Author Archives: Charles Huss

Can Earthing Benefit Your Pets?

I believe the concept of Earthing was introduced in a book called Earthing: The Most Important Health Discovery Ever! I have not yet read the book but I read several articles about the subject and watched a documentary called Grounded. As best as I understand it, when we are disconnected from the Earth, like we are in our homes or while wearing most shoes, we build up free radicals in our bodies that cause inflammation. That leads to a long list of other health problems. By taking our shoes off and touching the Earth for 30 to 60 minutes a day, we allow a free exchange of electrons that can neutralize these free radicals and restore health. Even just standing on unpainted concrete, like a driveway or sidewalk, will allow an exchange of electrons.

I had been wearing minimalist shoes for over a year but decided I needed to get as close to barefoot as possible. The best option I could find was a pair of traditional moccasins that only had a single layer of leather for the sole. The leather, once worn in, conducts electricity and is the perfect compromise between shoes and barefoot walking. Plus, they are very light and allow my feet to move freely in them. The only problem was that I had to learn to walk like humans are supposed to, by landing each step less on the heel and more toward the balls of my feet. Striking the heel on a hard surface like I was used to with sneakers, or even the minimalist shoes, was somewhat painful.

Since moving a few months ago I have not been walking on the Earth much and lately I have been thinking about ways that I could get out more. Suddenly I realised that our cats get outside to touch the Earth even less than I do. I have always felt it was good for pets to get outside where they could run around and breathe fresh air and now I have another reason to get them out. I am sure that if connecting to the Earth can help people it could help pets too, perhaps even more so for inside only cats that never have contact with the ground.

Unfortunately, getting my cats outside has always been difficult. Busy traffic near our last home and rules against outside cats where I live now keep our pets inside. It also doesn’t help that Frankie is a runner and I fear he will go to far and get lost if let out without his harness, but finding time to “walk” all of our cats is difficult.

Going forward I will try let Frankie and Puck outside more often for walks on the harness. That will help me get out more too. Hopefully Puck can get over his nervousness because I want him to get outside as well. Chris doesn’t need a harness but I plan to spend more time letting him eat grass before making him go inside. In addition, I may pick up an earthing mat to use in the home. It is a mat that connects to the grounding plug in your home or to a wire that leads outside into the ground. It might be helpful when I sit at the computer with all the EMF radiation around me, then the cats could lay on it when I am not using it. I read that pets are naturally attracted to it.

What do you think? Does anyone have any experience with Earthing?

Photo Friday: Bad Cat Holly

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We visited Rose’s sister, Felice, last Saturday and I wanted to share this very cute picture of one of her cats, Holly, lying on the table where everyone was sitting. Holly is the female version of Chris. She is head and shoulders above the rest when it comes to getting into trouble. We’ve always wanted to take Holly home with us but Felice won’t give her up. I can’t blame her but I bet her and Chris would get along splendidly.

On another note, I have now posted something every day for nine consecutive days. I don’t know what the previous record is but if it was four I would be surprised. I don’t know if tomorrow you will see number ten. Perhaps it is time for a break.

The Wrath of Tigger

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I didn’t know this at the time I wrote this post but Tigger was nearing the end of his life and was probably in pain which caused his aggressive behavior.

Bad Cat Chris

Lately, every once in a while, I will hear the sound of a cat in distress. The first time I heard it I thought one of our cats was hurt or stuck somewhere. When I looked for the source, I found Tigger locked in a stare-down with Chris. He had Chris cornered on the top landing of the staircase and surprisingly, was the aggressor in this confrontation.

When I showed up, the distraction gave Chris an exit opportunity and he took it. He bounded down the stairs with Tigger hot on his tail (literally). When they reached the living room, Tigger jumped on Chris and attacked him. I tried to separate them but it was only temporary. Tigger chased him down and attacked him again. Usually once a cat retreats the fight is over but not this time.

It was shocking because Tigger has always been such a nice cat. I know the old…

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Even on Vacation I Find Strays to Feed

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When we went on our cruise at the end of last month we decided to go to Ft. Lauderdale a day early to reduce the chance that car trouble would cause us to miss the ship. We stayed at a hotel called Hyatt Place which was close to the cruise terminal.

About an hour before we planned to go out to eat, I walked down to get something out of the car. On the way I crossed paths with a little gold cat. He was very friendly and freely let me pet him but he seemed to be on a mission. He was looking through the bushes and picking things up to see if they were edible. I felt bad and was sure he was starving but I had nothing to give him. I went into the hotel but the only thing they had at that time was pastries.

While at dinner, I ordered the steak. I thought that was the best thing on the menu for bringing back leftovers. I ate about half of it and cut the other half into small chunks and brought it back with us.

When we arrived back at the hotel we found the gold cat, along with a tabby cat, in the bushes across from the front door of the hotel. They were eating dry cat food from a bowl that someone had tucked away in the bushes. That made me feel better but I still thought they would enjoy the steak better than the dry food so I gave a piece to each of the cats. The gold cat ate his right away but the tabby was timid and delayed long enough for the gold cat to take both pieces. The tabby had backed off so I threw a piece to her and I set the container down on the ground. The gold cat would grab a piece of meat, retreat to the bushes and eat it, then come back for another piece.

Note: Because there is a song playing in the background of the video, YouTube may restrict views in Germany.

The next morning, after breakfast, we went outside to wait for the shuttle to the terminal and the gold cat was out there. The cat just seemed to want attention at that point. We also learned from one of the drivers that the cat is a female named Puma. That surprised me a little because most gold cats are male but obviously not always. It also is another plus for people who believe gold cats are friendlier. I may have to rethink my position on that.

Kudo’s to the Hyatt employees who decided to not turn a blind eye and are taking care of these kitties.

Update 10/26/2017: After rewatching the video, I believe the employees might be wrong about the gold cat being female. Do you agree?

Puck’s Bald Spot Returns

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Two months ago I brought puck to the vet because he had over-groomed himself to the point of having a bald spot on his back and the inside of his legs. She suggested he was allergic to fleas, even though she could find none on him. She gave him an antibiotic and a steroid which I was hesitant about accepting but I saw little options while I was in the vet’s office. I thought I would allow it one time but I would not have it be a regular form of treatment like it was for Tigger, who had recurrent mouth infections, until he died at the age of eight.

The problem got a little better and his fur grew back somewhat but he was still over-grooming and the bald spot never fully went away. Recently it has gotten worse again and I don’t want to subject Puck to another traumatic vet visit just to have him put on drugs that may or may not help in the short-term but will almost definitely harm him in the long-term.

My other options are to leave it alone, try to find a solution myself, or find a holistic vet which is rare near me. I could only find one holistic vet near me but she has no office and only makes house calls which may be over my budget at this time.

Update: I forgot to include a link to the original story, Puck’s Vet Adventure.

Escape Artist Bad Cat Chris’s Most Daring Escape Yet

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These last few days have been cool and we have been leaving the window open on the door near the bathroom while Rose gets ready for work. We put a stool or chairs there so the cats can look outside and they love it.

After the cats got bored with the window Saturday morning, Rose moved the stool away. I was in the other room so I didn’t see what happened next but I heard Rose scream, “Come quick! Chris jumped through the window!” When I came, I saw the window open with no screen in it. Rose told me he jumped from the ground and through the window. He popped the screen out like it wasn’t even there (thanks to the weight he has put on lately) and landed, seemingly uninjured, on the stairs below.

I wish I was videoing him when that happened but I missed it. I also didn’t have my camera with me when I came running but this is where the screen landed.

Now we are going to have to keep the windows closed, or open only slightly, because of one bad apple, or in this case, one bad cat.

After thinking about it, this may not be his most daring escape but I don’t feel like changing the title. I think that happened while he was still young. You can read that story here.

Gifts From the Cat-Sitter and a Forgotten Bad cat

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While we were on vacation we had two cat-sitters watching our boys. Lynn did a great job keeping us updated with texts and photos (see here) and Nancy was nice enough to bring gifts for the cats. Unfortunately, one of Nancy’s cats recently passed away and the other is not very healthy and does not use the items she brought over.

One of the items was a nice cat perch that I see the cats lying on now more than our other two small perches.

Next is a cat tunnel that everyone loves.

Finally she brought a nice scratching post. I will let Chris describe his feelings about that.

Our patio suddenly became too crowded so we decided to give Rose’s sister, Felice, the scratching post, one of our perches and a couple of other items. She said she could use them at the vet’s office where she works.

I started to bring the items outside on Saturday so I could put them in the car but the first time I opened the door, Chris came out of nowhere and zoomed out the door. I put down what I had and decided to leave Chris outside until I finished. He usually stays close and eats grass. I thought leaving him alone for two minutes would be easier that fighting with him every time I wanted to go out or come in.

Sorry about the quality

After I finished bringing the cat stuff outside as well as the garbage, I went back in and waited for Rose. She was involved in something, I don’t remember what, but it was probably another half-hour before we were ready to leave. When I walked outside I saw Chris lying there outside the door. I had completely forgotten he was outside. If he had wandered off, there was a chance we would not have known he was gone for several hours. I feel like such a bad parent.

We often do a cat count before we leave, mostly because they get into closets, so Rose probably would have discovered him missing but it is still a scary thought.

There’s a New Feral in Town

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I have been feeding the feral cats near my work for a few months now and I thought I had the social structure figured out until this week. I’m starting to think that the inner workings of a feral community is as complicated as a human community.

Here is what I thought I knew: Cat number one, who I will just refer to as my little buddy, has been the reason I continue to put food out. He (or she) is the only one that comes around consistently. Almost every morning I can expect to see my little buddy waiting for me to bring out food. I have recently learned he hangs out near the tire store about 100 yards to the south. Sometimes when I pull into the parking lot, I will see the outline of a cat’s face and ears in the distance. I then go inside, grab some food and come back out.

By then he has moved closer and he waits for me to put the food down. I usually put it on a Verizon box that makes a good platform. He then waits for me to go back into the building. Once I close the door he moves to the food. Occasionally, one, or both, of the other two feral cats that I know of will be around. One is a gold and white cat and the other is white and black. I determined these cats are friends or mates because when I first saw them, one ran away toward the other and they both disappeared behind the building to the north together. If they are around, my little buddy will submit to the other cats.

Lately, instead of bringing out a handful of food, I bring the entire bag. If I see another cat I will put an extra handful of food behind the dumpster so both cats can eat.

The other day I did not see another cat so I put out one handful of food and went inside. I watched the cat head toward the food and then suddenly stop when he reached the dumpster. I assumed another one of the two feral cats showed up to eat the food so I grabbed the bag and went out to put some food out behind the dumpster. To my surprise, I saw a cat that I had not seen before. That means my little buddy is shy and submissive to all cats.

Thursday, when I brought out food I saw my little buddy to my right and the new fellow to my left, near the Verizon box. I first put a handful of food behind the dumpster and when I did the gold cat ran out from behind there toward my little buddy. So much for knowing who is friends with whom.

I made sure there was plenty of food for everyone and went inside. 20151014_Ferals_011

Yesterday I saw the new cat to the north and my buddy to the south but when I came out there was the gold cat waiting for me, who turned out to be far less timid than I originally thought. I put out three piles of food and the gold cat ate all of it. The other two cats never showed up. I put more food out but it didn’t get eaten before I left.

I guess I will never understand what is going on in the mind of my feral cats but at least I know what is going in their stomachs.

Photo Friday: Open Window

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The weather has finally cooled enough for us to be able to open a window. The cats sure love that.

This is what it looked like before we put the stool there.

cats and open window

Chris’s Stolen Routine

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Chris is now back to bothering Rose while she gets ready every morning. I guess some things never grow old.

Bad Cat Chris

I mentioned this briefly in my post, Jealousy but I wanted to expand on this issue. Chris used to have a routine in the morning of hanging out with Rose in the bathroom while she got ready to start her day. He would lie on the counter in front of her, occasionally grabbing her makeup or whatever else she happened to be using and pulling it up against his chest. Sometimes he would collect three or four things before Rose would be forced to retrieve them. This would go on until she turned on the hair dryer, which was Chris’s cue to make a quick exit.

When we got our kitten Puck, everything changed. Suddenly Puck would be the first one up on the counter and when Chris came up for his routine, he would take one look at Puck and go back downstairs. I felt bad for Chris but…

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