Entries Tagged 'Cat Care' ↓

Whether you are a show dog breeder or just the proud owner of a fine looking dog, you will want to keep your dog in tip top condition, including avoiding white fur stains.

Unsightly tear stains show up on white fur particularly and can be rather offputting to look at.

There are many reasons why a dog’s eyes will water excessively.

A simple bacterial infection could be behind excessive tear production. This can be followed by a yeast infection which causes dark red marks on the dog’s “cheeks”.

Other explanations include blocked tear ducts, ear infections, genetics, allergies, a high mineral content in the water, diet and fleas.

Some recommend dry all-natural kibble without added food color, preservatives and additives, which they claim keeps the face cleaner. Others swear by making their Maltese or Westie drink only mineral water.

Obviously sometimes it’s not a big enough deal to warrant thorough investigation, and all you need is something just to do a quick wash and brush up.

White dogs are particularly susceptible to noticeable stains.

Although it might be tempting just to reach for the soap, it’s probably not wise. Human soap and dog soap are not interchangeable, plus you have to factor in a need to rinse off the soap.

Not very practical if you are in a show or hiking twenty miles from the nearest bathroom.

That solution could come in the form of Eyewipes from ClearQuest, for cat and dog usage. Made for use around the eye area but of course not in the eye itself.

They are a fantastic invention for clearing up debris from round the eye area.

There are so many good reasons to use EyeWipes, and not just cosmetic ones; keeping that area clean will reduce the chance of an infection in the eye and also they can be useful when out and about.

You don’t even need water to rinse it off.

With 100 wipes to a packet, they are great value and contain the ingredients: Deionized Water UV Sterilized, Cocamido Propyl Betaine, Propyl Paraben, Methyl Paraben and Boric Acid.

Be careful not to touch the actual eye itself with the wipe, as this could irritate.

Vitacoat Diamond Eye Tear Stain Remover is specially formulated with showdogs in mind.

For almost half a century show breeder have been swearing by its cleaning power.

Just swab the stubborn stain with the fluid and rub. Hey presto! Your dog looks a million dollars for a few cents!

There are a number of supplementation products designed to enhance your cat’s health. One such product contains an immune boosting component known as transfer factors. If your cat is in ill health from an immune system disorder, a long term chronic illness, or is in a weakened state due to a recent surgery or injury, many veterinarians are saying these products may help.

In order to understand how this works, it’s necessary to understand a little about how the immune system works. Transfer factors are protein molecules and are part of the immune system.

Cats, like all mammals, have an immune system that protects them from disease.

The immune system mounts an immune response when the body recognizes and attacks foreign invaders, such as bacteria. The body has specialized cells that attack the invaders and destroy them. Once the threat is eliminated, the attack stops.

Sometimes, however, things don’t go quite right with the immune response. For example, in cats with certain conditions, such as feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), the immune system is compromised and has trouble defending the cat’s body against invaders. This is the feline version of HIV-AIDS, and causes the immune system to under perform.

If the immune system gets confused, it may not know when to shut down, or it may identify healthy tissue in the body as foreign and attack it. This is what happens in an autoimmune disease, such as forms of arthritis. Essentially, the body attacks itself.

How do transfer factors work? Transfer factors act as messengers. They call the immune system to action, and then call off the attack at the appropriate time.

The balancing or modulating effect that transfer factors have make them essential to proper immune system function. This means that they can be used on cats with compromised immune systems, as well as those with autoimmune diseases like arthritis.

Combining the immune modulating power of transfer factor with nutrition beneficial to overall cat health, dietary supplements are available for your cat.

You should check with your veterinarian before adding any supplements to your cat’s diet. If you’re interested in boosting the immune system of your cat with transfer factors, check with your veterinarian first to make sure there are no problems with it.

Want a new job? Well, try taking on cat training. Yes, I must admit, I hate cat training and all the dedication that goes into it; however, I adore a well behaved kitty and there is nothing that will produce that except for consistent and thoughtful cat training. You might think about sending your cat to obedience classes? But, save your money and don’t even bother with it. With the correct training, your cat can become a well behaved addition to your loving family…and all without spending a bundle on expensive classes!

So is you want a well behaved cat, it is obvious that training will be an important part of that wish list. But let’s be clear on one thing, this cat training is not going to happen in ten minutes. Seriously, you can’t really think that you can train your cat to do tricks, be well behaved, stay off the counter, etc in just ten minutes? No, it takes consistency and patience…do you have some?

Now…get serious. Cat training in ten minutes sounds good on paper, but training is all about consistency and reinforcement. Training aids are one thing that will make cat training a lot easier on you and your cat. The following aids are great ways to improve cat behavior and that all-too-distinct curious “style”.

A necessary part of cat world is a proper litter tray. One of the disadvantages of keeping a cat indoors is dealing with their dirt. Litter trays will become extremely useful at this point. Litter trays will keep the duty where it belongs and makes cleaning up after your feline friend a lot easier. Some people even choose to toilet train their cat for even easier potty clean-up.

Have you ever heard of cat grass? Plant eating is also a custom of the cats. They do this to provoke vomiting (similar to dogs) and sometimes just out of curiosity. Cat grass is a fine substitute to keep your plants safe from the chomping jaws of a kitty-cat.

Just like most humans, cats love to nest and so they need a place to do so. Cats enjoy going to lofty spots in order to take in their surroundings. It is their way of seeking company. To keep them from tromping over furniture, have a nesting spot for your cat. This should be elevated and comfortable. Rub a treat into the spot, when it is first created, as a way to attract the cat. After that, your cat will want to return to its new found “kitty haven”.

Obviously, this is not all of the cat training aids there are available. Treats offer a fun way of positive reinforcement, yarn and balls are good for exercise, a toy mouse on a stick…there are tons! Most importantly tolerance and consistency are still two crucial parts of cat training (even with aids). Plus remember, this is not a form of “cat training in ten minutes”.

Cats long for and desire training that is consistent, acknowledged and is incorporated into their daily lives. Remember, that if you put in the time and effort, your cat will appreciate the more well ordered world. It is worth your energy. Good cat behavior is a wonderful gem that once you have achieved it, you will never want to be without it again.

You want a kitty cat that is going to behave and not drive you batty! So, that doesn’t seems like a far fetched request. But if you expect to achieve cat training in ten minutes, then you have another thing coming. Cat training is crucial to the proper development of your cat and in order to have some sort of behaviorally control in your home, it is worth your time investment. While cat training in ten minutes is a fancy idea, it simply is not the reality of today’s cat owner. The truth is that cat training in 10 minutes just isn’t going to happen, so go ahead and shelve that idea and let’s move on to what does work.

Without constant reinforcement and positive reinforcement, teaching your cat the fundamentals of good behavior, simply will not happen. You are not a magician, so there is not a magic wand that will suddenly make your cat do what you want her to do. But have no fear, there are several cat training aids on today’s market that can help you to guide your cat towards appropriate behavior.

Cats are playful by nature and kittens like to play with just anything, so make sure that you have plenty of cat toys close at hand to keep your cat entertained. A happy cat is a calmer cat. Balls of soft yarn are a well-known cat toy that have helped cats to exercise and to work out some of that hyperactive behavior.

Cat are great at tricks! So take the time to teach your cat a few. Many cats can learn to fetch and even shake hands. If you are going to teach your cat some tricks, be sure to be consistent in training and to reinforce them with lost of positive encouragement. Treats are a great way to make this happen. Remember to reward your cat for a positive action. Cat treats are wonderful rewards and will make your cat much more willing to participate in cat training.

Yes, cats love to act out with caterwauling and even sometimes with fighting. These bothersome cat behaviors can easily be addressed with a light spray from a water bottle. It is a well known fact that cats detest water and so spraying them with a water bottle will reinforce the fact that you do not want them to continue with the behavior. Yes, a light spray from a water bottle is certainly an effective cat training tool.

Of course, these are only a few of the many training aids out there. There is a training aid for nearly any unwanted behavior. Scratching posts help to aid unwanted scratching. Litter boxes and toilet training keep the messes to a minimum. There are so many more out there and all of these aids will help you get closer to your dream of “cat training in 10 minutes”.

So, even though training your cat will not happen over night, with a little consistency and planning you can certainly have a well behaved cat. Take the time to reinforce your cat’s positive behavior and you will find that although cat training in 10 minutes might not be factual, cat training can still be successful with a little bit of time and attention on your behalf.

Your cat will always rely on you for food, water, safe shelter and regular veterinary cat care even though they appear independent. By doing this consistently you place yourself in a much better place to develop a mutual and rewarding relationship.

It’s important that your cat’s ID and collar tag include your name, address and telephone number. You should make sure they have one for the simple reason that if they do find themselves outside and lost then having the ID tag and collar will help them return home.

If at all possible your cat should be kept inside. By keeping your cat inside you are doing what’s best for you, your cat and the community.

Make it a point to get your cat neutered or spayed. This will assist in reducing the problem of cat overpopulation and will keep them healthier.

Train your cat from the beginning not to do things you don’t like. This would include but not limited to jumping on counter tops and scratching household items. Your cat can be trained just like a dog if you create the right circumstances. These would include In the final analysis it’s up to you to make sure your cat is trained not to act in a way you don’t like. This would include scratching furniture and jumping on counter tops. Despite popular opinion your cat can be trained like any other animal. As long as you remember to include understanding, effort and patience your training will be successful.

Make it a point to groom your cat often to keep their coat soft and shiny and healthy. Brush your cat’s hair often to keep it from getting matted. This one action alone will help your cat lower hairball creation. These are created when cats groom themselves and in the process swallow a lot of hair.

In Summary

In closing just remember to be patient and loyal with your cat. Also remember that the majority of behavior problems can be resolved and make sure you have reasonable expectations of your cat’s behavior. Contact the local animal shelter or veterinarian if you are having major issues with your cat’s behavior.

Don’t know what your cat’s cat chat is telling you? This could very well be the case if you haven’t been around many cat chats. One of the tricks is to pay attention to the animal’s meow. To figure out what they are trying to talk you need to determine what type of meow it is. The Siamese cat is very vocal with their cat chat discussion.

Its In The Purr

Using their “voices” is something you can expect all cats to do. Communicating what they are thinking is done by this animal’s Cat Chat. Pay attention to their “talk” to find clues about your pet’s feelings. The difference in pitch, intensity,frequency and pace are part of the clues.

Quicker then normal meows could signal a cat that is anxious or frightened. The slower the pace of the meows could signal that your kitty is confident and relaxed. The meow is only one way that cats use to talk with you.

The purr is another one of those ways and is specific to the cat animal. Kitty will purr when it’s content. When they are ready to be sociable cats purr according to cat behaviorist.

Pay Attention

Nervous, feeling uneasy or in great pain is also something that a purr could be saying so don’t overly simplify them. Would you believe that their are cat experts that have come to the belief that a cat’s purr is like them meditating.

Their tails are a very accurate way to ascertain what their true feelings are. The way they are moving their tail can tell you a lot. For example, taking into account that your kitty isn’t a dog then you shouldn’t expect the same messages a dog would convey by certain actions to mean the same thing if your cat does them. Your cat wagging his tail means something very different then a dog doing the same thing. In fact it signals confusion or maybe annoyance when your kitty does it.

In Closing

Smart but emotional animals would be a great way to describe your cat wouldn’t it? After reading this article you can easily see that your main job is to pay attention and be patient. This will enhance your cat chat with your cat so that it is mutually satisfying and enjoyable.