How To Bathe A Cat - A Step-By-Step Guide

by Rona
Is Bathing Your Cat An Ordeal For You? Try this step-by-step guide to reduce the stress on you and your cat.
Many cat owners can identify with the ordeal they have to face each time they need to bathe their cat. Generally, if cats are rarely bathed, they will become easily frightened and try all means to escape while you try to bathe them. It's quite common for cat owners to get cat scratches during a cat bath!

If you start bathing your kitten when he is about 12 to 16 weeks old and then once every 3 to 4 months, he will become used to the routine and will not resist badly when you try to bathe him.

For adult cats who rarely get bathed, bathtime can be an ordeal for both cat and owner. To reduce this ordeal to some degree, being prepared and having someone to assist you will help a lot.

Here are the items you should have ready before you start:

- Nail clippers
- Cat brush
- Non-slip metal or stiff plastic screen for cat to stand on
- Mineral oil or eye ointment
- Cotton balls
- Two washcloths
- A few large towels
- Cat-safe shampoo
- Coat conditioner

HERE'S A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE ON HOW TO BATHE YOUR CAT

Decide Where You Want to Bathe Your Cat - The bathtub, bathroom sink or kitchen sink are all suitable, but you must have a spray attachment at whichever choice you select. If you don't want to have to lean over while bathing your cat, the kitchen sink will be a better choice.

Close Off and Clear The Area - If possible, close all doors and openings so that your cat doesn't run out if he should panic. Clear all breakable items in the area as a panicked cat can easily run over your stuff and break them.

Set Your Attitude and Mindset - The key to reducing stress to your cat (and yourself) during bathtime is to be patient, sympathetic and be loving to your cat. Impatience and an angry tone is only going to make your cat more frightened and he will react accordingly.

Allocate more time when you bathe your cat so that you don't find yourself frustrated trying to handle your cat and rushing for a deadline at the same time.

Oh, and another thing, be prepared to get very wet!

Trim Claws - Gently clip his claws. This will help to reduce scratches on you if he should panic.

Brush Fur - Gently brush his fur to remove as much loose fur as possible.

Protect The Eyes - Place 1 or 2 drops of mineral oil or eye ointment in each of your cat's eyes. This will prevent any chemical irritation if shampoo should get into the eyes.

Protect The Ear Canal - Place a cotton ball in each ear to prevent water from entering his ear canal.

Place The Non-Slip Screen into your bathtub or sink and then gently carry your cat and place him on the screen.

Wet the Fur - Turn on the water slowly and let it run until the water is warm (not hot). Hold the sprayer very close to your cat's skin so that the water doesn't spray all over him and make him frightened.

If someone is helping you, he/she can hold up the front legs while you wet the fur on the stomach and between the legs.

Apply Shampoo & Rinse - Ensure that your cat's fur is sufficiently wet before shampooing, so that the shampoo can lather easily. Start lathering from the neck and work backwards towards the tail.

To wash your cat's face, wet a washcloth and add a tiny amount of shampoo. Gently wipe all over the face, avoiding the eye area. To wash the eye area, wet a cotton ball with clean water and gently wipe around the eye area. To rinse off the lather on the face, wet another clean washcloth and gently wipe off the lather.

Make sure to rinse and remove all traces of shampoo from your cat's body and face. Shampoo residue will cause irritation and itching.

If your cat is extremely dirty, you may have to shampoo it and rinse again.

Apply Coat Conditioner & Rinse - Coat conditioner is especially recommended for long-haired cats. It conditions the hair and makes brushing the hair smoother. Rinse thoroughly. The coat should feel squeaky clean and not slick or slippery after rinsing.

Drying Off - Run your hands down the back, legs and tail to remove excess water. Use a large towel to scoop your cat up, leaving only the head outside the towel. Place on a cabinet or table and gently towel dry.

Grab another clean dry towel, wrap him up with it and hold him. Hold him this way until he warms up. This also helps to calm the cat down.

If you are running out of time and would like to use the hair dryer, set it to a low or cool setting. If you set it to high and hot, your cat will become very frightened. Make sure not to point the hair dryer at his face and always hold the hair dryer at least 1 foot away from its coat.

Brush The Hair - When the hair is mostly dry, you can start to gently brush the hair.

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About the Author
For more information on taking care of your cat, visit http://www.My-Pet-Cat.com

Cats and children does it fit?

by Guido
These are things you have to remember when having children and cats at home. Try to avoid any unwanted accidents or injuries by helping your child with the right treatment of a cat.
Cats are know to give various benefits to their owners but does this also apply to children? Yes it does providing you introduce your child to the right behavior towards pets. Cats can help to increase the wellness of your child. It is no problem to have a child with a cat but you need to make sure your child know the right behavior towards a cat. Your child doesn't know how to treat a cat, he or she must learn it first.

It is important that your child learns to develop respect for pets and animals in general. If this is provided your child can have a lot of fun growing up with a pet cat. You can buy a a cat as a gift for your child, for example on Christmas or on his/her birthday. Such a special gift will certainly make your child happy.

When you are looking for ways on how to bring out the best between your child and the pet, this article might be helpful.

• Be aware that children do not know how to treat animals the right way, they have to learn it first. Show to your child the proper way of handling and treating cats. Make sure your child does not hurt the cat, otherwise your child will probably get hurt back by the cat. It is very important that your child knows what he or she can do with a cat and what better not to do.

• Explain to your child why a cat acts in a certain way so that he or she understands how to treat a cat. Especially when it's your child's first time with a pet you need to be a guide.

• If you tell your child some facts about cats he or she can better understand why a cat acts like it does. Your child will learn the important things that he or she needs to know while playing with a cat or petting a cat.

• Make sure your child does not play to rough with the cat, this could end in a hurting child and / or cat. Cats may use their paws and your child could get hurt. Show your child how to use certain cat toys rather than using his or her bare hands.

• Let your child know that cats need a lot of sleep and that they sometimes not want to be bothered.

• Remind your child the importance of not letting the cats stay inside homes. To keep their pets safe, it is a must that your child learns how to protect the cat from any untoward incident.

These are things you have to remember when having children and cats at home. Try to avoid any unwanted accidents or injuries by helping your child with the right treatment of a cat.



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About the Author
Guido Nussbaum, a 28 year old cat-friend from Germany. My website deals with cat urine eliminator cat urine cleaning products and cats in general. You are allowed to reprint this article including this footer.

Why Cat's Claw May Be One Of Nature's Most Powerful Healers2

By: Steve Smith
The many potential benefits of cat's claw make it a hugely exciting prospect for advocates of herbal remedies. But there is an important caveat in that most of the research so far has been conducted in the laboratory rather than on live human subjects. Against that, however, must be set the many centuries of use of the herb amongst older civilisations.

Orthodox medicine, moreover, is always keen to stress, quite correctly, that the mere fact that a remedy is described as "natural" or "herbal" does not mean it is necessarily free of potential side effects. Herbal remedies, after all, often provide the raw materials for the manufacture of conventional drugs, and are highly active biochemical compounds in their own right. They could not be of any benefit if they were not.

But in the case of cat's claw the only contraindications for its use appear to for pregnant women and those suffering from disorders of the immune system. For all others, the herb appears to be completely safe, although very rare cases of minor gastric upsets and headaches have been reported.

The inner bark of the plant is the source of cat's claw's active alkaloid compounds, but the bark itself is indigestible and poorly absorbed, if at all, by the human digestive system. Fortunately, however, cat's claw is now readily available in the form of easily absorbed teas, tinctures and capsules, but it's probably best to start with low doses to ensure freedom from any possible side effects. And as recommended therapeutic doses vary between 750 and 3,000 mg per day, it's always worth talking things over with your physician or a reputable herbal practitioner before beginning any program of supplementation. But the potential benefits of cat's claw appear so promising that this is not a herb you should ignore.

Steve Smith is a freelance copywriter specialising in direct marketing and with a particular interest in health products. Find out more at http://www.sisyphuspublicationsonline.com/LiquidNutrition/Information.htm

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Why Cat's Claw May Be One Of Nature's Most Powerful Healers1

By Steve Smith
Cat's claw, known as una de gato in Spanish, is a herb derived from a vine-type plant which grows widely in the countries of Central and South America, and is particularly common in the Amazon rainforests and Peru. So vast and botanically rich are the wilds of the Amazon rain forest that many herbal practitioners still look to it as a potential source of powerful, but as yet undiscovered, herbal remedies. Although this hope might seem to some like wishful thinking, the example of cat's claw suggests that it may not be entirely fanciful; because although the herb has only very recently become known in the West, it has been used as health tonic and treatment by the indigenous peoples of the region for many centuries. But the claims made for the benefits of cat's claw need to be treated with some caution, because there are those who would have you regard it as something akin to a miracle herb or universal panacea; and orthodox medicine, as always, is rightly sceptical of the wilder claims of the herbal or "natural" remedy lobby.

Rendered into liquid form, however, extracts of cat's claw have been found to have potent adaptogenic, anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties, and these are therefore used by herbal therapists to tackle a wide variety of common ailments. The anti-inflammatory qualities of the herb indicate potential benefits in the treatment of arthritis, rheumatism and bursitis; as well as digestive problems and ulcers, whilst as an adaptogen and anti-oxidant cat's claw is believed to boost the immune system, lower blood pressure and cholesterol and even help in the fight against cancer.

Serious research into the benefits of cat's claw has been underway in Europe since the 1970s, and although, as noted above, conventional medicine remains reluctant to confirm the herb's therapeutic value, the fact that cat's claw is only available on prescription in certain countries is a clear indication of its biochemical potency. Cat's claw's power as an immune system booster appears to be related to unique properties in the alkaloids derived from it, certain of which appear directly to enhance the ability of the body's white blood cells to destroy potentially harmful foreign matter. These alkaloids also seem to stimulate the production of the vital T4 lymphocyte and leucocyte immune system cells which are crucial in fighting viral infections.

One particular such alkaloid, rynchophylline, is also believed to be of great benefit to the cardio-vascular system in preventing blood "stickiness", or the potentially catastrophic formation of clots in circulating blood in the heart and brain. Like other anti-oxidants, cat's claw may also help to prevent the oxidation of low density lipids (LDL), or "bad cholesterol", and the consequent build up of deposits inside the arteries leading to atherosclerosis. Recent research also suggests that the anti-oxidant action of cat's claw may also help to prevent the deposit of the plaques within brain tissue which are implicated in the development of Alzheimer's disease.

Steve Smith is a freelance copywriter specialising in direct marketing and with a particular interest in health products. Find out more at http://www.sisyphuspublicationsonline.com/LiquidNutrition/Information.htm

Article Source: http://www.ArticleBiz.com

Special Characteristic of The Bengal Cat

Everyone by nature, wants to own something of the exotic nature, and what is more exotic than a Leopard looking cat with a domestic purrsonality! Bengals given the proper socialization when young are very affectionate, purring at the enjoyment of your touch and presence. They have the personality like no other domestic cat you've known!

Bengal cats are bred from Asian leopards. Asian leopards have recently come off the endangered species list. So what of the Bengal Cat? Well, it's name come from the Asian leopard's scientific name, Felis Bengalensis. Bengals are medium sized cats, a male may weigh as much as 15 lb (9 kg), and a female commonly weighs 8 to 10 lb (4 to 6 kg). Male cats are generally larger than females.

Bengal Cats are intelligent, active, energetic cats.They are agile, love to climb & can be vocal with a distinctive voice . They get along well with other pets & people. Bengals enjoy high places & are enthusiastic climbers. Many Bengal owners have trained their cat to walk on a harness, so they can enjoy the great outdoors in safety.

The Bengal Cat comes in several patterns and colors. The most commonly seen is the leopard spotted. The spots can be either one color or two colors. The two colored spots are called rosettes where you have a lighter color surrounded by a darker color. The other pattern seen is called marble which is a random pattern combining two or three colors. The background color range from ivory to a reddish tan. The colors can be a brown tabby, seal lynx point, seal sepia tabby and seal mink tabby. These colors can be spotted or marbled in pattern. Another trait that is quite beautiful is called glittering. This is a metallic sheen in the hairs of the coat that truly glitters in the light.Taro of Bundas, pure Asian Leopard Cat.

These cats just love interaction with humans and should get as much attention as possible. For someone living in a flat that is out at work all day with no outdoor access, the Bengal is really not the cat for you. If you live in a town it is a good idea to fence your garden with cat-proof fencing so that your Bengal can get some outdoor exercise. They are a very muscular cat and love to dash around like a maniac before ending up somewhere on a branch up a tree.

The Bengals fascination with water is well known. They will quite often get into the shower with you, as they seem to hold no fear from it and it is quite usual for a Bengal to paddle around in their water bowl to clear the top of the water before drinking it, just as the Asian Leopard cat does in the wild. There is a small stream a few hundred yards away from my house at the bottom of a field, Ziggi will quite happily paddle through it but Misti is not so enamoured with the wet stuff and prefers to jump the stream.

Most Bengals, have a lot of personality! In a manner similar to the oriental cat breeds, they are intelligent, lively, interactive cats, with whom you have a very genuine two-way relationship. They are typically neither an aloof cat who ignores you haughtily, nor a dull quiet cat. They are very much a dynamic and active part of the family group. Bengals however are not the same as Orientals, nor any other breed, but have various key characteristics which make very special and different.

Bengals have very engaging, energetic, loving characters and this is one of the main reasons they are wonderful pets. Their character would not make them ideal pets for someone who wants a quiet, low key companion, but makes them amazing pets for people who want a more dog-like member of the family, along the same lines as oriental cats, but with many special features that make them unique and rewarding pets.

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