Cats
- Body Language : Snagged and Shared by MoonPixie
Your
cat may not speak your language, but she has many
ways of letting you know how she feels. For example,
when she greets you with a purr at the door and rubs
her head against yours, you know she is glad to see
you. Following are some clues you can use to interpret
other common feline body postures.
A
calm and happy cat holds her tail either relaxed or
upright and still, not swishing, with her ears alert
and straight up. When your cat looks like this, the
time's right for petting. She may even treat you to
a lick or head rubbing in return.
If
the end of your cat's tail starts to twitch back and
forth, she may be annoyed. Your cat also may flatten
her ears and pull her whiskers back tightly to warn
you that she is irritated. It's best to leave an annoyed
cat alone. Do not try to offer her affection.
Should
your kitty be frightened or fearful of something,or
trying to scare another animal away, her eyes and
pupils will be wide, and she may position herself
in a sideways stance. The ears are held back against
the head. The fur on her back may stand on end and
her tail will puff out. She will do her best to look
intimidating, in the hope that her appearance may
be all that is needed to chase away what she fears
- another cat, for example, a dog or a stranger.
If
the visual threat is not enough, however, the cat
may go on the offensive. The ears are pulled back
and flattened, the tail may be bushy and the fur puffed-up.
If the bushy tail is accompanied by hissing or spitting
and eyes that are wide open, back off! Some cats also
may arch their backs. Because a cat on the offensive
is poised to attack, it is smart to keep your distance.
If you can, the ASPCA recommends that you leave the
cat alone in the room for several hours.
Cats
- Scratching Furniture : Snagged and Shared by MoonPixie
Animal
behaviorists believe that cats inherently need to
scratch-both to keep their nails in tip-top shape
and to mark their territory. No problem there-until
your cat decides to do what comes naturally by using
your couch as his own personal scratching post. With
patience and persistence, you can rechannel this inappropriate
behavior and save your furniture.
To
keep your cat from scratching in a particular place,
you'll need to make your home furnishings unattractive
to him. Cover his favorite targets with double-stick
tape, tin foil, balloons or contact paper. For additional
protection, the ASPCA recommends that you cover your
furniture with a sheet, blanket or plastic slipcover.
You should keep it covered at least until your pet
learns proper etiquette. And remember, fabrics such
as raw silk, leather or anything with a thick and
bumpy texture are very tempting to feline claws. You
may want to avoid these materials for your furniture
and drapes, opting for
smooth cottons such as chintz or parachute cloth instead.
Next,
you'll need to retrain your cat by providing him with
an appropriate place to act on his instincts. Try
a sturdy scratching post that's covered in sisal or
burlap; ideally it should be at least 3 feet tall.
A tree trunk may work well, too, but first make sure
it is insect-free. Start off by putting this post
next to your cat's favorite inappropriate target-a
chair leg, your living room rug, etc. Remember, it
may take a bit of effort to get him to use his new
scratching post. Try running your nails over it or
dragging his favorite interactive toy across it. If
he still needs coaxing, twice a month sprinkle catnip
or the oil from canned tuna on the post. Praise him
whenever you see him using the new post, and gradually
bring it closer to a preferred location, away from
his old favorite. You may want to set it up near his
regular resting place. Many cats are compelled to
scratch when they wake up from a nap.
If
things are not going as smoothly as you would like,
ask your veterinarian about rubber or plastic caps
that glue on a cat's claws. They will need to be replaced
by your pet's doctor every 8 weeks, but will help
minimize the damage to your furniture as you continue
with the retraining process. And remember, by keeping
his nails trimmed, you will also cut down on damage.
Excessive
crying in cats : sent in by Broken Angel/Joanne
There
are many reasons why cats cry excessively. A healthy
cat may cry a lot because of loneliness and boredom.
An older cat will cry excessively because of illness
or disorientation. A spoiled cat will cry incessantly
because she is constantly rewarded, usually with food,
every time she cries.
If your cat is crying excessively, the very first
thing to do is have her checked by a veterinarian
for any possible illness or injury.
The
older cat, losing her hearing, sight, or sense of
smell, will sometimes become disoriented and cry.
She may not be able to find her food dish or her bed.
Place her food and water dish close to her bed and
place the litterbox in and easily followed path from
her bed. Keep her bed close to yours at nighttime
so that you can occasionally reassure her.
Your
cat will cry if there is a loss of a human loved one
or loss of a companion pet, be it another cat or a
dog. Be patient and give her time. You may want to
consider getting her another playmate.
Some
cats will cry excessively if you have been around
a great deal and now are frequently absent. It is
better to condition your cat gradually to an ever
increasing amount of separation time. Also, getting
a companion cat will help.
Cats
in heat will cry excessively! Neutering your cat will
take care of her vocalizations.
Your
cat may cry because she is isolated from you at night.
Give in and let her sleep with you! If you do not
want her on the bed, place her bed alongside yours
and consistently put her into it if she jumps on yours.
She will learn in time. When she does go to her own
bed, be sure to reinforce this good behavior with
lots of praise and a terrific food tidbit.
Some
cats exhibit more nocturnal behavior than others.
If your cat cries at night wanting you to play, try
giving her more exercise during the early evening
hours so that she will sleep at night. If you get
up to play with her, you will inadvertently reinforce
the continuation of this behavior. Tough it out, give
her lots of early evening exercise, and disregard
her nighttime requests!
If
your cat is old and cries because she wants to get
warm, place her bedding over the top of a heating
pad.
LITTER
BOX PROBLEMS IN MULTI-CAT HOUSEHOLDS : S&S by
Kimberly
When
we have only one cat and she misses the litterbox,
it can be hard to fix. When we have more than one
cat in the house, it can be even harder. Here's a
step-by-step guide to help stop litterbox problems
in a multi-cat home.
Act Fast. A litterbox problem that
continues for a long time can become harder and harder
to solve. Litterbox mistakes can lead to territorial
responses, and disturb the routines and hierarchies
of your entire household. Will Muffin still want to
take her daily afternoon snooze on the couch if Tiger
urinated there? She may find some other area, displacing
more and more of your cats, and creating fighting
and other dominance displays. If you put off solving
the problem, hoping it will go away on its own, you
may find it multiplying in your home.
Find the Culprit. Before you even
try to determine the "why," figure out the
"who." If you catch it early enough, you
can hopefully nail it down to one cat. Many people
like to isolate each cat to determine which cat is
causing the problem, but displacing one cat, even
overnight, can sometimes lead to dominance displays
in the others, as they claim undefended territory.
If you have new cats, or kittens reaching adulthood,
you may want to visit the vet for help. Your veterinarian
can prescribe fluorescein for your cats, helping you
to determine which urine stain(s) glow under an ultraviolet
light.
Rule out a Veterinary Problem. Veterinary
causes underlie many litterbox problems, particularly
in household with older cats or those with access
to the outdoors. Urinary tract infections are one
of many common causes, where the cat develops an aversion
to the box as a painful place to be. Other health
problems can also cause litterbox mistakes. Worse,
without visiting the veterinarian, your other cats
may be at risk, which could cause the problem to multiply.
No behavior techniques in the world will help a cat
with a veterinary problem, so don't skip the trip
to the vet.
Observe the Behavior. If the vet
rules out a health problem, I next recommend a brief
observation period. It's always very frustrating to
the owner to let the cat continue his litterbox mistakes,
but it gives you the knowledge to attack the specific
problem. During the observation period, try to concentrate
on the things in the environment that may be important
to your cat, like litter boxes, food bowls, favorite
places, the routines of the other cats and people
in the home, etc. Start a journal where you record
as much information as you can about every litterbox
mistake, then look for links. Does the cat always
use the same room? Is it always on carpeting? Does
it happen after meals, or at some other time of day?
Are the other cats nearby? Did you have guests over?
When you isolate the specific stimuli involved, it
allows you greater control without making major changes
in the environment that may upset the rest of the
cats.
Break the Habit. Elimination sites
are matters of preference, and when the cat gets into
the routine of going to a certain location, you'll
need to prevent the behavior from recurring. Since
the smell of declining urine is a signal for the cat
to "reapply," clean the accident site with
a pet odor remover - perhaps multiple times to get
past the cat's sensitive nose. Block off the area
while the product does its work. Remote deterrents,
that work whether you are around or not, will keep
the cat from returning to the area whenever you aren't
standing guard. Double-sided tape or an upside-down
plastic carpet runner, pointy feet up, can keep your
cat from standing in the same area. Cats also hate
to be startled, so anything that can safely surprise
the cat when he visits that area can help make the
area less "cat-friendly."
Make the Current Litterbox More Appealing.
While you are preventing bad habits, make good habits
more appealing. The litterbox should be clean, have
privacy, and in multi-cat homes, escapability is also
important. This simply means that the cat can see
off a distance, so he won't be ambushed in the box,
or on his way there. Most cats prefer clumping, non-perfumed
litter, but work with your individual cat to determine
whether a box of a different size, shape, or litter
would help.
Retrain? If it doesn't seem to help
to address the individual factors in your journal,
or your cat has never regularly used the litterbox,
you may want to retrain the cat by himself. Use this
as a last resort, since removing the cat from the
hierarchy may upset the routines of all the cats in
the home. Keep the cat in a small, uncarpeted room,
with a clean litterbox, food bowl, and toys in opposite
corners. Pick up all rugs from the floor, so the only
soft place to choose to eliminate will be the litterbox.
Visit the cat often, and clean the box regularly.
I also recommend recording the times that the cat
uses the box. Many cats stick to a regular routine,
so once you've determined when the cat is likely to
use the box, you can let the cat out during low-risk
times to maintain the hierarchy, and put him back
in the room with the litterbox during high risk periods.
Repetition of successful use will increase the cat's
preference to the box.
General Stress Reduction. In some
situations, it's difficult to determine specific environmental
triggers for a problem behavior. However, sometimes
general stress reduction techniques will prove helpful,
particularly in multi-cat homes. For litterbox problems
that have arisen from territorial disputes, additional
resources may reduce competition for resources. Extra
litter boxes and food bowls are always helpful, but
remember that YOU are also an important resource,
so give each cat as much attention as they could possibly
want. Exercise can also help redirect cats energies.
It can also help desensitize cats to each other, while
they are praised for attacking a toy while the other
cat watches. Routines are also very important in multi-cat
homes, particularly when older cats are involved.
Scheduled feeding, petting and exercise periods at
the same time and location every day can further reduce
stress that may be contributing to the litterbox problem.
CATNIP
FOR KITTIES : sent in by Sweetness
A
lot of kitties just love catnip, but the mess they
make rolling in it can be a big hassle for human who
has to run the vacuum. A few years ago, I found a
cheap and easy solution. Just take an old cardboard
box that's at least the size of the cat, like the
ones a case of 20 oz bottled water comes in, and sprinkle
a liberal amount of catnip in the bottom. Then, place
the box on top of an old towel, spread wide so any
flying nip lands on it and not the carpet. The catnip
box makes a wonderful place for kitty to lay down,
munch on the nip and mellow out. If there is more
then one kitty in the house, try setting up a box
for each! A few years ago I upgraded my boxes to the
low plastic storage bins that slide under the bed.
The cats love it!
To freshen up catnip toys (or plain toys that you
want to be catnip-y), place toys in an airtight sealed
container with catnip and tuck it away in the refrigerator
(refrigerating store bought catnip keeps it "fresh").
Give it a day or two and then toss the toy to kitty
and watch him go wild! It's a great way to renew interest
in a toy that may have gotten a little boring.
Sent
in by The Dog : How to clean the cat and the toilet
at the same time:
1. Add the required amount of shampoo
to the toilet water, and put both lids up.
2. Pick up the cat and soothe him
while you carry him towards the bathroom.
3.
In one smooth movement, put the cat in the toilet
and close both lids. (You may need to stand on the
lid.) The cat will self agitate and make ample suds.
(Never mind the noises that come from the toilet,
the cat is actually enjoying this.)
4. Flush the toilet three or four
times. (This provides a "power-wash" and
"rinse".)
5.
Have someone open the door to the outside (Be sure
that there are no people between the toilet and the
outside door.)
6. Stand behind the toilet as far
as you can, and quickly lift both lids.
7.
The now clean cat will rocket out of the toilet, and
run outside where he will dry himself off. The toilet
will be sparkling clean!
(Actually submitted by Susan ;-)
Kitty
Catnip Cookies
Source: Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health
for Dogs and Cats
1
cup whole-wheat flour
2 tablespoons wheat germ
1/4 cup soy flour
1/3 cup confectioners' milk
1 tablespoon kelp
1/2 teaspoon bonemeal
1 teaspoon crushed dried catnip leaves
1 tablespoon unsulfured molasses
1 egg
2 tablespoons oil, butter or fat
1/3 cup milk or water
Mix
the dry ingredients together. Add the molasses, egg,
oil, butter or fat and milk or water. Roll out flat
on an oiled cookie sheet and cut into narrow strips
or ribbons. Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes or until
lightly toasted.
Break
into pea-size pieces, suitable for cats. Good for
treats, exercising gums and cleaning teeth, but too
low in protein to use for regular fare.
Lemon
Flea Treatment (for cats or dogs) : sent in by Tonya
2 lemons, cut into small pieces
1 quart water
Place lemon pieces
into water, then boil for one hour. Steep overnight.
Sponge
down your dog or cat. While fleas are repelled by
citrus oil, your pet will smell good, and the lemon
water will help soothe your pet's flea bites.
