You are viewing entries tagged 'Grooming'.
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Use blunt-tipped animal hair scissors to cut out things stuck in your cat’s coat that you cannot brush out. You’ll also need round-tipped scissors to be able to cut out debris or a feces mat – although if the hair is matted close to the skin you should not attempt cutting it or you might cut her. Leave that bit to the pros.
Radio show host and pet expert Tracie Hotchner is the author of The Dog Bible and The Cat Bible. Click here to follow her on Twitter. |
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If you have a shorthaired cat you might think she doesn’t have to be groomed but every cat will benefit from regular grooming. Brushing your cat on a regular basis can reduce the hair she ingests when self-grooming. That can reduce the amount of hairballs. Brushing also distributes natural oils and helps kitty maintain her coat. Time spent grooming can also be a check-up. Before brushing, gently run your hands over your cat’s body to feel for any lumps. You may discover something that wasn’t there and it might need to be brought to the vet’s attention. Check kitty’s ears for signs of redness or irritation, examine the teeth and gums and look at the eyes for signs of discharge or lens changes.
Pam Johnson-Bennett, CABC, is a certified cat behavior consultant and author of seven best-selling books on cat behavior. Her website is www.catbehaviorassociates.com. |
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Never encourage any play with human hands or feet as the targets! Cats do not understand that they cannot play with fingers and toes like they play with the catnip-filled mouse they just pounced on.
If teeth touch skin, play stops. When playing with another cat, rough play would end immediately with a hiss, a swat and walking away. The cat gets the message loud and clear that rough play ends the fun stuff. Provide appropriate toys for play like fabric mice, food-dispensing toys, scratching areas, fishing pole-type toys. These kinds of toys, when used correctly can keep a cat busy playing appropriately instead of getting into mischief. Miranda K. Workman owns Purrfect Paws Animal Behavior Center, LLC in Western New York. |
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Many cat litters use strong chemicals to control odors. For sensitive kitties, there are greener alternatives. Simply sprinkle a thin layer of baking soda on top of the litter after each cleaning. For finicky cats, lightly mix the baking soda in with the litter. Odors can also be eliminated at the source. GoodBye Odor for Cats is a natural product that works with a cat’s digestive system to reduce litter box odors. Made with plant-based amino acids, this is added to a cat’s food or water once a day. Visit this page to learn more about how it works. Finally, the easiest way to stop the litter box stink is to open the window!
Holly Tse is the author of Make Your Own Cat Toys. She also writes Green Little Cat, a blog dedicated to eco-friendly ideas for cats and cat lovers. |
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I often see ads for litter boxes designed to look like furniture. The problem with these is that they’re often too small to fit the average cat. Additionally, the enclosed box makes it less comfortable during elimination. The enclosed box can also get smelly since there’s limited air circulation. And, worst of all, if you have to open the back of the cabinet and slide the box out in order to scoop it, there’s a good chance you won’t do it often. The box should be open, convenient for kitty to get to and convenient for you to clean, and it needs to be the right size. If you have a cat, you can’t pretend you don’t have a litter box. It’s an important part of a cat’s life so make it easy to get to.
Pam Johnson-Bennett, CABC, is a certified cat behavior consultant and author of seven best-selling books on cat behavior. Her website is www.catbehaviorassociates.com. |
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Litter scoops with holes or slots are sold in pet stores, but they are actually not the optimal tool for good litter box cleaning. In fact, they actually create litter box problems because they don’t allow you to clean properly. Commercial litter scoops are intended to only remove the poop, which is not what causes the bad odor in litter boxes or makes them inhospitable to a cat. The real goal with box cleaning is to remove all the urine, because it creates wet clumps of litter, which can breed germs, smell bad, and make a cat not want to set foot back in that box.
Radio show host and pet expert Tracie Hotchner is the author of The Dog Bible and The Cat Bible. Click here to follow her on Twitter and be sure to check out her website. |
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The plastic of a litter box absorbs the odors of what goes in it. How often you’ll need to wash out the box depends on how much traffic it gets: how many cats are in your house and how many boxes you have provided (knowing that it should be one box per cat plus “one for the house”).
You need to get in the mindset that you’re going to regularly throw out the whole contents of the litter box. Once empty, give it a really good cleaning: hot soapy water and a thorough rinsing. When it is absolutely dry, refill the box with a sprinkling of baking soda and a thin layer of litter. Radio show host and pet expert Tracie Hotchner is the author of The Dog Bible and The Cat Bible. Click here to follow her on Twitter and be sure to check out her website. |
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If you have a great scratching post and your cat isn’t interested, he might have a preference for horizontal scratching. Some cats prefer reaching out horizontally rather than stretching up to scratch. So if you’ve done all the right things when it comes to the ideal post placed in the ideal location and all it does is gather dust, invest in a couple of corrugated cardboard scratching pads. These are inexpensive and can be placed on top of carpets that are being targeted by your cat.
Cats who have back problems or arthritis may also prefer them. Small corrugated cardboard scratching pads can also be used in the boarding kennel if your cat is in one of the large or condo style cages. Pam Johnson-Bennett, CABC, is a certified cat behavior consultant and author of seven best-selling books on cat behavior. Her website is www.catbehaviorassociates.com. |
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Do your friends hesitate about visiting because they’re overwhelmed by the feline urine smell when they walk through the door? Many of us who have cats can get used to the smell over time. And your house doesn’t have to reek of it for it to still be disturbing to visitors. What to do?
First, make certain your cat is always using the litter box. If not, try changing the type of litter, putting several boxes around the house in accessible locations and clean them every day. Then, consider purchasing a black light which illuminates even old urine spots. Invest in a good cleaner, such as Nature’s Miracle. If the smell persists, try steaming it out. And don’t forget to get all of the litter that is tracked through the house, mostly around the litter box. Your friends will thank you for it. Kelly is a pet writer. She lives in the Boston area with her three pit bulls and one neurotic cat. |
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A metal or plastic cooking spoon with a long handle that has no holes or slits is the best scooper for completely removing those wet clumps of litter. It will pick up feces perfectly well, also.
This is why a shallow layer of litter is best: when the urine hits an inch or two of litter, it immediately forms a clump at the bottom of the box, rather than seeping and spreading throughout a pan so thick with litter that you can’t remove all of it (and it begins to smell). Radio show host and pet expert Tracie Hotchner is the author of The Dog Bible and The Cat Bible. Click here to follow her on Twitter and be sure to check out her website. |
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