Congratulations on adopting your new cat! As you are preparing to bring your cat home, here are a few items to remember to create a safe and fun environment.
Cat proofing your home is similar to child proofing your home with a few additions. Did you know that almost all house plants are poisonous to cats? Tulips and tomato plants (green fruit, stems and leaves) can be hazardous to their health. Make sure you are aware of the boundaries and pay attention to your cat as they are meandering across the mantle. Not only do you not want them to tip the vase, you don’t want them to eat the contents!
Pets are usually considered to be a very close member of our families. We feed them, bathe them, spend time with them, play with them, and love them with every part of our being. This includes when they are sick, ailing, or healthy. We want to take care of them as best as we can, making sure our companion will be with us for many years to come.
Over 75% of our cats and dogs have passed middle age and are entering their “golden years”.
To call a cat old, one mustn’t consider chronological age, but rather physiological condition. Biological and chronological aging are not inexorably linked. Aging begins when the body’s systems start to slow down — when cells deteriorate faster than the body can repair them.
We think of it as a progressive decline in mental and physical functioning and appearance which is accompanied by an increase in susceptibility to chronic diseases. This is caused primarily by three factors: Genetic inheritance, declining hormone levels and oxidative stress.
Understanding more about your cat’s basic nature will often help you solve cat behavior problems. Domestic cats are descendants of wild relatives and therefore many instinctive traits carry over as part of their nature. This can become quite frustrating when you are trying to raise a well-behaved domestic cat!
Consider that cats are hunters by nature. In the wild, most of the smaller cat species subside on hunting small rodents. They are typically solitary, nocturnal animals that catch their own food to feed only themselves. Therefore, stalking and pouncing on small prey is a common behavior of cats in the wild.
Fat pets are hitting the headlines more and more often recently and with Animal Welfare charities such as the RSPCA beginning to intervene is it a case of the ‘nanny state’ for our pets or is obesity in cats and dogs becoming a real problem? The answer seems to be yes. Our pets are getting fatter just like us and a whopping 76% of veterinary practices now have ‘fat clinics’ for pets. It is estimated anywhere between 30-60% of all dogs and cats in the UK are overweight.
Some 5000 years ago (recent studies say about 100.000 years ago, but who’s counting) a smart - and hungry - African Wildcat somewhere in (what was then) Upper Egypt made a clever observation. “These strange and mysterious bipeds seem to be very fond of grain”, he thought. “Biped collects lots of grain and keeps it in big baskets. Big baskets of grain attract lots of yummy mice! Biped doesn’t seem to like mice in his grain! I think I’ll adopt one of these strange bipeds and live in his house and EAT HIS MICE FOR HIM!”
Cats do make wonderful pets as they are not as noisy
as dogs, are more independent, and do not require as
much care. Cats also adapt well to indoor living. They
are easy to train to use a litter box and they will groom
themselves. The greatest benefit to owning a cat is the
love and attention that they give you.
You do however will want to first decide if a cat is
really for you. Be sure that you are not allergic to
them or that your friends and family are not also
allergic to cats. It will make it difficult to give up your
precious new kitty once you have grown attached to
it and then find out that you cannot be around cats
due to an allergy and have to give them away.