human cat bond Archives - Page 3 of 4 - MyThreeCats.com CatBlog

Best Pet Friendly Cities – do you and your cat live in one?

We thought you might be interested in seeing how your city stacks up to the top 100 pet friendly cities. WalletHub (August 8, 2017) provides this useful data.

**“Since we live in a pet friendly city, does that mean we need to be friendly with one another?”**

Years ago, pet owners had access to only a handful of businesses offering animal services and supplies. But new pet businesses are cropping up every day to fill the demand of this growing breed of consumers. Today, we spoil our pets with all kinds of luxuries, such as gourmet pet cuisine, upscale hotel accommodations and even pet “dating” services.

With pet parents in mind, the 100 largest U.S. cities were analyzed across 21 key metrics. The data set ranges from minimum pet-care provider rate per visit to pet businesses per capita to walkability.

Here they are:

Overall Rank*	City	Total Score	‘Pet Budget’ Rank	‘Pet Health & Wellness’ Rank	‘Outdoor Pet-Friendliness’ Rank
1	Scottsdale, AZ	65.93	80	1	2
2	Phoenix, AZ	63.54	12	6	10
3	Tampa, FL	61.48	10	9	19
4	San Diego, CA	60.56	85	2	6
5	Orlando, FL	59.81	27	4	47
6	Birmingham, AL	59.37	3	21	50
7	Austin, TX	58.26	43	3	54
8	Cincinnati, OH	57.19	13	27	28
9	Atlanta, GA	56.73	24	5	75
10	Las Vegas, NV	56.73	63	15	9
11	Oklahoma City, OK	56.13	1	33	77
12	Plano, TX	56.09	58	8	27
13	St. Petersburg, FL	55.91	21	34	23
14	Colorado Springs, CO	55.51	56	19	21
15	Sacramento, CA	54.95	66	20	18
16	Tucson, AZ	54.47	16	31	42
17	St. Louis, MO	54.37	18	36	36
18	Gilbert, AZ	54.22	41	11	65
19	San Antonio, TX	53.74	8	38	64
20	Miami, FL	53.65	33	12	72
21	Seattle, WA	53.28	88	14	17
22	Denver, CO	53.25	77	7	53
23	Albuquerque, NM	53.04	14	86	13
24	Bakersfield, CA	52.80	22	57	32
25	Henderson, NV	52.80	34	77	5
26	Portland, OR	52.78	94	10	7
27	Los Angeles, CA	52.65	96	13	4
28	North Las Vegas, NV	52.52	31	66	22
29	Columbus, OH	52.26	4	64	57
30	Tulsa, OK	51.36	15	42	74
31	San Francisco, CA	50.97	99	16	1
32	Fremont, CA	50.90	82	45	12
33	Glendale, AZ	50.87	53	26	56
34	Omaha, NE	50.47	17	54	66
35	Dallas, TX	50.44	84	18	41
36	Fort Worth, TX	50.43	50	28	69
37	Long Beach, CA	50.41	86	43	11
38	Irvine, CA	50.31	97	29	3
39	Houston, TX	50.03	52	25	71
40	Chicago, IL	49.97	83	17	52
41	Greensboro, NC	49.91	5	48	73
42	Chandler, AZ	49.83	64	24	63
43	Corpus Christi, TX	49.78	9	72	85
44	Arlington, TX	49.76	38	52	59
45	Garland, TX	49.26	47	51	60
46	St. Paul, MN	49.05	40	75	35
47	Pittsburgh, PA	48.97	45	82	26
48	San Jose, CA	48.94	44	70	25
49	Lexington-Fayette, KY	48.93	32	41	93
50	Raleigh, NC	48.92	42	30	84
51	Boise, ID	48.75	49	78	31
52	Nashville, TN	48.59	70	23	79
53	Indianapolis, IN	48.31	20	35	96
54	Mesa, AZ	48.30	69	37	70
55	Chesapeake, VA	48.28	72	67	24
56	Jacksonville, FL	48.21	55	32	86
57	Madison, WI	48.11	67	73	30
58	Memphis, TN	47.97	25	40	98
59	Kansas City, MO	47.71	19	80	62
60	Minneapolis, MN	47.65	74	55	44
61	Virginia Beach, VA	47.65	57	47	83
62	Riverside, CA	47.61	75	63	29
63	Stockton, CA	47.49	39	87	38
64	Fresno, CA	47.46	28	69	48
65	Lincoln, NE	47.44	23	81	61
66	Anaheim, CA	47.40	93	22	39
67	Chula Vista, CA	47.23	81	56	40
68	Oakland, CA	46.85	89	53	33
69	Irving, TX	46.57	47	60	89
70	Winston-Salem, NC	46.51	30	71	91
71	Durham, NC	46.26	29	65	90
72	Aurora, CO	46.25	62	49	82
73	Wichita, KS	46.02	36	50	99
74	New Orleans, LA	45.96	68	74	51
75	Hialeah, FL	45.62	71	61	68
76	Toledo, OH	45.55	6	91	58
77	Louisville, KY	45.47	35	58	94
78	Fort Wayne, IN	45.45	2	83	100
79	El Paso, TX	45.28	37	94	43
80	Washington, DC	45.20	95	59	16
81	Baton Rouge, LA	45.12	51	44	95
82	Lubbock, TX	45.04	26	89	87
83	San Bernardino, CA	44.77	61	93	15
84	Laredo, TX	44.66	6	95	67
85	Cleveland, OH	44.56	46	79	78
86	Reno, NV	43.99	79	68	76
87	Jersey City, NJ	43.73	92	85	14
88	Detroit, MI	43.44	54	84	80
89	Norfolk, VA	43.43	72	88	46
90	Milwaukee, WI	43.20	11	97	81
91	Charlotte, NC	42.86	78	46	97
92	Anchorage, AK	42.21	87	96	20
93	Philadelphia, PA	41.58	90	90	37
94	Buffalo, NY	41.36	60	92	88
95	Santa Ana, CA	41.34	91	76	55
96	Boston, MA	41.29	59	98	45
97	New York, NY	41.29	100	62	8
98	Honolulu, HI	39.69	76	100	34
99	Baltimore, MD	39.40	65	99	49
100	Newark, NJ	38.89	98	39	92

*No. 1 = Most Pet-Friendly

Evolution of Top Cat Names: Today versus 2007

Judging from the top cat names posted here, cat lovers are still using traditional names (like Tiger; Simba and Felix) as well as contemporary names (such as Chewie; Luna and Bacon) to christen their newly adopted cats. Check out the 2017 Top Cat Name chart, then check out the information below it to see how cat names have changed over the past ten years! (Reference to 2017 chart: findcatnames.com) (Reference to 2007 list: Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI))

Now, check out these top names given to the Nation’s kitties in 2007:

Top 2007 10 Male Cat Names

Max
Tigger
Tiger
Smokey
Oliver
Simba
Shadow
Buddy
Sam
Sammy

Top 2007 Female Cat Names

Chloe
Lucy
Cleo
Princess
Angel
Molly
Kitty
Samantha
Misty
Missy

It’s all about Me-owww! Techniques Cats Use To Win Our Attention

It’s 11:00PM. You’re up against a deadline to finish a report for work. You’ve just belted down a strong cup of coffee and you’re on the home stretch. One more section to go and you’re done! Hmmm, you think to yourself, the cats have been amazingly quiet.

Just as you touch your keypad, something distracts you out of the corner of your eye. You glance over your shoulder. There they are – both of them – perched atop your side desk, staring at you. Their stare isn’t just any casual gaze. Their eyes are large, round, intense and compelling, their stare unwavering. You know what they want – your undivided attention!

What is it about cats that drive you to stop whatever you’re doing, and attend to their every whim?

Cats are intelligent creatures. Once they figure you out (which doesn’t take very long), you’re putty in their little paws. They know exactly what to do and they do it. If you make the fatal mistake of catering to them the first time, they will repeat the process again and again, and you’re hooked.

Here are just a few of the many techniques employed by the cats in my household (or, should I say, theirs).

The Stare Down. It works every time. It elicits a response something like, “Hey cutie, what is it? What do you want?” Bingo!
The Wait. They wait patiently in the kitchen until they see a human approach. From that point forward, it’s a steady litany of me-owwws, some extremely lengthy and desperate. They don’t let up until you put the food bowls down, with their dinner just the way they like it. Success!
The Hit and Run. You’re reading a magazine on the couch, your collection of magazines neatly stacked in front of you on the coffee table. Out of the blue streaks a wild cat, leaping onto the stack, scattering them halfway across the room. You slap down the magazine and get up to fix the mess. The me-owwws start, with longing looks towards the kitchen. Mission accomplished!
The Toy Closet Vigil. My cats know where I stash their wand and laser toys. If I am within an ear shot of “the” closet, they assemble like soldiers in front of it. If I start to walk past them, they begin lightly scratching on the closet door, elevating to full, obnoxious scratching, however long it takes. Fifteen minutes later, after a decent play session, they nonchalantly saunter away while I’m still waving the toy, collapse on the floor, and casually survey the room as if to say, “You can put that thing away now…I’ll let you know when I’m ready to play again.”
The Heart Stopper. This works something like the Hit and Run, only you’re lucky to survive. In the middle of the night, you’re experiencing a deep REM sleep. Your feline 757 lands with a thundering thud on the bed, skipping to the end of the runway, heading directly into your face. Not only do you wake up with heart palpitations, you wake up to a set of wild, black pupils staring into yours. After convincing yourself it’s not a nightmare, you desperately try to fall back asleep. That’s when they repeat. You get up. They me-owww, you follow them, tripping down the stairs into the kitchen. This is a win-win (for the cat, not for the two of you)!

If you haven’t yet experienced any of the above, it’s probably because you have cats that have employed other techniques that have proven successful, or else you’ve just adopted a cat today who hasn’t yet figured you out. Don’t worry – he’ll have you “trained” by the end of the week, and you won’t even know it!

Wanted: Cats Who Act Like Like Dogs- Why Not Cats Who Act Like Cats?

AOL.com recently posted an article about dog people who prefer a cat who has their canine’s “extroverted playfulness”, compared to a cat who displays “quiet affection.” They like cats who will fetch; go swimming; come to you when called by name. They then proceed to list all of the purebreed cats whom they say act like dogs, like the Maine Coon, Burmese; Ragdoll; Burmese; Manx and others.

While I understand the point, it somehow doesn’t sit quite right with me.

I don’t believe the notion that only certain breeds of cats are extroverted or playful, to the exclusion of all other cats.

First, just like you and me, and the dogs in our lives, each cat has a distinctly unique temperment. There may be characteristics we think are common to some types of purebred cats. And, not just in the case of purebreds but in the case of mixes – you’ve heard of a calico cat’s “catitude” or an orange tabby’s easy going temperment. However, in the final analysis, their background, upbringing and interactions with humans have significant bearing how they act as adult cats, forming their unique personality traits.

Having said that, from observing and interacting with many types of cats over my lifetime, it’s very obvious to me that far more (socialized) cats have a playful, receptive personality than not. Interestingly enough, the regular garden variety of cats, like tortoiseshells or tuxedos especially follow this pattern. They, like their canine counterparts, co-habitate well with other household pets; are energetic and playful; and like interaction with humans. However, just because cats are “quietly affectionate”, doesn’t mean there isn’t a perfect human match for them out there as well!

The long and short of it is…let’s not stereotype our feline friends! Finally, let’s celebrate their uniqueness and realize there is a place in our lives for the adventurous Tigers as there is for the quiet, affectionate Lilies.

Real Men Like Cats!

If you ask my husband Jim how he feels about Chester, our Maine Coon mixed breed male cat and Bandit, our female Tortoiseshell, he might likely respond with a resounding “Real men like cats!”

Jim is among a growing number of men who don’t mind declaring their fondness for their companion cats. He even unabashedly posts videos and photos of them on our Instagram site.

History has revealed some famous men who also happened to bond with their cats.

Take Isaac Newton, for one, who discovered the laws of gravity and universal motion. During his studies at Cambridge University, this cat fan discovered that his cats were interrupting his studies by wanting in and out. Newton cut two holes in the door, one for the mother cat and one for her kittens. For being such a smart dude, he didn’t realize that the kittens would simply follow their mother through her hole.

Another famous cat guy, Mark Twain, had many quotes regarding his feline companions. One of his most famous was “if man could be crossed with the cat, it would improve man, but deteriorate the cat.”

There are many contemporary famous men who have also flaunted their love of cats. A small sampling of these cool guys (I say “cool”, because if they like cats, they are cool, and that is that) are: Ricky Gervais; Ian Somerhalder; John Hamm; and ex-President George W. Bush. Indeed, there is now a popular a cat dude by the name of Jackson Galaxy who has his own cat centric show, “Cat From Hell”, a weekly series showcasing Jackson’s innate talent for solving cat behavioral problems to create happier human/feline households.

It could be that this (great) trend of increasing male cat “literacy” is occurring because men have evolved to the point where they now feel comfortable admitting they prefer “cats” over “dogs”. Perhaps another contributing factor is the growing number of single men who have discovered that they like the companionship of a cat or two. Then, it could be that men like the “low maintenance” feature of cats over other types of pets. No matter what the reason, one thing is for sure: real men like cats!