How often should i groom my cat: the frequency you groom your cat depends on a number of factors including the length of your cats' hair, the ability of the cat to groom herself, the amount your cat is shedding, and how much your cat likes it. In general, cats with long hair need much more frequent grooming, often on a daily basis. Cats with short hair can be brushed several times a week. Cats who are overweight or ill, often have less ability or desire to groom themselves. Older cats who may have arthritis may also tend to groom less. These cats should be groomed on a more frequent basis. Cats do not shed the same amount of hair all year. At those times when your cat is shedding less. especially if she's a "short hair" you may brush or comb your cat and remove very little hair. Other times, it may seem to come out in buckets. The more a cat is shedding, the more often you need to groom her. This will also greatly decrease her risk of developing hairballs. Some cats love to be groomed, and this is an excellent way to spend time with your cat, Other cats seem to despise brushes and combs, so they can be groomed on a more "as needed basis.
Trimming Your Cat's Nails with a Clipper
Trimming your cat's nails is not just a part of grooming, but is important for your cat's health as well, Untrimmed nails can cause a variety of problems including broken nails that are painful an can bleed. A good indication that a cat's nails are too long is that her unclipped nails get caught in the carpet, furniture, or your clothing. To trim your cat's nails: Assemble what you will need, a high quality pair of trimmers and some styptic powder, such as Kwik-Stop, Cut Stop Styptic Pads, or other product to stop bleeding if you nick the quick. you might want to sit on the floor with your cat, hold your cat in your lap, or have someone hold your cat on a table. Hold your cat's paw firmly and push on her pads to extend the nail, locate where the quick ends. With clear or light nails, it is easy to see the pink color where the quick ends. using the nail trimmer for cats, cut the nail below the quick on a 45degree angle, with the cutting end of the nail clipper toward the end of the nail. You will be cutting off the finer point. In cats, the quick is generally easy to see, an you can cut the excess away with one cut. In some cases, if the nails are brittle, the cut may tend to splinter the nail. In these cases, file the nail in a sweeping motion starting from the back of the nail and following the curve to the tip. Several strokes will remove any burrs and leave the nail smooth. If your cat will tolerate it, do all four feet this way. If she will not, take a break. And do not forget the dew claws. if not trimmed, dewclaw can grow so long they curl up and grow into the soft tissue , like a painful ingrown toe nail. If you accidentally cut the quick, wipe off the blood and apply Kwik-Stop or styptic powder to stop the bleeding, It is not serious ad will heal in a very short time. Some valuable tips: Remember, it is better to trim a small amount of a regular basis. Invest in a good pair of nail trimmers in an appropriate size for your cat. They can last a lifetime. Make trimming time fun and not a struggle. Trimming your cat's does not have to be a chore or unpleasant. If your cat is not used to having his nails trimmed. Start slowly, and gradually work up to simply holding his toes firmly for 15-30 seconds. Do not let him mouth or bite at you. It can take daily handling for a week or more to get some cats used to this. When your cat tolerates having his feet held, clip just one nail and if he is good praise him and give him a tiny treat. Wait, and then at another time, do another nail. Continue until all nails have been trimmed. Slowly, you will be able to cut several nails in one sitting and finally all the nails in one session.
Litter Box Training for Your Kitten
As you get ready to bring a cat or kitten into your home, make sure you have all the things you will need to make your new pet feel welcome. Besides providing high-quality food, a safe environment, proper veterinary care, and lots of love, it is also important to give some thought to your cat's litter box. can quickly become the major focus of your attention should your cat decide to stop using it. Elimination disorders are one of the biggest reasons for cats to be given up to shelters, and one to the most common problems for which people seek veterinary advice. While it's true that most cats will instinctively use a litter box from the time they are young kittens, some basic knowledge about cats and litter boxes can help prevent problems from starting in the first place. And, as we all know, it's much easier to prevent a problem that to deal with it after it's started! Here are some important point to keep in mind. Cats have a natural instinct to eliminate in sand and or soil, kittens also learn from observing their mother. Kittens usually start learning to use the litter box at 3 or 4 weeks of age, so by the time you bring your kitten home, she will likely be used to using a litter box. It is important that your cat or kitten knows the location of the litter box in her new surrounding. Make sure the box is not in a noisy or hard-to-reach place. Soon after bring in your cat or kitten take her to the litter box at a quiet time. Place her into the litter box for a kitten gently take her front paws and show her how to scratch the litter. take her to the box several times through out the day, after napping , play, eating, and remember to give her privacy when using the litter box. Most cats will make the adjustment to a new liter box without any problems, However, if there are any accidents, don't scold or punish your cat. Yelling or using a squirt bottle will only confuse and scare your cat, and she won't understand why you are upset. Instead clean up the accident with an enzyme cleaner to remove stains and odor. If the accidents continue, or if you are noticing any diarrhea or staining, have your cat or kitten examined by your veterinarian to rule out any possible medical problems. Cats with urinary tract disease orinternalparasites may stop her from using the litter box. The rule of thumb is to provide 1 box per cat, plus one extra. While this may seem like a lot to us, cats are very fastidious and some cats will not use a litter box that other cats have used. Some cats also prefer to use one box to urinate in and one to defecate in. If your house has several levels, make sure there are litter boxes on every floor. Locations of litter boxes should be in a quiet, private place where they feel safe. Loud noises (buzzers and washers and dryers, etc), challenged by a dog or another cat may cause them to leave their litter box or make them choose another location. If you have more than one cat, make sure that their litter box is not in a location where one cat can not corner another as she leaves the litter box. There should always be an entrance and a exit. There are many types of litter boxes available, including covered boxes, self-cleaning boxes, and boxes designed to fit into corners. Make sure the litter boxes you provide are the right sizes for your cats. they should be able to turn around in it comfortably and they should have low sides for the cat to get into and out of comfortably. some cats prefer covered boxes. If you have several cats you might want to provide several types and let your cats choose which one they like best. There are many types of litter, cats seem to like a litter that has the consistency of beach and or garden soil. They seem to prefer fine-textured such as the clumping type. It generally works better if you use less litter 2 inches and change more frequently. You might want to try different litters at the same time and let your cat choose which one she likes better. Cats are extremely clean creatures, and they may avoid a litter box that is not cleaned often enough. Scoop the litter boxes at least twice daily. Wash the litter box and change the litter completely once a week. Do not clean the box with a strong smelling disinfectant, but rinse the box well after washing it. Any accidents should be cleaned up with an enzyme cleaner specifically made for pet stains, including cat urine. Regular cleaners may mask the odor that we can't smell it, but to a cat's superior sense of smell, the odor will still be there, and prompt a cat to continue to use that are as the bathroom.
Cleaning Up Urine and Feces from Cats
Whenever cats urinate or defecate, specific scent chemicals are passed with the urine and feces. The smell of these substances triggers an elimination reflex in cats that isn't unlike the territorial marking of their wild relatives. Cats naturally return to an area where these scent chemicals are present, thus creating "scent posts", places where cats consistently eliminate. This instinctive behavior is an aid to litter training kittens, since they learn to associate their litter box scent post as the place to eliminate. unfortunately, scent posts can also be an obstacle to litter training if your cat eliminates inappropriately in the house. Cleaning up accidents thoroughly is critical to preventing the creation of scent posts in your home. With scent capacities estimated to be a hundred times greater than humans, cats can easily detect urine and fecal odors that have been cleaned with conventional household cleaners, carpet shampoos, and ammonia. The result can be a distressing pattern of repeated accidents in the same spot. To prevent your cat from making scent posts in your home, first blot the area with a rag or towel to remove as much of the dampness as possible. Then treat the area with a chemical odor remover that uses natural anti-microbial enzymes to break down and neutralize the odor. These are the only products that attack the molecular structure of the odor-causing bacteria as opposed to simply covering up the odor.