Hello, this is Dr. Karin. Read my bio, learn more about me, and meet my five cheerful cats: Clutch, Cyril, Alex, Zelda, and Zazzles.
Did you know that in long-running television series, most of the scenes are sometimes flashback episodes from previous installments, either because the writers ran out of ideas or just wanted an easy week? It turns out that there is. Well, in this strange, sleepy period between Christmas and New Years, when no one seems to know what day it is or what to do, I thought it would be the perfect time to reflect on the past year. . Yes, this is my flashback post!
Just kidding, I thought this would be a great opportunity to recap some of my favorite posts from 2024 and catch up on some you might have missed.
Clutch and Vacuum: A Love Story
Read here: Clutch and Vacuum: A Love Story (with Video)
This was actually announced in late 2023, so technically I’m cheating a bit here, but it would be a shame not to include it. The discovery that my completely deaf cat, Clutch, is not only immune to handheld vacuum cleaners. He actually enjoys a nice grooming session with it! It’s a good idea to remove loose hair before it gets on my clothes or furniture, but he started getting in the way when I was actually trying to vacuum the house. Not many cats (or dogs) enjoy being near a vacuum cleaner, let alone having it groom them. It’s proof that Clutch is a unique feline.
My cat helps me switch off and focus on the present.
Read this: How your cat can help you switch off and stay present
Even though cats are often the center of attention on social media, cats don’t like sharing your attention on social media. When I find myself caught up in the whirlpool of fate, it is the strong love of my cats, especially Cyril, that pulls me back. I try not to read too much into the cat’s motives, but it seems very intentional when the cat forces its way between me and my phone after I stare at the screen a little too long. It seems to me. Looking back on this made me realize that I had been spending a lot of time trapped in a virtual world, and brought my focus back to the wonderful creatures of the real world.
What is that sound? The melodious tone of the feline upchuck
Read here: What is that sound? The melodious sound of the feline upchuck
It may seem strange that one of my favorite articles is about vomiting, but what I liked about this article was: What’s normal and what’s not when it comes to gastrointestinal inflammation in cats? That’s something I knew would help a lot of people understand. You will also be able to understand the difference between vomiting, regurgitation, and a hairball “cough.” We’ve received a lot of positive feedback on this, with people realizing that what they thought was a worrying respiratory problem was actually a sign of hairballs.
Sometimes I scratch my head: When a wrong becomes a right.
Read here: Sometimes I Scratch My Head: Thoughts on a Controversial but Practical Technique
Well, this definitely ruffled a few feathers! Looking back on this topic after the article was published, I realized how the dominant opinion can sometimes be mistaken for being the correct or only opinion. Over the past decade, the use of scruff holds to restrain cats has fallen out of favor, with many cat experts claiming it is a cruel and deplorable method. I can say it was a little painful for me to try to get a good photo using this hold, as Cyril kept purring and trying to roll over and play with me.
The truth is, there’s no way to know for sure if a cat being restrained using a scruff hold is in pain because something happened that required the scruff hold, or if it’s simply agitated. What I can tell you is that I have never seen any signs of pain from a cat restrained using the correct scruff hold technique, except for a few cats who simply don’t like being touched in this area. What cats don’t like or find stressful is being wrapped up or held tightly, and the fewer restrictions they have, the calmer they will be.
I believe in using well-developed techniques that are appropriate to the individuals involved and the procedure being performed. While some people may feel better about making blanket decisions and judgments based on human perceptions of techniques like this, we don’t know if it truly reflects the cat’s experience. yeah.
Use abusive language.
Alex and somersault of happiness
Read here: Alex and the Somersault of Happiness
It’s a great pleasure for me to share this special little operation with you all, as Alex is very shy about sharing it with others.
When he’s happy, he somersaults. What more can I say?
For the future
Now that we say goodbye to 2024, I’m already looking forward to sharing more insights, quirks, and lessons learned from living and working with cats. If there’s anything (or anyone) you’d like to know more about, please let us know using the comments section below. Let’s see what Crowder and I can solve!
From Clutch, Alex, Cyril, Zelda, Zazzles, and I, we wish you all a safe and happy 2025.
This article is part of Dr. Karin’s 5 Hilarious Cats series.
