me that something's wrong up there."

(Photo from nvdaily.com)

Noah's diagnostic skills were recognized Feb. 25 when he was awarded the Animal Hero Award at the Virginia Veterinary Conference at the Hotel Roanoke.
He was nominated by Dr. Bruce Coston.
Coston said Batten shared the story with him when she brought Noah in for vaccines at his practice, Seven Bends Veterinary Hospital.
When he was on the board of the Virginia Veterinary Medical Association, Coston suggested giving out animal awards after having seen a similar citation in South Carolina.
"Most of the time, these are dogs," he said. "Because Noah the cat had been alerting his mom that something was wrong...she was aggressive in seeking treatment."

Besides some extra treats, Noah's only reward is knowing he helped his owner.
Batten offered some advice to other animal lovers.
"I would hope that other pet owners pay attention when their animals are trying to tell them something," she said.

Original Website: http://www.nvdaily.com/news/2012/03/cat-scan-a-life-saver.php

【简体类】我怀孕，我依旧养猫！

【貓貓資料分類】 >> 【簡體資料類】 

※作者Grace，部落格「やさしい時間、 やさしい生活」拥有近千万人气，纪录一个闲妻凉母 + 两只猫 + 一个小人儿的不无聊生活，清新温暖的纪录风格让她拥有一批粉丝。※

延续去年百年结婚潮，加上今年是龙年，一定有许多新手爸妈等着迎接新生命，其中也绝对不乏有养宠物的猫奴狗奴们。你们是和我一样，保持平常心继续开心当个猫奴，还是已经开始担心宠物会影响宝宝和妈妈的健康，准备送走猫咪狗儿呢？

(图／Grace)

为了解开各位新手爸妈的疑惑，Grace将我最常被问到问题写下来，提供给大家参考，如果还有其他疑问，也都欢迎大家留言给我！

1.Grace怀孕期间，有清猫砂吗？
答：不管是怀小P的时候，还是这次，现在宝宝38周了，我还是尽量自己清猫砂，当作运动，也顺便观察猫咪是否有正常排便。清完猫砂，我会立即洗手。

2.Grace怀孕期间，还是继续让猫咪上床，一起睡觉吗？
答：KIKI和BUBU每天都在家，也没有跳蚤，反而是经常出门的我们，容易带病菌或脏污回家，所以只要我把居家环境打扫干净了，不管有没有怀孕，我都让KIKI 和BUBU 上床陪我睡觉。

(图／Grace)

3.猫毛会不会容易让小朋友有过敏体质？
答：我怀小P的时候，家里除了KIKI，我还开始中途BUBU，后来到小P出生，我们从月子中心回家后，他们就共同生活在一个屋檐下，小P现在已经快五岁了，没有气喘，也不是过敏体质，三岁多开始去上托儿所也很少生病或被传染感冒，和其他妈妈比较讨论之下，我发现小P比其他小朋友不容易感冒的原因应该是喝母奶和不挑食的关系。除此之外，小P在我身体里就和猫生活在一起，多少也有提高她对付过敏源的抵抗力。


4.不怕猫咪身上有容易让孕妇流产的弓浆虫或其他会影响宝宝健康的寄生虫吗？
答：KIKI和BUBU都吃饲料和我亲自烹调的食物，不吃生肉，生食也没有饮用不干净的水，自然体内就没有有弓浆虫，另外，他们每年打预防针的时候，我都会顺便再请医生帮他们做健康检查，所以，我很确定他们都很健康，不会影响到我和宝宝的健康。


5.猫咪会不会和宝宝争宠甚至去抓伤宝宝呢？
答：其实宝宝刚回家的时候，猫咪会先观察这个新物种，胆子大的会观察一阵子以后再慢慢靠近，胆子小的则是躲的远远的，而且基本上猫咪和狗儿对宝宝的容忍度远比我们大人想象中的高，我反而都是担心宝宝对猫咪太好奇，在对猫咪上下其手的时候，不懂得拿捏立力道，硬把猫咪的毛整把给扯下来呢！


6.怎么清理床上的猫毛和掉的到处的猫砂？
答：多帮猫咪梳毛，多打扫，小孩睡觉的地方特别注意清洁，猫砂盆我放在阳台，选择粗砂，并且在进室内的入口处放张室外地垫，尽量减少猫砂进屋的机会。


7.一边养猫，一边还要照顾宝宝会不会很辛苦，甚至两者无法兼顾呢？
答：我只有养两只猫，而且他们是成猫很健康，如果真的很忙，每天也只要定时喂食换水和清理猫砂即可，（这些事情我到怀孕后期，会开始请老公代劳，慢慢让他分担家事）或许有些新手妈妈可能因为产后忧郁，觉得无法兼顾育儿和照顾猫咪事，而打算送走猫咪，但辛苦的育儿生活会慢慢的进入佳境，不知所措的时候，摸摸猫咪，其实很有抚慰心灵的效果，而且重点是育儿不是妈妈一个人的责任，一定要和爸爸一起分担才有意义。


8.如果长辈坚持要把猫咪送走，那该怎么办？
答：其实很简单，就是和老公达成共识，据理力争坚持绝不送走猫咪，努力把小孩照顾好，不落人口实。我个人的经验是妈妈叫我送走猫咪，我就搬出老公这张挡箭牌。


9.养猫会导致不孕吗？
答：现代人不孕的因素有很多，除了压力大之外，原因大多是因为体质虚寒而不容易受孕，若是没有经过医生的详细检查就把不孕的原因这个大帽子扣在没有表达能力的宠物身上，实在很不合理也有失公平。

(图／Grace)

10.养猫对小孩的好处有哪些？
答：我觉得最直接的好处就是能养成孩子有爱心和责任感，猫咪同时也是一种生活的润滑剂。但是，不要过度增加猫口，最好以三只为限，猫口过多容易造成经济负担，影响生活质量，也比较无法立即发现猫咪身体上的不适，给予立即的治疗。
现代人求子若渴，虽然信息发达，但是老人家对于宠物的传统观念还是根深蒂固，所以，我只能奉劝各位猫奴，一定要在婚前和另外一半以及双方父母沟通清楚并且坚持自己的立场，千万不要因为自己的无知或长辈的压力，就随意弃养你曾经视为家人的宠物，这样的让步并不会使你的婚姻生活从此踏上平坦的道路，反而是在帮你的孩子造孽，而且你也会在遗弃宠物的阴影下遗憾终身。

原文网址: 我怀孕，我依旧养猫！ | ETtoday宠物动物新闻 | ETtoday 新闻云 

【英文類】Cat Myths - Separate Fact From Fiction (3/5)

【貓貓資料分類】 >> 【英文資料類】

Declawing won't hurt my cat.

Declawing is  more than simply removing the cat's claws, the last bone on the cat's claw is amputated. This is an excruciatingly painful procedure & one which not all cats will fully recover from. Many declawed cats are surrendered to shelters because of behavioural problems they developed after being declawed including biting & refusal to use their litter tray.

Cats by nature walk on their toes, so after they've been declawed, walking often becomes extremely painful to them.

If you are worried about your cat scratching the furniture (or your family) you can try trimming your cat's claws or you could put Soft Paws on it.

Can I feed my cat dog food?

Feeding your cat dog food is extremely dangerous. Dog food is missing essential the essential nutrients taurine & arachidonic acid. Taurine deficiency can lead to blindness & arachidonic acid can lead to dry, scaly skin. Cats require a higher protein & fat content in their diet.

Cat fur causes allergies

The primary cause of allergic reactions to cats is caused by allergens found in the cat sebaceous glands in the cat's skin, such as the allergenic glycoprotein called Fel D1(short for "Felis domesticus"), it is also secreted via saliva in lesser quantities. When cats lick themselves, they spread this protein, which is rather sticky, and glues itself onto dust particles, the home, your clothing and their fur; whether it's long, short, straight, curly, or absent. As all cats have sebaceous glands, all cat breeds can potentially cause allergies. Allergic allergens are also found in the faeces, serum, urine, mucous, dander, and hair roots of the cat.

A cat purrs because it's happy

Well yes, cats do purr when they're happy but they will sometimes purr when they are in pain. Cats have been known to purr when they are giving birth & they will sometimes purr when they are dying. Purring is more an expression of an emotion than an expression of happiness.

Cats will not mate with their siblings/parents/offspring

Cats do not share the same taboos about incest as humans do. If left entire, closely related cats including brother & sister, parent to offspring will mate. It is advisable to desex your cats before 6 months to prevent this from happening.

All calico (tortoiseshell) cats are female

No, while the vast majority of calico cats are female, there is the occasional male. However, virtually all of these males are sterile. the calico colour is sex linked. For a cat to be calico it must have two X chromosomes ergo the cat is female. In rare instances however a male calico will be produced. This usually happens because the cat has an extra chromosome. So, instead of him being XY, he is XXY. These cats are known as Kleinfelter males.

Approximately 1-3,000 calico's are male & out of those only 1-10,000 are fertile.

Original Website: http://www.cat-world.com.au/cat-myths