By Guy Katir
Training also may take into consideration the natural social tendencies of the animal species (or even breed), such as predilections for attention span, food-motivation, dominance hierarchies, aggression, or bonding to individuals (conspecifics as well as humans). Consideration must also be given to practical aspects on the human side such as the ratio of the number of trainers to each animal: does one animal have a dozen different trainers, and does one trainer attend simultaneously to many animals in a training session?
Other important issues related to the methods of animal training are: operant conditioning, stimulus control, SD (discriminative stimulus), desensitization, chaining, bridge, and the s-delta.
Behaviorism (also called learning perspective) is a philosophy of psychology based on the proposition that all things which organisms do - including acting, thinking and feeling-can and should be regarded as behaviors. The school of psychology maintains that behaviors as such can be described scientifically without recourse either to internal physiological events or to hypothetical constructs such as the mind. Behaviorism comprises the position that all theories should have observational correlates but that there are no philosophical differences between publicly observable processes (such as actions) and privately observable processes (such as thinking and feeling).
Cat communication consists of a range of methods with which cats communicate with humans, other cats, and other animals. While superficially cats may seem to lack social behavior, in fact close study reveals a wide repertoire of subtle behaviors, which serve cats in their natural wild setting where they form organized hierarchies, and in their domestic interactions with humans.
Guy Katir http://www.solikatir.com/Cat-Behavior-Problems.html
Training Secrets to a Well-behaved Feline friend. Learn some techniques and tricks for you cat.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Monday, October 29, 2007
How Can I Train My Kitten To Use A Litter Box?
By D Norris
Usually you don't need to train a kitten or cat to use a litter box. But it's important to establish good litter box habits before your sweet adorable kitten become a problem cat. The following tips will help prevent problems before they start.
Kittens and cats are clean by nature. You can start training a kitten when she's three to four weeks old, if you need to. Most kittens train themselves to use the litter box by the time they're 12 weeks old. But sometimes the stress of going to a new home makes a kitten forget to use its box.
Kittens, like human babies, have an elimination reflex after they eat. So after you feed your kitten, set her in the litter box. She'll learn to associate her box with this reflex.
If you see your kitten sniffing around or squatting down in a corner, pick her up and gently put her in the litter box.
Be sure the litter box is close by. A kitten can't "hold it" like a mature cat, so don't expect her to travel too far! It's also important that she can actually get into the litter box. You may need to use a box with lower sides for a small kitten, or make a step out of a piece of wood or a small flat cardboard box.
The location of the box is important too. A quiet, safe area is important. If you have a dog or an older cat, be sure that the other animal can't bother her when she's her litter box.
Don't put the box near her food dish. You wouldn't eat in the bathroom, and your kitten won't either. She'll probably find another place to do her business instead.
Avoid putting the litter box on a carpeted area, if possible. Your kitten might like the texture of the carpet better than her litter, and start going outside the box.
There are many types of cat litter available today. Avoid cedar-based litters or litters with a strong perfumed scent. Your kitten's sense of smell is much better than yours, and a strong-smelling litter may make her go elsewhere. It can be helpful to use the same litter used in her first home, if possible.
When you clean her box, don't use a strongly-scented cleaner for the same reason. Use a mild cleaner, and rinse the box well.
It's important to keep her box clean and as free of odor as possible. If you use a covered box, you may need to scoop more often, as the cover traps odors. Some cats won't use a litter box with a plastic liner because the urine pools and smells bad to your cat.
If your kitten is not using her litter box, try using a different kind of litter. Clay litter may be hurting her paws. You may need to try a soft, scoopable litter instead.
Also be sure you have enough litter boxes in your home, especially if you have more than one cat. Sometimes cats are not good about sharing!
Start your kitten off right, and you can avoid cat urine odor problems in the future!
Darlene Norris has been owned by many cats over the years. She says, "Is your cat driving you nuts by using your entire house as a litter box? Don't suffer through this for another minute! Visit my website, www.your-cat-care-guide.com for the solution to your problem."
Usually you don't need to train a kitten or cat to use a litter box. But it's important to establish good litter box habits before your sweet adorable kitten become a problem cat. The following tips will help prevent problems before they start.
Kittens and cats are clean by nature. You can start training a kitten when she's three to four weeks old, if you need to. Most kittens train themselves to use the litter box by the time they're 12 weeks old. But sometimes the stress of going to a new home makes a kitten forget to use its box.
Kittens, like human babies, have an elimination reflex after they eat. So after you feed your kitten, set her in the litter box. She'll learn to associate her box with this reflex.
If you see your kitten sniffing around or squatting down in a corner, pick her up and gently put her in the litter box.
Be sure the litter box is close by. A kitten can't "hold it" like a mature cat, so don't expect her to travel too far! It's also important that she can actually get into the litter box. You may need to use a box with lower sides for a small kitten, or make a step out of a piece of wood or a small flat cardboard box.
The location of the box is important too. A quiet, safe area is important. If you have a dog or an older cat, be sure that the other animal can't bother her when she's her litter box.
Don't put the box near her food dish. You wouldn't eat in the bathroom, and your kitten won't either. She'll probably find another place to do her business instead.
Avoid putting the litter box on a carpeted area, if possible. Your kitten might like the texture of the carpet better than her litter, and start going outside the box.
There are many types of cat litter available today. Avoid cedar-based litters or litters with a strong perfumed scent. Your kitten's sense of smell is much better than yours, and a strong-smelling litter may make her go elsewhere. It can be helpful to use the same litter used in her first home, if possible.
When you clean her box, don't use a strongly-scented cleaner for the same reason. Use a mild cleaner, and rinse the box well.
It's important to keep her box clean and as free of odor as possible. If you use a covered box, you may need to scoop more often, as the cover traps odors. Some cats won't use a litter box with a plastic liner because the urine pools and smells bad to your cat.
If your kitten is not using her litter box, try using a different kind of litter. Clay litter may be hurting her paws. You may need to try a soft, scoopable litter instead.
Also be sure you have enough litter boxes in your home, especially if you have more than one cat. Sometimes cats are not good about sharing!
Start your kitten off right, and you can avoid cat urine odor problems in the future!
Darlene Norris has been owned by many cats over the years. She says, "Is your cat driving you nuts by using your entire house as a litter box? Don't suffer through this for another minute! Visit my website, www.your-cat-care-guide.com for the solution to your problem."
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Tips for Living With a Blind Cat
By Bonnie Koenig
Sometimes cats go blind as they age. This can be a different sort of disorientation to the cat who is born blind. Older cats who find their eyesight decreasing will slowly adapt and use their other senses. If the blindness comes on more suddenly, you may find some fearfulness as the cat adapts to its new limitations.
While all cats should be kept indoors for their safety, this is particularly true for a blind cat. If something chases the cat, they may not know where to run to find safety. Even if they do escape, the sudden movement may disorient them to a point that they are unable to find their way home. Blind cats should always be supervised if they wander outside to sit in the sun. A harness is a great way to keep the cat close but still allow it to smell the outside air and enjoy the sounds of birds.
Keep the household stable. Don't move the furniture. Blind cats will rely on their memory and their whiskers. However, keeping furniture in the same general places will help keep them from bumping into things unexpectedly. This helps them feel more secure in their environment.
It's also helpful to keep litter boxes and food dishes in the same area. Blind cats will find their way to these places by smell. However, all cats hate changes. The stress of changing certain habits is even harder on a blind cat.
Avoid lifting your blind cat as much as possible. Lifting can create a sense of disorientation. If you do have to lift the cat, place it back down in a familiar area. As they get older and go blind, it may be harder for a cat to leap up on a favorite sleeping area, like a bed. A set of stairs can be helpful. Watch as your cat learns to negotiate these things. Such props keep the cat safer. As long as they are doing the movement, they will feel more oriented in their space. They will also feel a greater sense of mastery over their handicap.
An older blind cat still needs play time for stimulation. Noisy or smelly catnip toys are a great way to keep them active.
Cats rely on other senses to a great degree. Although blindness is a handicap, with a minimal amount of effort your blind cat can continue to live out his life safely and happily.
Bonnie Koenig lives with her three cats. She and her Siamese, Cheysuli, maintain their website My Siamese
Sometimes cats go blind as they age. This can be a different sort of disorientation to the cat who is born blind. Older cats who find their eyesight decreasing will slowly adapt and use their other senses. If the blindness comes on more suddenly, you may find some fearfulness as the cat adapts to its new limitations.
While all cats should be kept indoors for their safety, this is particularly true for a blind cat. If something chases the cat, they may not know where to run to find safety. Even if they do escape, the sudden movement may disorient them to a point that they are unable to find their way home. Blind cats should always be supervised if they wander outside to sit in the sun. A harness is a great way to keep the cat close but still allow it to smell the outside air and enjoy the sounds of birds.
Keep the household stable. Don't move the furniture. Blind cats will rely on their memory and their whiskers. However, keeping furniture in the same general places will help keep them from bumping into things unexpectedly. This helps them feel more secure in their environment.
It's also helpful to keep litter boxes and food dishes in the same area. Blind cats will find their way to these places by smell. However, all cats hate changes. The stress of changing certain habits is even harder on a blind cat.
Avoid lifting your blind cat as much as possible. Lifting can create a sense of disorientation. If you do have to lift the cat, place it back down in a familiar area. As they get older and go blind, it may be harder for a cat to leap up on a favorite sleeping area, like a bed. A set of stairs can be helpful. Watch as your cat learns to negotiate these things. Such props keep the cat safer. As long as they are doing the movement, they will feel more oriented in their space. They will also feel a greater sense of mastery over their handicap.
An older blind cat still needs play time for stimulation. Noisy or smelly catnip toys are a great way to keep them active.
Cats rely on other senses to a great degree. Although blindness is a handicap, with a minimal amount of effort your blind cat can continue to live out his life safely and happily.
Bonnie Koenig lives with her three cats. She and her Siamese, Cheysuli, maintain their website My Siamese
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Stop Cat From Spraying
By Sara Bijnaam
There are a number of reasons why cats mark:
- Territoriality: the cat is letting other cats know that the marked area is "his" territory
- To communicate sexual availability
- Out of stress or anxiety
- A change of location: some cats will begin to mark when their owners move house
- If a new animal or human is introduced to the house
- Because of overcrowding (too many other cats in the house)
- The cat is receiving less attention than normal
- A significant change in lifestyle or routine (for example, the owner gets a full-time job; someone moves out of home; the house is renovated)
Steps you can take which are likely to either significantly reduce, or stop entirely, your cat's marking:
- Take him for a checkup
There are a huge number of reasons why your cat is choosing to urinate outside the litter box. He may be marking, or there may be a medical cause for the behavior. Before you can decide on appropriate treatment, you need to rule out health-related causes for the inappropriate elimination. Take him to the vet for a urinalysis and an overall checkup, to make sure that there are no medical reasons for his behavior.
- Neuter your cat
Neuter your cat immediately. This is the single most effective thing you can do to stop your cat's spraying, and if you hope to get any control at all over the issue, it's pretty much mandatory.
- Behavioral modification
Behavior modification is a method of controlling your cat's spraying, although it will require a considerable investment of time and effort on your behalf. You'll need to supervise your cat closely, paying attention to where and when he marks. The use of tools like water pistols and shake cans (a tin can with ten pennies or a handful of pebbles inside - when shaken, it makes a loud, scary noise) speed the process up when you startle him out of continuing by either spraying him with the water pistol or shaking the can vigorously.
'Redesignate' the areas which he tends to mark in can also help: cats don't like to spray in areas where they eat, sleep, and play. If he marks in particular places around the home (as opposed to indiscriminately), put his food bowls next to the spot, play with him there, and put his bed there.
- Make things easy for your cat
Treatment for marking is based around removing your cat's motivation to mark in the first place. The most common reasons for marking is territoriality: he could be feeling threatened by the presence of strange cats around the house, or he could be experiencing some conflict with another cat(s) in the house. So, to control his marking behavior, you need to minimize his need to act in a defensive, territorial way.
If the problem's based around a situation in the home, you'll need to pay attention to how your cats are interacting, and then separate the cats that have issues with each other. Keep them in separate rooms, with separate litter boxes and food bowls. This doesn't have to be a permanent thing - once the spraying has stopped, give them at least another week of separation and then you can gradually reintroduce them.
Make sure that there are enough litter boxes in the house: there should be at least one more than the total number of cats. If you have a multi-level house, make sure there's at least one box per floor, and see that they're all cleaned regularly.
For a detailed look at how to deal with your cat's behavior problems, Sara Bijnaam has discovered a cutting-edge cat training manual that's focused on training your cat and changing its behavior for the better. She reveals this resource at http://catbehaviorandtraining.blogspot.com
There are a number of reasons why cats mark:
- Territoriality: the cat is letting other cats know that the marked area is "his" territory
- To communicate sexual availability
- Out of stress or anxiety
- A change of location: some cats will begin to mark when their owners move house
- If a new animal or human is introduced to the house
- Because of overcrowding (too many other cats in the house)
- The cat is receiving less attention than normal
- A significant change in lifestyle or routine (for example, the owner gets a full-time job; someone moves out of home; the house is renovated)
Steps you can take which are likely to either significantly reduce, or stop entirely, your cat's marking:
- Take him for a checkup
There are a huge number of reasons why your cat is choosing to urinate outside the litter box. He may be marking, or there may be a medical cause for the behavior. Before you can decide on appropriate treatment, you need to rule out health-related causes for the inappropriate elimination. Take him to the vet for a urinalysis and an overall checkup, to make sure that there are no medical reasons for his behavior.
- Neuter your cat
Neuter your cat immediately. This is the single most effective thing you can do to stop your cat's spraying, and if you hope to get any control at all over the issue, it's pretty much mandatory.
- Behavioral modification
Behavior modification is a method of controlling your cat's spraying, although it will require a considerable investment of time and effort on your behalf. You'll need to supervise your cat closely, paying attention to where and when he marks. The use of tools like water pistols and shake cans (a tin can with ten pennies or a handful of pebbles inside - when shaken, it makes a loud, scary noise) speed the process up when you startle him out of continuing by either spraying him with the water pistol or shaking the can vigorously.
'Redesignate' the areas which he tends to mark in can also help: cats don't like to spray in areas where they eat, sleep, and play. If he marks in particular places around the home (as opposed to indiscriminately), put his food bowls next to the spot, play with him there, and put his bed there.
- Make things easy for your cat
Treatment for marking is based around removing your cat's motivation to mark in the first place. The most common reasons for marking is territoriality: he could be feeling threatened by the presence of strange cats around the house, or he could be experiencing some conflict with another cat(s) in the house. So, to control his marking behavior, you need to minimize his need to act in a defensive, territorial way.
If the problem's based around a situation in the home, you'll need to pay attention to how your cats are interacting, and then separate the cats that have issues with each other. Keep them in separate rooms, with separate litter boxes and food bowls. This doesn't have to be a permanent thing - once the spraying has stopped, give them at least another week of separation and then you can gradually reintroduce them.
Make sure that there are enough litter boxes in the house: there should be at least one more than the total number of cats. If you have a multi-level house, make sure there's at least one box per floor, and see that they're all cleaned regularly.
For a detailed look at how to deal with your cat's behavior problems, Sara Bijnaam has discovered a cutting-edge cat training manual that's focused on training your cat and changing its behavior for the better. She reveals this resource at http://catbehaviorandtraining.blogspot.com
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Stress and Litter Box Problems
By D Norris
Is your cat stressed out? You may not realize it until she stops using her litter box.
Cats are creatures of habit. They don't like surprises. So when something happens to upset your cat's daily routine, she may respond to the stress by urinating someplace other than in her litter box.
Moving to a new home is probably the ultimate stressor for your cat. It's pretty traumatic for your cat to suddenly be in a new place she doesn't know.
You can't really prepare a cat for a move, but you can do a few things to make your cat feel more secure. When you get to your new home, keep your cat in one room for a day or two. Be sure she's surrounded by familiar things like her food and water dishes, her bed or favorite pillow, something she can hide in like a box or a large paper bag, and most importantly, her litter box.
Whenever I moved, I always gave my cat something that smelled like me, like a sweatshirt that I had worn. This helped her to feel more secure since she could smell me even if I wasn't there.
Remember to give your cat lots of extra attention every day. Most cats settle down in a few days and start feeling at home again very quickly.
When someone new joins your cat's household, it can be extremely upsetting for your cat. A cat can be terrified by a new baby. Suddenly there's something loud that smells very differently, and it's usually in your lap! Give your cat lots of love and extra lap time if he's a lap baby, and he should adjust quickly.
A new kitten or puppy can stress your cat to the extreme. Your home is your cat's territory, and suddenly, there's another animal there! She may mark "her" territory by urinating all over your house.
Introduce your cats to each other slowly. You may want to keep the newbie in one room for a few days with his own litter box and food and water dishes. Don't be surprised when they sniff each other under the door and then hiss or yowl or swat at each other. This is their way of getting acquainted.
When you let your new kitty out, they may growl and spar for a couple of weeks until they get used to each other. If you want to speed this process up, try wiping each cat's fur with a separate towel every day. Then put each cat's food dish on the other cat's towel. Your kitties will associate the positive experience of being fed with the other cat's scent, and they'll come to tolerate each other much faster.
Be sure each cat has his own secure hiding place he can retreat to. Give each of your kitties equal amounts of love and attention. You'll need a litter box for each cat, plus an extra one, which means that if you have two cats, you should have three boxes.
Cats do have a "pecking order." If a cat leaves the household, it can cause tension among your remaining cats until they establish who the new "head cat" is. This tension can also cause litter box problems.
If you've had two cats who have been together all their lives, and one dies, it can be just as hard on your remaining cat as it is on you. Your cat will probably miss his buddy and may look for her for a few days. Shower your furry friend with lots of love and attention during this adjustment period.
Stress can be a big factor in litter box problems. If you can identify the cause of the stress and remove it, you can solve your cat's urine odor problem.
Darlene Norris has been owned by many cats over the years. She says, "Is your cat driving you nuts by using your entire house as a litter box? Don't suffer through this for another minute! Visit my website for the solution to your problem."
Is your cat stressed out? You may not realize it until she stops using her litter box.
Cats are creatures of habit. They don't like surprises. So when something happens to upset your cat's daily routine, she may respond to the stress by urinating someplace other than in her litter box.
Moving to a new home is probably the ultimate stressor for your cat. It's pretty traumatic for your cat to suddenly be in a new place she doesn't know.
You can't really prepare a cat for a move, but you can do a few things to make your cat feel more secure. When you get to your new home, keep your cat in one room for a day or two. Be sure she's surrounded by familiar things like her food and water dishes, her bed or favorite pillow, something she can hide in like a box or a large paper bag, and most importantly, her litter box.
Whenever I moved, I always gave my cat something that smelled like me, like a sweatshirt that I had worn. This helped her to feel more secure since she could smell me even if I wasn't there.
Remember to give your cat lots of extra attention every day. Most cats settle down in a few days and start feeling at home again very quickly.
When someone new joins your cat's household, it can be extremely upsetting for your cat. A cat can be terrified by a new baby. Suddenly there's something loud that smells very differently, and it's usually in your lap! Give your cat lots of love and extra lap time if he's a lap baby, and he should adjust quickly.
A new kitten or puppy can stress your cat to the extreme. Your home is your cat's territory, and suddenly, there's another animal there! She may mark "her" territory by urinating all over your house.
Introduce your cats to each other slowly. You may want to keep the newbie in one room for a few days with his own litter box and food and water dishes. Don't be surprised when they sniff each other under the door and then hiss or yowl or swat at each other. This is their way of getting acquainted.
When you let your new kitty out, they may growl and spar for a couple of weeks until they get used to each other. If you want to speed this process up, try wiping each cat's fur with a separate towel every day. Then put each cat's food dish on the other cat's towel. Your kitties will associate the positive experience of being fed with the other cat's scent, and they'll come to tolerate each other much faster.
Be sure each cat has his own secure hiding place he can retreat to. Give each of your kitties equal amounts of love and attention. You'll need a litter box for each cat, plus an extra one, which means that if you have two cats, you should have three boxes.
Cats do have a "pecking order." If a cat leaves the household, it can cause tension among your remaining cats until they establish who the new "head cat" is. This tension can also cause litter box problems.
If you've had two cats who have been together all their lives, and one dies, it can be just as hard on your remaining cat as it is on you. Your cat will probably miss his buddy and may look for her for a few days. Shower your furry friend with lots of love and attention during this adjustment period.
Stress can be a big factor in litter box problems. If you can identify the cause of the stress and remove it, you can solve your cat's urine odor problem.
Darlene Norris has been owned by many cats over the years. She says, "Is your cat driving you nuts by using your entire house as a litter box? Don't suffer through this for another minute! Visit my website for the solution to your problem."
Friday, October 19, 2007
Biting Cat Behavior Prevention
By Jennifer McDonnell
�Why is my cat so mean?� This was a question posed on a message board regarding a cat that would repeatedly bite her owner despite the fact that the owner loved the cat dearly and constantly petted, fawned over and otherwise treated the cat nicely. Well, the short answer to the question is that the cat is not being mean. It is simply being a cat and cats may bite for a number of reasons. For example, did you know sometimes when a cat bites it may be trying to convey it loves its owner? Yes, biting cat behavior can be relatively complex and in order to understand this behavior one need to examine it closely.
If there was one common biting cat behavior that is annoying (and frightening) to people it is when a cat mildly bites your hand when you pet it. Usually, this type of behavior is not so much aggressive as much as it is the cat�s only way of saying �Enough! Stop petting me!� When the cat does this it would be best to just leave the cat alone. Similarly, all cats � 100% of them � will wrap their front and rear paws around your arm and chomp (lightly) into it if you rub their mid-section. This is a primal protection behavioral reaction that is instinctive and not really a sign of over aggression. Again, not all biting is about aggression; however, there are instances where the biting does become benignly aggressive.
Probably the most common instance of benign cat biting behavior is when cat thinks it can play with your hands as in the same way it can with toys. (Cats bite their toys, remember) You must let your cat know that hands are not toys and they are not for biting! If you cat tries to bite your hands when you pet it in a playful manner PULL YOU HAND AWAY and stop petting it. Whatever you do, do not encourage cat biting behavior as this will ingrain a really bad habit that will become very difficult to break down the road.
The second most common instance of benign biting cat behavior occurs when a cat is petted in areas where it is overly sensitive. There is a way to break the cat out of this habit, but it takes a little patience. Now, a cat will never bite you when you pet it on top of its head because this is not a generally sensitive area so you use this to your advantage by slowly moving your hand beyond the cat�s head to its torso region by about a half an inch. Over an extended period of time, you increase your petting area by an additional half an inch. This will gradually wean the cat out of being oversensitive and, hopefully, will break him out of the habit of biting.
As such, biting cat behavior is not because the cat is mean as much as it is because the cat picked up some bad habits, but fear not � these habits can be easily broken if you have the patience!
Are you tired of your cat biting you, your friends and loved ones? When biting cat behavior causes problems with visitors in your home. You need to train your cat to change their behavior. Jennifer McDonnell has helped thousands of cat owners over the years with training their cat to drop their bad habits. You cant learn how to prevent your cat from biting ever again at http://www.catloverslounge.com
�Why is my cat so mean?� This was a question posed on a message board regarding a cat that would repeatedly bite her owner despite the fact that the owner loved the cat dearly and constantly petted, fawned over and otherwise treated the cat nicely. Well, the short answer to the question is that the cat is not being mean. It is simply being a cat and cats may bite for a number of reasons. For example, did you know sometimes when a cat bites it may be trying to convey it loves its owner? Yes, biting cat behavior can be relatively complex and in order to understand this behavior one need to examine it closely.
If there was one common biting cat behavior that is annoying (and frightening) to people it is when a cat mildly bites your hand when you pet it. Usually, this type of behavior is not so much aggressive as much as it is the cat�s only way of saying �Enough! Stop petting me!� When the cat does this it would be best to just leave the cat alone. Similarly, all cats � 100% of them � will wrap their front and rear paws around your arm and chomp (lightly) into it if you rub their mid-section. This is a primal protection behavioral reaction that is instinctive and not really a sign of over aggression. Again, not all biting is about aggression; however, there are instances where the biting does become benignly aggressive.
Probably the most common instance of benign cat biting behavior is when cat thinks it can play with your hands as in the same way it can with toys. (Cats bite their toys, remember) You must let your cat know that hands are not toys and they are not for biting! If you cat tries to bite your hands when you pet it in a playful manner PULL YOU HAND AWAY and stop petting it. Whatever you do, do not encourage cat biting behavior as this will ingrain a really bad habit that will become very difficult to break down the road.
The second most common instance of benign biting cat behavior occurs when a cat is petted in areas where it is overly sensitive. There is a way to break the cat out of this habit, but it takes a little patience. Now, a cat will never bite you when you pet it on top of its head because this is not a generally sensitive area so you use this to your advantage by slowly moving your hand beyond the cat�s head to its torso region by about a half an inch. Over an extended period of time, you increase your petting area by an additional half an inch. This will gradually wean the cat out of being oversensitive and, hopefully, will break him out of the habit of biting.
As such, biting cat behavior is not because the cat is mean as much as it is because the cat picked up some bad habits, but fear not � these habits can be easily broken if you have the patience!
Are you tired of your cat biting you, your friends and loved ones? When biting cat behavior causes problems with visitors in your home. You need to train your cat to change their behavior. Jennifer McDonnell has helped thousands of cat owners over the years with training their cat to drop their bad habits. You cant learn how to prevent your cat from biting ever again at http://www.catloverslounge.com
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Cat Training Reward Them With Treats
By David Peters
Cats are trained and encouraged by treats or rewards. A clear illustration of such behavior is when cats come running when it hears the food bag rustle or the can opener�s sound. Cats often relate the sounds to food rewards.
Keep in mind that your cat must be closely examined on a regular basis by the veterinarian, to ensure that there are no unknown problems in your cat�s health that could be aggravated or intensified during training activities.
To further encourage your cat to maintain a good behavior, the most effective way is to offer immediate treats, a full tasty meal, or a favorite toy as rewards.
When saying �good� and offering a treat all together, your cat will later relate the word with its positive act, even if later, food is not available and upcoming. In place of food rewards, you can give your cat an enjoyable playtime or a rub behind its ears.
With the use of positive emphasis and reinforcement, your cat will be willing to learn good behaviors and basic instructions or commands.
Here are training guidelines:
1. It is best to begin training with kittens. They will be more open and responsive to training. Bad behaviors have not yet been formed and not given a chance to develop.
2. Use positive emphasis and reinforcement at all times. A gentle hug, caress, or a whisper has a longer lasting effect than harsh or bitter words.
3. Limit the training time. Make it brief but frequent. Cats normally have short attention and interest spans; so it is much more effective to have four to six sessions of five minutes each, during the course of the day than an hour or two of continuous training.
4. Confine the training to indoors. This is essential so that your cat will not be distracted by other neighboring pets or be attracted to climbing trees instead.
Discipline should be instilled for a well behaved cat, but tough punishment must be avoided. In training your cat so to avoid negative acts, you need to approach it positively. Cats generally will not respond to certain punishments like hitting or yelling. They usually correlate the undesirable act with you rather than with their bad behavior. The outcome will be that your pet either stops loving you or will be afraid of you; not the result that will lead to a loving and warm relationship with your wonderful pet cat! Complete Pet Guide is
committed to bringing you high quality resources and information on dog and cat
pet care and training.
Cats are trained and encouraged by treats or rewards. A clear illustration of such behavior is when cats come running when it hears the food bag rustle or the can opener�s sound. Cats often relate the sounds to food rewards.
Keep in mind that your cat must be closely examined on a regular basis by the veterinarian, to ensure that there are no unknown problems in your cat�s health that could be aggravated or intensified during training activities.
To further encourage your cat to maintain a good behavior, the most effective way is to offer immediate treats, a full tasty meal, or a favorite toy as rewards.
When saying �good� and offering a treat all together, your cat will later relate the word with its positive act, even if later, food is not available and upcoming. In place of food rewards, you can give your cat an enjoyable playtime or a rub behind its ears.
With the use of positive emphasis and reinforcement, your cat will be willing to learn good behaviors and basic instructions or commands.
Here are training guidelines:
1. It is best to begin training with kittens. They will be more open and responsive to training. Bad behaviors have not yet been formed and not given a chance to develop.
2. Use positive emphasis and reinforcement at all times. A gentle hug, caress, or a whisper has a longer lasting effect than harsh or bitter words.
3. Limit the training time. Make it brief but frequent. Cats normally have short attention and interest spans; so it is much more effective to have four to six sessions of five minutes each, during the course of the day than an hour or two of continuous training.
4. Confine the training to indoors. This is essential so that your cat will not be distracted by other neighboring pets or be attracted to climbing trees instead.
Discipline should be instilled for a well behaved cat, but tough punishment must be avoided. In training your cat so to avoid negative acts, you need to approach it positively. Cats generally will not respond to certain punishments like hitting or yelling. They usually correlate the undesirable act with you rather than with their bad behavior. The outcome will be that your pet either stops loving you or will be afraid of you; not the result that will lead to a loving and warm relationship with your wonderful pet cat! Complete Pet Guide is
committed to bringing you high quality resources and information on dog and cat
pet care and training.
Monday, October 15, 2007
The Benefits Of The Catit Drinking Fountain For Your Pets
By Lucas Tulloch
The pleasures of having animals share your house and life are many. Anybody that owns a pet knows the feeling of coming home on a late winters night cold and tired after work only to be greeted with such happiness by their pet. Studies have long shown that living with animals provides us with quite a variety of physical and emotional benefits. In todays fast paced life stress and depression have become big business and unfortunately common place. It has been shown that living with a pet or pets reduces our likelihood of suffering from depression. The least we can do for our animals in return for the love and good health they give us is to give them plenty of love, shelter, food and a plentiful supply of clean water.
The pet drinking fountain is a revolutionary development that provides pets with a fresh long lasting water supply. As any keen outdoor enthusiast will tell you, if you are stuck for water never drink from still stagnant water, always try and find a source of flowing water. It has been stated that most animals seem to prefer to drink from flowing water than still water. Have you ever seen a cat go to take a drink from it's bowl only after it has checked the surface gently with its paw just to check it really is water? You wont see a cat doing this with flowing water, because it can see by the movement that it is water. This is where the pet fountains come in.
The benefits for the cat of this type of drinking fountain are many. Firstly a drinking fountain has a small filter between the dome fountain and the bowl, so that when water is circulated back into the pump it is first filtered by a carbon filter insert. This makes for clean water all the time and eliminates the problem of insects or other foreign objects falling into the water and making it undrinkable. Because a fountain provides a large surface area for the water to flow down the water is kept cool and oxygenated all the time. Even in summer the water seems to stay nice and cool, much cooler than if it were sitting still in a bowl. Providing your pets, cats in particular, with enough fresh drinking water is essential to the long term health of your pets, especially their kidneys.
The only real downside of pet drinking fountains is the noise the pumps make sometimes. But this usually only happens when the water is almost empty and takes a quick fill-up to fix. Some fountains have at least a 3 litre capacity and can last for 5 or 6 days without needing a refill. When the fountain has a normal water level the it actually makes quite a peaceful and relaxing running water sound.
One great example for a pet drinking fountain is the Catit Drinking Fountain, for more details on such a fountain please Click Here. http://www.catit-drinking-fountain.com
The pleasures of having animals share your house and life are many. Anybody that owns a pet knows the feeling of coming home on a late winters night cold and tired after work only to be greeted with such happiness by their pet. Studies have long shown that living with animals provides us with quite a variety of physical and emotional benefits. In todays fast paced life stress and depression have become big business and unfortunately common place. It has been shown that living with a pet or pets reduces our likelihood of suffering from depression. The least we can do for our animals in return for the love and good health they give us is to give them plenty of love, shelter, food and a plentiful supply of clean water.
The pet drinking fountain is a revolutionary development that provides pets with a fresh long lasting water supply. As any keen outdoor enthusiast will tell you, if you are stuck for water never drink from still stagnant water, always try and find a source of flowing water. It has been stated that most animals seem to prefer to drink from flowing water than still water. Have you ever seen a cat go to take a drink from it's bowl only after it has checked the surface gently with its paw just to check it really is water? You wont see a cat doing this with flowing water, because it can see by the movement that it is water. This is where the pet fountains come in.
The benefits for the cat of this type of drinking fountain are many. Firstly a drinking fountain has a small filter between the dome fountain and the bowl, so that when water is circulated back into the pump it is first filtered by a carbon filter insert. This makes for clean water all the time and eliminates the problem of insects or other foreign objects falling into the water and making it undrinkable. Because a fountain provides a large surface area for the water to flow down the water is kept cool and oxygenated all the time. Even in summer the water seems to stay nice and cool, much cooler than if it were sitting still in a bowl. Providing your pets, cats in particular, with enough fresh drinking water is essential to the long term health of your pets, especially their kidneys.
The only real downside of pet drinking fountains is the noise the pumps make sometimes. But this usually only happens when the water is almost empty and takes a quick fill-up to fix. Some fountains have at least a 3 litre capacity and can last for 5 or 6 days without needing a refill. When the fountain has a normal water level the it actually makes quite a peaceful and relaxing running water sound.
One great example for a pet drinking fountain is the Catit Drinking Fountain, for more details on such a fountain please Click Here. http://www.catit-drinking-fountain.com
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Chatter Box Cats
By Kate Tilmouth
As humans we are used to communication via words and facial expression. However our feline friends don�t have this ability and so instead use many other ways to communicate their message to us and other cats. Now it would be impossible for us to be able to compile an A to Z of cat language, as it is far too complicated and subtle and besides they don�t use our alphabet. However with a little patience and observation we too can learn to understand and perhaps communicate with them.
Cat communication range from vocal sounds, smell, body posture and tactile contact and use all of these methods to communicate with each other. But they have also learnt that with a little patience on their part they can also teach us to understand their meanings and get us to do exactly what they want.
The sounds made by individual cats can vary, however it is possible to give each communication sound and behaviour a generalised meaning, giving us a basis of an understanding of their language.
There are seven basic cat sounds which have their own unique meaning and although the sounds may vary slightly from cat to cat and be affected by the situation, they do basically mean the same thing and easier for us to categorise them by there meaning rather than their sound. The seven basic sounds/meanings are:
Fear
Pain
Attention seeking
Anger
Follow me
Friendly
Attack
The fear sound is a throaty yowling and is designed to give the signal �I am afraid of you but don�t come any closer or I will attack you�. They may also spit and hiss, which looks very aggressive but combine this with their low body posture, indicates fear. The hissing is believed to resemble the sound a snake makes when it is about to attack and is a sound that most animals have an inbred fear of, even if they have never seen a snake in their lives.
Pain is a very distinctive scream sound, which once heard turns the blood cold. It is essentially a sound used by Kittens, designed to bring the mother cat running to their aid. However domesticated cats keep their kitten vocabulary to talk to us, because they see humans as their surrogate mothers. They therefore continue to use the kitten language and will scream when in pain in the hope that a human will come and rescue them.
The general meow of a cat is designed to attract attention from either the mother cat or from a human. Its message is �I want�. Owners of cats will begin to recognise their own particular cats meows and be able to associate them with particular things, like �I want food�, �I want to go out� etc.
Caterwauling is the name most people would associate with cats at mating time. However the sound is actually used in situations of aggression. The sound varies in volume and tone as the aggression turns into a fight and is displayed by both male and female cats. The reason it is associated with mating time is because the scent of the female cat will attract many male cats to the same area, this is something that they are not comfortable with and so the caterwauling is the sound of male cats warning each other off.
The pleasant little chirrup sound a cat will give us when they come in or go out is often thought to be a greeting. It certainly sounds very friendly and certainly gets our attention. However this sound is made by the mother cat calling her kittens to follow her. So in fact when the cat comes in, it is saying �follow me�, usually to the kitchen.
Purring is one of the most familiar sounds we associate with our cats and is often considered to be made by a cat that is contented. In deed this is one meaning of this sound, however the sound is also displayed between cats themselves. It is believed that the purring sound is a signal to say, �I am in a friendly mood and come in peace�, or �everything is ok�. It can often be heard between two cats greeting each other and by mother cats when her young are suckling, indicating to them that all is well. Strangely a cat in pain may also purr, this is not to say they are happy but is a way for them to comfort themselves.
The teeth chatter or clicking sound a cat makes is often displayed when a cat spies a bird or other prey. It is a rather unusual sound and serves no real purpose other than to indicate that it has seen something it would like to attack. The chattering jaw is the same action carried out when a cat bites it�s prey and so in a way the cat is imaging doing this when it makes this rather amusing sound.
A cat also use body language to communicate with each other and in fact is the main way cats in the wild talk to each other. By watching our cat�s body language we can learn to understand their mood and by aping these postures will be able to convey to the cat that we mean them no harm. This especially useful when homing a new cat.
Eye contact is seen by a cat as a threatening action and is why some cats react badly to people with glasses. So by not looking at them directly in the eye you are saying to them that you are not a threat. Also if you are trying to approach a nervous or frightened cat, try to lower your body down to the ground, this will also indicate to them that you are not a threat.
A cat�s tail is also a good indication of their mood. A happy cat that is coming to greet you will hold its tail straight up, perhaps with a slight curl at the top. Whereas as a tail that is flicking from side to side is the sign of an angry cat that may just be considering attack, so leave well alone.
By studying our cat�s subtle body movements and vocal sounds we begin to tap into the cats world. Perhaps enabling us to develop a greater understanding of why they behave in certain ways which we as humans find strange and unnecessary, which may ultimately lead to a much stronger bond between man and cat.
More cat health and cat care tips can be found at our site http://www.our-happy-cat.com
A feline friendly community full of helpful advice and fun things to do to make sure you have a happy cat and a happy you.
Copyright 2007 Kate Tilmouth
As humans we are used to communication via words and facial expression. However our feline friends don�t have this ability and so instead use many other ways to communicate their message to us and other cats. Now it would be impossible for us to be able to compile an A to Z of cat language, as it is far too complicated and subtle and besides they don�t use our alphabet. However with a little patience and observation we too can learn to understand and perhaps communicate with them.
Cat communication range from vocal sounds, smell, body posture and tactile contact and use all of these methods to communicate with each other. But they have also learnt that with a little patience on their part they can also teach us to understand their meanings and get us to do exactly what they want.
The sounds made by individual cats can vary, however it is possible to give each communication sound and behaviour a generalised meaning, giving us a basis of an understanding of their language.
There are seven basic cat sounds which have their own unique meaning and although the sounds may vary slightly from cat to cat and be affected by the situation, they do basically mean the same thing and easier for us to categorise them by there meaning rather than their sound. The seven basic sounds/meanings are:
Fear
Pain
Attention seeking
Anger
Follow me
Friendly
Attack
The fear sound is a throaty yowling and is designed to give the signal �I am afraid of you but don�t come any closer or I will attack you�. They may also spit and hiss, which looks very aggressive but combine this with their low body posture, indicates fear. The hissing is believed to resemble the sound a snake makes when it is about to attack and is a sound that most animals have an inbred fear of, even if they have never seen a snake in their lives.
Pain is a very distinctive scream sound, which once heard turns the blood cold. It is essentially a sound used by Kittens, designed to bring the mother cat running to their aid. However domesticated cats keep their kitten vocabulary to talk to us, because they see humans as their surrogate mothers. They therefore continue to use the kitten language and will scream when in pain in the hope that a human will come and rescue them.
The general meow of a cat is designed to attract attention from either the mother cat or from a human. Its message is �I want�. Owners of cats will begin to recognise their own particular cats meows and be able to associate them with particular things, like �I want food�, �I want to go out� etc.
Caterwauling is the name most people would associate with cats at mating time. However the sound is actually used in situations of aggression. The sound varies in volume and tone as the aggression turns into a fight and is displayed by both male and female cats. The reason it is associated with mating time is because the scent of the female cat will attract many male cats to the same area, this is something that they are not comfortable with and so the caterwauling is the sound of male cats warning each other off.
The pleasant little chirrup sound a cat will give us when they come in or go out is often thought to be a greeting. It certainly sounds very friendly and certainly gets our attention. However this sound is made by the mother cat calling her kittens to follow her. So in fact when the cat comes in, it is saying �follow me�, usually to the kitchen.
Purring is one of the most familiar sounds we associate with our cats and is often considered to be made by a cat that is contented. In deed this is one meaning of this sound, however the sound is also displayed between cats themselves. It is believed that the purring sound is a signal to say, �I am in a friendly mood and come in peace�, or �everything is ok�. It can often be heard between two cats greeting each other and by mother cats when her young are suckling, indicating to them that all is well. Strangely a cat in pain may also purr, this is not to say they are happy but is a way for them to comfort themselves.
The teeth chatter or clicking sound a cat makes is often displayed when a cat spies a bird or other prey. It is a rather unusual sound and serves no real purpose other than to indicate that it has seen something it would like to attack. The chattering jaw is the same action carried out when a cat bites it�s prey and so in a way the cat is imaging doing this when it makes this rather amusing sound.
A cat also use body language to communicate with each other and in fact is the main way cats in the wild talk to each other. By watching our cat�s body language we can learn to understand their mood and by aping these postures will be able to convey to the cat that we mean them no harm. This especially useful when homing a new cat.
Eye contact is seen by a cat as a threatening action and is why some cats react badly to people with glasses. So by not looking at them directly in the eye you are saying to them that you are not a threat. Also if you are trying to approach a nervous or frightened cat, try to lower your body down to the ground, this will also indicate to them that you are not a threat.
A cat�s tail is also a good indication of their mood. A happy cat that is coming to greet you will hold its tail straight up, perhaps with a slight curl at the top. Whereas as a tail that is flicking from side to side is the sign of an angry cat that may just be considering attack, so leave well alone.
By studying our cat�s subtle body movements and vocal sounds we begin to tap into the cats world. Perhaps enabling us to develop a greater understanding of why they behave in certain ways which we as humans find strange and unnecessary, which may ultimately lead to a much stronger bond between man and cat.
More cat health and cat care tips can be found at our site http://www.our-happy-cat.com
A feline friendly community full of helpful advice and fun things to do to make sure you have a happy cat and a happy you.
Copyright 2007 Kate Tilmouth
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Grow Your Own Catnip
By Blaine Lantz
Catnip may be a good way of getting a lazy, overweight cat to engage in some exercise. Reactions to Catnip vary from anxious nervousness to high excitement. Different cats react differently. When a cat detects the catnip's scent it triggers the pleasure center in the brain. This reaction is what triggers the catnip�s "high." Not all cats have the same response to this plant, however. "Felines usually have a Catnip gene," says Dr. Frank Costello, DVM, of the Cat Hospital in Scranton, Pennsylvania. "They either have the ability to recognize and react or they do not." If your kitten is ignoring Catnip, there's another reason: Catnip does not have an effect on very young kittens. "It usually takes 3 to 8 months of age before it starts to work" says Frank.
As a member of the Mint family, Catnip is a potent smelling herb. It has bunches of blue-purple or white flowers on top of small triangular leaves. Catnip is found native to the United States, grows up to three feet tall and is a perennial. It is easy and fun to grow plus it tastes great in tea.
To grow you must first germinate the seeds. This can be done by putting them in a sealed container with damp paper towels. Wait until the plant breaks out of the seeds and then transplant them outdoors in the early spring. Catnip can also be cloned (grown from cuttings) and transplanted directly into soil. After the catnip has bloomed, cut off three to seven inches of each stem. The plant will grow back next year if the roots remain in good condition.
To dry your cuttings snip the leaves off into a tray and get rid of the stems. Spread the leaves out and put them in a well circulated area. Stir up the leaves once a day for a few weeks. The leaves are ready when they become brittle. For another creative way to get your cats to exercise visit www.WallCats.com, www.KoolTanks.com.
As the founder of Lantz Enterprises Inc, Blaine Lantz spends his time supervising the manufacturer of unique pet supplies. They make wall mounted aquariums, in- wall aquariums ( http://www.bizarreaquariums.com, http://www.walltanks.com) and cat products like the unique wall mounted cat walk, cat trees and cat perches.
His passions include photography and cameras. As a part-time photographer, he manly does weddings and the occasional event ( http://www.isabella-rose.com).
Catnip may be a good way of getting a lazy, overweight cat to engage in some exercise. Reactions to Catnip vary from anxious nervousness to high excitement. Different cats react differently. When a cat detects the catnip's scent it triggers the pleasure center in the brain. This reaction is what triggers the catnip�s "high." Not all cats have the same response to this plant, however. "Felines usually have a Catnip gene," says Dr. Frank Costello, DVM, of the Cat Hospital in Scranton, Pennsylvania. "They either have the ability to recognize and react or they do not." If your kitten is ignoring Catnip, there's another reason: Catnip does not have an effect on very young kittens. "It usually takes 3 to 8 months of age before it starts to work" says Frank.
As a member of the Mint family, Catnip is a potent smelling herb. It has bunches of blue-purple or white flowers on top of small triangular leaves. Catnip is found native to the United States, grows up to three feet tall and is a perennial. It is easy and fun to grow plus it tastes great in tea.
To grow you must first germinate the seeds. This can be done by putting them in a sealed container with damp paper towels. Wait until the plant breaks out of the seeds and then transplant them outdoors in the early spring. Catnip can also be cloned (grown from cuttings) and transplanted directly into soil. After the catnip has bloomed, cut off three to seven inches of each stem. The plant will grow back next year if the roots remain in good condition.
To dry your cuttings snip the leaves off into a tray and get rid of the stems. Spread the leaves out and put them in a well circulated area. Stir up the leaves once a day for a few weeks. The leaves are ready when they become brittle. For another creative way to get your cats to exercise visit www.WallCats.com, www.KoolTanks.com.
As the founder of Lantz Enterprises Inc, Blaine Lantz spends his time supervising the manufacturer of unique pet supplies. They make wall mounted aquariums, in- wall aquariums ( http://www.bizarreaquariums.com, http://www.walltanks.com) and cat products like the unique wall mounted cat walk, cat trees and cat perches.
His passions include photography and cameras. As a part-time photographer, he manly does weddings and the occasional event ( http://www.isabella-rose.com).
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
How To Groom Your Cat And Why Grooming Is Important
By Kate Tilmouth
Cats are well equipped to groom themselves with their tongue, teeth, claws and paws all able to do an excellent wash and brush up. In fact the cats tongue is especially designed to brush through fur with its rough barbed covered surface, which is excellent at removing dirt and grit. However even the most agile and flexible cat cannot always reach every part of its body adequately enough to remove every last particle of dirt.
It is important that a cat�s fur be kept well groomed all year round; this is especially true at times when the coat is being shed. This normally happens in the spring when the thick winter coat is shed and is replaced with a new lighter summer coat. Although a cat will quite happily groom itself, problems arise when they digests large amounts of loose fur which become lodged in the cat�s throat, these are known as fur balls. Fur balls will normally be regurgitated by the cat, but in some extreme cases my become too large and have to be removed by a Vet. Too prevent this from happening regular grooming by the owner will remove the loose fur and prevent the cat from digesting too much.
Longhaired cats require much more frequent grooming by their owners, at least two or three times a week. The fur of a longhaired cat is very thick and has several layers, which is what it them that fluffy look. The cat although able to groom the upper layer easy cannot reach the much finer layers of fur nearest the skin. This is the fur that if left unattended will begin to mat together, causing painful clumps. These clumps or mats of fur get larger and larger if not dealt with promptly and begin to pull and tear the cat�s skin. When the fur is at this stage the only solution is to have the mats cut out by a professional cat groomer, who will shave the affected fur away using special grooming tools. To avoid this situation regular grooming by the owner will prevent these mats from forming.
There are many types of cat combs and brushes on the market especially designed for owners to painlessly and easily be able to groom their cats. Always make sure that the equipment is suited to the type of cats fur, as short haired and longhaired cats require different types of brush. Using the wrong one may cause pain and distress to your cat and not be able to adequately groom the fur.
The following steps will take you through the common process for grooming your cat:
1. Settle your cat down by gently stroking them and getting them in a relaxed frame of mind.
2. Gently part the fur and look for any injuries, lumps or parasites.
3. Check the feet and press the toes gently to see if there are any foreign bodies caught between the toes or in the fur.
4. Clip any long claws using special nail clippers. (Remember not to go near the pink quick of the nail)
5. Gently brush the cat�s fur in the opposite direction to its growth, making sure to get down into the fur closest to the skin.
6. Pay particular attention to the fur around the back legs especially in longhaired cats, as this is one of the areas most prone to matting.
7. Check inside the cat�s ears for any signs of wax of ear mites and clean with a small damp piece of cotton wool if necessary.
8. Wipe eyes with damp cotton wool if there are any signs of discharge.
The more often you groom your cat the more confident you will become and the more excepting your cat will be of the process.
It is generally not necessary to give a cat a bath. However if something gets on the fur that cannot be brushed out, like oil or paint then washing the cats fur is the only option. Remember most cats don�t like water and so bathing your cat may be quite a traumatic experience for you both. Try to keep the situation as calm as possible and always keep water away from the cats face. A cat should never be submerged in water, use jugs of warm water or a light flow from a shower head. Use only special cat shampoos, as it is important not to wash away oils from the cats fur that help to keep the coat in top condition.
More cat health and cat care tips can be found at our site http://www.our-happy-cat.com
A feline friendly community full of helpful advice and fun things to do to make sure you have a happy cat and a happy you.
Copyright 2007 Kate Tilmouth
Cats are well equipped to groom themselves with their tongue, teeth, claws and paws all able to do an excellent wash and brush up. In fact the cats tongue is especially designed to brush through fur with its rough barbed covered surface, which is excellent at removing dirt and grit. However even the most agile and flexible cat cannot always reach every part of its body adequately enough to remove every last particle of dirt.
It is important that a cat�s fur be kept well groomed all year round; this is especially true at times when the coat is being shed. This normally happens in the spring when the thick winter coat is shed and is replaced with a new lighter summer coat. Although a cat will quite happily groom itself, problems arise when they digests large amounts of loose fur which become lodged in the cat�s throat, these are known as fur balls. Fur balls will normally be regurgitated by the cat, but in some extreme cases my become too large and have to be removed by a Vet. Too prevent this from happening regular grooming by the owner will remove the loose fur and prevent the cat from digesting too much.
Longhaired cats require much more frequent grooming by their owners, at least two or three times a week. The fur of a longhaired cat is very thick and has several layers, which is what it them that fluffy look. The cat although able to groom the upper layer easy cannot reach the much finer layers of fur nearest the skin. This is the fur that if left unattended will begin to mat together, causing painful clumps. These clumps or mats of fur get larger and larger if not dealt with promptly and begin to pull and tear the cat�s skin. When the fur is at this stage the only solution is to have the mats cut out by a professional cat groomer, who will shave the affected fur away using special grooming tools. To avoid this situation regular grooming by the owner will prevent these mats from forming.
There are many types of cat combs and brushes on the market especially designed for owners to painlessly and easily be able to groom their cats. Always make sure that the equipment is suited to the type of cats fur, as short haired and longhaired cats require different types of brush. Using the wrong one may cause pain and distress to your cat and not be able to adequately groom the fur.
The following steps will take you through the common process for grooming your cat:
1. Settle your cat down by gently stroking them and getting them in a relaxed frame of mind.
2. Gently part the fur and look for any injuries, lumps or parasites.
3. Check the feet and press the toes gently to see if there are any foreign bodies caught between the toes or in the fur.
4. Clip any long claws using special nail clippers. (Remember not to go near the pink quick of the nail)
5. Gently brush the cat�s fur in the opposite direction to its growth, making sure to get down into the fur closest to the skin.
6. Pay particular attention to the fur around the back legs especially in longhaired cats, as this is one of the areas most prone to matting.
7. Check inside the cat�s ears for any signs of wax of ear mites and clean with a small damp piece of cotton wool if necessary.
8. Wipe eyes with damp cotton wool if there are any signs of discharge.
The more often you groom your cat the more confident you will become and the more excepting your cat will be of the process.
It is generally not necessary to give a cat a bath. However if something gets on the fur that cannot be brushed out, like oil or paint then washing the cats fur is the only option. Remember most cats don�t like water and so bathing your cat may be quite a traumatic experience for you both. Try to keep the situation as calm as possible and always keep water away from the cats face. A cat should never be submerged in water, use jugs of warm water or a light flow from a shower head. Use only special cat shampoos, as it is important not to wash away oils from the cats fur that help to keep the coat in top condition.
More cat health and cat care tips can be found at our site http://www.our-happy-cat.com
A feline friendly community full of helpful advice and fun things to do to make sure you have a happy cat and a happy you.
Copyright 2007 Kate Tilmouth
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Pheromones - A Possible Solution To Altering Your Cat's Behavior
By Dorothy Santoro
Often a cat's behaviour can be altered due to stress. Cats are most happy when the least change is going on around them, they are happy with the way things are and prefer it if there are no changes to their living arrangements. Stress can cause a cat to become unsociable, nervous and in some cases ill.
Pheromones such as 'Feliway' can help your cat stay calm and in the long run will lead to a happier, more sociable cat. Cats will release their own pheromones through clawing and urinating to signal their displeasure. 'Feliway' or other man-made pheromones counteract this and release calming pheromones which your cat will react to in a positive fashion.
Man-made pheromones deliver chemical copies of the facial pheromones found in cats. The facial pheromones are normally used by a cat to familiarize with its surroundings. By rubbing against a surface or even a person's leg, the cat is able to familiarize the surface and will know from then on that they can be comfortable around it.
When the cat detects the presence of these particular pheromones they will react in a calmer manner. This emotional calming will eventually lead to a reduction in the cat's antisocial or stressed behaviour.
One of the best ways to calm your cat is by using an electrical diffuser which disperses pheromones throughout the household environment via means of evaporation. This can be especially helpful if your cat is losing its appetite and does not look comfortable in its home.
The best results from using man-made pheromones come in a variety of different situations, these include:
1. When you are introducing a new cat into the household, this can be a threatening time for your existing cat and pheromones will help to ease the worry and should help the two cats build a good relationship.
2. When the cat is being taken to the vet or moved around outside its home. This can be an extremely stressful time for the cat and using the pheromones will not only make the cat happier, it can reduce your anxiety when your cat stops howling at you!
3. When you move. If you spray pheromones around the new home the cat will instantly feel more at home and will feel as though it has already familiarized itself with the surrounding environment.
There are many other situations where pheromones are useful, all you need to know is that when you think your cat might be stressed, pheromones are the chemically proven answer!
For more information and resources for cats go to http://www.yourspecialpets.com/cats.
Often a cat's behaviour can be altered due to stress. Cats are most happy when the least change is going on around them, they are happy with the way things are and prefer it if there are no changes to their living arrangements. Stress can cause a cat to become unsociable, nervous and in some cases ill.
Pheromones such as 'Feliway' can help your cat stay calm and in the long run will lead to a happier, more sociable cat. Cats will release their own pheromones through clawing and urinating to signal their displeasure. 'Feliway' or other man-made pheromones counteract this and release calming pheromones which your cat will react to in a positive fashion.
Man-made pheromones deliver chemical copies of the facial pheromones found in cats. The facial pheromones are normally used by a cat to familiarize with its surroundings. By rubbing against a surface or even a person's leg, the cat is able to familiarize the surface and will know from then on that they can be comfortable around it.
When the cat detects the presence of these particular pheromones they will react in a calmer manner. This emotional calming will eventually lead to a reduction in the cat's antisocial or stressed behaviour.
One of the best ways to calm your cat is by using an electrical diffuser which disperses pheromones throughout the household environment via means of evaporation. This can be especially helpful if your cat is losing its appetite and does not look comfortable in its home.
The best results from using man-made pheromones come in a variety of different situations, these include:
1. When you are introducing a new cat into the household, this can be a threatening time for your existing cat and pheromones will help to ease the worry and should help the two cats build a good relationship.
2. When the cat is being taken to the vet or moved around outside its home. This can be an extremely stressful time for the cat and using the pheromones will not only make the cat happier, it can reduce your anxiety when your cat stops howling at you!
3. When you move. If you spray pheromones around the new home the cat will instantly feel more at home and will feel as though it has already familiarized itself with the surrounding environment.
There are many other situations where pheromones are useful, all you need to know is that when you think your cat might be stressed, pheromones are the chemically proven answer!
For more information and resources for cats go to http://www.yourspecialpets.com/cats.
Friday, October 5, 2007
An Alternative To Cat Declawing
By Annie Clark
Are you thinking about declawing your cat? You fear that if you don't, your furniture and other household items may be destroyed. Or, you may be afraid that the cat will scratch small children in your home. But, you aren't sure about having your cat undergo a painful procedure.
Declawing of cats is actually outlawed in some countries as it is considered to be an inhumane practice. The cat will have to undergo anesthesia, and then be in pain for some time after the procedure. Using a laser to declaw is less painful to the cat, but there will still be pain involved. Cats can be perpetually puzzled that their claws are missing every time they try to scratch in the future. If all claws are removed, the cat won't be able to defend himself or herself if attacked and would have difficulty climbing a tree to escape. Even an indoor cat could accidentally escape outside and be injured by another animal.
There is now an alternative to declawing - plastic nail covers that can be used to cover the cat's claws. These nail caps do not hurt the cat and look attractive. You may choose to only put the nail covers on the front paws which leaves the back claws available if the cat goes outside. Or, you can cover all of the nails.
Application is simple. The cat's nails must be trimmed short. Then, you put glue inside the nail cap, and slide it on the cat's nail. After all of the nail caps have been applied, the cat does need to be held for a few minutes in order for the glue to dry.
Nail covers come in many colors including pink, blue, green, clear, and white. Sometimes there are special holiday colors such as for Christmas when you can order packs containing red and green nail covers that you can alternate on the cat's foot. You can experiment with many different looks for your cat. They also come in various sizes.
If you're not comfortable with the idea of declawing your cat, give the plastic nail covers a try. Your cat will look stylish and not have to undergo a painful procedure. Plus, you will reap the benefits of declawing like not having your house destroyed by sharp claws and no family members getting hurt.
Learn more about cat behavior, cat-related products and other cat topics at http://www.felineinfo.com/blog
Are you thinking about declawing your cat? You fear that if you don't, your furniture and other household items may be destroyed. Or, you may be afraid that the cat will scratch small children in your home. But, you aren't sure about having your cat undergo a painful procedure.
Declawing of cats is actually outlawed in some countries as it is considered to be an inhumane practice. The cat will have to undergo anesthesia, and then be in pain for some time after the procedure. Using a laser to declaw is less painful to the cat, but there will still be pain involved. Cats can be perpetually puzzled that their claws are missing every time they try to scratch in the future. If all claws are removed, the cat won't be able to defend himself or herself if attacked and would have difficulty climbing a tree to escape. Even an indoor cat could accidentally escape outside and be injured by another animal.
There is now an alternative to declawing - plastic nail covers that can be used to cover the cat's claws. These nail caps do not hurt the cat and look attractive. You may choose to only put the nail covers on the front paws which leaves the back claws available if the cat goes outside. Or, you can cover all of the nails.
Application is simple. The cat's nails must be trimmed short. Then, you put glue inside the nail cap, and slide it on the cat's nail. After all of the nail caps have been applied, the cat does need to be held for a few minutes in order for the glue to dry.
Nail covers come in many colors including pink, blue, green, clear, and white. Sometimes there are special holiday colors such as for Christmas when you can order packs containing red and green nail covers that you can alternate on the cat's foot. You can experiment with many different looks for your cat. They also come in various sizes.
If you're not comfortable with the idea of declawing your cat, give the plastic nail covers a try. Your cat will look stylish and not have to undergo a painful procedure. Plus, you will reap the benefits of declawing like not having your house destroyed by sharp claws and no family members getting hurt.
Learn more about cat behavior, cat-related products and other cat topics at http://www.felineinfo.com/blog
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Siamese Cats Origins And Siamese Cat Behaviors
By Jin Tuncit
Siamese cat origins
Despite various other theories about its origin, Siamese cats really did originate in Siam (now Thailand) many hundred years ago. Cats with similar pointed markings feature in the Cat Book Poems, a manuscript saved from Ayuda, the old capital of Siam, which was burned down in 1767. It is the best known of a number of manuscripts that provide a record of the native cats, dogs and birds of the region at that time.
The Siamese pattern was later recorded in Russia by the naturalist Simon Pallas, in 1793. However, the cats he encountered were of much darker colouring. This could be explained by the fact that the Siamese points darken in colder climates. It is not known whether the Russian cats were descended from original Siamese imports, or whether the Siamese gene mutation (now commonly known as the Himalayan gene) had occupied naturally in Russia.
Siamese cats were already in Britain before 1871, for in that year they featured at the first National Cat Show in London. There were many stories about their origin and at one time they were labeled as �an unnatural, nightmare kind of cat.� Nevertheless, their popularity grew and specimens were taken to America around 1890. The body shape of the Siamese has altered considerably over the years as breeders and judges select ever more extreme �Oriental� type. Breeders have developed a wide variety of coast colours and patterns. The Himalayan gene carried by the Siamese (and other pointed cats) causes dilution of any particular colour. Hence there is no black Siamese because the colour is diluted to a very dark brown, called Seal. Siamese have also given rise to the Oriental varieties which are, in effect, �non-pointed� Siamese
Siamese cat appearance
This is a short-haired cat of Oriental type with a long svelte body and an alert, intelligent expression. The head is long and wedge-shaped, neither rounded nor pointed, with a firm chin in line with the upper jaw. The ears are large, well pricked and wide at the base. The eye shape is oriental, slanting towards the nose and its deep blue in colour. The body is medium in size, long and svelte, with proportionately slim legs. The hind legs are slightly higher that the forelegs, the feet small and oval. The tail is long and tapering. The coat is very short and fine in texture, glossy and close-lying. The mask is completely connected to the ears by tracings. In all colours kittens may not show full masking, nor the adult colour on legs and tail
Siamese cat behavior
Siamese are extremely affectionate, devoted and loyal. They are highly intelligent, inquisitive, active and very vocal. They are also very demanding which make them unsuitable for some elderly people. They "meow" a lot in a loud low pitched voice. Some say that their voice sounds like the crying of a human baby. They also tend to get along well with other cats but they are usually dominant in their relationships with cats of other breeds
To view the Cutest and the most beautiful Siamese cat pictures, please visit my blog at:- http://cuteycats2u.blogspot.com/2007/09/siamese-cats-despite-various-other.html
Cuteycats2u also contains useful cat care and training advises, fun cat videos, cat pictures and cat stories. Have fun!!
Siamese cat origins
Despite various other theories about its origin, Siamese cats really did originate in Siam (now Thailand) many hundred years ago. Cats with similar pointed markings feature in the Cat Book Poems, a manuscript saved from Ayuda, the old capital of Siam, which was burned down in 1767. It is the best known of a number of manuscripts that provide a record of the native cats, dogs and birds of the region at that time.
The Siamese pattern was later recorded in Russia by the naturalist Simon Pallas, in 1793. However, the cats he encountered were of much darker colouring. This could be explained by the fact that the Siamese points darken in colder climates. It is not known whether the Russian cats were descended from original Siamese imports, or whether the Siamese gene mutation (now commonly known as the Himalayan gene) had occupied naturally in Russia.
Siamese cats were already in Britain before 1871, for in that year they featured at the first National Cat Show in London. There were many stories about their origin and at one time they were labeled as �an unnatural, nightmare kind of cat.� Nevertheless, their popularity grew and specimens were taken to America around 1890. The body shape of the Siamese has altered considerably over the years as breeders and judges select ever more extreme �Oriental� type. Breeders have developed a wide variety of coast colours and patterns. The Himalayan gene carried by the Siamese (and other pointed cats) causes dilution of any particular colour. Hence there is no black Siamese because the colour is diluted to a very dark brown, called Seal. Siamese have also given rise to the Oriental varieties which are, in effect, �non-pointed� Siamese
Siamese cat appearance
This is a short-haired cat of Oriental type with a long svelte body and an alert, intelligent expression. The head is long and wedge-shaped, neither rounded nor pointed, with a firm chin in line with the upper jaw. The ears are large, well pricked and wide at the base. The eye shape is oriental, slanting towards the nose and its deep blue in colour. The body is medium in size, long and svelte, with proportionately slim legs. The hind legs are slightly higher that the forelegs, the feet small and oval. The tail is long and tapering. The coat is very short and fine in texture, glossy and close-lying. The mask is completely connected to the ears by tracings. In all colours kittens may not show full masking, nor the adult colour on legs and tail
Siamese cat behavior
Siamese are extremely affectionate, devoted and loyal. They are highly intelligent, inquisitive, active and very vocal. They are also very demanding which make them unsuitable for some elderly people. They "meow" a lot in a loud low pitched voice. Some say that their voice sounds like the crying of a human baby. They also tend to get along well with other cats but they are usually dominant in their relationships with cats of other breeds
To view the Cutest and the most beautiful Siamese cat pictures, please visit my blog at:- http://cuteycats2u.blogspot.com/2007/09/siamese-cats-despite-various-other.html
Cuteycats2u also contains useful cat care and training advises, fun cat videos, cat pictures and cat stories. Have fun!!
Monday, October 1, 2007
Give Your Cat A Pill And Live To Tell The Tale
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Dorothy_Santoro]Dorothy Santoro
This is a subject which has been the source of much humour - we've all seen the posters, read the stories or maybe even got the t-shirt, saying how if you need to give your cat a pill, you'd better stand by for a wrecked house and several scars!
I know the truth here all too well - one of my 2 cats was ok with pills, not terrific but ok. The other one though, he was a different story, and we used to have many a 'discussion' about him taking his pill!
I then decided to tap into the 'information highway' as the internet was first called, to see if there was a solution there. There was, it worked for me every time since, and I'm now about to tell you...
I call it the 'washing machine method' because if you imagine moving your washing machine around your kitchen, it's a case of a gentle push here, a slow nudge there.
When delivery men come with a new one though, they just plonk it down, give it a mighty shove and it goes where they decide it will go in about 5 seconds. It's this combination of technique and belief that you will tap into when it's next time for your cat to take a pill.
The technique is that used by vets. If a vet has to give a cat a pill, there is no asking the cat! There is no mollycoddling, the cat gets the pill 'inserted', and this is how you do it.
Firstly prepare the technique mentally. Know exactly what you will be doing, and how, because it will be done in 2 seconds. Don't try and prepare the cat, cats are way to smart for this and they will win.
If you hold the cat and grab its upper cheekbones from above using your thumb and finger of the same hand, you can then bring the cat's head to a vertical looking up position. In this position a cat has no power over its lower jaw, and it will hang open.
You then use your other hand, rest a finger on the bottom flat teeth, and simply open the mouth. Remember the cat cannot stop you doing this due to factual muscle location. Then you put the pill far enough inside the mouth to go past the tongue.
Shut the mouth and hold it shut, stroke the throat to encourage swallowing, and that it is!
This technique takes 2 seconds, no more.
When you approach it, you need to believe it will work - put off any negative thoughts - again the cat will pick up on it, and you will lose.
The technique isn't painful for the cat, it isn't even particularly uncomfortable as it involves no strain - it's over so quickly that the cat is usually left thinking 'something happened here, but I am not sure what'!
Discovering this tip was great for me, and for the cat, much less stress all round, so next time your cat needs a pill popping, remember the washing machine method and and you can live to tell the tale, too!
For more information and resources for cats, cat breeds or anything else related to your favorite pet, go to [http://www.yourspecialpets.com/cats]http://www.yourspecialpets.com/cats.
This is a subject which has been the source of much humour - we've all seen the posters, read the stories or maybe even got the t-shirt, saying how if you need to give your cat a pill, you'd better stand by for a wrecked house and several scars!
I know the truth here all too well - one of my 2 cats was ok with pills, not terrific but ok. The other one though, he was a different story, and we used to have many a 'discussion' about him taking his pill!
I then decided to tap into the 'information highway' as the internet was first called, to see if there was a solution there. There was, it worked for me every time since, and I'm now about to tell you...
I call it the 'washing machine method' because if you imagine moving your washing machine around your kitchen, it's a case of a gentle push here, a slow nudge there.
When delivery men come with a new one though, they just plonk it down, give it a mighty shove and it goes where they decide it will go in about 5 seconds. It's this combination of technique and belief that you will tap into when it's next time for your cat to take a pill.
The technique is that used by vets. If a vet has to give a cat a pill, there is no asking the cat! There is no mollycoddling, the cat gets the pill 'inserted', and this is how you do it.
Firstly prepare the technique mentally. Know exactly what you will be doing, and how, because it will be done in 2 seconds. Don't try and prepare the cat, cats are way to smart for this and they will win.
If you hold the cat and grab its upper cheekbones from above using your thumb and finger of the same hand, you can then bring the cat's head to a vertical looking up position. In this position a cat has no power over its lower jaw, and it will hang open.
You then use your other hand, rest a finger on the bottom flat teeth, and simply open the mouth. Remember the cat cannot stop you doing this due to factual muscle location. Then you put the pill far enough inside the mouth to go past the tongue.
Shut the mouth and hold it shut, stroke the throat to encourage swallowing, and that it is!
This technique takes 2 seconds, no more.
When you approach it, you need to believe it will work - put off any negative thoughts - again the cat will pick up on it, and you will lose.
The technique isn't painful for the cat, it isn't even particularly uncomfortable as it involves no strain - it's over so quickly that the cat is usually left thinking 'something happened here, but I am not sure what'!
Discovering this tip was great for me, and for the cat, much less stress all round, so next time your cat needs a pill popping, remember the washing machine method and and you can live to tell the tale, too!
For more information and resources for cats, cat breeds or anything else related to your favorite pet, go to [http://www.yourspecialpets.com/cats]http://www.yourspecialpets.com/cats.
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