Tips For Stopping Spraying

Anytime your cat backs himself up to a door or other object in your house, lifts his tail, and releases urine – you have a problem.  This problem is known as spraying, and is very common with cats kept indoors.  Even though it is a very annoying problem, it’s a problem that can be solved.  

Contrary to what many think, spraying isn’t a litter box problem, but rather a problem with marking.  Cat urine that is sprayed contains pheromones, which is a substance that cats and other animals use for communicating.  Pheromones are much like fingerprints with humans, as they are used to identify the cat to other animals.

When a cat sprays something, he is simply marking his territory through his urine.  The spraying is simply the cat’s way of letting others know that the territory is his.  Even though it may make you mad and annoy you, getting angry with your cat will solve nothing.  If you raise your voice or show angry towards your cat, it can very well result in more spraying.

Cats that are in heat are easily attracted to the odor of urine.  For cats in heat, spraying is more or less an invitation for love.  Often times cats that spray while in heat results in a litter of kittens that are born in just a few short months.  Keep in mind that cats not only spray during heat, as some will also spray during encounters with other cats, or when they are feeling stressed.

Although spraying is a way of communicating for cats, the smell for people is horrible.  The good thing here is that most cats will do a majority of their spraying outdoors.  If you have an indoor cat that never goes outside, spraying can indeed be a problem.  If you’ve noticed spraying in your home, you should take action and do something about it immediately.

The most effective and also the easiest way to stop spraying is to have your cat either neutered or spayed, which of course depends on the sex.  Most male cats that have been neutered will stop spraying the same day they have the surgery. If you don’t want to get your cat neutered or spayed, you should look into other options.  If you hope to one day breed your cat, you certainly don’t want to have him neutered or spayed.

The best thing to do in this situation is to talk to your veterinarian.  He will be able to give you advice, and possibly even solve the problem without having surgery.  There may be a medical problem present that is causing the problem, which your vet can identify.  You should always do something about spraying the moment it starts – simply because cat urine stinks and it can leave stains all over your home.

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Cat Toilet Training

One of the first things as an owner that wants to toilet train your cat is to know about your cat. The behavior of a cat; the does, and don'ts of training a cat.

Since we are going to talk about potty training a cat, we need to set some basic rules down. Most important one is that if you do not catch the cat going potty on the floor at the very moment; it will not make any sense to the cat what you do to them about it. Cats remember things like that only shortly. No rubbing the nose of the cat in it, that will only cause pain, or do anything that would harm or hurt your cat. By doing any of these painful acts will only make the cat afraid of you and you will have a very hard time training your cat to do any behaviors, or taking care of your cat.

Let us look over the potty training a cat. Having a cat potty trained on any household toilet will save you thousands of dollars in kitty litter. Will keep the cats area clean, safe and dry, and since a cat does not like messes this is a great way to get rid of the mess for you.

Now you are wondering why someone would want to have the cat use the toilet and not the litter box. In the fecal, of the feline, when mixed with kitty litter can cause people of all ages to get sick. When the cat comes out of the litter box to a person, on its paws are the germs from the litter box. When you or family member is sick or aged people, they are very expectable to this disease.

With a cat being potty trained, the fecal goes under the water this will help prevent the disease from spreading. There are devices on the market that will help you potty train your cat. The devices come with books to help and support you with toilet training your cat.

Let's look at the potty device, to see what steps are taken to get the cat to use the toilet.

First, you will need to put the device in the toilet. It is basically a small shallow version of a toilet bowl that fits under the ring on the toilet.

The recommendation is to put small amount of cat litter in the small portion of the plastic bowl. Then remove all other cat litter boxes, so the cat will only find litter in one place. Another thought is to cover the plants on the floor, so the cat will not be able to dig in the dirt.

With the device, that you get, there could be some type of fragrances to put on the toilet device to help attract the cat to that area. Leave the cat for a while in the bathroom, with the door closed, privacy is something that cat need and want and will the cat will explore that the litter in on the toilet and use it there. If there seems to be a problem with the cat going, you may want to put the litter box next to the toilet, this way the cat will get use to this and see the toilet, before getting the training started. In this time if you see that cat needs to go, pick the cat up and put it on the toilet with the device on so that kitty will see the device and the litter.

This will all take time and lots of patience from you and some good training to the cat. The cat does not have natural instincts to go in the bathroom and go on the toilet. When a cat is older, this can be a real task as the older cats are usually set in their ways and do not like change. With this, you will want to use the slow approach.

In the end, you and your cat will be happy that there are no more kitty litter boxes in the home.

Rewards are very important in this training and hard also; you may not see or catch your cat on there going but remember to reward them when you do see them.

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Cat Hairballs

Cats have such precocious personalities. They love to leave us presents like the dead lizards they have hunted down and killed. You might find a mouse in its death throes twitching on your doorstep. Or you might even be treated to a wonderful display of hacking and retching from your cat, with the wonderful result of a hairball for its efforts. Hairballs, or trichobezoars as the scientists and veterinarians like to call it, are literally balls of hair. And since hair is not a digestible piece of matter, the rule of most living bodies is what goes in, must come out. So, cats will either pass hair through their digestive system or the hair will build up in their bodies causing the retching and heaving required to get rid of it. If you are not familiar with cats, the first time you witness this upchucked hairball could be a bit disconcerting.

You may ask why cats ingest so much hair in the first place. Just think about their grooming practices. They lick and lick with that serrated like tongue that easily captures any loose, dead fur. It is because of that rough tongue cat possess that they cannot spit out any offending fur. So, the only thing a cat can do is swallow the offending fur. For the most part, the hair just passes right on through their bodies, being digested then excreted through normal elimination. However, if too much hair accumulates and builds up into a matted wad inside their tummy, it is almost impossible to pass through the digestive system, hence the hacking and retching to try and vomit the offending hairball out.

Cats with long fur are more likely to develop hairballs. Not that those cats with short hair don't also get hairballs, but when you have longer hair, you have more of it to ingest. If your cat cannot rid itself of a hairball through vomiting or through the digestive system, they could suffer from a blockage in the intestine or stomach. Left untreated for too long can be life-threatening. Without surgery, that blockage caused by a hairball could kill your kitty.

Some warning signs of a possible hairball blockage could be continued heaving or retching that does not produce anything; there is also loss of appetite or lack of defecation. If your cat is constipated, a hairball could be the cause. To avoid the loss of a beloved cat, there are some steps you can take to prevent or lessen the chance of hairballs.

Hairball preventative #1 – Brush your cat. By doing a lot of the grooming work for your cat, you lessen the chance of too much ingestion of hair. Brushing your cat's hair will help it get rid of the dead hair. By wiping your cat with a moist towel, this will capture any stray dead hairs.

Hairball preventative #2 – Special hairball treats. On the market today are selections of edible treats with special ingredients that help break up hairballs. Many of them contain mineral oil. Some cat food companies make special lines of food specifically for these hairball-prone kitties.

Hairball preventative #3 – Facilitate a hairball. If a hairball is a continuous presence in your cat's life, a lubricant is needed to help your cat digest and pass the offending hairball through the stomach and intestines. Products with petroleum are the best a facilitating this process and are available in a variety of flavors that cats love.

There is no cure for the common cat hairball, but as you can see from the preventatives listed above, there are specific measures to try before surgery is considered. If your cat is a compulsive groomer, they are more likely to develop hairballs. If you can determine the cause of the excessive grooming, take steps to eradicate the problem. Other times, cats could be just bored or nervous and the process of grooming not only gives them something to do, but it also soothes their nerves. You, as the cat's owner, can create a game to play with your cat. In other words, redirect the cat's energies into an activity to avoid the excessive licking that causes hairballs.

Just remember, if your cat displays any unusual behaviors like retching or lack of body elimination, get them into the veterinarian as soon as possible. The vet can do a thorough exam and provide with the best course of treatment for the dreaded hairball.

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Grooming Your Cat

No cat wants to be dirty, and it’s up to you to ensure that your cat stays clean.  Grooming is very important, as it helps your cat remain clean and healthy.  Grooming starts with brushing, as brushing helps to keep the cats hair from becoming hairballs.  Brushing will remove loose hair, and help prevent the risk of hairballs.  A lot of cats have trouble dislodging hairballs.  If the cat isn’t able to get a hairball out, it could result in a blockage of the intestines.  Blockages are very serious, and can quickly become life threatening for your pet.

Cats that have long hair need to be brushed and combed on a daily basis, while cats with short hair need to be groomed on a weekly basis.  When you brush your cat, you should always watch for lumps in the coat and skin irritations.  You should start brushing along the cat’s back, going from his head to his tail.  Do this a few times on one side, and then switch to the other.  Each area should be brushed a few times in the direction of the way your cat’s hair is growing.

When you brush your cat, you should always avoid brushing his face and paws.  If a cat doesn’t like to be brushed, you can still groom him using another tool.  The grooming glove is an excellent alternative to the brush, as most cats don’t mind it at all.  Starting out young is the key to grooming, as it will get your cat used to brushing and grooming.  Some cats that have started grooming when they were kittens grow to love it, many of which often look forward to their grooming time.

When brushing your cat, make sure that you check his ears, eyes, teeth, and claws.  His eyes should be bright and clear with nothing residing in the corners.  His ears should be clean, pink in color, and no sign of ear mites.  Ear mites result from dirt built up in a cat’s ears, and can result in the ears shriveling up and your cat losing his hearing.  Ear mites are very annoying for the cat, and hard for you as an owner to get rid of.  The best way to get rid of them – is to ensure that your cat’s ears stay clean and healthy.

Each time you groom your cat, you should always aim to go a bit further with your examinations.  When your cat remains still, you should always praise him and give him a treat.  If your cat doesn’t cooperate and starts to struggle, you shouldn’t fight with him, but instead let him go and try the next day.  Once your cat gets used to grooming he will look forward to it each and every day.

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