Author: Jayne Masham
Many people assume that an old sick cat automatically has kidney disease. This is incorrect, and my own cat (Prada's predecessor!) Humpy was living proof of it. A young cat, Humpy developed the symptoms early, and the cause was probably an inferior diet in the 2 years before he took charge of me.
In case you aren't sure why kidneys are important, they are basically the waste disposal systems of cat bodies. They eliminate toxins from the blood and also filter out waste products from the food your cat eats.
The higher quality the food your cat gets, the less work the kidneys have to do, and the less likely there will be problems. This is why I feed Prada nothing but the best. There are many symptoms to watch out for - they include constant scratching, tiredness, constant drinking and going to the kitty litter tray. Note that none of these symptoms is definitive - it could be something else, so don't panic if your cat suddenly gets an itch!
The safest way to determine how well your cat's kidneys are functioning is a BUN test (blood, urea, nitrogen concentration) together with a urine test, and only your vet can do this for you. Once a year is best because the earlier you catch a problem, the easier it is to fix. But what's better than fixing a problem? Preventing it! Here are my top tips for preventing kidney disease and keeping Prada fit as a fiddle.
1) Only feed your cat high biological value protein food. Twice daily is best.
2) A fat cat is an unfit cat. Exercise before food!
3) Give her dietary supplements - crushed garlic that contains potassium is good, as are B vitamins.
4) Plenty of fresh water. Change the water in the bowl regularly.
These tips are helping keep Prada fit and heathy - don't you owe your cat the same? She'd look after YOU if things were reversed!
Please feel free to show your appreciation for my little essay by voting for Prada here - http://www.petmillions.com/vote.asp?vote=3140. If she wins, you can be sure plenty of winnings will find their way back to rescue cats!
About The Author
Ms Jayne Marsham is the carer for Prada, a beautiful rescue cat entered in the petmillions Grand Prize Draw. You can vote for Prada at http://www.petmillions.com/vote.asp?vote=3140
What to do With a Finicky Cat
Author: Laurie Buckley
In theory, no cat owner should have a finicky cat - as most cats, if they are hungry enough will eat whatever is put in front of them. But as every cat owner knows, cats can be notoriously finicky and if a cat won’t eat, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it is sick.
If your cat is finicky, there may be other reasons than the actual food. A cat may actually have trouble eating from a bowl that is too small or too light. And some cats don’t like where their food bowl is placed – try simply changing its location.
If you have other cats or pets, a finicky cat may be intimidated by other animals. A cat may find it difficult to eat from a bowl placed near a dog’s bed, near a noisy appliance or near a busy area of the house. Many dogs will instinctively try to eat cat food when it is placed down.
And consider how long a bowl of cat food has been left out – food left out overnight or in hot weather may be unappetizing to your cat. And cats – even indoor cats - tend to eat less in warm weather.
If you are changing the type of food your cat eats, one effective method is to gradually mix in the new food with the old over a period of several days. On the first day, the serving should consist of ¾ old food and ¼ new food, on the nest day ½ and ½ and so on, until it consists of entirely new food.
If your cat’s diet consists of mostly dry cat food, try giving it a treat of canned cat food occasionally, or add a little broth to its food. Some older cats or cats with sore gums or teeth can find dry food difficult to chew.
Variety really is the spice of life – even for cats. A finicky cat may simply just be bored if it is eating the same flavor of food all the time. To prevent your cat from becoming a finicky eater, try to vary the flavors and varieties of food – ideally, starting when your cat is a kitten.
About The Author
Laurie Buckley is a long time pet lover and owner. Find more articles and resources about cats at http://www.4yourcatshealth.com.
Work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/.
In theory, no cat owner should have a finicky cat - as most cats, if they are hungry enough will eat whatever is put in front of them. But as every cat owner knows, cats can be notoriously finicky and if a cat won’t eat, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it is sick.
If your cat is finicky, there may be other reasons than the actual food. A cat may actually have trouble eating from a bowl that is too small or too light. And some cats don’t like where their food bowl is placed – try simply changing its location.
If you have other cats or pets, a finicky cat may be intimidated by other animals. A cat may find it difficult to eat from a bowl placed near a dog’s bed, near a noisy appliance or near a busy area of the house. Many dogs will instinctively try to eat cat food when it is placed down.
And consider how long a bowl of cat food has been left out – food left out overnight or in hot weather may be unappetizing to your cat. And cats – even indoor cats - tend to eat less in warm weather.
If you are changing the type of food your cat eats, one effective method is to gradually mix in the new food with the old over a period of several days. On the first day, the serving should consist of ¾ old food and ¼ new food, on the nest day ½ and ½ and so on, until it consists of entirely new food.
If your cat’s diet consists of mostly dry cat food, try giving it a treat of canned cat food occasionally, or add a little broth to its food. Some older cats or cats with sore gums or teeth can find dry food difficult to chew.
Variety really is the spice of life – even for cats. A finicky cat may simply just be bored if it is eating the same flavor of food all the time. To prevent your cat from becoming a finicky eater, try to vary the flavors and varieties of food – ideally, starting when your cat is a kitten.
About The Author
Laurie Buckley is a long time pet lover and owner. Find more articles and resources about cats at http://www.4yourcatshealth.com.
Work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/.
Cat litterbox training – How to encourage faithful litterbox use
by: Liz Barton
Cats don't necessarily need to be trained to use the litter box the same way a dog needs to be housetrained or a child potty trained. It's actually a natural born instinct for them to want to bury their waste in a soft, diggable material such as litter.
So most of the litter training is already done for you! However, the litterbox should always be the best bathroom option available – otherwise you can run into problems.
But let's start at the beginning.
Just because a cat naturally is driven to use the litterbox, that doesn't necessarily mean you can't litterbox train a stubborn cat or encourage appropriate elimination behavior. Whether dealing with a young kitten who hasn't learned any bathroom habits, or an older cat who's decided to stop using the litterbox – there are certainly things you can do to encourage faithful litterbox use.
The first thing I would do, especially when dealing with a kitten, is to have scheduled feeding times throughout the day. (this way, you will know when your kitten/cat is going to need to go to potty)
It's much easier to predict when a kitten is going to start looking for a place to go potty, because they typically need to go anywhere from 5 - 25 minutes after eating. With an older cat, bathroom time will be harder to predict but through careful and persistent observation you will be able to pick up on a pattern.
A young cat (4 months and younger) should eat 3-4 times a day. 5-15 minutes after your kitten is done eating, gently place him or her in the litter box.
If you see the kitten showing signs of wanting to go elsewhere (sniffing around, squatting) gently pick the kitten up and place him/her in the litter box. Yelling at or scolding a cat or kitten for inappropriate elimination will not help. In fact, it will simply make your cat fear you.
What's more, if you scold your cat or kitten and then put them in the litterbox – this only worsens the problem as the cat starts to view the litterbox as a punishment.
This may also cause them to be afraid of going potty in front of you – which can lead to anxiety and stress, and also be a huge problem. So make sure you always make it a pleasant and happy experience for your cat or kitten to use the litter box.
During the early stages of training, I'd suggest rewarding appropriate litterbox use with loads of praise and a delicious treat.
On top of that, make sure the litterbox fits the cat.
What I mean by that is, a small kitten needs a shallow litterbox with short sides that he or she can actually climb into without help.
While at the same time, a large cat will get frustrated by a litterbox that isn't big enough to scratch, dig and move around in.
If you keep finding kitty surprises right next to the litterbox rather than inside it, your cat may actually be going potty inside the litterbox, but the waste doesn't land where it's supposed to because there isn't enough room.
If you are still struggling with litterbox training your cat after following these suggestions, I'd like to invite you to visit www.secretsofcats.com to get more information about solving common cat behavior problems.
About The Author
This article was written by cat expert Liz Barton, writer for the regular cat e-newsletter Secrets of Cats and author of Cat Secrets Revealed.
If you're even remotely interested in getting more information about cat training, behavior, grooming, health or care.....visit http://www.secretsofcats.com today to sign up for the free newsletter and free 6-day cat training e-course.
Cats don't necessarily need to be trained to use the litter box the same way a dog needs to be housetrained or a child potty trained. It's actually a natural born instinct for them to want to bury their waste in a soft, diggable material such as litter.
So most of the litter training is already done for you! However, the litterbox should always be the best bathroom option available – otherwise you can run into problems.
But let's start at the beginning.
Just because a cat naturally is driven to use the litterbox, that doesn't necessarily mean you can't litterbox train a stubborn cat or encourage appropriate elimination behavior. Whether dealing with a young kitten who hasn't learned any bathroom habits, or an older cat who's decided to stop using the litterbox – there are certainly things you can do to encourage faithful litterbox use.
The first thing I would do, especially when dealing with a kitten, is to have scheduled feeding times throughout the day. (this way, you will know when your kitten/cat is going to need to go to potty)
It's much easier to predict when a kitten is going to start looking for a place to go potty, because they typically need to go anywhere from 5 - 25 minutes after eating. With an older cat, bathroom time will be harder to predict but through careful and persistent observation you will be able to pick up on a pattern.
A young cat (4 months and younger) should eat 3-4 times a day. 5-15 minutes after your kitten is done eating, gently place him or her in the litter box.
If you see the kitten showing signs of wanting to go elsewhere (sniffing around, squatting) gently pick the kitten up and place him/her in the litter box. Yelling at or scolding a cat or kitten for inappropriate elimination will not help. In fact, it will simply make your cat fear you.
What's more, if you scold your cat or kitten and then put them in the litterbox – this only worsens the problem as the cat starts to view the litterbox as a punishment.
This may also cause them to be afraid of going potty in front of you – which can lead to anxiety and stress, and also be a huge problem. So make sure you always make it a pleasant and happy experience for your cat or kitten to use the litter box.
During the early stages of training, I'd suggest rewarding appropriate litterbox use with loads of praise and a delicious treat.
On top of that, make sure the litterbox fits the cat.
What I mean by that is, a small kitten needs a shallow litterbox with short sides that he or she can actually climb into without help.
While at the same time, a large cat will get frustrated by a litterbox that isn't big enough to scratch, dig and move around in.
If you keep finding kitty surprises right next to the litterbox rather than inside it, your cat may actually be going potty inside the litterbox, but the waste doesn't land where it's supposed to because there isn't enough room.
If you are still struggling with litterbox training your cat after following these suggestions, I'd like to invite you to visit www.secretsofcats.com to get more information about solving common cat behavior problems.
About The Author
This article was written by cat expert Liz Barton, writer for the regular cat e-newsletter Secrets of Cats and author of Cat Secrets Revealed.
If you're even remotely interested in getting more information about cat training, behavior, grooming, health or care.....visit http://www.secretsofcats.com today to sign up for the free newsletter and free 6-day cat training e-course.
9 Reasons for Adopting a Senior Cat – and 6 Reasons for Not Adopting a Kitten
by: John Young
He leaped out of the cage and grabbed me around the shoulders. My shock quickly turned into amazement. He hadn't sunk his claws into me! My thought was, "This cat definitely knows good manners. Somebody has worked with him." I looked at the ticket on the cage door. It read, "Morgan, male, age 14."
Age 14? I hesitated. That was pretty old. I put him back in the cage and walked around the shelter, looking the other cats over. There were many nice ones, as well as a few kittens.
But my mind kept going back to Morgan, and I realized that, in fact, I had bonded with him. Fourteen years notwithstanding, we had become buddies.
THE PLIGHT OF THE SENIOR CAT
One of the saddest things you'll see in Animal Shelters is the number of older cats waiting for adoption. By and large, people are looking for kittens.
The older cats languish, many from happy homes where they were loved and cared for, but brought into the shelter for some reason known only to the owner and the cat.
Many people, who don't like older cats, like kittens. Kittens are cute, cuddly, and funny. They make pleasing pets – but lose their "playfulness" when they grow up, and with it the "love" of their owners.
Somebody said that the mark of a true cat lover is to desire to have grown cats over kittens.
A KITTEN ISN'T ALWAYS WHERE IT'S AT
Many people don't think through the consequences of adopting a kitten, or of taking one or two kittens from the litter a friend is trying to get rid of, or bringing into your home one left on your doorstep.
Here are a few questions you should ask yourself before you adopt a kitten:
1. Taking care of themselves. Kittens are pretty marginal in being able to take care of themselves, especially when it comes to using a litter box. Do you have time to house train your kitten?
2. Young children. Do you have young children in the house? A child of 2 or 3 may inadvertently kill a kitten. Older children need to be taught how to play with them and need to be closely supervised.
3. Other pets. Are you bringing a kitten home to a household with other, older pets? Make certain you have the time to spend introducing and acclimating your pets to the kitten (and vice versa)
4. House dangers. Is there anything dangerous in your house that could harm a kitten? If you are not home during the day, have you made sure your kitten is safe while unsupervised?
5. Adoptions other than from an animal shelter. .If you are adopting a kitten from a friend, or taking one from a mother cat's litter, are you prepared to neuter or spay the kitten and give her the vaccinations she needs?
6. Vaccinations. A kitten receives all of her vaccinations over a period of time. You should make sure you have the time and interest to get her the full regimen.
ADOPTING THE SENIOR CAT
Somebody said cats are like shoes: one size doesn't fit all. Still there are some arguably general reasons for adopting a mature cat over a kitten:
1. An older cat is easier to take care of. In fact, to a great extent, an older cat pretty much can take care of itself. Great for the working person who can't be home during the day.
2. Older cats are generally calmer than younger ones, and adapt more easily to a new environment.
3. Older cats usually come with their vaccinations and spaying or neutering. A kitten, even adopted from a shelter will need a series of vaccinations.
4. Older cats are better with small children than a kitten is. Better to get an older animal that can defend itself.
5. Older cats are usually housebroken. You'll have to train a kitten.
6. Older cats can feed and take care of themselves whereas a kitten may need your help – not good for a busy working person.
7. An older cat can "hold its own" against the other family pets (like the dog) better than a kitten can. Unless you're there to defend it, certain life situations aren't good for a new kitten.
8. Older cats can better handle a move if you relocate your household. The only thing you have to make sure of is that your cat recognizes your new location as "its den" and doesn't try to return to your old place.
9. And finally – older cats catch mice. In these days of smarter mice that avoid all known mousetraps, a mature cat can be invaluable.
THE JOY OF OWNING A SENIOR CAT
Well, his name was "Morgan", but I renamed him "Tab" because he had the typical marks of a Tabby. Tab and I eventually learned to respect each other, and he – although a tough old alley cat – eventually enjoyed sitting in my lap having his battered ears stroked.
He lived five more years, and died at the ripe age of 19. During that time he was my companion during two years of unemployment, providing plenty of understanding, comfort, and love.
One day he definitely "earned his keep". I found a dead rat in the living room, its neck bitten almost in half. The rat was almost as big as Tab was, but he'd wrestled it down and killed it.
So much for adopting kittens. I'd rather take a tough old alley cat any day of the week.
About The Author
John Young is a writer and a cat lover, having owned one cat or another since he was four, and that was over 57 years ago. He is the author of the E-book: "Your New Cat's First 24 Hours", available on-line at: http://www.yourcatsecrets.com
He also has a free newsletter: "Your Cat's 9 Secrets" which you can subscribe to from his Web site.
He leaped out of the cage and grabbed me around the shoulders. My shock quickly turned into amazement. He hadn't sunk his claws into me! My thought was, "This cat definitely knows good manners. Somebody has worked with him." I looked at the ticket on the cage door. It read, "Morgan, male, age 14."
Age 14? I hesitated. That was pretty old. I put him back in the cage and walked around the shelter, looking the other cats over. There were many nice ones, as well as a few kittens.
But my mind kept going back to Morgan, and I realized that, in fact, I had bonded with him. Fourteen years notwithstanding, we had become buddies.
THE PLIGHT OF THE SENIOR CAT
One of the saddest things you'll see in Animal Shelters is the number of older cats waiting for adoption. By and large, people are looking for kittens.
The older cats languish, many from happy homes where they were loved and cared for, but brought into the shelter for some reason known only to the owner and the cat.
Many people, who don't like older cats, like kittens. Kittens are cute, cuddly, and funny. They make pleasing pets – but lose their "playfulness" when they grow up, and with it the "love" of their owners.
Somebody said that the mark of a true cat lover is to desire to have grown cats over kittens.
A KITTEN ISN'T ALWAYS WHERE IT'S AT
Many people don't think through the consequences of adopting a kitten, or of taking one or two kittens from the litter a friend is trying to get rid of, or bringing into your home one left on your doorstep.
Here are a few questions you should ask yourself before you adopt a kitten:
1. Taking care of themselves. Kittens are pretty marginal in being able to take care of themselves, especially when it comes to using a litter box. Do you have time to house train your kitten?
2. Young children. Do you have young children in the house? A child of 2 or 3 may inadvertently kill a kitten. Older children need to be taught how to play with them and need to be closely supervised.
3. Other pets. Are you bringing a kitten home to a household with other, older pets? Make certain you have the time to spend introducing and acclimating your pets to the kitten (and vice versa)
4. House dangers. Is there anything dangerous in your house that could harm a kitten? If you are not home during the day, have you made sure your kitten is safe while unsupervised?
5. Adoptions other than from an animal shelter. .If you are adopting a kitten from a friend, or taking one from a mother cat's litter, are you prepared to neuter or spay the kitten and give her the vaccinations she needs?
6. Vaccinations. A kitten receives all of her vaccinations over a period of time. You should make sure you have the time and interest to get her the full regimen.
ADOPTING THE SENIOR CAT
Somebody said cats are like shoes: one size doesn't fit all. Still there are some arguably general reasons for adopting a mature cat over a kitten:
1. An older cat is easier to take care of. In fact, to a great extent, an older cat pretty much can take care of itself. Great for the working person who can't be home during the day.
2. Older cats are generally calmer than younger ones, and adapt more easily to a new environment.
3. Older cats usually come with their vaccinations and spaying or neutering. A kitten, even adopted from a shelter will need a series of vaccinations.
4. Older cats are better with small children than a kitten is. Better to get an older animal that can defend itself.
5. Older cats are usually housebroken. You'll have to train a kitten.
6. Older cats can feed and take care of themselves whereas a kitten may need your help – not good for a busy working person.
7. An older cat can "hold its own" against the other family pets (like the dog) better than a kitten can. Unless you're there to defend it, certain life situations aren't good for a new kitten.
8. Older cats can better handle a move if you relocate your household. The only thing you have to make sure of is that your cat recognizes your new location as "its den" and doesn't try to return to your old place.
9. And finally – older cats catch mice. In these days of smarter mice that avoid all known mousetraps, a mature cat can be invaluable.
THE JOY OF OWNING A SENIOR CAT
Well, his name was "Morgan", but I renamed him "Tab" because he had the typical marks of a Tabby. Tab and I eventually learned to respect each other, and he – although a tough old alley cat – eventually enjoyed sitting in my lap having his battered ears stroked.
He lived five more years, and died at the ripe age of 19. During that time he was my companion during two years of unemployment, providing plenty of understanding, comfort, and love.
One day he definitely "earned his keep". I found a dead rat in the living room, its neck bitten almost in half. The rat was almost as big as Tab was, but he'd wrestled it down and killed it.
So much for adopting kittens. I'd rather take a tough old alley cat any day of the week.
About The Author
John Young is a writer and a cat lover, having owned one cat or another since he was four, and that was over 57 years ago. He is the author of the E-book: "Your New Cat's First 24 Hours", available on-line at: http://www.yourcatsecrets.com
He also has a free newsletter: "Your Cat's 9 Secrets" which you can subscribe to from his Web site.
How To Prevent And Get Rid Of Cat Urine Odor And Stains
Author: Anita Hampton
1. Probing and understanding the nature of the problem, behavior, symptoms and aftermath (stains and smells), are all critical for solving the puzzle and coming up with solutions that will work and last.
One of the key questions you have to ask yourself, is what is causing your cat to stop using the litter box? Typically, there is only one reason and a matching PURRRFECT solution for this. It is up to us to find out what exactly it is.
2. There are lots of causal factors to consider. Behavior, instinct, medical conditions or environmental factors, even stress, change, recovery from surgery, a new addition to the family, could all interplay and effect litter-box, elimination and related challenges.
3. REMEMBER ALWAYS that your cat is not doing this to punish or upset you, there is a reason for the behavior and part of this book will focus on how to figure out this intriguing mystery, to know and decide how best to deal with it.
Throughout this mini-ecourse, you will gain some initial insights and understanding on the intricacies and complexities of dealing with your feline’s ‘bad’ elimination all over your house! These notes will help you stack the odds in your favor when you set out on getting rid of smells and stains.
Make it a priority to learn as much as you can about the scope of the problem, products and treatment strategies, mixes and fixes for coping effectively with the cat urine difficulties in and around your home. Find your solutions and answers in the treasured pages of this ebook. Order today, while it is still available at a special, limited time and deeply discounted price.
Again, thank you for signing up for this mini-ecourse and I hope this installment has been informative for you! Your next installment will arrive shortly.
Sincerely,
Author of CAT URINE ALERT!
http://www.eliminatecatodour.com
About The Author
Anita Hampton a cat lover and owner for many years and author of award winning book 'Cat Urine Alert' http://www.eliminatecatodour.com.
1. Probing and understanding the nature of the problem, behavior, symptoms and aftermath (stains and smells), are all critical for solving the puzzle and coming up with solutions that will work and last.
One of the key questions you have to ask yourself, is what is causing your cat to stop using the litter box? Typically, there is only one reason and a matching PURRRFECT solution for this. It is up to us to find out what exactly it is.
2. There are lots of causal factors to consider. Behavior, instinct, medical conditions or environmental factors, even stress, change, recovery from surgery, a new addition to the family, could all interplay and effect litter-box, elimination and related challenges.
3. REMEMBER ALWAYS that your cat is not doing this to punish or upset you, there is a reason for the behavior and part of this book will focus on how to figure out this intriguing mystery, to know and decide how best to deal with it.
Throughout this mini-ecourse, you will gain some initial insights and understanding on the intricacies and complexities of dealing with your feline’s ‘bad’ elimination all over your house! These notes will help you stack the odds in your favor when you set out on getting rid of smells and stains.
Make it a priority to learn as much as you can about the scope of the problem, products and treatment strategies, mixes and fixes for coping effectively with the cat urine difficulties in and around your home. Find your solutions and answers in the treasured pages of this ebook. Order today, while it is still available at a special, limited time and deeply discounted price.
Again, thank you for signing up for this mini-ecourse and I hope this installment has been informative for you! Your next installment will arrive shortly.
Sincerely,
Author of CAT URINE ALERT!
http://www.eliminatecatodour.com
About The Author
Anita Hampton a cat lover and owner for many years and author of award winning book 'Cat Urine Alert' http://www.eliminatecatodour.com.