Tag: Picking Out A Kitten

Things to do to Help Calm Your Cat While Traveling and at Home

Post author By Laura Weers
Post date July 17, 2015
2 Comments on Things to do to Help Calm Your Cat While Traveling and at Home

Cats do not like any changes in their life whatsoever. They may stop using their litter box. They can scratch up your furniture. Your cat may need over-groom or – groom itself. They can find a place to hide when they are nervous or upset.

When I take a nervous cat to the vet, I like to put a familiar towel or toy in the cage with my cat. I keep talking to my cat on the way to the vet to reassure him everything will be fine.

Cats suffer from stress just as we do. They are scared of a new home, new furniture, or a new pet in the house. Cats get stressed from thunder, the fireworks on the 4th of July, and unfamiliar visitors.

My vet sells a beautiful product called Feliway. My friend had a cat that we took to the vet. Tina was shaking and nervous in her cage. The veterinary assistant sprayed some Feliway spray on a towel and put it in the cage with Tina. Tina calmed down immediately once she smelled Feliway. She was calm and relaxed and collected for her entire vet exam.

The Feliway brochure from my vet mentions what Feliway can accomplish regarding calming your cat down. Feliway helps relieve stress-related behavior by mimicking the natural Feline facial pheromone cats produce. The cat takes the pheromone through special nerve bundles sent to the brain and interpreted. Your cat immediately understands the calming message, and therefore, he is more relaxed.

I once put a Feliway wipe in a cage with a cat that I had got recently. She calmed down immediately. She was relaxed at the vet and on the way home.

Ask your vet if Feliway is suitable for your cat. I would highly recommend this excellent product.

I hope you and your cat have happy and stress-free travels.

Tags Introducing a New Cat Into Your Home, Picking Out A Kitten, Whats Upsetting My Cat ?

Benefits of Having a Cat Never Underestimate the Intelligence of Your Cat

Never Underestimate the Intelligence of Your Cat

Post author By Laura Weers
Post date June 22, 2015
2 Comments on Never Underestimate the Intelligence of Your Cat

I adopted Ginger, a Chocolate Point Siamese cat, from an animal shelter. She was about four months old when I adopted her. She had fleas when I first got her. I washed her with flea shampoo and flea dip for cats.

Ginger would follow me around the house. She would watch me doing various activities around the house. Ginger quickly learned the time of day that I would get up in the morning. She would meow very loudly at preciously the same time every morning. I no longer needed to use my alarm clock.

The only time bats would get in my house was when a new roof was being installed. One morning I woke up with a bat in my hair. I started screaming as I could feel the bat moving around on my head. It finally freed itself and flew off. I put my sheet over my head. The bat landed on the sheet on my head. Ginger got into action; she chased the bat all around my bedroom. She wore out the bat so I could catch it and put it outdoors where it belonged. Ginger was at the foot of my bed, huffing and puffing from her ordeal of wearing out the bat. She wore herself out too. Ginger was sixteen years old when she wore out the bat and herself.

Ginger watched me flush the toilet. She jumped on the toilet tank one day and washed my bathroom.

Ginger watched me turn on the answering machine every time I left the house for some time. I forgot to turn on the answering device one day. I had a house for rent that day. I thought I would miss all of my calls that morning. Ginger heard the phone ringing and must have felt to herself why isn’t that answering machine taking over? Ginger must have pushed her paw on the answering machine power button. When I got home, the light was flashing on the answering device. A lady had left a message saying she wanted to see my house for rent. The lady ended up renting my home. Ginger, my cat secretary, ended up renting my home to me.

Never underestimate the intelligence of your cat. They are more observant than you ever imagined.

Tags Picking Out A Kitten

Benefits of Having a Cat Introducing a New Cat Into Your Home Picking Out A Kitten

Benefits of Having a Cat

I love to sit in a chair and watch my cats. Cats are very relaxing to watch. I love to watch them clean themselves with their paw. It is relaxing to watch a sleeping cat. A cat can help you settle down after a stressful day.

It has been proven that owning a pet helps lower your blood pressure. People that own pets tend to live longer. Cats are an excellent company. Cats are good listeners and never talk back to you.

Cats are good mousers. Cats can catch and kill rabbits that eat away in your garden. Some of my cats have even killed a rat outdoors. Some cats and dogs become the best of friends.

If you are sad and lonely, having a cat in the house will help you have a brighter and happier day. Listening to a cat purr is very relaxing.

Kittens are so much fun to watch. It is fun to watch them play with their mother’s tails. Watching them pounce on leaves that fly around in the wind is fun. A kitten’s curiosity is boundless. Kittens will give you many hours of enjoyment.

Watching your cat throw toy mice up in the air and catch them is a joy. I like to watch my cats chase after balls. My cats love to cuddle with their catnip toys from LoopiesToys.Com. My cat Conrad plays a circle game with a light-up ball in the middle. I like to watch him having fun with that cat toy.

Cats are genuinely excellent companions. A cat can give you many years of happiness, joy, and love. A cat is there for you when you wake up in the morning. When I come home from a long day, my cats meet me at the door. Having a cat is awesome.

Tags Introducing a New Cat Into Your Home, Picking Out A Kitten

Taking Care of Your Pregnant Cat and Her Nursing Kittens

Post author By Laura Weers
Post date April 27, 2015
1 Comment on Taking Care of Your Pregnant Cat and Her Nursing Kittens

Ensure you take your pregnant cat to your vet to ensure she and her kittens are well. Keep your pregnant cat in a safe and warm area.

When I have a pregnant cat, I give her extra vitamins and food supplements in her daily diet. I also started giving her powdered milk mixed with water. I provide the pregnant cat with fancy cat food or tuna canned in water. I want her to be in prime condition before she gives birth to her kittens.

Make up a clean area for her to have her kittens in. A box with old towels or blankets in it works well. Outdoor cats, a place enclosed with fresh hay or straw. You will want the kittens to stay warm and dry after birth to prevent sickness later.

Kittens are born 63 days after their parents mating. Your Mother cat will generally have one to eight kittens in her litter. Once your female cat gets to be sixteen years old, she stops having kittens. Several days before giving birth, your Mother cat will be very restless. She will go to the box where she will have her kittens and rearrange the towels. It generally takes three hours to one full day for her to have all of her kittens. If you notice your cat having trouble giving birth, call your vet ASAP.

After the kittens are born, I still give my Mother cat extra fancy food and powdered milk mixed with water. You want to keep her extra healthy since she is losing nutrients when her kittens nurse her. If she is healthy, her kittens will most likely also be beneficial.

Some of my Mother’s cats have had their breast get raw and bitten by their kittens. I place a small round bandage over the natural breast until it looks healed. Your Mother cat will feel much better by you putting the application on her injured breast.

I hope your cat has a healthy litter of kittens. Remember to give your kittens all of their necessary shots at your vet.

Tags kitten grooming, kitten toys, Kittens, Picking Out A Kitten

Spring Has Sprung with Life Eternal Addy has Kittens

Spring has Sprung with Life Eternal Addy has Kittens

Post author By Laura Weers
Post date April 7, 2015
No Comments on Spring has Sprung with Life Eternal Addy has Kittens

When I went to the other house to see all my cats, I noticed Addy had had her kittens. She had five kittens. She had two yellow-colored kittens. There are two gray and white striped kittens. She had one gray tabby kitten. She was a cat that I thought was spayed when I got her. Miracles never cease. Peter, my black and white long-haired cat, is the Father of the five kittens. He was born on my farm.

Addy was purring away as her new family was nursing her. One gray and white striped kitten had entered another heated cat bed. I moved him back with the rest of the family. My cat Russ was sticking his head out of a wild cat bed, watching Addy and her kittens. Cali did not like the attention I was giving Addy and her kittens. She walked by Addy and hissed at her and her kittens. Lorenzo looked at them in total amazement. Bella and Snowflake looked at them as they were walking by.

I have not had a dark yellow or red tabby kitten born on my farm for many years. It proves that those genes get handed down again eventually. I have not had a cream-colored kitten born on my farm for at least fifteen years. The cream-colored gene got passed down again, also. None of the kittens look like their parents. All of the kittens look like Peter’s ancestors. All the kittens are domestic short hair mixed with Siamese, Persian, and Himalayan.

I will eventually give some of Addy’s kittens to good homes. I will wait until they are at least 12 weeks old before I give them away. Her kittens are very healthy and content with their wonderful caring,g first-time Mother. I can tell that Addy dearly loves her new family.

Tags kitten, Picking Out A Kitten

The Manx Cat from the Isle of Man

Post author By Laura Weers
Post date March 27, 2015
2 Comments on The Manx Cat from the Isle of Man

My friend and I went to the Isle of Man. We thought we might as well see some Manx cats while we were there. A lady that had raised them for years had died. I asked our waitress where we might be able to see some Manx cats. She told us to go to the Humane Society there. We found out that they closed in only one hour. We took a taxi to the Humane Society. He drove very fast. We made it to the Humane Society barely before closing time. We saw two Manx cats for only two minutes. One of the Manx cats was a gray-striped cat with a stub tail. The other Manx cat was a light cream-colored tuxedo cat with a stub tail. I patted both of the cats on their head. They were both amiable cats.

One of the ladies at the shelter told me about the Manx cats and their history. I will write what I remember from her conversation with me. The Manx cat originated on the Isle of Man. Taillessness rarely occurs in cat populations as an unexpected mutation. If they are bred with other cats, the conversion will usually disappear. If they are kept on the Isle of Man, they can survive.

Manx cats date back to before the 1700s. They weigh from 8 to 12 pounds. They have a gentle and even temperament. They have a thick and double coat of fur. Their heads are large and rounded, and their nose is medium length.

One account of how they lost their tails was when Noah was closing the doors of Ark. He had to close the doors suddenly as the water started to rise quickly.

In 1588 one of the ships of the Spanish armada had a tailless Tom cat on board. The ship sank, and the cat swam a shore and started breeding. This may be believable because Manx cats like water.

King Edward the 7th is said to have owned some Manx cats.

Manx cats are brilliant and friendly and are excellent hunters.

The Isle of Man has minted a coin with the image of the Manx cat on it. I bought one of their coins as a souvenir of my trip.

I truly enjoyed my trip to the Isle of Man and seeing the wonderful Manx cats.

I took a picture of one of the Manx cats.

Tags Picking Out A Kitten

The Relationships of Cats and Dogs

Post author By Laura Weers
Post date March 6, 2015
1 Comment on The Relationships of Cats and Dogs

Our first dog was half German Shepherd and Boxer when I was growing up. Her name was Sally. Sally got along fine with all of our cats.

We got a Samoyed dog after Sally died at the age of fourteen. She did not like cats. She would chase a Himalayan tom cat around and around the house. One day he said to himself enough of this. They ended up facing each other one day. Bandit leaped onto Polly’s nose and dug his claws into her nose. Polly got along fine with all of our cats after that.

We had two German Shepherds at different times. We had Molly and Joshua. They got along fine with most of the cats we had then.

We adopted Jitters. Jitter was a miniature lab, dash hound, and rat terrier mix. She dearly loved all cats. She would even babysit the cat’s kittens. The cats would sleep in her dog house along with her.

We had a black lab for a little while. She hated all cats. All she wanted to do was to chase cats and torment them.

I had a Samoyed and Great Pyrenees mix dog named Bear. He killed several of my kittens that were half-grown. By the time he reached four years old, he had left my cats alone. He liked one calico cat that I had. She slept in the dog house with him. Bear died of cancer at almost eight years old.

We also had a Husky mix dog that was fine with cats. He came to our house on my father’s birthday one year.

If you have cats and dogs, introduce them to each other when they are both young. If they grow up together, they should be lifelong friends. I hope your cats and dogs get along fine together.

Tags Picking Out A Kitten

Hiding Places

Cats will hide in the most unusual places.

My grandmother had a part Siamese and Russian Blue cat. Her name was Tammy. Tammy loved to open a closet door. Once in the closet, she would get the lid off a shoe box. She would ideally jump in the shoe box and get the top back on. My poor grandmother was frantic, searching high and low for her cat. My grandmother called the neighbor. She looked and looked and finally, by some luck, found Tammy in the shoe box—next time, grandma knew where to look. Tammy also would hide under her neighbor’s porch now and then.

I had a pure-breed Siamese cat. I got her when she was eight years old. Her name was Sugar. When I first got Sugar, I could not find her. I would look all over the house to no avail. After a month, I finally found her secret spot. She managed to get in the Christmas decoration box. One day I was walking by the box, and out popped Sugars head; the jig was up. Sugar found a new spot. My father was reaching into the linen closet for a bath towel. My father was shocked to have touched something with fur on it. Sugar never hid in the linen closet after that.

I got another cat that was part Siamese. Her name is Cali. I was looking for Cali. I was not looking high enough. I found Cali looking down at me atop the kitchen cupboard. She looked at me like it took you long enough to see me,

Cats love to hide from us now and then. Of course, hiding is a necessary hunting and survival skill in the wild. I hope you will find your cat quickly.

Tags Picking Out A Kitten

Whats Upsetting My Cat ?

Cats like consistency. They do not like changes whatsoever.

I will give you a list of things that may upset your cat:

new cat in the house
a new piece of furniture
a different person in your house
new appliance
different cat litter
different cat food
new bedspread
you’re leaving on a vacation

Your cat might stop using his litter box because he dislikes the new kitten you bought at home. He may start scratching up your furniture.

When I have gone on vacation, my cats have gotten into mischief. They have knocked things down and scattered any paperwork that may be laid out. My cats vomit when I am gone for a long time. They get a nervous stomach. Your cat may have loose stools while you are gone. Leave some clothes out or a blanket that has your scent on it. Leaving these out may calm your cat.

I have had cats quit using their litter box for a while because a new couch was bought into the house. Put the pillows from your old sofa on it for a time. The old pillows will have that familiar scent on them.

When you change cat food, always have the old food available until you are sure they are enjoying the new food.

Have another litter box with your old brand when changing to a different cat litter. This will prevent accidents. I had a new brand of cat litter that the cats would not even go near the litter box with the latest waste in it.

When you buy anything new, introduce your cat slowly and place something with a familiar scent on it.

A new kitten should be placed in a cage or bathroom where they can smell each other through the door. Leave the new kitten there for at least a week, then let him loose. They should all get along fine now.

Make all changes gradually if you can.

Tags Introducing a New Cat Into Your Home, Picking Out A Kitten, What Should I be Feeding My Cat ?

Introducing a New Cat Into Your Home

Post author By Laura Weers
Post date January 23, 2015
1 Comment on Introducing a New Cat Into Your Home

I put the new cat in quarantine for a week or more. I watch and observe the cat for sickness. I take the cat to my vet for distemper, rabies, and feline leukemia shots and deworming. The new cat is placed in my bathroom or a large cage with water, food, and cat litter. The other cats can sniff at the newcomer through the door. They will slowly get used to each other’s scent and meow by smelling or hearing each other through the gate. I let the new cat out only when I am home; so I can break up any disagreements.

I give all of my cats treats at this time. Each cat gets the same amount of treats. Cats know if they are being treated equally very quickly.

When I am satisfied that everyone is getting along fine, I free the newcomer. I have not experienced any problems using this method.

Spend much time with your new cat away from your other cats. Pat your new cat on the head and talk gently to him, as this will reassure him that he will not be harmed. Have toys available for him to play with, as this will also calm him.

Please bring all of your cats into a room, patting them all equally on the head for an equal amount of time. Play radio with soft music or have a clock ticking softly in the background—cats like gentle, calming sounds.

Have a nice warm cat bed available for the new cat. The new mattress can be a hideaway spot for him to get away from your other cats if he gets nervous now and then.

Have a variety of toys available for everyone to interact together with. They can take turns batting a mouse around in a circle cat toy.

All of your cats should be content with each other’s company now.

Tags Picking Out A Kitten, Whats Upsetting My Cat ?