Saturday, July 28, 2007

Adopting a kitten/intergrating it into the household

This cat behavior question comes from Sharon S.: If you have a question email me at lukeblaise1m@excite.com

I have 3 cats, all adults, one is 12 yr old. I am looking to adopt a kitten, and wonder how this is going to affect the adult cats. What is the best way to introduce the kitten? I currently have 2 females, and 1 male. The ages are: 12, 8 and 3 yrs old. All are spayed and neutered. All were adults that I adopted. Thank you for any advice you may offer!

Hi Sharon,

Thanks for the question. It is great you want to give another cat a great home.

For some of the older cats it might take time to accept the young kitten. Kittens have lots of energy, which can be annoying for older cats who are happy just to nap all day.

It would be best to keep the kitten separate in another room for a few days to get used to the smells of the house and then only let them spend time together when you can supervise them.

Also give the kitten lots of places to hide, in case she wants to escape from the other cats.

Here is a great article with more information: Introducing a new cat.

Thanks and have a great weekend.

Luke

Big Update About Cat Behavior

Hi,

Thanks again for reading, if you haven't signed up for my free newsletter, the sign up form is to the right side of the screen, its free.

Big Update #1: I started working on my new website at www.catbehaviorproducts.com

I hope to make it the premiere cat beahvior website.

Big Update #2: I found a place to get four free pet books. Just check out the member's area at www.free-online-veterinarian-advice.com/askavet.html

Good bye for now

Luke

Monday, July 16, 2007

Older male cat growls at younger cats?

Here is a cat behavior question from Sandra L. If you have one please please email me at lukeblaise1m@excite.com

Hello,

I have a cat that is 7 years old, a male, neutered. I also have two other male cats which are much younger - ages 3 years old. Whenever the two youngest cats go near the older cat the older cat runs and hides and growls. He is a big cat, approximately 18 lbs and the other two are like maybe 10 lbs. Why does the older cat act that way? All have been in my house since being born. This behavior started about 6 months ago.

Sandra L.

Hi Sandra,

Thanks for the question. I can think of several reasons why your cat maybe acting like this. The younger cats are probably a lot more energetic than the older cat and the older cat likely wants to be left alone. Cats are naturally solitary creatures, unlike dogs who like to run in packs. Since there is not actual fighting at this point, I think it is best just to let the older cat be.

Thanks,

Luke

Monday, July 9, 2007

Automatic Litter Box and Litter

Many people who buy automated litter boxes aren't aware that some of them recommend that you only buy their brand of cat litter.

They do this because they say, their cat litter is specially designed to work with their specific litter box.

I don't think this is necessary:

As long as you buy a good clumping cat litter, like Arm and Hammer, it should work just fine with the automated litter box.

I have found that Johnny Cat is extremely poor in clumping and would not recommend it at all.

Luke Blaise

Sunday, July 8, 2007

Toilet Training Cat The Easy Way

By using incremental training it is easy to train your cat to use a human toilet. Why? Imagine if you never had to worry about cleaning the litter box again or lugging large boxes of litter home from the grocery store.

Lots of people have already trained their cats to use a human toilet saving them lots of time and money. One of the best part of all of this is you no longer need to have space for regular litter box, giving you extra space in small apartments and condos.

The easiest way to train your cat to use a human toilet is to use incremental training. What is incremental training? Incremental training is slowly molding your cat’s behavior into the actions that you want. This can be done over the course of a couple of weeks. The most important thing to remember when doing this is to take the process really slowly and do not rush your cat at all.

To train your cat to use a human toilet start by slowly moving the litter box closer and closer to your toilet. You need to move it slowly over the course of a week or two to help your cat get used to using the litter box next to the toilet.

Once your cat has been using the litter box next to the toilet for a couple of weeks, slowly start to raise the litter box up, a little each week until the height is the same as the toilet seat.

After a couple of weeks of this you can move the litter box on top of the toilet and then insert a litter box that sits into the rim of the toilet. Once your cat gets used to using the sunken litter box in the toilet, remove it and your job should be done.

The most important thing to remember when toilet training your cat is to take it slowly and by slowly that means weeks, and two days.



Luke Blaise

Saturday, July 7, 2007

How To Clean Cat Urine

Cleaning cat urine can be easy is if you just follow some simple steps. If it is so simple then, how do so many people not do it right?

A simple search on the internet will reveal lots of websites that will tell you how to clean cat urine from carpets but most don’t get it right. Most articles on how to clean cat urine either miss or don’t emphasize how important two steps are in cleaning up cat urine from carpets. A lot of websites will also try to sell you their latest and greatest cat urine cleaning product, but most household cleaners will do.

One of the things you must remember when cleaning cat urine from carpet is that most of the cat urine is not in the carpet, but below it in the carpet padding. The padding is where most of the urine is absorbed and is where you need to do the most cleaning. So how do you clean the carpet padding short of ripping up the carpet?

You either need a powerful carpet shampooer, or you need to let the cleaning solution soak in and use pressure over some towels, like some heavy books over night. By doing this you are reaching deep down into the padding to try and absorb the cat urine.

The second most important tip is to use an odor neutralizer, these are sold in many forms but most are labeled like feline odor neutralizer or cat odor neutralizer. It is important to use an odor neutralizer to eliminate any odor that might be left from the cat urine.

Cats have a great sense of smell, and any urine that is left in the carpet fiber or padding will attract them to urinate there again. This is why to need to do a deep cleaning and use an odor neutralizer.

By remember these two basics in how to clean cat urine from carpet you will be on your way to a clean home.

Luke Blaise

Thursday, July 5, 2007

Cat Behavior

Cat behavior is a very interesting area to study. Once you start to learn about cat behavior you will have a new appreciation for our furry friends. Most people only become interested in cat behavior when they have behavioral problems.

For most people their interest in cat behavior starts and ends with behavior problems. The two most common cat behavior problems are cats not using the litter box, and feline aggression. Cat behavior problems are the most common reason why owners give their cats up and over to shelters.

{Get solutions to your cat behavior problems now}

For most owners this is a heart breaking ordeal because most have tried almost anything to try and help their cat. When dealing with a cat behavior problem most people at first hope it goes away, but after a while they realize they are going to have to deal with it.

Some people start off talking with friends and co-workers about the situation before seeking veterinary help. Once they get to the veterinarian, some realize that veterinarians aren’t necessarily trained in how to deal with cat behavior problems. Their main focus is medicine, and if a cat is having a behavior problems are likely to offer medication first.

The veterinary profession is really starting to change and now it is easier to find a veterinarian who are more focused on cat behavior.

If you are dealing with a cat behavior problem it is important to quickly try to resolve the issue with professional help. The main problem is people waiting too long to get help for their cat. Once a behavior becomes learned and ingrained in an animal it is hard to change them even if the initial problem has resolved.

Luke Blaise

Wednesday, July 4, 2007

How to remove cat urine

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

How do we remove cat urine? Well like anything you need the right products and use them in the right steps to be successful. It is also important to get to the root of the cause for your cat not using the litter box.

Removing cat urine is very difficult and not a very pleasant task. Before we talk about how to remove cat urine, let’s talk about some possible reasons why you have to clean it up in the first place.

{Learn more about cat behavior here}

Cats can stop using the litter box for any number of reasons. Some of these are behavioral, and some are medical. Some medical reasons for a cat not using the litter box could be the two main diseases seen in cats; feline lower urinary tract infection, and feline urologic syndrome. Signs of these would be frequent urination, and even painful urinations.

If you suspect any of these, you should seek veterinary help. They are best dealt with medically. Now, there can be many behavioral causes of cats not using the litter box, and most of these are related to stress. This stress could be from a new baby, a new house guest, or a change in the household routine. You should try and resolve this cause of stress for your cat.

Now for removing cat urine, the most important step is the odor neutralizing. There are lots of ways to remove cat urine, but remember to try and soak it out of the carpet padding, where most of the urine is absorbed, and to use an odor neutralizer.

If you get stuck trying to remove cat urine be sure to find out why your cat failed to use the litter box, and then get a bottle of feline odor neutralizer and clean it up.

Luke Blaise

Monday, July 2, 2007

Cat Not Using Litter Box

Cats not using the litter box is one of the top complaints of cat owners. Why don’t cats want to use the litter box? What can I do to quickly solve the problem? Fortunately many people have been in your shoes before, so there are lots of answers out there.

Cat behavior problems are one of the main reasons why cats are given over to shelters by their owners. The two most common cat behavior problems involve the cat not using the litter box, and feline aggression.

Cats not using the litter box can be divided into two primary categories; medical and non medical causes. Medical causes could include common diseases like feline lower urinary tract syndrome or lower urinary tract syndromes. Common signs of these are cats frequently urinating in small amounts or painful urinating.

Non-medical causes of cats not using the litter box are primarily due to stress. This stress could be from a new baby or visitor in the house, or even something seemingly as minor as a change in the household routine.

Some causes of cats not using the litter box, have nothing to do with them but with us. Sometimes we forget and close the door leading to the litter box shutting off access to use the litter box. Sometimes we place litter boxes near noisy washing machines that scare the cat away.

Whenever you encounter your cat not using the litter box you should first seek veterinary help. They are the experts in ruling out medical versus non-medical causes of behavior problems.

Luke Blaise