I researched an article on how to select a cat. I received this comment on that article, “Perhaps the article title should be, How To Get A Cat To Select You. Sofia” This got me to wondering that she is exactly proper. You may select the cat but the cat takes its time to determine if it wants you . Case in point, I was asked to take a kitten from a friend of mine. I did this, named her Dudette, (opposite of Dude) and she took to my wife and hated me . Go figure .
How did cats get to be so independent . Here is my theory. I recently saw a program on the nature channel , that cats were the only animal to domesticate itself. It did this after man went from hunter – gather, to farming, and started storing their grain on their farms. The wild cats saw this as a never-ending food supply because the grain stored on the farm attracted mice, rats and birds. Thus cats stayed in the barn close to the stored grain
Man saw no need to chase the cat away because it was doing man a favour by eating the bird and rodents that ate man’s grain . In addition, man so no need to bring the cat into the home because they had the dog to take care of the rodents in the home. The feline stayed outside till around the time of the Egyptians, who brought inside. This was done by the Egyptians to control rodents in the temples . Plus they were revered as goddesses or god , and if you killed a cat it was punishable by death, So the domestication of cats occured about this time, if you want a true date, ask the cat.,
Being outside for thousands of years but being close to man , but not controlled by man till the Egyptians brought them in, made the cat very independent. The accepted position on why cats are independent is that they are solitary animals and hunt by them self . This may be true for most types of cat but what about the lion. You see one lion and there are usually more.
This is my story on the domestication of cats and I am sticking with it.
Filed under Cats, General by on Sep 7th, 2010. Comment. 
For a cat’s health, the first priority for pet owners should be choosing the most appropriate litter box. Since there are a variety of cat litter boxes available for cats, it can sometimes be hard for pet owners to choose the best litter box for their kitten or cat. In this article are some considerations designed to help pet owners determine which cat litter box they should purchase for their cat.
A top consideration for purchasing a litter box is the pet owners lifestyle. Pet owners that are frequently away from their home commonly find a self cleaning litter box is helpful for keeping the litter box clean. Other pet owners will be pleased with a hooded litter box or litter pan that may be scooped when using cat litter that clumps. Every type of cat litter box has its pluses and disadvantages and there is not perfect product to meet the requirements of every kitten or cat.
Automatic litter boxes do offer great appeal to pet owners. However, these types of cat litter boxes generally use a raking system to automatically scoop clumped cat litter shortly after the cat has exited the box. Sensors, which is typically mounted on the side, starts the raking cycle approximately 0 minutes after the cat leaves the box. One may think that a self cleaning litter box is a good solution for cats, but during the raking cycle clumped cat litter and feces may get caught in the rake. If this goes unnoticed, this may waste a lot of cat litter and create a mess for the cat owner to clean up.
The basic hooded or unhooded litter box can be used with or without clumping cat litter. Clumping litter must be scooped each day to offer the cleanest litter box environment possible for the kitten or cat. Disposable and organic litter used in one of these litter boxes should be changed often, and rarely do these kinds of litter offer as much scent control as clumping cat litter.
A major part of deciding which kind of litter box is best for a cat is the height and size of the box. Kitten owners should purchase a litter pan which is smaller then most boxes. Even adult cats could find it difficult to enter and exit a litter box that is not sized properly. Old or overweight cats may find it difficult to enter high litter boxes that they once could use without any issues.
To help kittens and cats to use their litter box, it is especially important that cat owners determine which kind of litter box is best for their pet. By purchasing the most appropriate litter box, cat owners can make sure that their cat can have access to a fresh litter box whenever needed.
Filed under Cats by on Sep 6th, 2010. Comment.
Low cost discount pet medicine are pet medications that are available at low rates. There are many pet websites now which furnish details of pet health products. High quality health products include year-round flea and tick protection products such as Program, Frontline, Advantage, Cosequin and many more products. In additions to pet meds, you’ll also find grooming supplies, pet foods, vitamins and supplements plus a supermarket of interesting items for your furry friend.
These pet health items are available at low rates where pet medications can be bought. One can purchase High quality pet health commodities at low prices on the internet.
When contrasting discount pet medicines one should bear in mind that the quality of health products offered by the company and if it is indeed the best price. One needs to factor in free shipping charges into any company’s offer you compare an offer with. If drugs are offered with overnight delivery at low prices, the company is not making much profit.
Online prescriptions are offered by a few online pet pharmacies. This is far less expensive when compared to the complete price of a medication in additions to a face-to-face consultation with the veterinarian. Some foreign pharmaceutical companies such as those found in Mexico or Canada even provide discounted pet meds but shipping charges may be high.
Purchasing discount pet medicines can save money for customers. Some pharmaceutical companies will sell pet drugs direct to the customers which eliminated middleman markeups for you. These discounts apply to licensed veterinarians as well. Discounts are generally available for pet medications when new pet drugs are introduced to the public. Also, if a company feels it has to compete with rival competitors in the market to boost its market share for a particular brand of medication.
Filed under Cats, Dogs, General by on Sep 5th, 2010. Comment.
Many cat owners would jump at any chance that makes it simpler to take care of their cats. Thoughtful businesses typically use this opportunity to manufacture an item that generates profits instead of results. This is one of the reasons why pet owners should use discretion when buying an automatic litter box.
Automatic litter boxes, while a great idea, rarely fulfill all of the promises which are made on the package. In fact, many of these litter boxes fall well short of expectations if the variables are not precisely perfect. On that thought, let’s look at some of the disadvantages to having a self cleaning litter box.
All automatic litter boxes must use clumping cat litter. If the right cat litter is not utilized, the cleaning process of the litter box will not be effective at all. Clumping cat litter is more expensive then traditional cat litter. In addition to this, most scoopable cat litter products will produce a lot of dust that may contain sodium bentonite. This is not healthy for any pet or human to breathe and is the leading ingredient that forces cat litter to clump.
Most automatic cat litter boxes must be located close to an electrical outlet so that the electrical cord may be plugged in and the cleaning process powered. This may be an inconvenience in itself, but what happens if the electricity goes out? Fortunately nearly all automatic litter boxes utilize a battery backup option. However, the cleaning process usually is less aggressive and larger clumps can be difficult to be dispensed of.
A large percentage of the automatic litter boxes on the market feature a raking process to dispense of the clumped litter. While in concept this is good, reality has proven that the raking process is flawed and may cause a considerable mess when a cat has loose stool. In most cases, just removing the rake to clean can be a chore. And if the rake is not properly cleaned at once, the mess will become worse and extremely difficult to clean.
Prior to shopping for a new cat litter box, consider the needs of your cat and how much time you want to spend cleaning the litter box. In many situations, pet owners will find out that a self cleaning litter box just is not as convenient as they had hoped for. Granted, scooping a litter box manually is not enjoyable, but fussing with a dirty litter box to remove the rake is more difficult and has caused a many cat owners to pitch their pricey litter box for a plain box.
The leading consideration for buying a litter box should always be matching the size of the litter box to each cat. A cat must be able to easily get in and out of the box. Any litter box which requires jumping is simply too big for the cat. If the litter box is too small for the cat, pet owners will find out fast when the mess does not stay in the litter box.
As pet owners, we truly desire the best for our family pets. A clean and operational litter box helps them to stay happy and healthy. Before thinking about the convenience of a self cleaning litter box, first think about how these boxes will not function as advertised in the real world. Most pet owners have discovered that a more expensive product does not always provide a more convenient litter box.
Filed under Cats by on Sep 5th, 2010. Comment.
So you’ve spent several weeks trying to pick the best furry companion for your family. You’ve looked at most dogs, chickens, rabbits, gerbils and guinea pigs. You’ve thought about hermit crabs and pet fish but you eventually made the decision to get a cat. Welcome to the life of a cat owner.
Needless to say getting a cat is certainly great. I have had my reasonable share and love having a cat in the household. It’s a pleasure to sit in the early evenings with your cat quietly purring curled up on your lap. There is however one disadvantage to possessing a cat. Scratching and climbing.
As most cat lovers will tell you having a new feline in the house can be a damaging encounter. If you are not ready for it it might come as a complete shock when you find out 1 day that it seems like the legs of your much-loved kitchen table have been ripped to pieces. It looks like someone has attacked them with a chainsaw.
Or perhaps it’s your favorite couch, or maybe the rug or the duvet. Or maybe you’ve got home one day to find your drapes in a mound at the bottom of your house windows with the curtain rail laying over them, since your cat has attempted to climb the curtains.
Sadly you have found out that an behavioral instinct common to virtually all cats is climbing and scratching. Don’t be concerned, it is not something limited to your cat, and it’s not something which you’re likely to change. Pretty much all cats climb and scratch, it’s instintive.
And do not believe that if you punish your pet every time you find him at it that he will stop. It’s highly unlikely that smacking his feet or screaming at him or anything more will make him quit. It could lead him to stop scratching while you are observing but he’ll continue to practice it while you are not observing.
You’re in great company, this is a problem that’s been discovered by scores of cat owners. The good thing is that there is a remedy. It’s not penalising him and it is not necessarily de-clawing him as some would make you think.
The perfect solution is is comparatively straightforward in many instances. You can purchase simple cat furniture called cat scratching poles which are specifically made to direct his scratching away from your precious and expensive household furniture towards a dedicated scratching pole where he can do all the destruction he desires.
Sometimes it takes some effort to teach him to use it. It’s always better to start as young as feasible, and if your cat is still a kitten and hasn’t started scratching yet it’s still better to buy him a cat scratching pole now to get him begun scratching where you would like him to.
You will find a variety of weird and wacky answers to this challenge on the internet. However the best of them is simply to purchase a cat scratching post, typically $30 or less, and also to educate him to use it and the wear and tear to the legs of the preferred kitchen table or settee will probably be at an end. Whilst, particularly if he’s older, he might devote more time to resisting it’s quite possible to teach the vast majority of cats to utilize a scratching post successfully.
The bad news is if you’ve just adopted a cat the likelihood of him leaving your household furniture alone are small, however if you buy him a cat scratching post and teach him to use it harm to your house furnishings should be restricted.
Visit my website The Cat Scratching Postto find out more about a cat scratching post that are designed to keep your favorite cat content.
Filed under Cats, General by on Aug 29th, 2010. Comment.
One very hard thing that I find is to choose gifts for people but it is even more difficult when you have to buy a gift for your pet. One is not always sure whether the pet will like what you get them and one might not have all the time to spend looking for the ideal gift but finding some creative gift for pet ideas can be handy . If you can come up with the appropriate creative gift ideas then you will save yourself a lot of bother .
If like me you have furry creatures running around your home, you probably like to do something for them, may on their birthdays or some other special occassions. If you would like to present them something, you are in luck. There are some great gift for pet ideas out there, and they are sure to be hit with your pet. All you need to remember is that if you don’t keep the personality of your pet in mind when you buy, they could be less than thrilled and perhaps even indifferent to what you have gotten for them.
When you looking for a gift for pet ideas on short notice, you will find it impossible to go wrong with treats and bones. Both cats and dogs love to have special treats, and they might value those things above anything else that you can get. Though cats don’t play with toys as much as dogs, they are known to do so when they are presented with the right toy. Get something that looks good, and then get that for your pet. On the other hand, if you can spend the money , and you would like to get something really special when you get your pet a gift, you can get them a bed of their very own. Dogs may need something very large, depending on breed, but quite often they just want something that is soft, but does not have to look like a bed.
You can find some miniature beds that small dogs and cats can use, though you never know if they are going to take to it or not. Animals are hard to read, and even if you like it, they may not give it another thought.The thing to remember when you are looking for gift for pet ideas is that you can’t expect them to understand that they are getting a gift. What you can expect is that they will usually love something new that is meant for them, and some instinctively know when something is for them and for them only. However, if they walk away from whatever it is with disinterest, don’t take it personally. As long as they have your love, that is all that they really need beyond the necessities.You can even go on the internet to find lots of gift for pet ideas.
You can make photo albums with meaningful photos, make a frame for their favorite photograph, make seasonal decorations for their houses or you can create personalised gift baskets and you will have the ideal gift.
Filed under Cats, Dogs, General by on Aug 23rd, 2010. Comment.
Puppy Insurance plan is usually a policy that covers your household pets for example cats and dogs as long as they’re healthy. Whether your canine or cat is mixed breed or pedigree then most dog insurers will cover the animal to the entire of its life. Dog insurance policies generally addresses additional than just vet bills, it typically covers emergency kennelling fees, theft and travel. More than 50% of visits to vets are unplanned because of automobile accident or illness to pets and 1 out of each three pets require veterinary treatment every single year subsequent injury, illness or automobile accident. These are frequently costly expenses which pet insurance cats procedures can insure you against. For example treating a cat having a broken leg, can cost above $1,000, while some more complex treatments, including hip displacia, can expense more than $4000.
If you have to spend far more than 96 hours in hospital, then some dog insurance plan procedures will help include the kennel fees for ones pet. Where there is often a holiday cancellation since your pet wants emergency surgery, your dog insurance policies could support reimburse your non-recoverable expenses. Your pet insurance policy scheme may also include advertising and reward charges if your dog is lost or stolen. Read and make sure that you recognize your dog insurance policies coverage document. If you will find insurance for dogs terms you aren’t positive of then examine the explanations in the Insurance coverage Glossary. You will find typically distinct levels of pet insurance policy cover obtainable exactly where diverse values or events are included. Normally the greater the monthly payment, the increased the worth of cover and variety of aspects covered. Make certain you shop around and get at around three to four proposals to make sure you might be obtaining competitive quotes. But don’t just look at the value, check what is covered under the insurance policies plan and check the plan details when it comes to exclusions.
The organization you choose is absolutely a element inside the selling price of your premiums. As with anything else, whether or not it is a hamburger or an airline ticket, the company you choose will be a identifying aspect for the cost of banfield pet hospital premiums. Cats are usually less expensive to insure as a result of numerous causes. Cats are usually kept indoors so they are less most likely to get into accidents. They are also less prone to illness and they appear to remain away from difficulty far better than dogs. Dogs, around the other hand, are far more most likely to ingest a foreign object or to acquire hit by a automobile because they ran after some thing about the street.
Filed under Birds, Cats, Dogs, Exotic, Farm Ranch, Fish, General, Horses, Reptiles Amphibians by on Aug 23rd, 2010. Comment.
Amongst the more common cat health care problems are certain urinary problems. Some illnesses, undesirable behaviours and diseases that we see most often in our feline friends are related to urinary problems. The main three problems are Cystitis, or Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease, spraying and renal failure.
Cystitis and FLUTD are umbrella terms used to describe the cat health care problem of inflammation in the urinary bladder. The symptoms include irritation and inflammation affecting urination, an increase in the frequency of urination and the urgency of it, general difficulty urinating and evidence of blood in the urine. These illnesses are caused by various triggers, although very often food causes urinary crystals to form into bladder stones. Also, cats which are overweight are often affected because they are susceptible to cat health care problems generally. This problem can be easily treated by a vet.
Spraying is more of a problem behaviour than a cat health care problem. Between the age of eight and nine months male cats will hit puberty and develop new, territorial behaviours. This will include spraying very strong smelling urine around their territory- your house. Getting rid of the smell can be very difficult. At the same time as this behaviour emerges, the cat is likely to start fighting with other cats, so to avoid any potential cat health care problems it is advisable to have your cat neutered.
Kidney disease is a very common cat health care problem, particularly amongst middle aged and older cats. Cat urine is very concentrated and not frequently passed, meaning that the kidneys work exceptionally hard. It is therefore not uncommon for the kidneys of older cats to begin to fail. Symptoms of kidney disease include drinking and urinating more and if the disease progresses, sickness, disorientation and weight loss. Besides old age, this cat health care problem could be caused by cancer, infections or ingestion of a poisonous substance.
Filed under Cats by on Aug 9th, 2010. Comment.
Here in the United States , domesticed cats are allowed to be declawed }. In a lot of countries around the world have outlawed this practice , because it is considered inhumane. Here in the US people take this option in order to protect their furniture. As you may know, felines have a leaning to scratch at furniture to keep their claws sharp in order to capture and eat prey . It is in their inherent aptitude since the domestication of cats.
Now when a cat is declawed, you leave it defenseless. So if it goes outside, it is vulnerable to its enemies and cannot capture prey to feed itself. Declawing is actually the removal of your cats toe.. The surgery I am sure is painful and I am sure the recovery is painful also. So what can you do to stop your cat from scratching your furniture? There are several things that can be done short of de-clawing would not be necessary:
1. You can teach your cat to scratch something else, such as a scratching post. We had a scratching post and put cat nip on it to train our cats to use the scratching post. In addition, if they messed up up and started scratching the furniture, we would shake a can which had coins in it. This would startle the cats and cause them to stop scratching our furniture. Eventually they would not do it any more
2. You can also have nail caps put on them. . This is painless and very effective.
3. Trimming of your cats claws on a regular bases will also help your furniture.
4. You can also put double-sided tape on your furniture. This helps stop scratching, too.
5. There are also resistive sprays you can purchase from pet stores .
These are some of the things you can do without having your cats declawed. I am sure there is more, take the time to learn and implement these actions to protect your cat from unnecessary surgey. They never had this problem before the domesticated themselves.
Filed under Cats, General by on Aug 2nd, 2010. 1 Comment.
It is a verified reality that some puppy breeds are additional aggressive than other people. When the aggressive tendencies of a canine aren’t checked by an proprietor then the animal can turn out to be harmful. The dog proprietor will find it quite challenging to obtain dog insurance policy cover for such a puppy. There is certainly affordable pet insurance statistical evidence to present that particular dog breeds are majorly included in attacks on humans. Understandably, dog insurance plan organizations are generally loath to offer insurance policy for dogs regarded as to become potentially unsafe. On the other hand, a dog proprietor without dog liability insurance plan can get into a piquant predicament and lose cash on claims filed by persons injured by an intense canine. Two puppy breeds, the Rottweiler and Pit Bulls, are most frequently connected with assaults and injuries to folks. Other canine breeds deemed dangerous consist of Akitas, Chow-chows, and Doberman Pinschers.
If you’re contemplating getting a pet dog thought to be to be a risky breed then you would do well to first find out about your dog insurance policies alternatives. Devoid of insurance policy to guard you in situation your dog bites someone you threat fines as well as legal action for not owning signed up for puppy liability insurance policies in situation it is really a requirement inside your city. You will find a number of insurance plan businesses that you’ll be able to look at to examine the extent of insurance coverage and also the price for insuring a harmful dog. The critical point to come across out is whether the banfield pet insurance lets you state the expense of harm that your puppy dog may well cause. When you zero down to such a coverage then you ought to gear up to make sure that you by no means need to use that policy. This indicates you train your puppy so that it gets used to people, retain it on leash when you take it out for a round, when the animal is quite aggressive then you could even have it muzzled. Retain the animal secured when at house. Retain the pet’s location totally free from trespassers, especially kids. Your care and instruction may have a wonderful influence in your dog’s temperament as it grows. Be a kind and loving puppy parent and see to it that it does not get upset within the presence of strangers.
Other than the obvious limits which are stated in an insurance policy coverage including annual maximum, per-incident maximum, deductible, and co-pay amounts, there’s one more variable that isn’t so obvious that’s an important aspect in identifying how much a dog owner is reimbursed through the insurance firm once they file a claim. This is the easiest approach for dog owners to realize and usually provides rspca pet insurance uk owners the biggest reimbursements. Because it’s based on the actual costs of the vet, it keeps up with inflation. Most of the newer corporations use this technique. One particular criticism of this technique is that premiums may perhaps rise quicker due to the fact the only limit on reimbursements of covered costs is what ever the vet costs.
Filed under Birds, Cats, Dogs, Exotic, Farm Ranch, Fish, General, Horses, Reptiles Amphibians by on Aug 1st, 2010. Comment.