Cat Q&A

We took our cat to the vet because he was urinating on the floor and there was blood in his urine. She said it was from crystals and told us he had to have a certain type of food now. She suggested Hills Perscription Diet c/d (what they carried). This 4 pound bag cost $12!! Are there other LESS EXPENSIVE brands?

And if anyone else’s cat has had the same problem and solution (he has already been given antibiotics), how long did you continue this diet for?
In America, near Chicago.
Is c/d a specific name from the Hills brand or all brands? Like hairball formula?
I have found that the Science Diet is cheaper than the Perscription Diet and can be founf in the pet stores. Is there a difference in the 2 since they’re made by the same company?

When the mouse is away, cats play. And cats have the tendency to both play hard and play soft. Toys are to cats the same as toys are to dogs. It helps fight the boredom experienced by these pets as well as gives our feline friends the opportunity to practice and use their natural inclination to chase and hunt for prey. It also gives the cat owner that great chance to play with their pets, an experience that will aid in bonding their relationship.

But what toys are best for cats? The following are tips and helpful advice to get that perfect toy for the cat owners perfect pets.

Play safe

The good thing about cats is that they can play ball inside the house and the owners will never know it. Still, there may be things inside the house that cats could find attractive yet might actually endanger their health and safety. Houses must be cat-friendly. As much as possible, take away any string, yarn, needles, rubber bands or other objects that could easily be swallowed by cats. These things could be lethal to cats. Do not let them play with these articles no matter how cute they may appear to be.

Play soft

Choose soft toys that can easily be machine-washed. It is best that the toys chosen to be played with by cats are also the toys marked as safe to be played with by children below three years old. Toys such as these usually contain fillings that are not hazardous. Also, avoid giving cats toys that are hard and rigid, these types do not appeal to them that much. 

Know your cat, know their toy

It is best that one also familiarize themselves with your cat. Doing so helps in ones selection of the kind of plaything that best serves the size of ones cat – the kind of activity the cat likes and its unique preferences. Know the environment in which the cat likes to spend its time the most. 

Choose active toys

Toys that are great to play with for cats are usually the round plastic ones (such as rings from shower curtains, plastic balls, golf balls, balls used in ping-pong) as these give cats the opportunity to chase and paw around. They could also carry these in their mouths, make sure though that these are big enough they cannot be swallowed but not so large that they cannot carry them in their mouths. 

Choose active play

Balls can be placed inside bath tubs filled with water. Watch as cats frolic and play on and around the toy. It is just as enjoyable to the cat as it is fun for the cat owner. Another added feature that could be placed on balls are bells. One not only sees how cats play, one could also listen and take pleasure in the playful sound . Another simple yet effective plaything for cats is a paper bag.  Use paper bags that do not have handles. These bags are good for pouncing around. Cats hide in them too. As much as possible, avoid the plastic ones as cats have the tendency to chew these and they may eat the plastic. This is not good. 

Toys with tails

Cats like playing with soft toy animals – specially the ones that have tails. They either bite them, paw them or chase these little stuffed toys around.  It is best if these toys are as big or as small as the cats playing them. 

Toys with catnip

Catnip is sometimes used as stuffing for toys that are soft. Putting catnip in such playthings make the toys more enjoyable to carry, kick and throw around. More importantly, it is safe for cats to chew on, roll around in, or eat. It is okay for owners to place catnip on carpeted floors, or (to make clean-up easy) on towels. There are now catnip oils that can be placed on carpets, and they usually stay there. Cats detect these too. Although small cats, specifically kittens who are younger than six months have shown a certain kind of immunity to catnip.

All in all, it is best that cat owners define what kind of toy should be played by their cats. It is advisable that different kinds of toys be given on certain days, and that displaying all toys simultaneously may not be a good idea. Cats can easily tire of seeing the same fluffy toy animal again and again. Variety always works best. However if cats show a certain liking to a specific toy, let them play with it, or sleep with it – whichever they like.

Cats are extremely territorial so you should be wary if you already have a cat in the house and you are thinking of getting another cat. In fact, most people would choose not to get a second cat. However, this does not really mean that no household would be harmonious when there are two cats under the same roof. Still, if you want to get rid of the nasty hissing bouts that would inevitably occur, there are things you can do to foster a more peaceful environment.

The key here is in the introduction stage. Yes, you will have to introduce your new cat to your first cat very carefully. Doing this the right way would make things smoother in the end. However, it is not going to be easy so you have to be patient with the results here.

The first thing you have to do is enlist the help of a friend. Your friend should be the one to carry the new cat into the house, preferably in some sort of cat carrier so that it would not be too alarming a sight for your first cat. But why get a friend to do this? Your old cat would not be appreciative of seeing you holding another cat in your arms. Thus, you have to get a friend to do this for you initially.

Once you, your friend, and your new cat are inside the house already, make sure to take the new cat into a separate room. Do not attempt to have both cats inside the same room at this stage. You are asking for trouble if you would do this. In this separate room, make sure the new cat has its own sleeping place, a litter box, feeding dish, water dish, playthings, and most importantly, its own scratching post. With its separate room, your first cat will soon notice that there is indeed another cat holding its own territory in the same house.

Cats’ sense of smell is very intense so you can expect your old kitty to notice the presence of the new cat by its scent even beyond those closed doors. The key here is to let your kitty smell the new cat in an indirect manner. You can do this by rubbing the new cat with a cloth or towel and then have your first cat smell that material. Eventually, your old cat will become accustomed to this new smell.

After some time, you should then swap the rooms of the cats so that each cat can sniff each other’s presence out, making both of them more accustomed to each other as well. Eventually, allow the cats to spend time together in the same room. This may take a few tries, but be patient. If this is still not enough, then you can enlist the services of your veterinarian. This way, you can maintain a peaceful and harmonious environment for both of your beloved felines.

Joseph M. Sabol is a world class Doberman breeder. Please go to http://petvitamins4u.com or to http://theroadhousedobes.com for further information

http://www.cutecats.tv

I saw this adorable female calico at the humane society yesterday and was wondering if my 8 year old female calico would like the company.
The only issue is the older dog we’ve had for six or seven years. She’s recently become senile and while her and the current kitty used to get along fine, she now chases her around whenever she sees her.
So, is getting a new cat a good idea?