Thursday 26 January 2012

About Cats: Stress and Anxiety in Cats

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Cat Basics

Health & Behavior

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From Franny Syufy, your Guide to Cats

Wow! Right after last Thursday's newsletter went out, the Cats Readers' Choice Awards nominations started coming in a steady string. At the very top of the list, is the "Best Non-Profit Cats-Only Group" which has really taken off, with one group in the lead so far. However, the...read more


Minimizing Stress and Anxiety in Your Cat

Cats do not deal well with environmental changes, and when their humans are stressed, the stress is telegraphed back to the cats, increasing their anxiety. Cats are very sensitive to our emotions.

Anything from your new job which changes yours and their schedule, to visitors from out of town, to a new baby or new cat, and your cats' stress quotient is on the rise again. This article highlights the various causes of stress in cats, with suggestions for ways you can help. Jaspurr, pictured here, often uses the scratching post as a means of working off his stress. Maintaining an alpha cat position is not always easy.
Photo Credit: © Franny Syufy


White Cats for February

It's only a little over a week until February, and not too early to submit your white cats photos and stories. We traditionally celebrate white cats in February because their pristine, snow-white coloring reminds us of the snow in February. This also accounts for the many white cats named Snowball or Snowy. Also, this month, all the Cat Pictures of the Week will be selected from the Life With a White Cat Show & Tell gallery.

About White Cats | Submit Your Story


33 Cat Videos on About.com
The About.com Video Team uses professional video producers to provide a visual supplement to About.com Cats content. This list of cat videos give the viewer a look at live cats demonstrating various cat topics. Covered are cat breeds, cat care, and a number of instructive "how to" videos, including How to Bathe a Cat, and How to Change a Litter Box. Cost-saving videos teach how to make cat toys, a $20 cat climbing tower, and more.


Cool Cat Photo of the Week: Best Buddies

BJ, the raccoon, had been rescued and cared for by Squirooncat, then taken to a wildlife rescue. The same day, Squirooncat had adopted Tiger, the wildlife rescue notified him that BJ would be happier with ... read more


 


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Cat Picture of the Week: Sooty
Cat Breeds
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This newsletter is written by:
Franny Syufy
Cats Guide
Email Me | My Blog | My Forum
 
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Must Reads
Readers' Choice Awards Nominations 2012
10 Top Mistakes of Cat Owners
Cat Behavior 101
Cat Years
80 Ways to Share Cat Pictures

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Wednesday 25 January 2012

Pet Health | Information Provided by Kroger Family of Stores » Cat Health: Scratching Posts: The Best Alternative to Declawing Cats

Pet Health | Information Provided by Kroger Family of Stores » Cat Health
The Pet Health blog is devoted to using our resources to provide helpful information about your pet's health.
Scratching Posts: The Best Alternative to Declawing Cats
Jan 25th 2012, 16:55

Cat scratching furniture instead of scratching post.

Scratching is something that comes naturally to cats. For outdoor cats, sharp claws are the best line of defense against aggressive animals and predators. For an indoor cat, scratching is often carried out as a way of marking territory, especially when multiple pets share the home. Understandably, however, humans are not pleased when the family cat targets home furniture and other favorite items in an ill-fated attempt to sharpen its claws. So, what can a cat lover who cares about pet health care do to prevent furniture, carpets, and drapes from resembling a crime scene?

To curb destructive scratching, some pet owners have resorted to having their cat declawed. Declawing is a serious surgical procedure in which the claw and last joint on each toe is amputated, and it is very painful for a cat. Most veterinarians in the U.S. will only consider this procedure for indoor cats as a last-resort alternative to getting rid of the pet.

Fortunately, for both cats and their care takers, scratching posts offer an affordable and effective means to deter destructive scratching. Providing cats one or more scratching posts in strategic locations is a simple intervention that can help save family heirlooms and reduce frustration for pet owners. When given the option, most cats will gladly dig their claws into a surface that provides resistance over a softer material that easily tears.

Scratching posts, available wherever pet supplies are sold, should be placed as near as possible to "problem areas" and can be rubbed with catnip to help introduce the cat to its new shredding alternative. Demonstrating how to use a scratching post or dragging a cat's paw across the surface is highly discouraged as the animal will not be receptive to a forced-upon activity. Taking ownership of the scratching post should be a decision made independently by the cat when it's ready. Pet owners can, however, gently relocate the animal from unwanted areas being scratched to the scratching post, where affectionate petting can then instantly encourage positive association with the preferred implement. This tactic is especially effective for kittens.

If a cat is slow to accept a new scratching post, the unwanted areas can be temporarily covered with tin foil or double-sided tape which will create an undesirable surface for the cat's claws. Removing the pet's scent from those areas using products sold at retail pet stores, or replacing it with a citrus scent (cats don't like citrus), will also work to the owner's advantage. Spraying a scratching cat with a stream of water from a bottle or making a sudden loud noise, such as clapping hands, will quickly serve as deterrence.

Above all, cat lovers should strive to be patient with furry feline friends, who are unaware that their instinctive behavior is causing harm to household belongings. It may take some experimentation with different scratching posts, but with a bit of persistence, pet owners can put an end to repeat offenses.

Do you have experience with unwanted cat scratching? What did you do? Share your pet health tips and advice in the comments box below.

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Cat of the Week: Cat of the Week: Black and Blue

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Cat of the Week: Black and Blue
From Franny Syufy, your Guide to Cats
This Week's Cat(s)
Black and Blue
This week's featured photo offers two for the price of one. Their placement in the picture perfectly fits the description of their individual personalities.

More Black and Blue Cats
Black Cats
Black cats are honored in October's Cat Calendar, for some very obvious reasons.

Blue Cats
Blue and silver cats are featured in January's calendar, reflecting the colors of icicles hanging from the roof, and frozen ponds.


Franny Syufy This email is written by:
Franny Syufy
Cats Guide
Email Me | My Blog | My Forum
 
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Thursday 19 January 2012

About Cats: 2012 Readers' Choice Awards: Cats

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Cats

Cat Basics

Health & Behavior

Photos & Forums



From Franny Syufy, your Guide to Cats

About.com 2012 Readers' Choice AwardsAbout.com is celebrating its fifth year of the Readers' Choice Awards, and for the first time, the About.com Cats site will be participating by offering seven award categories. Nominations are open now, and all readers are encouraged to nominate their favorites in any or all of the seven categories. . .learn more.


How, Why, and When to Train a Cat

Perhaps your cat has started to pee outside the box, and you are beside yourself. Or maybe your sofa is starting to look shredded and threadbare, and you're embarrassed when visitors come by. Yelling at the cat isn't doing anything, and squirting the cat with a spray bottle doesn't work, nor does rubbing his nose in the pee. You're at your wit's end and don't know what to do, and your spouse is starting to make noises about getting rid of the cat, and that's the last thing you want to do.

You're not alone. Many cat lovers have faced similar problems, this writer included. Fortunately, help is at hand. For starters, take a look at Cat Training - How, Why, and When to Train a Cat. Then check out the huge compilation of cat behavior and training material available right on this Website.


RCA Nomination: Best Pro-Claw Website

My #1 New Year's Resolution was to help put an end to declawing. My readers who feel the same can help accomplish this by nominating one or more outstanding Websites working toward this goal. Read the information, then make your nomination(s)


What's Wrong With Owning Pet Cats?

My cats have always been members of my family, as is the case with the majority of my readers. We only consider them as "pets" in the generic sense, and as for "property," that is mostly a matter of law.

Still, the concept of "owning" my cats has nothing to do with law, and everything to do with the responsibilities of my "ownership." I could no more refuse to take a sick cat to the veterinarian, than I could let a sick child suffer at home without treatment. Nor could I allow my cats to eat the feline equivalent of junk food on a daily basis. Yes, they get the equivalent of a box of popcorn on occasion, but it is in the form of bonita tuna flakes or kitty grass. And our floors are littered with catnip cigars and bananas. Believe me, my cats love being owned.


Cat Picture of the Week: Quinn

Quinn was adopted by Jo Ann after she saw him in a Facebook App called "Pet Pardons." Jo Ann felt compelled by the sweet photo of this tiny kitten who was doomed to die in a high-kill shelter in NC. Jo Ann lived in NYC and called the shelter, begging help from a kind worker there. She was able to adopt him by phone just one day short of "D-Day," and arrange for him to go into the care of a NC veterinarian for 22 days until he was old enough for Neutering.You owe it to yourself to read the rest of Quinn's story, where it appears in the Adopted Shelter Kittens Show and Tell. Perhaps it will compel you to adopt an endangered cat or kitten, and save another life.

See All Stories | Share Your Kittens' Story


 


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This newsletter is written by:
Franny Syufy
Cats Guide
Email Me | My Blog | My Forum
 
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Contact Information:
249 West 17th Street
New York, NY, 10011

© 2012 About.com
 


Must Reads
Readers' Choice Awards Nominations 2012
10 Top Mistakes of Cat Owners
Cat Behavior 101
Cat Years
80 Ways to Share Cat Pictures

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Wednesday 18 January 2012

Cat of the Week: Cat of the Week: Aiko

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Cat of the Week: Aiko
From Franny Syufy, your Guide to Cats
This Week's Cat
Aiko
Aiko was a very lucky kitten when he shows up in Chelo's back yard; first because Chelo gave him a home, and second, because Chelo nursed him through a Bartonella infection.

More Kitten Photos
Just Kittens
Everyone loves kitten pictures, and we have them here: playful kittens, shy kittens, curious kittens, sleepy kittens. If you have a "sweet tooth" for kitten pictures, you'll love this kitten photo album.


Franny Syufy This email is written by:
Franny Syufy
Cats Guide
Email Me | My Blog | My Forum
 
Missing a lesson? Click here.

About U. is our collection of free online courses designed to help you learn a new skill, solve a problem, get something done, or just learn more about your world. Sign up now, and we will email you lessons on a daily or weekly basis.
You are receiving this email because you subscribed to the About.com 'Cat of the Week' email. If you wish to unsubscribe, please click here.

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