CATS

I would like to start off by saying I am not a doctor of animals nor do I claim to be an expert. I am only offering my own opinion and things I have found to be useful while raising the many cats we have had over the years. Please ask your own VET if you have any concerns about your cat.

So you want a cat. Well here you will find many interesting things about cats. Some of which I hope will be new to you. Just in case you are new to this special animal I will list a few things you will need BEFORE kitty comes home. In the page below you will find some amusing stories, tips, and care giving advice on cats, and yes even some pictures.

SUPPLY LIST Food - your choice Food/Water dishes Litter Box/Litter Training Tools Kitty Carrier Safe Place Vet

FOOD:

The food that you choose is up to you and your vet. Keep in mind that the food you decide to use should be the food your Kitty will eat for the rest of it's life. Unless you get a Kitten and then you will start with a kitten food and go to an adult food. You should try to stay with the same food (unless your VET tells you to change) as it is easer on your cats system and if anything develops due to the diet you will know what food caused it. Now there is and old wives tale that says if a cat is hungry it will eat. Well this is true to a point. If the cat is hungry it will eat what it likes. A cat will starve themselves to death if they do not like what is there for them to eat. If the cat likes the food then the saying is true. As for the food and water dishes the kind you get is up to what you like best and what will be easy to clean.

Litter Box/Litter:

There are many different kinds of Litter Boxes out there on the market. Take into consideration where it will be placed in the home. It does not have to be anything fancy. I like the ones with covers to them as I now have ours painted like a little house and is a bit more decorative. The litter you use is again up to your own preference. Just make sure which ever type you get you keep it cleaned at least once a day. Think about it...You flush the toilet...clean out the litter box too. I have found that a little bit of Baking Soda mixed in with the litter does help even when keeping it cleaned.

Training Tools:

Most people do not think you can train a cat, but in fact, cats can be trained with very little effort. I will give you a couple of ways to train them and you can choose the method which best fits your household. The first thing you need to remember is to always show "TIGER" that you love him it is his actions that you do not like. I use both of these training methods. the first one is using a noisemaker. All a noisemaker is, is a old soda can with something in it such as a few Pinto Beans or Buttons. (use what you have around the house) With the end taped up. When it is shaken or tossed it will make great noise. When "Tiger" gets up on the counter or table where he is clearly not wanted all you do is toss the can in his direction, (this does not mean throw it at the cat)letting it hit the floor and make all kinds of noise. At the same time use "Tigers" name and tell him to get down. Thus the cat will associate the counter or table climbing with the noise and learn not to do it. At this time you come in and pick up "Tiger" and take him to his own spot. As with children when you tell a cat they can not climb on one thing you have to give them someplace they can climb on. For some cats this might not work so you have to use something else. The second way to train a cat is by using a simple spray bottle filled with 1/2 lemon juice 1/2 water. Put it on stream and when "Tiger" jumps up to that place he should not be, (from across the room) you spray him. He will once again associate the spray of lemon water with the jumping and you seem to be innocent of doing anything to him. Once again you come in and pick up "Tiger" and put him where he is to be. The whole time showing him love and affection for doing what you want him to do. In his eyes you will be his savior.

Kitty Carrier:

To make Kitty’s ride easier on him as well as you, get a carrier for him. He will be safe, confined (if anything were to happen) and can not get under foot while you are busy driving. Ever had a cat come flying across the seat while going down the road, cause something out of the window scared him? The carrier can be anything from a cardboard box with air holes in it to one you buy at the store. Getting an older cat? Giving a kitten away? Here is a tip that will keep the cat from finding its way back to the old house. Cats have a GREAT sense of direction even in a box. Put a tad of lard or butter on two of the cats paws just before driving away. A cat can not pay attention to what direction they are going and clean their feet off at the same time. By doing this your Kitty will stay at the new house.

Safe Place:

It is always a good idea to make a place for Kitty to call his own. While doing this, keep in mind that cats do like to be up off of the ground. Lets face it, have you ever gotten down on a cats level and looked up? It could be a pretty scary place down there. Look around the house and find a window area, or someplace that "Tiger" can call his own. The back of the couch, or a stand that you got just for him. As long as he knows it is his area and other things will not bother him while he is at his "Safe Place". By doing this very simple thing you can save yourself alot of time searching for "Tiger". If he ever feels scared or is hurt you will know just where to find him. Keep in mind also that your idea and "Tigers" idea of a nice spot might differ. Some compromise might have to take place for you both to be happy.

Vet:

It is always best to pick a vet that you feel comfortable with before you get any animal. There is nothing worse than calling a Vet and taking your sick or hurt "Tiger" to the doctor to find out when you get there that you and the Vet do not see eye to eye on things, or the place is dirty, or just not the right kind of place you would like your kitty to be. Always check out the Vets office before you decide to take your furry friend there for treatment. You would not want to pick a doctor out of the yellow pages when your child is sick or hurt so why do it with your kitty?....As with children it will be on the weekend or in the after hours of most Vets that your "Tiger" needs to be seen. Make sure you have an emergency number where your vet will be or someone your vet trusts when they are not on call.

Medication: When it comes time to give Tiger his medication the vet will explain to you just how to do it. This is a wonderful practice but, what the vet will fail to tell you is: Tiger does not like to take medication. The fact that you are cramming little pills down his throat, or pushing liquid down his throat by way of an eye dropper does not help. You bring Tiger home from the vet for whatever reason. The first dose or two goes without a hitch. Gee it is not so hard to give the medication... Well when Tiger starts to feel better it will get worse to give him medication. Here is a tip that works. You know that pair of baby booties that was left at your house when you watched the last baby?... well get ready to put them to use. As you only have two hands and Tiger has four paws it just is not safe. Cover at least two of them. (Our cat uses his front feet more as we anchor his back feet under our legs when giving meds.) We only have to worry about his front feet. Put the baby booties on his front feet and give meds. This will keep your hands safe from the deadly claws. If you do not wish to sit on his back feet (this does take practice so as not to hurt the cat) then you may choose to use two pairs of booties. Make sure to give Tiger his favorite treat when medication time is done. Even if you come out with marks, tell him what a good kitty he is for taking his meds.

Our cat decided to play car tag. Yes, sad to say it does happen. While sometimes it is not a true accident some are. This one was a true accident. However the people who tagged our cat did not stop to see if he was OK. All of this happened right in front of our house. While my oldest child (our cats true owner) was watching in horror. The driver of the car did try to swerve and miss “Bilbo Baggens” it was to no avail. As the car tagged the cat he flew through the air with the greatest of ease...(those daring young men on their flying trapeze.) When he landed he did not land on his feet as the old wives tale says. Bilbo landed on his face. After he did a few body rolls he sprinted off at a dead run over two fences, through our back yard and into the woods. After an hour and a half of four of us searching the woods he was found by the back door. Very dirty, scratched, scrapped, and scared, but walking on his own. By this time it was well past 7 in the evening. Giving him a good check over myself I made the decision to wait till the next morning to take him in the see his doctor. After $98.87 worth of x-rays and anti-biotics he was released to come back home. I am happy to tell you all that he is just fine and suffered no broken bones. He has not gone near the street again. So the old wives tale that a cat will always land on their feet is not true.

This is our ATTACK cat.

You must have a "Thingviewer" to see this. If you do not have one go to my front page and pick one up, then come back here.

Yes we have an ATTACK cat. When our cat does not get what he wants (like going out) and you are in your bare feet he will attack. He does this by sauntering over to the other side of the room, and turning and running at full speed and head butts your ankel causing great pain. At the same time he wraps his legs around your leg, claws fully extended, and teeth sunk in the flesh of the foot or leg. We know when he is going to do this by watching his tail. When he "WHIPS" his tail....cover your feet. As long as you wear socks your feet and ankels are safe.

You pick out your kitty. He is all white and has beautiful blue eyes. The most pretty cat you have ever seen. You take him home. Your playing with him, having the time of your life. He turns and walks away. You spend 15 minutes calling him back, but he ignores you. You get his attention and he comes bounding back. This would be a great time to check to see if he is deaf. 90% of pure white cats that have blue eyes are deaf. They still make wonderful cats but, you have to be more careful with them if they go outside, as they can not hear the cars and we all know what can happen when a cat and car meet. A very simple test can be done. While Tiger is sitting on the floor looking in the other direction walk up behind him and clap your hands. His ears should move to the sound or he should turn and look at you. If he does not do either of these things you pull out your keys and jingle them behind his head, (making sure not to touch him) and if there is still no reaction your pretty safe in thinking that he is deaf. If you feel better by getting your vets confermation then by all means please make Tiger an appointment.

If you have any questions about cats please e-mail me from the link on the home page. I will be more than happy to help you if I can and if I can not answer your question then I will try and tell you where you can get the information from.