Author: catangel

Should You Let Your Cat Run Outdoors?

So, you think your cat needs to go outdoors to be happy. You want him to be happy, but do you want him to…

• Get hit by a car
• Be exposed to fatal diseases such as feline leukemia, FIV, or rabies
• Get stolen by an animal dealer and sold to a research lab
• Get caught and mangled in the fanbelt of a car
• Get chased by dogs or other animals and be killed or lost
• Get poisoned, either accidentally by pesticides or intentionally by cat haters
• Get shot by hunters or by children with BB guns
• Get caught in a trap to die a slow, painful death
• Get parasites such as fleas, ticks, or worms
• Cause problems with your neighbors when he uses their lawn for a litterbox
• Get “taken for a ride” by a disgruntled neighbor

Love and protect your cat.

Keep your cat indoors where s/he is safe!

Ten Commandments For A Responsible Pet Owner

1. My life is likely to last 10 to 15 years. Any separation from you will be very painful.
2. Give me time to understand what you want of me.
3. Place your trust in me. It is crucial for my well-being.
4. Don’t be angry with me for long, and don’t lock me up as punishment. You have your work, your friends, and your entertainment. I have only you.
5. Talk to me. Even if I don’t understand your words, I understand your voice when it’s speaking to me.
6. Be aware that however you treat me, I’ll never forget it.
7. Before you hit me, remember that I have teeth that could easily crush bones in your hand, but I choose not to bite you.
8. Before you scold me for being lazy or uncooperative, ask yourself if something may be bothering me. Perhaps I’m not getting the right food, I may be feeling unwell, or may heart may be getting old and weak.
9. Take care of me when I get old. You, too, will grow old.
10. Go with me on difficult journeys. Never say, “I can’t bear to watch it” or “Let it happen in my absence.” Everything is easier for me if you are there. Remember, I love you.

Get Your Cat to Scratch Where He’s Supposed To

In a Nutshell:

• Get a good-quality, sturdy sisal scratching post
• Get more than one post if you have several cats
• Play with the cat near the post to get him used to it
• Make furniture surfaces unappealing to your cat
• Never reprimand a cat for scratching
• Don’t give mixed messages — never let him scratch some furniture and not others
• Know what kind of scratcher your cat is and get the right post

Scratching is one of the biggest behavior problems that keep cats and their owners from enjoying domestic bliss. But there are ways to stop this before it gets out of hand. You just have to understand why your cat does what he does.

Scratching for a kitten is actually just a means of climbing to higher ground. To a new cat owner it may appear that your kitten has Velcro paws as you watch him scale furniture, drapes, beds, and clothes hanging in the closet. Take a deep breath and be patient. This phase will pass. Even though your kitten may do nothing with the post other than climb up and over the top, very soon he’ll discover scratching behavior and you’ll want to be ready.

The training method is the same for a kitten or an adult cat: make it a game. Dangle a peacock feather or other enticing toy right next to the post. As your cat goes for the toy he’ll feel the irresistible texture of the post. With your own nails, gently scratch up and down the post. Often, that scratching sound can inspire him to join in.

If your cat doesn’t have a clue about what to do with the post, lay it on its side and dangle the toy all around it. As he jumps on the post or paws at the toy, he’ll discover the texture. He may then begin scratching the post in earnest. Once he has discovered its true purpose, you can stand the post upright again.

Never force your cat to scratch by taking his paws and putting them on the post. No matter how gently you do it, your cat won’t like the experience and it’ll cause confusion. His attention will be focused on getting out of your grasp and you will have done nothing but create a negative association with the post.

Make the games around the scratching post a regularly scheduled event for a kitten. Keep your training methods consistent so you don’t confuse him. Don’t drag the toy under fabrics such as comforters, chair cushions, and clothing or behind crapes, etc. That could encourage him to scratch there as he claws at the toy. Don’t run the toy up and along furniture. That will cause your kitten to extend his claws and climb. Never send mixed messages.

Oh No! The Furniture!

It can be done. First, though, you must have the right kind of post. Make sure you’ve followed my instructions and purchased or constructed an appropriate one. If you already have a post in your home that has sat for years gathering dust, don’t even attempt to retrain your cat to use it. If he had thought it was acceptable in the first place he would have been using it, so just get rid of the relic. (Or if it’s tall and sturdy enough, recover it using a better material.)

Next, look at the areas where he’s currently scratching. If it’s the sofa or chair, you’ll have to make the object unappealing. If the scratched area of the furniture is limited to certain sections, lay strips of Sticky Paws (available at pet stores) across them. Sticky Paws is a double-faced transparent tape made especially for this purpose. Plain masking tape can leave a residue behind. According to the manufacturer, Stocky Paws has an acrylic base so it won’t leave any residue when removed from the furniture. Sticky Paws is also water soluble.

If the cat has been working on the entire chair, cover it with a sheet. Carefully tuck it in all around and tape the bottom so he can’t climb underneath it. Place strips of Sticky Paws or double-faced tape at several locations. Now you’ve turned this great scratching surface into an unacceptable one. The next step is to put the new post next to the covered furniture. That way, when he goes over for is routine scratch and realizes that his usual spot has disappeared, he’ll discover something even better. You can further entice him by using a toy around the post to get his attention. Also, rub the post with catnip to ensure it will get his approval.

If you catch your cat attempting to scratch the furniture during retraining, don’t punish, hit, or yell at him. Scratching is a normal, natural behavior, so you can’t reprimand him. Just make the furniture a little more unattractive by placing something under on corner so it becomes unsteady. (Inform family members before they attempt to sit down!) By making the chair or sofa unstable, it’ll no longer be a secure scratching surface.

Some people have used deterrents such as taping balloons to the furniture, but I’m strongly against that because it’s too frightening. If your cat is timid or nervous, bursting balloons can make him even jumpier. Your cat may become too scared to even use the post. Other animals in multi-pet households can be frightened by the popping balloon sound as well.

Introducing Your New Cat To Other Animals In Your Home

“The fur will fly” is an expression that could be used right about now — when you are bringing home a new cat an dyou have one, two, or even more cats in your household.

Most of the time these situations work out well after two or three weeks. The cats sort themselves out into a new pecking order, and the newcomer takes it place in the fold. In the meantime, expect hissing, growling, and cats chasing one another from room to room.

It is wise to keep the newcomer separate from the others for the first 48 hours or so. You can keep him in a bathroom or bedroom with his food, water, litter, and some toys. Since it will spend much time sleeping, it will not be lonesome. The other cats can smell the newcomer and hear it moving around through the door.

On the second or third day, you might position the door so that it is open enough for everyone to meet and sniff, but not enough for a cat to slip in or out of that room. After a day or so, open the door and allow the newcomer freedom. Don’t go out of the house in those early days without putting the new cat back in its own quarters.

Other options include blocking off one floor for the “old” and one for the “new” cat, if you can do that where you live. You might also keep the newcomer in an animal cage for a few days with its food, water, and litter box so the other animals can see it and sniff around, but the cat is protected.

Some new cats are accepted easily in a multi-cat household with none of the above dramatics. That is particularly true when the new member is a kitten. Sometimes, one cat tolerates the other but never really grows to like its housemate. Less frequently, an adjustment never comes. If after four weeks or so it looks as if there will never be tolerance in your household, let alone harmony, you have four choices:

1. You can call in an animal behavior therapist to help everyone become adjusted
2. You can keep the cats separated forever, perhaps on different floors of your home.
3. You can get used to the idea that one or more of the animals will never be happy about the newcomer (or the newcomer about the others) and learn to live with the occasional hissing or fighting.
4. You can return the new cat.

There are some felines that prefer to be in a one-cat household and never do adjust or even become at least reasonably accepting of another cat. It is not common, however, for an adoption to fail because of other cats in the house. Hang in there. It does take patience.

Now, about dogs. If you have a dog or two, again you could have any one of several responses to and by the newcomer, depending on the temperament of each animal. Follow the above suggestions. Dogs and cats can get along well, although here too it is usually a kitten that causes less fuss than an adult cat meeting your dogs.

by Franny Syufy, About.com guide

Here’s How:

1. Look around your house first, at high shelves and low cupboards and hidden nooks. Do you see things that kitty might break, or harmful substances she might ingest?
2. If you’re into needlework, keep your supplies in a closed container. Needles and thread might appear to be fine playthings, but can be fatal if your kitten swallows them. Kittens playing with balls of yarn may make delightful pictures, but put the yarn away right after the photo session.
3. Fold and secure your window blinds cord with a rubber band, out of kitty’s reach. If she gets tangled up in it, she could strangle.
4. Kittens are wonderful little packrats. If you don’t want to find your floors littered with garbage, invest in covered wastebaskets and kitchen garbage containers.
5. Always keep the door to your clothes dryer closed, and double-check inside before using it. Cats like to find dark, warm places to sleep, and the results could be tragic.
6. Keep the floor clean of stray rubber bands, ribbon and twine. All are hazardous when ingested by a kitten.
7. Keep cupboard doors and dresser drawers securely closed. Cats can find all kinds of mischief inside, and can be injured if you close a drawer and the kitten is behind it. Use child-safe fasteners for kitchen cabinets.
8. Cloth drapes are better left out of reach of your furry ‘curtain-climber’. Tie them up securely until your kitten is trained to a scratching post.
9. Keep your toilet lid down at all times, lest kitty fall in or drink from it. Better yet, keep your bathroom off-limits to your kitten unless you absolutely have to keep her litterbox there.
10. Do not keep your kitten in the garage, and always keep the doors closed. Anti-freeze is very tasty to animals, and is just one of the common poisonous substances found in garages.
11. Cover electric cords, such as the tangle from your computer, with covers sold for that purpose. Caution: wrapping electic cords could be a fire hazard.
12. There are a number of household plants poisonous to cats. A link to a list is at the bottom of this article.
13. Remove all breakable valuables from high shelves and store them in a cabinet with a door.
14. Use animal-safe insect repellant. Commercial roach and ant poison will kill cats if ingested.

Tips:

1. The real secret to kitten-proofing is to look at your home through the eyes of a cat. Find everything that looks like a swell toy, and if it’s something harmful, get rid of it or make it safe.
2. Bitter Apple or lemon-scented sprays are both great for marking areas you want to be off-limits. Cats hate the taste and/or scent of them.
3. If your kitten will be indoors-outdoors, make sure your yard is clear of snail poison, rodent traps, and other hazardous material. Better yet: fill your house with attractive toys and make him an inside-only cat.

What You Need:

• child-safe cabinet locks
• cord covers

The original article may be found at About.com, with links to more wonderful suggestions about how to get off to a successful start with your new little bundle of fluff.

or “Litterbox Avoidance”

House-training problems — called inappropriate elimination — are the number one cause of behavior-related complaints from cat lovers — and with good reason. No one likes to deal with urine and feces in a litterbox, much less in a part of the house you didn’t expect to find them. Cats who can’t be convinced to use the litterbox all too often end up looking for a new home — and for these animals, the prognosis is grim.

The first step in getting your cat to use the litterbox is to figure out why he’s not using it. Rule out a medical problem — commonly, a urinary-tract infection. These infections give the cat a “sense of urgency” to urinate even when the bladder is not full, and urinating may even be downright painful in more severe cases. Your cat may come to associate the use of the box with these unpleasant sensations and so avoids the box. If that’s the case, you need to retrain your cat, perhaps by changing the box and litter so that it “feels” different, but probably by using the safe room approach (more on that later).

If your cat checks out fine at the vet, you need to experiment to make sure everything about the box is to his liking. The following list describes some things to consider:

• Cleanliness. Cats are fastidious animals, and if the litterbox is dirty, they look elsewhere for a place to go. Think of how you felt the last time you were faced with a dirty public restroom, and you can probably empathize! Attend to the box frequently — twice a day is ideal — and make sure that it’s completely scrubbed clean and aired out on a weekly basis. Another option: two litterboxes.
• Box type and filler. Many choices people make to suit their own tastes don’t match with what their cat wants, and when you’re talking boxes and litter, your cat’s opinion is the only one that counts. Many times the offending box or litter is one chosen in an attempt to reduce smell for people — but your cat’s can still smell just fine. A covered box may seem more pleasing to you, but your cat may think it’s pretty rank inside. Likewise, scented litters may make you think the box smells fine, but your cat may disagree — not only is the box dirty, he reasons, but it’s got the extra “clean” odor he can’t abide. Go back to basics, a simple box, a plain litter. Many cats prefer clumping litter, and this variety makes the box easier to keep clean, too. Just skip the deodorizers.
• Location. Your cat’s box should be away from his food and water dishes (you don’t eat near the toilet, so why should your cat?) and in a place where he can get to it easily and feel safe. Consider location from a cat’s point of view: choose a quiet spot where he can see what’s coming at him. A cat doesn’t want any surprises while he’s in the box. You should also experiment with additional boxes in your house, especially if you’ve got more than one cat. Urine and feces are weapons in a war over territory: some cats share boxes; many don’t.

Make the area where your cat has had mistakes less attractive by cleaning thoroughly with a pet-odor neutralizer (available in pet supply stores or catalogs) and cover with foil, plastic sheeting, or plastic carpet runners with the points up to discourage reuse of the area. Enzymatic pet mess cleaners take time to work, so figure on keeping the area blocked off for at least a couple of weeks.

If this procedure doesn’t clear up the problem, you may need to retrain your cat by keeping him in a small area for a few days. Make sure that the safe room has no good options besides the litterbox — no carpet, no pile of dirty laundry. Block off the bathtub — keep an inch of water in it to discourage its use as a place to go. After your cat is reliably using the litterbox, let him slowly expand his territory again. As long as you keep up your end of the bargain and keep the litterbox appealing, he should keep up his end, too.

What cats do in the litterbox when we’re not looking.