Holloween Cat Posture

Every year around Halloween, we see all kinds of decorations of a black cat with his back arched, tail straight up and fluffed out and teeth glaring.  It could be a frightful sight.  But believe it or not cats really do use this posture. 

Cat really don’t want to fight, but some times they find themselves in a situation where they are in over their heads.  When this happens, they use the Halloween posture to intimidate who ever they feel is a serious threat.  By arching the body and bluffing up the tail, they appear to be bigger then what they are.  Of course showing those sharp teeth helps a lot too.  Basically the posture says “Don’t mess with me.”  But in reality they are making the threat either run away, or hesitate long enough so they can run away.

Yes folks, that posture is nothing more than a bluff cats use to avoid a fight.  By the way, if the bluff doesn’t work, well, there is always those real sharp claws that will do the trick.

I’m Not a Crazy Cat Lady

We make fun all the time about the “Crazy Cat Lady” down the block.  But in reality it’s not funny.  Most of these people suffer from a mental disorder known as hoarding.  Hoarding is an obsessive compulsive disorder that is difficult to control.  We’ve all heard about hoarders that are unable to throw things out, and it gets to the point where there is no room in the house to actually live.  Well, in the case of “the Crazy Cat Lady,” it’s not items she collects, its cats.

They defend their actions by telling themselves they are saving these cats lives by getting them off the street, and giving them a good home, but although they have a roof over their heads, it is by far not a good home for the cats.  These hoarders don’t recognize that these cats are living in overcrowded and horrible conditions.  Some hoarders have so many cats it’s impossible to keep a clean litter box, therefore forcing the cat to go in the house.  This and other factors can lead to disease, and the hoarders usually doesn’t have the funds to take the cats to the vet.

By the time most animal hoarders are discovered by the authorities, conditions are usually very bad.  It’s typical to find dead or dying cats in the home.  Not to mention several cats with disease that could have been prevented if the cat lived in cleaner, less crowded conditions.

In recent years, Animal hoarding has been recognized as a real mental illness, and the authorities are now have a better understanding about how to handle the situation that could benefit both the hoarders and the animals they collect.  In 1993, the largest number of cats found in a residence was 640.  It doesn’t take much to visualize the living conditions in that home.  Therefore, if you suspect that there is a crazy cat lady in your area, please call the authorities so they can get help.

By the way, there are some men who hoard animals too, but the majority are women.

Do Cats Really Need Milk?

Not really.  For the first 12 weeks of a kittens life, they need mother’s milk to give then the antibodies they will need to get the through life.  But after that, cats lose the ability to digest milk.  There really is no need to give them milk.  Most cat’s don’t like it anyway, and let’s face it, in the wild cats don’t actually have a way to get cows milk. 

Like people, many cats can’t tolerate milk products like cow’s milk and cheese.  But there are a few exception, and your cat may be one of them.  But limit the amount of milk you give him.  It should be nothing more the an occasional treat.  Also, 1% or fat free would be the best choice.  Frankie the Cat loves milk.  Every night at 8 pm, my mother gives him a small saucer of milk.  That’s Fat Free milk.  When she forgets, he reminds her.

You should stop giving your cat milk at the first signs of trouble.  Belly ache, puking and diarrhea would be those signs.  If your kitty still insists on a saucer of milk, get cats milk at the local pet supply store, but keep in mind, cats milk  is expensive and may still bother her tummy.

When Cats Bite the Hand that Pets Them

You’re sitting down, petting your cat, when all of a sudden he attacks.  What’s that all about,  don’t cats like to be petted?  Well, actually, it depends on the cat.  Genetics and social factors play a role in how much petting your cat will tolerate.  Cats can turn their behavior on a dime.  One minute they are happy with the pussy cat massage, the next they’ve had enough, get lost.  If you’ve had your cat since kittenhood, you can raise your cat to be more sociable.  Also, training your cat not to take out his or her claws, or bite for that matter, will help save you from the feline wrath.  But if your kitty is past kittenhood, all is not lost.

Pet your cat every day.  Start off with short sessions, and increase the time each day.  Always stop with your kitty wanting more.  If you’re lucky, you have a cat that show warning signs before attacking.  That heavy swish of the tail, flickering ears, a strange sound.  But not everyone is that lucky, so I always felt the best rule is to cut it off before a good thing becomes too much.

By increasing the petting time each day, your kitty will become accustom to your touch, and enjoy it more.  You will also form a better bond.  One thing though that I want to point out.  Most cats don’t like having their belly touched, so I would avoid that area all together.  turning over and exposing the belly is not an invitation to pet them there.

How to Get Your Cat to Like You

Some cat owners have trouble getting their feline friends to interact with them, and this could be misinterpreted as “My cat doesn’t like me.”  Chances are your cat does like you, you’re just going about getting his affection the wrong way.  Cats are animals that like to have things done on their terms, and understanding that is the first thing you need to know before you can get your cat to interact with them.  Here are a few tips that can help you achieve a strong bond with your cat.

1)  Make sure all your interactions are not threatening to your cat.  Don’t suddenly pick him up, or make direct eye contact.  Cats don’t like that, and in some cases may think it’s rude.  When talking to your cat, speak softly and soothing.

2)  Spend time petting your cat in the places he likes.  Not all cats are the same, but most like to be pet behind the ears, along the chin, and down the back.  Sweetie the Cat loves when I pet her backside.  During a petting session, she will maneuver herself so that my hand is suddenly on her butt.  Her head goes down, and her butt goes straight up in the air.  She even goes on her tip toes to get that maximum height with her butt. 

You’ll probably want to avoid tummy rubs.  Most cats don’t like that.  If you want to try it anyway, wait until you’ve created a very strong bond, and always keep an eye on her tail.  When the tail starts to twitch, back off.  These petting sessions should be short, at least in the beginning.  Your cat will let you know when to stop.

3)  Use interactive toys and play with your cat.  I find the best time to play with Sweetie is during sunset.  That’s when she most alert and ready to “hunt”.  Although she plays by herself, she also enjoys when I play with her.  We usually play catch.  She attacks her fish toy and then flips it in the air towards me.  I flip it back, and we play catch.  This usually goes on for a good ten to fifteen minutes before she decides to move onto other things.

There are a variety of toys you and your cat can play with.  Fishing poles, feathers, yarn, and my favorite, the flashlight.  The other great thing about building a bond by playing, is it usually tires them out, so they might sleep during the night instead of destroying your home while you sleep.

4)  Groom your cat.  Cat’s love to be brushed or combed, but be gentle when you do it.  Go slow and make rhythmic motions.  You can also talk gently to your cat while you do it.  I like to sing to Sweetie, and she loves it.  The nice part about this is you get rid of a lot of dead fur, which will reduce your cats hairball problems.  But remember to stop when your cat show signs that she’s had enough.  Remember, everything you do for your kitty is on her terms, not yours.

All good relationships take time, so don’t expect instant bonding.  Before you know it, your kitty will be coming to you on a regular basis.  Maybe even sit by the door waiting for you to come home.

Why do Cat Spend Hours in the Sun

Yes, Cats do love the sun.  When I live in a 5th floor apartment, Sweetie the Cat would spend the morning and early afternoon sleeping on the bed, but at 3pm she came out of the bedroom, and planted herself at the terrace door in the livingroom.  You could pretty much set your clock by it.  Why 3PM?  Well, that was the time that the sun came directly into the living room.  Oh, and it didn’t matter if it was winter or summer, She could never get enough direct sun.

Cat’s are sun worshippers.  This goes back to the days when they were desert dwellers.  A cat would spend the day lounging in the sun and napping so they would be refreshed at night when they went out to hunt.  Today’s cats still have the same instinct as their ancestors.  Sleeping in the sun is just natural to them. 

Oh, and by the way, the average body temperature for a cat is 102 degrees, and their heart beats about 155 times a minute.  Pretty amazing knowing that those conditions could be fatal to humans.

Feral Cats

Feral cats are cats that don’t have a home, and live on the streets, communities, and wilderness.  Many of these cats have been abandoned pets and their offspring.  In other words, people just don’t want them anymore, and leave them to take care of themselves. 

Although there are people willing to feed them, taking them in is not always a good idea.  Some can adapt to life as an indoor cat, Cassie the Cat is a perfect example of that.  But many can not cope with an indoor life, and should not be brought inside.  So what do you do with these cats? 

In the past, it was considered acceptable to simply put them to sleep, but in recent years a new trend has taken place that has become very successful.  It’s called TNR, Trap, Neuter and Return.  Yes, I said return. 

The process is as follows:  When a colony of cats are discovered, they are trapped.  Those that are suitable for adoption are neutered and sent to shelters where they can find new and loving homes.  Those that are not adoptable are neutered, immunized, and then return them back where they came from.  This is a much more humane way of handling the problem, and studies have shown a great reduction in feral cats over the years, as the feral cat population simple dies out naturally.

The other great part about this program is that neutered cats tend to be less annoying to the general population.  What I mean by that is less spraying and a reduction of fights and yowling over mates.  Neutered cats will continue to defend their territory, but that’s a good thing.  It prevents other animals to move into the same area.

Although the program isn’t perfect it is the most humane and effective way to deal with the problem.  To learn more about the topic, go to www.alleycat.org.

One more thing,  please do not get a pet and release it into the wild if you no longer want that pet.  It could turn out to be a death sentence for your animal.  There are plenty of shelters you can take him/her to.  And please, don’t get a pet unless you are 100% sure that you will keep the pet and take care of it.

Cat Years Vs. Human Years

The other day I got into a conversation with a friend trying to figure out how old our cat’s were in human years.  You know the whole 7 years equals one for dogs.  Well, cats tend to live longer than dogs, and I’m not even sure that formula works for dogs.  So I did a little research to try to figure out how old Sweetie the Cat is in human years.  This is what I discovered.

Year one, your cat is equal to around 13 years old.  Year two, about twenty-five, From there, aging slows down a bit, and you need only add four years to every year older.  So a three-year old cat is 29, four-year old is 33, etc.  Got the picture? 

As for dog years vs. human years, I haven’t looked into that.  But I have a 16-year-old dog, Mugsy, sleeping next to me right now.  If the 7 year rule is true, then he’s 112 years old.   Oh, and Sweetie the Cat is 57.

The Nine Lives Myth

And yes it is a myth.  No one knows for sure when or where it started, but there is good reason for this myth to have come about. 

Cats are very adaptable, and can live in nearly any environment and climate.  Add to that their ability to get out of harms way in a flash, and you now have a myth.  Their ability to get into the smallest places, climb trees, land on their feet, and so much more, give credence to this myth. 

Also, cats tend to be finicky eaters.  This helps protect them sometimes with poisoning.  They are able to take care of themselves if need be, and would rather run from a fight, then actually fight.  Of course running isn’t always possible, and that’s when the claws and teeth come out.  They are very capable of defending themselves.

Put all this together, and you have to say to yourself, “Wow, that cat must have 9 lives.”

Cat Grooming

All cats by nature like to keep their coats clean.  That’s why you see them constantly cleaning their fur.  If your cat stops doing this, then there could be something wrong with your cat. 

Cats have a certain order they like to go by when cleaning themselves.  Just like people who get into a routine when showering, cats do the same thing.  Most cats start by liking their paws and getting it all wet, then they run their paw along the side and top of the head.  After repeating on the opposite side, they then turn their attention to her front legs and shoulders.  Next the back legs.  One goes up, gets cleaned, then the next.  Personal areas are next, and then they end with the tail.

If you’ve never seen a cat groom herself, you should catch a look at it.  It is amazing how a cat can contort her body to get to the most difficult areas.  Kittens are groomed by their mothers for the first six weeks of life.  After that, they are on their own when it comes to bathing.

For those with elder cats, fat cats or cats with long hair, it would be a good idea to help them out with the grooming.  Brush or comb your cat’s fur to get out the loose hairs.  This is not a dangerous prospect, since most cats enjoy being brush.