Some great tips to make life with cats a bit easier!
Ever wonder how to keep the cats out of the plants? Avoid broken tails? Make
your house a bit safer for them? Etc? Read on! Do check back from time to time as
I'll be adding more. And please don't hesitate to drop me a line if you've got a great tip
of your own!
Skip down to:
- Use small stones (about 2" in size, often found in Garden Shops) on the
soil of your plant pots to keep cats from digging.
- Spray diluted vinegar on plant leaves to deter cats from munching on
them.
- Always make sure your plants are safefor cats. Most cat care
books provide a list of poisonous plants.
- Avoid slamming doors (and possible broken tails!) by hanging rolled-up
towels over the top of the doors.
- To keep cupboards and drawers "cat-proof" without ugly locks, use Velcro(the kind
they sell in the automative department, with a strong adhesive on the
back). Place one strip on the inside edge of the door/drawer and another on the inside
"frame".
- For those cats who seem to love chewing on wires and cables, cover the wires
with hose tubing or aquarium tubing. Works great and you can often find some
fantastic colors that go with your decor.
Litter boxes
- Litter box odors have you down? Add some baking soda to the litter
everytime you change it. Neutering whole males will also drastically reduce
the urine odor.
- Cat not using the box? Whew! Whole books can be dedicated to this
subject! In short, altered (i.e. spayed or neutered) cats will always be trying to
"tell you something".
- Take them to the vet for a check-up to be sure they have no health problems.
- Make sure the litter box is immaculate.
- Think about any changes in your or kitty's life...new cat litter? New
boyfriend for you? New job keeping you away from home? Try to figure out just what
s/he's trying to tell you - they're not happy about something and this is the only way to
let you know.
The same applies to whole (unneutered) cats but with one big difference - they may
be trying to tell something to other cats by marking their territory; either spraying the
walls or "puddling" on your bed or sofa. And yes, females mark too - in my
experience worse than the males. Spaying and neutering will alleviate the problem.
Cats + houses
- Cats are not inherently destructive by nature. If your cat is using the
furniture to sharpen its nails, you simply need to buy a good scratching
post. It's a rare cat indeed that won't quickly decide a sisal-wrapped post is a
far better place to perform the necessary task of sharpening its nails.
And remember - if you have several cats it's a good idea to have several
scratching posts. Some cats are happy with cardboard or other type
scratchers, but most prefer the sisal-wrapped post.
- Clip your cat's claws once a week. Special clippers can be found
at pet supply stores and should be used instead of human nail clippers. If you're
uncomfortable with the process, ask your vet to show you how to do it.
The vast majority of cats have no problems with nail-clipping, but if your cat struggles
against it, try to catch it while sleeping (also good for giving
pills). You've usually finished by the time they realize what's going on.
Carriers
Getting a cat into a carrier for a visit to the vet (or anywhere else) can be a
frustrating experience! Some ideas:
- Leave the carrier out and open all the time, or at least a few
days before you'll need to use it. Many cats actually enjoy sleeping in open carriers in
the house - it's a perfect enclosed space where they feel safe.
- For more hardcore cases, start placing the cat's food in the carrier
and tempt them to eat inside. They'll soon learn that the carrier is not only for
"bad" things.
- If you prefer not to leave the carrier out all the time, you might find yourself in
the situation of looking for a cat that disappears as soon as it sees the
carrier in your hand. Simply close the cat into a small room where you'll
be able to find it (a bathroom is good) before getting the carrier out of the cupboard.
- Unfortunately, even if the cat enjoys sleeping in the carrier, many will still
struggle when "you" want them to go in. If you have a hard, plastic carrier, place
it upright with the door on the top. Pick up the cat and put it into the carrier hind-feet
first. Close the door and gently turn the carrier to its normal position
with the handle on top.
Holidays
While Christmas may be a joyful time for us, it can be dangerous for our cats (and
our Christmas decorations!). Some things to remember and some decorating tips:
Christmas trees are extremely tempting for our feline friends.
You "can" have trees and cats if you use some of the ideas below:
- Anchor the tree. Some people put a hook in the ceiling and tie the
top of the tree to it, others place the tree on a large wooden platform. You just need a
bit of imagination.
- Be extremely careful with tinsel. Many cats find it an
irresistable toy, but it can cause serious damage if eaten.
- Use only plastic or cloth adornments on the bottom level of the
tree. That way your cats can safely enjoy the tree, too!
We have chosen not to have a tree, but still manage to do a lot of Christmas
decorating by placing things up high - on the top of bookshelves,
doorways, etc.
A couple tips are my own, but most are thanks to the many sharing breeders on the
Fanciers' List.
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