By : Annie Clark
Cats instinctively scratch, so trying to keep your cat from scratching will not work. But, there are ways that you can keep your furniture looking nice while giving your cat opportunities to scratch.
Kittens start scratching when they are about eight weeks old. Begin training the kitten on appropriate places to scratch at this time to head off problems as she grows.
Provide toys especially made for scratching to your cat. As there are several styles, you may need to try different ones until you find the one that your cat likes best. There are horizontal, vertical, and slanted versions along with various coverings such as sisal, cardboard, or carpet. If you have more than one cat, have more than one toy available, preferably of different styles to give your cats variety.
If your cat insists on scratching your sofa despite the toys you have provided, there are several ideas that you can try to get the cat to stop. If convenient, close off the room that the cat is using for scratching. Put the scratching toy in front of the item that you don't want your cat to scratch. Place catnip or treats on the scratching toy or attach another one of the cat's favorite toys to entice your cat to scratch the toy instead of your sofa.
You can further discourage your cat from scratching the couch by covering it in foil, double-sided tape, sandpaper, or cat-repellant. If you catch your cat in the act, spray your cat with water or clap your hands to startle your cat and then encourage the cat to use the scratching toy instead.
Keep your cat's nails trimmed every two weeks. If nails get too long, the cat will scratch more since she can't retract them into her paws.
The first option that many owners think of when their cat has scratching issues is declawing. In extreme cases where everything else has been tried, and the cat is facing eviction from your home, declawing may be used as a last resort. However, declawing is painful and actually involves partial amputation of your cat's toes.
It is possible to keep your furnishings looking nice and have pet cats at the same time. You just have to understand that cats will scratch something, and provide alternatives and proper nail care so that something isn't your prized couch.
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The author shares her home with two formerly stray cats. More articles on cat behaviors and products are available at Feline Info
How I Trained My Cat, Oscar, To Use the Toilet
The first thing was to get a Cat Training Kit that has been around forever and that has a proven track record. I chose Kitty Whiz because my parents used it for our cat when I was growing up and my son recently used it for his cat with great success.
My cat, Oscar, isn't the brightest of cats, so I didn't want to fool around with one of those "Johnny-come-lately" imitations. Plus, they are all so over-priced! Can you believe one is about $90?
Anyway, my experience in training Oscar paralleled instructions in the kit. Oscar always needed more love with everything because he's a little slow. I figure that if Oscar can get it, any normal cat can.
The Kitty Whiz package included:
(A) Bag of Herbs.
(B) Clear Plastic Form.
(C) Cartoon Style Instruction Booklet.
(D) Diploma for when Oscar graduated.
There was warning to wait if Oscar just had a litter. But, Oscar didn't have to worry about pregnancy. Also Oscar was to be using a litter box already, which he did.
The warning went on for male and female cats. If your cat was is in heat, pregnant, or recently had kittens, you were to wait 6 - 8 weeks. But, that only makes sense, right?
The Kitty whiz "transfer" was to take about 2 weeks. I lost track of time, but it was about that for Oscar to get into the groove. Of course, I changed the litter daily and kept everything clean as usual.
There was a recommendation to use a padded toilet seat cover for off-balance cats and Oscar qualified because he is pretty clumsy. The poor thing stumbles over his own shadow.
Kitty Whiz divided their training into stages. Everything I personally did was covered in the instructions.
STAGE 1
I took Oscar into the spare bathroom where nobody would bother him. Remember to start this training in the evening because your cat will need to stay in the restroom overnight so they will do their first poops and pees.
While Oscar was meowing around, I placed the large clear plastic form and the large white form together- with the clear form on top.
I chose to train Oscar with the toilet seat down because I thought it was safer and it is usually down anyway. The padded lid stayed up.
I then took the old litter box out to the shed so Oscar couldn't find it and he would be focused on his new toilet facility. Good riddance to that smelly thing that I could never figure out where to put anyway.
Per instructions, I filled the bowl part of the form with regular litter so it looked vaguely similar to Oscar's regular litter box.
Since Oscar had been known to poop and pee in everything resembling nature, I covered my houseplant soil with aluminum foil where possible and rocks where possible.
In the restroom where Oscar was training, I put his bowls with his favorite food and fresh water.
I opened the herb package and took a whiff. It did nothing for me but Oscar loved it. He followed the package as I led him up onto the toilet seat.
I sprinkled a little on the litter and Oscar sniffed around. This was to help Oscar take note of where his kitty litter was now located.
It was a little heartbreaking, but I closed Oscar in his restroom for the night. He needed to poop in peace, and he doesn't like for anyone to interrupt his "work." Instructions mentioned that cats are that way.
In the morning I checked on Oscar and he was perfectly content and maybe a little too proud. The litter was saturated with pee and there was a healthy mound of poop.
There are instructions for cat owners who have not been as successful as I was with Oscar. But, neither my parents nor my children have ever had problems.
I read over the steps to take if one is unsuccessful. They boil down to doing things over, keeping things real clean and encouraging one's cat with love and finesse. Oscar may not have been blessed with smarts, but he was blessed with a loving family. I'm sure your cat also has a loving home environment.
STAGE 2
I was glad to move on to the next stage because Oscar was really going through the litter and leaving me with mounds of love each day. I think he was laughing at me.
After four days, Oscar was accustomed to using his new litter box on top of the toilet. So, I saw the principle involved there. I gradually removed parts of the plastic form until nothing was left. In about two weeks, Oscar was going into the restroom all by himself and using the toilet like a regular human.
This is my own personal touch to the toilet system. I secured the toilet seat lid so it was always in the up position. I also had the door fixed so it was always open enough for Oscar to walk through. I did these two things to make sure Oscar was never prevented from doing his "work."
Nowadays, it is quite humorous to see Oscar get up from his favorite TV program and wander off to use the restroom. My only responsibilities lately are to flush the toilet. Maybe Kitty Whiz will someday invent a way to train Oscar to flush the toilet.
I think Oscar was proud to officially join the human race as a toilet user. He always knew he was human, but it was good to have official recognition in the form of a degree. We gave him a graduation party and presented him with his Kitty Whiz Degree. He wore a blue ribbon and we framed his degree and hung it in his "office," right above the toilet.
I was so moved, I sent some pictures to Bluejayz Pet Supplies, from whom I had purchased Oscar's Kitty Whiz Kit. Maybe I'll see Oscar's picture on their web site.
Bluejayz encouraged me to email any suggestions, pictures, and success stories about Oscar and other cats to success@bluejayz.com
I need to add the policy regarding images and testimonials as a courtesy to Bluejayz.
All pictures stories and suggestions sent to BlueJayz Pet Supplies become the exclusive property of BlueJayz Pet Supplies and can be utilized in any way, manner, shape and form without consideration or compensation of any kind to submitter.
Here is my personal testimony about Kitty Whiz:
I remember Kitty Whiz from the 1970s. It was around a long time before other cat toilet training systems. It is proven and trusted in my family. And I know other families that used it with success and I recommend it to first-timers. I've seen many imitations on the market lately and they are usually way over priced. I saw one for about $90 dollars. All I can say is, "Get real!"
About the author:
I guess you could categorize me as a passionate consumer. I warn everyone about getting ripped off and I also champion good products.
I became an early fan of Kitty Whiz in the 1970s after seeing it demonstrated on TV. My family also uses Kitty Whiz to train their cats and I recommend it over high-priced "Me Too" imitations that have recently flooded the market.
I bought my cat's Kitty Whiz online through BlueJayz Pet Supplies and I recommend that you check it out www.bluejayz.com
Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com
My cat, Oscar, isn't the brightest of cats, so I didn't want to fool around with one of those "Johnny-come-lately" imitations. Plus, they are all so over-priced! Can you believe one is about $90?
Anyway, my experience in training Oscar paralleled instructions in the kit. Oscar always needed more love with everything because he's a little slow. I figure that if Oscar can get it, any normal cat can.
The Kitty Whiz package included:
(A) Bag of Herbs.
(B) Clear Plastic Form.
(C) Cartoon Style Instruction Booklet.
(D) Diploma for when Oscar graduated.
There was warning to wait if Oscar just had a litter. But, Oscar didn't have to worry about pregnancy. Also Oscar was to be using a litter box already, which he did.
The warning went on for male and female cats. If your cat was is in heat, pregnant, or recently had kittens, you were to wait 6 - 8 weeks. But, that only makes sense, right?
The Kitty whiz "transfer" was to take about 2 weeks. I lost track of time, but it was about that for Oscar to get into the groove. Of course, I changed the litter daily and kept everything clean as usual.
There was a recommendation to use a padded toilet seat cover for off-balance cats and Oscar qualified because he is pretty clumsy. The poor thing stumbles over his own shadow.
Kitty Whiz divided their training into stages. Everything I personally did was covered in the instructions.
STAGE 1
I took Oscar into the spare bathroom where nobody would bother him. Remember to start this training in the evening because your cat will need to stay in the restroom overnight so they will do their first poops and pees.
While Oscar was meowing around, I placed the large clear plastic form and the large white form together- with the clear form on top.
I chose to train Oscar with the toilet seat down because I thought it was safer and it is usually down anyway. The padded lid stayed up.
I then took the old litter box out to the shed so Oscar couldn't find it and he would be focused on his new toilet facility. Good riddance to that smelly thing that I could never figure out where to put anyway.
Per instructions, I filled the bowl part of the form with regular litter so it looked vaguely similar to Oscar's regular litter box.
Since Oscar had been known to poop and pee in everything resembling nature, I covered my houseplant soil with aluminum foil where possible and rocks where possible.
In the restroom where Oscar was training, I put his bowls with his favorite food and fresh water.
I opened the herb package and took a whiff. It did nothing for me but Oscar loved it. He followed the package as I led him up onto the toilet seat.
I sprinkled a little on the litter and Oscar sniffed around. This was to help Oscar take note of where his kitty litter was now located.
It was a little heartbreaking, but I closed Oscar in his restroom for the night. He needed to poop in peace, and he doesn't like for anyone to interrupt his "work." Instructions mentioned that cats are that way.
In the morning I checked on Oscar and he was perfectly content and maybe a little too proud. The litter was saturated with pee and there was a healthy mound of poop.
There are instructions for cat owners who have not been as successful as I was with Oscar. But, neither my parents nor my children have ever had problems.
I read over the steps to take if one is unsuccessful. They boil down to doing things over, keeping things real clean and encouraging one's cat with love and finesse. Oscar may not have been blessed with smarts, but he was blessed with a loving family. I'm sure your cat also has a loving home environment.
STAGE 2
I was glad to move on to the next stage because Oscar was really going through the litter and leaving me with mounds of love each day. I think he was laughing at me.
After four days, Oscar was accustomed to using his new litter box on top of the toilet. So, I saw the principle involved there. I gradually removed parts of the plastic form until nothing was left. In about two weeks, Oscar was going into the restroom all by himself and using the toilet like a regular human.
This is my own personal touch to the toilet system. I secured the toilet seat lid so it was always in the up position. I also had the door fixed so it was always open enough for Oscar to walk through. I did these two things to make sure Oscar was never prevented from doing his "work."
Nowadays, it is quite humorous to see Oscar get up from his favorite TV program and wander off to use the restroom. My only responsibilities lately are to flush the toilet. Maybe Kitty Whiz will someday invent a way to train Oscar to flush the toilet.
I think Oscar was proud to officially join the human race as a toilet user. He always knew he was human, but it was good to have official recognition in the form of a degree. We gave him a graduation party and presented him with his Kitty Whiz Degree. He wore a blue ribbon and we framed his degree and hung it in his "office," right above the toilet.
I was so moved, I sent some pictures to Bluejayz Pet Supplies, from whom I had purchased Oscar's Kitty Whiz Kit. Maybe I'll see Oscar's picture on their web site.
Bluejayz encouraged me to email any suggestions, pictures, and success stories about Oscar and other cats to success@bluejayz.com
I need to add the policy regarding images and testimonials as a courtesy to Bluejayz.
All pictures stories and suggestions sent to BlueJayz Pet Supplies become the exclusive property of BlueJayz Pet Supplies and can be utilized in any way, manner, shape and form without consideration or compensation of any kind to submitter.
Here is my personal testimony about Kitty Whiz:
I remember Kitty Whiz from the 1970s. It was around a long time before other cat toilet training systems. It is proven and trusted in my family. And I know other families that used it with success and I recommend it to first-timers. I've seen many imitations on the market lately and they are usually way over priced. I saw one for about $90 dollars. All I can say is, "Get real!"
About the author:
I guess you could categorize me as a passionate consumer. I warn everyone about getting ripped off and I also champion good products.
I became an early fan of Kitty Whiz in the 1970s after seeing it demonstrated on TV. My family also uses Kitty Whiz to train their cats and I recommend it over high-priced "Me Too" imitations that have recently flooded the market.
I bought my cat's Kitty Whiz online through BlueJayz Pet Supplies and I recommend that you check it out www.bluejayz.com
Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com
How to Bathe a Cat
By Dr. Hassany Ummar
Cats and water are not two elements that normally combine well. With only a few certain breeds and individuals that are an exception to the rule, most cats will balk at the first sign of an impending bath. However, bathing is an important routine that you should get your cat acquainted with as young as possible. Some cats will never really need a bath, but for those pet owners, who have allergies, bathing your cat can reduce your allergy symptoms. There are times that a cat may actually need a bath like for instance if your cat falls into the toilet, has a flea problem or if your cat gets into a fight with a skunk and loses.
By following just a few simple steps, you can make the whole experience relatively easy and enjoyable for you and your pet.
1. Assemble your "tools" next to the kitchen sink: Two thick towels, cat shampoo, conditioner, (for longhaired cats), two large cups or mugs, clean sponge.
2. Put a rubber shower mat in the bottom of the sink so kitty will not slip and slide.
3. Run about two to three inches of body temperature water into the sink-- just enough to come up to kitty's belly. Test the water on your wrist, much as you'd test a baby bottle. You should not be able to discern heat or cold.
4. Place a capful of the cat shampoo in a mug of warm water and mix well, to keep from shocking warm cat flesh with cold shampoo.
5. Pick up your kitty and lower her gently but quickly into the water, talking calmly to her all the while. Another human helper is optional at this step.
6. Give her a few minutes to relax to the idea that you aren't going to kill her, all the while talking to her and petting her.
7. Turn on and test the temperature of the shower spray and holding it right up against the cat's skin, wet her body, taking care not to splash in her face.
8. When she is well soaked, pour the diluted shampoo evenly over her entire body, again staying away from the head.
9. Massage the shampoo gently into her fur for several minutes. Now is your chance to give her a full body massage. You may even find that she enjoys it.
10. Rinse well, using body temperature water and the shower nozzle, stroking it the way you would a brush, in long strokes from the base of her neck down over her tail. You can gently pat some water on her tummy at this time, with your other hand.
11. Give her several long petting strokes with your hand to slick away excess water, and to test for any remaining soapiness.
12. Repeat steps 11 and 12 until all evidence of soap is gone. This is the most important process, as soap residue can dry her skin, leaving it vulnerable to rashes and infection.
13. With a clean, moist sponge, wipe down the back of her head and her muzzle, again being careful to avoid her eyes, ears and mouth.
14. Using a large bath towel, lift kitty out of the sink and pat her down, using the towel to blot up as much water as possible.
15. Repeat step 13, using another clean towel, then leave her alone to continue the drying process by herself. Don't forget the praise!
Bathing your cat once a month is an important part of the grooming process. A good bath will cut down on hairballs and can also lessen allergy symptoms displayed by you or your family members. Use a firm and gentle touch, as well as plenty of patience, and both you and your pet will soon come to enjoy the bath.Get More: http://cat-world.50webs.com
About the author:
Idham Effendi
Email: chip_arm@yahoo.com
Website: http://cat-world.50webs.com
Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com
Cats and water are not two elements that normally combine well. With only a few certain breeds and individuals that are an exception to the rule, most cats will balk at the first sign of an impending bath. However, bathing is an important routine that you should get your cat acquainted with as young as possible. Some cats will never really need a bath, but for those pet owners, who have allergies, bathing your cat can reduce your allergy symptoms. There are times that a cat may actually need a bath like for instance if your cat falls into the toilet, has a flea problem or if your cat gets into a fight with a skunk and loses.
By following just a few simple steps, you can make the whole experience relatively easy and enjoyable for you and your pet.
1. Assemble your "tools" next to the kitchen sink: Two thick towels, cat shampoo, conditioner, (for longhaired cats), two large cups or mugs, clean sponge.
2. Put a rubber shower mat in the bottom of the sink so kitty will not slip and slide.
3. Run about two to three inches of body temperature water into the sink-- just enough to come up to kitty's belly. Test the water on your wrist, much as you'd test a baby bottle. You should not be able to discern heat or cold.
4. Place a capful of the cat shampoo in a mug of warm water and mix well, to keep from shocking warm cat flesh with cold shampoo.
5. Pick up your kitty and lower her gently but quickly into the water, talking calmly to her all the while. Another human helper is optional at this step.
6. Give her a few minutes to relax to the idea that you aren't going to kill her, all the while talking to her and petting her.
7. Turn on and test the temperature of the shower spray and holding it right up against the cat's skin, wet her body, taking care not to splash in her face.
8. When she is well soaked, pour the diluted shampoo evenly over her entire body, again staying away from the head.
9. Massage the shampoo gently into her fur for several minutes. Now is your chance to give her a full body massage. You may even find that she enjoys it.
10. Rinse well, using body temperature water and the shower nozzle, stroking it the way you would a brush, in long strokes from the base of her neck down over her tail. You can gently pat some water on her tummy at this time, with your other hand.
11. Give her several long petting strokes with your hand to slick away excess water, and to test for any remaining soapiness.
12. Repeat steps 11 and 12 until all evidence of soap is gone. This is the most important process, as soap residue can dry her skin, leaving it vulnerable to rashes and infection.
13. With a clean, moist sponge, wipe down the back of her head and her muzzle, again being careful to avoid her eyes, ears and mouth.
14. Using a large bath towel, lift kitty out of the sink and pat her down, using the towel to blot up as much water as possible.
15. Repeat step 13, using another clean towel, then leave her alone to continue the drying process by herself. Don't forget the praise!
Bathing your cat once a month is an important part of the grooming process. A good bath will cut down on hairballs and can also lessen allergy symptoms displayed by you or your family members. Use a firm and gentle touch, as well as plenty of patience, and both you and your pet will soon come to enjoy the bath.Get More: http://cat-world.50webs.com
About the author:
Idham Effendi
Email: chip_arm@yahoo.com
Website: http://cat-world.50webs.com
Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com