Tips For Stopping Spraying

Anytime your cat backs himself up to a door or other object in your house, lifts his tail, and releases urine – you have a problem. This problem is known as spraying, and is very common with cats kept indoors. Even though it is a very annoying problem, it’s a problem that can be solved.

Contrary to what many think, spraying isn’t a litter box problem, but rather a problem with marking. Cat urine that is sprayed contains pheromones, which is a substance that cats and other animals use for communicating. Pheromones are much like fingerprints with humans, as they are used to identify the cat to other animals.

When a cat sprays something, he is simply marking his territory through his urine. The spraying is simply the cat’s way of letting others know that the territory is his. Even though it may make you mad and annoy you, getting angry with your cat will solve nothing. If you raise your voice or show angry towards your cat, it can very well result in more spraying.

Cats that are in heat are easily attracted to the odor of urine. For cats in heat, spraying is more or less an invitation. Often times cats that spray while in heat results in a litter of kittens that are born in just a few short months. Keep in mind that cats not only spray during heat, as some will also spray during encounters with other cats, or when they are feeling stressed.

Although spraying is a way of communicating for cats, the smell for people is horrible. The good thing here is that most cats will do a majority of their spraying outdoors. If you have an indoor cat that never goes outside, spraying can indeed be a problem. If you’ve noticed spraying in your home, you should take action and do something about it immediately.

The most effective and also the easiest way to stop spraying is to have your cat either neutered or spayed, which of course depends on the sex. Most male cats that have been neutered will stop spraying the same day they have the surgery. If you don’t want to get your cat neutered or spayed, you should look into other options. If you hope to one day breed your cat, you certainly don’t want to have him neutered or spayed.

The best thing to do in this situation is to talk to your veterinarian. He will be able to give you advice, and possibly even solve the problem without having surgery. There may be a medical problem present that is causing the problem, which your vet can identify. You should always do something about spraying the moment it starts – simply because cat urine stinks and it can leave stains all over your home.

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How Fast Will Your Cat Will Grow: The Important Stages in a cat's Life

Just like having a child, it can be incredibly fulfilling bringing a kitten into your family and watching it grow up. It takes only a year for your cute little kitten to mature into a cat. It can seem hard to believe but it will happen fast. Being prepared is the goal here. So what are the key milestones for a young cat?

The First Moments

Kittens are born blind and they are completely dependant on their mother. The first stages will involve learning to eat and then growing. The kitten’s eyes will open and he will want to explore. At four weeks old, he is romping with his siblings. At this time he can begin to learn to use the litter box and should start to become a social animal. In the wild, the kitten’s mother will start to supplement his diet with dead mice and other small pretty. But, you may want to give him some soft kitten food or some dry food that is softened a little with water.

Six Weeks

He’s now six weeks old and he is more than ready to explore the home. If he’s indoors, he will move from room to room. A feral kitten will follow his mother when she goes to hang out with the other cats. These cats will still receive mice from their mother, but they aren’t dead anymore. Instead, the kitten has to learn to hunt the animal. Those who are eight weeks old will be completely weaned from their mother and are ready to go to a new home.

The Next Months

Through the next several months, the cats will grow really fast. You’ll need to get them in to be vaccinated at this time so that they are healthy and strong. They will begin to learn what they have to do to live with their families and learn which behaviors are okay. You can teach your kitten his name as well as a few simple commands now. If the cat has long hair, make sure to get him used to allowing you to groom him, although the cat’s coat doesn’t need to be brushed just yet.

Sometimes, cats will suddenly develop a bad attitude. Believe it or not this is an adolescent stage for them. This happens when the cat goes from being a kitten into being a mature cat. Sounds just like children, right? This will happen around the fifth to six month and may last until the cat reaches a year old. They will still be playful but may get carried away to play too aggressively. If your cat is not neutered at six months of age, he will be mature enough to reproduce now. Neutering the cat will help this stage of his development go more smoothly. At six months, the cat looks the way he will look as an adult even though he may still become larger.

Adulthood

Just like humans, adult cats will continue to go through stages. But, these stages can be dealt with quite easily. And, unlike that mid life crisis you may have, the cat isn’t likely to go out to purchase a sports car at this age!

If you take care of your kitten’s health as he grows into an adult cat you will have a fulfilling relationship that will bring both you and the cat great satisfaction.

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Choosing A Cat Litter For Your Aging Cat

As cats grow older, a host of feline health concerns can arise, including diabetes.

“Diabetes is a common problem in older cats,” said Dr. Kenton Beard, a licensed veterinarian. “They produce a larger volume of urine, and it does tend to have a stronger smell. That’s due to the fact that cats, compared to humans, can’t regulate their glucose levels as well.”

Therefore, senior cats with diabetes need to have their litter box cleaned more frequently. For this reason, some owners of older cats are realizing they need a more effective litter – one that stops the strongest odors, handles a high volume of urine and can be easily scooped and cleaned.

One alternative is a natural cat litter such as Swheat Scoop, a clumping litter that’s made from naturally processed wheat. Through a patented process, its natural enzymes work to eliminate, rather than mask, litter box odors – even the extra offensive odors associated with diabetic cats.

The natural wheat starches in Swheat Scoop form firm clumps to make cleanups easy. And since each granule absorbs liquid like a sponge, the litter stays drier longer.

Because Swheat Scoop is clay-free, the clumps can be easily flushed down the toilet without harming sewer or septic systems, eliminating the unpleasant task of disposing litter waste in the trash daily.

And for older cats who may have more sensitive respiratory systems, it’s also 100 percent fragrance-free and chemical-free.

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Common Meanings Of Cat Behavior

A lot of people think that cats work on their own agenda, not paying much attention to their owner – provided they have clean litter, food, and water. Cats can behave in odd manners at times, which can easily confuse their owners and make it really hard to determine what the cat wants. As much as cat behavior can be confusing, there are some ways that you can solve common cat behavior mysteries.

A common behavior that almost all cats do is push their heads into any type of object that will allow them to do it. You’ve probably seen your cat do this before, probably against table legs, TV stands, or another object. This can be noticed more when you have other people who own animals or those with allergies over at your house. When a cat notices this, he will rub his head against the person. In doing so, he will put a touch of saliva on the individual. In a cat’s mind, he owns what he puts his saliva on.

By putting his saliva on something, that object or person will have a familiar scent. Although this can be very annoying, you have to understand that other people in your home are seen as odd or weird to your cat. When a cat does this, he is simply trying to make the visitor belong. When he brushes up against them and puts his saliva on them, he is trying to put his scent on them – which in his mind will mean that they belong in his territory.

Even though marking someone or something with saliva is beneficial to the cat, saliva is one of the most common forms of pet allergies. When someone wipes the saliva off of them, the scent will be gone and the cat will go back and attempt to do it again. Even though it may appear that cats target those with allergies, cats are actually just trying to make the visitor belong at the house. If the guest simply cannot take the saliva, allow the cat to rub himself on their pants leg a few times. Normally, this is all takes for a cat to leave the person alone.

Those of you who an indoor cat should expect the cat to spend quite a bit of time lying near windows. During this time, you may hear your cat make very strange noises or weird movements. You shouldn’t fear though, as he is simply acting out his hunting instincts. Whether it’s another cat or object outside moving about, the cat will see it and simply go into his native hunting instinct.

As most already know, cats love to play. They love to played with, especially with toys. They will pounce on things on occasion, which should always be expected. If you try to prevent this type of behavior, your cat will take a very negative approach and you’ll end up with a lot of broken things in your home. You can always play with your cat using a string, as he will love to chase the string around the room.

The longer you own your cat, the more odd behavior you’ll see him exhibit. Cats behave in strange ways, although they always have a reason for behaving the way they do. If you can understand why your cat behaves like he does, you’ll have no problems keeping him healthy and happy. If you simply pay attention to your cat and the way he behaves at times – you’ll be able to understand him better than ever before.

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That Cat Just Sprayed

Oh No! That cat is marking his /her territory. When a cat becomes emotional, it seems to spray urine . You may find that cats mark their territory on doors; chair legs; walls; or tables. There are cats that will even spray your curtains. If your cat is marking territory at your home, purchase FELIWAY.

FELIWAY helps to eliminate some of the stress cats seem to have. Often a cat will spray urine under some of these situations:

When around other animals

When hospitalized

Riding in a vehicle

When put in a boarding area.

Around a new cat

When new furniture is purchased

Being around unfamiliar people

FELIWAY has calming pheromones that tends to settle the cat’s emotions.

FELIWAY controls many situations a cat may encounter.

Urine spraying

Scratching at furniture

Eliminates anxiety; stress; fear; and anger.

Eliminates cat fighting

Controls cats from urinating outside the litter box

If you love your cat, then it is recommended that FELIWAY be used everyday. FELIWAY should be sprayed where your cat has marked his/her territory.

FELIWAY is available in a diffuser that you can plug in. This is more convenient. Works around the clock 24/7. The diffuser has a scene that changes the personality of the cat. It is much friendlier and happy. Once you have sprayed all the urine markings with FELIWAY, the scent from the diffuser controls the cat from there.

With this pet product for cats , you don’t have to face being embarrassed when you have company over at your home. No more worrying about your company being sprayed. You will notice great changes around your home when it comes to the cat.

If you have friends with growling or hissing cats recommend FELIWAY SPRAY. There will be no more chasing or attacking problems from that cat again.

Protect your home and furniture from your cat. Let them know who is the boss in your house. Don’t become discouraged , fight back with FELIWAY .

Don’t take for granted that your cat may have a health condition causing these problems. Have you veterinarian check your cat out. One of the following conditions could be contributing to your cat’s behavior.

Diabetes

Urinary infection

Arthritis

Thyroid problems

Renal failure

Once your cat gets a good health report you can concentrate on controlling it’s spraying habits.

Cats are very likable , but can cause serious problems in the house. Cats love to climb on furniture and curtains. Watch out for those little critters. They can be very determined.

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Toilet Training A Cat: Pros And Cons Guide

Cat toilet training in easy steps:

Toilet training your cat is an easier task than you might think. Several techniques can be used for training your cat to use the toilet, and you can even buy products that will assist you in toilet training a cat.

The advantages of cat toilet training:

Teaching your cat to use the toilet can hold several advantages for any cat owner. The biggest advantage of having your cat use a toilet is that eliminates most of the disadvantages that using cat litter holds. Cat litter is expensive. After toilet training your cat, you won’t ever need to buy cat litter again. Cat litter boxes needs to be cleaned regularly or they will become smelly. With cat toilet training, the water in the toilet masks most of the offending smell and all you need to do is flush regularly – much simpler and easier than cleaning a litter box. Going away for holidays also becomes easier for your neighbor – instead of asking someone to clean out the litter box, all they need to do is flush your toilet once in a while (when they come around to water your plants and feed your cat).

How to toilet train a cat (do it yourself):

Toilet training your cat depends entirely on the cat’s personality. Toilet training sociable cats that love being praised make the training task much easier. You might want to adapt the toilet training technique described below to fit your cat’s personality. Training your cat to use the toilet can take anything between 2 weeks up to 3 months, depending on the individual cat’s personality.

Cat toilet training basically consists of a simple procedure: gradually moving your cat’s litter box closer and closer to the toilet, finally placing a bowl with cat litter inside the toilet, and removing it altogether when your cat is comfortable and used to it. Toilet training a cat is a gradual, step-by-step process, consisting of making small changes to the location of the litter box and only continuing to the next step when your cat is entirely comfortable with its current situation. You might have to wait anything between 2 days or 3 weeks before moving on a next step in cat toilet training. You might even have to go back a step once or twice when it turns out that your cat wasn’t ready to move on to the next toilet training step. Beware – cat toilet training takes a lot of patience!

Cat toilet training steps:

1. Start gradually moving your cat’s litter box nearer to the toilet until finally it should be next to the toilet. Ensure that your cat is always comfortable and sure of its litter box’s location.

2. Now start elevating the cat’s litter box. Put something non-slippery like cardboard underneath the litter box. A normal rate to increase the height of the litter box would be about 5cm a day, but be very attentive to signs that your cat is not comfortable with the current height, and adjust the pace of raising the litter box accordingly. The cat litter box should be raised until it is at a level height with the toilet bowl. Throughout this process it is very important to keep the toilet lid open and the seat down, because your cat will get used to it and might even start climbing on the toilet seat in order to reach its litter box.

3. Move the litter box to rest on the open toilet seat. Keep it there until your cat seems comfortable with this arrangement.

4. Buy a metal bowl or tray that will fit snugly inside the toilet bowl. It would be advisable for the metal bowl to have small draining holes. Fill the bowl with cat litter (preferably the flushable type). Now remove your cat’s litter box entirely. If you have reached this step successfully you are very close to having a toilet trained cat!

5. While your cat is using the metal bowl inside the toilet, be attentive to where its paws are. The goal is teaching him to squat with all four paws on the toilet seat rim. You can move the cat while it is using the toilet and praise it (or reward it) when it is sitting in the correct position. Normally the cat will first sit entirely inside the metal bowl, then with front paws on the toilet seat, and finally it should sit with all four paws on the toilet.

6. Start using less and less cat litter. This can get smelly, so be sure to clean the bowl after every time your cat uses it. Cats scratch in sand or cat litter to cover up the smell (this is out of instinct), so if the bowl becomes too smelly your cat won’t be comfortable using it (and you probably wouldn’t be comfortable with using your toilet either). Using flushable cat litter makes cleaning the bowl very easy – just throw out the contents in the toilet and flush down, rinse out the bowl, refill with correct amount of cat litter and replace. A handy tip is to place newspaper on the floor around the toilet to help keep the room clean should your cat scratch in the cat litter. Decrease the amount of cat litter in a pace that your cat feels comfortable with.

7. When you basically don’t use any cat litter inside the bowl anymore, start gradually filling the bowl with water. The water will also help mask the smell so your cat will be more comfortable using the toilet. Be attentive to your cat’s behavior through this whole process – if your cat stops using the bowl inside the toilet, you may be moving on too fast and might need to go back a couple of steps.

8. When the water level in the bowl has reached about 4cm and your cat has no problem using it, it is time to remove the bowl entirely. Your cat should now be toilet trained. Remember to always leave the toilet seat up and flush regularly!

Products to assist you in toilet training your cat:

There are several cat toilet training kits available on the market. They basically consist of a tray that fits inside the toilet, and with a hole in the middle that you can gradually make bigger. When choosing a cat toilet training kit, ensure that you buy quality. The cat training kit should not be flimsy and should be able to support your cat’s weight even when the hole becomes large. Be aware of cheap, flimsy products you buy at pet stores, because if your cat falls in, it might loose interest in toilet training completely.

The disadvantages in toilet training your cat:

Not everyone agrees that cat toilet training is such a great idea. They argue that it is unnatural for a cat to use a toilet, as it goes against their natural instincts to cover up their smell. Toilet seats can also be slippery and there might be the risk of your cat injuring itself. Even if your cat doesn’t fall in at all, he may become anxious whenever he uses the toilet and going to the toilet can become an unpleasant task.

A litter box also has the health benefit in that it’s easier to monitor your cat’s urine for signs of infections or sickness.

Moving locations will also be harder for the cat, because a litter box can be moved easily but the cat will first need to get used to using the new toilet. With some cats this is no problem and they can become comfortable with the new toilet very fast, while other cats might be less adaptable.

Things to remember when toilet training a cat:

The most important thing to remember is that the toilet training should be done gradually. Be very patient and never rush to the next step until you are sure that you cat is completely comfortable with the current setup.

Make using the toilet as easy as you can for the cat. Always remember to keep the toilet seat up and the bathroom door open. When you have guests, ensure that they also know about considering your cat. Flush the toilet regularly as cats do not like using smelly toilets.

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Your Cat's First Vet Visit

So you’ve got a new cat, and she needs a checkup. On your first vet visit, your vet will take the lead and give you some basic information, and probably will go through a fairly standard routine.

Upwards of 90% of the information you need, however, will be based on the questions that you ask your vet. Somewhere, typically towards the end of the checkup, your vet will ask you if you have any questions.

Usually, by that time, your adrenaline has been pumping, and you’ve been overloaded. Your cat has been stressed and so have you… you are both ready to leave. Do not let this opportunity pass you by.

Take this time to take the lead, and ask your questions. What questions? Well, the ones that you’ll forget if you don’t already have them written down. Yes, write them down now.

Much of the information being distributed today on feline diet, health, and cat care in general is either fear based (e.g. raw meat diets, vaccination scares), or profit based (i.e. advertising). It’s important, therefore, to get your vet’s take on some of these issues.

Here is a list of issues that you can use to formulate your questions. This is by no means all inclusive, and you’ll probably have some specific ones of your own.

The important thing is that this will spark a dialogue between you and your vet that will help both of you to better care for your cat.

Here are some subjects to create your questions around…

Vaccination options: there are options for both type and schedule, and there are risks, so be sure to find out what your vet recommends for your cat.

Diet and nutrition: ask about commercial cat foods and brands as they are not all the same. What about alternatives like home made cat food, raw meat diets, and feeding table scraps?

Common cat owner mistakes: ask your vet which common mistakes to avoid.

Emergency procedures: find out what emergency procedures your vet has now, should you need it later.

Indoor or Outdoor: this is a big subject as it greatly affects your life, and the life span of your cat.

Cat litter and litter boxes: many choices can be narrowed to only a few by asking your vet for advice.

Common diseases and their signs: understanding what the common signs of disease are will help you detect problems in your cat early, and may save her life one day.

Use the above list to get started. As you write your questions, more will come to you. Write them down, even if the answers appear obvious. There is no question too small to ask your vet about the health of your cat.

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