Cat Q&A

Archive for February, 2009

Do you have a cat? Then, it’s time you need to toilet train your cat and save yourself from headaches, even “noseaches” and “lung aches” when you are inhaling those foul smell of cat droppings all over your house. There are many advantages of toilet training a cat that a cat owner can enjoy or get benefit from training his cat to use the toilet. For one, cat litter boxes are expensive. Buying cat litter boxes can really damage your financial resources. Then, cat litter bins needs to be always cleaned regularly especially when you are very scrupulous and very much worried with health and cleaning it everyday can also be a great disturbance for the other important errands that you do everyday. With cat toilet training, the water in the toilet masks most of the offending smell and all you need to do is flush regularly – much simpler and easier than cleaning a litter box. Going away for weekends also becomes more convenient for your neighbor – instead of asking someone to wipe clean the cat litter box, all they have to do is flush your toilet once in a while.

According to Toilet Train Your Cat Reviews, toilet training your cat is an easier task, easier than you might think. However, it depends upon the cat’s personality. Toilet training sociable cats that love being praised makes the training task much easier. It will take between 2 weeks up to even 3 months, depending on the response or the personality of a cat.

Training your cat to utilize the toilet can last up to 2 weeks up to 3 months, and it depends upong the individual cat’s personality.

However, many cat owners really do find this kind of responsibility quite difficult and time-consuming but this can all be dealt with, with the help of a guide that can be found in this Toilet Train Your Cat review site called “toilettrainyourcatreview.com” and not only you will find one guide but several top training programs to help you out with this concern. Go ahead, try to read the reviews, that is, if you really care for your family’s health and for your cat’s welfare.

A cat whisper is somewhat similar to a dog or horse whisperer, although cat whisperers relate quite well with cats.  These types of people are unusually lucky and very successfully with cats.  In most cases, a cat will be abandoned or just show up at someone’s door.  In this event, the cat will adopt this individual as the cat whisperer.

Often times, alley cats and black cats will show up at someone’s door and decide to move into their homes.  This can be a result of abandonment, or the cat’s family moving away and simply leaving the cat behind.Quite few times, it is seen that a cat may loves living in someones else’s home instead of its owner’s home.

Many a people will explain you that a cat whisperer can be taken as a therapist for cats.Normally all cat whisperers have not gone through any training, it seems that what they know is by birth.  These types of people understand the way a cat thinks and knows how to work with the cat to achieve the results they want.Although many think that cat whisperer are a therapist, it really could not be related to the truth.

Cats who have been abused or mistreated, often times won’t respond to anyone but a cat whisperer.  Although others may have tried to help the cat, it will only make matters worse by making the cat feel scared and afraid.  In most cases, these cats will end up in a pound.  This is very tragic, as the cats have already endured more than they ever should have.  A majority of the cats who have been abused were once loved pets.  Along the way, they were abandoned, mistreated, attacked by dogs, and in some cases tortured.

Cats who have been treated unfairly often times won’t trust anyone. They are often times confused, in a lot of pain, and not sure what they should do.  Like humans, cats feel pain.Those who have been abused physically are a sad sight indeed.A cat which is damaged emotionally may appear to be fit in health, but its emotions might be ruining it.  Emotionally abused cats are much harder to get through to, especially if they were stray cats to begin with.

Cat whisperers on the other hand, can communicate with physically and emotionally abused cats.  Cats know who they will choose to be their cat whisperer, which is normally an individual they sense trust with.Cat whisperers are familiar with the cats, even though many of us wont have ever heard about them before.  Even though a cat whisperer may be able to communicate better with cats, it will still take time to heal a cat that has been abused.

As most pet owners already know, heartworm treatment for cats and dogs isn’t the same. Never, under any circumstances, should you give your cat heartworm treatment that is designed for a dog – or vice versa.Although you may have both cats and dogs as your pets, but you should always use the medicine which is made for that particular species.

No matter how you look at it, heartworm treatment isn’t easy.  Your goal is to get rid of the heartworms, although there are several factors that you’ll need to consider. The first thing to do is take your cat to the vet, as he will be able to run tests to determine just how many heartworms your pet has.  He can also find out how the worms are affecting your cat and if your cat can deal with any side effects that the treatment medicine may impose.

The worms will feast on the important areas of your feline’s heart, so heartworms are too serious condition to be ignored.  Treatment can be serious as well, especially if something goes wrong.  Veterinarians are trained to deal with heartworms though, in both cats and dogs.  Even though you may be able to buy treatment medicine at your local department store, you should always consult with your vet before you give anything to your pet.

Treating your cat for heartworms may indeed be no treatment at all, as cats are extremely difficult to treat.  The dying worms have side effects as well, often times causing more than 1/3 of the treated cats to end up with serious problems.  Dying worms can become lodged in the arteries of the heart, which are already inflamed due to the worms being there.  When a lodged worm starts to decompose, it can lead to very serious problems.Pets that is badly infested by heartworms are required to spend a few days in the hospital, in order to be sure that they are treated properly.

Some cats may not be able to take a certain type of heartworm treatment medicine.Considering on the affects and side affects of a particular medicine upon cats, few breeds may not capable of tolarating a particular medicine.  To determine the best treatment options for your cat, your vet will need to run several tests.  Once the tests have concluded, your vet will be able to tell you the best options available for treatment.

With all diseases, prevention is a lot better and safer than treatment.  Be sure to talk to your vet and find out what heartworm prevention medication is the best to use.  Your vet can tell you what you need to get, and how to use it.  This way, you can prevent your pet from getting heartworms – and the serious side effects and life threatening issues that go along with them.

No cat wants to be dirty, and it’s up to you to ensure that your cat stays clean.  Grooming is very important, as it helps your cat remain clean and healthy.  Grooming starts with brushing, as brushing helps to keep the cats hair from becoming hairballs.  Brushing will remove loose hair, and help prevent the risk of hairballs.  A lot of cats have trouble dislodging hairballs.If the cat is unable take out the hairball, it might result into a serious blockage of intestine.  Blockages are very serious, and can quickly become life threatening for your pet.

Cats that have long hair need to be brushed and combed on a daily basis, while cats with short hair need to be groomed on a weekly basis.Whenever brushing is done to your cat, you should be watchful for lumps in the coat or any marks of irritation on the cat’s skin.  You should start brushing along the cat’s back, going from his head to his tail.  Do this a few times on one side, and then switch to the other.  Each area should be brushed a few times in the direction of the way your cat’s hair is growing.

When you brush your cat, you should always avoid brushing his face and paws.  If a cat doesn’t like to be brushed, you can still groom him using another tool.The grooming glove is an excellent alternative to the brush, as most cats don’t mind it at all.  Starting out young is the key to grooming, as it will get your cat used to brushing and grooming.  Some cats that have started grooming when they were kittens grow to love it, many of which often look forward to their grooming time.

When brushing your cat, make sure that you check his ears, eyes, teeth, and claws.  His eyes should be bright and clear with nothing residing in the corners.  His ears should be clean, pink in color, and no sign of ear mites.  Ear mites result from dirt built up in a cat’s ears, and can result in the ears shriveling up and your cat losing his hearing.  Ear mites are very annoying for the cat, and hard for you as an owner to get rid of.  The best way to get rid of them – is to ensure that your cat’s ears stay clean and healthy.

Your aim always should be to go a bit further with your examinations, every time when you groom your feline.  When your cat remains still, you should always praise him and give him a treat.  If your cat doesn’t cooperate and starts to struggle, you shouldn’t fight with him, but instead let him go and try the next day.  Once your cat gets used to grooming he will look forward to it each and every day.

There are a lot of great gifts that you can give to cat lovers, although photo frames are among the most popular.Any one can afford a photo frame because of its price, and present as a gift to the person who owns any pet or a cat. owners of more than one cat will really appreciate the photo frames – as it is an opportunity to show off your pet cat to others.Those who loves cats can frame pictures of thier pet cat also – and keep it life long.

Before you give a cat lover a gift, you should take into consideration what type of cat the person owns.  There are several breeds out there, including tabby, pure breeds, calico, Persian, and of course the infamous Siamese breeds.  Someone may own several cats as well, which is why you should know a little bit about the breed or breeds someone owns before you get them a gift.

You should take into consideration whether or not the cat lover has an outdoor or indoor cat. Cats, unlike dogs, are more than happy to spend all of their time outdoors.  Outdoor cats can be a lot of fun, especially if the owner spends a lot of time outdoors.  Cats have a natural urge to go outside, even if the owner has an indoor cat.

Indoor cats are less exposed to sicknesses and general disease compared to the feline who lives vagrant.  Indoor cats are almost always trained to use the litter box, which makes them easy to maintain for their owners.Almost all the gifts that you can buy for a feline lover are designed for those pet lovers who keep their pet indoors.

If you’re looking for a humorous yet exciting gift, you can always give the gift of catnip.  Catnip is one of the most popular treats for cats, as it’s a naturally occurring plant that has a unique affect on a cat.  Catnip gives off aromatic oils that will often make cats appear to be drunk and very hyper – which is always great entertainment for both owners and guests.  Catnip is completely safe for cats to consume, often times being included with gifts such as chew toys and play balls.

Other great gifts for cat lovers include decorative mats with cat pictures, which you can get personalized for the owner if you prefer.  You can also give cat videos, musical cat dolls, cat shaped mail boxes, toys and treats, and various other goodies that are directed towards cat lovers.  If you do your shopping on the Internet, you’ll find that the possibilities are endless.Cats are extremly popular pets- this implies that you will face no problem in your life in getting an appropriate gift for the feline lover.

Giving a cat a pill can be a nightmare.  No cat wants something shoved down his throat, and he will fight you tooth and nail to prevent it. Though most of the cats are not big in their size, however you would be surprised to know that they have much more power than your estimate.We will mention below, ways to give your cat his pills.

The easiest way to give a cat pill is to crush the power into a powdery form by putting it between two spoons.  Once the pill is powder, mix it in with some wet cat food.  Cats that are used to eating dry cat food will see the wet food and think of it as a treat. They will normally eat it up, unaware that they just took their medicine.

If the medicine happens to be in capsule form, all you have to do is pry the capsule apart then sprinkle the medicine on some wet food and serve it to your pet.  If the food also contains the pill or if your pet is sick, chances are he won’t eat it. In this event, you should look into a pet piller.  You can get these handy devices from your veterinarian.  They are plastic rods that hold the pill until you press a plunger.  When you get one, you should always get a long one with a softer tip.

When you get your gun, your vet should show you how to use it.The most crucial thing for using gun is to get the mouth open of your feline. The gun will more or less shoot the pill in the cat’s mouth, and down his throat.You will be required to hold him firmly, to be ensure that he does not twist and get loose from your hold.  Once you have his mouth open, you’ll need to squeeze the trigger and pull the gun away quickly. After the pill has been inserted, make sure you give your cat a treat.

If you aren’t comfortable using the gun, you can always try giving your cat his pills by hand. To do it this way, you’ll need to hold your cat still, and open his mouth with your hand.Your aim should be throwing the pill down through his throat, once you succeed in opening the mouth of your pet cat.  Once it is in his mouth, you should close his mouth with your hand and hold it shut for a few moments.In this way, your feline will be able to swallow the pill properly. 

If you can’t get any of the above techniques to work, you can always go to a local pharmacy and get them to a make flavored gel or liquid using your cats medication.  You should use this as a last resort though, as it can tend to get expensive.

Cats are one of the most loved pets in the world, no question about it.  More than 50% of all households in the United States own dogs and cats.Though cats are among the most coveted pets, it’s allergies are one of the general form of allergies.  Statistics in the past have shown that over 10 million people in the U.S. alone have allergic reactions to cats – especially their fur.

The biggest cause of cat allergies is dander.  The dander, is dust that is produced by the body of the cat.  Dander is basically shed skin that comes off of cats, normally in the form of small flakes. Although dander can irritate your skin, it can also get into your immune system as well, resulting in a variety of symptoms and almost immediate allergic reactions.

The dander, once in the immune system, is perceived to be a threat.  Even though it isn’t classified as a disease, it’s more of a reflex by your body and your immune system.  Cat allergies occur quite often due to cats having allergens that are spread throughout their blood, urine, and saliva.  Although a cat may not be present at the time, the excretions probably still are.

Things that are found in homes that keep pet cats are saliva, dander, urine of cat etc.  Cats constantly groom themselves, which involves rubbing their saliva into their fur.  When they do this, they spread their dander and allergens around.  Although you may try, there is really nothing that you can do about it.  Cats have a natural instinct to groom or bathe themselves, no matter how many baths you give them, you simply won’t stop them from grooming.

Normally, when someone is taking an allergic reaction to cats, he or she will wheeze, cough, sneeze, itch, have watery eyes, or a difficult time in breathing.Each susceptible individual responds to the cat allergens in different way, it means symptoms might differ in different individuals.Chills and fever is extremely rare, though certain incidences have been reported.  If someone who has cat allergies comes down with fever and chills, you should contact a doctor immediately.  Chances are, it isn’t an allergic reaction to cats, but instead another type of disease that a doctor will need to identify.

Allergies of feline are generally treated with decongestants and antihistamines. Those that experience asthma attacks or other forms of allergies, normally take antihistamines.  Decongestants on the other hand, are normally used to cure coughs and swollen nasal passages.Often, doctors will prescribe the allergy shot too.Allergy shots can be helpful in preventing the attack, particularly if anyone is truly allergic to felines.  They are a good form of treatment and prevention, and they can also help to decrease the risk of allergies affecting the individual.

If you suspect that you have cat allergies, you should always make it a point to visit your doctor.  He will be able to further diagnose your situation, and give you the best options available for treatment.  If you do indeed suffer from cat allergies, the best way to stop the attacks is to get rid of your cat. 

Getting rid of a cat can be a very tough thing to do.  If you have become allergic to your cat’s fur, there may be no other way to prevent attacks than to get rid of him. Although doctors can give you medicine and shots, it will only do so much.  Cat allergens are no fun, especially if you develop them years after owning your cat.  Cats are great animals to own – although cat allergies are something we could all live without.

You may not know this, but if your cat is prone to feline urinary tract infection, he may have urinary crystals in cats.  Feline urinary crystals are a major cause of cat urinary problems.  Here are three natural ways you can prevent these crystals from forming in the first place.

Your Cat’s Diet Is Very Important

Most people who are owned by felines are very conscientious these days about feeding their cats a diet low in magnesium.Struvie stones in cats were seen a lot more often in the 1970’s and 80’s.  It was found that if a cat was fed a diet high in magnesium, he was more prone to developing mineral crystals in his bladder, which often led to a feline urinary tract infection.  Cat food manufacturers changed their formulas, and everyone thought the problem was solved.

But are you aware that if you feed your cat only dry food, he’s probably chronically dehydrated?  Since kidney failure is the leading cause of death in older cats, it makes sense to put these two things together.

Dry cat food has a very low moisture level, usually under 10%.  This is great if your only concern is to keep mold from growing on it, but if you’re worried about the amount of water your cat is taking in, it’s not so good. 

Cats normally don’t seem to drink a lot of water.This is because an undomesticated cat gets most of his water supply from the animals he catches and eats.  Did you know a mouse is 98% water?  Canned cat food has a moisture level of around 75%.Increase the moisture level even more by adding a little water to it.

Of course, your cat should always have plenty of clean, fresh water to drink at all times.

Stress Causes Feline Urinary Crystals

Cats are creatures of habit.  They really don’t like change at all.Events that raise the stress levels for cats include moving, adding another pet to the household, and even going to the vet.

A stressed cat can develop many different types of health problems, including urinary crystals in cats.Give your stressed cat lots of extra love, time, and attention.

Natural Remedies For Pets Can Prevent Cat Urinary Problems

Many cat owners use herbs and homeopathic remedies to treat their own ailments, so it’s only natural that there would be rising interest in natural remedies for pets. 

The herbal remedies uva ursi and barberry have a long history of use for treating human bladder problems.  Homeopathic remedies used for urinary tract infections in people include Cantharis and Staphysagria.

Wouldn’t it be great if you could give these safe, effective remedies to your kitty to support bladder health and prevent inflammation from urinary crystals in cats?  Well, now you can. 

There’s a remedy available now that combines all four of these traditional remedies for urinary problems.  This product has been specially formulated for pets, which is a very important safety consideration.  It’s made by a long-established company that has a sterling reputation for producing only the highest quality natural remedies for pets. 

So there you have it; three natural ways to prevent feline urinary crystals and support your cat’s bladder health.

You must treat the darlings at your residence in the akin means as you consider your kids. Favorites also have many sensations in addition to passions that should not be cramped by you in any techniques that are possible. You must keep in your mind that your favorites are also living beings in addition to they also comprise of diverse feelings just as the persons have. Your favorites are able to sense the pessimistic as well as constructive characteristics around them. Favorites would remain loyal to you if they are endowed with friendliness in addition to unrestricted adoration. If you heed for your darlings suitably, they would ultimately return you back with the love as well as affection that is beyond your imagination.As a accountable pet owner, you must not stay unaffected about your pets. You must understand the consequence of pet care. You must try to expose your heed as well as concerns to your favorites by your actions in addition to deeds. However, endurance is the most central element that is to be implemented while caring for your darlings. You should feed your pets at apt time along with also take problem in issues related with their health. You must groom them recurrently so that they are not shaped by any of the infectious ailments. The trait of cleanliness is very imperative if you whole heartedly want to concern for your pets. Darlings should be cleaned at uniform basis so that they do not become sullied.

You must take thorough initiatives in order to ward them off from diverse risky ticks, fleas along with parasites. These parasites are extremely injurious for the health of your delightful favorites. You should take your favorites for recurrent medical checkups from a veterinary physician. These checkups are very advantageous for your darlings as they can stay in a fine health by getting rid of the hazardous parasites. Dental medical checkups are also required by your darlings along with the veterinary medical checkups. If you want them to stay active and energetic, then you must take concern of their gums.

You should provide suitable heed to your pets, if there is any sort of change in the weather conditions. You should bathe your favorites in cook water while summer season in addition to during the winter period, they should be bathed in warm water. even the minute attributes involved in the pet care should remain your main precedence. Nails of your pets should be trimmed by you along with you must ensure that they get a healthy snooze.   If these issues are kept in mind, then your pets would always remain healthful. Assorted medicines available nowadays such as Frontline Plus, Advantage in addition to Heartguard are extremely obliging for your darlings. However, you must not give these medicines without a proper consultation from an authority vet physician.

Bad Health always affects our physical type without any prior invitation so it is always considered as an undetectable element of our life. All the living objects on the planet like individuals, birds, animals as well as other existing creatures are affected by bad health. Pets are being one of the oldest buddies of the human race popular for their devotion along with safeguarding against the happenings. They are innocent, selfless companions, easy to train and very playful during the seclusion. You must take proper worry of your darlings by paying concentration to rear them. It is almost a ordeal of your persistence while being with them. Your darlings also require good medicines from veterinary physicians when they suffer from assorted infirmity. As contrasted to the individuals, the pills for the pets are quiet costly. Only veterinary physicians can find the reason of their illness as well as prescribe the right medicines for them. Pets are also awarded by the nature with the senses as well as moods unlike other breathing creatures. They are well aware about the disapprovals along with positivity thinking. Your favorites are full of feelings in addition to sensations, so you must handle them like your own children. The more you think about for them the more you get in return in terms of their affection and affection. You should maintain the hygiene of your pets on regular basis so that they remain protected from damaging fleas as well as parasites. If appropriate diet is given to them regularly along with the drugs, they would tidy up in a good shape. A uniform check up by an practiced veterinary doctor would easily maintain their security.

Due to numerous natural disasters, sometimes the favorites are unable to uphold their body warmth. When your darling comes in contact with another animals, it is obvious that it would catch several communicable as well as dangerous diseases. It is largely found in cats as well as dogs along with not noticeable with the eyes. You can find it out by the close inspection of their behavior. Frontline plus has the ideal pill solution for all types of favorite related troubles as well as their products have a proven track record of bringing positive result. This drug is free from any sort of side effects. They do lot of research to find the most effective pill for the darlings. The best veterinary drug, which is prescribed by most of the doctors is the Heartgurad because it is useful for the preclusion of heartworm ailment in your pets.

It can be given orally or mixed with pet foodstuff. Advantage flea medicine attacks only on the unsafe parasite, not on the darlings.