You are viewing entries tagged 'water'.
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In the beginning, domestic cats were not dependent on drinkable water. It is thought that this nutritional quirk is the result of where cats were first domesticated: Egypt has a hot, dry climate where water is scarce (hence those handy camels for getting around without “refueling!”) It is thought that the feline system evolved so that survival did not depend on finding drinkable water: instead, “survival of the fittest” dictated that cats had to depend on their lunch for their fluid intake, deriving it from the blood and other internal fluids of small birds and rodents.
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 one of those cats who is fascinated by water, it won’t be long before she discovers the big bowl of water in every bathroom. If you have a cat who likes to get up on the toilet seat and try to play with the toilet bowl water, then you’re looking at an accident waiting to happen.
Cats reach into the bowl to touch the water and often can lose their balance on the seat. Once a cat falls into the toilet he may often be unable to exit because the sides are slippery and he cannot get a grip on the seat from below. He may struggle to the point of exhaustion and drown. Keep toilet seats down at all times to avoid this tragedy.
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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There are breeds of cats like Turkish Vans and Maine Coon cats that are notorious for being water lovers. Of course any domestic cat that shares some of the genes of those type of breeds may inherit this inborn tendency to want to play in water.
There are Maine Coons who will go into the shower their people; other cats will play in a washtub filled with water or a wading pool outside, so if you’re lucky enough to have a kitty cat who enjoys water sports, give him a place to indulge!
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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Your cat called this morning. She can’t make the swim party. She hates water. All cats hate water. Except as it turn out, a booming breed of middle-eastern meowers, the Turkish Vans. Nobody knows for sure what led these kitties to water, but experts suspect it had something to do with those full-length fur coats and the Turkish summers.
With temperatures up to 100 degrees (F) in the Lake Van area where the breed originated, the kitties hatched a plan: learn to swim and stay cool. Thanks to two British women who brought the breed west in 1950s, your cat can marvel at the feline Phelps in backyard pools and ponds. Learn more about these swimming kitties here.
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Well, after a rainy and cool June, it’s finally hot in Boston. The old houses in my area rarely have central air and, indeed, are built so that you can’t install it. But there are other options to keep our kitties cool.
If you can afford it, I can attest to the efficiency and usefulness of something called the mini-split air conditioner. You install a unit in different rooms on the walls and then two or so cooling units outside. You turn each unit inside on separately so you can cool one room or the whole house. Another alternative is the window unit air conditioner. They now have services that rent them for the summer where they will install them for you and deal with any issues that arise. Always provide plenty of water and watch out for an increase in hair balls as your cat will be grooming himself more in the warm weather. |
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A successful bathing experience with a cat depends at least in part on having everything set up and thought out ahead of time. Even though you may feel sorry for your cat having to go through this watery ordeal, rather than feeling sorry for her it will help if you keep an upbeat instead of a guilt-ridden attitude. By keeping positive thoughts about how good the bath is for her, you transmit an upbeat mindset that the cat will pick up on.
Some people say it helps to visualize the bathing process for yourself before beginning: how you see it unfolding is what you will make happen. You’re going to soak the cat right down to her skin, then starting from her neck to her tail you’ll lather her with warm diluted shampoo and then do a whole lot of rinsing before toweling her dry.
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Wild cats receive nearly all the fluids they need from the prey they eat – small rodents, lizards, birds, etc – which usually have a moisture content of about 70 per cent. What most people don’t know is that cats do not like to drink water – they learn to do it if fed an inappropriate totally dry diet – but drinking doesn’t come naturally. Cats are not genetically programmed to be water drinkers because historically they were dependent on their prey as the principal source of fluid. Get a bowl big enough not to squash her whiskers when she puts her face in to drink. Do not keep the water bowl next to the food dish – many cats dislike this. Scrub out the water bowl every day and refill frequently with cool fresh water. |
