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Cats are wonderful pets. They are more independent than dogs yet also very affectionate and loyal. Cats are very smart animals but despite their intelligence they can still demonstrate unwanted cat behavior. Cats have a natural instinct to scratch and claw anything they find that suits their needs. Unfortunately, you cannot stop a cat from scratching furniture because it is a natural behavior for them. Cats scratch for a variety of reasons including marking their territory, hygiene purposes, and it provides good exercise for them. Instead of just accepting the fact that your cat will scratch your furniture, there are things you can do to redirect this unwanted behavior.

Unlike popular myth, cats can be trained to do almost anything that they are able to do. One important factor that is a must for success is a patient owner. Cats are not as dependent as dogs are and therefore they are more content by themselves. But don't let their independence fool you. They still require love, affection, and quality time with you, they just tend to dictate to you when the attention is wanted and when it is not. When your cat is in the mood for affection from you, it is the perfect time to train them. If your cat behavior problem is scratching the furniture or other valuables, then you must work on how to stop the cat from scratching the furniture. A great way I have learned to prevent this behavior is to provide your cat with its own furniture. Cats are territorial and will quickly bond with a scratching post or cat tree. Catnip is often used to attract the cat to the cat tree, and before you know it, the cat will begin scratching its own furniture. I find it useful to provide my cats with several cat trees throughout my home and providing them a window seat will soon become a favorite place to sit, scratch and play. Your cat needs to be taught that scratching up your furniture is not acceptable so when it occurs make sure you redirect the behavior with a firm "NO!" and then bring them to their furniture. Always praise your cat when it scratches its own possessions to positively reinforce the good behavior. Offer a reward to your cat to further reinforce the positive behavior. Cat treats are a great way to reward your cat while in training. Before too long it is possible to stop your cat from scratching your furniture.

Remember to always be consistent when training a cat. Even if it is inconvenient for you to stop whatever you are doing to redirect the behavior problem, you must stay consistent and make the extra effort to bring the cat back to its cat tree or scratching post and praise the cat for scratching the appropriate things. Your cat will soon learn what is acceptable to scratch and what is not and most of the time you will achieve success in a relatively short time. There are some cats that are more persistent with bad behavior and the trick is to know exactly how to stop the unwanted behavior, and the earlier the better. I used an e-book to help correct some of the more persistent unwanted behaviors that I just couldn't seem to fix myself and I highly recommend it to anyone who is having an issue with a cat behavior problem. This book was very helpful to me to stop my cat from scratching the furniture.

Unless you have Superman's xray vision, it is unlikely that you've recently had a peek at your cat's kidneys. So how do you know if your feline friend has problems with those organs? A variety of diseases of the kidneys are called "Chronic Renal Failure (CRF) and are particularly common among older felines. Fortunately, you can keep an eye out for some telltale signs that your pet is suffering from feline kidney disease.

1.Anemia

When your cat's kidneys start failing, they are unable to create enough "erythropoietin," causing a certain type of anemia to occur. The animal typically experiences a variety of symptoms, including:

* licking of the lips

* faster heart rate

* loss of appetite

* weakness in the hind legs

* heavy breathing

* lethargy

* nausea

* cold feeling

* pale eyelids or nose

All of these signs are indicators that your cat could be suffering from anemia stemming from feline kidney disease.

2. Increase in drinking and urinating

This is the most observable symptom when your cat has one of the kidney diseases. The increase in drinking and urinating results from the organ's being unable to cluster the urine. So if you observe your animal with this symptom of CRF, then immediately schedule an appointment with your veterinarian.

3. Constipation

It's natural for your feline's bodies to attempt to save water by absorbing it from its stool. However, this practice becomes a problem when feline kidney disease is present, as dehydration is already a problem. Constipation occurs due to the lack of moisture. Your cat may be eating less; or even vomiting before, during, or right after having a stool. Also, defecating beside the litter tray is another symptom of constipation.

4. Incontinence

Basically, this means that your cat cannot control when it urinates. For instance, your cat may do it whenever it walks, lies, or sleeps. This could be a sign of uncontrolled diabetes, urinary tract infection, or that major renal damage has occurred.

5. Urinary Tract Infection

This is common because the feline's urine does not contain the proper levels of "good" bacteria and acidity. If you observed a little blood is in his urine, then its likely your little friend uses the litter pan more often, or produces a small amount or no urine. These are all signs of feline kidney disease.

All of these symptoms are signs that your pet could be suffering from sicknesses of the kidneys or other cat illness like a feline urinary tract infection, bladder stones, or even diabetes. If you spot any of them, its time to get your cat into the vet for a diagnosis.

Michael Podgoetsky
Level: Basic PLUS

I love Networking and trying to learn the art of making money on the Internet. I would like to have a large network of similar …