Cat Care – Does My Cat Love Me

Does My Cat Love Me

Does my cat love me? As a long time cat owner I can see when my cats love me. As this moment Soxs the office cat is curled into my arms here at the key board and grooming me. He loves his time alone with me and really demonstrates it when we are alone. The cat personality can be understood if we just take the time to watch.

Before we get into some of the tell tale demonstrations of cat love I want to introduce you to an unnamed cat that was just rescued from the cold. The picture above was taken a day ago by my friend Janet who is actively rescuing cats from the winter cold. Today in Manitoba it was minus 34 c overnight. This kitty is going to be loved and cared for now.

I am going to document  several things your cat will do to demonstrate their love and trust to you. If you are new to cats it will be interesting to observe these acts of kindness. If you have just brought home a new cat don’t be surprised that the kitty is not ready to trust you yet. Be patient and let the cat come to you. The adoption of a senior cat might take months for the kitty to warm up to you. If you have adopted a senior cat you have done a tremendous service to that feline. For those of you thinking about adoption please don’t overlook the senior cats.

Lexi is one of those senior adoptions that took a long time to be comfortable with her new family and to this day she will let you know when she has had enough attention with a good swat, but she loves us and shows it regularly. She has adopted my son and does many loving gestures to him.

Now lets look at some of the ways a cat will show their love and trust to you.

Head butts

When you lean over and get close to your cat and they respond with a head bump, its love. Coupled with some head rubs you are experiencing feline compassion and trust.

Slow Blinks

These are the same as kisses , do one back.

Tail Up and Rubbing Your Legs

This means I am happy to see you and I am leaving my scent on you.

Kneading

When you are laying down and kitty gets on you and starts using their front paws on you they are back to kitten mind and its like being with their mother. You will then find out if your cat need their nails trimmed. This could be followed by love bites and turning their bum to you as a sign of trust. They are saying sniff me I am your friend.

Showing Their Belly

When I come in the house and their are multiple cats laying around with their tummies exposed it means they feel safe and comfortable in their surroundings. Its peaceful enough to expose my most vulnerable part of my body. This changes fast when I tell the dogs to come and I take them out to pee. My Husky “China” has to make lots of noise and there are cats moving everywhere.

Sleeping With You

For me the best example of trust is when a cat comes to sleep with me. Tenzin sleeps with my wife regularly. Esther comes and goes in the middle of the night. She will come to bed and groom me, lay down beside me with a paw on my arm and purr herself to sleep. Purring is relaxing for the cat and I love hearing it.

All these gestures means that you cat is comfortable and happy with you and their home. While it may take a long time for a new cat to warm up to you remember that you are providing a home to a kitty and taking them out of a shelter or recuing them from a cold winter. Some cats cat get rough when playing or kneading, especially to young children who don’t know any better. Please pay attention and provide guidance so everyone is happy. Please don’t swat the cat and using a squirt bottle is as a cruel method of discipline. A freighted cat will dig in with all four claws and knock down any thing in its way.

Cats are a joy. They add a peace to my life  and they always make me smile regardless of the events of the day. I read the other day about the number of cats that are disposed of due to shelter overcrowding and lack of homes. Its everyone’s responsibility to maintain their cats. Spaying or neutering needs to be done. I don’t believe in free roaming cats for many reasons.

For 2018 please think about adopting or donating to a shelter. Don’t forget about the senior cats. Maybe bring two home for the cat to cat friendship. Consider rescuing a cat from the cold or fostering for a shelter.

That’s my story for today. If you have any questions I encourage you to leave a comment below. Hug a kitty and do something green for the environment. If you would like your Kitty featured as a guest cat send a picture and a short bio to catinthecradles@gmail.com.

Trevor

 

Cat Care – Merry Catmas

Merry Catmas

Everyone at Cat Care would like to thank all our readers and followers for your support this year. May you all have a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous new year. Travel safe and hug a kitty this holiday season.

To those of you who do not observe Christmas may you have a great week of peace and prosperity.

In Manitoba this week it is going to be cold with day time highs in the middle minus 20,s c and over night low in the low minus 20,s to 30,s. Some of our furry friends will be outside. Please help if you can. As we speak my friend Janet is trying to live trap a feral mummy cat.

This year if you can adopt please think about the senior cats. If you can’t adopt donate to a shelter. If you can’t donate volunteer.

May 2018 be filled with every blessing to you.

Trevor

 

 

 

Cat Care – Christmas Pet Safety Tips

Happy December 22 every one. Todays guest cat is Snowbelle. She is 12 year old darling who is the boss of the house. Snowbelle like to go outside when its nice but prefers to stay in with her mum. Apparently this kitty just wondered in one day and stayed. Snowbelle is from Manitoba, Canada.

Christmas Pet Safety Tips

This post is a repeat of an earlier post and at this busy time of year the information is worth hearing again.  During the holiday season it’s nicer to just enjoy the moment with out having to spend time at the vet. A few pet proofing tips will make your Christmas moment more fun.

The Christmas Tree

Have a sturdy stand and avoid garlands and string ornaments. String ingestion for a cat or dog is serious and requires a visit to the vet or surgery in a worst case scenario. Do not let your pets ingest tree needles, real or artificial and don’t let them drink the water from the tree. Be careful of the plants brought into the house this time of year. Some Christmas plants are very toxic. Do a google search for animal toxicity if you are not sure. Here is a list.

The Stove

Watch that your cats don’t sit on a hot stove element or run into he oven. We always put a pot of cold water on a hot element to let it cool so the kitty doesn’t step on it while checking out all the great smells. While on the subject of cooking watch that cooking string is disposed off  to prevent that cat or dog from eating it. Cooked poultry bones are dangerous to animals because they splinter into sharp pieces and will pierce the animals insides. No chocolate for any fur baby.

In closing I want to remind everyone that the most common cause of house fires this time of year is poor wiring, like extension cords or to many items on one circuit and unattended cooking.

That’s my story for today. I want to thank all Cat Care readers for your support and have a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year. Hug a kitty and do something green for the environment.

Trevor

 

Cat Care – Feral Cat Rescues

Feral Cat Rescues

Feral cat rescue is a sensitive issue to some people. Some advocate not providing for cats with out homes. Personally I admire those that service homeless cats with the necessities of life. The opening picture is Soxs on his first day of rescue. He would of not survived the winter alone. Now he is an adult cat living indoors and loving his attention. He has become the office cat and loves pressing keys at the computer. Four of my seven cats came from the bush. Three  were kittens with one adult rescue.

Last night in Manitoba the overnight low temperature was -23c. At these temperatures very few domestic animals can survive outside. Cats will look for warm spots anywhere. They love warm car engines, so its important to slap the hood or honk the horn before starting the vehicle. If you don’t do this the results can be disastrous. Not only could you possibly kill a cat but you could do expensive damage to your vehicle.

If possible providing warm shelters for cats would be a nice gesture. Shelters don’t have to be extravagant . A stack of bales, or a home made insulated box will work. I have seen large plastic storage bins with a door cut in to it and lined for warmth works also. Amazon sells out door cat shelters if you want to spend the money. I have purchased an electric heated mat for an outside shelter.

Outside cats need food and water also. Depending on where you are feeding the feral cat there are heated water bowls for winter use.  I bought dry kibble when I feed outside cats. It always get eaten. Depending on where you live the kibble should be picked up after eating if possible. Other creatures will eat it also. Skunks and racoons will love cat food. I have not experienced racoons, however I have had lots of skunks. If you encounter a skunk the best thing to do is not panic and just let the stinky kitty walk away. It will walk away then you can pick up the food and leave. Don’t kill the skunk. If you do the skunk will loose control of its body and discharge all the stink its got. Then you will have a very difficult clean up job. I have had a skunk walk ten feet away from me with no problems. If you get sprayed look at my Products page for Natures Miracle skunk spray remover. A great product. It should be mentioned that if you get scratched from any unfamiliar animal you should go to the doctor immediately and be treated for rabies. If you get rabies there is no cure. Any animal in the bush can be a rabies carrier, be careful.

Probably most feral cats require medical attention. Vaccinations are necessary. If you decide to do a spay, neuter and release program there must be a plan in place to monitor the surgeries until they are healed. The last spaying I had done took 3 weeks of monitoring before I was comfortable there were no complications. Maybe by this time a person can find homes for these cats. As I have mentioned in other posts feral cats can take months to socialize, use you own judgement when monitoring a feral cat or colony of cats.

That’s my story for today. Preserve the land and defend the defenceless. Not only cats, dogs also. Now hug a kitty and do something green for the environment.

Trevor

Cat Care – Cat Declawing Facts

Todays topic is about a controversial medical procedure, Cat Declawing. Recently in Nova Scotia Canada cat declawing has just been banned. This a great victory for cats. I feel that declawing cats is an act of animal cruelty and should have a world wide ban. Cats are declawed for various reasons. Its done to large jungle cats to prevent personal injury and for behavioral changes. This means that the jungle cat can never be returned to the wild. It is done to the house cat to prevent furniture damage. The reality is there is no benefit to the cat and it is only for the benefit of people.

In the pictures above the first picture shows what is amputated during the Onychectomy surgical procedure known as declawing. The second picture shows a paw with the completed procedure. The cruel surgery involves amputating the distal phalanges of all toes on the front paws, and sometimes the rear paws as well.   This is the same as cutting the first bone off your own fingers or having the toes off your foot removed.

The advocates of this procedure think the are no adverse affect to the cat from this surgery. Studies have shown that there are several adverse affects to the cat after having this done.

Cats having this procedure done have significant pain behavioral issues as compared to an unaltered cat. Cats with the procedure done more back pain and an altered gait due to the altered limbs. This causes a weight shift and pelvic stress. Cats with altered toes have more litter box problems and will look for softer spots to litter due to sensitive paws. There are more biting, over grooming and aggression issues exhibited also due to tender toes. The cat has also lost its first means of self defence.  There are even problems with the surgery itself if not done properly will leave bone fragments causing ongoing paw irritation.

The purpose of todays post is reveal the problems of the cat declawing or de-toeing surgical procedure. It is a form of animal abuse only for the benefit of the owners.

How To Stop Cat Scratching

I have seven cats that free roam around the house. To stop scratching we use several items with good success. The first is a cat tree. An indispensable item for many reasons such as scratching, climbing and sleeping. We have a course rug that the cats use regularly. Our soft furniture have washable covers. The next item every cat owner needs is a good set of toe nail clippers. These items can be seen on my Cat Care Product page. I have included links to a couple of websites for more detailed information.

That’s my story for today. If you have any questions please leave a comment. Hug a kitty and do something green for the environment.

Trevor

 

 

Cat Care – Cat Rescue Senior Cats

Todays discussion is about Cat Rescue of senior cats. My experience with senior cats begins with Rufus. He was a magnificent adult male that approached my wife when she was in town. He came up asking for help and when she was going to drive away he went to the door and cried. Rachelle picked him up and he sat on her lap all the way home. He was matted and dirty with his bum impacted with feces. He stunk and was timid. He was not skinny so he was getting fed somewhere or from scrounging. One of his ears was frost bitten.

We gave him a bath and cleaned him up. A good feeding and a sleep and he became family. There was a transition period with Soxs and Lacy. This integration was short and soon he was quite comfortable in the house. He came when he was called and loved to get held and brushed. Soon he was sleeping on the bed.

Next we went to the vet for needles and to check for a microchip. Nothing was found. There was not a tattoo. We made an appointment to get him neutered. The procedure was completed and he was shaved to get the mats out. We thought we were on the way for a long life together. Three months later he got very sick and passed away at the vet. I was not there to hold him and I am sad to this day.

Why did this happen? Who knows. He had a blood test to see if he was healthy enough for the surgery. I believe that he had an underlying medical issue that no one could see. If I was to do this again I would see that he was a good cat that used the litter box immediately. He did not mark his territory and there was no one to get pregnant so I would not of had him neutered.  If this is the answer, who knows, but it might be something to consider when rescuing an older stray cat.

Rufus was one of those one in a million cats that was very special. A role model for cats. Not every stray or feral cat  will be as easy as Rufus. Some of them will require time and patience to integrate. Like my friend Janet and her boy Raymond. Raymond spent months hiding and took his time coming out.  Now Raymond is a fabulous house cat.

There are those that will never domesticate. These could be barn cats and good mousers. They still require vet visits plus food and shelter. There are many outside shelters at Amazon that will provide good winter shelter. Maybe with  time and patience they will come for handling. I personally don’t agree with loose outside cats as there are to many hazards out there, but it is better to have a cat looked after than to be feral.

I am on Twitter to promote this website and get the Cat Care word out there. What I see on there is lots of cats and dogs that have their lives on a timer. It has to be hard on the older well kept cat to be dumped and stuck in a kennel. I retweet a lot and I hope that some one will adopt an older cat or any cat and give them a home.  That goes for dogs too.

One of my older cats, Alexis is an example of an older cat that needs her space. She gives head butts and likes to get pampered right up until she tells you she has had enough. This is done by giving you a swat. That means we are done. As these cats get older they will need more personal attention. Maybe a diet adjustment. As cats get older they will not be able to groom themselves. This means baths and bum cleaning, a lift on to the bed or sand box.

This Christmas help a kitty by adopting, donating or volunteering at a shelter.  Don’t forget that while kittens are a clean slate, older cats are special and need homes too. Have a great holiday season.

Organic Cat Litter Review

We are trying this bag of organic recycled pine cat litter. I got it from the Federated Co-oP  Hardware store. This is a Western Canadian chain. It was $8.00 CDN a bag. It has a pleasant smell out of the bag. It is loose pellets in construction. It does not clump so feces are not covered in product. This makes it easy to see if there is any thing wrong with your cat. Remember that the litter box is the key to monitoring your cats health.  When the cat pees it ends up as dust in the bottom of the litter box. Scooping is easy with no dust as when you use a clay product. Once a week we scoop all  the usable pellets and remove the coarse pee dust. Wash and disinfect the litter box and replace the good pellets. The bag states that the pellets are good for a month. While the pee dust does not fly like clay dust the health warning on the bag says that if you are pregnant a person should use a dust mask and gloves.  It has good odour control and there is virtually no product dragged out with kitty’s feet. When I looked on line there are several Canadian purchase options. You will have to search where you live. We are waiting to see if all our seven cats use it before we decide to switch over completely. Its looking good at this point.

That’s my story for today. If you have any questions on todays topic please leave a comment. Help a cat or dog this season and have a wonderful holiday. Now hug a kitty and do something green for the environment.

Trevor

 

 

Cat Care – Merry Catmas

Its two weeks until Christmas and in the picture above Roxanne is enjoying a Manitoba sunrise from the comfort of the kitchen window. A year ago she was wondering in the snow looking for help. She got into one house and they were going to put her back outside. I went right over and brought her home and she is now family. The tragedy of this story is I think she was dumped. She adapted easily to home living and is a loving and easy going cat. Why do people do these things. It’s an all to common problem that I just can’t understand. I have seen dumped dogs and horses that people don’t care about. Adult animals can survive for a while. Its the kittens and puppies that are put out to die.

What’s the cure? I don’t know! Maybe someone reading this article can give me an idea. The local shelter is always full and has regular adoption fund raisers. Is the full shelter the reason people can’t turn the pet in to a responsible facility or find a caring home.

Sometimes I think that people with a solid practical view on life have greater priorities than that cat or dog. I am not practical. That’s why I have seven cats,  two dogs and two horses.

The emotional impact on dumped animals can not be fathomed. The cat that lived a comfortable life or the dog that stayed in the house suddenly tossed outside is  totally confused.  The first night Lacy was left at our house she cried all night. To me it sounded that she was calling out her owners name. When we adopted Sheba the Border Collie she spent the whole day running from the door to the window to look for her mum. Yes cats and dog do understand and they need someone to stand up for them.

This Christmas if you can’t adopt, donate to a shelter or volunteer. Adopting at this busy time of year has to thought out properly. How long is cat care? Its for ever.

A Street Cat Named Bob

Here is a nice movie to watch this season. A Street Cat Named Bob is a true story of homeless person and a stray cat that had a life changing experience together. Its movie worth watching with the whole family.


And don’t forget the books!


That’s my story for today. If you have any questions or comments please leave them below. If you would like your cat featured on this website please email me with a picture and bio to catinthecradles@gmail.com. Hug a kitty and do something green for the environment.

Trevor

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Cat Care – Guests From Spain and Cat Care Hints

Hello everyone. Happy December 07, 2017. Todays guests are from the south of Spain. Please meet Jasmin the kitty and Cindy the puppy. Jasmin’s mum Taetske  found her at four weeks old injured in the middle of the road. What a great rescue story. Jasmin lives happily with the other cats in the family and Cindy the dog. Have a great holiday season everyone.

Cat Care Hint

What do you do if your cat eats string. At this time of the year with Christmas decorations out and lots of cooking there are extra attractions for your cat. While these thing can happen at any time, this time of year everybody is busy and we might not watch for hazards as closely. Balls of yarn, elastic bands, string wraps on meat can be lethal threats to your cat.

If you know your cat ate string we can always hope it will pass through the cat. If you see string hanging out of the bum do not pull it.  You don’t know if the string is wrapped on something internally and pulling will seriously damage the cat. Cut the string close to the bum and hope it passes. I would be personally quite worried at this point. I would go to the vet and see what a professional would think. It might be possible that a surgery would be necessary to correct this problem.

While this website has global reach I understand that Christmas is not everybody’s thing, but people from all over the world love cats. Please be careful with things cats can eat that might not be good for them. String, chocolate, sugary stuff can hurt a cat.

While you are entertaining this season watch a movie about cats. I recommend Kedi. Its a great insight to Turkish life and the street cats of Istanbul. Here is a link to my Products Page to have a look at Kedi.

That’s my story for today. Hello to everyone in the South of Spain and have a great day. Hug a kitty and do something green for the environment. If you have any questions or would like your kitty featured on this website please email me at catinthecradles@gmail.com. You can leave a comment below.

Trevor

 

Cat Care – Stray Kitten Care

Roxanne was the last kitten that I rescued.  The people that found her were going to put her back outside. I went over and brought her home and now she has been with us for a year.

I did not put her in the house right away  and she was isolated in my office for three days until the vet visit. That was the earliest date I could get at the vet and so she had to live alone for a bit.

I wanted to isolate her so I could see her personality and determine if she had any medical issues. Her eyes were clean and I could not see any ear mites or detect any flees or skin issues. I would not like to introduce an infection or parasite issue to the rest of the cats causing me to vaccinate or bath six other cats for bugs. Parasites on animals are unpleasant. Over the counter remedies should be used cautiously. Some of the products that are available have been toxic or lethal.  Flea and tick collars leave a residue on your pet which the animal ingests through grooming and can contaminate who ever handles the pet. If you have no experience in this problem please consult a veterinarian for a diagnosis and treatment.

The vet visit was a typical visit with blood tests  for Feline FIV. Roxanne was stressed from the car ride and new people so we could not draw blood. This was not a big issue for me as she is healthy and eats well. She then received the typical batch of shots and we went home.

The introduction to the clowder was fairly easy. I put the cat carrier on the floor and opened the door. She came out when she was ready. The other cats snooped around and there was some hissing and growing. I monitored closely for probably two weeks. There was someone always home so we could keep an eye on things. Roxanne adapted to our home easily and now she is family.

I don’t think that every cat a person brings home will transition that easily. If that new kitten you bring home, especially if its a stray with no history can be more of a challenge. Weeping eyes, open wounds, patchy fur should be looked at by a vet as soon as possible. These items while are curable could introduce problems to other cats and so this kitty should be isolated for a while. If you find a very young kitten there are specific kitten formulas to feed this baby if there was a chance that the kitten was still sucking. Don’t feed cats cows milk or you will have a diarrhea issue to contend with.

Introducing the new cat to other cats needs thought. Adult cats might fight. I have heard of having to isolate an adult cat for weeks until everybody settles down .  With my situation new adults usually found a place to be alone and mingled with the group at their own pace. Small kittens should be isolated when there is no one around so the don’t get hurt or in my case have the dogs hurt them. I didn’t let the kittens free until I could see they could save them selves from the dogs. My Husky, China has to pounce a cat at times. She doesn’t hurt them, She is just a jerk. When I introduce a small kitten to the dogs I hold the kitten in my hands and hold them close to the dog where they can sniff and look. I am cautious at this point and ready to save the kitten if necessary. I give the dogs commands to be gentle. We can now go out with everybody free and not worry.

A word of caution here, With the holiday season and lots of guests its a busy time with lots of activity to stress out the cats and dogs. Never leave an infant unattended with your pets. Cats play rough and dogs lick. Don’t take chances with your guests or don’t leave your infant/toddler with new pets alone.

Cats and Christmas Trees

Cats love Christmas Trees. Dangling toys all over it and a great place to climb no tree is complete with out a good stand and skirt. Here are a couple items of the many available to prevent tree fall over.  The skirt is a good idea to prevent the cats from drinking the water at the tree. Flame retardants, fertilizers and natural oils are toxic to cats.  Have a Merry Christmas.


That’s my story for today. Have a great holiday season and stay safe. If you have any questions please leave a comment below. If you would like your kitty featured on this website please send a picture and a short bio to catinthecradles@gmail.com

Trevor

We are a participant in the Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.

 

 

Cat Care – Tinkerbell and Christmas Pet Precautions

Todays guest cat is Tinkerbell. She is a five year old girl that started life as a farm kitten. Her mum Lenore says she is quiet until the treats come out. Tinkerbell is generally an indoor cat, however likes to go outside and stays close to the house. Tinkerbell is setting a striking pose under the Christmas tree. What a beautiful cat. This takes us to our next topic for today.

Christmas Pet Precautions

We saw Tinkerbell lounging under the tree we must remember that the Christmas tree is dangerous to cats. With real trees the oils produced by fir trees can be irritating to your pets mouth and stomach and the needles can be a choking hazard as well as obstructing and puncturing the intestines. The water for keeping your tree from drying out is toxic from bacteria and fertilizers.

Artificial trees offer their own threats. Aluminum needles can be ingested with the obvious problems. I have seen my own kittens try to eat these off the floor. We did not put out a tree last year because Ariel and Esther could not leave the tree alone. Anything that hangs off the tree is a toy to be pulled or chewed for those two. Garlands were appealing to them.

Any tree should have a sturdy base so that it is hard to pull over. If your 20 pound cat wants in the tree I don’t know what will work. It will be necessary to monitor the electrical cords in case somebody wants to chew them.

Cats and dogs will chew plants for roughage. As we decorate the house for this holiday season we should be aware of some of the toxic plants that can cause mild discomfort and even fatalities. Here is a short list.

The Poinsettia

This plant has a sap that is irritating to the mouth and esophagus. If your cat or dog eats the leaves it can lead to vomiting. If the store has used a pesticide on the plant it can be lethal to your pet.

Holly, Mistletoe, Daffodils, Lilies and Amaryllis.

This list of plants is extremely dangerous to pets. These plants should be kept out of the house. Even small amounts can cause death.

The Easter or Christmas Cactus

This plant is not toxic, however the fibrous nature of the plant can cause stomach irritation and vomiting.

If you are bringing any plant into the house a Google search should be done to discern the toxicity hazard to your pets.

Christmas Cooking

Everybody loves the smells in the house this time of year. What a nose fest for your cat. They will try to eat and lick everything.  This means that aluminum foils, meat wrappings and plastic can be eaten by your cat with disastrous consequences. Meat soaked string can be ingested requiring an emergency surgical procedure.

Cats and dogs should not be given bones of any kind. Cooked poultry bones will splinter and pierce your kitties insides. Other foods to avoid for your pets are chocolate, tea, coffee, grapes and raisins. Uncooked yeast dough can be fatal.

As you prepare your house for this holiday season pet proof your home so you can have a good holiday and not be spending your time at the vet worrying over an emergency surgical procedure.

Have fun this Christmas. Keep the stress low if possible. This means its probably not a good time to give someone a pet. Pets need routine and care that might be hard to do at this busy time. Plan a pet gift ahead of time with everyone involved so they can prepared for a new family member. How long is Cat Care? Its forever.

What is the most common cause of home fires at this time of year? It is poor electrical cords and unattended cooking. Have a Merry Christmas and be safe.

That’s my story for today. Hug a kitty and do something green for the environment. Please leave a comment below.

Trevor