Cat Q&A

Archive for May, 2009

During hot summer months, it can get pretty hot. Learning how to take care of a cat during this season is important.As a cat owner it is important for you to take extra precautions for your cat’s health during hot weather, otherwise, your cat may suffer from dehydration.  Since your cat can’t tell you when it is feeling dehydrated, it is up to you to pay attention to your cat’s behavior and provide cooler living conditions if necessary to prevent overheating.

Bring your cat indoors when you notice the temperature is rising.  Stray cats learn where to keep cool, but your cat is a pet and may not have the instincts to find a cool place to rest.  If it does find a cool place, you may not even know where your cat is all day because it will stay there until the sun sets.

If you are the kind of cat owner who likes to take your cat with you in the car, take extra care to get the cat out of the car with you every time you park.  In a very short period of time the interior temperature of your car can soar on a sunny day. 

Even when you try to park in the shade to prevent your car from heating up, as the sun moves throughout the day.  The heat travels from hot areas to cold areas.  Dogs can sometimes alert passers-by that they are in discomfort, but a cat is unable to do that and may die in as little as fifteen minutes.  Always get your cat out of the car with you when you park. 

Keeping your cat’s fur needs to be kept short and well groomed to help it stay cool.  Frequent combing will allow you to remove shed fur that may still be on your cat.  Cat’s which have natural long fur often give you no option but providing a cool environment.  This includes cats like the Persian and Siberian.

Make sure your cat has access to clean water.  Regardless of the season, it is important to allow your cat to stay well hydrated.  Keep water cool by changing it a few times each day during hot weather.  The goal is to keep your cat’s body temperature constant. Keep some of these tips when you are also choosing a pet for kids.

You’re a loving cat owner. You know how to treat your cat well, but you are also a busy person. You spend till late night hours working and even get to work on some loose ends in the weekend, or worse you’re sent to a far-flung place on a business trip. You are concerned about your cat’s feeding since you are away. It helps a lot that there are automatic cat feeders. You are now able to leave your place anytime and still be sure that your cat is fed.

Automatic fish feeder will make sure that your cat is fed at the right intervals not just for a day but for several days. These automatic feeders have been designed to fit the needs of your pet cats from one to four meals in a day. Others would even reach up to 8 meals. It can also contain several compartments reaching up to 8. It can contain as much as 96 ounces of pet food. Some models run on electricity while others on batteries. With this great tool, you can schedule your pet cat’s meals at your desired intervals. This great device also comes with a feeder dish which can be used for wet canned foods. Ice packs can be put underneath it to preserve the food from spoiling.

There are other stuffs that can be placed in an automatic cat feeder. This can also be used for your cat’s medication. You can set the time your pet should take medicine. Everything you programmed you can find on an LCD screen where you can easily change the information on time intervals and dates.

It’s a great tool to use for a cat owner who has no regular hours at work or one who has a full-time job. You have peace of mind when you on a trip, knowing that your pet is being fed. The great thing about this cat feeder is that you can bring it along in your travels. Cat feeders can make sure that your pet is fed all throughout the trip without you having to check on your supplies. You then have enough time to enjoy the scenes.

It is more enjoyable to feed your pet with the use of the automatic cat feeder. You are no longer afraid to leave home without anybody to feed your cat.

Cats have been with us for 6,000 years now and they have become our favorite travel companions. Most of the domestic cats have wild streak in them since they are naturally born for the outdoors. Bear in mind that these furry and cuddly cats come from the wild cat species of Africa and Southeast Asia. It means that even if your cats are domesticated they would still opt to enjoy the sun and discover the great outdoors. To make sure that they are safe and protected while they’re out, you should get your cat the best cat enclosure available.

There are several reasons why a cat enclosure is an indispensable tool for your feline pets. These are the most important reasons to note:

Your cats will be protected from stray animals that might prey on your cuddly Siamese. Most cats are not raised outdoors so they inherently lack the basic survival skills they need. You should know by now the saying about curiosity and the cat!

Your cats won’t be able to prey on local and rare bird species which may be endangered.

You can now leave your cat alone to play, whether you are there or not for him.

You can be sure that your furniture or landscaped lawn is safe from your pet’s claws. You know how cats like scratching their paws on any hard surface.

You will be assured that your cats will not cause any disturbance to the neighbors. With a cat enclosure, they are allowed to roam only in specified areas. They are restricted from climbing on you and your next door neighbor’s roof.

Cats will not be susceptible to getting hit by passing cars.

A great cat enclosure can be used in any part of your house, whether that is indoors or out. The following are some areas where you can set up the cat enclosure for its maximum use:

You can attach it to your cat door for him to have access to the front lawn or backyard anytime he wants without asking for you to do it for him.

The cat enclosure can also be set up on the pool side for your feline pet to have the full view of children swimming, without you fearing that you might fall off into the water.

It can be attached to your apartment window for your cat to have just enough space for him to feel the sunshine on his fur.

Your cat can enjoy the great view on your lovely patio when you place the cat enclosure out there.

You can provide your little furry pet a litter box to complete the wireless cat fence system. This time you can be sure he will have a holiday out in the sun every day.

If you can toilet train a dog, you can surely toilet train your cat, too. One of the dilemmas for pet cat owners is how their little furry and purr-ty buddy spreads his poop all over the place. Sometimes, they will resort to letting others train their pets and they just need to do just that because of all animals that are domesticated like dogs or cats, based on personal experiences, the cat has the worst manure smell and they can compromise everyone’s health in the house. Many have complained about asthma attacks and allergic rhinitis not only because of hairball but also because of poop. But going back to toilet training a cat, why should they try to let other people train their pet cats when they learn how to do it by themselves?

If you have the same problems with your cats, the best thing that you can do is to find something that can teach you how to do just that. According to a Toilet Train Your Cat review, what you need is just a book guide to help you out. You don’t need a lot of things to train your cat how to use the litter box. But the problem for most cat owners if they decide to train their own cats on how to dispose properly of their waste is what kind of learning tool or book guide they might want to choose?

There are many things that you need to consider when buying a book guide for such purpose. A proper toilet training your cat book guide will not only teach you this but will also give you some ideas for cat nutrition, the proper cat diet, how to care for cats properly and how to train them in a general way. According to some Toilet Train Your Cat reviews, if you can teach yourself what kinds of food you give to your cats, you can properly toilet train him. You wouldn’t want your cat to catch diarrhea and then, it will just go into one corner of your house and do his “own thing” there now, would you?

It’s not difficult to learn how to toilet train your cat if you have the patience to go through every single step. Really, it’s quite easy. It may take only a couple of weeks or at most a few months. Going through each of the phases slowly is important if you want to make sure your cat will take to the new arrangements.

Cat toilet training is certainly something you ought to at least attempt. Teaching your cat to use the toilet will not only save money on cat litter, your house will smell better without a litter box, and you’ll be helping the environment. If you’re interested in giving it a try, here are some guidelines to help you.

The first thing you must do is to shift the litter box gradually so that the cat learns to do its business in a new room. Thus, you want to shift the litter box in increments. It might take a while, but it’s the best way to teach your cat that there’s a new place where it will do its business. Try moving the box an inch or so at a time to start. You can increase or reduce the rate of movement depending on your cat’s reaction.

Now that the box is positioned alongside the toilet, the next move is to increase the height. Slowly build up the base so that the litter box is eventually the same height as the toilet. Before you do so, make sure that the box is tightly attached to the base. You cat will have to leap up to use it, and you don’t want it to tip over. Phonebooks and cement bricks are good options for this foundation. After the base is at the same height as the toilet and the cat is accustomed to utilizing the box at this height, you want to shift it nearer and nearer to the toilet, and then gradually slide it over until it’s on top of the toilet. The entire time, you should be reducing the quantity of litter progressively so that there’s only about an inch of it remaining.

You’re now ready to move to the last step of this operation. Substitute the litter box with an aluminum pan that you fasten to the toilet. Eventually, you’ll get rid of the litter entirely and cut a small hole in the bottom of the tray. Slowly start to enlarge the hole, until eventually your cat is only using the toilet!

Cats in the wild can take care of themselves, that’s not the case with household pets.  House cats become completely dependent on humans for their care, feeding, and other attention.  Responsible cat ownership and the proper care of your cat is important. Check local bookstores or the humane society for educational material to help you learn to care for your cat.  Here are some tips for how to care for a cat.

You may not know it, but cats can be trained.  Like other animal training programs gentle, positive training will work best.  Offer your cat a treat when they behave correctly or as you have taught them.  When they misbehave just ignore them.

It’s true that cats keep themselves clean.  They like to clean themselves up a little daily.  Nonetheless, your cat needs a good bath every three weeks.  Products designed just for cats are available at your local pet store, but any mild soap is sufficient.  Some, if not most, cats don’t care for baths. Unless you train your cat from the time it is a kitten to get used to bath water and reward it with a treat following every bath, you will have a scratchy situation on your hands when you try to bath the cat when it gets older.  Start when your cat is a kitten and you should be able to acclimate the cat to bathing.

Do everything you can to make the bath fun and rewarding for your cat.  Don’t hit or punish your cat at bath time.  This will only cause your cat to be more apprehensive about bathing in the future.

Use a q-tip to gently clean and dry your cat’s ears and nails after bathing.   Do not use a hair dryer because your cat’s skin is much too sensitive and can easily be burned.  Not only that, but the noise and strong, hot air will probably cause your cat to freak out and try to run away.  Towel dry your cat and finish with a good, gentle brushing.

It’s a good idea to buy your cat its own bed.  While it is common for cats to sleep with their owner, your cat will be just as satisfied sleeping beside your bed.  This will keep your clothes and bed linens from always being full of cat hair.  Some people are allergic to cat hair, and you don’t want to have to choose between your cat and your sleeping mate.

It’s best to place the litter box where the odor will not bother the family.  Keep the litter box clean or your family may not appreciate you or your cat! Keep some of these tips in mind when it comes to choosing a pet for kids as well.

Before starting cat behavior training it is wise to spend some time learning about your cat and what actually makes it tick. Many people who own cats have very little knowledge about how their cats think. The more understanding that you have your cat, the easier it will be to train your cat.

First let's look at the make up of the cat. A cats bone structure is quite different compared to a lot of other mammels. There is no collar bone in your cats body. This is how they can twist and turn in the way that they do without causing themselves any injury. Cats are also extremely flexible.

Another gift that cats posses is their ability to smell. Every cat has a unique smell. This is behind the reasons why cats like to rub against you. It is their way of marking their territory. This means 2 things. First of all this is letting other cats that the place has already been claimed. Secondly when your cat rubs up against you, it is basically claiming ownership of you. Being aware of this is advantageous towards successful cats behavior training.

When you are trying to train your cat or trying to change your cats behavior, it is best to remember that cats have certain instinctive behaviors, and many times they need to see this type of behavior through. It can do this by itself or together with you.

A cats behavior will often change if it hasn't got anything to occupy its attention. This can happen if the cat is not getting the attention that it used to, or if it is separated from its owner. If there is another cat in the house, its removal can often cause your cat to become anxious or depressed.You may consider a visit to the vets. This will put your mind at rest as to whether your cat is healthy or not, and your vet will tell you what you can do to make things better.

Never try to hit your cat or yell at if you want your cat beavior training to be successful. This will show your cat that you are somebody who must be feared, and your hopes of training it will disappear. Cats respond best to love, attention, praise and treats. Trying to force your cat to behave in a certain way will result in your cat avoiding you in the future.

In conclusion, spend some time learning about your cat. Learn about its behaviors, its habits, what makes it angry, and what makes it happy. Being aware of this will greatly increase the chances of your cats behavior training being a success.

One of the downsides to keeping a cat in your home has to put up with the foul odor from cat litter that will not leave on its own unless you take some help from companies that provide solutions to dealing with getting rid of the interminable odor given off by cat litter. If you thought that it is just the odor that is a problem; think again, because you also have to remove the litter by picking it up and disposing it off somewhere where the smells will not bother you. Fortunately, your work has been made easier thanks to the introduction of a product known as Flushable Cat litter.

Thank Your Lucky Stars

This products is so ready to hand that cat lovers are thanking their encouraging stars that companies have addressed the mate concerns of acquiring rid of both the litter as too the smell that comes from it. Flushable Cat Litter helps you to take out the litter from the litter box reserved for your cat and then simply flush down the fecal matter down your toilet bowl.

The main advantage to using Flushable Cat litter is that it works out to be better than using clumping clay that costs thrice the amount that this excellent products costs. Furthermore, Flushable Cat litter is finer as compared with clumping clay and you also don’t need to use too much of it to get the desired results. Even if you are not able to buy Flushable Cat litter at your neighborhood pet store you can always go online and find an online store that has some of it in stock.

There is not much difference in terms of impact on the environment though whenever you use clumping clay you would have to take the mess with you to the closest landfill and dump it there. On the other hand, were you to use Flushable Cat litter then all that you need to do is flush it down the toilet and create a little extra sewage and use up a little bit extra quantity of water.

Another good alternate uncommitted to cat owners is to compost the litter after the stool has been dehydrated and abstracted. And, you also need to ensure, if you are going to use Flushable Cat litter, that your cat is not averse to its presence in their litter box. Some cats might not like to see the Flushable variety in their litter boxes and so will start to defecate elsewhere and so compound the problem. This means that you need to keep a close eye on how your cat reacts to the presence of the Flushable litter in her box.

The best course of action of course is to gradually and slowly introduce your cat to its Flushable Cat litter. You could begin by merge just a small come of the Flushable litter into the cat’s litter box and if all goes well at first you can then start to get ahead the amounts a bit at a time till you are able to entirely fill the litter box with the flushable miscellanea.

It pays to be thrifty in how you proceed with Using this alternate which means that it will not be a good option to try and flush the entire mixture of cat litter and the flushable bedding straight off after the cat has eliminated. It is instead far better to wait till your cat is completely at home with the presence of Flushable litter before attempting to flush the mess away.

Of course, you need to be prepared for the eventuality that your cat refuses to use the Flushable variety and in that case you will have little option than to use clumping clay and that in turn means repeated forays to the public dumping grounds.

Deciding to get a kitten is a big step in expanding your family. Kitten care also requires more responsibilities, but kittens can grow to become excellent companions and are well worth the time and care in their upbringing.

To prepare your home for the new kitten, there are several things you should consider. First, look around your house, keeping in mind that kittens love to explore, to hide, to chew and to climb. Next, remove or place any dangling strings from curtains and such in high places so as not to tempt the kitty. Also remove breakables from shelves and secure low cabinets. Finally, keep the toilet lid down or, better still, restrict the kitten from the bathroom area.

Your kitten will have pretty basic needs, including a bed, a clean litter box, food & water, and a scratching pad. Maintain these items as you would your own. When the cat’s bed becomes too full of loose hair, have it cleaned. When feeding a kitten, try to clean the food and water bowls at least once a day to prevent bacteria growth. You should also see that the litter box is cleaned often, fully replacing the litter every few days. It’s also a nice idea to have a few toys ready when you bring your kitten home.

Certain household plants and chemicals are deadly to kittens and cats in general. For example, antifreeze is poisonous to both cats and dogs. Research on the internet to find out about these items and substances so that you never put your furry friend in danger.

Responsible pet maintenance includes veterinary care for a kitten. Be sure to have your kitten examined by your vet as soon as possible. Your kitten needs a series of vaccinations to ensure a happy, healthy and long life. Be sure to stay current with their shots. Also, many communities require that you register your pet with the local authorities. Your vet will be able to provide more information.

Owning a kitten is a fun and rewarding experience. Love and take good care of your kitten and you will have a loyal companion for years to come.

The cat has been perceived as a creature of mystery, of magic and sometimes, wittiness. It’s no wonder that the cat has a place in the hearts of men even though dogs are considered as man’s best friend. The Egyptians of long ago are very fond of these wonderful creatures and cats are even regarded as the most adorable for an ancient Egyptian royal family. Even today, even though the dog is still man’s best friend, cats have places in the houses and in somebody’s hearts. Why, even dogs today love cats. That phrase that say something like “dogs hate cats” or “cats hate dogs who hate them” are just some sort of urban legend. Dogs do chase cats but they don’t fight it out to the end. Maybe cats have found a sort of cat communication to talk it out with dogs and maybe to humans. If you love cats, you sure want to talk to your cat in their own language, right?

For an ordinary person, choosing a cat for a pet is no big deal. He just have to go to a pet store or go to a breeder and then, buy the cat that he wants and that’s it but for those who are really “cat aficionados”, it’s different. Buying a cat takes more than just the simple and usual simple choosing and buying. He needs to find out what classification of breed is best for him as pet. You see, not all cats are the same, obviously and they can differ in attitude, in upbringing, the way they interact with other animals and other people. A kind person would want a tabby friend that is also mild, calm or kind and a wild person might want to have a cheetah for a pet. No, seriously, that’s just one way of choosing a pet cat even in buying a kitten. Cats are just like dogs and they need to communicate with the master. It is amazing for a person to differentiate a mew that says “I’m hungry” and the mew that says “Help! I’m in pain!”. Therefore, if a cat owner really need to care for a cat in the most tender and loving way, he should try to learn some cat communication skills. To learn these things, it is also recommended to buy a sort of book guide that can teach all the things about how to choose a cat, how to train it and how to feed it to make it feel happy and truly adorable.