Training a cat may sometimes be avoided by owners because of the nature of cats.

However, training a cat is not only possible, but also is becoming more popular in order to make the cat and your household easier to live in.

Because of the behaviors of cats, there are several techniques that can be used for training a cat without becoming frustrated and without punishing your cat.

Understanding the cats behavior helps for training a cat

The best way for training a cat is to understand their behavior and instinct.  Most cats are intelligent creatures that react strongly to their environment.

Some of this is naturally done by their instincts and survival methods that have been used.  The behaviors of cats are also best to use when training a cat.

They are highly sensitive to things such as environment, sound and smell.  These behavioral reactions can be used to your benefit when training a cat.

One of the things that most cat owners want to learn is how to train a cat to use a litter box.  The first step in making sure that they will be trained in this is by building an environment that they will be attracted to.

If you are a cat owner, it is always a good idea to be prepared for pet emergencies. A good way to prepare is to have a pet first aid kit on hand to treat your cat.

Preparing for snakebite problems

Cats that go outdoors are always getting hurt and into trouble. One emergency to prepare for is snakebites. While snakebites are more common in dogs than cats, it is always good to be prepared for such snakebite problems.

When preparing a first aid kit for your pet, there are several items that will help you treat your cat for snakebite.

You should always have the numbers of your vet and the number to at least two 24-hour pet clinics on hand at all times.

Also, have the number to poison control for both humans and animals included with your first aid kit. You will also need several bandages or torn strips of cloth in your first aid kit. Having these basic items on hand will help you quickly treat your cat after snakebite

In the United States, there are several common poisonous snakes. Rattlesnakes, water moccasins, copperheads, and coral snakes are all poisonous.

Toxoplasmosis is a disease caused by the single-celled toxoplasma gondii parasite.

This parasite is found throughout the world, but more than 60 million people in the United States alone may be currently infected with the toxoplasma parasite.

Few people show symptoms of toxoplasmosis because the immune system wards it off.

In pregnant women or people with compromised immune systems, however, toxoplasmosis can cause serious health problems.

Cats and Toxoplasmosis

Cats can become infected with toxoplasmosis in the same way as humans, which is by eating contaminated food or drinking contaminated water.

In humans, toxoplasmosis can also be contracted by eating infected vegetables that have not been cleaned.  In addition, toxoplasmosis can be transmitted by receiving an infected blood transfusion or organ transplant, though this is rare.

Eating birds, mice, or other animals infects the most common means for cats to become infected with toxoplasmosis with the toxoplasma parasite.  For indoor cats, eating uncooked scraps of meat is the most common means of infection.

After a cat ingests the toxoplasma parasite, it excretes toxoplasma oocysts in its feces.  In fact, it excretes millions of them every day for up to two weeks.

Have you ever heard the saying, “Blood tells the tale?” In the case of ticks, that would definitely be an accurate statement.

On your cat, ticks can be fairly easy to spot, especially if your cat has a short fur coat.

If the ticks have just newly latched on to your cat’s skin, they will not yet have the telling distended body that is full of blood, their favorite and only meal they need to live on.

So how do ticks find their way onto your cat? Thanks to body heat, that is all that is needed.  Ticks seek warm-blooded animals to latch onto with their pincher-like mandibles.

They will burrow around until they find a relatively hair free spot and latch on, only letting go once they have had their fill of your cat’s blood or if the cat’s owner (that would be you) finds the culprit and pulls the ticks off.

Ticks are normally found in heavily wooded areas or places where tall grass exists.  If your cat likes to prowl and you live close to a wooded or grassy area, you will have to take precautions and be very diligent about inspecting your cat for these disgusting blood suckers.

Pussy cats are ill tempered and mean at their worst, but even the most annoying problems have a remedy somewhere.

Six common behavioral problems in pussy cats and some solutions for them

1. Clawing your furnishings and carpet. Pussy cats actually need to sharpen their claws, just like rodents need to gnaw.

Their claws never stop growing, and what they’re actually doing when they sharpen their claws is removing the outer layer of the claw.

Some people will simply declaw a cat that is having problem. You do not advocate this.

Even the most indoor of cats may wind up outside by accident or design one day, and if you remove your cat’s claws, you’re taking away his or her primary form of defense.

Before declawing, try getting a scratching post. If your pussy cat loves someone more than anyone else in the family, hang a dirty sock belonging to that person on the scratching post to make it smell familiar (you can take it off after about a day). You can also sprinkle catnip over it or – this is weird but it works – powdered chicken bouillon. The idea is to get the pussy cat to feel friendly enough to the scratching post to attack it.

You’ve done the most important part: you’ve scoured local shelters and found your new pet! Now, before you bring your cat or kitten home, finish up the leg work and make sure your home—and you—are completely prepared for the new arrival.

Once you bring your pussy cat home, you’ll be secure in the knowledge that you are ready for your new pet, and you can spend your time playing and getting to know each other in a comfortable environment.

Preparing your home for the pussy cat

1. Think like a cat

This one is a good place to start, particularly if you have never owned a pussy cat before. Get down on the floor and survey the room from a cat’s perspective—after you’ve closed the blinds, of course!

What might pique a cat’s interest? What stands out as a potential danger to the pussy cat? Be sure to use a flashlight and look under the sofa and in smaller areas that a human can’t easily reach, but might be tempting for a pussy cat to explore. Keep a list of the potential hazards that you discover.

2. Remove temptation

Perhaps the most common malnutrition problem with cats is obesity.

To be considered obese, a cat has to be at least 20% heavier than what is considered to be its optimal weight, and the excess weight is due to fat accumulation.

A cat that is 1-19% over its ideal body weight is considered to be obese cat.

To maintain health and to ensure a long and happy life, cats should be neither obese nor overweight.

Determining if a Cat is Overweight or Obese

There is no magical body weight that is appropriate for all cats.  The breed, general size, and age of the cat all have a factor in how much it should weigh.

To determine the optimal weight of a specific cat, it is best to consult a veterinarian.  In general, however, a cat whose ribs are hard to feel because they are covered with a layer of fat is overweight or obese, depending on how thick the layer of fat is.

A cat is also considered to be obese if it has a moderate or thick layer of fat that covers all of its bony areas.

Many cat owners do not spay or neuter their indoor cats.  There are multiple excuses for failure to perform these simple procedures.

Some don’t want to bear the cost of spaying or neutering.

Others think it is “cruel” to do so.  Yet others simply don’t see a reason to spay or neuter their indoor cats.

In all cases, the pet owner is making a terrible mistake by failing to spay or neuter their pet.

Overpopulation in indoor cats

The main reason it is important to spay or neuter the indoor cats is because there is a terrible overpopulation problem with indoor cats.

In fact, the United States alone has puts over 10 million cats and dogs to death every year by euthanasia.  This is performed routinely in animal shelters because there are simply too many animals and not enough homes for them to live.

The majority of indoor cats that are put to sleep are healthy and friendly animals.  The majority of them are also young.

For the sake of the animals, it is important to have then spayed or neutered to avoid creating more animals with no place to live.

Your young kittens need the proper food to grow and develop into a healthy cat. Sometimes pet owners can find the number of cat food choices overwhelming.

What are a kitten’s basic nutritional needs? How often should a kitten eat? Canned or dry? What’s the difference between kitten food and adult cat food?

Some of the nutritional needs for kittens

Nutritional Needs

A young kitten has very specific nutritional needs. In general, cats need only four main nutrients: meat-based protein, taurine (an amino acid), water, and various vitamins, minerals, and amino acids.

Kittens, however, need higher amounts of all these ingredients to grow properly and have the energy needed for just being a kitten!

For the first five weeks of its life, a kitten should be nursing from its mother. At week five, kittens can start to be weaned, although they will continue to nurse until they are eight or ten weeks old, satisfying their need for suckling.

Often, pet owners will feed the mother a nutrient-packed kitten food while she is pregnant and for the first few weeks after birth.

In the first year of life, kittens develop at a rapid rate, both physically and socially.

Learn about the major milestones in their development, and how you can help the process along.

Milestones in the kittens development

First six weeks

For the first week of life, kittens live only to process food and gain nutrients. Their eye and ear canals will not yet be open, and the mother cat will take care of all their needs.

By the end of week two, their eyes will be completely open. Throughout this week and the next, their senses of sight, smell, and hearing will be developing and they’ll become more aware of the outside world.

During week three, kittens may start to purr and the mother cat may begin to wean them, as they can digest on their own.

Between weeks three and four, the kittens will start to stand and even walk. In week five, the weaning process will start taking place in earnest.

Owners should offer kittens’ well-balanced canned food especially formulated for kitten needs. As the kittens are slowly weaned, they will continue to nurse for up to eight or 10 weeks to satisfy their need to suckle.