CAT NIPS – Helpful Hints & Famous Felines
Set aside 15 minutes once or twice a day to play with your cats! Cats love the routine, and you’ll notice that they will start getting playful around the same time everyday.
If you’re in a bad mood, play with your cat in spite of it. You may be surprised how your mood will change!
Some of the best toys are homemade. Fill an old sock with cat nip – your cat will love the smells of your feet AND the catnip. It’s best to use a white or undyed sock. A cardboard box filled with tissue paper. Cats love a good cave, so give them an empyt grocery bag.
Need a Cat Sitter?
Although friends may offer thinking it will be fun, have the number of a back-up professional as well. A good place to find a trustworthy cat sitter is to ask your vet. Usually someone on the staff cat sits on the side. If no one at your vets office cat sits, call another vets office, one specializing in cats.
Some cats aren’t good at boarding. Being in a cage surrounded by other strange animals, smells and noises. The stress can be unbearable for some cats.
You cat may be happier home alone! Though lonely, she’ll be in her familiar environment. Keep her well – fed and have some human visitors, even if it’s only for an hour twice a day will go far to keep her feeling stress-free until you return.
Giving Medication?
If you have to give your cat medication, here’s a few tips to make things go a little easier for both of you.
If you cat requires liquid medicine, ALWAYS squirt it in the side of their mouth, never straight down their throat. Start at the back side of their jaw, and squirt almost straight across, angle it back just so that it doesn’t go out the other side. By squirting the medicine in the side of their mouth, it allows them to use their tongue to help swallow. When it goes straight down their throat, it chokes them.
If you’re hiding medicine in food, put the medicine in only a tablespoon of food, and don’t give any more food until that tablespoon has been eaten. Many vets don’t recomend putting medicine in food bcasue if the cat doesn’t finish the food they will not get the full dosage. By putting the medicine in a smaller amount of food you can make sure your cat gets his full dosage.
Giving a cat a pill really isn’t that hard – once you learn how. Don’t try and stick the pill far back in the cats mouth, he willl just work it forward and spit it out. Remember, he thinks he’s going to choke so it’s natural for him to not swallow it. Get your cat in a sitting position, on a contertop is best. Reach around and stroke his throat, and he will usually stretch his neck. Gently put pressure on the side of his mouth, pop the pill in and close his mouth keeping his nose angled upwards. Usually it goes right down. Then have a treat ready. Always be very gentle with your cat so that getting medicne is a treat, not an ordeal. You don’t want your cat hiding under the bed at medicine time.
Scratching Posts
The best post have rope or burbur (short) carpet.
Fluffy (shag carpeting) posts don’t allow for the deep working of the class that your cat wants for a satisfactory “scratching.”
Make sure the post has a heavy base, or anchor it to the wall. Try a piece of carpet pad under the base to help it stay in one place. If you cat is able to pull over the scratching post, he will become afraid of it and stop using it.
Freshen the post with catnip, but not more than once a week, or the cats will become desensitized to the effect of catnip.
FAMOUS FELINES
One thing cats don’t need is a PR agent. From BASTET, the Goddess of cats, women and secrets from Egypt, to Christine Aman-Purr, cats continue to be a source of admiration and inspriation for humans. Of course there are no shortage of youtube cat videos (this ones a personal fav!). To save you some time, here’s a few of our favorite cats, but if you go the the youtube cat videos, all bets are off!
Cats in the News
The Accupuncture Cat – Read the story of a cat who loved accupuncture – for his human!
Cats in the Movies
Both “Enemy of the State” and “Breakfast at Tiffanys” star “Orange Cat” and have great supporting actors Gene Hackman and Audry Hepburn who worked closely with the cats. And for a good laugh, check out humans dressed up as “Cats” your cats will be amewsed too!. Want to see the big cats in their natural habitat? Nothing beats the all time classic “Born Free.” Your cats can see their relatives in the great outdoors.