March 23rd, 2009
Cats that have been abused can appear severely maimed and damaged all over their exterior. Some may appear to be in perfect shape on the outside, although all of the damage they sustained may be internal or emotional. Even though physical damage is bad, emotional damage is much tougher to fix. Cats who have physical abuse will still answer to a soft touch and soft voice, as long as they know that the abuse has come to an end.
When you have a cat that has been emotionally abused, you’ll need to wait until the cat comes to you. You’ll need to use patience, as the cat will be confused and not know if you plan to hurt him or not. If you take your time and let him know that you are nothing to fear, he will eventually come to you. When he starts to come to you, you can let him sniff you and pet him. After a while, he will learn that he can trust you and he will come to you when you call him.
Yelling, raising your voice, or using disciplinary tools such as flyswatters or water guns the wrong way can lead to emotional damage. If you continue to use the wrong means of discipline on an emotionally damaged cat, the cat can become mean or lethargic. When a cat turns mean, it’s not always a bad thing. Meaner cats are easier to reach, as they still care a bit about what happens to them – while lethargic cats could really care less.
Cats that have become lethargic won’t play, take treats, or respond to anything you say to them. With a lethargic cat, the ideal way to get him to respond is to bring in a companion cat. Over time, a lethargic cat will eventually look for attention, normally a scratch or a pat. When this happens, you should always use a soft voice and snuggle with him. Never raise your voice at this point, and make sure you let the cat know that his behavior is a lot better.
You should make slow movements around a lethargic cat, as he is still quite traumatic. Once he is coming around and letting you touch him again, he is getting back to his normal self. Keep in mind that it may take some time, which is to be expected with this type of situation. If your cat starts to get upset again or if you raise your voice, he will hide again. If you continue to use a soft voice and have patience, your cat will eventually get past this. If you get a cat that is lethargic, you should prepare yourself for a long and very intensive healing period.
Angry or mean cats on the other hand, will either fight and scratch with you, or simply run away from you. With mean cats, the best thing to do is use gentle treatment with a soft voice. You can never try to raise your voice or use strict discipline, as it will only make the cat meaner. Never attempt to trap the cat either, as trapping it will only make the cat react. If you take your time and let the cat know that you are there for him, he will eventually calm down.
Abused cats are truly a sad thing, although they are out there. Abused cats can be a sad thing to see indeed, especially those that were physically abused. Abused cats need a loving home and a loving owner who will give them the type of lifestyle they deserve. Always remember that if you are dealing with an abused cat – you should always be as gentle as you possibly can.
Tags:
Bad Cats, Cat Behavior, Lethargic Cat, Physical Abuse
March 19th, 2009
When you decide to add a new cat to your home, it’s normally more exiting for you and your family than it is for the cat you already own. Although most cats are solitary by nature, most will also come to accept or eventually tolerate any additions. Cats can be very territorial, which is why you should always be careful when you introduce a new cat to your current cat.
If you are introducing kittens to one another, the entire introduction process can be short, lasting as little as 10 – 15 days. Introducing cats to each other all depends on their temperament and their personality. When you introduce a new cat to your current cat, you should always make sure that you give your current cat plenty of love and attention. This way, your cat will feel secure and know that he isn’t in competition with your new cat for affection.
When you bring your new cat home, you should let him stay in a safe room until you have finished introducing the cats. Your safe room can be any small room in your home, such as a bathroom or spare bedroom. The key here is to use a room that your current cat doesn’t go in. In the room, you should leave your new cat a scratching post, bed, water dish, litter box, and food dish.
At first, your current cat may howl and hiss when he stands at the door, trying to tell the other cat that he doesn’t belong. When this happens you should ignore it, as punishing your cat for his behavior will only lead to more problems. After a while, the first cat will start to act calm when he is near the new cat’s door. As he starts to act calm, you should pet him and give him praise.
When your first cat starts to go by your new cat’s door and doesn’t howl or hiss; you can start introducing them to each other. The best way to do this is to get them used to each others scent. You can start letting them eat out of the same food dish, although you’ll want to feed them at different intervals at first. This way, the scent of each cat will be present at the food dish, and each cat will get the scent when he eats his food.
Once both cats have got used to the scent, you can begin to feed them closer together. To do this, you should keep your new cat in the safe room with the door closed, and your first cat on the other side of the door with his food dish. This time, feed both cats at the same time. After doing this a few times, they should start eating without any hissing or growling. At this point, they are ready to be introduced to one another.
When you introduce them to each other in the same room, a bit of growling and hissing is to be expected. Although they may be used to each others scent; your first cat will still feel a bit awkward with your new cat being in his territory. You should play with them both at first, so they can smell one another and greet in their own way. If they start to fight you should break them up, and give them some time apart.
It may take some time to get them fully used to one another, although once they do – they will become playmates for life. Cats love to be social, although it may be a bit rough at first, especially for your first cat. Cats can be very territorial, especially if you have a kitten around. If you get both of them used to each other early on – it will be a lot easier to add future cats to your home.
Tags:
Add new tag, Additions, Affection, Cat Bed, Cat Behavior, Cat Door, Cat Scratching, Current, Food Dish, Intervals, Introducing Cats, Kittens, Litter Box, Love, New Cat, Personality, Safe Room, Scratching Post, Spare Bedroom, Temperament, Water Dish
March 16th, 2009
We all know that cats are loving and truly wonderful creatures. These days, it isn’t out of the ordinary to see a cat in virtually every other home, sleeping in the window or cuddling up on the laps of their owners. 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.
In the beginning, people were very grateful to cats and encouraged them to stay with them by feeding them various scraps of food. Once they were fed and perceived humans to be no threat, the cats would move in permanently with their human owners. As time went by, even the wildest of cat would allows humans to approach him, often times even hold and touch as well.
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. If someone moved through the house or if they heard suspicious noises, they would wake while dogs would sleep right through it. Humans loved having cats around, and they seemed to get along good with dogs as well.
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. All breeds are unique in their own way, and will provide you with years of companionship if you take care of them.
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. No matter which way you decide to pursue, you should always make sure that your cat is healthy. If you get a healthy cat, you won’t have a lot of problems later on down the road. Healthy cats were taken care of – and normally have everything up to date – including their vaccinations.
Tags:
Alley Cat, Better Hearing, Cat Behavior, Cat Lovers, Cat Species, Cattery, Companionship, Dogs Cats, Good Shape, Hunting, Kitten, Kittens, Laps, Mice, Night Vision, Nile, Reputation, Rodent, Scraps, Short Periods, Siamese, Suspicious Noises
March 15th, 2009
A lot of people think that cats work on their own agenda, not paying much attention to their owner – provided they have clean litter, food, and water. Cats can behave in odd manners at times, which can easily confuse their owners and make it really hard to determine what the cat wants. As much as cat behavior can be confusing, there are some ways that you can solve common cat behavior mysteries.
A common behavior that almost all cats do is push their heads into any type of object that will allow them to do it. You’ve probably seen your cat do this before, probably against table legs, TV stands, or another object. This can be noticed more when you have other people who own animals or those with allergies over at your house. When a cat notices this, he will rub his head against the person. In doing so, he will put a touch of saliva on the individual. In a cat’s mind, he owns what he puts his saliva on.
By putting his saliva on something, that object or person will have a familiar scent. Although this can be very annoying, you have to understand that other people in your home are seen as odd or weird to your cat. When a cat does this, he is simply trying to make the visitor belong. When he brushes up against them and puts his saliva on them, he is trying to put his scent on them – which in his mind will mean that they belong in his territory.
Even though marking someone or something with saliva is beneficial to the cat, saliva is one of the most common forms of pet allergies. When someone wipes the saliva off of them, the scent will be gone and the cat will go back and attempt to do it again. Even though it may appear that cats target those with allergies, cats are actually just trying to make the visitor belong at the house. If the guest simply cannot take the saliva, allow the cat to rub himself on their pants leg a few times. Normally, this is all takes for a cat to leave the person alone.
Those of you who an indoor cat should expect the cat to spend quite a bit of time lying near windows. During this time, you may hear your cat make very strange noises or weird movements. You shouldn’t fear though, as he is simply acting out his hunting instincts. Whether it’s another cat or object outside moving about, the cat will see it and simply go into his native hunting instinct.
As most already know, cats love to play. They love to played with, especially with toys. They will pounce on things on occasion, which should always be expected. If you try to prevent this type of behavior, your cat will take a very negative approach and you’ll end up with a lot of broken things in your home. You can always play with your cat using a string, as he will love to chase the string around the room.
The longer you own your cat, the more odd behavior you’ll see him exhibit. Cats behave in strange ways, although they always have a reason for behaving the way they do. If you can understand why your cat behaves like he does, you’ll have no problems keeping him healthy and happy. If you simply pay attention to your cat and the way he behaves at times – you’ll be able to understand him better than ever before.
Tags:
Animals, Attempt, Brushes, Cat Back, Cat Behavior, Cat People, Cats, House Cat, Indoor Cat, Lot, Manners, Mysteries, Odd, Pet Allergies, Saliva, Table Legs, Target, Tv Stands, Weird
March 2nd, 2009
To keep your cat healthy a majority of time, all you really need to do is give him good shelter, food, and plenty of water. Like other living things however, cats can get sick from time to time no matter what you do.
As a cat owner, you’ll want to ensure that you feed your cat only the best. Premium cat food is the ideal for cats, as the food is designed to keep your pet happy and healthy. You’ll also need to pay attention to his behavior, so you’ll know when he’s sick and when to take him to the vet. Most of the more common ailments and sicknesses are minor, although there are some cases where a vet can be the determining factor between life and death for your cat.
Your cat’s behavior will be one of the most critical factors when you are trying to determine whether or not he is under the weather. Acting sluggish, laying around all the time, lack of energy and not eating are all signs that you need to take him to the vet immediately. His coat is also a good thing to watch as well. If you notice his coat dull and patchy or notice him shedding abnormally, you should contact your vet as soon as you possibly can.
Diarrhea and vomiting are sometimes common, even with basic sickness. On the other hand, if your cat seems to be doing either one of the two for more than a day, you should contact your veterinarian. Coughing is common as well, simply because coughing will cats dislodge hairballs. If your cat seems to be coughing for another reason, you should have him checked out as soon as possible.
To ensure that your cat isn’t subjected to various diseases, you should always make sure that he stays up do date with his vaccinations. There are several diseases out there that require vaccinations, including rabies and feline distemper. Feline distemper is one of most devastating diseases a cat can get, yet it is also one of the easiest to prevent as well. The disease strikes cats very fast, and leaves you as an own very little time to seek treatment.
Feline leukemia is another disease that is very deadly, yet can be prevented early on with the proper vaccinations. Although the disease isn’t possible for humans to contract, it can be spread quickly among cats. There are vaccinations that can treat the disease these days, although you’ll still want to be careful and not expose other cats around a cat you know has feline leukemia.
Another problem, which is very common with cats that stay outdoors, is worms. Cats that have worms will normally have a lackluster coat and little to no appetite. There are several different types of worms, including ringworm and hookworm. Worms can come from fleas, lice, or even the organs of dead rodents that cats consume. Normally, the cat will digest the eggs which will later mature and attach themselves to the walls of the intestines. If you feed your cat garlic frequently during feedings, it can help to protect him against worms.
If you take care of your cat, chances are you’ll keep him healthy for years to come. You should always make sure he has quality food, and doesn’t miss any of his scheduled checkups with the vet. If he gets the proper vaccinations when he is required to get them, he should be safe against numerous pests and diseases. Taking the proper steps with your cat now will prevent anything from happening in the future.
Tags:
Cat Behavior, Cat Food, Cat Owner, Cats, Common Ailments, Contact, Critical Factors, Diarrhea And Vomiting, Diseases, Feline Distemper, Ideal, Lack Of Energy, Life And Death, Little Time, Rabies, Sicknesses, Signs, Vaccinations, Vet, Veterinarian, Weather