The teensiest little Cat Tail is owned by Sumari, the Itty Bitty Kitty:

The Sumari Tail is 24 cm in length.  It also flicks incessantly, so who knows how accurate this measurement is.

The next smallest tail is the Mango Tail: 

This Tail is 26 cm in length, and quite fluffy, so fluffy in fact that the last few cm are absolute fluff.  Next up is the Great Grey Tail at 27 cm, belonging to the Famous Taco Cat : 

And finally, the tail of Queen Bella herself a whooping 32 cm: 

24+26+27+32=109 cm of tail!  Divided by 4, equals 27.25 the AVERAGE tail length of our four fabulous felines!

Many pharmaceutical and personal care products are entering rivers from sewage treatment plants or leaching into groundwater from septic systems.

Antibiotics, painkillers, sunscreen, hormones, drugs and much more are routinely found in U.S. waters. In some parts of our nation, male fish are growing female parts because they’re literally swimming in hormones.

Tests have shown that American drinking water is contaminated with perchlorate – the chemical used to make rocket fuel, and pharmaceuticals have been found in the drinking water of 51 million U.S. homes. Perchlorate can interrupt the production of thyroid hormones, and lead to hypothyroidism.

Tests on U.S. drinking water routinely find the residue of legal and illegal drugs, poisons, and synthetic chemicals.

Heavy metals are also seeping into our water. These are inorganic chemical elements with relatively high density, such as mercury, arsenic, chromium, cadmium, nickel and lead.

Did you know that if you drink chlorinated water while pregnant, it can increase your child’s risk of heart problems, cleft palate or major brain defects?

Independent studies in such journals as Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology; Environmental Health Perspectives; American Journal of Public Health; and Archives of Environmental and Occupational Health, as well as reports published by the National Academy of Sciences, suggest that millions of Americans become sick each year from drinking contaminated water, with maladies from upset stomachs to cancer and birth defects.

One recent study showed that 62 million Americans drink substandard water.  Many of the chemicals, drugs and toxins are unregulated, (meaning nobody checks to see if they’re in your water supply) so millions of people drink dangerous water that actually still meets U.S. government standards.

Water bottled in plastic is not really safer, and some has been proven to be just plain tap water anyway.  Reverse osmosis filtering systems are the best bet, and a less expensive option is a high quality water filter.

]]> http://catloverssite.info/2010/02/04/tap-water-may-not-be-such-a-good-choice/feed/ http://catloverssite.info/2010/02/03/wordless-wednesday-tackling-a-tree/ http://catloverssite.info/2010/02/03/wordless-wednesday-tackling-a-tree/#comments Wed, 03 Feb 2010 13:40:36 +0000 Rebecca http://catloverssite.info/?p=1370

This is what she’s all poofed up about:

Taco and Sumari are in hiding, but Mango, the bravest of them all, calmly watches the wild antics of the doggies:

Bella, a somewhat spotted cat, is spotted spotting an intruder.

Cats didn’t have thyroid problems, and hyperthyroidism was not in the books or the exam rooms.

Chronic diseases such as heartworm (a dog disease originally), asthma, kidney failure, inflammatory bowel disease, dental calculus and decay, heart disease, and cancer are fairly commonplace now in the feline population.

Wild cats like the lynx and bobcat are not experiencing these chronic degenerative diseases. Wolves don’t die of heartworm disease or have dirty teeth.

We are actually causing these chronic diseases to become more prevalent by administering annual vaccines, feeding toxic food, and using topical flea poisons that warn us not to get them on our skin. You can read the full story by clicking on the following link:

The Cats are Talking… About Chronic Disease

Mango will switch from happy, purring kitty to slapping and nipping in a matter of nanoseconds.  The reason for the short-circuit is a mystery.  One of many.  He does not know how to emit a normal cat-type meow, he groans instead.  Maybe it’s a growl. It’s indescribable.

Mango does not like the litter box.  If I don’t let him outside when he demands to be let out (via groaning at the door) he pees by the door.  Or in the bathroom if he knows he’ll get caught squatting by the door.  Since he does not enjoy getting his delicate butt-furs wet, when there is snow on the ground he finds new and innovative places to do his business. Like on my neighbor’s porch.  Specifically, on the jacket left on the porch.  The jacket has been trashed.  My neighbor is NOT happy.

On the bright side, Mango is hopelessly, passionately, head-over-heels in love with me, and only me. He gazes at me with absolute adoration, purrs with abandon at the mere sight of me, and goofily chases after me when he’s not sleeping or peeing or doing something abominable. 

I’m thrilled that he is so smitten with me (nobody else is) but this can create some problems with the sleeping arrangements.  We have a nightly ritual: every night I put him outside my bedroom door and try to close the door before he can run back in.  For a cat who spends 90% of his time sleeping, he sure can run faster than the proverbial “greased lightening”. The process is repeated until I give in and let him sleep in my room.  On my bed.   The night goes like this: 10:00 goodnight Mango.  10:45 bath time, including vigorous licking and nibbling.  Back to sleep.  12:30, furball evacuation, usually near my head.  Definitely on the bed.  GROSS.  No I do not prefer cleaning up furballs to sleeping.  2:00, exuberant scratching session on my carpet.  5:30, I’m up, Mango is sleeping in.

No, he’s not a freak, as he’s been called by members of my family. He had a rough start in life, and I think he’s well aware that his adored mommy saved him (he was going to be “put to sleep”) and he obviously wasn’t “socialized”.  He’s adapted to the best of his ability.  That’s life with cats.  You love them despite the inconveniences, and they love you back.  I guess that’s unconditional love.

Here she is balanced on the third floor roof!

She seems to like balancing on the narrow dowels of the clothes-drying rack

Sumari balanced for a treat!