Cat Q&A

Posts Tagged ‘pets’

Hairballs can be a nightmare, not least for the pet owner, but also for the pet. They are caused by a build up of fur and lack of brushing. As we all know, cat fur is very thick and if it doesn’t get groomed regularly then furballs accumulate which the cat can then end up swallowing. Hairballs can easily get stuck in the cat’s throat and this can cause choking. This is an unpleasant thing to have to stand by and watch.

Basic cat health care knowledge can help to prevent problems. Look out for a build up of fur. Great advice is to make sure grooming your cat forms a part of your daily routine. This is a great activity as you are helping the cat’s health and also your pet will love being stroked. Make sure you do it gently so the animal becomes more relaxed and it will sit in your lap all day as you groom it!

Some cats with longer fur (and more of it) are prone to hairballs, and this is something that the vet should remind you of when you take it for check-ups. Persian cats, for example, have very long fur and when hairballs form, they easily end up in the cat’s throat and this causes problems. Since a cat’s licking can’t be stopped, it is important that you take extra care to prevent hairballs forming. Luckily, dogs don’t suffer with this hairball problem, as they don’t clean themselves by licking the fur. As cat owners know, cats keep clean by licking their fur and thus hairballs occur.

The process is simple – as soon as the hairball gets into the stomach, the cat tries to cough it up. This is when you will hear choking sounds and it can make pet owners quite nervous when they hear this, as they don’t know how to deal with it. There’s not much you can do at this stage, and it’s a case of letting the cat cough the hairball up, but be sure to keep an eye on the cat. Look out for any worrying signs and just make sure the cat is okay after coughing the fur up. Luckily, there are some things available to help treat hairballs, so speak to the vet for more information.

Anyone who has had pets will testify to how hard it is sometimes to ensure they don’t jump all over your furniture. Like it or not, pets seem to have a fascination with jumping on your bed, lounging on your sofa and even exploring your wardrobe every now and then. It would be fine if they just sat nicely and were clean, but as we know this is often not true of pets. Instead they claw at your bedding, chew up your couch and get mud all over your lovely white wardrobes. There are methods for stopping this happening however, lets take a look at three of the most successful.

Training. It is only by making sure your pets are trained well that you will ensure they keep off your expensive living room and bedroom-furniture. If you can train your pets early in their life then you stand the best chance, because as the saying goes, ‘you can’t teach and old dog new tricks’. Ideally you should train your pets that furniture is for humans and not for them. But if you do chose to let your pets on the furniture, you should at least train them to listen to you when you tell them to get down.

Pet deterrents. If your lovely pets don’t listen to you and have no respect for your property whatsoever, you may need to be a little bit craftier in your approach. You can buy different types of pet repellent spays and powders that they can’t stand the smell of. These tend to have quite citrusy smells that are pleasant to humans but are too much for animals with sensitive smell.

Discipline. If you have trained your pet then they will respond better to discipline, but any animal will learn if you go about it the right way. This doesn’t mean that you should hit your pets every time they jump on the chair or bedside cabinets, but instead be consistent with how you react when they do. Make sure you don’t let them get away with lying on the bed one day, only to chastise them the next.Provide a good amount of praise when your pets behave, and only tell them off using a loud voice and by moving them firmly from anywhere they shouldn’t be.

“You will invariably be lucky if you know how to make friends with strange cats.” – Colonial proverb

Fancy having a cat at home? It can rely on you throughout its life – around 15 years with correct care – thus properly budget for visits to the vets and alternative prices before making a decision to urge a cat.

You have got to budget for cat food, cat litter and scoops and other accessories to make the cat’s life comfortable at your home.

Kitten or adult? A troublesome selection since the kitten of today goes to be a member of your household for an extended time. Perhaps it is better to urge an adult cat since it has already developed a personality and you may understand what you’re getting. Adult cats simply adapt to a new home and find hooked up to the new owner as easily as a kitten. It will not matter whether or not you get a male or female as a result of their behaviour isn’t enthusiastic about their gender. Neutered and spayed cats make pleasant companions.

Any smart animal shelter will have healthy cats available. Bear in mind a cat you picked up from the shelter is really saved from death by you. To convey a correct image, choose a name for the cat from Abby, Achilles to Zummo. There are lots and tons of fancy names to choose from.

OK, you got your cat – thus now what? Open up your purse therefore that your cat will feel pampered. You’ll be able to get elegant and lavishly designed dining bowls with a value vary of £eight to £80. To market their health and well being encourage your cat to drink a lot of water. Drinking fountains for cats which re-circulate water and provide recent tasting filtered water are a great idea. Like humans, pets require water as a important component for survival. Water constitutes approximately seventy% of a cat’s or dog’s body.

Other than feeding the cat we have a tendency to have to provide mental and physical stimulation and keep them active and happy. A ball dispensing cat nip or any different small treat once in two to 4 hours (preset – depending upon the requirement of your cat) is one among the accessories that are fun to watch when the cat plays and eat.

Colorful place mats for the cat with some hilarious or funny drawing build a nice gift and enliven the cat pen.

To make your cat enjoy the outdoors along with you purchase a pet stroller which costs from £40 to £ 150 or a cat harness. Vaccinations, additionally referred to as kitten shots can facilitate protect the cat from various diseases. Bear in mind to keep your cat healthy by changing the litter box frequently.

To get high quality and top brand name cat products for the best prices, visit: cat pet supplies. Our cat pet supplies store is a great place to buy your cat supplies at huge discounts! Go to our cat pet supplies store now!

We love our cats. Throughout the centuries, Cats are revered, even worshipped. They can be our cuddly friends or fearsome hunters. Through it all, they’re our beloved pets. For a few, coming through the door at the tip of a protracted day, being greeted by a furry feline it the most effective half of the day. Our cats love us unconditionally; we tend to can do no wrong with them. Now, there’s one thing which will lift your spirits as soon as you turn into the driveway. A replacement and unique manner to pay tribute to the one who enriches our lives in thus many completely different ways and this is with cat mailboxes.

Cat mailboxes, what’s not to like? A cat mailbox may be a cute, fun, decorative novelty item that can bring you home to life. It is a way to personalize your property. It can show to the world that you’re friend to felines. The assortment of various cat mailboxes is as astounding. There are such a lot of completely different shapes and sizes that it makes the choice to purchase just one difficult. There have been some who have purchased cat mailboxes just for décor. They can be created a playful kittens or in a stalking pose. The look is restricted solely by cat lovers’ imagination.

Cat mailboxes are approved by the United States Postal service and are created of professional quality steel that’s rust and weather resistant. They additionally will be created out of wood, or vinyl, and are all sturdy to stand up to the customarily-frigid temperatures of winter or scorching heat of summer. Cat mailboxes come back in several different designs. They can be freestanding, or attach to a building. They can have locks hooked up by request.

By looking the Web, there are tons of links that will assist the cat lover to find the perfect cat mailbox. There are even sites that will create a selected cat mailbox from a picture that is sent. It can be made to be a life size model of the your favorite pet. What better was to precise love for a furry feline friends. A cat mailbox will additionally have a message inscribed on it to welcome guests to your home. This services is sometimes supply by request only. These adorable styles are typically hand crafted, and created to look precisely like a treasured family pet.

A cat mailbox can even be made with movable whiskers and tails. They’re a pleasant novelty item that each one cat lovers would like to receive as a gift.

A cat mailbox will build an unimaginable addition to a home that can keep friends and loved one amazed at the quality and workmanship of the design.

Most sites on the Web will send a cat mailbox complete with everything you would like for installation. This feature is appealing to most folks as all they need to try and do is unwrap and install their cat mailbox for all to see.

Massive or small, black or white a cat mailbox can be the speak of each neighborhood.

To get high quality and top brand name cat products for the best prices, visit: cat pet supplies. Our cat pet supplies store is a great place to buy your cat supplies at huge discounts! Go to our cat pet supplies store now!

People might be surprised at just how much fur one cat can actually shed. Long-haired breeds produce a lot of fur, but even short-haired cats can shed astonishing volumes of the stuff. Is there anything you can do to keep the situation under control?

Keeping your cat’s coat in good shape can be an important way to make your little companion happy and comfortable. The first key is, of course, good nutrition. You’ll notice, on regular veterinary visits, that the vet can tell a lot about the cat’s health just by seeing how shiny and healthy the coat is. Much of that good health comes from within, from the food consumed.

It’s also important that you do your part to keeping your cat well groomed. Regular brushing or combing with the right cat grooming tools will not only stimulate the cat’s skin, promoting circulation and good fur growth, but it will loosen fur that’s ready to shed. You can gather handfuls that might otherwise go into kitty’s tummy. And while some cats aren’t thrilled about being brushed, others love it so much that they lie down and stretch in ecstasy.

But even with regular combing, sometimes you will see that mats will form. These can accumulate in regions where the cat cannot wash itself easily: the base of the tail, the inside of the back legs, and so forth. Mats can even form in areas where the cat lies down, for instance, down their right side if they most often recline on that side.

Some of these mats, being made of dead, loose fur, come loose fairly easily if worked at with a brush or even the fingers. Be careful, though, not to pull at them too hard, in case you really hurt the skin. But other mats get too large or well anchored to come off without a lot of work. And some simply have to be cut out.

However, if you get too close to the skin with scissors, you could cut the skin itself, and you don’t want to risk that for poor kitty. One surprisingly good tool for dealing with mats is a small, shielded razor-style letter opener. Sometimes these can be slipped right under the mat, and the razor edge inside will slice through the fur.

The key thing is that the cat’s fur is maintained in good condition. By brushing and keeping it mat-free, you can help reduce hairballs, promote healthy growth, and give your kitty a lovely coat it can be pleased with.

Pets are an important part of our lives and their well being is a priority. So when it comes to pet grooming information we want the best, most current and most reliable sources of information available. Whether it’s tips for dog or cat grooming you’re looking for, visit the Pets Grooming site.

Desperate for those trifling, but all-important, little” giftettes” to use as stocking fillers? These little items that are usually a boon to late night garages on Christmas Eve can also be imaginative and creative.Chosen with care, the stocking filler can even be more appropriate and appreciated than the so called main present and reveal the depth of your empathy, insight and connection with your sweetheart.

Now, it’s a well know fact that Christmas gifts for pet lovers, especially cat people, are notoriously difficult to get right.Do you buy for the moggie or for the doting owner to give to the moggie? People who regard their animals as human beings and describe themselves as the cat’s “mummy” or “daddy” are clearly insane.The ideal gift would be a straight-jacket obviously, but most of us will prefer something that panders to that delusion without insulting the owner or the flea-ridden object of obsession. Stocking fillers for the special lady in your life (and let’s face it – cat lovers tend to be women) can demonstrate your empathy and support her belief that if she leaves her cat in a room with a spoon, a couple or paperclips and some string, before you know it Tiddles will have made a fully functioning helicopter. Wheras in relality Tiddles will likely just wee on the Bedroom furniture and claw the carpet up a bit.

Gifts for her who maintains “love me, love my cat” come no better than Dr Ivor Kitten’s (really!) “How Cunning Is Your Cat Test”.It will establish if the moggie is an intelligent creature of comfort or simply a cunning homicidal maniac through a series of tests that measure curiosity, body image and intelligence. A free catnip mouse is included to give the mog a bit of encouragement. So if you’ve always suspected that, insanely jealous of your relationship with its “mummy, you’ll wake up one morning tied to the cat’s scratching post, putting Tiddles to the test can at least prepare you for that possibility.Or it can reassure you that there are no darker motives, and it exists just to scratch your eyes out if you touch that particular spot in the middle of its back!

As loving cat owners we hate to think that our beloved pets are feeling unwell. That be able to be the first impression when your cat starts making hacking noises. Widely this is the basic signs of the cat trying to remove a hairball.

If you identify a blob of disgusting stuff on your floor, it is likely to be a hairball.  Cats require to do this in order to remove hair from within their stomachs to keep them from getting sick.

What is it?  It’s a mass of hair and maybe some food from the inside of a cat’s body.  When a cat grooms himself, he removes loose hair from throughout his body and it ends up in his stomach.  Sometimes, the hair comes together and forms a ball in there.  If he can not pass it, it is likely it won’t breakage down but will come up instead.

Mainly cats have problem with removing hairballs.  If the cat be able to not get them up, it be able to acquire into the intestines and cause a blockage.  This is life threatening to the pet.  If your cat seems to be constipated it may be a sign of a blockage.  If the cat is lethargic and his coat is dull and unhealthy looking, this too may be a sign.  Watch that he eats as he normally does.  If not, you must call and take him to see the vet who will then find out if it is a hairball and then he’ll eliminate it.

You can avoid this type of problem yourself though.  One of the top ways to do this is to groom the pet.  The long haired cat want to be combed and brushed each day to eliminate excess hair.  If you start to groom him when he is still young, he will learn to tolerate it.  He may even look forward to being groomed.  Any cats will deliver their combs to their owners even.  If he doesn’t like to be groomed, apply a grooming glove instead.

If the cat still seems to have trouble with hairballs, you can insert dietary aids to his diet.  One of these is a dry cat food that be able to help to keep away from hairballs.  Don’t only buy the early bag of the formula that you find.  Make assured it is still a good quality food for your pet, one that is high in protein and other nutrients.  If your cat has a hairball, you be able to shop for the gel that can be added to the food which will help the hairball to pass.  Make sure to talk to your vet earlier than using one of these hairball remedies for long periods of period though. 

You can try a few of the more natural remedies as effectively but you ought to insure they are okay with your vet first.  Several will truly cause your pet discomfort otherwise will get rid of top nutrients from his body.  These include such things as pumpkin, mineral oils and even butter.  If your cat continues to have trouble with hairballs, consult your vet about what you ought to do to increase this.

All of us know that cats are wonderful and very loving creatures. Today, it’s not out of the ordinary to see a cat at ease in every home, maybe sleeping in the window or just cuddling up on their owner’s laps.

Although cats have been popular pets for as long as most can remember, they weren’t domesticated less than 5,000 years or so ago. Domestication took place in the valley of the Nile, which is what research tells us today.

[Learn more about the amazing cat species]

Before, people were grateful to cats and encouraged them to go ahead and stay with them by feeding with scraps of food. The cats were then encouraged to move permanently with the humans, once they were fed properly and perceived that humans were not a threat.

As time went on, even the cats that were wild were able to approach the humans and allow themselves to be touched and held.

In those days, cats were very loyal and endearing pets. They proved to be great hunters, as they done their sleeping in short periods and were much easier to wake up than dogs.  Cats also have better night vision than dogs, and much better hearing as well.

Cats have acute hearing that if they heard suspicious noises; they would wake up while the dogs would sleep right through it. Most humans loved having cats and they are perfect animals to go along with dogs too.

These days, cats are used for both companionship and show. They aren’t used much at all for hunting mice and rodent anymore at all. There are a lot of breeds available, from the traditional alley cat to the well known Siamese.

The type of breed will differ, but any cat will provide you with years of companionship if you take care of them properly.

Before you get a kitten or older cat, you’ll first want to examine the source.  If you are getting the kitten from a breeder, you’ll want to make sure that the breeder has a reputable reputation.  You’ll also want to ensure that the cattery is clean and in good shape.

The kittens that are still there shouldn’t be overcrowded, and their surroundings should be clean.  The litter boxes there should be kept up and both the food and water dish should be clean and full.

The kittens shouldn’t be caged, instead free to run around.  All cats that are there should appear healthy, with shiny coats and none of their ribs showing.

When you get your kitten, it should be used to being touched and handled.  The kitten should be sweet, not afraid in the least.  Kittens that have been handled young normally have a better temperament.

The better breeders won’t allow their kittens to leave the nest until they are around 12 weeks old, with some waiting until the kittens are 16 weeks.  By doing this, breeders ensure that the kitten is in good health and his immune system has properly developed.

There’s no mistaken the fact that cats are great to own.  You can get a kitten from a reputable breeder, through a local newspaper, or an adoption agency.  Cats can also be obtained from a local pound, although people normally don’t like to choose this option.

It is important that you make sure that your cat is in great condition, no matter what you pursue. Having a healthy cat means having lesser problems down the road, and make sure to get up to date with the checkups and vaccinations.

Article by: [Van] Learn more about [him Here]

Animal charities and sussex vets have noticed that the Credit crunch is now taking it’s toll on our fluffy friends.

Animal charities and shelters are reporting a shocking increase in the amount of animals coming into their clinics- mostly dogs and cats. In this time of economic downturn where buisnesses are crumbling all around us, our animal companions seem to be being hit just as hard as us, as owners struggle with their own bills as well as their pets. Paying for hospical care such as animal cardiology is expensive and people just cannot afford it.  Pets are being dropped off at shelters or taken out far away from the family home and left to fend for themselves.

So what has also contributed to this? Spare a thought for all those animals who were bought as xams presents0 more so this year. Families that could afford that new puppy suddenly cant due to redundancy, and rover’s looking at the chop. Some people are being forced out of their homes into smaller places which dont allow pets to be kept.

Can animal hospitals cope with this sudden influx in vet referrals?

A majority of shelters and animal chairities are only taking in severe emergency cases, as they are close to being full on accomidation for our furry friends. All charities in general are getting less donations as some people consider themselves a charity, trying to save for the harsh times at the moment.

The light at the end of the tunnel is that January saw some shelters report a increase in people adopting animals, most animal charities are still seeing more animals arriving than going out.

Living through the financial crisis is difficult enough, but add animals which rely on you for sustenance, shelter and medical care, anything that can be done, helps.
It’s a shame that many animals are given up or abandoned every day, as animal lovers fight to cope with the current economic climate.
This is exceedingly difficult for animal charities who have look after pets when money is limited, surviving on donations to keep their pets in good shape.
Here are a few points which should help make owning a pet on a budget more manageable:
1. Consider every pet cost? Do you need that branded pet food or product? It is always a good idea to raise pets up with variety, both dry and wet, as well as different brands and flavours. Keep an eye on special deals. You can stock up. Investigate vouchers, search on the net for some promotions. Buy based on price per pound / Kg, as sometimes, especially with special deals, the smaller pack can be more economical.
2. Wherever possible, pet owners can often club together to buy feed and bedding in bulk, reducing the total price and passing on savings to all.
3. Vets bills are an unknown factor but must be considered. If cash is a little stretched, you may find a lot of Vets will consider spreading the costs, and reimburse in instalments. If you can, afford it – have or keep pet insurance.
4. Most people can make lifestyle changes! It’s not all about finding ways to keep your pet more economically, what about yourself!
5. Can you earn some money? Why not offer to walk other peoples pet? Dog Walking as a profession Good companies will require you do it regularly. Another alternative is to become a pet sitter, though professional businesses such as London Pet Sitter will also require you be a London dog walker.
6. What about your other pets, you may have put your cats in a cattery, what about using a cat sitter? The animal may prefer it and the pet sitters often do other things.
7. Do use external stabling or boarding? Most horses can exist quite contentedly outside for most of the year, as long as there’s nourishment, water and protection to harsh elements available. Could this be an option for your horse, it should diminish the cost of stabling significantly.
8. Are you thinking of choosing a pet, certainly consider taking an animal from a charity, they have so many pets looking for a home at the moment.
Enjoy your pet, they are worth the cost.