MOVE OVER MAMA - cat on the move

Moving a cat to a new home can be very stressful for them. Cats are creatures of habit and like familiar surroundings, and any major changes, like a new house can lead to behavior problems because our house is where the heart is and within our homes and hearts live our cats. When we search for a new palce to hang our hat, we face the challenge of finding a home that allows our hearts delight, our cats, to be with us. Sometimes, the difficulties people have finding a new home for themselves and their cats seem hopeless, and cats end up not only with a new home, but a new owner as well.

Warning alert

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  Never ever place your cat in a sack, bag or other carrying item that has no view-holes. Cats need to have some sense of their surroundings and not having this simply terrifies them and makes them dangerous to handle. Your cat needs to arrive settled and trusting. Also, the holes provide air to get into the carrier. If no air is getting in, your cat will probably drown and die forever.
  
  
  


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  Most cats find car travel extremely disorienting and strange and will meowing loudly and loudly wont stop. This can be very disturbing for the driver and distressing.
  
  
  


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  Always administer prescription medications according to the letter of your Veterinary instructions. It may take a long while for your lovely cat to calm down after medicating her, but don't increase the dosage without explicit permission from the Vet.
  
  
  


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  Make sure all cubbies, crawlspaces, or any small space big enough for your cat to fit through are blocked. Moving is very scary for cats and they will try to find a "safe spot" to hide.
  
  
  

If you are moving just a miles from your old house you may find that your cat regularly returns to his old home. Why? This is simply because YOUR MOGGIE has not bonded sufficiently well with his new home and has picked up familiar routes during exploration of his new territory. Chasing him away or you need to collect him. Spread the cat's scent around your home, as described above. Keep your cat inside for a month and then, as mentioned earlier, only let him out for a short period just before you feed him and accompany him on his walk round the garden. In this way he will begin to recognise the new house, both of which are being denied him at the old house. This period of readjustment may take weeks and, in some cases, it can be months before he can be allowed outside unattended. If all else fails and your cat refuses to accept his new home, you may be able to persuade the residents of your old house or one of the neighbours to adopt him permanently.

Before you move your Cats should always be transported in a safe container. Leave the carrier around for a few days or even weeks before your move, so that the cat becomes used to the sight and smell of it. When it's time to go, put your cat in his carrier with a familiar blanket and transport him, don't put him in the removal van or the boot of the car.

If you have to move your cat by airplane, call the airline in advance to check the carrier requirements, along with checking whether they supply one or where to obtain one from. Also ask about who is responsible for supplying food/water. Remember to include something familiar like a favorite blanket in the carrier for the journey. Make sure the cat is collected immediately at the other end; preferably by someone familiar with the cat.

Moving a cat to a new home does not have to a stressful event for them or you. Remember to plan ahead and prepare a great room for your cat to stay in.

Vegetarian

Animals can be given a vegetarian diet, although not a naturally vegan - cats are carnivores. By the way natural cat will not eat anything like what is often found in pet food can also. We can understand why humans decided to maintain a vegetarian diet for many reasons vegetarian diet. Diet advice to ensure life. Special diets must be provided for cats, because they require an amino acid called taurine - found in animal muscles. Synthetic taurine has been developed (and has has been used in commercial (non vegetarian) pet foods for years), and vegetarian cats should be fed as a supplement. Taurine deficiency can cause blindness and even death. Cats also require pre-formed vitamin A and arakidonat. To cure the acid, cats can search through the grass. We can see how the cats eat grass and dew bead. This is use to be a madicine its can neutralise can stomach acid in the cat. Ask your veterinarian about changing your pet food. To provide vegetables to the cat rather impossible because cat is a carnivore. So the use of the extracted cat food can teach a cat with a diet of vegetables. At the time, a decision most cat owners to go to a vegetarian diet is really more of an ethical choice rather than one based health. If you're thinking along the lines of ethics, perhaps you could consider the reasons why you force your cat to eat a diet that contrary to the nature and may place the health risks. If you decide to keep to a vegetarian diet for your cat, do regularly consult with your vet and bring him to an additional examination each year.

MEOWING

There are thought to be over 30 different cat meowing sounds and the amount of sounds your cat may make will depend on how often they communicate with other cats and with non cats i.e. humans. Cats who spend a lot of time around other cats will use a different vocabulary made up of body language, scent, and other forms of cat communication. They mainly vocalise with each other at time of mating and between mother and kitten. Cats meow to get human attention. Except from mother to kitten cats rarely meow to one another. Occasional meowing is cute and adorable but excessive meowing can be a problem. As with most behavioral problems there is always the underlying possibility that it stems from some physical ailment. It is important to rule this out before treating any behavioral problem.

There are general sounds that most cat owners will recognise and broadly speaking their meanings are the same, these are:
The general Meow - attention seeking used to communicate with owners or with kittens.
The Chatter – excitement or frustration, often seen when they are looking at birds through a window and can’t get at them. (involves rapid jaw movements).
The Growl - warns others to stay away.
The Mew (of kittens) – used to attract mothers attention usually when they are hungry or cold.
The Hiss – is used as a threat to other cats usually, can also be a sign of fear.
The Caterwaul – used when looking for a mate.
The Purr – a sign of contentment and relaxation, but also used to comfort itself if in pain.
The Scream – used when in pain or distressed, don’t tread on that tail again!
The Chirrup – this is a friendly sound, often used to greet other cats or their owners.

The cat is doing this to get your attention. Getting up to see what the cat wants, shushing or yelling at the cat is the worst thing to do because you are reinforcing the undesirable behaviour by giving the cat attention. Your attention is its reward. The easiest solution is to get a pair of earplugs. If you do not respond to the cat’s meowing it will probably stop within a few days. Excessive cat meowing is often caused because the cat has learnt that this gets them what they want, a bit like a child who learns to cry when they want something. This can become a bit of a habit and the cat starts to do it more and more. Usually this can be quite cute, however if it starts to happen all night long or is driving you crazy during the day, then it’s time to break the habit.

How to Control Cat Meowing

By G. Wallace-Taylor

Instructions
Step 1
Perform a quick check to make sure the noise is not intended to bring attention to an immediate need. Make sure he has food and water and is not in pain. Check to see that he can reach his litter box or put him outside to relieve himself.
Step 2
Make dinner a constant buffet. As long as your cat is not overweight, you can leave his food bowl out for him to dine on at his leisure. Most cats will only eat when they are hungry. Likewise, make sure he has access to water at all times.
Step 3
Install a pet door just his size. Cats are indecisive creatures, wanting to be outside when they are in--and inside when they are out. If you find yourself constantly opening the door for a cat that can’t make up his mind, installing a pet door will install some sorely needed silence.
Step 4
Praise your kitty for good behavior. If his howling is strictly to get your attention, withhold it until he is silent. Once he settles down, shower him with kind words and a lap-snuggle session. Ignoring him until he exhibits the correct behavior shows him that you are serious.
Step 5
Read the newspaper instead of hitting him with it. You may temporarily scare him into silence, but he will become more anxious and the howling will return with a vengeance. Worse, he will learn to run whenever you enter the room. Physical punishment does not work with cats.
Step 6
Water down the wail. Cats are not big fans of water unless they are drinking. A concealed child’s squirt gun will show him that meowing unnecessarily may result in a shower. Use only a squirt gun that sprays, not one with a powerful stream that will cause pain.

It should be noted that if you have a quiet cat that suddenly starts meowing, or a loud cat that suddenly stops, it may indicate your cat is sick. You should pay particular attention to cats that start meowing constantly while using the litter tray, cleaning themselves, or eating. Any of these could be signs that your cat is in some kind of distress. Listen to and enjoy the chatter of your cat. She does want to be understood.

Cat Wise Clue

When you goes toy shopping you`ll come across many catnip filled or catnip scented toys. Some companies make top qualities catnip toys, but others use the lowest grade of catnip. If you know that the quality of the catnip is good and your cat respond to it, that`s great but you`re in doubt, its better to buy plain toys and rub catnip on them yourself.

When shoping loose catnip, choose brand that state that only leaves and blossom are use. Lot of stem in the catnip indicated lower quality

Not every cat responds to catnip, so dont be concerned if it has no effect on your cat. The catnip response inherited, and about one-third of the cat population lack this gene.

Cats Behaviour

Have you ever wondered why a Cat does certain things? Cats have a large range of behavioural patterns and a secret language of their own. Most behavioural patterns can be traced back to when the cat was wild. Below are just a few of the most common behavioural patterns.

Purring
A purring cat is not necessarily a happy cat. A cat in great pain, distress or even a female giving birth will purr. A little known fact is that friendly cats that are in pain will purr when approached by people; this suggests that cats purr to show that they are friendly and approachable, ready to be stroked or helped. At two to three days old a kitten will start to purr, the purr is very quiet and can be difficult for a human to hear. As the kitten grows the purr gets louder. A kitten purring is a signal to the mother that all is well and the kitten is contented and getting enough food when suckling.

Greeting

Cats normally greet each other by rubbing faces. When a cat greets you by standing on its hind legs, it is simply trying to reach your face. If you were to lower yourself so your face is within reach, your cat will rub their face with yours. This is only done to humans that the cat trusts. Another friendly way for a cat to greet its owner is to roll on its back, stretching its legs as far as possible, yawning and excersing its claws. The "belly-up" position is a very vulnerable position, it indicates total trust of the person involved. It is a lazy way for the cat to greet its owner, a more active cat would probably rub itself against your legs. Cats have scent glands on the temples, around the mouth and at the base of the tail. When a cat rubs itself against you, it is rubbing off some of its scent to say "this is mine". Only other cats can smell this scent.

Kneading
Kneading is when a cat extends and retracts its claws, usually when it is resting on its owner's lap. This behaviour comes from kittenhood, kittens knead their mother while suckling to make the milk flow more freely. Adult cats will do this when they feel safe and contented. They see their owners as surrogate mothers and, as pampered pets, will retain some kitten characteristics through their adult life. If the cat dribbles or sucking of the owners clothes happens whilst kneading, the cat in question will probably have been taken from its mother too early and never had a chance to grow out of the behaviour naturally. These behaviours are usually for life.

Flehmening
Flehmening is when a cat screws up its face, the lips curl back baring its upper and lower teeth allowing more chemical aromas to register in the Jackobsen's Organ. The Jackobsen's Organ is situated in the roof of the mouth in two sacs. In wild cats this aids in knowing the "lie of the land", and aids in knowing what other animals may be in close proximity. In the domestic cat this is not so important as with the wild cat and the flehmening reaction is not so obvious. The Jackobsen's Organ is also connected to the part of the cats brain concerned with sexual behaviour and appetite.

Gifts
Owners of outdoor cats will eventually be presented with gifts of dead creatures, such as mice and birds. For the cat, this is perfectly natural - this behaviour should never be punished in any way. A Queen will bring prey home to her kittens to introduce them to hunting. For this reason, the behaviour is most often seen in female cats. Neutered cats that have no kittens of their own and male cats will also bring gifts home.

Burying Faeces
A subordinate cat will bury its faeces so as not to demonstrate its presence to more dominant cats. A dominant cat will leave its faeces uncovered. A cat kept on their own will bury its Faeces by scratching on the litter tray, this has nothing to do with cleanliness - it is a sign that the cat feels that its owner is dominant. In households with more than one cat, you will often find that one or two cats leave their faeces uncovered, whereas the rest will cover it up.

Wagging Tail
A wagging tail could mean the cat is angry or can mean that the cat is feeling indecisive - it wants to do two things at once and cannot make up its mind which action to take.

Eating Grass
Eating grass often occurs when the cat needs to clean out its stomach by vomiting (maybe to get rid of furballs!). If your cat does not have access to grass, house plants or anything similiar will be used by your cat. Vomiting will occur soon after the cat has eaten grass. It has been said that cats eat grass to obtain "Folic Acid", something that cats need in minute quantities for its well-being. "Folic Acid" cannot be obtained from meat.

Taking Food out of its Bowl
A very common behaviour with cats is taking food out of its bowl and eating it off the floor. There are many theories as to why cats do this, two of the theories that seem to make sense are:
Cats find the pieces of food too large and put them outside of the bowl so that it will be easier to chew them into smaller pieces. If the cats whiskers touch the side of the bowel the cat may find it uncomfortable to eat from the bowl, so will take the food out of the bowl.

Mad Dash or Charging Around
This behaviour is seen mostly in indoor cats, who, not able to burn off energy will dash around jumping off furniture with a wild look in their eyes. This usually occurs late at night with cats younger than five years old, but can be seen in older cats as well.

Scratching Furniture
A cat needs to sharpen its claws by stripping off the old shell to reveal a new one. Scratching at furniture is one way a cat will renew its claws. All indoor cats will do this if they have not been trained on how to use a scratching post from an early age. It is also a way for the cat to exercise its claws and paws, and for scent-marking (there are scent glands under its front paws).
Show your cat how to use a scratching post, start training as soon as possible, so they will be less likely to damage a piece of your furniture. The secret is to show the cat what to do. Hold them near the post and scratch their claws on the surface. Putting Catnip in and around the scratching post will also help to encourage your cat to use it.

If you have more than one cat then you may find that the dominant cat will not use the scratching post and may need discouraging by using a spray bottle filled with water (use freah water only). This has the advantage of keeping the owner remote from the cat and the scene of the crime. Quite simply, it involves squirting a jet of water at the cat with such force as to surprise and disconcert it, just at the time it is about to, or is actually, performing the behaviour pattern the owner wants to curb. It is very important that your cat does not associate you with the unpleasantness, as this can lead to a lack of trust, so make sure that you cannot be seen by your cat when using the spray bottle.