Even though cats are fairly hearty and healthy, they do require some basic care. This includes looking after their emotional health as well as their physical well being. With just a little bit of practice, caring for your cat can be enjoyable as well as rewarding.

Surprisingly, caring for your cat includes more than buying canned cat food. Cats can and do eat vegetables and grains, but require meat to live. Although you will rarely catch them choosing non-meat based foods, they may enjoy a little bit of vegetable broth mixed in with their food. You should try to keep cats away from house plants known to be poisonous, as they can and will take a mind to chew on them. Caring for your cat may also include obesity management. Because cats cannot tolerate fasting, it is best to take your cat to a veterinarian to seek help with feline obesity.

Caring for your cat also requires certain immunizations. For the most part, rabies, feline distemper, and heart worm inoculations should be kept up to date. You may also want to have you cat immunized against feline leukemia, but many veterinarians feel this is as an unnecessary and risky decision when caring for your cat. There are also immunizations available to help manage fleas and upper respiratory infections.

Unless your cat is a kitten, hairless, or advanced in years, it will want to be outdoors. If the cat is healthy, you can purchase insulated houses that will suit most environments. That said, if the weather is very cold, or there is going to be a lot of snow, caring for your cat may involve some time outdoors looking for it. You should still do what you can to bring your cat indoors. That said, caring for your cat if it is feral will always involve a risk of injury, loss, and theft.

When considering how to go about caring for your cat, it is also important to consider how they will get along with other living things in the home. Among other things, cats usually do not like to share what they consider as their personal space with other cats. As a result, their subtle behaviors may be enough to drive one or more cats away from the home. In other cases, they will fight in order to establish territorial dominance. It is also important to note that some male cats will kill kittens. Therefore, if one of your female cats has a litter, it is best to isolate them from the males until they are weaned.

Finally, when caring for your cat, you must also consider its emotional well being. If they are indoor cats, and do not have an opportunity to hunt and play, they will need some attention from you. While they can keep themselves busy with toys, they still need social interaction with another cat, or with people in the home. Cats that are not getting their emotional needs met will do any number of things to get attention. This includes defecating outside of their litter boxes and behaving in an insecure way. When in doubt, it is best to take your cat to the veterinarian to see what is going on.

There is no question that properly caring for your cat will result in a loyal, wonderful companion. They will provide you with hours of comical activities to watch, as well as a companion whose purring can reduce even the worst stresses. A cat’s quiet charm and affection are prized by those that recognize it as being more than comparable to what dog owners have with their pets.

CS Swarens is the president of Find a Pet Online. 800 998-7065

For additional information on dogs, cats, birds, horses, and exotic pets visit the internet’s pet resource including pet classifieds at http://www.findapetonline.com

Research over 45 cat breed profiles http://www.findapetonline.com/cat_breeds_a_z.html

Even though felines tend to be very healthy for the duration of their lives, they do have some common cat ailments. For the most part, a healthy diet and careful grooming will alleviate and even prevent many common cat ailments. If your cat changes its behavior or schedule of activities, a checkup with a veterinarian is highly recommended. While the turnout may be one or more common cat ailments, it never hurts to be on the safe side.

Sometimes it seems like cats and hair balls go hand in hand. Even a short haired cat will occasionally develop a few. If you have a medium to long haired cat, brushing and combing is essential to preventing this and other common cat ailments. Aside from helping your cat look like a show piece, brushing will help remove dead hair that your cat would swallow in the course of washing.

In order to prevent hair balls, you may also want to add a teaspoon of fish oil to cat food once a week. This will help any hair that the cat ingests pass through the digestive system. You may also want to try feeding your cat a teaspoon of bran or canned pumpkin each day. If your cat is feral, it may chew on grass or other plants to help manage this and other common cat ailments.

Fleas can wreak absolute havoc in your cats life. Not only are they itchy, they can spread diseases. Some cats develop physical allergies to fleas, while others will experience emotional and mental distress. Similar to hair balls, routine grooming will help keep fleas to a minimum. Flea collars are also readily available to treat this and some other related common cat ailments. There are also environmentally friendly fur rubs that will deter fleas and give your cat a pleasant odor at the same time. If your cat is highly intolerant of fleas, you may also want to ask your veterinarian about flea inoculations.

If you notice your cat scratching inside his/her ears, some other common cat ailments may be present. Similar to fleas, ear mites and wax buildup can be very annoying and disturbing to your cat. They also rank well near the top when it comes to easily treated common cat ailments. Chances are your cat’s veterinarian will notice ear mites and wax during annual checkups. The medication for both conditions is fairly easy to administer, and will provide a great deal of relief to your cat. It is important to treat ear mites early, as they can do a great deal of damage to your cat’s hearing and long term health.

Finally, few people realize emotional and mental distress are common cat ailments. As an example, if you move out of one home and into another, a grown cat may find it difficult to adapt. There are many stories of transplant cats taking to their paws and returning to their old home, even if it is thousands of miles away. When you own a cat, it is important to realize that they have very stringent rules about their physical territory. They will guard their “property” much as a human owner might. While we cannot see the cat version of fences created by stool and urine markings, cats most certainly recognize the territories of others of their species.

As with humans, cats can suffer from a wide array of ailments that start off with very subtle symptoms. Aside from yearly check ups, it is very important to take your cat to the veterinarian if you notice changes in what time the cat eats, or engages in other occupations. That said, for the most part, if you adopt a kitten or full grown cat, you can look forward to at least one decade of living with a happy, healthy companion. That said, common cat ailments should not be overlooked or ignored.

CS Swarens is the president of Find a Pet Online. 800 998-7065

For additional information on dogs, cats, birds, horses, and exotic pets visit the internet’s pet resource including pet classifieds at http://www.findapetonline.com

Research over 45 cat breed profiles http://www.findapetonline.com/cat_breeds_a_z.html

Chances are, at some point you have walked into a store, or other business establishment to be greeted by a locally famous cats. These elite, and yet unique mascots usually come with stories of being rescued from an animal shelter. Other owners will relate stories about how their famous cats simply decided to take up residence with them. Irregardless of how a cat comes to be a part of someone’s life, they often remind us of some of the most famous cats in history.

Recently, Oscar, the nursing home cat grabbed world headlines. This incredible cat not only knows when residents in the nursing home will pass on, he keeps vigil. While there are many stories about service dogs that make headlines on a daily basis, a famous cats with a job in the medical profession is often considered a rarity.

Oscar is yet another reminder of how these elegant animals seek to provide emotional support and friendship to humans. Frequently, family members have a difficult time coping with emotional impact of seeing a loved one experiencing the types of decline associated with old age. At the same time, a representative of one of the most “aloof” species of domesticated animals does not hesitate to keep people in nursing homes company during their final hours.

Few discussions of famous cats would be complete without mentioning Garfield. As infamous cartoon cats go, one must wonder how Garfield chooses between eating and sleeping. And of course, many love reading about the thoughts that go through his mind as he observes others doing things in non-cat optimized ways.

Historically, cats have been as revered as they have been hated. In the Middle Ages black cats endured a horrible tradition as famous cats. They were routinely tortured to death because of their color, and the association with witch craft. To this day, there are unsavory people that will try to adopt black cats to use all sorts of disgusting “ceremonies”. Still other people fear black cats, or will do anything they can to harm them. Perhaps it should come as no surprise that legitimate black cat owners will tell you these animals have some of the finest, and most intelligent natures amongst cat kind.

As you may be aware, cats were highly prized in ancient Egypt. Not only were they mummified with as much care as humans, it was against the law to kill a cat. In addition, a number of Egyptian deities were associated with cats. Bastet was keeper of hearth and home, while Sekhmet and Pakhet were often associated with medicine and warfare. Virtually all Egyptologists will acknowledge that famous cats played a key role in many aspects of ancient Egyptian culture.

Historically, many famous cats have cheered us up, and helped us to realize that our world would be a very sad place without their mischievous presence. Today, people all over the world keep cats as pets. While cats can be enigmatic and aloof, when they take a mind to be famous, they do it with skill and aplomb. One has only to observe famous cats like Oscar to realize that cats are capable of offering companionship to humans even when we cannot do it on our own.

CS Swarens is the president of Find a Pet Online. 800 998-7065

For additional information on dogs, cats, birds, horses, and exotic pets visit the internet’s pet resource including pet classifieds at http://www.findapetonline.com

Research over 45 cat breed profiles http://www.findapetonline.com/cat_breeds_a_z.html

Individuals that want to have cats may be unable to keep them because of allergies. Depending on the exact nature of your allergy, hairless cats, or Sphinxes may or may not be of help to you. These amazing cats have no hair at all on their bodies. Despite this, their skin coloring often mimics what their fur would look like. As an example, you might see hairless cats with white paws or splashes on their noses.

If your allergy is specifically related to cat hair, you may want to consider purchasing a hairless cats. Even though a hairless cat does not have fur, it still secretes oils that would normally be used to keep fur healthy and shiny. If you are allergic to these oils, or dandruff, hairless cats may even make matters worse.

Considering how expensive hairless cats can be, you might want to have some special allergy tests. If it turns out that the oils are setting off your allergies, you may want to pursue a tolerance improvement program. Typically, your doctor will give you a series of inoculations that will help you overcome the allergic response.

Aside from cost, it would be very unfair to purchase a hairless cat that you cannot care for properly. Among other things, their skin is delicate and abrades easily. Other pets, and even household items can easily tear at the skin. Even though hairless cats are hearty, you will need to make sure that they are protected as much as possible. This includes making sure that the home is warm enough for them. You may also need to give hairless cats an occasional bath to make sure that their skin stays as healthy. As may be expected, it is best to acclimate them to washing while they are still kittens.

As with any other pet, it is also important to understand that a pair of hairless cats is not a license to start a cat breeding mill. Today, hairless cats are an established breed of cat. Unfortunately, there are likely to be irresponsible breeders that force the mother cats to have too many litters. Others may inbreed to the point where the resulting kittens have health problems. If you are considering purchasing hairless cats, do not hesitate to ask about the family lines and health conditions of the parent animals. Similar to dogs, there is nothing more heartbreaking than taking home a new pet, and then see it suffer in later years with genetic ailments.

Today, many people operate under the false assumption that hairless cats will solve their allergy problems. Depending on what part of the cat you are allergic to, hairless cats may be an option. Because hairless cats require a good bit of care, you may want to make sure that you will not develop an allergy to them. Irregardless of why you want to purchase hairless cats, you will also need to carefully investigate breeders. Similar to purchasing a pedigree dog, you will want to know the health history of the kitten’s family, as well as the names of the cats in each parent’s blood lines.

CS Swarens is the president of Find a Pet Online. 800 998-7065

For additional information on dogs, cats, birds, horses, and exotic pets visit the internet’s pet resource including pet classifieds at http://www.findapetonline.com

Research over 45 cat breed profiles http://www.findapetonline.com/cat_breeds_a_z.html

Chances are, almost every cat has its quirks. These odd, sometimes puzzling behaviors are more than just personality traits. They are part and parcel of the subtle, yet hard to define aspects of cats being themselves. When it comes to quirky cats, you may notice any number of peculiar activities that make them appear almost human.

If you are fortunate enough to have watch a mother cat raise her kittens, you may see some of the finest examples of quirky cats behavior. This may include a tendency to see the cat family sit in a circle, and paw at the air together. One must wonder just what is going through their quirky little minds. If you are careful in how you watch adult quirky cats, you may also see them sit up on their haunches and paw at the air. Considering they are cats, it should come as no surprise that they prefer to keep these activities private.

There is no question that feral felines have numerous games they play with their prey. Quirky cats are no different in this tendency. One of the most fascinating things they might do after killing their prey is to simply sit there and meow over it. Without a question, until you’ve seen a cat singing to a supper it caught by itself, you won’t believe this is yet another example of the things quirky cats will do.

Quirky cats are also known to sleep in the strangest places. They have unerring noses and almost paranormal abilities when it comes to finding and getting into a hamper or drawer full of clean laundry. If you always thought cats were fastidious on themselves, they are just as fussy about where they sleep. While sleeping in your clean laundry may make perfect sense in cat think, no doubt you will find it “quirky”.

As someone who has been owned by quirky cats for many years, I can personally tell you that no two cats will share the exact same traits. If you let them roam freely in the home, they will do everything from sleep on you at night, to park on your keyboard while you are trying to type. Oddly enough, in some cultures, if a cat chooses to lay on a part of your body that hurts, they say the cat will help relieve the pain. Unfortunately, when a cat decides to commandeer your computer, the results are not always as positive.

Many times quirky cats function as incredible burglar and fire alarms. As nocturnal animals, they are most often awake, or at least alert while you are sound asleep. From ancient times to modern, there are many instances of cats finding ways to wake their owners up and warn them of fires, and other dangerous situations.

Even though you may think your cat’s behavior is quirky or strange, chances are it has a very practical purpose. While we may not understand why quirky cats paw the air and sing to deceased prey, it must have some meaning to them. Cats will also do what they can to assist their keepers. This includes showing up for a good scratch behind their ears and purring when you are stressed out; and perhaps even curing some aches and pains when they decide to sleep on you instead of your clean laundry.

CS Swarens is the president of Find a Pet Online. 800 998-7065

For additional information on dogs, cats, birds, horses, and exotic pets visit the internet’s pet resource including pet classifieds at http://www.findapetonline.com

Research over 45 cat breed profiles http://www.findapetonline.com/cat_breeds_a_z.html

Whether our feline pets should be house cats or allowed to wander outside is a subject people usually have a pre-formed opinion on. For some people, cats are allowed free reign, and can go outside night and day. For others, they are kept strictly indoors all the time. Still other pet owners let them out during the day or under supervision, and keep them in at night.

The question is, who is right? And what’s in the best interests of your cat? To answer this, it’s a good idea to distinguish between our domestic pets and their wild ancestors. Whilst wild cats lived and hunted outside, cats have been domesticated since ancient times. Not only that, many have been bred to create certain characteristics of color and style. Consequently, they are very different animals. Our domestication and interaction with them, as loving owners who feed, look after, cuddle, and pet them, has had an impact on their psychology, personality, and behaviour. Add to this mix the fact that the outside environment natural to them is now gone. In its’ place is a world with automobiles, pet thieves, toxic chemicals, dense population, and other dangers.

In short, not only are our cats different, but the world we share with them is. As a result, it is generally recommended that cats be kept indoors at all times. House cats tend to live longer, they are less susceptible to catching diseases which could be deadly to them, and they avoid the dangers of getting into fights with neighboring felines over territory.

However, because cats often want to go out, many owners think they are depriving their cats of adventure. And perhaps they are, though cats that are provided with a lot of toys and cat trees, can still live happy lives. Many owners also get a second kitten as companionship, so their pets have someone to chase and play with, and so they aren’t alone all day when their humans are at work. Ultimately, it comes down to weighing up the dangers with the benefits.

This is a topic that is hard to generalize, as we each live in such unique locations. Some will be in high rise apartments, or near busy roads, or simply in dangerous neighborhoods. In these situations, the choice becomes very clear - keep your cat in the house at all times. And play games with your cat when you get home. They love chasing hands under the doona, or pieces of string attached to a stick (to keep your own hands safe)! And if your house or apartment has some great windows, house cats can still bask in the sun and enjoy fresh air.

If you are fortunate enough to have a backyard, you could consider setting up an enclosed run or pen so your cat can go outside but still be safe. Some people have even erected them on the perimeters of buildings or through gardens so that they can really explore the world outside but not escape.

Some breeds are said to be better suited to being indoor cats. For example, tonkinese are considered to have poor road sense. Having said that, I let my tonkinese cat, as well as my 3 mixed breeds, out to play when I am at home during the day. I don’t live on a busy street however, and I don’t let them out the front. Plus, I keep an ear out for any sounds of fighting. They always come in before it gets dark, too. I think because they have each other to play with there, they are less likely to look for trouble out of boredom.

Whether your pet is a house-only cat is a matter of individual choice. The benefits to their health and lifespan have to be weighed against possible disadvantages like disease. Plus, your own individual circumstances should be factored in. One thing to keep in mind is that cats do roam at night. This is when a lot of fights happen, and is one of the reasons it is recommended they stay indoors then. One thing is for certain though - with a loving owner who makes sure their pets’ needs for affection and play are still met, a house cat is still a happy cat.

Magazines are a great source of qualified information on our feline pets. We review cat fancy magazine here.

As the market for pets is expanding, there are more and more choices available for pet owners now, and instead of plain cardboard litter boxes, there are various selections one can choose from for his cat. Litter boxes now range from old dishpans to used cardboards, or some store-stocked expensive products that you may find interesting.

Here are some choices of litter box you may consider:

a) Cardboard boxes. These are easy to obtain, and they’re disposable, which is inexpensive and ideal, although not a very reliable long-term solution. Cardboard litter boxes are popular with pet stores, animal shelters and breeders, but perhaps choosing something more lasting and sturdy would be a better idea.

b) Plastic pans. There are a large variety of plastic pans in ranges of shapes and sizes available that will be a better litter box for your cat. These pans are affordable and are easily obtained, as they can be bought in most household supply stores. There are shallow ones or deep ones, depending on your cat’s needs. Be certain to choose a pan that scrubs off easily, as plastic pans are not supposed to be disposable. However, if you do not prefer to clean the pans, you may find cardboard boxes a better idea.

c) Covered Litter Box Pans. Although not the smartest option, this choice is also worth consideration. Covered pans manufacturers claim that having a lid on the litter box will prevent children and smaller pets from accessing the litter box as well as keep the house from stinking. Although it carries some truth, some pet owners are liable to forget to clean the box as often, as they cannot smell the cat’s poop due to the lid of the pan. As a result, the cat will be forced to use a dirty and smelly litter box. Therefore, if a covered pan is your preferred choice of litter box for your cat, do remember to clean it more frequently than you would a non-covered litter box.

d) Self-cleaning litter box pans. Let’s face it, the worse part about being a pet owner is to clean up after the pet after it answered nature’s call. However, technology has allowed the invention of a “self-cleaning” litter box. Pet product manufacturers have found an almost hands-free solution. Some self-cleaning boxes come with inserts which you have to dispose of and replace with another. Others may have a rollover collector that captures the cat poop while the clean granules remain on the pan. The collector is then removed and disposed of while more granules are added if necessary. See below for more information about Siamese Cats.

For more information on Cat Litter Boxes or visit http://www.siamesecatsinfo.com/4-types-of-cat-litter-boxes-you-can-choose-from/, a popular website that offers information on Cats, Cats Breeding, and Cats Behavior. Please leave the links intact if you wish to reprint this article. Thanks.

Cosequin is a patented nutritional supplement that is used to prevent arthritis and to maintain a cat’s healthy joints and cartilages. It contains three primary ingredients. They are chondroitin sulfate, glucosamine hydrochloride and manganese ascorbate and they work well together to maintain the normal and healthy structure of a cat’s joint cartilage.

The Power of Three

Your cat would benefit greatly from the nutrients that Cosequin provides. First, your cat would do well with glucosamine, which acts as a cartilage building block and keeps the tissue cells healthy. Glucosamine in Cosequin is also easily absorbed by cats.

Another nutrient in Cosequin is the chondroitin sulfate, which slows down or blocks the enzymes that break down your cat’s cartilages. Chondroitin has low molecular weight and is thus readily absorbed by your cat’s body. If administered continuously, this will accumulate in the cat’s body to a level that would be very effective in blocking cartilage-breaking enzymes.

Another essential nutrient in Cosequin is manganese. Manganese helps maximize the production of tissue cells and other cartilage components. Thus, if your cat suffers an injury to his joints, it would be able to recover much more quickly.

Cosequin’s Benefits

Basically, Cosequin will help maintain the health of your cat’s joints and cartilages, enabling your pet to live longer and be more active even when its’ getting along in age. Cosequin will help prevent the development of trauma arthritis or osteoarthritis. Thus, your cat will have more years for climbing trees and windows.

Some veterinarians have discovered that Cosequin also helps maintain the health of a cat’s urinary bladder. A cat’s bladder wall is protected by a thin layer that contains the same components found in cartilages. The chondroitin sulfate found in Cosequin can be used to help support this thin layer. This will prevent waste products in the urinary bladder from seeping out and damaging the lining.

Indeed, Cosequin can greatly benefit your cat’s health, just as it is beneficial to the health of dogs, horses and even humans.

Cosequin Administration

There are Cosequin flavors which have been developed for cats alone. They are in the form of capsule and they have either a chicken or tuna flavor. Your feline will definitely love the taste of Cosequin so giving it to your cat shouldn’t be a problem. You can easily sprinkle Cosequin on your cat’s food.

Of course, you should ask your veterinarian about the right dosage for your cat. Your veterinarian would determine the right dosage according to your cat’s body weight. Generally, however, Cosequin is prescribed for daily use for a period of 4 to 6 weeks until desired health results have been achieved. After that, Cosequin is given every other day for maintenance purposes.

Visit our web sites for more information about cat health issues . To get a free home made pet recipe book plus money off pet product coupons visit http://natureshealthypet.com and sign up for the free pet food recipe books.

A cat can touch your heart like no other animal. Unlike dogs, cats tend to be choosy. They love very selectively. Dogs like everyone, you need to earn a cat’s trust. When you are loved by a cat you are loved. It doesn’t matter the cat breed you may pick.There are so many to choose from, and each seems to have it’s own temperamental characteristics as well as it’s own look. Some of these breeds have names like York Chocolate Cat and Norwegian Forest Cat. Breeds are broken down by hair type. Longhair and semi-longhair and short hair. Then there are breeds “based on mutation” and “breeds derived from crosses with wild felids” that actually look like tigers and lions.

I personally like big cats and prefer breeds like Maine Coon cats and lovely long haired Persian cats. However, my heart belongs to a rescue classic orange Tabby cat named Norman, and to a beautiful black Sphinx-like cat named Hana.

Choosing the perfect cat name is a big responsibility too. Norman was named when we rescued him. Hana I brought back from the island of Anguilla in the Caribbean with help from the Anguilla Animal Rescue Fund. The word Malliouhana is Arawak for Anguilla. The Arawaks were the original Anguillians. I decided to name her Hana in honor of her birthplace. It also was a name that seemed to suit her. My friend and I tossed many different names back and forth before I chose Hana.

As a cat owner you have many responsibilities. Aside from the obvious of loving your pet and enjoying it’s company, your cat’s health comes first. As strong and nimble as your cat may appear he or she still has a very delicate chemical system that can be thrown out of wack very easily. One of the first ways you’ll know your cat is feeling off is by a change in your cat’s behavior.

One of the first ways a cat may say he or she isn’t feeling well is by urinating in spots other than the litter box. If you car does this and there hasn’t been a change in his environment then you should take you cat into the vet for a check up. If you cat does start urinating in your home this brings on another aspect of cat ownership, and an unfortunate one, learning how to clean cat urine. If you’ve a male cat you have a whole different problem. The smell of male cat urine is unmistakable and strong and although there are dozens of cat urine cleaning products on the market none of them work perfectly and you may never really get rid of the smell. If you’ve still a hint of male cat urine smell it can cause new males cats in your home to urinate in the same spot as a way to mark territory.

If you need any cat supplies you’ll have more to choose from than you can imagine, and you have many places you can get them. From the pet “superstores” like PetSmart and Petco, and catalogs like Drs. FosterSmith you can get any cat supply you need from food to medicines, from bedding to toys and beyond.

To learn everything related to cats their health, care, and Cat Breeds please visit catmaestro.com

There comes a time in everyone’s home when it must be decided if it’s going to be a home with a pet or a home without. This is an easier decision for some than it is for others; there are some of us who grew up in a home that was never without a dog or cat; there are others of us who did not have a pet growing up and are eager to fulfill this childhood dream in adulthood. Ultimately, pet ownership is a choice only your family can make, as is the type of pet you choose - for dog lovers, a friendly pooch; for feline lovers, a cute cat.

But let’s face it; a cute cat is subjective. Cats come in a variety of breeds - in all sizes, colors, hair lengths, and personalities. A cute cat for one person may be a sparkly eyed Burmese; for another a sleek Siamese. When choosing a cute cat, it is most important to take into consideration your particular needs as a cat owner. If you are someone who enjoys company from your pet, then you may want to find a cute cat that’s friendly and people-oriented. If you are a busy professional who is content to see your cat over a meal, then there are number of independent-minded cats that like their personal space.

When choosing a cute cat for your family it is also important to be mindful of the amount of grooming that each particular cat breed requires. Longer-haired cats need frequent grooming to keep their matting at bay; shorter-haired cats need far less grooming and may be best for busier households or for those who have allergies. Before purchasing any cat, however, it is important that you are prepared - not just for the grooming but for the space considerations, need for a litter box, diet and nutrition, and veterinary needs. It is essential that if you are going to be a cat owner that you are a responsible one.

Whether as a purchase for yourself or a wonderful gift for someone you love, a cute cat will brighten your world and change your home forever.

For easy to understand, in depth information about cute cat visit our ezGuide 2 Cats.