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Real Men Like Cats!

If you ask my husband Jim how he feels about Chester, our Maine Coon mixed breed male cat and Bandit, our female Tortoiseshell, he might likely respond with a resounding “Real men like cats!”

Jim is among a growing number of men who don’t mind declaring their fondness for their companion cats. He even unabashedly posts videos and photos of them on our Instagram site.

History has revealed some famous men who also happened to bond with their cats.

Take Isaac Newton, for one, who discovered the laws of gravity and universal motion. During his studies at Cambridge University, this cat fan discovered that his cats were interrupting his studies by wanting in and out. Newton cut two holes in the door, one for the mother cat and one for her kittens. For being such a smart dude, he didn’t realize that the kittens would simply follow their mother through her hole.

Another famous cat guy, Mark Twain, had many quotes regarding his feline companions. One of his most famous was “if man could be crossed with the cat, it would improve man, but deteriorate the cat.”

There are many contemporary famous men who have also flaunted their love of cats. A small sampling of these cool guys (I say “cool”, because if they like cats, they are cool, and that is that) are: Ricky Gervais; Ian Somerhalder; John Hamm; and ex-President George W. Bush. Indeed, there is now a popular a cat dude by the name of Jackson Galaxy who has his own cat centric show, “Cat From Hell”, a weekly series showcasing Jackson’s innate talent for solving cat behavioral problems to create happier human/feline households.

It could be that this (great) trend of increasing male cat “literacy” is occurring because men have evolved to the point where they now feel comfortable admitting they prefer “cats” over “dogs”. Perhaps another contributing factor is the growing number of single men who have discovered that they like the companionship of a cat or two. Then, it could be that men like the “low maintenance” feature of cats over other types of pets. No matter what the reason, one thing is for sure: real men like cats!

Enter our Cattastic CatHaven Cat Contest!

It’s time to enter our Cattastic CatHaven Cat Contest. You and your cat(s) could win a Large, Multi-tiered CatHaven cat tree, delivered right to your front door!

Please read Contest Rules here. Contest is for a limited time. Good luck!

CatHaven answers the question, how do I provide outdoor adventure to an indoor cat?

How do you solve the dilemma of having an indoor cat, but giving him/her access to outdoor adventure? We understand purr-fectly – we have the answer!

CatHaven’s green leafy foliage sets it apart, creating wonderful play and privacy areas that your cat will love. This amazing cat tree is handcrafted with soft, silky realistic looking leaves, a sturdy, scratchable turf base and three perfectly spaced durable, comfortable carpeted perches attached to a realistic looking trunk.

Learn more about CatHavens here! We offer four styles to meet every human’s space requirements and every cat’s needs.

Do you have a harmonious multiple cat household?

Current statistics on U.S. cat-owning households (there are about 90 million today) show that nearly one half (49%) of these households own more than one cat. (source: Armandhammer.com) Those multiple cat households must have somehow figured out how to achieve feline harmony in their homes.

Basically, the way to a peaceful feline home is to make sure that there are enough resources and space for your cats. If your cats know they have options on where they can eat, sleep, play, and use the litter box, all the better. If all of your cats have only one option, that’s an ideal setting for territorial disputes and added stress among them. We have a few pointers on how to create and maintain harmony in your cat household.

The initial introduction of cats to each other should be gradual and stress free. If possible, keep the new cat in a separate living quarters in your home, with their food, litter box and toys. Your “incumbent cats” will know about the new cat, but not have the stress of direct contact. After a couple of days, gradually allow your “incumbent” cats to approach the new cat, keeping their contacts short and sweet. After a few more days, you will have achieved a successful introduction.

Our strongest recommendation: invest in vertical play spaces. Cat trees, shelves and window perches are ideal solutions for giving your cats privacy in an off-the-ground location. Cats like height, so it’s an ideal solution.

Your cats needs outlets for exercising and scratching. Leave plenty of scratching devices around your home. Whether they are horizontal, vertical or slanted pads, they will protect your furniture as well as your sanity!

Allow each of your cats a separate food bowl . If you have common water bowls, have several in different areas. A water fountain designed for multiple cats is a great way of managing this, just make sure to keep the fountain and the water it holds clean and fresh.

Keep as many litter boxes in your home as the number of cats. One of the worst problems can arise when cats have the use the same box. Territorial issues may arise, causing them to “spray” the litter box, which signals to the other cats to stay away. No one needs to have cats depositing in undesignated areas of the house. Once that “out of box” behavior starts, it’s hard to stop it.

Finally, monitor your cats’ interactions. It’s better to observe body language and catch an early warning signal so that you can diffuse any tension and avoid an out-an-out battle. One great technique for diffusing attention is to pull out a wand toy that immediately draws their attention away from one another and on the moving object (the toy on the wand).

Congratulations on your multiple cat household. May you and they live harmoniously over all of their nine lives!

Cats are amazing. Did you know…

A cat’s heart beats twice as fast as a human heart, at 110-140 beats per minute.
A cat’s normal body temperature is 101.5 degrees. This is slightly warmer than a humans.
Cats have 290 bones in their body, and 517 muscles.
A cat has five more vertebrae in her spinal column than her human does.
A cat will almost never “meow” at another cat. This sound is reserved for humans.
During her productive life, one female cat could have more than 100 kittens. (Spay and/or neuter your cat!)
Kittens begin dreaming at just one week old.
If your cat is 3, your cat is 21 in human years. If your cat is 8, your cat is 40 in human years. If your cat is 14, your cat is 70 in human years.
The more cats are spoken to, the more they will speak to you.
Cats are partially color blind. They have the equivalency of human red/green color blindness. (Reds appear green and greens appear red; or shades thereof.)
Cats need 1/6th the amount of light that humans do to see. Their night vision is amazing!
Cats can see up to 120 feet away. Their peripheral vision is about 285 degrees.
A cat’s ear pivots 180 degrees. They have 30 muscles in each ear, and use twelve or more muscles to control their ear movement.