The Cat Scratching Problem And Its Solution

Scratched furniture, shredded curtains and carpets - all these 'facts' are signs that the house is 'owned' by a cat! The majority of cat lovers get really angry with their pets when these little disasters happen, yelling at them and trying to make them stop scratching. However, we should remember in such circumstances that scratching is a healthy habit and a natural instinct - it helps cats stretch, exercise, sharpen their claws and mark their territory.

Don't even think about punishing your kitty for behaving normally! She will not understand you, continuing to scratch, this time with an 'attitude'. Declawing is another bad option - this procedure is painful and has severe side-effects on your pet's health.
The simplest solution is to acquire and install a cat scratching post. This useful invention allows a cat to scratch, sharp her claws, stretch and play for as long as she likes without damaging your belongings and your nerves.


Nowadays, the online market offers different models of scratching posts - from the classical sisal-covered vertical pole to the more original scratching pads with surfaces from carpet or cardboard. For those owners who are not afraid to invest a little more in the well-being of their kittens, there are also more extravagant options - cat gyms, cat trees and cat condos.


So how to choose the best scratching post - after all, the diversity is overwhelming! Actually, it's very simple: just study your pet's habits, they are the only 'key' you need! If your kitty is scratching chairs and other vertical surfaces, buy a vertical post. If she enjoys scratching the floor and the carpets, maybe she needs a carpet-covered horizontal pad.


Also, measure your cat and make sure that the post is taller than she is. Otherwise, she won't be able to fully stretch and play! The post should be heavy and sturdy - the last thing you want is a collapsed, useless post! Cats adore to scratch solid things and easily lose interest if the post is too light. If your kitty is still little, attach some toys to the post - this will guarantee many hours of enthusiastic playing!


It's also important to install the post in a 'strategic' place. If your cat's favorite scratching spot is the kitchen wooden cabinet, that's where the post should be placed! Avoid installing it in a dark storage room - kitties with normal self-respect will never go and play in such a place. After all, they like to socialize and show off a little - why not use this to your own advantage?


Teaching your kitty to use the post is the next step. Don't be too strict! Cats - unlike dogs - are not obedient and do not respond to commands. Use patience and affection instead and play with your furry friend near the post until she figures out on her own how fun it is to scratch it.


With a scratching post, you'll soon forget about the stress of seeing how your new things are being destroyed. You'll be calm and your kitty will be extremely content, being able to manifest her natural needs. However, don't forget that cats are very clean animals. They will not scratch a filthy, smelling post - that's why you have to give it a good wash when you notice that it got dirty.

About the Author:Lauren Brooks

If you want to stop your kitty from scratching your furniture in a safe and pet-friendly way, make sure you check Lauren Brooks' blog dedicated to the advantages of the cat scratching post. You can also learn here how to select the best cat scratching post for your furry friend.

Scat Cat - Get Out of My Garden!

What do you do when you love your cat as much as your gardening?
Develop patience and ingenuity! My cat loves to roll in the flower petals on the ground. AND any cut flowers in the house are fair game for a good rub and sniff.  So be sure to have them in a sturdy vase or they will be knocked over by feline appreciation!

If you really need to keep that cat out of the garden and the fence is not a deterrent. Consider using mothballs. They do not like the scent of mothballs. Don't put them in the rows of plants, rather around the edges of the garden borders. Other scents that can repel your feline friend include: lemon grass oil, mustard oil, tobacco ( that repels ME!), cayenne peppers hung on a string along the fence row! Or even a couple of citronella plants along the edges.

Some people set up motion activated sprinklers. That will get their attention for sure!  Except MY cat loves to play in water as much as in the garden.The surprise spray a few times will keep most cats clear of the area.







Some people have gone as far as installing electronic cat deterrents. It won't hurt your pets and you cannot hear the sound.  But it WILL  teach the neighborhood cats to steer clear of the area.  It may also work on some of the nearby dogs.  I am not sure about that.


In each case though, remember your cat likes to eat grass and often enjoys playing with the insects around the garden.  My cat chases cicadas through the backyard and keeps us all well entertained with his antics as he jumps in the air and sometimes flips right over trying to catch these fascinating big bugs of summer! 

Are Kittens Better To Have Than A Dog In A City Setting?

The addition of a pet to a city apartment may not seem like a welcome one at first. Our places of residence are often small and cramped, and another living being in our homes could add to the clutter some more.


On the other hand, the addition of another life to our own lives can bring us joy, entertainment, and companionship. This is why so many people who live in city apartments do in fact live with pets.


Depending on which pets people like more, you'll always find that they'll call one animal more suitable for city apartments than others. I'm going to give an objective look at the situation, listing some pros and cons about each animal in such a setting.


First, let's take a look at dogs. On the plus side, they'll be extremely loyal and generally more active than cats are. Dogs will likely follow you often, while cats tend to do the opposite.


If you find yourself busy and without the ability to dedicate much attention, then dogs may not be the best fit for your situation. On the other hand, someone who enjoys the companionship of a friend who's always around will appreciate this about dogs.


With a cat, they do not require as much attention as dogs and generally keep to themselves. Yes, they will come to you for the occasional cuddle, but they can pretty much maintain themselves.


When it comes to being active, a dog is going to have to go outside many times each day. You will like walking a dog if you enjoy being outdoors and getting fresh air.


On the flip side, having an indoor cat means that you won't have to take it outside at all. Just maintain the litter box and you will not have to think about going outside.


When we are talking about life in the city, it does seem like dogs are higher maintenance than cats are. However, numerous people do indeed love dogs.

About the Author:

Jenny Landis also regularly blogs regarding custom garage doors and commercial glass garage doors.

Cat Trees and Other Important Toys For Your Feline

This article is intended to detail the importance of keeping your cat healthy by giving them exercise through fun activities. You can also keep your cat keen with wits and eyesight through some of these tools and activities as well. So, this article is about all kinds of objects and structures such as cat trees, an array of toys, and other things.

Owning a cat is sometimes a good deal of work. A lot more work than many realize, I'm afraid. In the world of household pets, you are unlikely to find an animal as independent and freethinking as a housecat. This is why it is so difficult sometimes to earn their love and trust completely, and cats are well known to make you work for it.

But how do you earn the affection and adoration from your cat? Seems like a crazy concept, considering dogs almost instantly take a liking to everyone they meet. Dogs form bonds with those who pet and feed them. It might seem ridiculous, but cats really enjoy gifts that they know is just for them. So we should delve a little deeper into some of the best gifts for your deserving feline.

Toys for felines are rarely close to the same as other domesticated pets. Dogs, for example, will have an array of squeaky toys and knotted ropes and so on. This is to ensure that when it is time for play, the human is getting involved as well. Cats, on the other hand would prefer you to purchase the toy, leave it somewhere that they can get to it, and go on about your business elsewhere. You are not required for a cat to have fun.

So what is your cat going to love if you were to purchase it? You might be surprised, but I have found that many, many cats love cat trees. These handy little toys can be rather complex if you are willing to pay for it. It can also just be a glorified scratch post, which was what I believe to be the original concept. Since then, though, these impressive toys have offered so much more for your cat's entertainment.

Now typical trees are two to three different platforms, all boasting interesting toys and areas for the cat to hang out. If nothing else, an enclosure when he/she would like to get some undisturbed resting accomplished. Additionally, the tree would also feature at least one scratch post (but often more than one).

Then you might think: what else could I get for my cat? The trouble with this question, is that there isn't one direct answer. In fact, there are a ton of different answers. This is in part due to the truth that all cats are different. What might be fun and exciting for one, could bore the tail off of another. You just have to go through a process of trial and error and figure it out for yourself and for your cat. When you learn what type of toys your cat likes, buying should become a snap.

The only thing that I have seen work with many cats (even at once), are cat trees. Whether simplistic or elaborate, they are irresistible to felines, because cats love to climb and pat and scratch. This is the perfect environment to allow them to do all of the things they love.

Guest Post by Carol Navagato
If you have a cuddly feline, then the cat scratching tree is something they would enjoy. Every cat needs to have something to dig their claws in. It is best they use cat tree furniture and not your furniture.

Can Cats BE Normal?

When I saw this headline about cats in the New York Times, Is Your Cat Normal? I had to LAUGH. I even laughed out loud. Then I went and read the post. It made some good points. I did not know about wool eating cats.

However, there are so many cats in this neighborhood it is really easy to see there are a lot of individual differences in cat behavior. Some things are common ground.

They all sniff a lot. Some mew and some meow and the part Siamese ones howl. Their purrs are different. And even though there are no worms in them, 2 of them never seem to have enough to eat. Only one has a reason for that. She is still a nursing momma cat.

We have not seen her kittens yet so when they surface they will surely be feral and wild. That is too bad. She hid under the shed out of reach when they were being born and half the cats in the neighborhood sat on the patio watching the shed. A few hours later the brave cats tried to sneak into the space that was way way way too small for them. The next morning the momma cat and kitten or kittens had moved to a different location.

Two of these cats LOVE water. We call it "puddle patrol" after it rains. One will go to each and every puddle in the driveway and on the patio and swat at it, swish a paw in it and then drink from it. No matter how much we put into a fresh water bowl, they all prefer to drink from the rain water collector basin. I must empty that every few days to prevent mosquitoes from breeding in it.

So, it is hard for me to tell what is normal in a cat. They are such independent creatures. Some are lap cats and some don't want to be touched much at all. But they all keep themselves clean unless they are sick. So I guess that is a good sign of normal behavior.

Finally My List of Cat Breeds

Even my closest friend had a "fit" reading about the alley cat. In the list of breeds they have a more sophisticated yet homogenized name "moggie".

So, this is an alphabetical list of many cat breeds. Since there are SO SO many pages online with fantastic photos and profiles of these breeds I am only listing the names.

Abyssinian
Angora
Ashera
American Bobtail
American Curl
American Ringtail
American Shorthair
often these are viewed in a mixed breed form and are very common as Household Pets or Moggies
American Wirehair
Australian Mist
Balinese
Bambino
Bengal
Birman
Bombay
British Shorthair
British Longhair
Burmese
Burmilla
California Spangled
Chartreux
Chausie
Cornish Rex
Cymric
Devon Rex
Dwarf Cats
Don Sphynx or DonSkoy is hairless
Egyptian Mau
Elf
Exotic Shorthair
Havana Brown
Himalayan
Household Pet(Moggie)
sometimes called Alley Cat!! See American Shorthair above. All of my cats have been moggies.
Japanese Bobtail
Javanese
Kinkalow
Korat
Kurilian Bobtail
Lambkin
Laperm
Maine Coon I love these huge furry cats!
Manx
Miniature
Minskin is a hairless breed
Munchkin
Napoleon
Nebelung
Norwegian Forest
Ocicat
Ojos Azules
Oriental Shorthair
Persian (Modern) One of my neighbors has 3 Persian cats, all indoor cats.
Persian (Trad) Peterbald
Pixiebob
Ragdoll
RagaMuffin
Russian Blue
Safari
Savannah
Scottish Fold
Selkirk Rex
Serengeti
Serval
Skookum
Sokoke
Siamese (Modern)
Siamese (Trad-Thai)
Siberian
Singapura
Snowshoe Somali
Sphynx is a hairless breed
Stray
Teacup
Tonkinese
Toyger
Turkish Angora
Turkish Van
Ukrainian Levkoy is hairless
Ussuri is one of the hairless breeds

The site I enjoyed the most with profiles and photos, aside from Wikipedia is
Pictures of Cats. Have fun.

Cat Breeds - Feral and Domestic

For thousands of years cats did just fine with managing their own breeding! At the beginning of their domestication they were primarily used for hunting and for killing rodents of all sorts. Essentially to keep rats, mice, shrews, voles, etc. from eating the grains that early farmers and settlers had stored away. And they did that well then and still do.

A farmer friend of mine does nothing to care for his barn cats except make sure they have their shots to prevent various diseases like rabies and feline leukemia. They breed prolifically and are managed by local predators, like hawks, owls and coyotes.
Their population keeps his barns totally free from rats and other rodent invasions and their population is relatively stable because he does not interfere with natural predation. But those are “working cats”, he does not view them as pets.

For the purpose of having domesticated cats as pets, people began breeding and selecting particular traits to suit their preferences. As mentioned in an earlier post the precise number of breeds varies with different cat registries and ranges from 40 -70 distinct breeds of cats. Even within those breeds there are variations with the length and color of their fur.

Some Japanese cat breeds can be traced as far back as 1000 years or more, like the Japanese Bobtail. During Medieval Japan, they were very well known. Today it is hard to find them anywhere.

In North America the most common breeds include the Persian cat, long haired cat and the alley cat. Siamese cats are another common cat breed. They are exceptionally curious and can be temperamental. The precious Persian cats are quite popular and they become gentle and loving companions. But be careful, they can be very expensive, too.

Who decides what cat is an alley cat? They are the most common in North America. Even though they are different breeds and there are thousands of them, many people simply call them alley cats. They can become very good pets. Many of these cats are homeless and simply continue to breed independently.

How do you recognize their breed? Look at them. Do not depend on the color, it is not always reliable. Body type and shape combined with their type of fur and eyes are all a part of the cat breed identification process. I always used to identify Siamese cats by their distinctive posture and coloring with black ears and tail. Recently I learned that they are often all black, or nearly so. One black kitten that is part Siamese is exceptionally playful and flexible in our neighborhood.

Millions of people around the world own cats. Consider your lifestyle before you get a pet, particularly a cat. Some will be much better pets if they are living with another cat. If you are away from home often that will be distressing for a cat who prefers less change in its surroundings.

Caring For Your Cat

Did you know that cats are some of the best loved pets you are able to own? There are many breeds to choose from, the most popular are the Siamese and the Persian. Most cats are domesticated, though some are considered feral because they have escaped into the wild and continued to reproduce without domestication. Maybe as far back as 8,000 years ago, cats became domesticated as pets. Like any other pet it will cost money and some knowledge to properly care for it.

Among these costs will be food, litter, scratching post, some toys, a carrier and dishes for food and water plus a bed or bedding of some kind. But what people often forget is the need for vet expenses. You will also need to plan ahead for vet expenses. At a very minimum your cat will need annual shots and an annual exam at the veterinary hospital. You ought to also get an ID collar too, just in case your cat ever gets lost.

Feeding your pet will depend on his age. Older cats require two small meals or one main meal each day. However kittens need to eat more often. Their tummies are too small to handle much at a time. I have observed kittens at about 5 weeks of age eating just about every three hours(around the clock). Between 3- 6 months old they still need to be fed about 3 times daily.

While you will soon learn that cats love canned or wet cat food, if it has been out of the can for more than half an hour it should be discarded. A lot of people simply leave it on their dish figuring the cat will eventually eat it when it gets hungry enough. That is not a really healthy choice for your cat. In addition, the wet food does not have the same dental hygiene benefits that dry cat food does.

Don't overlook the cost. Wet cat food, whether it is in pouches or cans is likely to be more expensive and that will add up quickly, especially if you are tossing some of it out each time you feed your cat. If it is at all possible you want to train your cat to avoid what I call "people" food. It is appealing to be able to pass on the unfinished leftovers so you feel like you have less waste but it is not really a healthy choice for your cat. This will also discourage your cat from rummaging through the garbage while it is outdoors and unsupervised.

Many people leave a fresh supply of dry cat food available for their cats. It is also essential to leave an adequate supply of fresh water too. Whenever you get dry foods, you think in terms of the health advantages and avoid the generic foods as much as possible. Often lower cost foods do not contain the proper nutrients for your cat.

If you have a kitten, you give it specifically kitten food and remember to clean the dish every time it is used. This is also true for the water bowl. Keep it clean and fresh.

You are surely aware that most cats and kittens like cow's milk. But it can cause diarrhea, so minimize your use of it in their diet. Consider it a treat if you want to but frequent doses are not healthy for your cat. This is also true for treats. Keep them as occasional treats and they will be appreciated. But too many treats begin to be expected and can lead to obesity and poor health in your pet.

One reason many people like cats is how clean they are. They do a good job of keeping themselves clean. So you won't need to bathe them very often. On the other hand, it is good to brush your cat's fur on a daily basis. At least once a day will reduce hairballs and help your cat keep clean. If there is a question of fleas or other insects, you will notice them during your grooming sessions and then you can take appropriate action. If your cat is entirely indoors, that is very good. But remember to clean the litter box daily and wash it out once a week. Cats prefer clean litter boxes. Just think for a moment, cats have a better sense of smell than you do, so it you can smell it, imagine how the cat feels about it.

A well cared for cat can be an excellent pet providing you with years of entertainment, and companionship. By taking the cat to the vet regularly you are helping keep your cat healthy. By preventing illness you will learn what is "normal" for your cat and take better care of your feline pet for a long time.

Funny Cat Video Number 1

Yes. Cats like to watch other cats play. So do humans!

Some of these scenes with kitty cats made me laugh out loud.

Enjoy the brief video and I will send some more your way soon.

Purring along with you,

Dewey Cat

Cat Organizations

Anytime someone makes a list of organizations it becomes out of date almost as soon as it is posted!
That is how fast things change in this world. So please consider this list a work in progress.
If you know of another cat organization that ought to be listed here, please leave me a comment.
So I can update the list.

You see some people have a cat as a pet. And others have a cat as a show animal and their pedigree is important. Still others have cats as status symbols or for a variety of mythical merits.
Thanks.
Dewey Cat

In a feline random order today just for simplicity. Purring along.

Cat Fancier's Association

International Cat Association

International Progressive Cat Breeders Alliance

The International Cat Association

The National Cat Club was an early organization that I think has merged with another to become the Cat Fancier's Association.

There are also Cat Registries where the geneology of the cat is recorded.

Co-ordinating bodies

• World Cat Congress
• World Cat Federation

International registries

• Cat Fanciers Association (CFA)
• Fédération Internationale Féline (FIFe)
• The International Cat Association (TICA)
• American Cat Fanciers Association (ACFA)
• The Traditional Cat Association, Inc. (TCA)

National registries

• Felis Britannica - UK member of FIFe
• Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF) - UK
• Cat Aficionado Association (CAA) - PRC
• Canadian Cat Association/Association Féline Canadienne (CCA)

The fount and source of all of this fantastic feline fussy stuff is Wiki and Answers and Ask

Cats and Cat Care

Cats are independent creatures.

In case you never met one, it is a 4 footed furry animal with pointed ears, whiskers, a tail, sharp claws and strong jaws!

Different cats have different personalities but most of them are curious and independent and before long they will have you believing they are the owner and you are the caregiver!

There are about 40 different breeds of cats recognized by the Cat Fancier's Association in the United States. The International Progressive Cat Breeder Alliance speaks of about 70 species worldwide. These are only domestic cats that I am speaking about.

I wanted to write about bobcats but it seems there are not many people who want to read about them, so why bother writing about them! I will just for my own pleasure and maybe when I learn something terrific I will share it.

But this blog is going to be about cats. Regular cats. Cats you might have in your home or on the farm or in the neighborhood.

I have a lot of feline experiences and do enjoy these animals. Though I admit they are not my absolutely favorite animal in the whole world. They are fun.

I plan to discuss care of cats. I want to share more about the breeds of cats in the United States. I truly don't understand why anyone really needs to BREED cats since they are quite good at doing that themselves.

My neighborhood is over-run with too many outdoor cats. Sadly, there are many irresponsible owners who do not follow recommended spay and neuter programs and there are about 5 generations of cats that I see around here. I don't know if it is really true but the sign at the vet's office proclaims YOUR PET IS CUTER WHEN YOU NEUTER.

So I will share my cat education with you while I learn more about registries, different breeds, cat associations, veterinary cat care and cat research information. Stick around. Or come back for the next post. PS. This would be a droll cat site without pictures and videos so trust me there will some of those coming along soon too! Thanks for touching base here with the cat crew.