By chad mcdonald
Face it, you like toys. So does your pet. That's because toys are a fun source of amusement for your pets when you're busy living the part of your life that doesn't involve leashes and plastic bowls with the name "Killer" across the side of it. Plus proper use of toys can keep your pet healthy (and you thought they were just good for making fun of Bower when he spins out chasing it across the linoleum). Toys put your pets in the habit of regular exercise as well as building a sense of enjoyment that will keep them young. After all, a playful pet is a healthy pet.
In fact, toys play a major and important role in emotional and mental development of your pet (they may not have the same effect for you, sorry). They offer a great solution for boredom, inappropriate chewing and anxiety (and you thought you had problems).
Now keep in mind that just like the multitude of mood swings your furry friend can have, there are a multitude of toys to choose from, but hey, variety is the spice of life, and don't worry, when it comes to picking the toy that's right for your pet you just need the right information from your pet. To start with, let's say your cat is touchy and demands a smorgasbord of play things, the message in those creepy green cat eyes is simple, buy cat toy. Dog owners don't worry because dog's always have the same idea on this as the cats and it's just as simple; buy dog toy.
So just where do you do that? You will find that smorgasbord of pet toys at any pet store, and they come in affordable prices. But before you walk in like a cat-eye hypnotized zombie chanting "buy cat toy" or "buy cat toy", put some thought into what to look for in a cat or dog toy (after all, let's be honest, you're going to play with it just as much as they are). Also, don't forget to buy dog toy while you're there.
So, to get you started here are a few tips to keep in mind while purchasing;
1. Try to buy a toy that matches your pet's size, not your size.
2. Make sure that there are no dangerous small pieces, as your pet could try to swallow it leading to choking, whereas if you tried to swallow it you just might feel really weird for the next three days.
3. Bones and sticks can splinter and cause choking and vomiting. Actually, they can even perforate your pet's mouth and throat (for those of you not in the know, perforating your throat is bad) so use non-splinter chew toys such as Nylabone Edible Bones, to allow your pet to gnaw with no fear.
4. Bells can be problematic for birds, besides just being really annoying. Use a treat dispensing roll toy instead, after all, food equals fun. On that note do not offer any leather toy (if not specially tanned), paint or any wood preservatives to your feathered friend for they can be toxic. So to recap, food equals fun, toxic equals not fun.
5. Cats often enjoy hiding out in plastic bags, and while you are unlikely to go to the pet store for the sole purpose of buying a plastic bag it is important to know because doing so can get their head stuck in it's handle, leading to choking and suffocation, so you're better off with a treat dispensing roll toy which will not choke or suffocate them.
6. When purchasing toys online, make sure to do a price comparison before ordering because many online shops will offer seasonal discounts that you can cash in on.
And lastly, make sure to supervise your pet while they play with their toy, this will minimize any accidents and then maybe later, if you ask nicely, they may even supervise you while you play with it too. Enjoy the toy.
About the author:
Submitted by Chad McDonald for the fun loving pet owner looking to buy a cat toy or searching online for buy cat toys information for themselves to play with, I mean the cat of course.
Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com
Understanding your cat
By Ric Wiley
My cat always talks to me, he always tells me things and not always by meowing. Sometimes he uses his body. Cats have body language just as humans have and I think theirs is much easier to understand.
First and foremost, verbal communication. I just wish I could understand Tigger fully, I wish I could talk to him. I can and do talk to him but its like talking to someone foreign. You don’t really know what they’re saying but you can usually understand what they mean. Its the same with my cat, I can understand him, but I don’t understand the meows.
I know when he wants food, I know when he’s content, I know when he’s angry and I know when he’s on edge or nervous as if something big is in the yard like a dog. He tells me, and I can understand.
I can also tell how he is by his body language. I know to look for the little things, the little signals he is giving me. It is about loving your cat so you understand him (or her).
I can tell when he is frightened, his ears are usually flat against his head and his eyes are wide open. I can tell his pupils are fully dilated which makes his eyes look almost black. His back is arched and his fur is puffed up. This is all to make him look bigger than he is to whatever is scaring him and is common with all domestic cats. His tail is usually swishing from side to side as well and the fur is puffed out on his tail.
It is a different story when he is relaxed and happy. His pupils will be normal sized and his eyes may be fully open or half closed if he is feeling sleepy. His ears are normal, pointing up and slightly forward and his tail will be curved down with the tip of his tail pointing slightly up. He is usually laid on me at this stage and his motor will be running at full blast, that’s what I call his purring, running his motor. I have read that this can be a sign of pain and cats will purr when they are in a lot of pain. My cat has once purred like this when he was hurt badly. I once couldn't coax him off the garage roof and when I got up there to see if he was OK he was purring yet he had a large piece of his skin torn back off one of his hind legs. He sure was glad to see me but boy must he have been in a lot of pain.
Don’t worry I sorted him out and took him to my local veterinarians. Cost me a fortune and I was told to take the dressing off in two days and take him back for the sutures out in a week. Within 3 hours of getting him home he had managed to get the dressing off and eat the sutures. He didn’t like them and wasn’t having them. Still he was fine in a couple of days.
About the author:
Ric Wiley is an established writer and Internet author. His latest site about his relationship with his cat, Tigger, can be found at http://www.love-your-cat.com
Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com
My cat always talks to me, he always tells me things and not always by meowing. Sometimes he uses his body. Cats have body language just as humans have and I think theirs is much easier to understand.
First and foremost, verbal communication. I just wish I could understand Tigger fully, I wish I could talk to him. I can and do talk to him but its like talking to someone foreign. You don’t really know what they’re saying but you can usually understand what they mean. Its the same with my cat, I can understand him, but I don’t understand the meows.
I know when he wants food, I know when he’s content, I know when he’s angry and I know when he’s on edge or nervous as if something big is in the yard like a dog. He tells me, and I can understand.
I can also tell how he is by his body language. I know to look for the little things, the little signals he is giving me. It is about loving your cat so you understand him (or her).
I can tell when he is frightened, his ears are usually flat against his head and his eyes are wide open. I can tell his pupils are fully dilated which makes his eyes look almost black. His back is arched and his fur is puffed up. This is all to make him look bigger than he is to whatever is scaring him and is common with all domestic cats. His tail is usually swishing from side to side as well and the fur is puffed out on his tail.
It is a different story when he is relaxed and happy. His pupils will be normal sized and his eyes may be fully open or half closed if he is feeling sleepy. His ears are normal, pointing up and slightly forward and his tail will be curved down with the tip of his tail pointing slightly up. He is usually laid on me at this stage and his motor will be running at full blast, that’s what I call his purring, running his motor. I have read that this can be a sign of pain and cats will purr when they are in a lot of pain. My cat has once purred like this when he was hurt badly. I once couldn't coax him off the garage roof and when I got up there to see if he was OK he was purring yet he had a large piece of his skin torn back off one of his hind legs. He sure was glad to see me but boy must he have been in a lot of pain.
Don’t worry I sorted him out and took him to my local veterinarians. Cost me a fortune and I was told to take the dressing off in two days and take him back for the sutures out in a week. Within 3 hours of getting him home he had managed to get the dressing off and eat the sutures. He didn’t like them and wasn’t having them. Still he was fine in a couple of days.
About the author:
Ric Wiley is an established writer and Internet author. His latest site about his relationship with his cat, Tigger, can be found at http://www.love-your-cat.com
Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com
Taking Care Of Your Pet Cat
By Michael Colucci
Before purchasing for yourself a Siamese cat or a rag doll as your pet, make sure that one, you’re not allergic to cats and secondly, your place of living allows house owners to have pets. If you have a problem with any of the two options, you might have to reconsider your decision to own a pet after all.
But if there’s no problem with any of those, here are our general tips to help you take good care of your pet cat.
There’s a reason why cats are said to have nine lives so if you’re planning to own a pet cat, be aware that the normal lifespan of a pet cat kept indoors could reach up to 17 years or so. If that’s okay with you then great, proceed with your purchase of a pet cat.
When you do finally own a pet cat, do keep in mind that your pet cat has to be neutered or spayed before he reaches maturity. This is a necessity if you don’t want your house to be reeking of your pet cat’s urine. The best possible time for spaying would be before your pet cat is seven to eight months old.
With pet cats, you must have dry food ready for their consumption at all times. Letting your pet cat live on a daily and regular canned food diet will only result to having a malnourished pet cat and surely you don’t want that? And although dogs can certainly consume and stay healthy with cat food, this is not a vice versa thing with pet cats.
With pet cats, a vaccination is necessary to prevent and minimize the chances of your pet cat experiencing respiratory problems later on. It’s better to have your pet cat vaccinated as early as possible. In fact, your pet kitten must be vaccinated several times just to make sure that your pet cat will experience the desired outcome.
Always check and feel your pet cat for scratches, burns, wounds and other things that could result to infection or pain for your pet cat. If your children are fond of playing with your pet cat, there could be times that they’ve left a rubber band around the neck of your pet cat for a long time, long enough to form a bruise.
And that’s the end of our article on pet cats. Hope you have fun with your pet cat!
About the author:
Michael Colucci is a writer for a cat training website at http://www.cat-training.knowledgesearch.net which is part of http://www.knowledgesearch.net
Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com
Before purchasing for yourself a Siamese cat or a rag doll as your pet, make sure that one, you’re not allergic to cats and secondly, your place of living allows house owners to have pets. If you have a problem with any of the two options, you might have to reconsider your decision to own a pet after all.
But if there’s no problem with any of those, here are our general tips to help you take good care of your pet cat.
There’s a reason why cats are said to have nine lives so if you’re planning to own a pet cat, be aware that the normal lifespan of a pet cat kept indoors could reach up to 17 years or so. If that’s okay with you then great, proceed with your purchase of a pet cat.
When you do finally own a pet cat, do keep in mind that your pet cat has to be neutered or spayed before he reaches maturity. This is a necessity if you don’t want your house to be reeking of your pet cat’s urine. The best possible time for spaying would be before your pet cat is seven to eight months old.
With pet cats, you must have dry food ready for their consumption at all times. Letting your pet cat live on a daily and regular canned food diet will only result to having a malnourished pet cat and surely you don’t want that? And although dogs can certainly consume and stay healthy with cat food, this is not a vice versa thing with pet cats.
With pet cats, a vaccination is necessary to prevent and minimize the chances of your pet cat experiencing respiratory problems later on. It’s better to have your pet cat vaccinated as early as possible. In fact, your pet kitten must be vaccinated several times just to make sure that your pet cat will experience the desired outcome.
Always check and feel your pet cat for scratches, burns, wounds and other things that could result to infection or pain for your pet cat. If your children are fond of playing with your pet cat, there could be times that they’ve left a rubber band around the neck of your pet cat for a long time, long enough to form a bruise.
And that’s the end of our article on pet cats. Hope you have fun with your pet cat!
About the author:
Michael Colucci is a writer for a cat training website at http://www.cat-training.knowledgesearch.net which is part of http://www.knowledgesearch.net
Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com
Cat First Aid and Emergency Care
By Dr. Hassany Ummar
Cat owners are sometimes faced with emergency situations involving
their cats without the presence or guidance of their
veterinarian. Animals can get sick or require first aid any
place at any time. If you as a cat owner have the knowledge of basic
pet first aid, then the care, treatment and prognosis for your pet will
improve significantly. The following is a list of guidelines you can
use when presented with an injured or ill pet.
Breathing Problems
Brain damage can occur if breathing is interrupted. It is not
recommended you waste valuable time performing artificial respiration
or CPR on your cat unless you are positive you can administer them
expertly to restore normal breathing and heartbeat. It is
much safer to seek immediate veterinary care.
Broken Bone
Never try to set a broken bone yourself. Control bleeding, if any, and
restrict your cat s movement while transporting her to the
veterinarian.
Choking
Open the cat s mouth by pressing on either side of her jaw to see if
the object is visible. Do not tilt the head backwards. Use
tweezers to remove obvious obstruction. You may use your
fingers also but be careful of being bitten. If the object is not
visible do not poke inside her mouth since this may cause the object to
become lodged further. Instead, hold the cat upside down and press
sharply on her chest with both hands. Even if you remove the object
your cat should be checked by the veterinarian for any damage
to the mouth or throat.
Electric Shock
Playful cats, especially kittens that are teething, may chew on
electrical cords and this can lead to electric shock.
Electric shock can produce burns on the tongue, palate, lip folds and
corners of the mouth. Your cat may salivate profusely or have
problems breathing. Never touch an animal that is touching an exposed
electrical wire. Turn off the current then use a dry stick to get your
cat away from the wire. Get veterinary help as soon as possible.
Eye Injury
For all eye injuries, take your cat to the veterinarian promptly. Do
not let your cat rub her eyes. Do not place medicine in your cat's
eyes, unless instructed by your veterinarian.
Frostbite
Your cat can suffer frostbite on her ears, feet and tail. Symptoms
include: pale, glossy skin which then reddens and becomes painful to
the touch. Immediately take your cat into a warm place. Thaw out
frostbitten areas slowly by applying, moist towels that are changed
frequently. Continue until areas become flushed. Check with the
veterinarian to the severity of the frostbite since it can result in
damage to the affected areas.
Get more:
http://cat-world.50webs.com
About the author:
Idham Effendi
email: chip_arm@yahoo.com
website: http://cat-world.50webs.com
Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com
Cat owners are sometimes faced with emergency situations involving
their cats without the presence or guidance of their
veterinarian. Animals can get sick or require first aid any
place at any time. If you as a cat owner have the knowledge of basic
pet first aid, then the care, treatment and prognosis for your pet will
improve significantly. The following is a list of guidelines you can
use when presented with an injured or ill pet.
Breathing Problems
Brain damage can occur if breathing is interrupted. It is not
recommended you waste valuable time performing artificial respiration
or CPR on your cat unless you are positive you can administer them
expertly to restore normal breathing and heartbeat. It is
much safer to seek immediate veterinary care.
Broken Bone
Never try to set a broken bone yourself. Control bleeding, if any, and
restrict your cat s movement while transporting her to the
veterinarian.
Choking
Open the cat s mouth by pressing on either side of her jaw to see if
the object is visible. Do not tilt the head backwards. Use
tweezers to remove obvious obstruction. You may use your
fingers also but be careful of being bitten. If the object is not
visible do not poke inside her mouth since this may cause the object to
become lodged further. Instead, hold the cat upside down and press
sharply on her chest with both hands. Even if you remove the object
your cat should be checked by the veterinarian for any damage
to the mouth or throat.
Electric Shock
Playful cats, especially kittens that are teething, may chew on
electrical cords and this can lead to electric shock.
Electric shock can produce burns on the tongue, palate, lip folds and
corners of the mouth. Your cat may salivate profusely or have
problems breathing. Never touch an animal that is touching an exposed
electrical wire. Turn off the current then use a dry stick to get your
cat away from the wire. Get veterinary help as soon as possible.
Eye Injury
For all eye injuries, take your cat to the veterinarian promptly. Do
not let your cat rub her eyes. Do not place medicine in your cat's
eyes, unless instructed by your veterinarian.
Frostbite
Your cat can suffer frostbite on her ears, feet and tail. Symptoms
include: pale, glossy skin which then reddens and becomes painful to
the touch. Immediately take your cat into a warm place. Thaw out
frostbitten areas slowly by applying, moist towels that are changed
frequently. Continue until areas become flushed. Check with the
veterinarian to the severity of the frostbite since it can result in
damage to the affected areas.
Get more:
http://cat-world.50webs.com
About the author:
Idham Effendi
email: chip_arm@yahoo.com
website: http://cat-world.50webs.com
Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com
Cleaning Cat Urine With A Blacklight
By Mike Taylor
Probably the worst smell ever is a skunk’s odor but not far behind has to be the smell of cat urine. My brother-in-law had a few cats and he didn’t keep their litter boxes clean so the cats urinated everywhere and when you walked into his place the stench of cat urine was overwhelming.
Thankfully most of us have better pet keeping habits than he did and keep our cat’s litter box clean and tidy but sometimes we face the problem of kitty peeing or spraying where they weren’t supposed to and we must clean up the urine.
Unfortunately, it is not simply a matter of cleaning up the cat urine and thinking you are done as there is a hidden part of cat urine that you cannot see with the naked eye.
Cats do not drink as much water as other animals and this makes their urine highly concentrated and very pungent smelling. And, cat urine is a very complicated substance made up of many bacteria strains. Some of these bacteria cause the putrid odor and some cause the stain that is almost always invisible.
If you clean cat urine with any typical household cleaning product you might think you have cleaned the urine up but in reality all you did was to clean the liquid part of the cat urine. The odor causing bacteria will still remain in the form of uric acid salts that bond to all surfaces and the smell will come back over and over. This is especially true if the area gets wet frequently as moisture will reactivate the urine crystals and this is why run of the mill household cleaners do not clean the smell but just spread it around even more.
In fact, cats for some reason like the smell of urine and will many times urinate in the same spot again and again while you try to figure out why they keep going in the same spot. Repeated cleaning really only worsens the problem as this tends to spread the stain even more.
The problem is caused by those uric acid salts mentioned earlier. They can’t be washed away with cleaners or soapy water because of the bonding action of the salts. To completely clean cat urine you need an enzyme based cat urine remover. The enzymes in the remover will eat the bacteria present in the salts and remove the cat urine odor completely.
The biggest issue you face in cleaning cat urine is finding the right spots to clean. That is why you need a fluorescent blacklight to show where the stains are. A blacklight in a darkened room will make any cat urine stains glow brightly so you will know where to apply the cat urine cleaner and you will be able to use the light to check afterwards to make sure you have thoroughly cleaned the urine spot.
You can buy a blacklight at stores like Spencer’s Gifts where they are sold for special lighting effects. A few cat urine cleaners will include a blacklight with the product which is a nice convenience.
Cleaning cat urine is something that can be done provided you use the right tools. A good quality commercial cat urine remover combined with a fluorescent blacklight will let you get rid of that cat urine smell once and for all.
About the author:
For more information on how to remove urine and cat spraying stains visit us at http://www.cat-urine-remover.com. We have great tips on how to select a cat urine remover.
Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com
Probably the worst smell ever is a skunk’s odor but not far behind has to be the smell of cat urine. My brother-in-law had a few cats and he didn’t keep their litter boxes clean so the cats urinated everywhere and when you walked into his place the stench of cat urine was overwhelming.
Thankfully most of us have better pet keeping habits than he did and keep our cat’s litter box clean and tidy but sometimes we face the problem of kitty peeing or spraying where they weren’t supposed to and we must clean up the urine.
Unfortunately, it is not simply a matter of cleaning up the cat urine and thinking you are done as there is a hidden part of cat urine that you cannot see with the naked eye.
Cats do not drink as much water as other animals and this makes their urine highly concentrated and very pungent smelling. And, cat urine is a very complicated substance made up of many bacteria strains. Some of these bacteria cause the putrid odor and some cause the stain that is almost always invisible.
If you clean cat urine with any typical household cleaning product you might think you have cleaned the urine up but in reality all you did was to clean the liquid part of the cat urine. The odor causing bacteria will still remain in the form of uric acid salts that bond to all surfaces and the smell will come back over and over. This is especially true if the area gets wet frequently as moisture will reactivate the urine crystals and this is why run of the mill household cleaners do not clean the smell but just spread it around even more.
In fact, cats for some reason like the smell of urine and will many times urinate in the same spot again and again while you try to figure out why they keep going in the same spot. Repeated cleaning really only worsens the problem as this tends to spread the stain even more.
The problem is caused by those uric acid salts mentioned earlier. They can’t be washed away with cleaners or soapy water because of the bonding action of the salts. To completely clean cat urine you need an enzyme based cat urine remover. The enzymes in the remover will eat the bacteria present in the salts and remove the cat urine odor completely.
The biggest issue you face in cleaning cat urine is finding the right spots to clean. That is why you need a fluorescent blacklight to show where the stains are. A blacklight in a darkened room will make any cat urine stains glow brightly so you will know where to apply the cat urine cleaner and you will be able to use the light to check afterwards to make sure you have thoroughly cleaned the urine spot.
You can buy a blacklight at stores like Spencer’s Gifts where they are sold for special lighting effects. A few cat urine cleaners will include a blacklight with the product which is a nice convenience.
Cleaning cat urine is something that can be done provided you use the right tools. A good quality commercial cat urine remover combined with a fluorescent blacklight will let you get rid of that cat urine smell once and for all.
About the author:
For more information on how to remove urine and cat spraying stains visit us at http://www.cat-urine-remover.com. We have great tips on how to select a cat urine remover.
Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com