Cats and Kittens on Pintrest

 

 


 
        
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A Win Win Situation

A Win Win Situation
Everyone benefits when you place either or bird feeder or a bird bath in your yard for your cats to watch through the window.

Your cat will benefit because it will be entertained and the birds will also benefit because they have more food and or fresh water.

In addition, it will be fun for you to get to watch your cat's reaction to the birds.
Plus, you get to entertain yourself by watching the outdoor wildlife. 

See our earlier blogs about ways to elevate your cat's eve level to better see out the window.

 

The "ROOM WITH A VIEW"  for cats or dogs

 

 Don't forget the Dog

 

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Finding the perfect cat bed

 
Finding the perfect cat bed…a dream come true for your precious feline.

If you can't find your cat, it might be time to get her a cat bed. Chances are she's sleeping somewhere cozy and perhaps not where you want her. If you would rather your kitty didn't nap on your bathrobe or the guest bed, you may want to get her an extra appealing cat bed of her own.

There are a variety of cat beds to choose from and you can definitely find one to suit your cat best. They range from mini-furniture to suit your décor to simple pads to lay on your cats preferred napping places. Here are some tips to help you find the best bed for your kitty.

Cat Bed Features to Consider

Materials/Fabric

Comfort

Placement (floor, desk, bed, window bed, etc)

Style/Design

Size

Wash-ability

Dry-ability

Ability to remove or replace cover

Durability guarantee

The most important feature to consider in choosing a cat bed is what your cat will consider comfortable.

Cats like to be warm in the winter and to keep cool in the summer. The cozy-factor of a cat bed is critical.

A cup style cat bed is often the perfect fit for a curled up kitty and can help her retain body heat. With an especially cold house, you might even consider a heated cat bed.

If you need something cooler consider a simple pad cat bed, which may be nothing more than soft fabric or stuffed for a plusher feel.

Whichever style you choose it needs to become your cat's favorite or she won't use it.

The best way to convince your feline friend to nap in her new cat bed however, may not be what style you choose, but where you put it.

A quiet place without too much traffic, but in view of the household activities is the best place. If you choose a cat bed that is easily moved, you can adjust the bed's placement depending on the temperature or the time of day.

Some cat beds can even be set up as a window perch, so in between napping your kitty can have a view of what's going on outside.

Desirable Cat Bed Features

Easy to clean

Comfortable

Attractive/Fashionable

Variety of Sizes

Durable

Safe

Water resistant

Replacement parts

Guarantee

Conserves your cats' body heat

Your cat loves it

The most desirable cat bed will be washable, or at least have a washable cover. Most cat beds will collect cat fur, which is great for cleaning up after a shedding kitty, but only if you can toss it in the washer. It should be durable enough to last for years and numerous washes.

The best cat bed will also dry quickly to discourage mold and fungus. Cat beds that have covers sold separately are also a great idea so that you can rotate the covers when washing.

An attractive cat bed is also a must if your cat is going to nap in the midst of things. Make sure that the cat bed doesn't just look great, but also appeals to your cat's sensibilities as well.

Cat Bed Features to Avoid

Watch for hanging fabric and strings which your cat could ingest. Your cat may choke or become ill with an intestinal blockage.

Also avoid cat beds that are hard to keep clean and can house fleas if your cat should become infested.

Make sure that the bed you choose also has color safe fabric that will not bleed if it gets wet or is washed.


The Ideal Choice of a Cat Bed

The ideal cat bed will be attractive to both you and your feline friend, a fashionable addition to your home and the purrfect place for a little cat nap.

To learn more about any of the above beds just click our earlier posts.


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Your Cat and Aggressive Behavior

Your Cat and Aggressive Behavior Toward Humans

     Sometimes cats will exhibit aggressive behavior toward their owners. For example, have you ever noticed that sometimes when you pet your cat he or she will sit purring calmly and allow it and then suddenly your cat seems to become angry and snap or hiss at you? Your cat isn't trying to be mean, but since he or she can't speak, this is just your cat's way of letting you know that he or she has had enough petting for the moment. If your cat shows this sort of behavior stop petting him or her immediately. Your cat is only trying to communicate with you the only way he or she knows how.

Cats all have different personalities and some like to be petted more than others. If you have a cat that really doesn't like to be petted much then you should respect that wish.

Here is another common example of cat aggression: does your cat like to bite or chew on your fingers? One of mine does. I often have to hide my hands under the covers at night to prevent her from biting my hands. She seems to think it is some sort of a game and she isn't trying to hurt me (despite that she bites quite hard).
By watching the way that cats interact with one another (especially cats that get along) you can learn a lot about the social behaviors of cats.

If you watch cats playing with each other they will often bite one another. It doesn't seem to hurt them either. This is due to their layer of fur. I think that when cats bite us (at least when they are playing) that they don't realize that without the layer of fur that the bites really hurt.

One way to prevent this sort of behavior is not to play hand games with your cat or kitten. Often people start these types of games with their cats and then the cat doesn't realize when it is all right to play with their owners hands and when it isn't.

I got my little biting cat when she was already 10 months old. She was a stray that I started feeding and then brought in to live with me. I don't know what sort of background she had and what sort of hand games she may have played as a small kitten with her previous owner. However, I do know that she's been doing this biting thing since the day I met her.

My father also took in a stray cat that exhibits the same biting behavior. It is possible that this play biting behavior isn't learned by playing hand games with humans, but may just be a natural play-type behavior of cats (as mentioned above). This might explain why cats revert to this behavior after they have been on their own for awhile.

To try to curb this biting behavior from your cat you should firmly tell your cat no and then attempt to put your hands out of site (but not in such a way that your cat thinks it is still part of the game).
Sometimes cats will become aggressive out of fear. I have another cat that acts just fine at home, but the minute he goes to the veterinarian's office it takes 2 people to hold him so the vet can examine him and they also have to put a muzzle on him.

Is he a bad cat? No, but he becomes frightened around strangers. If you know that your cat doesn't like strangers then go ahead and let him hide when you have company (however, you'll still have to take him to the vet).

Cats that are in pain may also become aggressive. Anytime that your cat undergoes a personality change from what is usual you should contact your veterinarian to rule out an underlying illness.

For More Great information see www.aboutcatsonline.com/


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Top Pet Messes And How To Clean Them

TOP PET MESSES

Hair. Urine. Vomit.
For some owners, these common messes caused by pets are a big problem, staining their carpets and ruining furniture. So to find out how the pros handle these cleaning challenges, we spoke with two of the country's top domestic divas to learn their secrets. Here what the cleaning mavens had to say:


Pet Hair – Everywhere!
Brushing your dog or cat weekly helps reduce tumbleweeds of hair from floating across your floors. But even the most vigilant brushers still find pet hair in their homes. Luckily, the solution is simple, says Linda Cobb (a.k.a Queen of Clean), a former owner of one of the largest cleaning companies in Michigan.

On fabric, wipe a damp sponge over the surface. "I usually wipe from the back to the front and the sponge just rolls the hair up," she says, emphasizing that vacuuming alone won’t get rid of all the hair.

Another trick is using inexpensive netting (yup, netting) purchased from your local fabric store. "You just ball it up, and wipe it over the furniture and that picks up hair like crazy," says Cobb, the author of four books, including How the Queen Cleans Everything (2002, Atria).

On floors, try the Swiffer Sweeper, a two–in–one system designed to both sweep and mop by using two types of cloths. Swiffer Sweeper dry cloths pick up 50 percent more hair, dust and dirt than a regular broom.

Piddling.
Immediately blot-up as much of the urine as you possibly can. "Standing on a big wad of paper towels is a good way to draw things out of the carpet," explains Cobb. Next, pour club soda on the spot. She says the carbonation in the club soda lifts the urine to the surface, while the salt helps prevent staining. Lastly, dry the area with a clean towel.

To keep pets from re-soiling your carpet, she recommends OdorZout, an all natural granule that when sprinkled on previously soiled areas removes the smell of urine. That odor is what often attracts pets back to a particular area to potty.

Schar Ward, who owned a professional maid service for 35 years in Saint Paul, Minnesota, takes a different approach to bathroom accidents. Using a mixture of one cup white vinegar and four cups of water, she sprays the soiled area, waits a few minutes, then rubs the spot with a damp cloth.

Next she sprinkles the area (even if it’s still wet) with a mixture of one cup baking soda and two drops of bergamot oil (a pleasant smelling essential oil sold in health food stores.) "You might see it start to bubble but that’s OK," says Ward. "That means it’s just starting to work." Simply let the mixture dry before vacuuming.

Kitty Hair Balls.
Don’t immediately clean hair balls or vomit from your carpet. Instead, Cobb recommends sprinkling a heavy coat of baking soda on the accident and walking away. That’s right, walk away. The baking soda does all the hard work for you by lifting moisture out of the carpet from food and stomach acids. After the baking soda dries, pick–up heavier pieces with a paper towel and use your vacuum’s attachment to suction away whatever is left.

Stinky Litter Boxes.
Keep icky odors at bay by emptying the pan at least once a week and washing it with straight vinegar, says Ward, author of Coming Clean: Dirty Little Secrets From a Professional Housecleaner (2002, Book Peddlers.). Next, rinse the pan with water and thoroughly dry. Then pour a thin layer of baking soda on the bottom before filling it with your favorite litter.

To prevent small paws from tracking litter through your home, place a mat where your cat exits the box. Or, forgo litter all together by using Yesterday’s News. These moisture locking pellets, made from recycled newspaper, are frequently used in animal hospitals and humane societies instead of dusty litter.


  Litter box covers help keep down the mess and odor.

So there you have it! Armed with the right techniques and supplies you can now quickly clean pet messes in your home just like the pros.

We can’t imagine life without pets, but keeping up with pet messes can be a challenge. From trapping and locking pet hair to managing muddy paws and more, Swiffer gives pet cleaning a whole new meaning.

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Plants Poisonous to Cats

Plants add the needed finishing touches to any decor. But, if you have a feline, that beautiful plant could become a deadly enemy.
Listed here are plants poisonous to cats that must be avoided if there are cats in your home.
While in some cases, just parts of a plant (bark, leaves, seeds, berries, roots, tubers, spouts, green shells) might be poisonous, this list rules out the whole plant. If you must have any of them, keep them safely out of reach.
Should your feline friend eat part of a poisonous plant, rush the cat to your veterinarian as soon as possible. If you can, take the plant with you for ease of identification.

Plants Poisonous to Cats

Almond (Pits of) Aloe Vera Alocasia Amaryllis Apple (seeds) Apple Leaf Croton Apricot (Pits of) Arrowgrass Asparagus Fern Autumn Crocus Avacado (fuit and pit) Azalea Baby's Breath Baneberry Bayonet Beargrass Beech Belladonna Bird of Paradise Bittersweet Black-eyed Susan Black Locust Bleeding Heart Bloodroot Bluebonnet Box Boxwood Branching Ivy Buckeyes Buddist Pine Burning Bush Buttercup Cactus, Candelabra Caladium Calla Lily Castor Bean Ceriman Charming Dieffenbachia Cherry (pits, seeds & wilting leaves) Cherry, most wild varieties Cherry, ground Cherry, Laurel Chinaberry Chinese Evergreen Christmas Rose Chrysanthemum Cineria Clematis Cordatum Coriaria Cornflower Corn Plant Cornstalk Plant Croton Corydalis Crocus, Autumn Crown of Thorns Cuban Laurel Cutleaf Philodendron Cycads Cyclamen Daffodil Daphne Datura Deadly Nightshade Death Camas Devil's Ivy Delphinium Decentrea Dieffenbachia Dracaena Palm Dragon Tree Dumb Cane Easter Lily * Eggplant Elaine Elderberry

Elephant Ear Emerald Feather English Ivy Eucalyptus Euonymus Evergreen Ferns Fiddle-leaf fig Florida Beauty Flax Four O'Clock Foxglove Fruit Salad Plant Geranium German Ivy Giant Dumb Cane Glacier IvyGolden Chain Gold Dieffenbachia Gold Dust Dracaena Golden Glow Golden Pothos Gopher Purge Hahn's Self-Branching Ivy Heartland Philodendron Hellebore Hemlock, Poison Hemlock, Water Henbane Holly Honeysuckle Horsebeans Horsebrush Horse Chestnuts Hurricane Plant Hyacinth Hydrangea Indian Rubber Plant Indian Tobacco Iris Iris Ivy Jack in the Pulpit Janet Craig Dracaena Japanese Show Lily * Java Beans Jessamine Jerusalem Cherry Jimson Weed Jonquil Jungle Trumpets Kalanchoe Lacy Tree Philodendron Lantana Larkspur Laurel Lily Lily Spider Lily of the Valley Locoweed Lupine Madagascar Dragon Tree Marble Queen Marigold Marijuana Mescal Bean Mexican Breadfruit Miniature Croton Mistletoe Mock Orange Monkshood Moonseed Morning Glory Mother-in Law's Tongue Morning Glory Mountain Laurel Mushrooms

Narcissus Needlepoint Ivy Nephytis Nightshade Oleander Onion Oriental Lily * Peace Lily Peach (pits and wilting leaves) Pencil Cactus Peony Periwinkle Philodendron Pimpernel Plumosa Fern Poinciana Poinsettia (low toxicity) Poison Hemlock Poison Ivy Poison Oak Pokeweed Poppy Potato Pothos Precatory Bean Primrose Privet, Common Red Emerald Red Princess Red-Margined Dracaena Rhododendron Rhubarb Ribbon Plant Rosemary Pea Rubber Plant Saddle Leaf Philodendron Sago Palm Satin Pothos Schefflera Scotch Broom Silver Pothos Skunk Cabbage Snowdrops Snow on the Mountain Spotted Dumb Cane Staggerweed Star of Bethlehem String of Pearls Striped Dracaena Sweetheart Ivy Sweetpea Swiss Cheese plant Tansy Mustard Taro Vine Tiger Lily * Tobacco Tomato Plant (green fruit, stem and leaves) Tree Philodendron Tropic Snow Dieffenbachia Tulip Tung Tree Virginia Creeper Water Hemlock Weeping Fig Wild Call Wisteria Yews -- e.g. Japanese Yew English Yew Western Yew American Yew

List compiled by Jeffrey D. Rakes
Reprinted from PET Magazine's Cat Care Guide, Summer 1987
Updated with the assistance of Dr. Jill Richardson,
ASPCA National Animal Poison Control Center, December 1997
Reprinted from The Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA).
The Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) has partnered with the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center to help raise awareness among cat owners nationally about the dangers of toxic plants as well as offering safe alternatives. Note that lilies(*), in particular, are dangerous to cats.

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Indoor Cats CAN Play Outdoors

Indoor Cats CAN Go Outdoors To Play

 

Does your cat spend it's day on the back of the sofa or the arm of a chair looking out the window watching the world go by? 

 

You want to let her out to play in the grass and to run with the other creatures but the fear is she wont get back safely or the traffic is to heavy. Maybe the fear is that without claws she can't defend herself or skamper up a tree out of harms way. What ever the reason, you can now let the outside experiences be part of your cats life.

From the simplest Fully Enclosed Mesh Funhouse that provides a generous play yard on up to a fully enclosed complex of tunnels, swings, shelters and lookout towers - your cat can now enjoy the outside safely and without constant supervision.

THESE PRODUCTS ARE NOT TOYS AND SHOULD NOT BE USED BY INFANTS OR CHILDREN  --  FOR DOMESTIC CATS & DOGS ONLY. 

To purchase: e-mail blueridgemarketing@mindspring.com for a secure Pay Pal invoice.

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