Just like having a child, it can be incredibly fulfilling bringing a kitten into your family and watching it grow up. It takes only a year for your cute little kitten to mature into a cat. It can seem hard to believe but it will happen fast. Being prepared is the goal here. So what are the key milestones for a young cat?
The First Moments
Kittens are born blind and they are completely dependant on their mother. The first stages will involve learning to eat and then growing. The kitten’s eyes will open and he will want to explore. At four weeks old, he is romping around shakily with his siblings. At this time he can begin to learn to use the litter box and should start to become a social animal. In the wild, the kitten’s mother will start to supplement his diet with dead mice and other small pretty. But, you may want to give him some soft kitten food or some dry food that is softened a little with water.
Six Weeks
He’s now six weeks old and he is more than ready to explore the home. If he’s indoors, he will move from room to room. A feral kitten will follow his mother when she goes to hang out with the other cats. These cats will still receive mice from their mother, but they aren’t dead anymore. Instead, the kitten has to learn to hunt the animal. Those who are eight weeks old will be completely weaned from their mother and are ready to go to a new home.
The Next Months
Through the next several months, the cats will grow really fast. You’ll need to get them in to be vaccinated at this time so that they are healthy and strong. They will begin to learn what they have to do to live with their families and learn which behaviors are okay. You can teach your kitten his name as well as a few simple commands now. If the cat has long hair, make sure to get him used to allowing you to groom him, although the cat’s coat doesn't need to be brushed just yet.
Sometimes, cats will suddenly develop a bad attitude. Believe it or not this is an adolescent stage for them. This happens when the cat goes from being a kitten into being a mature cat. Sounds just like children, right? This will happen around the fifth to six month and may last until the cat reaches a year old. They will still be playful but may get carried away to play too aggressively. If your cat is not neutered at six months of age, he will be mature enough to reproduce now. Neutering the cat will help this stage of his development go more smoothly. At six months, the cat looks the way he will look as an adult even though he may still become larger.
Adulthood
Just like humans, adult cats will continue to go through stages. But, these stages can be dealt with quite easily. And, unlike that mid life crisis you may have, the cat isn’t likely to go out to purchase a sports car at this age!
If you take care of your kitten's health as he grows into an adult cat you will have a fulfilling relationship that will bring both you and the cat great satisfaction.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
About the Author: Niall Kennedy is a lifelong pet lover and has worked in several pet sanctuaries. Best Pet Health Information is a resource that brings you information about many aspects cat health. You will also find great deals for cat medication such as Frontline, Advantage, Revolution and Cosequin. http://www.Best-Pet-Health.info
Copyright Best-Pet-Health.info All rights reserved. This article may be reprinted in full so long as the resource box and the live links are included intact.
How To Stop Your Cat Scratching - Get Rid Of Those Fleas
You know how annoying it can be when you have an itch, but you can't reach it to give it a scratch? Well, when your cat has fleas it's like your problem, just multiplied a hundred times.
If your cat has fleas or ticks, you need to take action. If they are scratching or have irritated skin, your cats need you to bring this problem under control because it can become a much larger problem if you do not.
Even clean cats can end up with fleas. All it takes is a stray animal to come close enough to the cat. Or, the cat can pick them up outdoors as well. Even just one flea can leave many eggs and cause a full scale attack on your pet.
To stop them before they start, you can use a product such as Frontline or Advantix. These are pre measured liquid treatments that are applied directly to the cat’s skin and coat. When fleas get onto the pet, these products kill them before they can lay eggs. Those who want preventative measures for keeping the cat safe should use these.
For most though, it takes seeing the fleas to get them to start fighting them. If you see tiny black or brown insects on your animal, these are no doubt that your cat is flea infested. If you do see them, realize that the problem is already a big problem.
What you need to do is make sure to check your pet for fleas all the time. You can do this with a flea comb. Carefully comb through the cat’s hair and pay attention to the hair around the cat’s head and his belly. These are the ideal places for fleas to hide including the ears, eyes and the nose. And, they like to burrow in the creases where the cat’s legs and body meet.
When combing your pet, if you find a flea you know they are throughout his body. But, if you end up with a few black or brown specks, this too is a sign that they are hiding somewhere on the pet’s body.
To find them, run your hands over the cat’s body. Look for raised spots on him. If you find one or more, check it closely to see if it has little legs. If so the cat has ticks. You’ll need to ask your vet about having the tick removed as you can not do this yourself without risking the tick’s head staying behind in your pet’s skin.
In order to get them under control, you’ll need to use one of the liquid flea and tick treatments. You can also use flea or tick collars and baths as well. If the fleas are in your house, as they probably are, then you will need to use a powder or spray for the bedding and upholstered furniture too. As a last resort, you can use a flea and tick bomb in your home. But, in this case, the animals will need to stay out of your home for at least 24 hours.
Fleas are a serious concern and you need to keep them from affecting your pet. If your pet has them, also talk to your vet about treatments he can provide as these are professional strengths that can help. Before they make your pet sick, take measures at the first sign of trouble.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
About the Author: Niall Kennedy is a lifelong pet lover and has worked in several pet sanctuaries. Best Pet Health Information is a resource that brings you information about many aspects cat health. You will also find great deals on flea medication for cats such as Frontline, Advantage and Revolution. http://www.Best-Pet-Health.info
Copyright Best-Pet-Health.info All rights reserved. This article may be reprinted in full so long as the resource box and the live links are included intact.
If your cat has fleas or ticks, you need to take action. If they are scratching or have irritated skin, your cats need you to bring this problem under control because it can become a much larger problem if you do not.
Even clean cats can end up with fleas. All it takes is a stray animal to come close enough to the cat. Or, the cat can pick them up outdoors as well. Even just one flea can leave many eggs and cause a full scale attack on your pet.
To stop them before they start, you can use a product such as Frontline or Advantix. These are pre measured liquid treatments that are applied directly to the cat’s skin and coat. When fleas get onto the pet, these products kill them before they can lay eggs. Those who want preventative measures for keeping the cat safe should use these.
For most though, it takes seeing the fleas to get them to start fighting them. If you see tiny black or brown insects on your animal, these are no doubt that your cat is flea infested. If you do see them, realize that the problem is already a big problem.
What you need to do is make sure to check your pet for fleas all the time. You can do this with a flea comb. Carefully comb through the cat’s hair and pay attention to the hair around the cat’s head and his belly. These are the ideal places for fleas to hide including the ears, eyes and the nose. And, they like to burrow in the creases where the cat’s legs and body meet.
When combing your pet, if you find a flea you know they are throughout his body. But, if you end up with a few black or brown specks, this too is a sign that they are hiding somewhere on the pet’s body.
To find them, run your hands over the cat’s body. Look for raised spots on him. If you find one or more, check it closely to see if it has little legs. If so the cat has ticks. You’ll need to ask your vet about having the tick removed as you can not do this yourself without risking the tick’s head staying behind in your pet’s skin.
In order to get them under control, you’ll need to use one of the liquid flea and tick treatments. You can also use flea or tick collars and baths as well. If the fleas are in your house, as they probably are, then you will need to use a powder or spray for the bedding and upholstered furniture too. As a last resort, you can use a flea and tick bomb in your home. But, in this case, the animals will need to stay out of your home for at least 24 hours.
Fleas are a serious concern and you need to keep them from affecting your pet. If your pet has them, also talk to your vet about treatments he can provide as these are professional strengths that can help. Before they make your pet sick, take measures at the first sign of trouble.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
About the Author: Niall Kennedy is a lifelong pet lover and has worked in several pet sanctuaries. Best Pet Health Information is a resource that brings you information about many aspects cat health. You will also find great deals on flea medication for cats such as Frontline, Advantage and Revolution. http://www.Best-Pet-Health.info
Copyright Best-Pet-Health.info All rights reserved. This article may be reprinted in full so long as the resource box and the live links are included intact.
Wisconsin Cat Hunt
A friend of mine in Minnesota asked me recently about the feral cat hunting proposal in Wisconsin and whether feral cats were such a problem here that we needed a special law about it. Feral cats are not 'wild cats', per se, but rather house cats gone wild, that is feline domesticus (I'm pretty sure that's the correct latin designation) or as they're more colloquially known 'barn cats'. Or maybe just homeless cats would be a more fitting designation for these animals.Are they a problem in Wisconsin?
Well, I'd never heard they were before this and frankly most farmers who have problematic barn cats just take care of them without bothering to worry about a hunting license.Cats are - of course - the only domesticated animals that did not start out originally as either a pack or herd animal. They were domesticated by the Egyptians aeons ago for the purpose of taking care of vermin in grain silos. Possibly the pro-cat-hunting lobby here was concerned that these wild house cats were themselves vermin, representing a disease vector, since they tend to still hang around with humans and aren't so clean.
Or there could have been a concern that these feral house cats were now part of the Wisconsin eco-system and represent a new species with nonatural predator and thus could overwhelm its fragile balance. Although, I can think of plenty of animals out here in the woods that would find them a wholesome snack - wolves, hawks, eagles, maybe bears. (oh my)
What I really think is that these hunters figured that these cats are animals, they're out in the woods, so why not hunt them? You need a little target practice between all the other hunting seasons, don't you? And, I don't know this first hand, but I hear that cats are real yummy if you cook them right.
I've never been a hunter myself and will never get exactly what's 'fun' about hunting. There's something atavistic and chemical that must happen in most male brains that seems to be entirely absent in mine. I can understand it from the aspect that it's sort of a coming-of-age male bonding type thing and you're going out and enjoying nature and most often drinking- which I've also heard can be fun. But other than that, it holds no interest for me.
Don't get me wrong. I don't have anything against hunters. I know far too many people that I respect that also hunt. So, even if I don't understand why it's enjoyable for them and doesn't seem like it would be a good time for me, I can still accept this difference of opinion. And I do appreciate the aspect of them getting potential road hazards out of the way (deer, wild turkeys, ducks, etc). Thank you for that, Hunters.
My only real problem is that since I live so far out in the woods, there are certain times of the year that I can't safely go out of my house wearing my favorite antler hat and brown furry suit. Also, there's this rumor that certain twisted multimillionaires in Minnesota have been buying up land in remote areas of the state and then kidnaping famous sports figures and hunting them down as human game. I'd definitely draw the line there.
That's only a rumor, though; If I hear anymore about that, I'll let you know. By the way, the Governor of Wisconsin said that he would veto any bill like this that came his way. I'm not even sure that this was a bill thatwas actually introduced as legislation or just a proposal that was floated around somewhere. It got a lot of national attention and tended to makethe whole state of Wisconsin look real silly, when it was only a few people who thought it was a great idea and I'm not sure why they did.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
About the Author: Steve Sommers new book, Evil Super-Villains Need Love, Too ... and other important wisdom, is available at http://www.lulu.com/content/317958.
His novel, REXROI, is available at http://www.lulu.com/content/306670
Well, I'd never heard they were before this and frankly most farmers who have problematic barn cats just take care of them without bothering to worry about a hunting license.Cats are - of course - the only domesticated animals that did not start out originally as either a pack or herd animal. They were domesticated by the Egyptians aeons ago for the purpose of taking care of vermin in grain silos. Possibly the pro-cat-hunting lobby here was concerned that these wild house cats were themselves vermin, representing a disease vector, since they tend to still hang around with humans and aren't so clean.
Or there could have been a concern that these feral house cats were now part of the Wisconsin eco-system and represent a new species with nonatural predator and thus could overwhelm its fragile balance. Although, I can think of plenty of animals out here in the woods that would find them a wholesome snack - wolves, hawks, eagles, maybe bears. (oh my)
What I really think is that these hunters figured that these cats are animals, they're out in the woods, so why not hunt them? You need a little target practice between all the other hunting seasons, don't you? And, I don't know this first hand, but I hear that cats are real yummy if you cook them right.
I've never been a hunter myself and will never get exactly what's 'fun' about hunting. There's something atavistic and chemical that must happen in most male brains that seems to be entirely absent in mine. I can understand it from the aspect that it's sort of a coming-of-age male bonding type thing and you're going out and enjoying nature and most often drinking- which I've also heard can be fun. But other than that, it holds no interest for me.
Don't get me wrong. I don't have anything against hunters. I know far too many people that I respect that also hunt. So, even if I don't understand why it's enjoyable for them and doesn't seem like it would be a good time for me, I can still accept this difference of opinion. And I do appreciate the aspect of them getting potential road hazards out of the way (deer, wild turkeys, ducks, etc). Thank you for that, Hunters.
My only real problem is that since I live so far out in the woods, there are certain times of the year that I can't safely go out of my house wearing my favorite antler hat and brown furry suit. Also, there's this rumor that certain twisted multimillionaires in Minnesota have been buying up land in remote areas of the state and then kidnaping famous sports figures and hunting them down as human game. I'd definitely draw the line there.
That's only a rumor, though; If I hear anymore about that, I'll let you know. By the way, the Governor of Wisconsin said that he would veto any bill like this that came his way. I'm not even sure that this was a bill thatwas actually introduced as legislation or just a proposal that was floated around somewhere. It got a lot of national attention and tended to makethe whole state of Wisconsin look real silly, when it was only a few people who thought it was a great idea and I'm not sure why they did.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
About the Author: Steve Sommers new book, Evil Super-Villains Need Love, Too ... and other important wisdom, is available at http://www.lulu.com/content/317958.
His novel, REXROI, is available at http://www.lulu.com/content/306670