Happy Wednesday:

• 😴 The cat who’s earned his naps

• 🐾 Your guide to flea prevention

• 😸 How cat parents are keeping their skin healthy

• 🐈 Cat of the day, Poppi

• 😺 How to get shinier hair

True or False?

Sitting in small boxes or bags can genuinely help lower a cat's stress levels.

(scroll to the bottom to find the answer!)

KitKat's first year looked nothing like the usual kitten story. He fought off cat flu, went through surgery on his nose, and had nearly all of his teeth removed before he was even old enough to know what comfort felt like. By the time he landed at the shelter, he was a skinny white cat waiting behind glass.

Then a woman took him home. Five years later, his mom posted a set of before and after photos on Reddit, and the difference stopped people in their tracks. The early shots show a fragile, uncertain kitten. The recent ones show a cat sprawled belly up across the couch like he pays the mortgage.

Commenters had a field day with it. One called it the redemption arc they needed. Another summed it up as going from survival mode to full time couch emperor energy.

What people responded to wasn't the medical recovery so much as the quiet part that came after. A cat sleeping belly up, completely unbothered, is a cat who finally feels safe. After the year KitKat had, he's earned every second of it.

If you have both a dog and a cat, sharing flea medication between them might seem harmless. It isn't. Cats metabolize drugs very differently than dogs do, and a product formulated for a dog can cause seizures or worse in a cat, even at what looks like a small dose.

Permethrin is the ingredient most worth knowing by name. It shows up in plenty of dog flea products and even some sold for cats, but it should be avoided in cats entirely. Several other ingredients, including fipronil, selamectin, and spinosad, are generally considered safe for cats at the right dose.

Beyond the ingredients, you've got options in how it's given. Topicals go on the back of the neck and typically last about a month, oral medications skip the wet spot entirely, and some newer collars now protect cats for as long as eight months. Sprays and shampoos exist too, but they only address fleas already there and offer no lasting protection.

The simplest rule is to check that a product is labeled specifically for cats, and to run anything new past your vet first. A quick phone call is a lot easier than the alternative.

Meet Poppi, submitted by Daily Purr reader Andrea. Rescued as an abandoned kitten, Poopi is thought to have some Maine Coon in her, though she stayed on the petite side. What she lacks in size she makes up for in personality, she's a sweet, chatty little cat who's never shy about telling you exactly what's on her mind.

Poppi's favorite spot for affection is having her tail petted, and every night she curls up faithfully at the foot of the bed. A small cat with a big presence in her family's life.

This week's Cat's Corner has one nail-biting standoff and one heart-tugging rescue:

• 🐍 Orange cat faces off with a striking cobra and lives to tell the tale

• 📦 Delivery driver finds a tiny kitten all alone on her route

Daily Purr is brought to you with love from our cats. We hope they can brighten your day, just like they do ours. ❤️

Love,

Olive, Milo, and Yasmine.

🐱 Bite-Sized Treats

🧐 True or False: True. Studies have shown that enclosed spaces can help cats feel calmer and more secure, especially in unfamiliar environments.

😸 COTD: Give your kitty the spotlight by submitting them for Cat of the Day. Reply to this email with your best photos of your cat, their name, and a short description for the chance to be featured in an upcoming newsletter!