Cat Info Center

Expressing Their Feelings

Cats are very good at expressing their emotions and communicating with other cats and people. Fortunately this makes it a little easier for people who are in tune with their cat to be able to read what’s on their mind and to notice when all is not well. This also makes it easier to discuss remedies for a sick cat with your vet as you will have an understanding of what the cat needs and what might have caused any problems.

If a cats weight changes suddenly, or its energy levels have dropped dramatically, don’t leave it too late before seeking professional advice, as being a small animal they can succumb to problems a lot faster.

If your cat becomes more vocal then it might have a problem that needs attending to. It could have some ongoing health problem that is causing it pain. A change in behavior can be a sign that all is not well with your cat, either in its health or its mental state.

Cats can get stressed as humans do and for all the same reasons. Even a change of house can create stress for your cat, and more so for an aged cat as they are not as willing to adapt to new environments as readily as younger cats. This change of environment can cause them to feel insecure and along with that bring behavioral problems that need to be remedied. Quality time, care and consideration are generally the best remedy.

By treating your cat well and staying in tune with it, you can enjoy many years of unconditional love and happiness, and all it will expect in return is the most important and basic requirements of life; food and water, shelter and love.

If only we could be so simple; what a wonderful world it would be.

The Balance Mechanisms of a Cat

The cat uses its tail to alter its center of gravity in many different instances. If for example it is walking along the top of a narrow fence and it looks over to one side it will shift its tail in the opposite direction to maintain its balance.

Also when the cat is changing direction, if it is running and chasing its prey, it will shift its tail from one side to another in the opposite direction to the body to give it stability and stop it from falling over with the rapid changes in direction.

This is just one of the things that help the cat have such incredible balance, and while we might be concerned to see a cat walking along some precarious objects, they have the ability to react amazingly fast to the messages that they receive through their eyes and inner ear.

The messages that they receive through the eye and inner ear get transmitted to the brain far faster than any human can react, and they can make minute muscle adjustments in fractions of a second that assist them with their incredible balance.

These balance mechanisms are already fully developed in a kitten, but because they are unable to see initially, and balance requires the use of both the eyes and the ears, a newborn kitten will stumble and fall quite often in the initial stages and until they are able to see.

Cats have the ability to right themselves in fractions of a second if they fall from any height and to land on their feet. As very young kittens are unable to see they do not possess this ability to right themselves when falling as it requires both the eyes and ears to work in combination with one another for this to happen.

Cat Communication

Cats are particularly good at communicating with one another and humans. They have a considerably larger vocabulary than dogs, with most cats being able to make over 100 different sounds. These sounds can range from purring, to hissing and growling, spitting, wailing and howling, and many different combinations in between.

They certainly do have the ability to get most of what they want from their owners, and that is why it is often said that the cat rules the house and the humans are the servants.

Yes we certainly do seem to do all the running about, yet when we call the cat it is just as likely to turn around with its tail in the air and wander off.

It is this independent nature that appeals so much to so many people and that’s why cats are one of the most loved pets in the world.

Cats are also extremely good at communicating with one another and once again with humans, by their body language. Cat owners who are tuned in to their cat’s behavior can communicate extremely well, and this also makes it a lot easier for the owner to train a cat to do particular things or to behave better.

It also allows the opportunity to become a lot more aware of when the cat is not feeling well and when a trip to the vet might be necessary. Fortunately that is not too often if the cat has been well cared for and given good nutrition because they are extremely resilient and even the process of purring can help to stimulate healing properties within the cat.

If your cat is making a sound and it is directed towards you then you know it is trying to communicate with you and usually it is not too hard to work out what it wants.

Cat Grass

You should consider having some cat grass available for your cat to eat as they need to swallow it at times to help regurgitate hair that they have ingested while grooming themselves.

You can get this cat grass from pet stores and grow it in a specific area of your property where you know that it will be free from poisons and chemicals.

If the cat gets into the habit of using this grass rather than any other plants on the property to help regurgitate these hairballs, then this reduces the chance of it eating something that could be poisonous and cause it to become ill.

It is cheap and easy to grow, and can even be grown in a sunny spot on the deck if you’re living in an apartment. It is also a good idea to grow a little catnip, as cats love to nibble on this as well.

It is quite a good idea to get your cat accustomed to eating a little bit of greens while they are still young and you can do this by putting spinach or similar vegetables in a food processor or blender and mix it up fine enough to be added to tinned cat food.

This will assist with their digestion and satisfy the need for some greens in their diet. These little bits of extra vegetables that you can add to the diet will help to balance any missing nutrients, vitamins and minerals from the rest of the food they eat.

As can be expected from a cat, they will from time to time decide not to eat anything at all with vegetables in it, so you need to add a little bit of variety occasionally to ensure that they are getting good all around nutrition.

Baby vegetables that are sold for children are also suitable for feeding to your cat provided of course that there is no garlic or onions in the ingredients as these are detrimental to a cat’s health.

Also try not to get baby vegetable formulas that have corn in them as they can cause a spike in your cats blood glucose levels and can over the long-term cause diabetes.

Choosing the Right Cat for You

There is such a wide range of choices when choosing the cat that you will decide to share in your life, that taking the time to do some quality research is well worthwhile.

Not only do you have to decide what type of color you prefer, but whether you want a male or a female cat and the associated characteristics that come with them.

You also have to look at your personality and lifestyle and determine how that will work in with the personality that can be expected from any particular breed.

Fortunately there are many books that give comprehensive details on the personality types of the various different breeds and while they are a generalization they are also quite accurate in most cases and can help you make the right decision more often than not.

Some breeds require a lot more attention than others, and you also need to look at your stage of life and determine how much time you will have to devote to your cat. Some breeds will always be more suitable than others when taking into account the term of their lifespan, which can be up to 20 years in some cases.

Your decision might also be based on how long you intend to look after a cat, and you might decide that getting an older cat from an animal shelter rather than a kitten might be a better decision. There are certainly a lot to choose from as animal shelters are generally overflowing with unwanted pets, just waiting for a home.

When choosing your cat, see how it interacts with you right from the outset, as even in one litter there will always be a personality that stands out and shows that it wants you to be its owner. More often than not the kitten will choose you, rather than the other way around.