Nothing smells worse than cat spray. Together with cat pee outside the litter box, cat spraying is one of the leading causes of cats being given away, abandoned or put down. Marriages have come under enormous strain, when one spouse puts down their foot to stop the cat's spraying problem or give up the cat. Tenants have been forced by landlords to either move out or get rid of the spraying cat.
This is very sad, because cat spraying problems can be solved or greatly reduced in many cases. First, though, we need to tell the difference between cat spray and cat urine. Spray is actually a bit of urine mixed with pheromones secreted by glands in your cat. The positions your cat takes for spraying is also different from peeing - they stand straight up and lift their bottoms high up in the air to spray instead of squatting to urinate.
Both male and female cats spray. Unneutered males are the most likely to have this problem, neutered female the least likely. Although spraying is considered a problem by people, it is a perfectly natural behavior for cats.
Do be aware that your cat may suddenly start spraying when he is sick. For example, inflammations of the bladder are known to cause cats to spray. If your cat is neutered and he suddenly develops this behavior, you should take him for a check-up at the vet before doing anything else.
On major reason for cats spraying is to attract mates. Female cats in heat spray to advertise that they are ready. Male cats spray to mark their territory - they are saying "Keep out! Females here are mine!". This is one reason why you should always neuter your cats. Unneutered tomcats are very likely to spray. Once he develops this behavior, it is very difficult to stop even after you neuter him. Many vets are willing to neuter your male cat as long as he is at least 6 months old. Some prefer to wait until he is 9 months old while others are willing to do it even earlier. You should also spay female cats when they reach 6 months of age, before their first heat.
When you bring a new pet or new family member home, this can also cause your cat to spray. Whether you explain it as stress and insecurity or territoriality or dominance behavior, it does not really matter. The point is to make kitty feel safe and secure again. Once you successfully make him feel that he is still Numero Uno, he will stop spraying. While your vet can help you to investigate why your cat is spraying, you know kitty best. You are the best person to figure out why he is spraying. Asking your vet to play private investigator can take quite a long time - he will take a step-by-step methodical approach to the problem. Cases have been published in journals for veterinarians where it took years to resolve the problem. If you really love your cat, you are still the best person to make him stop spraying.
Once your cat has sprayed a particular location, he is likely to go back and spray it again. One way to stop this is to thoroughly clean the area he sprayed. Normal soap and water will not do the job. Just because you cannot smell anything does not mean your cat cannot smell anything. The best solution is to use a blacklight (UV lamp) in the dark to find the spots and clean it with an enzymatic cleaner like Nature's Miracle.
Cat spray is a very smelly problem which has caused many cats to be abandoned by their owners. However, this is a problem which can be solved. If you love your cat, you have an obligation to him and to yourself to stop him from spraying.
By: Katherin Towers
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
Does your cat spray? Click here to learn more about cat behavior problems and how to stop your cat spraying.
Different Ways To Name Your Cat
When T.S. Elliot wrote in a poem (The naming of cats) the lines "(when) I tell you, a cat must have three different names', he must have owned a cat. Many cat owners would have to agree that finding a cat's name is both a serious and a fun thing to do and that a cat's name barely lasts a whole year before they find a new, better and apt name for their pets.
Most cats start out with simple and uncreative names. A black cat given to you by a friend is unsurprisingly called Blacky, much like what you will expect from a fluffy cat named (surprise, surprise) Fluffy. These names (along with the likes of Smokey and Tiger) are given by previous owners who really do not want to be attached to the cat because they are giving it to some other friend. They sort of expect you to change the names of these cats as you take them to your house.
When you give a different name to a cat, you are welcoming him to your family. Most names come from favorite things, like characters from a book, movie or television show. Other names crop up from famous (and infamous) celebrities such as Britney, Saddam or Osama.
Aside from giving your cat a name that first popped into your mind, there's one fun way that a certain website mentioned. It's acrophonology - it is the analysis of a name through the qualities of the letters. Before giving your cat or any pet just any moniker, it won't hurt to give acrophonology a try, right? You can even find online analysis of your cat's name. Sites that offer this kind of service often deliver a brief summary of the hidden meanings that are within your cat's name. Sure sounds fun and quite rewarding, right?
Other ideas can come up from cartoons, mythology, ancient historical figures and even from common names of people. There are plenty of names out there and if you can't think of any, just type 'cat names' in your favorite search engine and you'll find great names that you might have not thought of.
These names though, however good they are, tend to change after certain circumstances. Imagine a cat you named Fatso because he was fat when he was a kitten. All of a sudden, after 1 year he went from a kitten who always slept to a cat that prowls the night. This will build up his body and the once fat kitten is no more. So what about his name of Fatso? It sounds ridiculous introducing him to your friends as Fatso when he is not fat at all, so you are bound to change her name after that.
Another secret with cats names is that you have to be creative. Sometimes you don't even have to think of a word as cats provide them to you with their actions.
Other cats names change after certain incidents. These incidents include accidents such as your cat breaking a big bottle of strawberry jam (so you named her Strawberry) or like when she cries too much and you can't sleep for several nights (so she is named Banshee).
The value of your cats name does not only extend to that term of endearment that you would like your lovely feline companion to be regarded with, but your cats name is also important when it's time for you to train it. If you are planning to make your pet one of the most well-trained, making your cats name easy to say and quite unique will make it easier for you to say it when you have to issue a command. One tip is use your cats name in positive commands such as "come". When your cat gets accustomed to hearing its name in only positive commands it will learn to love its name.
Truly, naming your cat can be a very rewarding and fun endeavor. It doesn't have to be a mind-boggling feat. If you really are quite passionate with your feline friend, chances are giving it a name would be a cinch.
By: Jay Schindler
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
Find tips about panda facts and turtle facts at the Animals Facts website.
Most cats start out with simple and uncreative names. A black cat given to you by a friend is unsurprisingly called Blacky, much like what you will expect from a fluffy cat named (surprise, surprise) Fluffy. These names (along with the likes of Smokey and Tiger) are given by previous owners who really do not want to be attached to the cat because they are giving it to some other friend. They sort of expect you to change the names of these cats as you take them to your house.
When you give a different name to a cat, you are welcoming him to your family. Most names come from favorite things, like characters from a book, movie or television show. Other names crop up from famous (and infamous) celebrities such as Britney, Saddam or Osama.
Aside from giving your cat a name that first popped into your mind, there's one fun way that a certain website mentioned. It's acrophonology - it is the analysis of a name through the qualities of the letters. Before giving your cat or any pet just any moniker, it won't hurt to give acrophonology a try, right? You can even find online analysis of your cat's name. Sites that offer this kind of service often deliver a brief summary of the hidden meanings that are within your cat's name. Sure sounds fun and quite rewarding, right?
Other ideas can come up from cartoons, mythology, ancient historical figures and even from common names of people. There are plenty of names out there and if you can't think of any, just type 'cat names' in your favorite search engine and you'll find great names that you might have not thought of.
These names though, however good they are, tend to change after certain circumstances. Imagine a cat you named Fatso because he was fat when he was a kitten. All of a sudden, after 1 year he went from a kitten who always slept to a cat that prowls the night. This will build up his body and the once fat kitten is no more. So what about his name of Fatso? It sounds ridiculous introducing him to your friends as Fatso when he is not fat at all, so you are bound to change her name after that.
Another secret with cats names is that you have to be creative. Sometimes you don't even have to think of a word as cats provide them to you with their actions.
Other cats names change after certain incidents. These incidents include accidents such as your cat breaking a big bottle of strawberry jam (so you named her Strawberry) or like when she cries too much and you can't sleep for several nights (so she is named Banshee).
The value of your cats name does not only extend to that term of endearment that you would like your lovely feline companion to be regarded with, but your cats name is also important when it's time for you to train it. If you are planning to make your pet one of the most well-trained, making your cats name easy to say and quite unique will make it easier for you to say it when you have to issue a command. One tip is use your cats name in positive commands such as "come". When your cat gets accustomed to hearing its name in only positive commands it will learn to love its name.
Truly, naming your cat can be a very rewarding and fun endeavor. It doesn't have to be a mind-boggling feat. If you really are quite passionate with your feline friend, chances are giving it a name would be a cinch.
By: Jay Schindler
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
Find tips about panda facts and turtle facts at the Animals Facts website.
