MyThreeCats.com Cat Photo Contest Grand Prize Winners – Congratulations
	Cat-egory: Snoozing Grand Prize: Lucy – submitted by Debbie Hall
	Cat-egory: Frolicking Grand Prize: 227F – submitted by Judy Seils
	Cat-egory: Group Cats Grand Prize: Kittens in a Basket – submitted by Janet Spain
	Honorable Mentions Sleepsyaz – submitted by Michelle Mason Bailey Boo – submitted by Alexandria Linebaugh Spooning – submitted by Jennifer Morrison

Is Your Cat Getting Enough Water?

Pet ownership is full of many responsibilities.  Which vet to go to and how to best accommodate your pet while on vacation are just two of many decisions that most pet owners eventually face.  Simply giving your pet a name is a huge responsibility.  Sadly, one of the most important responsibilities of a pet owner is often times one of the most overlooked: making sure your cat gets enough water.

Cats, like all animals, need water to survive.  Water is necessary for the liver to cleanse the blood of toxins and also to make sure that organ tissues are healthy.  It aids in the metabolism of nutrients for energy, in body temperature maintenance, and in regulating fluid and electrolyte balancing.  In other words, a cat needs water for all the same reasons we do.

But your cat doesn’t know all of these facts.  The question then becomes: how do you get your cat to drink enough water?

A good starting point is to know how much your cat needs.  An average seven pound cat needs about 6-7 ounces of water per day, but if they’re on a dry food diet, they’re only getting about an ounce of water from their food.  Cats on wet food diets get more water from their food, but not enough to sustain bodily functions.

Pet fountains are a great way to ensure that your cat is getting enough water.  Running water constantly breaks the surface tension of the water and draws oxygen from the air into the water.  This process, known as aeration, makes drinking water more appealing cats.  And it’s not hard to understand why – would you rather drink water from a bowl sitting on the ground for hours or from a running tap? 

Our Drinkwell™ Pet Fountains ensure that your cat is getting aerated water with little maintenance required from you.  Not only is the water aerated, but the charcoal filter removes tastes and odors.  A fresh, running stream of water is the best way to make sure that your cat is not only encouraged to drink water, but that it has the highest quality of water to drink.

Even just knowing your cats drinking habits can help point out problems.  For instance, if a cat is drinking more water than they normally do, it could be an indication that he or she might have diabetes.   ‘Drinking too much’ means different things for different cats, which is why it is important to know the regular amount of water your cat drinks.

So, making sure that your cat gets enough water is not only about keeping them healthy and happy, but understanding their habits and needs.  Visit www.mythreecats.com for more products and information to help get your cat the water they need to live happy lives.

Make Sure Your Cat Knows About Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Mimi, Supermom, but now a happy housecat.

Feline breast cancer is the third most common cancer among cats after lymphoma and skin cancer. In a 2005 study done at the University of Pennsylvania, “cats spayed prior to 6 months had a 91% reduction…those spayed prior to one year had an 86% reduction in the risk of mammary carcinoma development compared with intact cats.” While breast cancer in cats is more common than in humans, it is far less common than it is in dogs, but cats have the highest malignancy rate and the lowest survival rate of all three. That myth that “it’s good to let a cat have a litter of kittens” has no basis in fact, and can be a death sentence since spaying your cat before she even goes into heat the first time is the best way to avoid breast cancer, not to mention reducing the risks of injury and disease a cat faces while out carousing…not to mention a cat in heat is really annoying to have around. For Breast Cancer Awareness Month, spay your little girl!

October Cat-toon