Pipps Egyptian Maus

Should people breed cats?

Sat, 15 Apr 2017 07:15:17 -0700

Ethics and Breeding Cats

The other day, a woman told me that I should not breed Egyptian Mau cats because stray cats needed homes. When we use the word "should," we are incorporating ethics (ethos) into our argument. What is ethics? Ethics is the idea that some actions are wrong while others are right. As a Christian, I am a firm believer in absolute truth (the idea that universally there is a right and wrong - good and evil); however, while I agree that allowing cats to breed indiscriminately and leaving kittens to fend for themselves in the wild is certainly a cruelty to animals and some breeding facilities are no better, I have a hard time believing that God has a problem with our CFA and TICA registered cattery breeding a litter of kittens a year to provide excellent companions. We actually lose money in the process, but we gain tremendous joy from having kittens in our home from time to time, and since heath issues and volunteer commitments prevent any real vacations, the time and energy spent working with our cats is our way of releasing stress and taking a "break" from the troubles of the world.

Why is Breeding Purebred Cats not an Ethical Issue?

From an ethical point-of-view, we must agree that animals are less important than people. While we love and provide care for our shelter-rescue cats, our two Egyptian Maus are much better companion animals. While our shelter-rescues are sweet, they require care for life-long health issues, and their poor care as small kittens did not socialize them well-enough or provide the stimulation and nutrition to develop the intellectual capacity to somehow predict what my husband and I want them to do as our Maus do. Yes, there are plenty of qualitative, anecdotal stories of rescues with excellent health and amazing intelligence; however, from a quantitative, statistical analysis, I doubt this is the case. After all, when we were looking at sighted-eye dogs, we saw Labs and German...Read More

Should You Give Your Kitten a Bath?

Sat, 01 Apr 2017 10:57:31 -0700

Anyone who has owned a cat knows that they spend a lot of time grooming themselves, each other, their humans, and sometimes the family dog, too. Since they work so hard to stay clean, and most breeds dislike water, why should we give cats a bath?

If you are planning to show your cat or kitten at a CFA, TICA, or ACFA show, he or she should probably have a "real" human-led bath. They will smell fresher, appear a bit brighter, and you will be removing any household contaminants to which your pet may be immune, but to which cats at the show may have a sensitivity.

If you aren't showing your kitten at a cat show, you should still consider introducing your purrfect baby to water and bathing at a young age because there may be times in the future where a bath is a necessity. Luckily, our Egyptian Maus have a bit of an affinity for water, so they acclimate quickly if introduced appropriately to water and bathing, but even your local rescue kitten can be taught to at least tolerate bathing. You may be thinking that there is no situation that would cause you douse your kitty in suds; however, cats live for a long time and can be VERY curious. One of our cats managed to get into a cabinet where we store cleaning supplies (mine can figure out how to open most anything). Luckily, we caught the culprit before anything could be spilled on him, but if cleaner was on his fur, we wouldn't want him to lick the cleaner. Another time, a 5 month old kitten managed to slip into the bathroom and FALL INTO THE TOILET when my son forgot to close the door behind him. Our kitten thought the toilet dip was fun, but no matter how many times we hear that toilet water is as clean as tap water, most of us would want the kitten to have a quick bath before cuddling back up with our furry friend.

How do you give a kitten a bath?

When introducing kittens to bathing, the goal is to reduce fear (although Egyptian Maus aren't as terrified of water as some other...Read More

Cat Toys

Tue, 14 Mar 2017 17:36:01 -0700

In the 1960s, scientists conducted tests on animals to see the effect of the environment on their brains. No, I'm not endorsing animal testing, but this testing has given us some good info. Granted, these tests were primarily on rats, but the results led to further conclusions and testing that were eventually applied to humans; therefore, assuming similar results for cats is certainly logical. What did all of this testing teach us about the environment of an animal? We have learned that when animals have other animals, people, and toys with which to interact, they become smarter. Brain cells have little branches on them called dendrites. When an animal needs to "figure something out" or solve some sort of problem, new connections are formed. The more often this same problem is solved, the stronger the connection. Think about it, when you were first learning how to read, you needed to sound out every word; now, when you are reading this blog, you may not even be consciously saying these words in your head (well...until I pointed it out lol). Yet, you are able to take in and comprehend the information. Now, don't get too excited, even the incredibly intelligent Egyptian Mau cats will probably not learn to read, but they are very capable of forming new connections in their brains, and one of the key ways they can learn is by using "toys."

When purchasing or creating toys for your beautiful feline friend's brainy improvement, you should take into consideration two things: safety and problem-solving skills.

Safety

Any toy can be dangerous for your Egyptian Mau cat. When purchasing, look for any parts that might detach and/or be inadvertently eaten when enthusiastically nibbled on by a kitten cutting teeth, or with large items, like a scratching post, be on the lookout for stability issues or sections that are top-heavy. Once you get your baby's new plaything home, supervise the fun (how could you not!!!) to make...Read More

Is Clay Litter Bad for Cats?

Mon, 13 Mar 2017 19:29:28 -0700

Is clay litter bad for cats?

After all, when we scoop or pour the litter, we see dust. Our kitties are breathing the dust from scratching around (which my cats can make into a recreational moment!) What about when they lick themselves? Surely some of the clay makes its way into their little furry bodies!

Those thoughts are certainly worth consideration, and if the cost and difficulty of use of alternative litters do not bother you, by all means, give them a try! Better yet, train your cat to use the toilet! He or she cannot flush, but you will save a lot of money and back labor!

But…back to the main question. Is clay litter harmful to kittens? Let’s look at some realities.

Fact: Most best-selling litters are clay-based – including the litters sold at high-end pet stores.

That fact would lead one to assume that most cat owners are using clay litter, yet inside cats have relatively long lives for mammals of their size. Added to that, as far as I know, no studies have shown any link between clay litters and cancer, pneumonia, or other feline ailment. I feed my precious babies high quality food, but they have, on occasion eaten a bug or licked a bit of ice cream that has fallen on the floor; they have survived. If the fine dust is occasionally consumed (luckily not much clings to the the short, silky hair of my Egyptian Maus), I must assume that it passes through because not only have I never had a problem with my cats having intestinal issues -- except for maybe after eating that bug -- I haven't had any feline-loving friends take their cats to the vet for a clay-in-the-bowels type of issue. Finally, while the impact of clay litters on cat health has not been scientifically investigated, neither has the use of alternative litter.

For the record, we do use a high-quality, low-dust, clay-based litter at our cattery, which is surrounded by litter mats to remove any sticky pieces from furry paws. That said, if I...Read More