Tag: Picking Out A Kitten

Declawing your cat will save the life of your furniture.

I would only declaw a young cat. An older cat is used to a life of having its claws. The cat has climbed up and down many trees. If your cat is older, this would be a terrible shock to him to be without his claws suddenly. I heard of a case where a lady took her cat, which was four years old, to her vet to be declawed, and her cat bled to death.

A cat’s instinct is to claw at things. Your cat needs sharp claws to survive out in the wild. Cats’ claws are their hunting tools. Their claws help to catch and hold their prey. My farm cats have sharpened their claws on barn doors, pieces of wood, etc.

Your house cat can destroy your window sills with his claws. He can take off small sections of your carpet with his feet. He may climb your drapes and also shred them to pieces. Your clothes can be snagged by his claws catching on the material. The tops of your wooden furniture can get horrible scratch marks from your cat jumping up and down.

I had an older Siamese cat that was very good about not scratching things. She liked scratching the carpet, but it did not cause much damage. I also had a red tabby male cat that did not strike at anything.

If you do declaw your indoor cat, do not let him outside. Your cat will be utterly defenseless to a dog attack or other wild animal that may harm him.

All of my indoor cats are declawed. I had them declawed between six months and ten months of age. They did fine at my vet and got along fine in my house.

I have used a scratching post for some of my older cats. They have used it to some degree. They were hard on the carpet and the wooden floors. A scratching post with some catnip will help your cat get used to it.

Deciding to declaw or not depends on you and how you want your house to look and your cat’s age. Have a complete vet check for your cat if you decide to declaw him.

Tags Picking Out A Kitten

Frostbite

Do not let your cat be exposed to freezing temperatures for an extended period.

Areas that generally get frostbitten are the ears and tail, as they don’t have much of a blood supply.

Put warm moist heat on the affected area to get the blood flowing again. I had kittens lose the tips of their ears years ago. The kittens lived in an old barn we had years ago. Cats’ paw pads can crack from cold weather and bleed. In cases of frostbite, bring your cat to your vet ASAP. Never let your house cat out in cold weather. The wind chill temperature can affect your cat within a matter of minutes.

We once had an elderly farm tom cat that got disoriented in a blizzard. He must have been trying to find our barn. My Grandfather found the tom cat in the morning. He was in our driveway and looked like a statue. Grandpa took him in and sat him by the furnace in the basement. He defrosted after a while and was fine. In a blizzard, always keep watch over your farm cats. Cats can get disoriented in a blizzard, just like we can.

Ensure your outdoor farm cat has an area in the building that the wind cannot reach. An old chicken metal or wood chicken nest works well with a lot of straw in the holes for your cats to curl up in. I also like enclosed boxes with lots of bedding in them. I have also put a small safety heater in the building in the coldest months to keep the cats cozy. Pets heating pads work well with a burn-proof cover to keep the heat in.

Always check on outdoor cats daily, as it could be life or death. I hope you and your cats stay nice and warm, and safe this winter.

Tags Picking Out A Kitten

Cat Toys

When buying cat toys, consider their color.

Cats can see in color, but the colors are less vibrant. Cats have six to eight times more rod cells, which can detect light at low levels than humans. Blue, red, yellow, and green are the easiest to distinguish between.

My cat’s favorite toys are small stuffed green-colored dinosaurs, gray stuffed mice, a green plastic frog, and bright-colored balls. My cats also like to bat a mouse or ball around with their paw enclosed in a plastic circle. I also once had a cat that used to play with sponges. My cats also like to play with balls with flashing lights inside them.

My cats love any toy that has catnip in it. They like to play with catnip-filled mice, birds, balls, etc. I have a stick with a catnip toy on the end of it. My cats love to bat that toy around.

My cats love to retrieve cat snacks out of a Snacky Mouse. When they play with that toy, they also get a lot of exercise. My house cat Conrad even carries the Snacky Mouse to bed with him.

My cats can entertain themselves for some time with any circle toy with a ball in the middle. They will bat at the ball for at least ten minutes. I also have a circle toy with a mouse in the middle. The mouse in the circle toy is battery-operated, and my cats love it.

Cats will also play with an empty toilet paper roll. My house cat Garfunkel likes to play with a rubber practice golf ball. Garfunkel bats the ball around as if he were playing soccer.

I hope your cat can have some fun with a new cat toy, and you can have a lot of fun watching your feline friend play with his new cat toy.

Tags cat Toys, Christmas and Your Cat, Picking Out A Kitten

Grooming

Grooming your cat is very important for its overall health.

I prefer using a long-wire comb purchased at a pet store. The wire combs are good at pulling out their matted fur. I used a comb for a person on my short-haired cats. An older cat cannot effectively clean the back of their back anymore. Combating all the old furs from their back is essential to maintain a healthy, shiny coat.

Your old cat will need your help with grooming, as they are not as flexible as they used to be. They cannot clean the top of their back anymore and tend to get dander and lose fur if you do not comb and brush out their hair often enough.

I also use pet brushes that have rubber tips as it does not hurt your cat to brush out their fur with soft tips. I recently purchased pet gloves that remove the dead hair from your cat’s coat, and my cats seem to like them. The gloves have rubber tips that remove the old fur safely and effectively. I also have all rubber brushes, baby brushes, and more.

Bathing your cat occasionally is also an excellent way to rid them of old dead fur. I use a gentle pet shampoo or a water-less pet shampoo. Some cats do not mind a bath, and others will fight you every step of the way. Start bathing your cat when he is very young, and then he will not mind taking a bath as much later in life.

Do not let a long-haired cat get all mated up or any cat. If you cannot groom them, take them to your vet to get them groomed. Depending on how long they were wild, a feral cat can be impossible to work with. Your vet can give them a mild sedative so they can groom them.

One of my cats next door have talked another cat into grooming him, and he does an excellent job. My house cats tend to clean each other’s faces and ears from time to time. If you do not groom your cat, it is easier for him to get fleas, roundworms, and pesky hairballs.

Trimming your cat’s claws is a big part of grooming also. I use human nail clippers or pet claw trimmers. Bent or broken or turned over claws can insure your cat as they can land wrong when they jump down from something. When your cat grooms himself with destructive feet, he can bleed and get infected. If your cat does not let you trim his nails, have your vet do it for you.

A well-groomed cat looks healthy and cared for and shows that you genuinely love your feline friend.

Tags Grooming, Hairballs, Picking Out A Kitten