Cat Info Center

Cats that have been abused can appear severely maimed and damaged all over their exterior.  Some may appear to be in perfect shape on the outside, although all of the damage they sustained may be internal or emotional.  Even though physical damage is bad, emotional damage is much tougher to fix.  Cats who have physical abuse will still answer to a soft touch and soft voice, as long as they know that the abuse has come to an end.

When you have a cat that has been emotionally abused, you’ll need to wait until the cat comes to you.  You’ll need to use patience, as the cat will be confused and not know if you plan to hurt him or not.  If you take your time and let him know that you are nothing to fear, he will eventually come to you.  When he starts to come to you, you can let him sniff you and pet him.  After a while, he will learn that he can trust you and he will come to you when you call him.

Yelling, raising your voice, or using disciplinary tools such as flyswatters or water guns the wrong way can lead to emotional damage.  If you continue to use the wrong means of discipline on an emotionally damaged cat, the cat can become mean or lethargic.  When a cat turns mean, it’s not always a bad thing.  Meaner cats are easier to reach, as they still care a bit about what happens to them – while lethargic cats could really care less.

Cats that have become lethargic won’t play, take treats, or respond to anything you say to them.  With a lethargic cat, the ideal way to get him to respond is to bring in a companion cat.  Over time, a lethargic cat will eventually look for attention, normally a scratch or a pat.  When this happens, you should always use a soft voice and snuggle with him.  Never raise your voice at this point, and make sure you let the cat know that his behavior is a lot better.

You should make slow movements around a lethargic cat, as he is still quite traumatic.  Once he is coming around and letting you touch him again, he is getting back to his normal self.  Keep in mind that it may take some time, which is to be expected with this type of situation.  If your cat starts to get upset again or if you raise your voice, he will hide again.  If you continue to use a soft voice and have patience, your cat will eventually get past this.  If you get a cat that is lethargic, you should prepare yourself for a long and very intensive healing period.

Angry or mean cats on the other hand, will either fight and scratch with you, or simply run away from you.  With mean cats, the best thing to do is use gentle treatment with a soft voice.  You can never try to raise your voice or use strict discipline, as it will only make the cat meaner.  Never attempt to trap the cat either, as trapping it will only make the cat react.  If you take your time and let the cat know that you are there for him, he will eventually calm down.

Abused cats are truly a sad thing, although they are out there.  Abused cats can be a sad thing to see indeed, especially those that were physically abused.  Abused cats need a loving home and a loving owner who will give them the type of lifestyle they deserve.  Always remember that if you are dealing with an abused cat – you should always be as gentle as you possibly can.

Keeping Your Pet Safe In The Warm Weather Months

The hot summer months can pose a real threat to pets. Cats and dogs simply cannot tolerate extreme temperatures. As a responsible pet owner, you need to make sure that your pet is safe during these warm weather months. Here are some tips to help you and your pet.

Never leave an animal in a car: All pet owners should know the dangers of leaving any pet in a hot car, even if it is just for a few minutes. This especially applies to dog owners. Dogs love riding in the car and it is very tempting to let your dog ride to the grocery store with you. However, pet owners should never leave cats or dogs inside a car during hot weather. Even with the windows open, a car parked in the hot sun can reach sweltering temperatures. Pets left in hot cars can die within minutes or can suffer from severe dehydration. The best rule of thumb is the leave your pet at home in the cool air conditioner during the hot weather. You should also know that if you are a dog owner that allowing your dog a ride the bed of a truck could be very dangerous for a dog at any time of the year. One jolt can send your dog flying out of the bed of the truck, resulting in injury or worse. Even putting your dog unsupervised in the bed of a truck in a public place can be a recipe for disaster. Be extra careful with your pet during traveling. If you must travel with your dog or cat, secure your pet in the car and leave the air conditioning on at all times. Let your pets take frequent breaks on long trips and give them a chance to get a drink of water.

Be Careful Walking the Dog:  There are many areas where the temperatures soar in the warm months. In places where the temperatures reach an all-time high, it is a good idea to walk your dog either in the morning or in the evening when temperatures are lower. During the summer, temperatures will be at the highest during midday. You should refrain from walking your dog during this time. Not only will you and your dog become hot and dehydrated, the hot concrete can burn your dog’s sensitive paws. When you do walk during hot weather, take along water for your dog and stop frequently to let your dog drink. Your dog will thank you for this.

Practice Proper Pet Grooming: It is always a good idea to keep your pet properly groomed, but it is especially important during the summer months. If your dog has very long fur, it is like wearing a fur coat in 95-degree weather. It is not comfortable to your pet. Also, keep an eye out for pets that have much of their fur trimmed off, such as poodles. Longhaired dogs can quickly overheat in the high temperatures. Poodles and other breeds with short cuts can get sunburned. Sunscreen does not protect dogs. With long haired dogs, regular brushing also helps remove the winter undercoat and can help your dog better regulate body temperatures during hot weather. Regular clipping of long hair can also help keep your dog cool. Even longhaired cats can benefit from a summer clipping. Longhaired cats are easily overheated, even if they do stay indoors.

Watch for Insects: Insects can be bothersome to your pet during the warm, summer months. Spring and summer are when fleas and ticks are the highest. Mosquitoes are also out during this time of year. It is always a good idea to make sure your dog and cat are getting their monthly flea and tick preventative. Your dog also needs to stay current on heartworm preventative, as mosquito bites can cause heartworms. Also, keep a first aid kit on hand for bee or wasp stings.

Outdoor safety: Summer is often when people spend a lot of times outdoors. Whether it is working in the yard, visiting the lake or swimming in the pool, you need to take extra caution when your pets are with you outside. If you mow your yard or put chemicals on the grass, be sure your pets are indoors and away from the dangers. Also, if your dog enjoys the water, keep a close eye on your pet. Most pets can swim instinctively, but it is always a good idea to watch. If you enjoy taking your dog out boating, you can buy life preserver vests for your dog to wear. You can never be too safe when it comes to your beloved furry friend.

Fencing Your Cat In

Cats get up to a lot of mischief so it is a good idea to check their surroundings to see that they will be safe at all times. It’s a lot easier to do if the cat lives inside most of the time, but it will be necessary for it to get out in the fresh air and sunshine to remain healthy. If you’re living in an apartment then a balcony can be sufficient but you need to make sure that it won’t be able to fall off the balcony as sometimes when cats go into a deep sleep, lying in the sun, they can move without thinking and fall off the things they are resting on.

Having a yard fenced with a cat proof fence will give you peace of mind knowing that your cat can’t get out and other animals such as dogs won’t be able to get in an attack your pet.

You need to consider the fact that cats are very good climbers and will find it relatively easy to get over most fences so some form of barrier might need to be placed on top of the fence to stop this from happening.

If you do have a fenced property, then a cat door will give your cat the freedom to go in and out of the house and not feel like it is trapped inside all the time.

To keep your cat occupied, whether it is living inside or out, always have things that will give it an opportunity to climb and have secure lookouts over the property or house.

The happier your cat is with its environment the less likely it is to stray. Having said that, a happy cat will wander off to other properties, as cats are very inquisitive and like to go searching for adventure.

Getting a collar, or tattoo might be necessary if your cat tends to wander as this will help people to return it to its rightful home if it goes missing.

Cat Travel in a Vehicle

If you need to travel with your cat it will be necessary to do a little bit of preparation work beforehand to ensure that the trip is comfortable for your pet.

A cat can become quite excited the first time it travels in a vehicle and you need to do all that is possible to help it remain calm time as they will react differently when they become excited.

If it is a kitten or a younger cat then it might be necessary to put it inside a cage to stop it from running about the vehicle while it is traveling. It might be wise to take a litter box with you as sometimes when cats get excited they need to go to the toilet and if there is nothing available for it to use it is likely to hold on and feel sick or go somewhere that you don’t want it to go to the toilet.

Always carry water with you and stop regularly to see if it needs a drink, particularly in hot weather.
It is preferable the first few times it goes for a trip in a vehicle to have eaten nothing beforehand as food can sometimes make cats feel sick.

If the cat seems calm then it is possible to let it out of the cage provided it sits quietly on a seat. Don’t leave any windows open where it might be able to get out and particularly when you stop the vehicle make sure it doesn’t jump out the door and go somewhere where it could be endangered.

If you do have windows down make sure there are no drafts that could be affecting your cat and don’t let it sit up in the back window of vehicles in direct sunlight where it might get overheated and become ill.

Generally if the cat has been in a vehicle as a kitten it won’t mind travel all that much and it will generally only become frightened if it associates travel with some unpleasant event.

They can find comfort in having a favorite blanket or bed in the vehicle with them and also a comforting hand from the owner beside them. Consider their feelings and treat them as you would a young child and you shouldn’t have too many problems.

Cat Boarding

There will be times when you might need to consider putting your cat in a cattery. If you are going on an overseas holiday or even a local holiday for a period of time and you are unable to find somebody to care for your cat at your own home, then the safest solution would be to take your cat to a cat boarding home.

If you know that this is something that will be required in the future then you should take the time to do some research and find out how well these cat boarding homes are run. You should talk to people who you know and trust who have already put their cat in a boarding home, and ask them how they felt their cat handled the stay and how it behaved when they brought it back home.

Also, you should ask them if they saw any change in the condition of their cat after coming home from the cattery.

Once you have done a bit of research and found recommendations from other people it is worthwhile taking the time to visit these boarding homes to see how they are run, and to look at the conditions that your cat will be living in for the period that it will be staying there.

Try to get a boarding home that is close to your house so there is less travel to and from the boarding home for your cat, which will relieve some of its stress.

Also, make sure that your cat will not come into contact with other animals that could result in health problems.

If your cat is on any special diet or medication, talk to the staff at the boarding home to make sure that they are happy to give your cat the specific diet that it requires, or the medication that it needs to remain healthy.

If you do your research well, your cat will enjoy its holiday as much as you enjoy yours.

Happy New Year to you all!

It is important that you keep your environment safe for your cat, as they are very inquisitive animals and will get into all sorts of trouble given half the chance.

Living near a road is a major concern for any cat owner, as cats love to wander around the neighborhood in search of other cats or company from other people.

It is not uncommon for cats to wander a long distance particularly at night, and the best bet is probably to keep it confined inside at night so you know where it is.

This might require that you keep it locked inside the house or have an external area that is fenced, in such a manner that the cat can’t climb out remembering that cats are extremely good at climbing and escaping from any enclosure.

They also need to be protected from other animals, and in particular dogs that can become quite vicious in the pursuit of a cat.

You really need to use your common sense and look about the environment that your cat is living in to determine any areas that could be a danger to it.

Having a cat door that will provide your cat with unrestricted access to the house is essential for any cat that prefers to spend some of its time outside during the day or night.

Cats can pick up infections from other animals, or from the feces that has been left about by other animals, so you need to know where your cat is wandering and whether those places could be endangering its health in any way.

By having your cat neutered there is less chance that it will wander about the neighborhood looking for other cats.

If your cat isn’t kept within a confined area then you will need some form of identification on it should it ever get lost.