Pet Gazette

Human beings are social creatures and hence it is but normal for them to look at sources of emotional and intellectual support and consolation. Sometimes it is in the form of parents, one’s own brother or sister, teachers, friends or sometimes even a complete stranger. Often it is also a pet like a dog or a cat. Many find it extremely comforting to find solace in the company of a pet especially a dog and research also indicates that pets Read the rest of this entry »

Obesity in fact is the most common nutritional disorder, found in companion animals such as dogs and cats. It was believed that this disorder is less prevalent in cats but the recent surveys show that the number of obese cats has risen dramatically in the past few years. Modern living in apartments and overindulgence by the owners are the factors that confine them indoors and hence restrict their daily activity to a minimum. This is one of the major reasons Read the rest of this entry »

The necessity of insurance policies has risen significantly among pet owners due to the high veterinary costs. The best part about buying these policies is that they help ease the financial burden of the pet owner. All pet owners who love and care for their pets, desire to provide their pets with high quality medical facilities. So if you have a pet cat and are willing to provide your cat with best healthcare and medical benefits then cat insurance is Read the rest of this entry »

Cat people are those who love their animals mostly for their serene beauty. A cat owner realises that her beloved pet is not the faithful friend that a dog is to its owner and if their cat is not perfectly content, they will go elsewhere and find a new home. The cat lover therefore frets if they go missing and tempts them back with their favorite food, just so that they may spend time in its favoured company and stroke Read the rest of this entry »

I have three cats. This statement might turn some people away all by itself. Some consider this to be an excessive amount of cats. However, I love each one of them for their own unique personalities and traits. But, when I first got them all together under the same roof, the fighting was nonstop. Here are some of the things I did to stop my cats from tearing each other apart. Alternatively, you can just load up on cat Read the rest of this entry »

Moving House With Your Cat.

Moving house is always traumatic and can be made worse if you are worried about your cat. Cats are very territorial and don’t take kindly to change. However there are some things you can do to minimise the stress to both yourself and your pet.

Before the move:

If your cat is used to going to a cattery this will probably be the easiest option until after the move is complete. If you can do this, skip straight doen this article to After the move.

If you are taking your cat with you try and empty a room the night before the move, put in a litter tray, your pets toys, bed, scratching post, and feed in this room as well.

Keep this room closed so there is no chance of your cat escaping.

Choose a room in the new house to use as a safe room for your cat when you arrive.

It’s worth checking that things like your pet insurance is up to date, if something is going to happen, it is more likely to happen during a time of change such as this.

Moving day:

Feed you cat as early as possible but keep your safe room closed perhaps put a notice on the door to prevent it being accidentally opened by the removal men.

When it’s time to leave put your cat in a secure carrying case or basket, do not try to use a cardboard box or allow to travel loose in your car. Use bedding that is familiar to you cat; it will help it to settle. Keep your cat in the travelling container until safely in the chosen room at the new house.

At the new house:

As soon as you have put what you need in the chosen safe room, (Try and arrange these things to be the last things on the van so they can be the first things off.) put in your cat, still in the basket, and all his things including litter tray and water and make sure the room is completely secure, then let out your cat and keep it shut in this room until the removal men have gone and you can secure the house.

After the move:

When you let your cat out of the safe room close off most of the other rooms so that you let it explore only one or two rooms at a time. Try and keep your safe room as one where you feed your cat and where it sleeps so that you can use it any time you are not able to keep the rest of the house secure. Keep your cat indoors for at least three weeks! When the time comes to let your cat out for the first time make sure any identification details on a collar are updated with your new address and phone no. If your pet has not been micro-chipped this would be a good time to have it done.

On the day you let your cat out doors leave it till just before it is due to be fed so that it is hungry open the door and allow it to go out in it’s own time leaving the door open so it can come back in when it wants. Go out with it so you can reassure it and try and keep the first trips out short, calling it back for food when you want it to come in.

Gradually increase the time you allow your pet out until you have reached it’s old routine.

It doesn’t matter how doted you are on your cat, there comes a time of day when his litter box needs emptied and you wish that he belonged to someone else! How could something this cute produce something that smells so bad?  Even if you don’t have a problem with it on a daily basis, there are times in everyone’s life – perhaps days when they’re all dressed up for a special event (such as a wedding), and the kitty tray still needs cleaned usually right before you leave the house! 

The quicker you get the mess out of the litter box however, the less time it’s likely to take.  In the case of poop, quickly scooping it out will mean that you don’t have to change the litter because it hasn’t had a chance to be soiled.  Be careful as you scoop though, it’s not like your pet insurance will cover the carpet cleaning costs if you fumble.Leaving the litter tray for an extended period of time on the other hand means that you’re likely to have quite a mess on your hands, and it’s going to take some time to clean up.

One of the best kitty litter box products is the litter tray that resembles a plastic pet carrier.  It has a small “doorway” at the front that allows your cat to get in and out, and is higher inside so that he can sit upright when he’s doing whatever needs to be done.  They are long enough to allow kitty to stretch out his paws when covering over his mess, but they don’t take up much more space than a normal litter tray as it’s little more than a normal one with a lid.  The beauty of these litter boxes is that they keep all of the mess out of side, and it also helps to keep the odours out of the room also.

If you really hate cleaning out the litter box however, you could take a look at one of those self-cleaning litter boxes.  Although not usually a traditional rectangular shape, these litter trays will “rake” the litter clean and the waste removed.  If you are often away from home, or taking care of home, family and work then one of these could be just what you need to remove one job off your daily “to do” list!

When cleaning your kitty litter tray be careful not use any products containing chemicals which could be harmful to your cat.  If you keep the litter tray clean, and change the litter daily, a little warm water should be enough to keep it fresh.

As if it wasn’t bad enough knowing that your beloved cat is sick and needs medication in order to become healthy again, you also find out that the medication is in tablet format and you’re expected to get it into your cat’s system – somehow.  Not the best of days!  However there are a number of strategies that you can use in order to get the needed medication into even the most anti-pill cat.

1.       Crush it!  This is by far the easiest technique to use, and if it works, you’re set!  If it’s a capsule, open the cap and sprinkle it amongst your cat’s food.  If it’s a hard pill, place it on a metal spoon and crush with the underside of another metal spoon.  Mix the powder with your cat’s food.  This works much better with moist cat food, but you could also try giving your cat and putting it in something like a small portion of tinned tuna fish so that the cat is more likely to eat it at one time and not chance letting the food go stale and uneaten.  Using this method it’s important that the meal containing the medication is completely eaten so that you are sure the cat has had the right dosage. 

2.      Use a device such as pet piller. If you anticipate problems getting tablets into your cat, you should ask your veterinary if they can tell you where to obtain one.  This device will hold the pill on plastic rods, and once you get the piller into your cat’s mouth, you press the plunger down to release the pill, and then quickly remove the device.  You’re going to have to make sure you have a firm grip on him before you start otherwise his wriggling is going to make placing the pet piller in his mouth almost impossible.   

3.      Determination and strength!  Use a towel and wrap it gentle around your cat so that his legs are confined and he’s not able to scratch you.  Gentle tilt his head backwards and encourage him to open his mouth.  You can do this by tickling him under the chin, or gently blowing across (not into!) his nose, or even letting him sniff a treat so that he licks his lips.  Be ready for action because once he opens it, he won’t keep his mouth open for long!  As soon as his mouth opens, drop the pill in as far back as you can, then close his mouth and rub his chin gently until he swallows.  Once he swallows, the pill ought to be gone so give him a treat and then put him on the floor before taking the towel off him.  You’ll get a look of distain rather than gratitude for helping him get well, but at least the medication will be in him!

If you find that despite everything you try, your cat still refuses to take his pills, then call your veterinary clinic within 1-2 days and ask if the medication be changed to a different format as you’re finding it impossible to get your cat to digest the pills!

Now that Christmas is over, in a relatively short period you could be seeing a number of stray cats in your area.  If you find that you have some that seem to be hanging out in your back garden there are a number of things that you can do to help them:

1.       Check the cat to see if it’s wearing a collar with ID tag – if it’s a young cat then it is possible that it’s lost and someone is looking for it.

2.       Feed them!  If you can afford to buy a box of dried food, or a can of cat food, plus put out fresh water for the cat(s) then at least you know that they aren’t starving.

3.       Provide shelter.  This can be as simple as a cardboard box turned away from the elements.  If you have an old blanket, towel or sweater that could provide some warmth against the winter wind, the cat will appreciate it! 

4.       Call your local veterinary clinic and ask for the telephone number of the local Cat Protection League.  Ring them and let them know that you have a stray in your garden.  They will probably want to know how long it’s been there, and if you have any idea how old it is.

Stray cats can pull on the heartstrings, especially if they are young and it’s very possible that the one that you’re watching over will wriggle its way into your affection, but consider the consequences of having a cat before taking on responsibility for it – you need to make sure that you have the finances, and the time, to first make sure that it’s nourished correctly and is healthy after its time spent un-homed, then if it is a kitten it will need the necessary vaccinations plus it ought to be spayed if your veterinary discovers that this hasn’t been done.  If you have contacted the Cat Protection League prior to offering a home to the stray cat, they may be able to help with the financing of this procedure.

Although stray cats are a common sight all year around, it’s in the weeks following Christmas that those bought for as gifts find themselves suddenly homeless because of no fault of their own, and as these are usually less sturdy then more worldly outdoor cats, any help you can give them will help them survive to adulthood.

As the temperatures drop and the hours of darkness lengthen, cat owners who allow their feline friends to go outdoors need to be a little extra vigilant to ensure that their cat keeps healthy and safe throughout the winter.

The first thing that you cat needs is some kind of reflective collar.  Although you may not be keen on the bright luminous yellow, pink or orange offerings in the pet store, there can be no denying their effectiveness for showing where your cat is in a dark area.  If you are in a mainly residential area with a lot of cars coming and going, a cat can easily be lost amongst the darkness but a bright collar that reflects the headlights of the car helps a driver to see it.  If you’re in a mainly rural setting then perhaps you don’t need a full luminous collar but could put one of the more trendy ones that have reflective strips or motives around them.   It goes without saying that you should always have an ID tag of some description on your cat year round, but if you have changed the cat’s collar specifically for the dark nights, make sure you take the time to transfer the cat’s ID tag to the new collar also.

Temperatures are cold enough during the day, but overnight they’re often around freezing or lower.  If your cat usually goes out, and you don’t have a cat flap where he cat let himself back into the house when he’s had enough “fresh” air, try to encourage him not to go out at all later at night.  If he is out, see if you can train him to come back in (shaking food cans or packets is often a good way of doing this) before you go to bed.  This way you can be sure that no matter how low the temperatures drop, your cat is going to be safe and warm in the house.  If he doesn’t like the idea of being locked in at night, consider fitting a cat flap to one of your doors so that he can come inside if it gets too cold.  An older cat especially should be protected from being out too much in the cold weather as this could bring on health issues such as rheumatism from sitting on icy or damp places.

Cats are quite self sufficient and are not likely to go outside if they think it’s too cold, but by ensuring that they are well seen if they are out, and able to get back indoors when they choose, you are keeping them as safe as possible without the need to make them into indoors cats.