Archive for the 'Cat Accessories' Category
Cats are generally thought of as clean animals. They rarely have accidents in the house and seem to be perpetually cleaning themselves. While that is all generally true, nothing is worse than the stink of a cat litter pan.
To help cut down on odor I use a few tricks. First off, I put a disposable liner in the bottom of the cat litter pan. The liner catches any excess excrement that may soak through the litter and it also makes disposing of used litter easier. The second trick I use is adding a healthy amount of baking soda to the litter. Baking soda is great for soaking up odor – that’s why your mother was always putting an Arm & Hammer box in the back of the refrigerator!
When you think about grooming, there is so much more than a brush or a comb. This is especially true when it comes to your pets. Though we all love our pets their hair being all over, is something that we can certainly do without. There are ways to help the shedding process.
There are furminator for cats and furminator for dogs as well. Furminators are a great tool to help with the shedding process. Regular grooming will help eliminate the excess hair that can potentially get on the floor of your home. It also will help with pet dander.
When I left the house for a couple days to visit some friends, I came back and upon entering, immediately noticed an obnoxious smell. Apparently my cat was unhappy that I had left, and had chosen to barf on the carpet right in front of the door. The smell was overpowering, and after cleaning up the mess, it just lingered and wouldn’t go away.
The next day another friend of mine came over and commented on the smell, I told him I couldn’t make it go away, but then he offered to let me borrow his furminator for cats. I didn’t know what that was, but he said it would get out the smell. I got it to the house, turned it on, and a few hours later, the smell was gone. I had no idea something like an air purifier could remove powerful odors.
My cat, Gizmo, is quite possibly the biggest drama queen of a cat. Ever. But she’s also my best friend and she seemed quite unhappy that the only play place she has in my apartment was the old loveseat that used to sit adjacent to the kitchen. I finally wised up started looking at cat condos for her.
Eventually, I settle on a townhouse-styled cat condo, which she absolutely loves. She plays and tears up the bottom “floor” before resting upon the post. Gizmo is still quite the drama queen, but at least she can scratch up something else other than my loveseat.
Cats have a natural instinct to scratch, which serves to mark their territory as well as keep their claws sharpened. It’s important for cats to have a cat scratching post in the home. This post provides the cat a place to scratch that is intended for the purpose of scratching. When cats don’t have a designated place to scratch, it’s quite possible their claws will turn to the furniture or the carpet. It’s important for cats to learn the place to scratch while they’re kittens, because it’s much harder to break them of a scratching habit once they’ve developed into an adult.
To teach a kitten to scratch their cat scratcher post instead of the furniture or the carpet, start with simple practices. Place the kittens paws on the post and perform a bit of assisted scratching. If this doesn’t seem to work, try dabbing the scratching post with a bit of catnip. Keep doing this and eventually you will have the kitten convinced that the cat scratching post is their place to scratch. If the kitten starts the furniture or carpet, there are sprays that can deter the kittens from scratching there because of an obnoxious smell, but this should be used as a last resort.
Scratching is a natural, instinctual behavior of cats. Scratching keeps the claws clean by removing the dead, outside layer of the claw. The practice also allows your cat to fully stretch its muscles. Unfortunately, a cat’s favorite thing to scratch is your furniture!
Since you love your cat, and would never consider declawing him or her (a practice that is quite cruel to pets), you need a product that will meet its needs and preserve your furnishings. Cat scratchers are the best solution. They are specifically designed to withstand the scratching of your pet and they come in all shapes and sizes from stand alone posts to ones that hang from ceiling or door frames. Put a little catnip on the scratcher for the first few tries to encourage your cat to use the scratcher and not your furniture.
You might be excused for thinking that only long-haired cats require regular grooming. While it’s true that those fluffy furballs need to be groomed to avoid knots and tangles in their hair, short-haired cats can benefit from brushing as well. A Siamese or tabby cat with short hair should be brushed with a standard grooming brush. Longer-haired cats call for a bit more time and attention.
Cats are prone to shedding, and if they are left unbrushed they can develop matted fur with a greasy consistency. Even though cats naturally lick themselves clean several times a day, they still need a helping hand from their owners, which is why you should have a supply of cat grooming tools. Use a special grooming comb to work mats out of the fur; this technique is preferable to snipping with scissors as you risk cutting your pet. Cat grooming is easy and hassle free as long as you do it on a regular basis.
Any cat owner knows that cat toilet training is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to controlling feline stenches. Odors from the cat’s litter box and the entire location where the litter box is located are commonplace for most pet owners. Though it’s impossible to remove all of the odor emanating from a cat litter pan, it is possible to reduce it. This can be achieved through odor eliminating sprays (be sure to find a spray that is specifically states it is an ‘odor eliminator,’ otherwise you might just be masking the spray). You might also consider an air purifier in an area near the litter pan. Odor is caused by miniscule particles floating around in the air; an air purifier will act to remove these particles and thus remove the odor. Certain cat litters will also do more to mask the scent, it’s best to try out several and find which one works best.
If your cat can’t find its litter box one day because you’ve removed the smell, you will know you have succeeded!
Bringing your new kitten home is exciting for the whole family. Before bringing the new baby home however, it’s important to make sure you have all the cat supplies needed to make your kitten comfortable in his/her new home. Cats don’t need fancy feather beds or jeweled collars; they just need a few basic supplies. Here are some things you will need:
1.) Kitten food
2.) Litter box with low sides and a cat litter mat
3.) Brush
4.) Cat carrier
5.) Lots of love
If your pet is an indoor cat, chances are the thing he wants most in the world is to go outside. Every time you open a door, he tries to dash out it, and every time you open a window, he wants to sit in it. Although the cat may be domesticated, they still maintain many of their animalistic instincts that long for the wild.
So give your pet a taste of the outdoors with a cat window perch. He’ll be able to sit at it for hours, watching the world outside in comfort and safety. It’ll be his new favorite place to sleep and hang out, and it may even reduce those mad-dashes out the door.