-- Spreading the Love --
It ’ s February , and the month that people celebrate love . While “ hearts , flowers , and candy ” really
point to romance , so many of us use February 14th to tell the people around us that we love them . Sweet treats and small gifts abound from family members , friends , and some even extend this to their beloved pets .
Cats , on the other hand , do not celebrate Valentine ’ s Day . They just dispense their love every day . The internet lets me know that I am not the only person who gets to talk to the cat “ therapist ” when I have a disturbing dream . ( How DO they know ?) Mornings include cats that brush under my feet just before I hit the floor . Cataloging books for the shop usually involves a cat or two sitting by my side ( after all , the word for the work begins with “ cat ”). Evenings are with a book or a favorite television show - always with a cat by my side or above me on the sofa .
One way we show affection to our feline companions every day is with food . Hector particularly likes small hard treats in chicken flavor . Good for his teeth and gums and he would eat 50 of them if they were on the floor . For Jasper , it ’ s a puff of whipped cream in the can .
But for many people , they choose to feed their cats raw meat . Cats MUST have meat , and it would make sense that it be closest to a wild kill , which would be raw . But there is a serious downside with a raw diet for our beloved cats . And that is the transmission of H5N1 ( called “ bird flu ”) It ’ s an epidemic currently with both domestic birds ( think chickens and turkeys ) and in the wild population .
An email from the Director of the Cornell Feline Health Center last week regarding the H5N1
avian influenza outbreak and its impact on cats outlines the danger . In December of 2024 , the Oregon Department of Health and the Los Angeles County Office of Public Health issued warnings prompted by the death of two indoor-only domestic cats ( one from each locale ) that died after eating commercial raw cat foods that were subsequently tested in State and university veterinary diagnostic laboratories and found to contain the same strain of H5N1 virus that was identified in the deceased cat in each case . Both had eaten raw food marketed as a healthy alternative for cats . ( Go to https :// www . vet . cornell . edu / departments-centers-and-institutes / cornell-feline-health-center for more information .) It is their professional opinion that feeding cats raw foods is not worth the risk of exposure to potential contaminants that might be present in these products , which include disease causing bacteria , parasites , and the recently demonstrated H5N1 .
Happy Valentine ’ s Day to one and all ! A great gift of love this month would be a donation to a local shelter or rescue . Help them spread love and care to all animals .
- by Linda Roller , Bookseller , Writer , & Owner of Liberty Book Shop in beautiful downtown Avis , PA .
LIBERTY BOOK SHOP Linda Roller
Hours : Thursday & Friday 10-6 , Saturday 10-3 , or by appt .
“ Where yesterday ’ s books are today ’ s treasures .”
LibertyBookShop @ comcast . net www . thelibertybookshop . com
570-753-5201
Pawsitively Pets -- February 5