Feral cats are different from stray cats. Stray cats are usually the merchandise of an individual’s irresponsibility. Irresponsibility could be outlined in 2 ways when it comes to strays:  dumping a cat to fend for itself and/or neglecting to spay and neuter their cats. Stray cats will be timid, however are usually easily tamed. Feral cats are cats that were most likely born to wild parents and are wild themselves. Feral cats have had no human interaction and are very tough to tame.

As a result of feral cats are tough to tame, therefore creating them undesirable indoor pets, there are various rescue organizations that are dedicated to the trapping and spaying and neutering of feral cat colonies. Several times, these organizations trap the cats, have them spayed and neutered and then release them near where they were originally found. Then, they dedicate themselves to providing food to these colonies.

Feral cats are everywhere. You can realize feral cats in rural or farm areas, abandoned buildings and even parks and alleyways.  You might picture of them, but probabilities are that you would not be ready to catch them easily.  After all, they need not been around humans so any contact would create them back away from you. If you have got feral cats in your neighborhood, you will wonder whether these animals will be kept as pets.

Taming a feral cat can be a difficult proposition merely as a result of they are not at home with humans. Depending on the amount of their interactions with humans, some cats might be classified as semi-feral, total feral or perhaps a converted feral cat.  Relying on what your cat is assessed dictates your potential success in socializing it. Additionally, it takes a lot of your time, love and patience to tame these cats.

If you find a cat that’s has been feral for a years, possibilities are that there’s little to no probability of socializing it. With no human contact in the least, these cats are overly independent and would never depend on somebody’s for food or companionship. You would possibly have better success with a cat that’s semi-feral. In these instances, they have had some restricted human contact. A converted feral cat would probably have the most effective probability at a traditional life as someone’s pet. These cats were once domesticated, that means that they most likely started life as a pet and then was abandoned. The converted feral cat will a lot of than probably eventually respond to human interactions such as love and affection.

If you would like to attempt to tame a feral cat, bear in mind that it can be hard work reaching out to the feral cat and getting them to trust you once being on their own. Typically, your efforts will not pay off for months, particularly with older cats. If your makes an attempt are a hit, the rewards are well worth it as a result of a strong bond will develop and loyalty and love is the reward. 

If you think you have the time and also the love to aim to tame a feral, there are some things to remember. First, these cats see you as an intruder and are very doubtless to spit, hiss, bite and claw. This is a normal response as they are defending themselves against a perceived predator – you. If they manage to urge in a very few bites or scratches, you must apply first aid immediately. When you’ve got successfully trapped a feral cat, your very first step is to urge it to the vet for spay or neuter and to check for any diseases it could carry. This can be a necessary step and an absolute must if you have got other pets within the house. When you have got arrived home with your cat, you wish to let it adjust to you and the environment by giving it a little, safe place to stay. Permit the cat to stay in a very little lavatory or laundry space, where it will not feel overwhelmed. You’ll want to require time every day to spend time with the cat and allow the cat to regulate to you.

Bear in mind, not all feral cats will be socialized; but with love and patience, some time and efforts may be worthwhile.

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Can Feral Cats Be Tamed


Elderly Cat Care

Posted by Lee | Category: pets | No Comments »
cat care


Our cats become a part of the family over time. But unlike humans, who are considered elderly at 60 or 65, cats are considered “senior citizens” at the ripe old age of 10. It is important to understand the proper care of cats at all stages of life. A kitten cannot be fed, groomed, medicated, and treated the same way as an elderly cat. Here is a guide to proper Elderly Cat Care.

Feeding Time

Most pet supply stores sell specially formulated cat foods that are designed to provide proper health and nutrition to elderly cats. Some formulas assist with proper digestion, since this can often be a problem with older cats. Senior cats cannot assimilate their food in their digestive tracts in the same way that they did when they were youngsters.

Older cats can also have problems with their teeth that cause them to eat less. This is why it is important to maintain good dental hygiene in cats at a young age by either brushing, taking them to the veterinarian for a cleaning, or feeding them snacks that clean their teeth. If your elderly cat eats less, it may be due to a toothache, thus it is sometimes ideal to feed them softer foods, mostly wet, canned foods, so that chewing their dinner won’t be as much of an obstacle.

Many cat owners find that their cat’s coat becomes dull with age. This is due to poor nutrition. Feed your older cat a diet rich in essential fatty acids to fix this problem. When organisms, including cats, get older, they have an increased production of free radicals in the body. Free radicals contribute to the degeneration of cells in the body. Help build up the immune system of your beloved cat by increasing his or her intake of vitamin C and E.

Finally, you want your cat to remain active in old age. The more energetic activities your cat participates in the better health it will remain in. If you allow your cat to become obese it will lay around the house and have reduced quality of life, as well as a decrease in general health. Watch your pet’s eating habits and assure that it is not overeating, or eating as a recreation as some cats do.

Grooming Elderly Cats

Another element of proper Elderly Cat Care is grooming. When cats age, they sometimes stop grooming themselves with the same frequency as they did when they were younger. This can create a matted fur coat that is dirty and smells bad. Bad hygiene will eventually lead to bad health. Because of this, it is important that you groom your eldery cat yourself. Purchase a good cat brush that doesn’t just brush the outer coat, but one with bristles that reach down to the skin to pull up old hair.

It sometimes helps to give your cat a bath, even though most cats **** them with a passion. The best way to wash a cat is to place them in the tub and gradually introduce water. You certainly don’t want to throw them into the tub with hot water running inside! You may get a deep claw mark in the arm that will never heal and remind you to never do that again. If you apply water gradually to the cat’s coat until they are completely wet and then work in some shampoo quickly, you should be able to accomplish that goal.

Vet Visits and Medication

When your cat grows into old age, it may have health complications that require regular medication. You should schedule a regular vet appointment for your elderly cat to assure that you are keeping up with all details of its health regimen. In older age, cats may seem fine but still have complications. Ask your veterinarian to give your cat a blood and urine test to find out if there is anything to be concerned about to head off any future problems. Going back to dental care, most older cats develop gum disease which can lead to health problems down the line. Gum disease can be treated by your veterinarian.

Just as with a human who has to take daily medication, if your cat has been prescribed to take medications on a daily basis it is helpful to keep everything in one place as a reminder. You do not want to miss a day of any crucial medication as the system of your older cat is much more delicate than those of younger cats.

Pet Insurance

Insurance companies are coming to recognize the love that people have for their pets. Thus, there are many new pet insurance products popping up on the market. It is best to enroll your pet into an insurance program at a younger age to assure a more reasonable premium, but you may still be able to enroll your elderly cat into an insurance program where his or medical bills will be partly covered in the case of a medical emergency. Some pet insurance companies will charge anywhere from $20-$50 per month per cat, depending on their particular situation.

The costs of pet surgeries and treatments can be way out of the budget of most households, so having a pet insurance plan to back you up can be a great asset. It will also give you peace of mind about your cat as it ages.

Activities of the Elderly Cat

The activity level of elderly cats vary. Some cats become inactive and spend most of their day sleeping or sitting. But other cats can be just as active in old age as they were in their younger days. These cats may still like to play with you, run, and chase the other cats around the house, but you just need to be understanding that they may not be able to participate in these games for as long as they used to. For example, a game cats love to play is “chase their owner.” Instead of letting them chase you up and down the stairs as you did when they were young, maybe you could keep the activity to one level of the house. That way you will not overexert your cat and help prolong his time spent active.

Most cat experts agree tht a cat is generally healthy and happy when they are “bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.” Another indication of a healthy cat is a lustrous, shiny coat, and a tail that sticks straight up in the air when the cat is walking. Proper elderly cat care is dire if you love your senior cat and want to keep it in good physical health.



cat care


Cat lovers who own cats in their houses usually look after their grooming, feeding, or the training part. However, understanding the metabolism of the cats is equally imperative, because it enables pet owners to know the temperament, nature and the habits of their cats. Metabolism means ongoing of the physical as well as chemical changes, which take place in the cat’s body.

The metabolism of a healthy cat can be found by checking the glucose level in its blood. It has to be between 80 to 120 mg/dL (milligrams per deciliter).

Hence, cats need to take rest and tend to sleep a lot. Their sleeping durations are usually of 12 to 16 hours. They do not sleep continuously for these many hours, instead they take short naps which together sum to 12 hours. It helps them to conserve energy. Some cats sleep for much longer duration for about 20 hours in 24 hours. Perhaps, this might be the reason why people refer to individuals who sleep more often as “having a cat nap”.

Factors Of Metabolism:

Body temperature is the main factor of the cat’s metabolism. The layer of fat beneath the skin protects it from harsh winters. A body temperature of a typically healthy cat is within 38 to 39 degree Celsius. A cat is assumed feverish if its body temperature is equal to 39.5 degree Celsius or greater than that. Moreover, if the body temperature of the cat is lower than 37.5 degree Celsius, that cat is hypothermic.

Heart beat of the cat ranges from 140 -220 beats/minute. If the cat is on the hunting spree, its heart rate becomes higher. Whereas, the heart beat of the cat in resting position is within 150-180 beats/minute.

Due to their frequent nocturnal nature, they often enter a stage of greater hyperactivity and liveliness. It happens mostly in the evening times and, hence pet lovers refer to this phase as happy hour or mad hour or evening craziness.

The temperament of the cats varies and depends on their breeds. Short and haired cats are usually skinnier and, hence more energetic, whereas longhaired cats and taller cats are heavier and inactive.

Overview:

Cats are carnivorous, so they have this unique capacity to metabolize protein in meat to sugar and carbohydrate. Most people feed cats with dry feline diet, which is widely available in the market. Nevertheless, cat’s metabolism is such that, it converts the dry diet into carbohydrate, which is not good for their health.

Give them high protein diet such as meat-based food to make them active and healthy. One of the common problems faced by many cat owners is, their cats eat a lot sometimes and at times, they do not eat at all. In such case, people need to know that, it is just natural because cat’s metabolism is equipped to “treat and crisis” cycle.

Therefore, if felines go without food for many days, people need not have to worry. Simply wait and the cats will start eating, when hungry. Hence, this is all about cat metabolism.



cat care


You’ve brought your kitten home. You’ve got her set up with all her needs. Now, you’re faced with some of the more puzzling aspects of cat care. You’re wondering about declawing. And that’s just for starters. Not to worry.

First and foremost, realize that the first step to successful cat ownership is to love your cat. Filling in the blanks on the information you don’t know yet will come. And here’s some information and knowledge to get you started. Of course homeopathic care for cat is something that is all over the news right now, but there’s actually a lot more to know then that.

Yes, cats shed. And the shedding of a long-haired cat is more noticeable than that of a short haired feline. Expect your cat only to shed at the change of the seasons. That’s not so. Because of his exposure to a constant temperature and continual artificial light, your indoor cat sheds year round. But it’s not nearly as bad as it sounds.

Here’s a good piece of important cat care information, cats take care of a lot of their shedding on their own. They are fastidiously clean animals. You’ll discover they are constantly cleaning themselves with their rough, sandpaper-like tongues. The very mechanism, though, that helps them to control shedding also contributes to one of their health problems, hairballs. Hairballs are a very real threat to your cat’s digestion. They can block the food that’s already been digested from traveling through his intestines.

So how can you tell when your cat is experiencing hairballs? You’ll be able to recognize them if he coughs them up – as cats are prone to do. If you find cigar-shaped masses of some indistinguishable matter on the floor or on your furniture, you’ve discovered a hairball.

Sometimes, though, a cat will expel them along with his ***** in the litter box. If you find that your cat’s bowel movements have hair on them, that means he’s got hairballs. Another symptom your feline may exhibit is dry coughing or a hacking. This will especially occur after he’s eaten. In fact, if your cat has a sudden, unexpected loss of appetite, you may suspect a hairball is at the root cause.

So how do you prevent hairballs? Take matters in your own hands, literally! Brush! Brush! Brush! Groom you kitty often. Most cats find it most enjoyable and it builds a marvelous bond between you and your feline.

If you discover that your kitten may need more aid than this, there are many effective hairball remedies on the market today. They come in a variety of forms, from granules you sprinkle inconspicuously on his food to gels.

Thinking about declawing?

If you haven’t heard, declawing your cat so he doesn’t ruin your furniture or accidentally seriously scratch an individual is controversial. A generation ago, this operation was routine, many times performed at the same time the kitten got spayed or neutered.

The public today, though, is more widely educated on exactly what surgery for declawing entails. It’s not just a matter of pulling the claws out of the kitty. To remove a cat’s claws, a veterinarian must actually amputate the cat’s paws at the first joint. This would be the equivalent you getting your knuckles amputated right below your finger nails. Ouch!

In order to perform the surgery, your veterinarian will anesthetized your cat as well as give him pain medication. He will literally cut the first section of your cat’s paw off, since the claws are intricately intertwined in the first “knuckle.”

Following the surgery, your cat’s paws are carefully bandaged. Your cat will undoubtedly spend the night at the animal hospital. The following day you’ll be able to bring her home.

Be prepared! Your cat – understandably – will be distinctly uncomfortable for several days following the surgery. (Actually, she’ll probably be in great pain. But felines are wonderful actors. Cats **** to show that they’re in any type of pain.)

Considering, though, the extent of the surgery, your cat heals quite quickly. You’ll notice that your pet walks around the house rather gingerly. That’ll last for about a week. After that she’ll back to her old self.

To help prevent infection, you should replace her litter with some shredded paper. This avoids getting granules of litter in his already very tender paws.

Declawing your cat does more than just eliminate the problem of scratching. Her claws -and that portion of the toes that are removed, are valuable to her in another vital way. Removing her claws may throw her entire system of natural balance off.

A cat, you see, is classified as a “digitigrade.” It’s a strange label, but essentially it means that she walks on her toes. But, a cats toes are used for so much more! Her entire balance and form are based on the length of her digits. Nature, it seems, designed the cat’s body – including her back, shoulders, paws, leg joints, ligaments, muscles, tendons and even her nerves! – based on walking on her toes. Because of this, her weight is distributed across its toes as it walks, runs and climbs.

That means a cat’s claws are absolutely essential for her balance as well as for her ability to exercise effectively. Not only that, her toes – and especially her claws are vital aspects of her stretching. Notice when your cat scratches at a post (or, yes, your furniture!). We all assume she’s just sharpening her claws. Not so! She is really stretching her entire body. When you declaw your kitten, it throws her entire body alignment off.

Hairballs and declawing. Not usually subjects that come up in everyday conversations, now are they? But these are only two of the important bits of information that every cat owner needs to know in order to give Fluffy the best of care. That, and your love, will help your kitten live a long and healthy life.



cat care


Many of us, getting a cat for the first time, assume that cat house training will somehow happen by itself, with the minimal input or effort from ourselves. Perhaps we credit the cat with more intelligence than it possesses, but many will underestimate how much time and patience is required before the cat learns to follow the basic house rules. In these early days, the new owner should refrain from smacking or slapping or even shaking the cat.

You cannot beat a cat or kitten into obedience, so that they become the perfect home cat – you will only provoke hatred and fear, which will further reduce the chances of training her properly. Here’s a great and very effective tip – always keep a spray bottle of water at hand, and if she misbehaves badly, just gently spray her.

If you gain an understanding of how and why your cat does what she does, what cat instinct she is following, then you are heading for success in your cat house training. If you expect her to do something that goes against her nature, then you better be prepared to make it worth her while. If you want to make the most rapid progress, a modest investment in a decent cat manual or guide will be richly rewarded, and you will at a stroke begin to understand “cat think” and cat care in general, and also avoid the most common mistakes.

In practical terms, this most commonly means rewarding correct behavior either with a physical treat – a favorite food, biscuit, for example – or with words of praise and congratulation. She will quickly learn to associate particular actions with positive responses, and, conversely, if these rewards are withheld, she will know that she has transgressed in some way.

Cats are known for their short attention span, so your training sessions should be fairly brief, ideally around 10 minutes. And because their attention does tend to wander, make sure your sessions are held somewhere where there are as few distractions as possible. So make it indoors, with no view of the outdoor world, and no visitors, human or animal.

The essential training exercises that concern most new cat owners are to do with urination, scratching, jumping and biting.

Most cat owners face problems with their cat not using the litter box – obviously, a new kitten has to be taught toilet training cat style, but even mature well-behaved cats can suddenly “forget” to use the litter box, and, when this occurs, the wise owner will know to look for some change in the cat’s environment that will have triggered this behavior.

The second biggest concern is with cat scratching, a behavior that is an essential part of the animal’s nature. The provision of good scratching posts in strategic places will alleviate the problem, and spare your furniture and curtains. The surgical removal of the cat’s claws was until recently seen as an easy and permanent solution to the problem, but in a more humane age this is seen as quite a barbaric act to perform on a Cat, and one that upsets the whole balance mechanism of the cat, and is really traumatic.

A cat will not expend unnecessary energy, so if she jumps there is a reason for it. Most often, she will jump onto the window sill to view the outside world – if you want her not to jump on a particular sill, block off the view for the first 15 inches, perhaps with a piece of fabric. If there is no view, she will soon go elsewhere. Jumping onto counters or worktops or tables in the kitchen should be completely discouraged from the beginning – it might simply signal that she wants feeding.

Biting is unfortunately often encouraged in a kitchen – children in particular enjoy being bitten by young kitten teeth, and will often playfully provoke it until it bites. Cats have pretty sharp teeth, so you have to let your cat know that biting will not be tolerated. If the behavior persists, you might discourage it with a spray from your water bottle.



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