Tag Archives: outdoors

Having an animal in your life to love and nurture is a wonderful thing and most animal lovers are the first to tell everyone about their precious baby. They greet you at the door when you come home and take warm little naps on your lap. Loving an animal is easy, but caring for them can be a little more complicated. Knowing when the time is right for a cat adoption is important. The responsibilities that come with loving and care for an animal will be your for a long time.

You need to determine if you have enough time overall to spend with an animal. Many people have them, and think that they are adorable, but leaving them outside all day long without any interaction, love or affection can be cruel. They need the loving affection of their owner and they need to know that all their physical and emotional needs will be met. Caring for an animal is much like caring for a child and should be viewed as such.

Take notice of your life and determine if you are home enough to spend with one. If your job takes you away on business, or you like to leave home for days on end, than this may not be a good time. Leaving them home alone for long periods of time is not fair to them and should be avoided at all costs.

Medical issues will also play a factor. Animals need to have their shots on a consistent basis and will need to be taken to the Vet every now and again when issues arise. It can be costly if your animal gets hurt or sick. The owner needs to make sure that they can handle any medical problems, both emotionally and financially.

Take into consideration if you have children in the house and how they may treat the them. If they are really young, they could be unintentionally rough. This could cause possible injury to either of them. Assessing this situation before you bring one home will help you make the best decision.

Making the decision to do a cat adoption should be made after much thought and consideration. If it is the right time and you can provide all the accommodations that an animal needs and meet the responsibilities that an owner has, you will find many years of happiness with them.

Deciding that cat adoption is the right choice for you is determined by a couple of factors. Get the exclusive inside scoop now in our overview of everything you need to know about cats including top cat furniture and cat condo options.

A cat cannot see directly under its nose. This is why the cat cannot seem to find tidbits on the floor.

If a male cat is both orange and black it is ( besides being extremely rare ) sterile. To have both the orange and the black coat colors, the male cat must have all or part of both female X chromosomes. This unusual sex chromosome combination will render the male cat sterile.

Cats have AB blood groups just like people.

Did you know that there is a form of AIDS in cats called FIV or feline immunodeficiency virus?

If you take kitten away from its mother before it is 8 weeks old, she may not have enough time to train it properly to use a litter box.

A healthy kitten has clear, bright eyes and clean ears.

A happy cat carries its tail upright, while a nervous one holds it down low. When a cat fluffs out its tail, it is to appear larger and scare off whatever is frightening it.

Do you know that your cat loves to hunt with you? It will hide and then pounce.

Did you know that cat’s eyes reflect light? Many people think they actually glow in the dark.

In relation to body size, a cat’s eyes are bigger than most mammals.

Siamese coat color and crossed eyes may be caused by the same gene.

Did you know that the points on Oriental cats are related to temperature? Cool areas are darker whereas warm areas are lighter!

Did you know that most Oriental kittens are born white because of the even heat in their mom’s belly?

Though rare, cats can contract canine heart worms.

People who are allergic to cats are actually allergic to cat saliva or to cat dander. If the resident cat is bathed regularly the allergic people tolerate it better.

Did you know that allergens can be related to a cat’s scent glands? They have scent glands on the base of the tail as well as other areas.

Did you know that when your cat licks you she is saying “I love you”?

Cat condos are perfect exercise for that cat. A cat towers is also great for the cat to lounge around on. Your cat deserves one right now.

Feline URI- Upper Respiratory Infection A feline upper respiratory infection (URI) is a common and annoying issue facing shelters, vets and owners. Many cats have been in contact with URI and some can even become chronically infected. URI is very easily transmitted by any fomite- this is any object or living thing that has come in contact with the virus.

There are several factors that contribute to URI including overcrowding, stress on the cat, the cleanliness of the environment, the air flow and low quality food. Many of these factors, and they are not a full list, make it nearly impossible to eradicate URI in an environment.

Crowding and the attendant stress is undoubtedly the single greatest risk factor for severe respiratory (and other) disease outbreaks in populations. Increased population density leads to a greater risk of disease introduction, higher contact rate, reduced air quality, and often, compromises in housing and husbandry. Unfortunately, crowding in shelters is not uncommon, either due to insufficient facilities to provide even minimal care for the stray population, or (as is increasingly common) a well-intended attempt to decrease euthanasia by housing more animals.

The irony of the stress and overcrowding is that it does the exact opposite of what is intended. Ill cats actually lead to more euthanasia. In kennel and boarding situations there are also peak times of the year that there can be breakouts. No cat is immune to these.

There are some very clear signs to be on the lookout for in cats. As soon as you suspect a URI the cat should be removed from the situation and isolated as best as possible. Then you will need to keep an eye on the rest of the cat population as most URIs are caught by other cats quickly. Observe your cats for the following: A drippy nose that has clear or color discharge Coughing or sneezing Eyes that are swollen or red Ulcers in the mouth, on the gums or even on lips Loss of incentive, fever, or no interest in food.

When you have a cat, you soon realize that cat furniture needs to provide the cat security and comfort. Finding the best cat pagoda houses provides for both features as well as being attractive for human owners.

What is better than cuddling up with your favorite feline and listening to the wonderful purr? It brings a feeling of comfort to us. Do you wonder why they purr and how it happens? Let’s try to answer you and give you a few surprises. Here’s the first: Many animals can purr including raccoons, mongoose, hyenas and even guinea pigs!

The cause of purring has been debated for many years but scientists now agree that purring starts as a thought in the brain and then causes the vocal cords to vibrate while the cat is breathing in and out. This is the cat’s own opera! And for you fact nerds: the muscles twitch at a rate of 25 – 150 vibrations per second.

All cats do not and cannot purr. Many cats, instead roar. And if a cat can roar it cannot purr. Mountain Lions and Bobcats cannot roar, but they purr. Tiger and Lions cannot purr, but they roar. Roaring developed as the large cat needed to let other animals know it was in the area. Smaller cats use scent to let others know that the area is theirs.

As a human we tend to think of purring as a positive sign that our cat loves us. Most times this may be the case, but not all the time. Let’s use an anecdote to describe the purring of a cat. When people are happy they smile. Sometimes when people are in uncomfortable positions they also smile to alleviate the situation. People in pain or under stress also tend to smile to change the situation.

Cats are no different. Cats naturally purr when they are relaxed and happy. Research is being conducted on the actual vibration of a cat’s purr. It is thought to have healing properties.

A cat in labor will purr. Cats that are dying have been known to purr. Cats that are in a lot of pain will purr. Theories suggest that this happens as a self healing assistance.

While we do not have definitive facts about why cats purr in certain situations we do know that the comforting and relaxing purr of a happy kitty while we are calm in one of the best sounds in nature.

discount cat condos are excellent – especially ours. You have to take a look at this awesome cheap cat tower that we have. Your cat is going to enjoy this!

Many people are surprised when they find out there is a feline version of AIDS. In many ways it is similar to the human version. Feline Immunodeficiency Virus or FIV is a fairly uncommon disease that affects cats throughout the world. About 1-3% of cats in the United States are infected with FIV. These are typically cats that are free roaming and unaltered. Cats that live indoors rarely have FIV.

FIV is most easily spread through bite wounds. This is why indoor, altered cats with a stable community are not likely to have FIV. Rarely an infected mother can spread the disease to her kittens through the birth canal or ingestion of milk.

There are two simple ways to test for FIV. One is right in the vets office and takes 10 minutes. The vet draws some blood and places it in a snap or ELISA test. If the result in the office is inconclusive then the vet may send away a lab test which will provide results in a couple of days. However, just because a cat tests negative for FIV now does not mean that later it will still be negative. This test is a snapshot of time.

The immune system is affected by FIV. Many owners do not even realize that their cats have the disease because cats can live symptom free for a long time. However, even though they are not showing symptoms they are still contagious. Symptoms of an active FIV cat are: * Dull coat and poor maintenance of coat * A fever that does not go away * Stomatitis – a dental disease * Upper Respiratory Infections, Bladder Infections * Skin infections that do not clear up * Seizures * A cat that is eating and drinking but wasting away

If you have a cat with FIV you want to keep that kitty stress free, indoors and happy to prolong his life. He will need to be kept away from cats that are not infected.

If your kitty is not FIV positive then you should do all you can to prevent exposure. Spaying or neutering your cat is key. Keeping him indoors is also important. If you add a new cat to your home make sure the cat has been tested. Keeping your trusted veterinarian in the loop will help maintain the health of all your cats.

Robert works with New Cat Condos to manufacture quality pagoda cat trees that your kitty can count on. Be sure to check out their cat playstation which features many levels for your cat to climb on.