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How To Bath A Cat

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How To Bath A Cat-Things To Know

Cats hate water, then how to bath a cat and why would someone want to bathe their cat anyway?
Even though your cat doesn’t understand it now, after some tender loving care along with a little shampoo, he will appreciate it. For the most part, cats are very good at grooming themselves, that being said, they will rarely require you to bathe them.

However in case that she is very dirty or gets into something sticky or stinky, you will need to give her a bath.
Sometimes, you’ll just have to do it.  The key is to not bathe your cat more than once a month as you will damage his skin and his hair if you do so more than that. And, you can do it.

What you will need to bath a cat?

If you do not want to be scratched, it is recommended to trim your Fluffy’s claws before bathing.
To do the task, you’ll need some supplies.  The very least you will need are two cloth towels, a pet safe shampoo and conditioner, a sponge and a sprayer to attach to your skin nozzle.  No sprayer?  Then use a pitcher of water and keep it near the sink.  You should try to have a non skid mat there as well to help your cat feel better about standing in the water.

What To Do

Put the mat at the bottom of the sink or tub.  Add about two or three inches of warm water to the bottom and carefully place the cat in.  Talk to him quietly and reassure him that he’s okay.  More than likely, he’ll settle down within a few minutes.  Now that he’s calm, you can wet him down.  Use the sprayer but if this scares him, you’ll need to pour water over him using the pitcher.

A word of warning, do not pour water on his head.  You’ll clean his face later.
Now he’s wet.  You can squeeze a palm sized amount of shampoo and massage the shampoo into his coat.  Use slow, calm motions and he’ll relax and maybe even will enjoy it.  Once he is lathered, you’ll need to rinse him off.  Make sure to get all of the shampoo out of his coat as anything left on him will irritate his skin.
Next, do the same with the cat’s conditioner. This step is optional if the cat has short hair. If the cat isn’t too upset, though, you should try to use it on all cats.
Once his body is clean, it is time to do his face.  Dampen the sponge and use it to carefully wipe down his face.  Pay attention to the area around his eyes too.

After The Bath

Now, he’s done.  Wrap him up in the towels and blot off as much of the water as possible from his body.  Use a dry towel as a second blotting tool.  Now, he’ll finish the job himself.  For those who have a long haired cat, you can use a blow dryer at the very lowest setting if you keep it continuously moving so that you do not burn him.  Now, you have a clean cat and hopefully no wound marks to show from it.
Your cat will thank you for his bath, and you will both enjoy each other’s company more, next time you snuggle down in front of the fire.
Word of caution though, it is not recommended that you frequently bathe your cat, only bathe them as needed for the reason that it can reduce your cat’s fur natural oils, thus leaving the skin dry.
Just remember, making sure your pet has a pleasant bathing experience is the key to future peaceful bath times.

So in order to make it easier to bath a cat, it is recommended to start it as early as possible, in order for them to get used to the water. You’ll never know, maybe they will find it quite enjoyable.

Cat Care Tips

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Cat Care Tips-What You Should Know

Even-though cats make the impression that they do not need us, however they do rely on us, their owners for affection and good health.The more we know about our cat pet the easier will be for us to solve problems and enhance our bond with them.
These surprising cat care tips will help you raise a healthy and happy cat.

Cats Dig Running Water

A pet drinking fountain is one of the best investments you can make in your cat’s health.  Cats find cool, running water to be appealing — it’s a natural behavior, because stream water is less likely to be contaminated than a stagnant pool.  Cats tend to be chronically dehydrated, and feline fountains are proven to get cats to drink more water. Many feline health problems can be aided with proper hydration, and it’s more efficient than leaving a faucet dripping to entice your cat to drink.

Want a Cat to Love You? Look Away!

What can you do to get a cat to come to you? Avoid eye contact. Cats don’t like eye contact with strangers, so will almost always go to the person who’s not looking at them. This also is the answer to the age-old mystery of why cats always seem to go to the one person in the room who doesn’t like cats. It’s because she may be the only one not “rudely” — in the cat’s view — staring.

Surprising Signs of a Cat in Pain

Chronic pain is not uncommon in cats, especially as they age. Cat-lovers miss the signs of a pet in pain because cats are good at hiding it. Any cat observed as being hesitant to jump up or climb, not using the litter box, not able to groom themselves as well, more aggressive or more withdrawn need to see the veterinarian. These are classic signs of discomfort, and need to be addressed.

Reed the original article here

You might of know some of these cat care tips, the other might of surprise you. All in all, learning about and understanding your cat is essential to providing a long and healthy life for them and many years of joy for us.

The unparalleled bond between cats and humans is fascinating to observe and is yet more magnificent to experience.

Don’t you just love kittens,they are so Cute!

 

Cat Diabetes-Symptoms,Causes & Prevention

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Cat Diabetes-All The Important Facts

When it comes to your cat diabetes, it is important for you as a owner to ensure the proper care, in order that your pet cat can live an otherwise more normal life than usual. It may be unfortunate for pet cats to have their own version of diabetes, also a serious affliction among humans. It is important also for you to know how feline diabetes affects cats and how you can help make life better, by learning how to better take care for them.

For starters let’s look at the basics, in a normal digestive system, the food stimulates pancreas to secrete insulin into the bloodstream in order to regulate glucose levels. More food, more insulin and more insulin means less glucose in the bloodstream. To put it simple, cat diabetes is a disorder of this process. There are two types of feline diabetes that may affect your pet cats. Type 1 is caused by an insufficient production of insulin while type 2 diabetes is characterized by the inability of the cat’s body to process insulin more effectively.

And just like in humans, diabetes can also strike cats at any age but is more likely to affect older cats. There is also a secondary cat diabetes that can be caused by drugs or by some diseases that may impair the natural processing of insulin in the body.

Cats also display symptoms that may tell veterinarians or pet owners of the onset of diabetes. These cat diabetes symptoms also have similarities with what humans with diabetes develop as the disease progresses. With the body’s inability to process or handle glucose, diabetic cats may also experience weight loss.

Cat Diabetes Symptoms:

• Frequent thirst and urination
• Increased appetite
• Weight loss
• Change in walking
• Lethargy, depression and unpredictability
• Dandruff
• Bad breath

Some other warning signs that may be associated with feline diabetes include vomiting, loss of appetite and general weakness. Cat diabetes may also be responsible for poor skin and coat condition as well as breathing abnormalities.
If you have noticed your cat displaying the above mentioned symptoms, a good idea would be to have your cat tested for sugar levels in the blood as well as the urine.

The key reason why both of the samples might be necessary is the fact that cats under anxiety might go through a short lived spike of their bloodstream sugar levels. These both tests will help confirm if your pet cat really has diabetes. Quite frankly like diabetes in humans, the cat diabetes version also does not have a cure yet available. Instead, cat diabetes can be controlled through a number of means.

For cats, this can be done through diet and weight control. A special diet, high in fiber and complex carbohydrates would be ideal for diabetic cats, especially the obese cats. Ideally, a cat should get no more than 3%-9% of its calories from carbohydrates. This type of diet is designed not only to control the cat’s weight but also to control the cat’s blood sugar levels.

There are also oral medications available that can help your diabetic pet cat maintain a suitable blood sugar level.
As a owner of diabetic cat, you will need to carefully monitor the glucose and insulin levels. For most diabetic cats the best regime is a single dose of slow release insulin given twice a day, and combined with low carbohydrate diet. Another good thing would be, to split one big meal into small part and given more frequent. This reduce a risk of a glucose spike.

A proper care should be taken when administering the insulin, an overdose of insulin can be a very fatal condition in cats.
It is very important to take your time and educate yourself about cat diabetes, so that you can provide the best possible care and treatment.

Consistency is the key to regulating your cat’s diabetes. When caring for a cat with a serious chronic illness as cat diabetes, it is a commitment from your part, time, money and love, though the rewards are well worth it.

Spotted Cat Breeds

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Domesticated Spotted Cat Breeds

If you looking to get a new cat soon, probably now is good time to consider a purebred cat. There are many breeds that can be found in this country, each with its own characteristic appearance and temperament and history. Think carefully about what characteristics you would like to see in your new companion. However if you are a newcomer at animal care taking, paw prints on countertops, hair on the furniture, and kitty games at 3 o’clock in the morning. If you are ready for that, then lets take a look what spotted cat breeds you would like to know more about.
Spotted Cat Breeds: Mau, Ocicat, Bengal

Egyptian Mau

The Egyptian Mau (mau, literally means Cat in egyptian) is known as one of the oldest domesticated breeds. Its exact origin is not recorded, however is often referred to be related to a spotted subspecies of the African Wild Cat. Is thought to be domesticated by Egyptians over 4,000 years ago. Unlike Ocicat or Bengal cat, the Egyptian Mau is an ancient and natural breed. They were worshipped, loved as pets, guarded by the law, mummified and mourned after their death. Due to their bird like voices, they were used for hunting and retrieving birds In ancient Egypt.

Egyptian Mau is colourful and active cat of medium size with well-developed muscles. Regardless of the Mau’s grace, thin body, lean legs and mincing feet, this is a cat of amazing strength. It is considered to be the fastest domestic cat breed, running as fast as over 30 mph. Usually weigh 10 to 14 pounds for an adult male, and 6 to 10 pounds for adult females.

Their gooseberry green colored large alert eyes are almond shaped and slightly slanted.Their voices are usually melodious and quiet, chortle to express their happiness. Egyptian Mau are always spotted and comes in three colours bronze, silver and smoke. Have a medium short length coat with enhanced fine texture, very easy to groom. The tail is medium long and is slightly tapered as well as thick at the beginning, and it ends with a dark tip.

They are highly intelligent and attractive, the Mau are extremely loyal and devoted to their family members, generally don’t take to strangers. While you may very well at first be drawn to the mau’s gorgeous spotted coat, you will most likely become passionate about their temperament and unique personality. Well-known for their intelligence, high activity level, as well as caring dedication, maus will make a great companion for any family.

Ocicat

The Ocicat were named after the Ocelot wildcat that is found from southwestern. Texas south to northern Argentina. The Ocicat, however, does not have any Ocelot blood
in them. They are entirely domestic bred. The first Ocicat was produced as a happy accident in the early 1960s by breeder Virginia Daly who was was trying to breed a Siamese cat with Abyssinian colored points. She did reach her goal, but in her second litter she found a cream colored male with golden spots and copper colored eyes.

She named him Tonga. Her daughter called him Ocicat because he reminded her of a baby Ocelot. Tonga was later sold as a pet and neutered.Fortunately, the same breeding pair that produced Tonga later produced a second spotted male. His name was Dalai Dotson who became the foundation for the Ocicat breed. The first Ocicat, Tonga, was exhibited at a cat show in 1965.
The Ocicat registry was established in 1966. The Ocicat was so striking and unique that other breeders were attracted and joined Daley in establishing this beautiful breed.

The breeder continued to focus on Abyssinians and Siamese for their foundation stock, but some American Shorthair was introduced as well. The American Shorthair bloodlines introduced a beautiful silver color to the ocicat.
Ocicats are very lively and intelligent. They are also great talkers,loyal,loving and tend to bond strongly to one person. Ocicats are very intelligent and will make up new tricks to entertain themselves. Most of them know how to fetch. Ocicats are another breed that doesn’t like to be alone for long. Again, a feline companion will be ideal for keeping your Ocicat happy.

Bengal Cat

 

Unlike the Ocicat, the Bengal has wild ancestry. The Bengal was produced by crossing the Asian Leopard Cat, a small wildcat with domestic shorthaired cats. Thename Bengal was derived from the Asian Leopard Cats Latin name, Felis bengalensis. It took the original breeder Jean Mill, several generations to produce a beautiful cat with domestic and predictable personalities.
In 1985 Mill showed her cats for the first time.

There was some controversy over the new cats. Some people felt it was unwise cross wild cats with domestics since many wildcats are threatened species. Most people, however, were very taken with the beautiful new cats. Mill was able to recreate a number of new Bengal breeders.

The modern Bengal is a wildly beautiful cat with an affectionate personality and great energy. Bengals form strong bonds with their owners and become faithful and affectionate companions for life. Bengals love to climb and will do so given any opportunity. You will routinely find them on top of bookcases, doors and dressers. They are very curious and will rearrange the contents of any drawer the find open.
Bengals are playful well into old age and will pounce an anything that moves. From their Asian ancestors, these cats inherited a love of water. Some will even join you for a swim in the pool or hot tub.

These very unusual cats are not everyone’s’ cup of tea. Give these very different cats a closer look. Their unique appearances and lively personalities might just make a great pet. These cats may be exactly what you are looking for in a new companion.

Cat Hairball:Causes & Remedies

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Cat Hairball:What Are The Symptoms & Causes

Cat hairball is a very common problem in cats. Most long-haired cats and some short-haired cats will develop them at some time in their lives. In some cases, you will not notice.  The cat may pass or vomit its hairballs out in the yard so you are not aware of it. Often, however, you will see them suffering from them in the house, and occasionally they can cause a life-threatening blockage in your pet’s digestive system. So let’s find out a little more about cat hairballs.

Cat hairballs or trichobezoars are caused by the routine grooming that cats do. If they are shedding, they can swallow a lot of hair while grooming. Most of the time this will just pass through the digestive system, but it can remain in the stomach in a mass that grows as more hair joins it.

Cats living in warm homes and warm climates shed more hair than they would in the wild, so hairballs are more likely to develop in domestic cats. However, they can easily be prevented if you are willing to brush your cat often. Cats love being brushed, it helps your pet to bond with you and it is something that you can easily do. Make it part of your routine every couple of days to spend quality brushing time with your pet, and cat hairballs are much less likely to become an issue.

There are other ways to prevent cat hairballs. Some owners say that giving the cat a little extra fiber a couple of times a week, in the form of plain canned pumpkin or mashed squash (with no added ingredients), prevents hairballs in cats. There are also remedies and special foods that you can buy. However, it is best to talk with your veterinarian before treating your cat with any products like these, because they could cause nutritional deficiencies in the long term.

Often, no treatment is necessary. Cat hairballs may be vomited up without too much difficulty. If your cat is coughing in a way that looks like it might be about to throw up, it may be trying to expel a hairball. After a short time you should find a lump of matted hair that it has brought up, usually on the floor. A cat will not use the litter box for this.

A hairball is usually sausage-shaped rather than round. It may have food mixed with it but you will see that there is a lot of matted hair. After getting it out, the cat is usually fine, although some cats may be a little tired or lack appetite for a short time after bringing up a hairball.

Sometimes a cat cannot get a hairball out of its system either through the bowels or by vomiting. In that situation, it can block the digestive system, causing painful constipation in mild cases and requiring urgent surgical removal in more serious cases.

So how would you know if your cat had a hairball that was becoming dangerous? Of course, if the cat is constantly trying to vomit it up and not succeeding, you would probably see that. Additionally, if a hairball is causing impaction in the gut, the cat is likely to stop eating and show signs of intestinal pain. They usually also have constipation and seem depressed or lethargic.

If you notice any of these symptoms, your pet should see a veterinary surgeon right away to check that it has not developed an impacted hairball. Pets who suffer from cat hairballs more than once a month should also see the veterinarian, even if they are easily passed.