Every Cat

Archive for January, 2009

You’ve shopped for Aunt Suzie, you’ve shopped for the kids, did you by anything new for Mister Pickles your cat?  When is the last time you gave him more than a plastic bag from the grocery store to play with?  And here you are yelling at him again for tearing up the carpet, or knocking the ornaments off of the Christmas tree.  Get the poor guy a new cat toy! 

Cat Toy Options

Which one should you by him?  You see all of these toys in the aisle, some with bells, some with cat nip, some that are just plush mouse shaped cat toys.  The options are almost limitless, or so it seems.Will he appreciate it?  Will it annoy you?How much time would he take to lose it?  These are some of the things to consider when you’re shopping for a new cat toy. 

If you’re not a fan of anything that makes jingling noises , but know that your cat would be crazy about it, try getting him a ball with some sort of foil or mirror in it that will reflect light.  This will give the same sort of interactive idea that cats love.
Cat nip can be almost as entertaining for you as it is for your cat.  Cat nip is a drug for cats, making them a little more hyper than usual, or causing the adverse effect, and making them seem a little drunk.  It is important that you give them a little at first in order to see how they react, because they just might drive you up the wall with their new found energy level.  Also, make a mental note that if you buy your cat the cute little animal shaped cat toys with the cat nip inside, they will probably completely annihilate the cat toy trying to get to the cat nip.  You may want to grab a few of them while you’re at the store. 

Another great option for a monitored cat toy that will allow you to interact with your furry friend as well as give hours of entertainment to the both of you, is a simple laser pointer.  You’ve seen them, they’re small enough to fit on your key chain, and it shoots a red dot from across the room.  You’ll have your cat chasing that thing all over the house, and up the walls.The good thing is that this toy cannot be teared up by your cat.These are the selected ones from the heap of options available to consider when you move out for buying stuff for your cat.

Whether you are a first time cat owner or you have had cats before, it can be a difficult process to select an appropriate cat name. If you have had cats before you have no doubt experienced issues in selecting a cat name, Henry soon became Henretta. Perhaps you named a cat Tiny and later they outgrew their name. By following a few ideas you can find the perfect cat name for your four legged companion.

Many people will find a cat name in surrounding things and areas. Many fellows have named the their cats after famous personalities, film titles, song lyrics and other things that appealed them. One thing is for sure there are more methods to choose a cats name that the number of breeds of cats available.

Choosing A Cat Name

Anyone who has had a cat knows how independent they can be and if you are a first time cat owner you will soon find out the range of their independence. As a result cats become extremely dependent on routine and are not easy to train. Dogs are easy to name since it is known that they hear hard consonants. However, cats typically learn a name better when it is only two syllables or names that end in ‘ie’ or ‘y’ which makes it a little more difficult to choose a cat name.

Since cats have a naturally graceful nature and appearance it is easy to consider giving them a long aristocratic sounding name. However, if you select on of these names for your cat you will soon find yourself shortening it for every day use. Sometimes when a name has to be shortened it may not sound good or it may not be the type of cat name you originally had in mind. Therefore, you should consider this when naming your cat.

Kitten Names

If you are getting a new kitten then you should be even more careful with choosing a name. People typically think of naming their kittens after their cute appearance. However, you should keep in mind that kittens quickly turn into cats and the name you selected may no longer work. You do not want your cat to be stuck with a name that doesn’t match them for the rest of their life. Changing name may also create confusion in the cat’s mind and your pet might lose it’s interest in you completely.

While finalising a Cat name the right stratergy is to take your own sweet time. It process gets simplified if you resist the instict of eary name selection and wait for a week or so and consider all available options. Take a little bit of time to sit back and watch your cats character and personality. However, always keep in mind that the name you select for your cat will also be the one that you are calling out in the middle of the night when neighbors might be able to hear. So choose your cat name carefully.

It is amazing that  there are so many guides on dog training accessible. There are certainly a lack of cat training guides. Cats are also beloved by many people including you and me. Like dogs, cats are as smart and alert, and we are definitely able to train them as well.

Most of the cats in the household live a carefree life where food are provided and live comfortably curling up on their owner’s lap. Have you ever wondered that you are able to train your cat by teaching them how to do tricks and work with willingness?

There are so many amazing things that a cat can do, really. You will be totally stunned that a cat are able to perform like the acrobatics in the circus! They can do amazing stuff like roll over, play dead, shake hands and even play fetch! Cats are also as capable as dogs? Cats are as capable as well!

Perhaps, you are among the very few people who are seeking for the perfect guidebook on cat training. No more searching. You will get to know Paula Robb, the author of Complete Cat Training Guide is the reputable cat trainer who really knows her stuff well.

This is not just any simple guide out there.

Want to know how to teach your cat stunts, about your cat’s behavioral problems, health and how to communicate with your cat and more? Complete Cat Training is what you are looking for. This guide has all the information and advices that you will to know.

Complete Cat Training has 101 training tips for your cats, providing intructions based on true stories and real life experiences. You will not see lines and lines of instructions, instead there are pictures showing you step by step with training strategies. People are always overwhelmed by looking at strings of words, that is why this book provide pictures to allow readers to have a clearer view and easily shorten the whole process.

That is not all you will get. You will also get two bonus books which are “The Essential Cat Recipe Book” and “The Ultimate Guide to Pampering Your Cat”. You will learn how to prepare yummy food and treats for your precious kitty and how to improve your cat’s quality of life by providing lots of love and affection, this is where bonding starts.

More to come! You will also get a free, private email consultation which is worth $120, where you can ask any questions, and you will get solutions on any difficulties you experienced dealing with your cat.Your emails will be answered by a team of qualified cat trainers. It’s really worth a deal?

Pet adoption is the process of taking responsibility for a pet or animal. The pet or animal may have been abandoned or surrendered to a shelter because their owners are unable to care for them. 

Common places where you can adopt a pet would be in animal shelters (for dogs, it is more known as dog pound).  Pets that are in captivity without any identification and unclaimed by the owner are also adoptable pets.  There are also people who put up advertisements putting their pet into adoption.  Aside from this, the internet is a good source of adoptable pets.  There are several websites that displays information, photos about adoptable pets. 

Irresponsible owners, owners who abuse their animals continuously, may lose their pets altogether.Animal rescue groups are there that do the job of saving animals from violent and abusive owners.Animal rescue groups or organizations are activly involved in providing protection to abused animals and rescue of stray or abandoned pets.  Rescue groups are frequently run by volunteers. 

Pet adoption from rescue groups most of the times has stricter or more rigid process. Most of the times, it would include veterinary reference, background check and conducting a home visit.  There would be adoption fees but these do not cover transportation for picking up the pet, providing veterinary care, vaccinations, training and food. 

It is important for most rescue organizations to do these since pet adoption really is about knowing if the new owners of the pet will be able to handle the responsibility and care of their new pet.  This is to avoid that the same thing happen again to the unfortunate animal. 

Animal shelters on the other hand, are run by the government.  However, animal shelters are the best place for pet adoption.  Not only do they have adult animals, they also have kittens and puppies.  An interesting fact about an animal shelter is that about 25 to 30 percent of animals in the shelters are purebreds. 

Animal shelters also follow necessary procedures to ensure the proper care of animals put up for adoption.  Many shelters offer adoption counselling and follow up assistance.  This process serves as a background check on the persons who will adopt but also an effort to provide good matches between people and animals. 

Animal shelters also do require adoption fees.  But adoption fees are much less than the animal’s purchase price in the pet store.  Another benefit from adopting from shelters is that the pet is more likely to be already vaccinated, dewormed and spayed or neutered. 

Even so, the new owner, most of the times, still encounter some challenges with the pet.  These cases happen mostly with animals victim of abuse and neglect.The new owners should always practice patience in order to to understand and train these animals. These will help the pets to overcome the past.

According to Kelly Connolly of the Humane Society of the United States, there is an estimated 6 to 8 million dogs and cats enter shelters each year.In addition to these big numbers, there are only ad estimated 3,500 active animal shelter in a country like United States, the figure does not includes the unknown count of the smaller shelters as well as local and home based rescue organizations.These records is only substantiate the fact that there not sufficient space to accommodate our pets.

For people who are interested in having pets, pet adoption is a great way of saving money.  At the same time provide a life-long home and love for animals in shelters and rescue groups. 

Pet adoption should never be done spontaneously.  There are numerous reasons why pets are being surrendered in shelters and rescue organization, most common reason is deciding spontaneously about getting a pet and then failing to do the responsibility that taking care of pets requires.

Therefore, before adopting an animal from rescuers or shelters it is important that the animal that you are choosing will be a life-long companion.  Otherwise, this defeats the mission and goal of animal shelters and animal rescue organizations. 

Shelters and rescue groups have wide selection of puppies and full-grown cats and dogs.  It is important to identify which animal will be most suitable for the adopter’s personality and temperament. adoptable dogs and cats (whether it is mixed bred/purebred) displays unusual uniqueness.  It is best not to rely only on the physical characteristics of these animals but focus more on their attitude and behaviour. 

Choosing Your Feline Companion

Cats make wonderful pets.  Although they value their independence, they crave for love and companionship.  What is good about cats is that they can easily adjust to different lifestyles and types of residences. 

When choosing cats in an animal shelter, it is best to ask permission or assistance from the adoption counsellor to spend some time with the animals. This is for understanding the temperament and behaviour of the animals better.There are cats that tend to be passive, timid or frightened even if they are social by nature due to it’s lack of familiarity with the new environment. 

Having young children at home is another thing to consider.  Young children usually cannot handle the responsibility of kittens.  A cat, at least four months old will be a good choice. 

If the adopter have other animals at home, it is best to help the new member of the family to adjust to its surroundings.  Adopters can try isolating their new cats in a room and then slowly exposing them to the other animals.By this, they can gradually mix up together and accept the new feline presence in the same house. 

Choosing the Best Dog

Adopters sometimes get overwhelmed with the wide selection of purebreds and mixed bred animals in shelters.  The best way to narrow down the choices is identifying the adopter’s characteristics or personality.  Another thing is learning about the different personalities and temperaments of purebreds and mixes. 

With this process, you can do a process of elimination by removing those breeds and mixes that do not match or complement the adopter’s lifestyle. 
When visiting animals in shelters; always keep in mind that this is a stressful and unfamiliar environment for the dogs.It the dogs are in a safe and secure place then the real character will come up for display. 

Again, ask for the adoption counsellor’s attention to known several information about the dogs you are interested.Inquire about the behaviour, the age, and also about its behaviour with children.Before proceeding to the shelter it is essential that you should narrow down the search, it also applies for adoption of cat. 

Remember that the pets that you are adopting will be your companion for the next 10 until 15 years – or even longer.This stands out as the key reason why the pet adopter’s should choose their ideal pet carefully.  Pet adoption makes the most wonderful unions between pets and owners, as long as the decisions were made in no rush and with guidance. 

Animal euthanasia is the act of inducing death to an animal.  Euthanasia methods are designed to cause minimal pain and distress.  Most of the times, it is called the act of “putting asleep” an animal forever.Meanwhile animal rights organizations and animal rescue groups are strictly against this method.  They say pet adoption could dramatically reduce the number of animals being “put to sleep”.

There are many reasons for animal euthanasia.  Terminal illness, behavioural problems like aggression can be reasons for euthanasia.  While there are animal owners inducing their animals or pets to euthanasia when they have illnesses or broken limbs that requires big medical and financial attention.

Old age is also a common reason for animal or pet euthanasia.  Meanwhile for animal shelters, they induce euthanasia since they do not have enough space or room for an abandoned animal. 

According to Humane Society of the United States, there is an estimated 4 to 5 million of adoptable animals in animal shelters euthanized due to lack of facilities.  While American Humane Association cites even a bigger number, Every year in United States about 9.6 million animals are getting euthanized. 

According to the survey conducted by the American Humane Association, out of the 1000 shelters who responded to the survey, 2.7 million of 4.3 million animals (64 percent) are being euthanized.  Out of this euthanized number, 56 percent are dogs and 71 percent are cats.  There 15 percent of dogs and 2 percent of cats were reunited with their owners.  Just a dismal 25 percent of dogs and 24 percent of cats were adopted. 

Majority of the animals in shelters were being euthanized since there is a standard period of time (ranging from several days to weeks for unclaimed stray animals).Although, animal welfare organizations and many other private organizations manage “no kill” shelters.  These “no kill” shelters make it an official policy never to euthanize animals for medical reasons.  

Another reason why animal euthanasia is creeping to our culture is because of pet overpopulation.  There are numerous pet owners surrendering their pet due to personal reasons and inadequacy in taking responsibility for their pets.There are quite a few people who love to have only puppies, once the puppy grows, they totally neglect it and finally surrender to the rescue groups or to the shelters. 

There are owners who due to failure of spaying or neutering their animals tend to reproduce.  There are thousands of litters being born in American homes every day.  It is important to consider the financial and medical attention and responsibility these huge numbers of pet reproduction.  We do not want to contribute to the raising number of people surrendering their pets for adoption.  Eventually, leading to not being adopted and euthanasia.

Clearly, there is crisis in the pet population of the United States.  Too many animal companions competing for a few good homes than will take them is a clear effect of uncontrolled breeding.

Dog bite victims are now ranging to 4.5 million each year, due to uncontrolled breeding. Some of the victims fall prey to homeless and stray animals in the streets.They cause danger for public, and the government is paying the money collected through tax for the maintenance of animal shelters and controlling these animals. 

Pet adoption is a great way of lessening the impact of the crisis in pet population. Instead of buying pets from puppy mills or companies that breeds animals for profit, adopting an animal is a great way of reducing the number of euthanized animals in shelters.

There are countless benefits of pet adoption.  There are studies conducted saying the adopted pets are more loyal and devoted since they have already experienced the worst.  Pet adoption is a great way of reducing the number of animals in shelters and making way for another one.  Pet adoption battles euthanasia – one pet at a time.

Pet adoption is a great way of getting pets in a much less price.  Pet adoption is also a great way of  taking care and proving homes for pets and animals that have been left or sometimes even abused by their previous owners.

Adopting pets from shelters is very cheap in comparison of buying a pet from the stores because we have to pay only a nominal adoption fee.  Adoption fees range from $35 to $200 and almost always include medical treatment like vaccines, deworming, and spaying (neuter).  There are even shelters that offer follow up veterinary services to ensure that pets remain healthy and able to get the necessary vaccines. 

Animal shelters provide great choices for adoptable pets.  Shelters not only have adult animals, but they also have kittens and puppies that a pet parent can choose from. However there are some myths about animal shelters and why it is not a good place to adopt from.

Most of us believe that pets in shelters suffer from problems of behaviour. It is important to remember that these animals have bad experiences from their previous owners. They might have experienced neglect and abuse.  Animals in shelters normally exhibit minor behavioural problems.  Some of these pets may be scared while others can be excited.Animals having major problems with respect to behaviour are not displayed for adoption.

Animal shelters perform screen test to know the temperament of animals in the shelters.  The shelters try to get as much information they could get from the animals’ previous owners.  Soon-to-be pet parents are happier and at ease to know that their new pet has healthy and friendly temperament. 

Since these animals have been neglected, abused and abandoned, the next parent should display more patience to train them. Also since these pets already know and encountered difficult hardships they display more loyalty and devotion to their new owners. There are some pet parents who have adopted from shelters saying that their pets are more loyal and loving than other pets.

Another shelter myth says that pets from shelters and pounds are mature animals and cannot be trained. Most pets in shelter are older animals but there are also kittens and puppies that is available for adoption. 

Adoptable animals from shelters can be trained like other animals.Patience, consistency and understanding are the key factors during the training.  Animals (regardless if they are in shelter or in homes) respond to good, effective, loving and humane training techniques.

There are shelters that offer the new pet parent the opportunity to participate in obedience training and pet parenting classes.  These sessions serve as a transition period for the pet and the parent to bond together. 

It is commonly believed that pets in animal shelters are inferior to purebred animals.  According to the Humane Society of the United States there is an average of 25 to 30 percent of purebreds in animal shelters. 

Also, mixed bred animals are not inferior to purebred animals.  Animal shelters have pets that are healthier and have better temperaments than purebred.  Interested pet parents just have to talk to the shelter and provide the what kind of behaviour they would like to have in their pets.  Mixed bred pets oftentimes exhibit traits of several breeds.  If a pet parent like to have a purebred because of its temperament, the shelter would likely have a mixed bred that exhibits the qualities of the purebred. 

Going to a shelter for a pet adoption is a great way of helping animals in need in a much affordable and economic way.  Adopting a pet from a shelter is not only a solution for the pet parent’s problem but also a way of saving a life. 

Are you having a website in order to do your business? Or do you maintain a blog for personal purposes? Or you may not have any of these but you are an avid Internet user. Then you may find the idea of virtual pet adoption as something interesting.

The Idea
The notion behiadopnd this all is that you, as the Internet user, will have to go to certain URL address known as the virtual pet adoptioncenter. From that site, you can adopt a pet of your choice for free. Where that virtual pet will go? You can display it on your website or you can just bookmark the page where you want it to be.

Are you able to comprehend the idea? This is like teaching a virtual pet ownerto care for something that will in turn make them happy, just like what real pets do to you. This makes your cyber experience more fun and enjoyable because you have the pet to look forward to whenever you open your PC and you go online.

What is the procedure of getting one
The process is simple. You can use any of the search engines for finding a popular website that has this feature. Be careful with the sites. Be sure that they pass all the spam filtering and anti-virus settings for your connection. When you are already at the sites, read the instructions carefully. Make sure that the pets are safe to be downloaded, if this can be done.

Choose the animal that you’d want to be your virtual pet. There are a lot of choices actually. The popular ones include puppy, penguin, cat, spider, pig, fish, hamster, duck and so on. The list can actually accommodate all your preferences when it comes to this. Then after choosing the animal, you must name your pet. You want to call it as what? And then you will choose what color is your pet going to be. You will be given a code that you can copy and paste on the space provided for such on your own website. This kind of entertainment comes for free.

How Does It Work?
Once installed, you will the master of your chosen pet. They will follow your mouse on every direction. Other tricks that some of them can do include the following. While you are visiting other websites the spider will make webs on your screen. You can feed the fish by clicking your PC’s mouse. The penguin will make you feel light as it sits on the iceberg and moves around. It looses balance and falls into the cold water. The tiger will wave back and purrs at you. The puppy will bark at you until you give them treats. The bunny hops around while you are clicking on it.

Your website or the page that you have bookmarked will become home to your chosen pet. It will increase its appeal and might aid the traffic to your site. Now keep it mind that it is just as real as acquiring a pet, having an online pet will need you to check it out every time you visit the site. Do this for fun and enjoyment. Just make sure to instill the good values that you will be able to pick up along the process.

You see, virtual pet adoption is easy. It will make your website come alive. It will also make you feel happier and relaxed whenever you are online.

Cats which have been ill-treated can easily be identified with damaged and maimed  exteriors.  Some may appear to be in perfect shape on the outside, although all of the damage they sustained may be internal or emotional.  Even though physical damage is bad, emotional damage is much tougher to fix.  Cats who have physical abuse will still answer to a soft touch and soft voice, as long as they know that the abuse has come to an end.

When you have a cat that has been emotionally abused, you’ll need to wait until the cat comes to you.  You’ll need to use patience, as the cat will be confused and not know if you plan to hurt him or not.  If you take your time and let him know that you are nothing to fear, he will eventually come to you.As soon as he starts to come near you, allow him to sniff you and pet him affectionately.  After a while, he will learn that he can trust you and he will come to you when you call him.

Raising your voice, yelling, or using disciplinary tools like water guns or flyswatters on them can bring about emotional damage to your cat.  If you continue to use the wrong means of discipline on an emotionally damaged cat, the cat can become mean or lethargic.  When a cat turns mean, it’s not always a bad thing.  Meaner cats are easier to reach, as they still care a bit about what happens to them – while lethargic cats could really care less.

Cats that have become lethargic won’t play, take treats, or respond to anything you say to them.  With a lethargic cat, the ideal way to get him to respond is to bring in a companion cat.  Over time, a lethargic cat will eventually look for attention, normally a scratch or a pat.  When this happens, you should always use a soft voice and snuggle with him.  Never raise your voice at this point, and make sure you let the cat know that his behavior is a lot better.

You should make slow movements around a lethargic cat, as he is still quite traumatic.  Once he is coming around and letting you touch him again, he is getting back to his normal self.  Keep in mind that it may take some time, which is to be expected with this type of situation.  If your cat starts to get upset again or if you raise your voice, he will hide again.  If you continue to use a soft voice and have patience, your cat will eventually get past this.  If you get a cat that is lethargic, you should prepare yourself for a long and very intensive healing period.

Angry or mean cats on the other hand, will either fight and scratch with you, or simply run away from you.  With mean cats, the best thing to do is use gentle treatment with a soft voice.  You can never try to raise your voice or use strict discipline, as it will only make the cat meaner.  Never attempt to trap the cat either, as trapping it will only make the cat react.  If you take your time and let the cat know that you are there for him, he will eventually calm down. 

Abused cats are truly a sad thing, although they are out there.  Abused cats can be a sad thing to see indeed, especially those that were physically abused.  Abused cats need a loving home and a loving owner who will give them the type of lifestyle they deserve.  Always remember that if you are dealing with an abused cat – you should always be as gentle as you possibly can.

A Cat uses it’s claws for multiple purposes.The claws are essential to cats, as they are an important factor of balancing.  If you’ve ever noticed a cat jumping and latching on to a high object, you’ve probably noticed that he uses his claws to pull himself up.  When climbing trees, cats tend to use their claws to latch onto the bark and climb towards their destination.

Additionally Cat employs it’s claws for walking running as well as stretching.Cat’s primary source of defense against any human or a hostile animal is it’s claw.  Most cats keep their claws extremely sharp, as their claws and teeth are basically their only weapons.  The claws are also essential for using the bathroom as well, as cats use them to cover up their mess with dirt.

Cats also use their claws to scratch things, which mark their territory.  Their claws have glands, which contain a secretion.  When they leave their mark on something, the secretion is transferred to the area they scratched.  This is detectable to other cats although not to humans.  Sometimes, they will also scratch something to remove the older claw which will fall off and give them a brand new claw that resides underneath.

As sad as it is, a lot of pet owners choose to put their own possessions above their cat, such as their expensive furniture or carpets.  These cat owners are afraid that they cat will ruin their furniture or carpet, and therefore will choose to get their cat de-clawed.A veterinarian can only remove the cat’s claws appropriately as it is a well defined surgical procedure.  The owner will need a good reason though, as a vet won’t do the surgery just to keep one’s furniture or carpet protected.

If you’ve been thinking of getting your cat de-clawed, you should know that the process can totally change his personality.  Once the cat is de-clawed, he will be in pain and confused.It may happen that he may not be able to reach to the couch or the window, and he may now also not be capable of playing like he played earlier.  Some cats, after being de-clawed, tend to get aggressive and bite with their teeth.  To make a long story short, the cat will be completely miserable – which is a tough thing to bear for those who love their cats.

Those who decide to own cats should know that a cat can scratch on occasion. If someone isn’t prepared to deal with that fact, they shouldn’t own a cat in the first place.  Cats are great pets, although they do have claws and they will use them on occasion.  There are plenty of other great pets out there, if you aren’t up for handling a cat.  If you’re just worried about your furniture or carpet, there are ways that you can keep your cat from scratching on your belongings.

The first thing to do is to get your cat a scratching post and let him know where it is and how to use it.  You can also get a rush mat as well, which will help your cat with his instincts to scratch.Even though your cat should pick it up quickly,  you may have to give demonstration how to use the post or the mat initially.  Once you have shown him the ropes, he will scratch on the post or the mat – and not your furniture or your carpet.

Though most of us don’t believe it, there are other effective options to prevent your things other than having your pet cat de-clawed.  Getting a cat’s claws removed is very painful and confusing to the cat, and may totally change his outlook on things.  Before you decide to take the inhumane path of getting your cat de-clawed, you should look into your other available options- your cat will like these options much better.