scratching Archives - MyThreeCats.com CatBlog

Bring out your indoor cat’s inner kitten with these easy ideas

Cats are intelligent, active creatures that need daily stimulation just like we do.

Help your cats to tackle boredom and keep undesirable behaviors to a minimum. Constant meowing, scratching furniture, and urinating outside the litter box are all behaviors that can be avoided with some simple solutions that will keep your feline companions entertained throughout the day.

Put a well constructed multiple tiered cat tree next to your window that has a scratching surface such as sisal. They’ll happily gaze at birds, passing cars, and pedestrians. This is a simple activity that will occupy your cat for hours all year round.
Turn on pleasant, easy going music or play a CD of nature sounds to soothe and comfort your pet when no one is home. Buy a cat sitter DVD with a continuous loop to entertain them.
Satisfy your cat’s need to climb by creating safe pathways to the tops of bookshelves and other high places. If you have empty wall space, consider perch wall units that will accomplish this.
Indulge the natural hunting instincts in your cat by hiding treats or dry kibble in your home. Use a kitty diner that will provide your cats with a stimulating activity. The challenging activity appeals to the natural love of hunting and will stimulate them mentally and physically. Change the locations frequently to keep things interesting.
Give your cat new toys to sniff, play with, and explore. These might be anything from catnip toys, puzzle toys, teaser toys and tunnels. These are wise investments that will go a long way towards keeping your cat healthy and happy.
Teach your cats to walk on a leash or provide a secure cat enclosure for the yard. This will enable your kitties to enjoy some of the perks of being outdoors without any of the risks associated with them roaming free outdoors.
Treat your cat to quality one-on-one playtime and cuddle time as often as possible.

Your cats have a distinct personality just like you do, so why not try as many of these entertainment ideas as possible and stick to the ones they like best!

How to be the best cat owner you can be

Guest Blogger: Jessica Brody –http://www.ourbestfriends.pet. Jessica enjoys writing about cats and dogs. See her blog for additional photos and posts).

A cat is a great pet who can be just as loving a companion as a dog. It’s important to know, however, that cats are not dogs. They react differently to situations, learn and “train” differently, and require differing approaches to care. Here are some tips for being a great cat owner.

Know how to properly feed your cat

Cats are carnivores, plain and simple. You can’t feed your cat a vegan diet and expect it to stay healthy.

“Money saved by buying cheap cat food will be spent hundreds of times over on veterinary care. Cats are obligate carnivores and need a good source of meat protein. They do not need large amounts of grain fillers, especially corn, which is a cheap source of protein used by many cat food manufacturer,” notes The Spruce.com.

Check your cat’s stool. If it appears too dry, you might want to switch to a wet food diet for a while or at least alternate between wet and dry food throughout the week.

And remember – don’t feed your cat milk, despite what all of the cartoons say. It can be harmful to them in many cases.

Make sure your cat gets enough exercise

It’s a myth that cats don’t need exercise. Sure, they don’t need as much as a dog – but cats that don’t exercise can develop a bevy of health problems, including heart disease and obesity.

… How do you ensure that your cat is getting enough exercise? The best way is to simply play with them for 15-30 minutes. If you have a fenced-in backyard, let them run around for a while. Make use of laser pointers. Your cat really will chase them for a long time. If your cat is suffering from obesity…talk to your vet about this more extreme exercise plan.

Give them a place to scratch

Cats will scratch. Like death and taxes, it’s a certainty of life. Make sure your cat has plenty of scratching posts to utilize. Never ever consider declawing a cat, even if they live indoors 100% of the time. It’s inhumane.

Ensure pet family cohesiveness

One of the biggest challenges cat owners face is making sure the cat gets along with the other household pets – usually a dog. It’s important to remember that dogs and cats socialize in different ways, so “training” your cat the same way you trained your dog is not likely to have an effect on their behavior.

What you need to do is be mindful of the energy of the animals in your household. “It’s your responsibility to keep the family balanced by keeping the dog at the highest level of calm-submissive behavior, allowing the cats to become calm-assertive in front of him,” notes famed trainer Cesar Millan.

If your cats are showing aggression toward each other, it’s a different story with a different set of solutions. First, you should never let cats work through their issues with fighting. It just doesn’t work like that for them.

“Never let the cats ‘fight it out.’ Cats don’t resolve their issues through fighting, and the fighting usually just gets worse. Interrupt aggression with a loud clap of your hands or spray from a water gun,” says the ASPCA.

Once you separate your cats just leave them alone. Don’t try to soothe them the way you might try to calm a dog. You can also try to separate your cats’ resources – food, water, and toys.

Do your research on proper cat care. There are a lot of myths out there about cats, and some of them can be harmful.

Photo Credit: Pixabay.com

(Editor’s Note: The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by guest bloggers on this web site do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of MyThreeCats.com or its staff.)

Litter Box Research Reveals Health News

Cat owners can breathe a sigh of relief: Your feline’s litter box likely won’t put your family’s mental health at risk.

New British research challenges earlier beliefs that parasites in cat droppings might be linked to schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder and other mental health issues.

“The message for cat owners is clear: There is no evidence that cats pose a risk to children’s mental health,” said study author Dr. Francesca Solmi, of University College London Psychiatry.

Cats are carriers of an infectious parasite called Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii). They may pass this infection on to humans through their feces. The researchers behind this study wanted to know if contact with cats during childhood raised risk for mental illness.

To find out, the researchers followed nearly 5,000 people born in the early 1990s until they were 18 years old. Specifically, the study looked at whether the participants’ mothers had a cat during pregnancy or if the participants grew up in a home with a cat.

(Source: Health Daily News, WebMD, February 21, 2017)

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