CATS

Jasper , Blackie, Rafiki However their names are subject to change depending on 5 year old granddaughter and sometimes their own behavior modifications.

Yes! You can Train a Cat!

Cats require different methods of training or dicipline then dogs, Dogs form pack laws handed down from their relatives the wolfes and that means you can take advantage of it by placing yourself at the top, which is known as Alpha dog or Top Dog but this is dog stuff and that is in the other section. Cats well they form social groups only by necessity and the arrangement is based on respecting territory, and not by respecting the "top dog". Don't make that mistake of thinking your cat will act in the same way as a dog because it just won't happen! If you use physical punishment on your cat you will succsessfully teach him to be scared of you and I hope this is not what you should hope to accomplish. There are training methods you can use to help you though, cats hate to be surprized, you can make very good use of waterbottles, clapping, hissing, and other sudden noises to stop his misbehavior. The biggest disadvantage here is you have to be there to use this method, and if the dicipline isnt immediate well then it isn't going to be effective.One way to discourage bad behavior such as biting is the "face-push" put the palm of your hand in cats face gently pushing while saying NO in a firm voice. If you don't say it like you mean it your cat will take it as such.

Scratching

Cats like to work their claws so you need to provide a scratching post so that your cat will have an area in which to scratch that you approve of sayin a firm "NO!"s on things you dont want scratched.. There is a product available that ou may use"Bitter Apple" or"Bitter Orange" (available at most pet stores) on items that they are really intent on scratching. Give them lots of praise and give a cat treat when they use the approved scratching area. Demonstrate how to use the post by going up to it and scratching it like your cat would.(Do you feel silly)They will come over to investigate your scent and then leave their own. Pepper (black, white, or cayenne) can be applied to furniture and plants to discourage scratching. This does not stop all cats. You can also cover areas with double-sided tape but it has to be sticky on both sides to discourage unwanted scratching.

The material your scratching post is made of is should be fairly smooth (cats usually don't like plush carpet) and shouldn't be a material that their nails get stuck in this can cause injury if the nail should get caught. Once that happens, they may not use the post anymore, can you blame them? Natural fiber rope wrapped tightly around the post is good you may get by using plain wood cats differ in their opinions so much; My cats are outside cats and use tree stumps. If you allow your cat to go outside please do not have their claws removed they really depend on them to get up a tree quickly, I prefer not to have claws removed even from inside cats and think training them not to use people as toys or scratching post is the best solution but you will have to make that decision on your own, I don't feel it damages them in anyway to have them removed and there is circumstances I'm sure where having them removed is the best for an individuals families needs. Tou can trim their nails by gently pushing on the paw pad and then taking nail clipper I prefer the claw clipper used for birds I keep this on my key chain, and just take the very tip off. Be careful not to cut into the quick.

Litter Training your Cat

Since cats are private creatures and prefer to not be watched, the litterbox should be placed in an out of the way spot to offer privacy and not near the cat's feeding bowls and where you won't have to trip over it,(narrowing the possibilities right off the bat ain't I?)since they do not like to dirty their feeding area. You should show your kitten the litter box just as soon as you bring him/her home,and place them in litterbox when they wake up and after they have eaten,before bed and after they wake up much like toilet training your child isnt it? When the kitten does it correctly he should be praised. A kitten when looking for a suitable corner to use as a toilet; will start sniffing, scratching and will begin to crouch.It is best to catch him at this stage, if you can, and place him right in the litter box. Never scold the kitten or rub its nose in it Your child may be the next one who rubs noses with the kitten.It is easier just to try and avoid theaccidents to begin with. If your kitten should have an accident on the floor clean it immediatly and I suggest not to use anything with ammonia smell as the cat may think this is a right suitable place to go to the bathroom, and its clean and everything. They like their bathroom nice and tidy and cats have an excellent sense of smell!

Cat litter

There are lots of cat litter which are available, The litter should be absorbent and many commercial litters are also deodorised to minimise the smells from the Litterbox. You should clean the soiled litter at least once a day Cats don't like to use a dirty litter box. At least once a week,the litter should be completely changed and the litterbox thoroughly washed out. At this time you may want to really clean the litterbox but be careful to use disinfectants which do not contain phenol as this is extremely toxic to cats. Strong disinfectants may also smell offensive to cats and may deter them from using the litterbox and theymay go elsewhere less appropriate instead..

Cats/Toxoplasmosis

Sent to me by Bronwyn( a friend from theFunplace)

Pregnant women shouldn't change cat litter boxes because cats can be infected with a disease called toxoplasmosis. Cats can carry this disease because they hunt and eat other animals. This disease is rare in house cats but you would be better off avoiding the litter box anyway. A pregnant woman can catch the infection by touching or breathing the particles (such as dust) from cat feces. You can also get toxoplasmosis by eating raw or undercooked red meat or by touching dirt while gardening that has been contaminated by cat feces.

If a woman gets toxoplasmosis during pregnancy it can affect the developing baby and cause birth defects, particularly in eye and brain development. Therefore it is advised that women who are pregnant ask to have someone else change the cat litter box. It is safe to hold and pet your cat however, so feel free to give your pet all the affection it deserves.

*for other great articles by Bronwyn and other friends be sure to check out the Funplace, it also has a bullitin board for pet issues!

Burying waiste

Cats instinctivly bury their waist if your cat goes outside you may want to cover sandboxes, or put netting in garden areas to avoid any problems Cats will often go through a routine of ground-scratching after going to the bathroom this is normal.

Problems with toilet training

Problems with toilet training due to a trained cat stopping the correct routine can often be traced back to a particular incident, such as a bout of loose stools or a disruption in the cat's normal daily routine. If a kitten or cat persists in soiling in an inappropriate area, the following things may help to solve the problem.

Spraying

Unfixed male cats will often mark their territory by `spraying' objects with their urine, which has a very bad smell. Unfixed females will spray objects with urine, but they do so less frequently and the odor is less offensive than in male cats so you may never consider this much of a problem. Although the action of `spraying' is perfectly normal, most cat owners don't appreciate it when it is inside the house. This may become a problem when cats are trying to establish their social rank in a house that has several cats as pets or if there is a new cat (or other animal - including humans) in the area. having your male cat nuetered usually is an effective way to cure this. Females which spray urine when in season can also be spayed.

Cats and a New Baby

Cats often become jealous when a new baby comes home,It is very important that you let the cat know you still love him/her by paying it extra attention even though your time will be stretched this is veryimportant for the long range happiness of your household if the cat is to remain part of the family.In the exhaustion and turmoil of a new baby, the cat is often neglected, and this will add to its resentment. It has often been said that cats will "steal a babys breath or they will lie on the babys and suffocate them, cats do like the warmth of the baby and will probably lie close to benefit from the warmth however it will seldom lie on the baby and when baby starts flailing and kicking the cat is most likely gonna leave. While most cats are trustworthy around babies it is still best not to leave any child unsupervised around any animal.

Running for the Door to Escape! The best way to stop your cat from running out the door everytime you go in and out is to never to let the cat succeed!Bet you thought I had an easy solution here didn't ya! After failing several attempts, the cat will stop trying. After even one success, the cat will try hard and for a long time.Persistant they most certainly can be!!

Spend the time to be in control whenever the outside door is opened. don't arrive at the door with three bags of groceries in hand and expect to keep the cat in , Leave the stuff in the car. Come in, and place cat in bathroom or cage. In general, Kids will need to learn how to keep the cat in too. Another way is to Enlist the help of a friend to hide outside the door with a hose and spray attachment and have her or him spray the cat when you let it out. This may take several applications, over several days. Some cats are remarkably persistent, and never seem to give up.

Climbing the Curtains

Use tension rods instead of drilled into the wall rods. The tension rods will simply fall down on top of the cat if it tries to climb them. Otherwise, take the drapes off the hooks and thread them back up with thread just barely strong enough to hold them up. When the cat climbs up, the drapes will fall down on it .After the drapes have remained up for some time, re-hook them. These methods have the advantage of working whether you're home or not. Vertical blinds can work very well; cats cannot climb up them, cannot shred them, cannot shed on them, cannot be bent the way horizontal blinds. It is also easy for cats to push them aside to look outside.

Chewing

Put something distasteful to discourage chewing. tabasco sauce, cayenne pepper, Bitter Apple/Orange, nail-bitingnailpolish, orange/lemon peel. . Duct tape can also be used, but it's pretty messy and hard to clean up.

Biting

Yell loudly like the sound a hurt cat will make. Pull your hand back , turn your back on it, and ignore it for a short time and always yell when attacked and then offer a toy to play with instead. A cat trained not to use a person as a toy at all will be more trustworthy around a new baby . You may try hissing at a cat that persistently attacks you. I use the hissing sound to discourage my cats and it was a easy method for my granddaughter Becca to learn!

Garbage

It is best to just start off on the right foot, get a garbage can with a tight fitting lid.Another is to keep it out of reach under a sink with closing doors etc. Kind of lame help here huh! course if you are home and catch him/her in the act you can always get the old squirt bottle out!

Keeping the Cat off the Counters

There are a few ways to stop this. Leave alot of poorly balanced kitchen utensils or empty (or with a few pennies inside) aluminum cans on the counter near the edge, so the cat will knock them off if it jumps up. Use the surprize method cause cats hate surprises and loud noises. Leave some ordinary dishwashing liquid on the counters, or some masking tape arranged gummy side up. Don't leave things on the counter that will attract the cat (like raw meat).

Don't wake me up!

Now you just got to make your cat understand this. Cats love to wake you up the earlier the better.If you want to stop this, don't feed it when it wakes you up at an unreasonable hour, you are simply asking to be woke up. If this is why it's waking you up, you can handle this either by filling the bowl just before you go to bed or by ignoring the cat and feeding it at the time convenient to you every morning. But try to make it the same time every morning to establish the habit, they will adjust rather quickly . You can tire it out with play just before bedtime, What works in some cases is to hiss gently at the cat. You can also try shutting it out of the bedroom. If it pounds on the door, put it in a bathroom until you wake up.Let the cat adjust to your habits do not adjust to cats. Turn the vacuum cleaner on. You may want to put the vacumn cleaner where you can reach it easily when cat comes in turn it on and continue doing this every time the cat comes back The cat will eventually decide to stop bothering you in the morning. course if you are sharing a room with someone your partner might not be too thrilled.

Toilet Paper

1.Hang the roll so that the paper hangs down between the roll and the wall rather than over the top of the roll. 2.If the cat knows how to roll it either way, then you can get a cover that rests on top of the toilet paper 3.You can balance a small paper cup full of water on top of the roll. or try an aluminum can with pennies. If you use the can with pennies cut a small slot in the top not enough for coins to come out, who knows maybe visitors may contribute to your coin collection :) LoL!

Closet Antics

Cats love closets, you might want your cat to be able to get into the closet and keep larger pets out. A child-barrier that lets the cat jump over but not the dog is a possibility.

Birdfeeders Put your birdfeeder in an area where the ground is clear, where the cat has no place to hide and be sneaky.

Fencing In your Cat You can try keeping your cat from going over the fence by attaching corrougated fiberglass to the top of it. There is then no purchase for the cat to pull itself up. You can try making an overhang on the top of the fence, if you cat cannot jump directly to the top of it. Use large bookshelf type angle brackets and drape netting or screening on it, to create an unstable barrier.

I've always found it hard to train an animal that looks at you as if he has no intention of listening to you right now, but *will take a message* for future consideration ;) But be persistant you can train a cat!

A Bit Of Cat Humor

Cat Laws (Author Unknown)

LAW OF CAT INERTIA A cat at rest will tend to remain at rest, unless acted upon by some outside force, such as the opening of cat food, or a nearby scurrying mouse.

LAW OF CAT MOTION A cat will move in a straight line, unless there is a really good reason to change direction.

LAW OF CAT THERMODYNAMICS Heat flows from a warmer to a cooler body, except in the case of a cat, all heat flows to the cat.

FIRST LAW OF CAT ENERGY CONSERVATION Cats know that energy can neither be created nor destroyed and will, therefore, use as little energy as possible.

LAW OF BAG/BOX OCCUPANCY All bags and boxes in a given room must contain a cat within the earliest possible nanosecond.

LAW OF FURNITURE REPLACEMENT A cat's desire to scratch furniture is directly proportional to the cost of the furniture.

LAW OF PILL REJECTION Any pill given to a cat has potential energy to reach escape velocity.

LAW OF CAT COMPOSITION A cat is composed of Matter + Anti-matter + It Doesn't Matter.

LAW OF SPACE-TIME CONTINUUM Given enough time, a cat will land in just about any space.

LAW OF CAT OBEDIENCE As yet undiscovered.

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