Woke up feeling refreshed and ready to explore the city. After a great breakfast of eggs and a huge assortment of breads, pastries and jams (these folks are into carbs), we got ready to hit the town. But first, I had to play with the riad kitty. I knew the place had a resident cat, so I brought him a…
It was that time of the year again: Memorial Day. I like Memorial Day because not only does it signify the start of summer (my favorite season), it also means that I get to go on vacation! My cat hospital is open seven days a week, and I can’t have our other veterinarian, Dr. Sheheri, work 11 days straight while I’m gone. …
Traveling the world is one of my great pleasures in life. It expands my horizons and it’s good to get out of my comfort zone now and then. Like most travelers, I like to document my trip by taking lots of photographs. As the years go by and technology marches on, the cameras that I’ve taken with me have become…
In May of 2012, I took a trip to China. While in Beijing, I made plans to visit the Great Wall, of course. A few weeks before my trip, I sent an e-mail to my tour guide, Vivie, telling her that I was a cat veterinarian and that I like to encounter kitties in whatever country I’m visiting, if possible.…
I recently had the pleasure to take a trip to my favorite international city, Amsterdam. I first visited this wonderful city in 1998. Although I have traveled to most European countries, I hadn’t had a chance to return to Amsterdam until 2011. At that time, I was fortunate to discover the Poezenboot, a cat shelter/sanctuary permanently docked in the Singel…
Would you know a cat emergency if you saw one? I discussed feline first aid for cats and kittens (what to do in a cat emergency), but now I want to point out signs that should cause the pet owner to say, “This is a cat emergency! I need to get my cat to the veterinarian immediately.” It’s amazing the…
Although most of us cat lovers will tell you that it’s a cat’s personality that matters most, many of us will admit that we find ourselves drawn to a cat’s particular coat color. At my cat hospital, my technician Hiromi is drawn to orange boys. I tend to go for the torties. My technician Gina favors black cats. A close…
As a cat veterinarian for over 20 years, I’ve noticed a few common themes to some of the questions and comments I get in the examination room. Cat owners are amazing people. They love their babies. They want to protect their babies. They want to know what the heck is up with their babies?! It is an ongoing struggle trying…
There’s a post from the Reader’s Digest website that is making the rounds. It hasn’t gone “viral”, but I’m seeing it pop up on a lot of the newsfeeds that I subscribe to. It’s entitled “50 Things That Your Veterinarian Won’t Tell You”. They make it sound like you’re getting some super-secret scoop on what really goes on behind the…
Just before venturing out for our final day in Istanbul, I look out of our room window; First thing I see is a kitty across the street. This should be a good omen for the rest of the day. Our goal today was to see the Quincentennial Museum of Turkish Jews. The museum is located not far from the…
Our last full day in Istanbul. Today, the plan is to take a cruise up the Bosphorus. Anyone who’s read Orhan Pamuk’s book, “Istanbul” knows the importance the Bosphorus Strait plays in the lives of the people of Istanbul. The 19 mile-long Bosphorus serves as Istanbul’s main highway, hosting a never-ending stream of vessels, from little fishing boats to humungous…
Today I thought we’d try something a little different. Today we’re gonna pop on over to the Asian side of Istanbul. Our destination is Uskudar, a charming district easily accessed by ferry and teeming with historical mosques. Exploring Uskudar gives us a chance to experience the streets of a quiet, everyday neighborhood, without the opulent architecture, modern style and throngs …
To fully appreciate the urban Istanbul of today, you must leave the Old Town and plunge headfirst into the hip, happenin’, lively, upbeat, European-feeling New District, and that’s what we did. After spending the first two full days exploring the classic sites of the Old Town, we indulged in the part of the city where our hotel was located. We…
Today turned out to be one of the most exhausting days of the trip. We decided to tackle the famous Topkapi palace. This is the place where the Ottoman Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror decided to set up shop after capturing Constantinople. It ended up serving as the sole administrative palace for Ottoman sultans for more than 400 years. It housed…
We left the hotel early, since we had a big day ahead. A quick review of geography may be in order here, before we proceed. Istanbul is a huge city, with almost 15 million people. The city spreads over a very large area, on both banks of the Bosphorus strait. The Bosphorus runs north and south, dividing the city…