I'm so Happy, I can't stand it!

Talk about a red-hot topic. Is pet health insurance necessary? Is it very helpful? Firstly, one of the things you need to know (especially if you are a first time pet owner), is when it comes to the costs of veterinary services, they can be very expensive. But, don’t run out and buy that policy just yet…

Your first step is to shop around. Do some research on the internet – visit various veterinary clinics and collect the various brochures that they have on display. You are going to need to commit to sitting down for a couple of hours to study this issue and take some notes which allows you to compare the benefits of each prospective plan. Also pay attention to those items that a company is NOT covering – things like chronic conditions (allergies, asthma, diabetes, etc.).

With this information summarized, now it’s time to analyze the data. Look carefully at the benefits verses the costs and start to think about what your true needs are. Now it’s time to look at some reviews on the internet – you are looking for the good, the bad and the ugly. People are usually pretty brutally honest about their opinions about things, so you should start to see who is good and who is better. Also, another good step is to find different forums that talk about pet insurance to interact with fellow pet owner more directly.

Okay, so you’ve narrowed things down. Before you sign anything, make sure you read the fine print. Look for decreasing coverage due to your kitty’s age. This is really boring stuff, but you really need to pay attention. The insurance company is protecting its own interests with that fine print, not yours.

Hey, who's the small fry?

There is a definite transition time period when bringing your new little furball home for the first time.  It is important to realize that a kitten, like a young child is curious and wants nothing more than to test the boundries of its existence (climbing up the drapes, up your leg, etc.).  It’s all about expectation alignment, ultimately – know that this is the way it is.  The way that you can save your sanity during this ‘young’ time is to adequately prepare.  How?  By creating a Kitten Safe Zone – a space, an area where kitty can roam and explore without seriously damaging itself and your stuff.

Here’s a suggestion on how to do this…  Find a cardbox of some size – say three feet cubed – very common and easy to find.  Now, inside the box, organize it such a way that you have a sleeping area, a paper area for going potty on (or if you can fit in a small litter box – great!), a place for water.  Also, don’t forget the fun stuff – the toys, although they can be pretty small.  This system is great because it’s a place where you can put kitty and you’ll know it’s safe – peace of mind!

Realize that your little feline is going to get tired of the box eventually and is going to want to bust loose and explore elsewhere.  Know that he is going to try to escape any way he can – so make sure that box is made a solid cardboard and be careful about sitting the box on a table surface where he can knock it off if he were to hit side hard enough.  Also, you want to make sure that you don’t put the box in direct sunlight – for obvious reasons.  You may not be thinking about the sun factor if you leave early in the morning to go to work, not realizing that the noonday sun could be beating down on that box for hours while you are away.  Also, you should keep the box away from drapes – the drapes give him a target to jump for – and he may just make it.

On the other side, the box is not meant as permanent storage for your cat – but to a safe haven so that you have some peace of mind that you can leave for a while and know he’s not destroying your home.

A Hard Day’s Night

From: bengalkitties.com

In last post, we talked about the advantages and disadvantages of toilet training your cat.  Today, we are going to get a little more concrete and detail the logical progression of steps.

You will notice that there is a logical progression from one step to the next.  The key to this whole process is patience, patience, patience.  You need to watch your cat and observe any ‘discomfort’ from moving too quickly. 

Step 1
So that your Cat will start to associate his/her litter box with the toilet, you want to gradually inch the litter box toward the toilet until is right next to it.  Remember to do this slowly or it could disorient your cat, having its litter box moved too often and to quickly. 

Step 2
Now it’s time to raise the litter box up to the toilet seat’s level.  The key here is to do this gradually, about a 1/2 to 1 inch per day or so.  Really the amount is up to your cat’s tolerance for change.  Also, make sure that you keep the toilet bowl lid up and the seat down during this phase.

Step 3
Next, you want to move the litter box on top of and resting on the toilet seat.  Again, do this gradually.

Step 4
Next, fit a metal bowl on the inside of the toilet bowl – make sure it’s a snug fit.  Many pet stores carry these.  Otherwise, you can use a larger mixing bowl.  Make sure that the bowl has about 5 small holes on the bottom for draining – a regular drill can be used to make these.  You are going to fill the bowl with flushable cat litter.  Remove the litter box. Make sure to put down the toilet seat.Next, fit a metal bowl on the inside of the toilet bowl – make sure it’s a snug fit.  Many pet stores carry these.  Otherwise, you can use a larger mixing bowl.  Make sure that the bowl has about 5 small holes on the bottom for draining – a regular drill can be used to make these.  You are going to fill the bowl with flushable cat litter.  Remove the litter box. Make sure to put down the toilet seat.

Step 5
The goal is to have your cat plant all four paws on the toilet seat and squat over the toilet.  However, at first, he/she will plant down inside the bowl full of litter.  So now, this is where your work and patience comes in.  You need to watch for when you kitty goes to the ‘litter box’.  You’ll want to gently move the cat while it is excreting from the inside of the metal bowl to the seat, using lot’s positive praise.

Step 6
The next step is to start decreasing the amount of litter in the bowl – again, this is a gradual process.  Cat’s instinctively scratch in the litter to cover their waste, so be prepared for some litter on the floor.

Step 7
Get a new metal bowl, one without any holes in the bottom and replace the one you had been using.  Next, gradually fill the bowl with water – a little at a time.

Step 8
When you have filled the bowl to about 1 inch from its top, it’s time to remove it altogether.  You are basically done and you cat should be toilet trained.

Remember to remember to leave the toilet seat up and flush often.

Cat Litter Box
Cat Litter Box

 

“There’s nothing like snuggling up to a good friend!”
From: d21c.com

Is it possible to toilet train your favorite feline?  Maybe yes, maybe no.  Much of it depends on temperament and personality of your cat.  And much if it depends on your willingness to go through the process.

There are many advantages to toilet training your cat, the largest of which it eliminates the need for a litter box.  Cat litter is not cheap and if you change it often enough, it can really add up to big bucks.  There are also health reasons to get rid of the litter box, especially for pregnant women (see my article on the Toxoplasma Gondii Parasite).  Another benefit is the ease of someone else to watch your cat while your gone – no litter boxes to lug around.  Just explain to your friend that they need to leave the bathroom door open so that Kitty can get in and make sure that they flush semi-regularly – that’s it.

There are a couple of disadvantages to training your cat to use the toilet instead of a litter box.  Because toilet seats can be somewhat slippery, there is a risk of you cat falling in and injuring himself.  In addition, a cat’s urinary pattern can often be monitored for signs of sickness – this becomes harder to do with Kitty using the toilet.  Also, when moving to a new house or location, a cat can become disoriented with a new toilet.

Cat Litter Box
Cat Litter Box

From: saunalahti.fi

You’ve been thinking about getting a collar for Fluffy but you don’t know where to start or what to look for – that’s what this article is about.

What are some of the benefits/function of a cat collar?

Identification

Cat collars allow you to attach tags that give a lost kitty’s information and your contact information to someone who finds him or her.

Visibility

Some cat collars come in a reflective material that allows a cat to be seen more easily at night.  Most cat car accidents happen at night, so if you cat happens to be out in the darkness, headlights of a car would illuminate the reflective collar.  The reflective material can also be useful in the home, enabling you to see them before stepping on them by accident.

Audibility

Although cats have been domesticated for centuries, they are still natural hunters.  Cats, out of respect for their owners, will bring home little hunted delicacies.  Well, to give the wild-life abroad a fighting chance, many owners attach a bell of sorts to their cat’s collar to alert the skilled hunter’s prey of its presence.

Control

I’ve seen more and more people out walking their cats in recent times.  So a collar provides the means to control your cat’s movements about when you are strolling about the neighborhood.  However, a standard cat collar with a lead attached can actually harm the cat’s spine, so it’s better to use a harness instead.  There are two basic types of harnesses: figure-eight and h-style.  Using a harness gives you more control over the cat’s entire body.

The Collar’s fit on Fluffy is Important

Above all, the collar’s fit on your cat is very important.  Too tight and your cat is uncomfortable; Too loose and your cat can slip out of it or even worse can cat caught on something while jumping about and choke itself to death.  This choking hazard lead to the invention of a break-away type collar which will ‘break away’ from your cat in the event that he/she gets caught at the neck – an important safety feature, especially for indoor cats.

Reflective Material

Some collars come in a reflective material which allows an oncoming car, at night, to spot Fluffy.  Most auto-cat accidents happen at night and it a reflective collar can really help.

Types of Collars

There are several types of collars.  The most common, because of the ease of getting it on and off and adjustability is the buckle collar.  Another type is an elastic collar, which I am not a fan of because of fit issues.  We mentioned earlier the break-away collar, which allows the collar to break-away from the cat if he or she gets caught on something.  And then there are the harnesses (figure-eight and h-style), which mentioned earlier also.

Collar Styles

Collar styles run the gamut.  Leather, metal studs, pink rhinestones, etc, etc, etc.  Once you’ve select the best type of collar, go have fun shopping for a collar style that matches your cat’s special personality.

Collar Hunting Tip

When looking for a cat collar, it is advised that you take your cat with you.  This allows you to try on several different collars and will save you a lot of time running back and forth to the pet store.

Cat Collars
Cat Collars

(Photo from: fogcitycat.com)

Too many stray cats end up in shelters, separated from their owners that truly want them.  It’s a heartbreaking processing to have to euthanize so many cats.

Fortunately, Microchip Identification technology is gaining popularity and provides a way for each cat (or animal) who has been implanted with a tiny rice grain-sized microchip to be identified and returned to their rightful owner(s).

The chip is about the size of a rice grain and is encapsulated in a covering of bio-glass and is injected under the skin, typically between the shoulder blades – no anesthesia is required.  Each chip has a unique number - currently the standard is a 9 digit number, but the standard is quickly moving to a 15 digit standard.

To read the chip, you must use a special scanner which when it passes over the chip, causes the chip to emit its number by a low-frequency radio wave - very similar to the RFID technology used for tracking packages.

Two companies dominate the market for producing the Microchips – Schering-Plough Animal Health, marketer of the HomeAgain- microchip identification system and AVID.  With the lack of a true standard, shelters are having to arm themselves with both types of scanners.

The HomeAgain chips can only be implanted by veterinarians while the AVID chips can be implanted by veterinarians, shelter personnel or individuals.  So the battle is on for who is going to dominate the market.

The AVID microchip.  About the size of a grain of rice.

Cat Identification
Cat Identification

The act of spraying is simply a cat’s way of marking territory and letting all of ‘catdom’ know that it is his – a very natural, God-given instinct.  However, this act brings a lot of stress and sometimes expense to the owner.

Spraying or Urinating

Let’s talk about urinating verses spraying.  When cat’s urinate, it’s a means of waste elimination and it typically done vertically on a horizontal surface, like a litter box.  Spraying is just the opposite – it is done horizontally, usually on a vertical surface, such as a wall, or couch at just about cat nose level.  Although irritating,  you can’t really blame the cat for doing what is natural and hard-wired into their DNA.

How to Combat Spraying

The best way to combat spraying is to stop it before it starts. First, we must understand that most spaying happens from non-spayed/neutered cats (especially males) – it is a sign of sexual maturity.  Because it is an activity of a sexually mature cat, most veterinarians’ recommend that a cat be spayed/neutered before he/she is 6 months old – some even recommend it as early as 12 weeks.

Urinating in Strange Places

If you are find that Kitty is urinating in strange places, like the rug next to the litter box, this might be a sign of a physical problem such as a bladder infection.  Or it could be a sign that Kitty is under stress or is somehow confused about some change in the household.  Also, the smell of the litter box can be an offense to your cat – you may want to change the litter more often.

Cat Health
Cat Health

www.Kitten-Pictures.comÂ

Per litter box, you will need:

• 1 box of Baking Soda (16 oz)
• 5 ounces of Dried Mint

Mix, thoroughly the Baking Soda, and Dried Mint with the Kitty Litter.

Cat Tips
Cat Tips

Here is a tip for how to clean Fluffy without water.

Baking Soda

• Just rub the baking soda into Fluffy’s coat
• Let it set for a few minutes
• Brush it off

Enjoy!

Cat Tips
Cat Tips