By : Rebecca Prescott
Whether our feline pets should be house cats or allowed to wander outside is a subject people usually have a pre-formed opinion on. For some people, cats are allowed free reign, and can go outside night and day. For others, they are kept strictly indoors all the time. Still other pet owners let them out during the day or under supervision, and keep them in at night.
The question is, who is right? And what's in the best interests of your cat? To answer this, it's a good idea to distinguish between our domestic pets and their wild ancestors. Whilst wild cats lived and hunted outside, cats have been domesticated since ancient times. Not only that, many have been bred to create certain characteristics of color and style. Consequently, they are very different animals. Our domestication and interaction with them, as loving owners who feed, look after, cuddle, and pet them, has had an impact on their psychology, personality, and behaviour. Add to this mix the fact that the outside environment natural to them is now gone. In its' place is a world with automobiles, pet thieves, toxic chemicals, dense population, and other dangers.
In short, not only are our cats different, but the world we share with them is. As a result, it is generally recommended that cats be kept indoors at all times. House cats tend to live longer, they are less susceptible to catching diseases which could be deadly to them, and they avoid the dangers of getting into fights with neighboring felines over territory.
However, because cats often want to go out, many owners think they are depriving their cats of adventure. And perhaps they are, though cats that are provided with a lot of toys and cat trees, can still live happy lives. Many owners also get a second kitten as companionship, so their pets have someone to chase and play with, and so they aren't alone all day when their humans are at work. Ultimately, it comes down to weighing up the dangers with the benefits.
This is a topic that is hard to generalize, as we each live in such unique locations. Some will be in high rise apartments, or near busy roads, or simply in dangerous neighborhoods. In these situations, the choice becomes very clear - keep your cat in the house at all times. And play games with your cat when you get home. They love chasing hands under the doona, or pieces of string attached to a stick (to keep your own hands safe)! And if your house or apartment has some great windows, house cats can still bask in the sun and enjoy fresh air.
If you are fortunate enough to have a backyard, you could consider setting up an enclosed run or pen so your cat can go outside but still be safe. Some people have even erected them on the perimeters of buildings or through gardens so that they can really explore the world outside but not escape.
Some breeds are said to be better suited to being indoor cats. For example, tonkinese are considered to have poor road sense. Having said that, I let my tonkinese cat, as well as my 3 mixed breeds, out to play when I am at home during the day. I don't live on a busy street however, and I don't let them out the front. Plus, I keep an ear out for any sounds of fighting. They always come in before it gets dark, too. I think because they have each other to play with there, they are less likely to look for trouble out of boredom.
Whether your pet is a house-only cat is a matter of individual choice. The benefits to their health and lifespan have to be weighed against possible disadvantages like disease. Plus, your own individual circumstances should be factored in. One thing to keep in mind is that cats do roam at night. This is when a lot of fights happen, and is one of the reasons it is recommended they stay indoors then. One thing is for certain though - with a loving owner who makes sure their pets' needs for affection and play are still met, a house cat is still a happy cat.
Article Source: http://www.petsadvice.info
Magazines are a great source of qualified information on our feline pets. We review cat fancy magazine here.
Caring For Your Cat With Playtime
By : MIKE SELVON
comes to cat care, playtime is just as important to the overall wellbeing of felines as a trip to the vet. There is no need to spend a lot of money on cat toys. Most of the time, your cat will find many things in your house to play with.
The toy can be as simple as the plastic ring from the milk jug or a crumpled receipt from that day's groceries. Cats will throw their toys in the air, bat them around on the floor, pounce on them, hug them close with their front paws and kick at them with their back paws, having a blast shredding the toy to pieces.
Whether you spent a lot of money on the toy or not won't make a difference. Why buy an expensive toy when you have so many free options readily available?
Cats love to climb and rest in places where they can see a lay of the land. When one couple decided to renovate their home office, they discovered they had to throw out their cat's favorite perch, an old bookcase near a sunny window.
Since the office had to be redesigned, they built the desks and bookshelves in such a way they led to an additional shelf above each window in the office. Now the cat would have both a sunny spot to snooze and keep an eye on the front and back yards - and the cat gets some well-needed exercise jumping from shelf to shelf.
While you don't have to go to such an extreme as home renovation that caters to felines, you can make things more interesting by stacking boxes and tables for your cat to climb on.
Cats love boxes. Much like children, a cat can occupy itself for hours on end playing with a box. You can cut holes in it, line it with carpeting or old towels, and your new kitten will love it. Take a few boxes, tape them together, and build your cat a fort.
Boxes are cheap and you can get them in all different sizes. When they wear out, you can throw them in the garbage and give the kitten a new one. Add carpeting to the outside for the cat care need of scratching.
Catnip toys are easy to make too. All you need is a little bit of cloth or furry material to sew into a pouch. Fill it with catnip and stitch some Velcro on to hold it closed. You can make it into a size and shape that appeals to your cat.
Some cats like big toys, others like smaller ones that they can carry easily. Try a couple of different sizes. For cat care enthusiasts, don't worry; catnip is perfectly safe for your cat to enjoy.
Ever see a cat play fetch? Cats will do that. Some cats will start playing fetch without any prompting from you. You might be tossing their toy for them and find that they enjoy bringing it back to you to throw again.
Do you have a cat that likes to play rough? Get yourself a leather work glove and let your cat wrestle with your hand. With a glove, cats can bite and use their claws in a little bit of friendly roughhousing without tearing you up in the process.
Teach your cat care for human hands while allowing him to play, as cats will also learn not to use their claws unless you have the glove on.
If you have one of those laser pointers in your computer bag or briefcase, see what happens when you shine the red dot on the floor. The light from the laser almost looks three-dimensional, and your cat will enjoy chasing it. Just make sure that you don't shine the laser directly into your cat's eyes.
Sticks with strings are always a favorite. All you need is a thin stick and a string with an object tied to the end. This could be a small plastic ball with a bell inside or a cluster of feathers.
Your cat can chase the object while you jerk the stick to make the "prey" bounce and jump. Toys don't have to be fancy or expensive at all and aren't a reflection of your level of cat care. The only investment required is your time.
Article Source: http://www.petsadvice.info
Mike Selvon owns a number of niche portal. Please visit our cats portal for more great tips on cat care, and leave a comment at our cats blog.
comes to cat care, playtime is just as important to the overall wellbeing of felines as a trip to the vet. There is no need to spend a lot of money on cat toys. Most of the time, your cat will find many things in your house to play with.
The toy can be as simple as the plastic ring from the milk jug or a crumpled receipt from that day's groceries. Cats will throw their toys in the air, bat them around on the floor, pounce on them, hug them close with their front paws and kick at them with their back paws, having a blast shredding the toy to pieces.
Whether you spent a lot of money on the toy or not won't make a difference. Why buy an expensive toy when you have so many free options readily available?
Cats love to climb and rest in places where they can see a lay of the land. When one couple decided to renovate their home office, they discovered they had to throw out their cat's favorite perch, an old bookcase near a sunny window.
Since the office had to be redesigned, they built the desks and bookshelves in such a way they led to an additional shelf above each window in the office. Now the cat would have both a sunny spot to snooze and keep an eye on the front and back yards - and the cat gets some well-needed exercise jumping from shelf to shelf.
While you don't have to go to such an extreme as home renovation that caters to felines, you can make things more interesting by stacking boxes and tables for your cat to climb on.
Cats love boxes. Much like children, a cat can occupy itself for hours on end playing with a box. You can cut holes in it, line it with carpeting or old towels, and your new kitten will love it. Take a few boxes, tape them together, and build your cat a fort.
Boxes are cheap and you can get them in all different sizes. When they wear out, you can throw them in the garbage and give the kitten a new one. Add carpeting to the outside for the cat care need of scratching.
Catnip toys are easy to make too. All you need is a little bit of cloth or furry material to sew into a pouch. Fill it with catnip and stitch some Velcro on to hold it closed. You can make it into a size and shape that appeals to your cat.
Some cats like big toys, others like smaller ones that they can carry easily. Try a couple of different sizes. For cat care enthusiasts, don't worry; catnip is perfectly safe for your cat to enjoy.
Ever see a cat play fetch? Cats will do that. Some cats will start playing fetch without any prompting from you. You might be tossing their toy for them and find that they enjoy bringing it back to you to throw again.
Do you have a cat that likes to play rough? Get yourself a leather work glove and let your cat wrestle with your hand. With a glove, cats can bite and use their claws in a little bit of friendly roughhousing without tearing you up in the process.
Teach your cat care for human hands while allowing him to play, as cats will also learn not to use their claws unless you have the glove on.
If you have one of those laser pointers in your computer bag or briefcase, see what happens when you shine the red dot on the floor. The light from the laser almost looks three-dimensional, and your cat will enjoy chasing it. Just make sure that you don't shine the laser directly into your cat's eyes.
Sticks with strings are always a favorite. All you need is a thin stick and a string with an object tied to the end. This could be a small plastic ball with a bell inside or a cluster of feathers.
Your cat can chase the object while you jerk the stick to make the "prey" bounce and jump. Toys don't have to be fancy or expensive at all and aren't a reflection of your level of cat care. The only investment required is your time.
Article Source: http://www.petsadvice.info
Mike Selvon owns a number of niche portal. Please visit our cats portal for more great tips on cat care, and leave a comment at our cats blog.
Ideas for a Creative Cat Litter Box
By : Mayoor Patel
comes to arranging facilities for your cat, you have quite a few options on what to use for a cat litter box. From the predictable to the hilarious, you can come up with some interesting alternatives. Here are a couple of ideas to get you started.
It is not unusual for people to use what they have around the house as a toilet for their cats. One memorable series of mystery books features a main character that finds himself the property of two crime solving Siamese cats. Early on in the series, the character finds and prepares an old turkey roasting pot as a "commode" for his two sidekicks. While expediency seemed to be the inspiration for grabbing the roasting pan, the fact of the matter is that it turned out to be a very practical solution. Turkey roasters come with a handle on two sides, which makes it ideal for transporting to an area where you can clean it easily. Another factor involved is that a turkey roaster fits very nicely in the floorboard of the back seat of many cars. The resulting snug fit of the turkey roaster in that small space means that your cats can travel along in style and use the facilities with abandon as you head toward your weekend or summer vacation destination.
Along with a turkey roaster, you may find other receptacles around the house that would make an ideal cat litter box. For instance, have you thought about trying an oblong flower box? You can easily decorate the outside if you like, plus the lip on the flower box will make it easy to pick up and move when necessary. You can line the box with plastic, which you can then tie up and use to discard the litter and the waste in one simple step. Another possibility is to create your own disposable litter box by using a decent sized cardboard box cut to the right dimensions and lined at the bottom with extra sheets of cardboard. This option is simple to make and when it is time to change the litter, you simply throw everything away and start over.
Coming up with innovative ways to prepare a cat litter box for your pets is not hard to do. Look around your house today. You may have something that is perfect for the job, and will also add a touch of fun to something that also needs to be practical.
Article Source: http://www.petsadvice.info
Mayoor Patel is the writer for the website cat-litter.wares-are.us. Please visit for information on all things concerned with Cat Litter Box
comes to arranging facilities for your cat, you have quite a few options on what to use for a cat litter box. From the predictable to the hilarious, you can come up with some interesting alternatives. Here are a couple of ideas to get you started.
It is not unusual for people to use what they have around the house as a toilet for their cats. One memorable series of mystery books features a main character that finds himself the property of two crime solving Siamese cats. Early on in the series, the character finds and prepares an old turkey roasting pot as a "commode" for his two sidekicks. While expediency seemed to be the inspiration for grabbing the roasting pan, the fact of the matter is that it turned out to be a very practical solution. Turkey roasters come with a handle on two sides, which makes it ideal for transporting to an area where you can clean it easily. Another factor involved is that a turkey roaster fits very nicely in the floorboard of the back seat of many cars. The resulting snug fit of the turkey roaster in that small space means that your cats can travel along in style and use the facilities with abandon as you head toward your weekend or summer vacation destination.
Along with a turkey roaster, you may find other receptacles around the house that would make an ideal cat litter box. For instance, have you thought about trying an oblong flower box? You can easily decorate the outside if you like, plus the lip on the flower box will make it easy to pick up and move when necessary. You can line the box with plastic, which you can then tie up and use to discard the litter and the waste in one simple step. Another possibility is to create your own disposable litter box by using a decent sized cardboard box cut to the right dimensions and lined at the bottom with extra sheets of cardboard. This option is simple to make and when it is time to change the litter, you simply throw everything away and start over.
Coming up with innovative ways to prepare a cat litter box for your pets is not hard to do. Look around your house today. You may have something that is perfect for the job, and will also add a touch of fun to something that also needs to be practical.
Article Source: http://www.petsadvice.info
Mayoor Patel is the writer for the website cat-litter.wares-are.us. Please visit for information on all things concerned with Cat Litter Box