For The Love Of Cats
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For The Love Of Cats
Table of Content
Introductory..................................................................................... 4 Chapter 1: Cats Are Very Lovable Creatures ..................................... 6 Chapter 2: Cat Health and Cat Care .................................................. 8 Chapter 3: Cat Furniture................................................................. 10 Chapter 4: Cats And Pills ................................................................ 12 Chapter 5: Cat Toilet Training......................................................... 15 Chapter 6: Cat Beds ........................................................................ 17 Chapter 7: Cat Fights...................................................................... 18
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Introductory
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There's no question that our cats are full-fledged family members. Their loyalty, their love, and their ability to comfort us are unparalleled.
Sometimes, though, their hair or odors can leave an unwelcome footprint in our homes. Just as we clean up the spills made by our kids (or our spouses!), it's up to us to clean up after our cats. Luckily, there are any number of products that make pet care a breeze.
Cat Litter Boxes
Cats are generally low maintenance pets, but their litter boxes often contribute little to you home decor, and can become a smelly nuisance. Today's litter boxes, though, can bring a touch of whimsy to your interior design, while their functionality can put an end to messes and odors.
One line of litter boxes comes in an assortment of patterns and colors, from solid silver and solid black, to polka dot, leopard print and wood grain. The litter tray door pulls out, and a metal sifter rake pulls and lifts litter out of the tray for easy cleaning. Another ingenious design has a triangular shape so that you can easily place it otherwise used corner space.
If you want to make cat care even easier, self-cleaning litter boxes are the answer. One style has an internal grill that traps used litter. You simply roll the enclosed litter box on its side and remove the waste tray. Another type takes self-cleaning to the next level by having a slowly but rotating system that quietly but continuously scoops used cat litter into a receptacle.
The ultimate litter box is one that automatically flushes cat waste down your toilet. Instead of cat litter, this box uses permanent granules that are washable. After your cat uses the box, the granules are automatically washed, disinfected, and dried. Liquid and any solid waste are flushed down the toilet with fresh water.
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Kitty Litter
When it comes to kitty litter, many cats have a preference for one brand over another. But if you start with the right litter or are persistent, you can find kitty litter that can help eliminate odors while keep your cat healthy. One brand of kitty litter on the market not only neutralizes litter box odors, but also changes color if your cat has a urinary tract infection.
Given that urinary tract infections can quickly become life threatening, early detection is key. It's also helpful to have information about a potential infection to give to your veterinarian.
Shedding Tools
Many people who love cats are troubled by allergies, or by the cat hair that clings to furniture and clothes. Products that help with shedding take one of two approaches: either they work at the source of the problem (your furry feline) or they make it a snap to clean up hair off of furniture.
Cats typically shed their undercoat (rather than the hair you see), so a product that helps you remove hair from your pet - a "furminator" of sorts - means you'll never see it on your couch. These products brush out the dead hair from the undercoat (but don't cut it), while bringing your cat's natural oils to the surface. Because this type of product also helps stops overzealous self-cleaning, your cat may be less likely to be bothered by hairballs.
Cat care isn't difficult, and the great litter boxes, kitty litter, and shedding tools make it even easier!
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Chapter 1: Cats Are Very Lovable Creatures
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Who would believe such pleasure from a wee ball o' fur? An Irish saying about cats, perhaps best describes what pleasure-giving creature’s cats can be.
Jean Burden, beautifully defines the feline beauty. “A dog, I have always said, is prose; a cat is a poem.” Cats for many people, are really very lovable - remember ‘Snowbell’ - the cat of “Stuart Little”.
Cats are rather delicate creatures and they are subject to many ailments. Cat grooming is a very important part of keeping a cat as a healthy pet. Cat supplies can be defined as important things that can be purchased for cat grooming, and maintaining general good cat health.
Cat supplies is a general term that covers a variety of important cat care products. These topics could be used when undertaking an online Internet search for good value cat supply products for your pets - cat-grooming supplies, cat pet supplies, cat training supplies and discount cat supplies.
Cat Grooming:
Cat grooming is in fact a long program of cat health care that covers the entire life span a cat. It includes feline care, feline health care, feline diabetes care etc. It also includes practices like kitten care, giving a hygiene bath, general cleaning, combing, brushing, checking ears, paws, teeth and underside, nail trimming, removing cat fleas and insects and fixing regular meetings with a professional veterinary. Cat owners should follow a regular schedule of grooming sessions.
Like children, infant cats, known as kittens, require some extra special attention. A kitten is delicate and should be handled with care. It also needs to be groomed properly, fed carefully, and bedded properly.
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Cat Grooming Supplies:
Cat grooming supplies play a key role in the process of maintaining a happy and healthy cat. Supplies for your pet may include a special cat home or house, cat doors, cat furniture, cat carrier, cat beds, heated cat beds, cat toys, cat collars, designer cat collars, jeweled or jingling cat collars, cat odor removers, cat clothes, special cat jewelry, cat food, cat tonics & supplements and cat medication.
Cat Beds:
A cat bed is a bed specially designed for the sleeping comfort of a cat. It should be the most pleasurable place for a cat where it retires to take sweet dreams. Good cat beds are actually quite important for maintaining good cat health. An improper sleep may very much affect the general health of your cat - thus the masters of cats should be very careful when buying cat beds.
A cat bed and cat bedding should include a cat bed mattress, cat bed sheet, cat pillows, cat throw pillows, cat blankets and cat quilt or duvets.
Cat beds are available in numerous styles and include designer cat beds, heated cat beds, luxury cat beds, wicker cat beds, leather cat beds, etc.
There are number of designer cat pet beds available on the market for purchase, both in physical pet stores, and also online. Many pet bed manufacturers now sell their cat beds online, through their official company websites.
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Chapter 2: Cat Health and Cat Care
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As a cat lover, you would naturally want to know as much as you can about your kitty's health!
Your little bundle of fur can be practically considered as part of the family, so why wouldn't you make sure that he is happy and healthy?
In this article we will look at a few starting points for your cat’s health.
Cat health is strongly affected by what kitty eats. Obesity is a major factor in heart disease particularly as your cat gets older. Choose a pet food for your cat that is right for its age but feed it regularly. If in doubt get your veterinarian’s advice as your cat can have completely different nutrient needs to what you would expect!
Longhaired cats should be groomed regularly for optimum cat health. Use a pet brush and groom no less than once a week. This is a great way to bond with kitty!
The litter box can be a danger to both cat health and human health if it isn’t cleaned regularly. Change your pet’s litter no less than once every four days or more remembering to clear the tray of faces as since cats are very clean animals and can smell up to 10 times better than humans! Your kitty will just love you for it! Also, be careful as some litter can be very dusty, which can irritate kitty's asthma.
If choosing to declaw your kitty, this can be a major factor in Cat health. If you choose to declaw your pet it is important to remember to keep them inside at all times! Although I would never recommend to declaw kitty as this is taking away what makes him a cat!
Also, sometimes declawing can be very painful for your cat and he may become resentful! If you are worried about your furniture, invest in a cat scratcher and rub some cat nip over it, you will be surprised! Another option is only to trim the claws with great care.
Stressful situations like moving, travelling, natural disasters or even changes in the family can affect cat health as cats are very sensitive creatures. To
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minimize the effects of stress on your pet, ask your vet or pet store what to recommend to slightly sedate kitty. Cat nip is always a good option, when cat eats this plant it acts as a sedative.
Part of managing cat health is making sure dangerous poisons like antifreeze are inaccessible to your pet just as you would with your own toddler. Some household plants are fatal to cats so make sure to raise your plants and lock your toxins!
If you have an indoor kitty, invest in a few cat-friendly plants such as Cat nip, Cat grass, Honeysuckle etc. with the bonus of giving kitty much needed nutrients and minerals not generally found in manufactured pet food!
Cat’s often have mouth diseases and this can impact cat health. Cats are just as prone to gingivitis as humans and cats can also develop. Take kitty to the vet at least once a year to have his teeth regularly checked and cleaned, even switching to a food that prevents Tatar buildup is always a bonus.
As always one of the greatest factors in cat health is deciding if your cat goes outdoors. Cars, children, other animals and toxins, ALL are all dangerous and should be avoided by keeping your cat indoors. Sometimes this isn't the solution for every kitty as you will need to stock up on the cat toys! And can be very hard to stop your kitty if he already has been accustomed to the outdoors!
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Chapter 3: Cat Furniture
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I remember dreading the day I found the perfect couch to go in our apartment.
Binx was never particular with what he liked scratching on and I realized that if I bought this couch, that it would end up looking like a shredded pin cushion in a matter of hours not days!
Just moving into a new apartment (or having been there a long time) introducing your kitty to his new surroundings can be quite tough and you want to keep him inside for about a week to three weeks until you are satisfied that he is happy to know where home is and he is settled himself before deciding to let him outside.
While he is inside for those one to three weeks, if you are unfortunate enough not to be able to stay home and watch your kitty 24/7, you will likely to come home and find the couch has been attacked or worse, I used to come home and find the base of my bed had been attacked!
Now declawing is definitely out of the option, the only other choice left was to look at is Cat Furniture for your kitty. For starters a cat scratcher especially if you have an indoor kitty! Now I was very wary how Binx would take to this new carpeted object sitting in the lounge, and it was quite lucky I had bought him a Cat Nip plant!
Your kitty will probably go nutty over Cat Nip, but not all cats react the same way to it. If your kitty is not taking any notice of his new scratching pole, and is still using your couch, break a couple of leaves off the Cat Nip plant and proceed to rub it all over the carpeted pole.
It took a few days of sniffing for Binx to actually get any interest in the pole, but once your kitty gets the idea or if need be, show kitty how it should be used first, and praise him each time he uses it properly!
Make sure the pole is secured down properly because it might topple onto kitty while he's using it, and it will just scare him off using the pole for good! I had ours wedged underneath the TV Cabinet and now the Coffee table and removed the bell attached to the top of the pole as it seemed to scare Binx
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every time it jingled behind him! And guess what - He has not touched our new couch, ONCE!
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Chapter 4: Cats And Pills
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Nearly everything alive becomes ill at some stage in its life, and pets are no exception. I have been very fortunate in that my two cats have been very healthy for most of their lives.
Recently the oldest cat become ill and had to go to the vet. Unfortunately, she was diagnosed with a form of cancer. The treatment options were pills or radiation 'therapy'. The radiation therapy was very expensive so that left the pills. Pills are fine for humans, but if you have ever tried to administer pills to your cat then you would know some of the problems I have had.
I usually feed my cats on a dry 'all in one' biscuit diet. This diet and a supplement of fresh food has kept them very healthy for over 14years. But now I need to add pills to her diet every twelve hours. So, what do I feed her that will hide the pill well enough for her to eat it without complaining? Well after some experimentation I came to the conclusion that hiding a whole pill was not the answer. Not the answer at all. Whole pills are located and removed from the food with amazing accuracy. The simple answer is to crush the pills before adding them to the food.
Note: The pill should be added to a small quantity of food - half a normal serve or less, and that small quantity should be given to your pet BEFORE the rest of the meal. This helps to ensure your cat is hungry enough to eat the entire pill. Once the pill food is eaten you can give them the rest of the meal.
Pills are usually quite easy to crush into powder, I use two spoons, one small teaspoon as the crusher, and a larger desert spoon to hold the pill. Place the pill into the larger spoon and using the edge of the small spoon as a blunt knife, carefully break the pill into smaller chunks.
Now use the small teaspoon to gently crush the chunks into powder. In less than two minutes you should be ready to sprinkle the powdered pill onto a small serve of food. Crushing the pill gets much easier once you have done two or three.
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This is how I prepare chicken or fish for my cat at pill time:
Chicken: Cooked (cold)
Cooked chicken is a favorite food of my cats so it is a good pill food for them. To make the most reliable pill hiding food from cold chicken is really quite easy. First of all, you need to prepare the pill by crushing it into a powder as described above. Then you need a small serve of chicken that you can breakup into smallish pieces - use your fingers, it gives the best results. Once you have broken up the chicken add a small quantity of water to the serving plate and roll the chicken in the water until it is wet all over.
Now drain the excess water from the plate - too much water will leave the pill on the plate and not on the food where it needs to be. The next step is optional, but it makes a big difference for my pets. The next step is to place the food in a microwave oven. All you want to do is VERY GENTLY warm up the food, I use about 6 SECONDS on high. What you are looking for is to remove the coldness of the food - which activates the SMELL of the food.
Do not make the food hot! (The heat could damage the pill that you are trying to feed them, and not many cats will eat hot food anyway.) Now that you have a very gently warmed serve of food it is time to add the pill. Just sprinkle the crushed pill over the wet, warm chicken and serve it up!
Note: Always add the Pill LAST!
Fish: Raw
If you want to use raw fish as a pill serving food then it pays to make sure that the cat in question likes the fish that you are going to use. (Cats are fussy!) I have two cats, one eats fish at every opportunity, and the other will walk right past it and ask for something else.
So, get a small piece of fish to test the cat with, and assuming that the fish is accepted it is easy to prepare. I use a pair of kitchen scissors to cut the fish into small pieces. A sharp knife is ok but the skin on fish is very tough, so for safety and ease of preparation I use scissors.
Once you have the fish cut up all you need to do is sprinkle the powdered pill over the fish and serve it up. Raw fish is usually wet and quite smelly, so it doesn't require water to be added or the microwave to warm it up.
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Fish: Cooked (cold)
To prepare a cooked cold fish you basically follow the steps outlined for cooked chicken. Prepare the pill, get a small bit of cooked fish and cut or break it up into small pieces. Make it wet, drain off the excess water and zap it in the microwave for a few seconds - do not make the food hot! Add the crushed pill to the warm wet fish and serve it up.
Note: Always add the Pill LAST!
The purpose of warming up the food is to make it smellier. Most food has a much stronger scent or smell when it is at room temperature than it does straight from the fridge.
If you need a small quantity of fresh raw fish it can usually be purchased from your local take away food shop. If you want to use cooked fish from a take away shop bear in mind that the batter or bread crumbs should be removed before it is served to the cat.
(Well, it should be removed if your cat won't eat the fish with it still on there..) Also remember to cool the fish down to about room temperature before you add the pill - otherwise the heat may damage the pill.
Never microwave any pill - it could damage the active ingredients or even make them toxic to your pet.
For those that are interested, my cats name is "Eff-Gee" ( "F"+"G" ) and she can tell the time as well if not better than I can. Every 12 hours (+ or - 30mins) she is asking me for her pill food.
My other cat - that doesn't like fish, is called "Sox". He doesn't really like chicken either. Actually he prefers the biscuits over most other foods - unless it is meat with chili on it. He is a nice cat.
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Chapter 5: Cat Toilet Training
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One of the first things as an owner that wants to toilet train your cat is to know about your cat.
The behavior of a cat; the does, and don’ts of training a cat.
Since we are going to talk about potty training a cat, we need to set some basic rules down. Most important one is that if you do not catch the cat going potty on the floor at the very moment; it will not make any sense to the cat what you do to them about it. Cats remember things like that only shortly.
No rubbing the nose of the cat in it, that will only cause pain, or do anything that would harm or hurt your cat. By doing any of these painful acts will only make the cat afraid of you and you will have a very hard time training your cat to do any behaviors, or taking care of your cat.
Let us look over the potty training a cat. Having a cat potty trained on any household toilet will save you thousands of dollars in kitty litter. Will keep the cat’s area clean, safe and dry, and since a cat does not like messes this is a great way to get rid of the mess for you.
Now you are wondering why someone would want to have the cat use the toilet and not the litter box. In the fecal, of the feline, when mixed with kitty litter can cause people of all ages to get sick. When the cat comes out of the litter box to a person, on its paws are the germs from the litter box. When you or family member is sick or aged people, they are very expectable to this disease.
With a cat being potty trained, the fecal goes under the water this will help prevent the disease from spreading. There are devices on the market that will help you potty train your cat. The devices come with books to help and support you with toilet training your cat.
Let’s look at the potty device, to see what steps are taken to get the cat to use the toilet.
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First, you will need to put the device in the toilet. It is basically a small shallow version of a toilet bowl that fits under the ring on the toilet.
The recommendation is to put small amount of cat litter in the small portion of the plastic bowl. Then remove all other cat litter boxes, so the cat will only find litter in one place. Another thought is to cover the plants on the floor, so the cat will not be able to dig in the dirt.
With the device, that you get, there could be some type of fragrances to put on the toilet device to help attract the cat to that area. Leave the cat for a while in the bathroom, with the door closed, privacy is something that cat need and want and will the cat will explore that the litter in on the toilet and use it there.
If there seems to be a problem with the cat going, you may want to put the litter box next to the toilet, this way the cat will get use to this and see the toilet, before getting the training started. In this time if you see that cat needs to go, pick the cat up and put it on the toilet with the device on so that kitty will see the device and the litter
This will all take time and lots of patience from you and some good training to the cat. The cat does not have natural instincts to go in the bathroom and go on the toilet. When a cat is older, this can be a real task as the older cats are usually set in their ways and do not like change. With this, you will want to use the slow approach.
In the end, you and your cat will be happy that there are no more kitty litter boxes in the home.
Rewards are very important in this training and hard also; you may not see or catch your cat on there going but remember to reward them when you do see them.
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Chapter 6: Cat Beds
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Cats and dogs spend a lot of their time sleeping so a comfortable bed is very important.
Cats like to be very comfortable when they are sleeping so getting them a cat bed that will keep them warm is a good idea. Heated cat beds can be found right here, with a click of your mouse.
If you are looking for a more traditional cat bed then why not consider a wicker cat bed. Wicker cat beds are great for cats, they offer needed support, as well as comfort for size. A window cat bed is also great, and then your cat can lie lazily in the sun in its cat bed looking out the window. Windowsill cat beds take into consideration the cat’s curiosity.
If your cat is definitely a prince or princess then by all means a fancy cat bed or a designer cat bed is definitely what your cat needs. If you have multiple cats then look at getting a cat bunk bed for them to share, or a cat bed tree. Cats like to be close and share with other cats this will give them the opportunity.
If your cat stays outside most of the time then look at getting your cat an outdoor cat bed or a cheap cat bed that you can replace every few months. Discount cat beds are also great for this reason. Don’t forget to consider pet bedding for your cat bed.
It is important to remember that because cats do shed, a washable cat bed is very important to help keep the cat dander and cat hair to a minimum in your house. Another good idea it to have two cat beds (even if you only have one cat) this will ensure that you wash your cat bed regularly because you know that there is always a clean one waiting to take its place.
Whatever your style as well as your cats needs get the bed that is right.
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Chapter 7: Cat Fights
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Feral or un-feral, you kitty may get tangled up in one of these if they are in particular an outdoor cat.
Indoor cats if by themselves are obviously not as prone to this risk, unless they find themselves outside, or a stray visitor inside. but two or more indoor cats can have their "bad" days as well.
If you allow your cat to roam outside in the big wild outdoors, I seriously recommend you take kitty to your veterinarian from a young age and start getting him vaccinated! And make sure this is done every year no questions! This is necessary if you don't want your kitty to get infected by nasties like Feline Aids (FIV) which is transmitted through blood while fighting.
This also protects your kitty among a lot of other different diseases out there like Feline Leukemia. (FLV). It is also highly advisable to get him (or her) neutered. Unsprayed males will fight feisty for a female if she is in heat, which can leave both cats in tatters and spayed males can find themselves in the middle of something they don't understand if an unsprayed male get the wrong idea.
Cats fighting outside at night time can be quite of a shock, as sometimes they can sound close to a child shrieking or yelling, and it is definitely the last thing you want to hear when you’re trying to sleep at night! My ultimate way of getting rid of cats engaged in a fight is to turn the hose on them, as noises won't startle them hardly as they are concentrating too much on the other cat!
For indoor cats, obviously water all over the carpet is unwanted so I find usually placing a large object between the two which will cut of eye contact with both cats, if they are engaged in a fight, don't get in their way as cat bites can not only hurt, but are more likely to become infected than dog bites.
Use a chair and turn upside down and use the back of the chair and gently slide the chair between the cats, this will startle them and stop them from fighting. Give the cats 'time out' by placing one in a closed room for a short period of time.
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A good tell-tale sign if a cat is frightened, the hair will stand up all over the body and when the cat threatens or is ready to attack, you will see the hair stand up in a narrow band along the spine and tail to make him look bigger, and this is also a good time to get out that hose or chair!
With the average lifespan of an outdoor only cat if they are feral or un-feral, is only about three years! Which is why if you love your kitty and want him to have a healthy live, keep him indoors and he can live a whopping 16 years longer!
Not only will you benefit from keeping your kitty living longer indoors, it will save you expensive veterinarian bills for infected scratches, broken teeth, torn ears, and so on by these nasty one-on-ones.
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