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September 27th, 2009 by Moses Wright

Cat declawing used to be a widely accepted method for controlling cat scratching behavior. Alternatives to cat declawing are now considered humane solutions to destructive cat scratching.

Cat declawing is a major surgery which involves the surgical removal of the last digit of the cat toes. Instead of the surgical removal of the last portion of the toe, the veterinarian may deal what is called a tendonectomy and cut the tendon to the claw.

The main reason that cat owners elect to get their cat’s declawed is to stop or prevent destructive cat scratching. Some cat owners believe that they must have their cat’s declawed to save their furniture and even themselves from getting scratched. A cat owner who gets the cat declawing to stop cat scratching during play may be disappointed when the declawed cat bites since they can no longer use its claws to defend itself.

Cat declawing can cause dangerous complications and behavior problems such as infection and the decline in litter box usage. Cat declawing can cause a cat to walk differently than its natural gait which can cause long-term skeletal and joint problems. If a declawed cat becomes a stray the cat is defenseless to protect itself.

A cat that has been previously litter box trained may start to avoid the litter box after being declawed. Recently declawed cats often experience pain while digging in litter box. The cat may associate the litter box with pain and avoid the litter box.

Many organizations that promote the humane treatment of animals are opposed to cat declawing. Instead, there are a number of humane options available for cat owners. Trimming the cat’s claws and providing scratching posts are a couple of the alternatives to cat declawing.

Trimming the cat’s claws can be done with regular fingernail clippers. By gently pressing on the cat paw, the claws are extended and the cat owner can see the pink area of the quick which should be avoided. The cat owner and needs only to clip off the pointed tips of the nails.

Scratching post can be an effective alternative to cat declawing. If a cat refuses to use his scratching posts, the cat owner may encourage use by rubbing the scratching post with catnip and placing it near where any destructive scratching has occurred.

Vinyl claw covers are tiny plastic nail caps that glue onto a cat claws. Vinyl nail caps typically stay in place for about five weeks.

August 23rd, 2009 by Moses Wright

The remarkable growth of kittens in their first weeks of life is demonstrated by the stages of kitten development. Kittens of all cat breeds progress through the stages of kitten development.

It is hard to believe that the helpless, tiny newborn kittens experience so much growth during their first several weeks. Sleeping and nursing are the primary activities of newborn kittens during the first week. The newborn kittens umbilical cord falls off within the first two or three days.

Since newborn kittens spend all their time nursing and sleeping, they quickly double their birth weight often within the first week. If a newborn kitten is separated from its mother, it’s ability to learn and be socialized is dramatically impaired.

The kitten’s eyes open during the kitten’s second week. The kitten sense of sight gradually improves through the first five weeks. Newborn kittens have blue eyes for the first several weeks of life.

The kitten becomes more aware of its environment during the third week. The kitten’s sense of smell develops and their ability to hear improves. Between the second and seventh weeks of life, the kitten’s socialization skills are largely established.

Kittens do not usually attempt to walk until their third or fourth week. In the beginning, there are steps may be shaky. During the fourth week, kittens become more curious about their environment.

In the kitten’s fifth week, the kitten becomes more socially interactive with its siblings and people. Many kittens learn to use the litter box beginning during the fifth week.

After about eight weeks of nursing, many kittens are weaned from their mothers. The height of the kittens active play occurs from the seventh to the fourteenth week.

At around six months of age, a sense of status and ranking emerges among the kittens. Kittens may try to dominate their siblings, other pets, and even the people in the household. This process of establishing a rank or status may continue until the kitten is about eighteen months old.

Some cat breeds mature slower than others. While many kittens reach full size around eighteen months of age, kittens of a few cat breeds can take up to five years.

July 18th, 2009 by Moses Wright

There are many reasons why a cat becomes homeless. The family may be moving to a residence that does not allow cats or the cat may have a health problem for which the family feels unable to provide care.

A member of the family may have developed an allergy to cats. At times, a litter of kittens is surrendered due to the familys neglect of having the cats fixed and a lack of ability or willingness to care for the litter of kittens.

These homeless cats are often surrendered to animal shelters or cat rescue homes. A majority of pets are surrendered to rescue groups and shelters due to changes in the family and not due to problems with the animals.

Animal shelters can be pushed to their limits in the number of animals they can care for at a time. Many animal shelters have ties with cat rescue homes and fostering homes that can take some cats until permanent homes are found.

Animal shelters are often in need of fosterers to care for pets in their homes. This helps the shelter by alleviating some of the strain of numerous animals. Placement of a cat in a foster home is often beneficial to the cat as well since the cat will live in a family setting and have normal social interaction.

Being a cat fosterer can be a rewarding experience. The fosterer feels needed by the fostered cat and a part of animal rescue efforts. The cats often give thanks in the form of affection and companionship.

People may feel unable to become a cat fosterer in their current situation. It should be known that many of the costs like veterinary bills are usually covered by the animal shelter. Some animal shelters even provide the necessary supplies such as cat food and litter.

If someone is interested in learning more about becoming a fosterer, the person should contact the local animal shelter for information. Animal shelters have rules and requirements to be sure that the foster home will provide adequate care for the fostered animals. Many animal shelters will do what they can to help interested people meet the requirements to become fosterers.

May 7th, 2009 by Robert Hart

In tough economic times, one of the first places people look to cut expenses is pet health. The purpose of this article is to help you realize that cutting corners and buying pre-packaged cat food is the worst thing you can do for your cats health and well-being, and your budget.

Prevention is Key

Sadly, and solely through lack of knowledge, many cat owners put their companion down because they could not afford the vet bills associated with a disease. Most chronic disease takes a long time to develop to a point where your cat begins to show signs of illness. When it does, vet bills can overwhelm the family budget. It is ONLY through prevention that you will be able to greatly reduce the potential of life threatening illnesses, and subsequently, your vet bills.

How Important are Annual Exams?

A veterinary exam can only assess your cats health at the time of the exam, plus cats are adept at hiding their illness as a defense mechanism. Chronic illnesses and disease typically develop out of view, deep within the gastrointestinal and immune systems, making them almost impossible to detect, even with expensive testing. The best approach is to watch your cat for signs like a change in energy, or behavior. However, be aware that they are very good at hiding pain and illness as a defense mechanism.

A well thought out budget can save you a lot of sleepless nights. Take a vet visit for example: first you have the obvious cost of the visit which typically costs $50-100, but you also need to factor in the hidden costs, like time lost from work (average time door-to-door is 4 hours), gasoline, vehicle wear and tear…

Better Health through Nutrition

The old adage you are what you eat is five times more applicable to your cat. Why? Because cats age five times faster than we do! Chronic illness and disease seem to come on suddenly, when in fact they develop slowly, below the surface.

The pet-food recall of 2007, put the ingredients in pre-packaged pet foods under a microscope. This was actually a good thing. While prepackaged cat foods today are considered safe, they are the equivalent of eating fast foods for every meal.

If you havent yet seen it, the documentary Super Size Me is a must see! For those who havent; the film maker made a documentary of himself eating nothing but McDonalds food for 30 straight days. Prior to starting, he had a battery of tests by physicians, who also monitored him throughout. A mere two-weeks into the experiment his doctors urged him to stop immediately as his overall health was deteriorating rapidly, and yet, this is exactly what the overwhelming majority of owners feed their cats daily, weekly, monthly and yearly. The connection between food and health can be ignored, but it cannot be denied!

By far, the best way to safely stretch the time between annual exams, and to minimize the risk of your cat getting a serious disease is to improve their diet!

The most effective way to restore or maintain your cat’s health is with a diet that includes human grade meats, fowl and fish, combined with daily supplements like; soil-based probiotic supplements, and high performance oils, or vital pet lipids, which are essential to maintain every aspect of your cats health- joint, skin, digestive system, immune system and all internal organs.

When transitioning, you can avoid, or minimize GI upset by mixing the old cat food with the new in a 50/50 ratio for a week, then making the full switch to lightly cooked meats; then, after one month, transition the same way to a raw meat diet, again with daily supplements.

The Bottom Line

Quality cat health care on a budget is possible once you realize that you cannot do it by cutting corners on food or supplements! The actual cost of 3 vet visits a year (including annual check up) is hundreds-of-times more expensive than the difference in cost between pre-packaged cat food (which should only be fed in times of emergency) and better food combined with a high performance supplement program.

Spending more upfront, for better cat food and proper supplements, will not just minimize your vet bills; doing so will reward you with a happy and healthy cat that will live 5-7 years longer than if you dont!

March 22nd, 2009 by Cal Janson

Cat training is becoming more and more popular all the time. One of the most common things people want to do is teach their cats how to use a toilet. Make no mistake here. I’m not referring to the task of teaching your cat how to use a litter box. I’m talking about training a cat how to use an actual toilet.

Make no mistake though. This is a very difficult thing to accomplish. Cats take to a litter box with very few issues. A good old fashioned toilet, on the other hand, is very foreign to a kitty. If you’re keen on giving this a go, here are a few things you might want to try.

Most people that have success training their cat to use a toilet do so with a specially designed kit. These kits contain everything you need to toilet train your kitty including detailed instructions. Most of these products aren’t meant for overweight cats. If you’re cat is a bit on the chubby side, use this kit at your own risk. They’re available for purchase online if you’re interested.

The other method that you might want to consider is a bit different. It’s cheaper and doesn’t require any aftermarket items. There is only really one criteria if you want to give this method a go. Your cat needs to be extremely comfortable with the idea of using a litter box.

The first thing you want to do is place the litter box near the toilet. Let your cat get used to the idea of doing his business close to the toilet. Don’t overlook this step! It’s very important to get your cat associating his litter box with the toilet.

The next step is to raise the litter box to the height of the toilet bowl. Show your cat the box’s new location. Let her sniff around and maybe give it a test run. Leave the box at this height for a couple weeks.

When your pet is comfortable with this, move the litter box so it’s actually sitting on the toilet. Again, it will take some serious time before you can move forward. The final step is the big one. Remove the litter box. If you’ve done everything right so far, your cat should jump up on the toilet and do it’s thing.

As you go about teaching your cat these methods, please keep one thing in mind. Whether you’re using a kit or not, the most important thing you’ll need is patience. This will take a serious amount of time and dedication. It’s definitely possible to have a toilet trained cat. Work hard and in not too long you won’t have to buy kitty litter ever again.