Addressing Some Common Cat Training Problems
If you think that training a cat is easy business, you're probably in for some major surprises. There's no end to the number of cat training problems you can experience, from a rebellious cat that purposely does the opposite of what you want to show off his independence to the ones that have too much energy to train. Of course, many cat training problems aren't the fault of the cat himself but are the fault of the owner who may not even realize their own mistakes. The good news is that these problems can be addressed if the cat owner is willing to put in the time and effort to do so. A responsible cat owner will want to address these problems for the good of the cat's health and happiness as well. Let's see what some of those common cat training problems are and how to address them quickly and efficiently, as well as some mistakes to avoid. Raising a cat can bring you joy and pleasure, especially if your cat has been properly trained and is now a well-behaved feline pet. But along the way, you will probably encounter a lot of surprises and not all of them will be pleasant. Cat training problems will crop up as quickly as weeds in a garden. It could be a rebellious creature bent on showing his independence to a cat with boundless energy which gets in the way of training. But most cat training problems do not develop because of the cat; the cat owner is usually the culprit although he may not realize it. Fortunately, these are issues that can be resolved if the cat owner is motivated enough to spend the time and effort in doing so. The cat™s health and happiness depends largely on its owner™s sense of responsibility. And a responsible cat owner will find ways to work out these cat training problems as quickly and efficiently as possible. It might seem strange, but many cat training problems are really the fault of the owner not understanding how a cat thinks. They are very different from other animals, and yet many try to train them the same way you would train a dog. This can only lead to frustration and irritation on the part of the owner and the cat! For example, many cat training problems arise when an owner tries to scold a cat for something he did hours ago, and even minutes ago. Cats cannot connect past events with current scolding the way a dog might. You need to catch the cat in the act or find another way to address the issue. A better approach when dealing with cat training problems than scolding is rewarding. If you're training your cat to use the litter box, reward and praise him lavishly when he does. If you want to train your cat to stay off the counters, take him down from there, wait a few minutes, and then give him attention when he's on the floor. By establishing a reward system, you avoid many cat training problems. It might be difficult on you because we often automatically tend to scold when a pet does something wrong, but cats are a unique type of creature that need to be understood and addressed accordingly. They're much more likely to respond to rewards you give than to scolding. Other typical cat training problems usually have a simple solution. For instance, if your cat chews on the houseplants, put some chili powder on the bottom of the leaves and they'll soon enough avoid them. If they're always knocking things over from shelves, put some denture paste on the bottom of those things to keep them adhered to the shelves. For other cat training problems, be sure you also have taken your cat to the vet for a physical checkup. Problems using the litter box or ignoring you all of a sudden might be the result of some physical difficulties.
How Much Should I Feed My Cat
Every new cat owner wonders "How much should I feed my cat?" Since all cats are unique, there is no one-size-fits-all answer. But here are some good basic guidelines.How much food a cat needs each day depends on a variety of factors like age, size, and activity level, but a good rule of thumb is that a normal, healthy adult cat probably requires about one ounce of food per pound of body weight per day. The total calorie requirements for an adult cat are in the area of 20 to 30 calories per pound. An eight-pound cat would require about eight ounces of food, or a total calorie consumption of 160 to 240 calories.Most vets agree that a cat diet should include both dry and canned food. The canned food is high is water content, which cats need, and the dry food will help reduce the buildup of tartar on the teeth. When figuring out how much to feed your cat, include both canned and dry food in the total - for instance, you could meet an eight-ounce food requirement with four ounces of canned food and four of dry food.All major cat food brands include feeding instructions and it's important to follow them, because they're written for the specific nutrients that particular food contains. It's also important to consider the cat's stage of life. Kittens actually require more food than adult cats, and pregnant cats need additional food as well.Don't forget to provide clean water for your cat at all times, especially if dry food makes up a significant portion of the diet. If your cats don't seem to want water from a designated water bowl, try leaving some filled glasses of water in cat-accessible spaces (like on the sink in the bathroom). Just remember not to reach for it yourself on a sleepy morning.Most cats like milk, but it should be reserved as a treat, rather than considered the cat's primary drink. Milk isn't a requirement for health in the diet of an adult cat and many don't digest it well. If your cat develops diarrhea after drinking milk, try substituting a small amount of cream. Most cats love it, and the butterfat in the cream is actually good for cats (in small amounts).Feeding twice a day is a good regimen, and for people who are away from home all day it makes a lot of sense - feed before you go off to work, and feed again when you come home. It can be helpful to keep a dish of dry catfood available to the cat at all time. Like us, cats tend to enjoy snacks.Cats can be pretty finicky about cleanliness, and if their food dish smells like yesterday's meal they may refuse to eat. Ceramic bowls are good for cat food because they don't absorb odors, as plastic dishes tend to do. Room temperature is best. Food that is very warm or very cold may lead to digestion problems in some cats.
The Horrors of Commercial Pet Food What Every Dog and Cat Owner Should Know
Some of the ingredients that end up in commercial pet foods are truly shocking. What's more, many of these will not appear on the label and others are hidden under umbrella terms such as ‘meat meal' and ‘meat by-products'. How can this happen? The pet food industry is highly unregulated. As Ann Martin, author of Foods Pets Die For, writes in her article The Pet Food Industry and its Questionable Practices, ‘Governments in the USA and Canada regulate the labeling of the food, the name and address of the company, the weight of the product, and whether it is made for a dog or cat - nothing more.'
The meats used in pet food can be extremely low grade and unfit for human consumption. Summarized as the ‘4 D's' (dead, diseased, disabled and dying), these can include roadkill, zoo animals and infected and cancerous meats.
At the rendering plants ingredients are highly heated and processed, destroying nutrients and enzymes, with strong preservatives added which do not appear on the labels. These include fat stabilizers such as BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) and BHT (butylated hydroxytolulene), both of which are known to cause liver and kidney dysfunction and Ethoxyquin, a suspected cancer-causing agent. Semi-moist dog foods may also contain propylene glycol, a relation to ethylene glycol (anti-freeze), which can destroy red blood cells.
Pets in your pet food
Though reportedly not the case today, it is well recorded that dogs and cats have ended up in dog and cat food. In his 1990 article How Dogs and Cats Get Recycled Into Pet Food, John Eckhouse, an investigative reporter, wrote: ‘Each year, millions of dead American dogs and cats are processed along with billions of pounds of other animal materials by companies known as renderers. The finished products -- tallow and meat meals -- serve as raw materials for thousands of items that include cosmetics and pet food.'
Doctor of weterianry medicine Wendell Belfield in Foods Not Fit For a Pet (Earth Island Journal, 1996), reports that ‘federal and state agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration and medical groups such as the American Veterinary Medical Association and the California Veterinary Medical Association, confirm that pets, on a routine basis, are rendered after they die in animal shelters or are disposed of by health authorities, and the end product frequently finds its way into pet food.'
Toxic Grains
The very use of grains in pet food is questionable as grains are ill-suited to the digestive physiology of carnivores. This is especially so for cats who are obligatory carnivores and meet their glucose requirements through amino acids in their diet. Further, the grains used in dog and cat foods may contain mycotoxins, fungi that can cause chronic conditions and even death in both humans and animals. As the grains used in pet food are low grade, they are dealt with last in the handling process and because of this are often left in storage where insects, mites and mycotoxic molds can grow.
The consumption of dead mites can cause skin allergies. If your pet has skin allergies, change their diet first before turning to steroids which can be seriously detrimental to your pets health.
Alfatoxin poisoning, a common mycotoxin that grows on corn as well as other foods, has been reported for over 50 years. Vomotoxin is another mycotoxin found in wheat products. Where large doses of mycotoxins can cause cancer and even rapid death, small continuous amounts may suppress the immune system and damage organs over time, leading to long-term chronic health conditions.
Just recently at the end of 2005, over 100 dogs were killed in the United States because of alfatoxin found in pet food, with some 19 brands of Diamond dog food being recalled. It is likely there were many more deaths than those reported, and as alfatoxin attacks the liver it is likely surviving dogs may develop chronic liver disease or liver cancer in the future.
Toxic Chemicals
The toxin sodium pentobarbital, a chemical is used to euthanize animals and pets, has been found in commercial pet foods. The US Food and Drug Administration's Center for Veterinary Medicine performed two studies (1998 and 2000) to test for pentobarbital. Of the 74 samples analysed, over half were found to contain pentobarbital. What's more, none of the 43 brands and product lines that tested positive warned of its presence on their labels.
The FDA researchers also tested the food for the presence of dogs or cats but reported none present. It was believed the pentobarbital residues were entering pet foods from euthanized, rendered cattle or even horses.
The FDA say the small amounts of the drug found in these foods were harmless, but not all veterinarians agree. Long-term continual doses, even at small levels may be increase the onset of chronic and degenerative diseases.
Aside from the toxins and base ingredients of commercial pet foods, these harshly processed and high-carbohydrate products in no way match the natural diets dogs and cats would have eaten in the wild. They are species-inappropriate and ill-suited to canine and feline physiology. I recommend healthy, homemade, raw diets or optimum natural, holistic alternatives for the health and well-being of your dog and cat. Before embarking on a raw food diet (otherwise known as BARF - ‘biologically adequate raw food'), thoroughly research the area first as nutritional balance is essential.
The meats used in pet food can be extremely low grade and unfit for human consumption. Summarized as the ‘4 D's' (dead, diseased, disabled and dying), these can include roadkill, zoo animals and infected and cancerous meats.
At the rendering plants ingredients are highly heated and processed, destroying nutrients and enzymes, with strong preservatives added which do not appear on the labels. These include fat stabilizers such as BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) and BHT (butylated hydroxytolulene), both of which are known to cause liver and kidney dysfunction and Ethoxyquin, a suspected cancer-causing agent. Semi-moist dog foods may also contain propylene glycol, a relation to ethylene glycol (anti-freeze), which can destroy red blood cells.
Pets in your pet food
Though reportedly not the case today, it is well recorded that dogs and cats have ended up in dog and cat food. In his 1990 article How Dogs and Cats Get Recycled Into Pet Food, John Eckhouse, an investigative reporter, wrote: ‘Each year, millions of dead American dogs and cats are processed along with billions of pounds of other animal materials by companies known as renderers. The finished products -- tallow and meat meals -- serve as raw materials for thousands of items that include cosmetics and pet food.'
Doctor of weterianry medicine Wendell Belfield in Foods Not Fit For a Pet (Earth Island Journal, 1996), reports that ‘federal and state agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration and medical groups such as the American Veterinary Medical Association and the California Veterinary Medical Association, confirm that pets, on a routine basis, are rendered after they die in animal shelters or are disposed of by health authorities, and the end product frequently finds its way into pet food.'
Toxic Grains
The very use of grains in pet food is questionable as grains are ill-suited to the digestive physiology of carnivores. This is especially so for cats who are obligatory carnivores and meet their glucose requirements through amino acids in their diet. Further, the grains used in dog and cat foods may contain mycotoxins, fungi that can cause chronic conditions and even death in both humans and animals. As the grains used in pet food are low grade, they are dealt with last in the handling process and because of this are often left in storage where insects, mites and mycotoxic molds can grow.
The consumption of dead mites can cause skin allergies. If your pet has skin allergies, change their diet first before turning to steroids which can be seriously detrimental to your pets health.
Alfatoxin poisoning, a common mycotoxin that grows on corn as well as other foods, has been reported for over 50 years. Vomotoxin is another mycotoxin found in wheat products. Where large doses of mycotoxins can cause cancer and even rapid death, small continuous amounts may suppress the immune system and damage organs over time, leading to long-term chronic health conditions.
Just recently at the end of 2005, over 100 dogs were killed in the United States because of alfatoxin found in pet food, with some 19 brands of Diamond dog food being recalled. It is likely there were many more deaths than those reported, and as alfatoxin attacks the liver it is likely surviving dogs may develop chronic liver disease or liver cancer in the future.
Toxic Chemicals
The toxin sodium pentobarbital, a chemical is used to euthanize animals and pets, has been found in commercial pet foods. The US Food and Drug Administration's Center for Veterinary Medicine performed two studies (1998 and 2000) to test for pentobarbital. Of the 74 samples analysed, over half were found to contain pentobarbital. What's more, none of the 43 brands and product lines that tested positive warned of its presence on their labels.
The FDA researchers also tested the food for the presence of dogs or cats but reported none present. It was believed the pentobarbital residues were entering pet foods from euthanized, rendered cattle or even horses.
The FDA say the small amounts of the drug found in these foods were harmless, but not all veterinarians agree. Long-term continual doses, even at small levels may be increase the onset of chronic and degenerative diseases.
Aside from the toxins and base ingredients of commercial pet foods, these harshly processed and high-carbohydrate products in no way match the natural diets dogs and cats would have eaten in the wild. They are species-inappropriate and ill-suited to canine and feline physiology. I recommend healthy, homemade, raw diets or optimum natural, holistic alternatives for the health and well-being of your dog and cat. Before embarking on a raw food diet (otherwise known as BARF - ‘biologically adequate raw food'), thoroughly research the area first as nutritional balance is essential.