| By admin, on November 13th, 2009  Rafiki & Foe Thank you for visiting. I hope you enjoy the stories and information about our furry friends. As a long term cat lover, starting with Sulieman the Magnificent (Suli) when I was about two years old up to the present menagerie of the twins, Rafiki and Foe (who hate each other) and Folly, the baby of the family, I don’t know how I could live without them! Sadly we lost old Gizmo this year but she had a good innings reaching 15 years old. As some wit once said “Dogs have masters, cats have servants.” How true that is! Enjoy browsing. Liz Canham By admin, on May 8th, 2009 There are a variety of types of cat litter on the market and they each have different uses. Antibacterial cat litter which, as the name suggests, contains ingredients which fight bacteria and the consequent bad smells. Feline Pine cat litter is a popular brand in America. It’s natural and chemical free and reviewers say that their cats are more comfortable with it. Cat Litter Pine Fresh is the UK brand equivalent which is wood based, biodegradable and always smells fresh. Claims to be clumping litter but may not be suitable for automatic cat litter boxes which. Cat litter crystals are quite revolutionary in that both liquid and odour is absorbed, leaving the litter tray clean, dry and fresh smelling for a whole day. Clumping cat litter sticks together or “clumps” when wet so that it’s easy to scoop from the litter tray together with the solid waste. Thus the remaining litter in the box is reusable and just needs more litter adding to replace that which has been scooped. The whole lot should be replaced around once a month. Non-clumping cat litter is manufactured from clay and sometimes has odour suppressants or perfume added. Non-clumping litter should be changed Continue reading Cat Litter Guide By admin, on April 17th, 2012 Cat Scratching Post Unless you don’t care at all about your soft furnishings and carpets, then the answer to the question “do you need a cat scratching post?”, for most cat owners, has to be a resounding yes. Even if your cat goes outdoors a lot, where he will use trees or fence posts to sharpen his claws, it’s still a good idea to provide an indoor scratching post. Cats will scratch, whether you like it or not, so providing something other than your furniture to scratch on is a must. Cats actually need to scratch to remove the outer sheath on their claws as the claws grow, in order to expose the new claws. Some experts say that cats also scratch to exercise their muscles, to stretch, to mark their territory and just because they like it. I suspect that they like the attention they get when they try to scratch your sofa too. You could make a scratching post from a log or similar but there are so many available on the market which are quite inexpensive, that you’re sure to find something suitable. Of course, you could always buy a tree in a pot, if you have Continue reading Cat Scratching Post – Do You Need One? By admin, on March 2nd, 2012 If your house doesn’t have a cat flap and you don’t want smelly litter trays in the house then you probably put your cat out at night and when you go out. However, in the depths of winter when the temperatures are below freezing, don’t you have a pang of guilt when you put kitty out into the night. Well why not ease your conscience and get him a snug little home? Outdoor cat houses come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, some of them with their own central heating but otherwise you can get a heated mat and your cat will be just as comfortable as if he was spending the night lying on your bed. Here are a few outdoor cat houses: The Outdoor Heated Kitty Houseis made with 600 denier nylon with a vinyl backing that makes it waterproof. This house comes with and accommodates a Lectro Soft Outdoor Heated Kitty Bed that uses only 20-watts. The roof hangs over the 2 doors to keep cats warm, safe and dry. Easy to assemble with velcro walls and a zippered roof. The new and improved Kitty Tube provides an economical, safe, and secure home for up to Continue reading Outdoor Cat Houses By admin, on January 29th, 2012 You may have read my original article on cat health problems which can be found at EzineArticles.com but there are even more cat health problems which you should be aware of in order to keep your cat in the best of health. Flees: You may think that flees are a minor irritation but they can have lasting effects on a cat if they aren’t treated or prevented. Flee infestations left untreated can cause infections, blood diseases and dermatitis. Spot on cat flea prevention preparations are easily administered and last for about four to five weeks. Sprays are cheaper but most cats run a mile from an aerosol. Flee collars are available but most vets don’t recommend these for outdoor cats as they can become caught up in undergrowth or tree branches and cause untold damage if they snap back against the cat’s jaw. Even the type which are meant to break when caught on something or which stretch and can’t shrink back should be used with caution. Cat Influenza: Cat ‘flu is one of the most common cat health problems and is highly infectious. If a cat survives it, he will probably have runny eyes for the rest of his Continue reading Cat Health Problems By admin, on November 6th, 2011 No matter how much you love your cat, there’s one job which nobody in the family will want to do and that’s cleaning out the litter tray. Unpleasant though it may be, cat litter cleaning is an absolutely essential task and failure to do it regularly may lead your cat to look elsewhere to do his toilet. Cats are such clean creatures that they don’t like to use a dirty litter box. If it isn’t otherwise obvious, for example when the cat has completely covered solid matter or wet patches with dry litter, you will know that the box is dirty by the behaviour of the cat. He will balance precariously around the outer edges of the box while he does his business or he may visit the box and leave again immediately without doing anything. I find that lining the litter tray with newspaper makes the cleaning process much easier as you can just fold up the lot, wrap it in more newspaper and put it in a plastic carrier bag for disposal. If the newspaper lining is thick enough, you won’t even have to wash the box out. Notwithstanding the daily cat litter cleaning and replacing, solid matter Continue reading Cat Litter Cleaning By admin, on October 26th, 2011 Think Like a Cat: How to Raise a Well-Adjusted Cat–Not a Sour Puss A popular cat expert and award-winning author of four books on feline behavior reveals the key to a satisfying and rewarding relationship with your cat. Think it’s impossible to train a cat? Think again! Yes, you can learn to understand your cat. No, cats are not always aloof. No, they don’t ruin furniture out of spite. Most often feline “misbehavior” is the result of owners not understanding their cat’s needs. In this comprehensive book that takes readers through every step of cat ownership, Pam Johnson-Bennett helps you understand the instincts that determine feline behavior, positive and negative. An authoritative resource for cat owners of all stripes, Think Like a Cat covers everything from where to get a kitten to choosing a vet; from basic health care to treating more serious medical problems; from selecting an irresistible scratching post to avoiding litter box problems. A seasoned therapist and former veterinary technician, Johnson-Bennett offers welcome advice in a straightforward manner that will help cats–and their owners–share a happy, healthy life together. Johnson-Bennett’s first book, Cat Love, was chosen by Cat Fancy magazine as one of the Continue reading Think Like a Cat: How to Raise a Well-Adjusted Cat–Not a Sour Puss | |
