Some stressful situations that can cause cat anxiety for your cat are: being alone in the house, or when visitors to the home, another new pet or family member, moving to a new home, visits to the veterinarian, adjusting to a new environment, and multiple cat households. Unfortunately, when cats suffer from stress and anxiety, they generally communicate it in a very clear way that can really turn humans upside down. One of the real signs that usually tell us is that they are not using the cat litter box.

Cats with separation anxiety don’t howl and bay like dogs and theydon’tchew on doors and windowsills in frantic attempts to escape. Their misery is far less obvious and it sometimes takes a sleuth of an owner to appreciate what is going on. Separation anxiety in cats is a less common phenomenon and typically gives rise to behaviors that are not as destructive as those of a dog suffering from separation anxiety. It is so uncommon in cats that it was not till recently that the disorder was considered to be absent in the feline species.

Separation anxiety is a very distressing condition for pets and their owners. Although it is difficult to treat, the long term benefits of having a happier and healthier pet are well worth the time spent training your pet. Separation anxiety: canine and feline and human beings alike, are all prone to and suffer from active bouts of stress due to environmental, emotional, and physical factors. Such stressful times can not only be harmful to your pet, but also to you as a pet owner.

Cats normally are fastidious groomers and as much as 30 - 50% of their time awake is spent performing some type of grooming behavior. One uncommon sign of cat anxiety may be excessive grooming, to the point of creating a bald spot on one or two areas of the body. Cats may show their distress in other, less obvious ways such as becoming too anxious to eat when left alone; or vomiting only when the owner is not there.

When you ask an owner of a cat how she gets rid of fleas from her beloved feline, you will surely receive lots of advice. You will undoubtedly receive a list of flea products that she has tried on her cat as well. However, if you would ask how you can get rid of fleas from your kitten, well, you just might not receive that many pieces of advice.

Kittens, being young, do not really have that strong an immune system yet. Thus, you cannot really use just any product that you would with an adult cat on your young kitten. After all, feline flea products would understandably contain chemicals, and exposure to such chemicals can even result to fatalities for your kitten. Thus, you have to be very wary about this particular scenario.

Of course, you can just choose to leave the fleas on your kitten and just wait for it to grow a bit older so that by then, you can already use flea products on it. This would be the wise thing to do, right? Wrong. In fact, no veterinarian would recommend any cat owner to do this at all. After all, fleas feed on the blood of their host. If this condition is left untreated, it would not take long for your kitten to develop the potentially fatal condition of anemia. Thus, you should not consider just shelving the problem off until your kitten is old enough to handle the chemicals that come with flea products. You still have to do something about the situation.

Since this is the case, then the wise thing to do is to consult your veterinarian. This way, your vet can determine the appropriate flea product that you should use on your kitten. Your vet would have to consider a lot of aspects for this, such as the age of your kitten, its physical size, and the severity of the flea condition. This way, your vet can choose the flea product that would best suit your kitten.

Kitten owners do not really have that many choices of methods to turn to in getting rid of fleas. However, you can also resort to using the flea comb, which is a fine-tooth comb that can brush off fleas from your kitten’s fur. Of course, this can be a bit of a hassle on your part. Just make sure you have a basin of soapy water in which you can drop the fleas so that they would indeed be killed in the process.

Castration of entire males usually diminishes or stops spraying and makes the urine less pungent smelling. It is, however, not universally effective; rates of effectiveness have been reported to be around 78%. The administration of progestagens is sometimes effective in both entire and neutered cats. Medication can be given intermittently or continuously. The mode of action is thought to be through negative feedback on the hypothalamus and through calming effects in the cerebral cortex. The use of sedative or psychoactive drugs may also be of help in the short term, while environmental and behavior modification are introduced.

Cat owners should be discouraged from punishing the tomcat in any way after spraying, since this can exacerbate the situation. On the other hand, if the cat can be caught in the act, direct punishment (a jet of water from a water pistol) or a suitable object that, when thrown, physically disrupts the behavior, can be very effective. Cats caught spraying can also be deterred by an unexpected noise, such as that produced by an alarm or throwing a bunch of keys for example.

Are you someone that bathes their cat at home? It’s not for everyone.

Cats don’t normally need a bath as they do so well at keeping themselves clean. But sometimes they require one for medical reasons and you need to take the plunge or have it done by your vet. Of course, it’s always best to begin giving your cat baths when she’s a kitten. The earlier in life your cat is exposed to the sink for a bath, the easier it will be to bathe her as she grows up. If that time has passed and you decide to take on the task later in life, here are some tips.

First, get all your supplies in order. If you’re bathing as a result of a skin condition, be sure you use a shampoo that’s recommended by your veterinarian.

As we all know, cats love warmth so make sure the room warm. Also, use of a pheromone emitter that plugs in helps to lessen your cat’s anxiety. Whether you’re bathing in a sink or a tub, it’s wise to place a rubber mat on the bottom so your cat doesn’t slip around. It’s already stressful on your cat without you having to keep her upright while bathing. If you bathe your cat in the sink, use of a hand sprayer is best. If you bathe your cat in the bathtub, a removable shower head works best. If you don’t have either of these, then a large plastic cup will do.

If you have two people for the task then one can gently hold the cat at the neck while the other one bathes. If there’s only you, then use of a harness helps. Just attach a leash to the harness and wrap it around the faucet leaving a foot or so lead so your cat doesn’t jump out. Never leave the room when your cat is in a harness. If you’re bathing your cat alone and don’t have a harness, be sure to close off the room. Otherwise, you might have a wet cat running through your house. It’s also wise to dress appropriately. Plan on getting wet and potentially scratched or bitten. Use of rubber gloves helps protect you.

Now for the actual bath. Get the water to a comfortable temperature and then put your cat in. Apply the shampoo starting with the head and going all the way to the tail. Then start lathering in the same direction. Some shampoos say to leave them on for a period of time before rinsing, so be sure to read the directions first. Be sure all the shampoo is rinsed out thoroughly. Shampoo left on the skin can cause skin irritations or be swallowed when your cat licks her fur.

To dry your cat, first squeeze all the water you can from her hair and then use a big fluffy towel to wrap her in. Most cats don’t stand for a blow dryer. It scares them unless you’ve already gotten your cat use to its’ sound and feel. Even then, not all cats will stand for it. Try to comb your cats hair out while still wet if you can. Otherwise, use a comb once she’s settled down.

Female cats can have many heat periods in each breeding season. Each heat period lasts between five to 14 days. If she is mated, the cat will usually go out of heat within 24 hours. When in heat, the cat may display several Symptoms. These may vary between breeds and even between individual cats. Signs include the famous calling (loud meowing), increased appetite and restlessness. Many cats begin to roll on the floor and demand to be petted.

If the cat is not mated and does not become pregnant, she can go into heat repeatedly every two to three weeks. This means that if your cat goes into heat - you can’t simply keep her locked up at home, waiting for it to go away. Unless you spay the cat, she will keep going into heat practically every month. Occasionally, a cat may exhibit a condition called pseudo-pregnancy or false pregnancy, where elevated levels of hormones cause symptoms that look much like a pregnancy.This condition can last for several weeks and then gradually fade away.

When owning a cat, it is important to know what the symptoms of a pregnant cat are. When a cat becomes pregnant, pregnancy symptoms are initially noticed at approximately the three week stage of pregnancy.

Fertilisation in the queen takes place in the oviducts and 6-8 days post-mating the blastocysts migrate into the uterus. Implantation is thought to occur 11-14 days post-mating.

WATCH FOR THESE SYMPTOMS OF PREGNANT CAT.

Pregnancy is most commonly confirmed by abdominal palpation: a series of discrete, firm spherical uterine enlargements can be readily felt by days 17-25 of gestation. Developing kittens can be seen using ultrasound as early as day 14-15 and foetal heartbeats can be seen from day 22. Foetal skeletons can be visualized on radiographs from day 43 of gestation onwards. No laboratory tests are currently used routinely for the diagnosis of pregnancy in cats, although there has been substancial work on the faecal excretion of progesterone.

The duration of pregnancy is 67 days on average (range 62-71). The average number of kittens born alive per litter is 4, with a range of 1-8 live kittens per litter. Approximately 5% of kittens are stillborn; the percentage is higher in Persian cats. On average, 87% of kittens born alive are reared successfully. There is no apparent breed difference in the duration of gestation.

Once You have Confirmed The Symptoms Of Your Pregnant Cat you should consult your vet just to make sure She’s Healthy and Discuss a Plan For Those Cute Adorable Kittens Coming Soon!

1. Pain Aggression - if your home environment remains the same, but your cat suddenly becomes aggressive, it may be because of some sudden sickness. For example, arthritis, dental problems or some other painful condition could cause your cat to become aggressive.
2. Play Aggression - your cat likes to play rough, biting and scratching you. Or it likes to stalk you or ambush you. In many cases, this is because your cat was taken away from its mother too soon, so it did not learn to moderate its aggression when playing. Another reason could be that you rough-house with your cat too much, hence conditioning it to be aggressive when playing.
3. Fear Aggression - kitty hisses, bares her teeth, and crouches low with its tail and legs tucked under its body. Its ears are flat against its head, its pupils are dilated, and its fur stands on end. These are signs that your cat is afraid of something, and is preparing to protect itself.
4. Predatory Aggression - your cat attacks your pet bird, or some other small animal like a mouse. This aggressiveness is actually your cat’s natural heritage: to hunt prey. Unfortunately, since these are modern times, and we are discussing your pet cat rather than some farm cat, this predatory behavior is probably not desirable.
5. Redirected Aggression - something seems to be provoking your cat, but when you approach it, it attacks you instead. Cats are no more logical than human beings. This is like your father becoming pissed off by something at work, then coming home and taking out his anger on you.
6. Petting Aggression - just like kids, a little bit of attention is great, but too much will set them off. You could be happily petting or playing with kitty just moments ago, but it suddenly became aggressive.
7. Status Aggression - your cat is trying to show you who’s boss. The symptoms are usually tail swishing, flattened ears, dilated pupils, growling, and hissing.
8. Territorial Aggression - you bring home a new cat or some other pet, and kitty chases or attacks it. Unneutered tomcats can be especially aggressive in defending their territory.
9. Maternal Aggression - your cat just gave birth, and will not allow you to get near her kittens.

This is not a comprehensive list, but should cover most cases of aggression. Not all causes of cat aggression can be treated. Some, like redirected aggression or maternal aggression, require that you recognize it and adapt yourself to it. Others, like pain aggression, will disappear once you remove the cause of pain.

The most important thing to do is to access your situation. Often times, when one pet is getting old, it’s a good idea to go ahead and introduce a new pet. It may even help the older pet live longer.

It is often easier to introduce two pets when they are young, but with a little know-how, it is possible to introduce a new pet to your old one. If you have plenty of love for both of them and a lot of patience, you can do it.

You must first be sure that your new pet is disease-free and up-to-date on its shots because you don’t want your older pet to get sick. Make sure both pets are neutered, and that you’ll be able to afford your new pet. Here’s a chart for the average first year of expenses for pets:

A small dog is $780; a large dog is $1,500; a cat is $640, a rabbit is $885 and a small bird is around $185.

Adopting a pet is the best thing people can do nowadays, because there are so many. There is a viral email petition going around concerning the Obama family dog, asking Senator Obama and his family to adopt their first dog. He promised children they could get a dog no matter whether he wins the election or not.

Over four million unwanted pets are in the United States, many of which are up for adoption. Sadly, seven million dogs and cats are killed each year due to overpopulation. Did you know that 20 to 30 percent of the dogs up for adoption in shelters are purebreds? The other 70 to 75 percent are most often mixed breed animals.

In order to adopt a pet, you might want to start by visiting www.petfinder.com, a site that lists many shelters across the US. You can also search for specific breeds or breed mixes. Also just be aware that if all dogs on a particular shelter’s website are described the same way (sweet, loving, friendly, etc.) then that shelter probably doesn’t know the individual dogs’ personalities so you may want to avoid the shelter.

Be sure to contact the shelters in your area and ask about their return policy. Good shelters will accept any dog or cat they have adopted out in the past as a return during any time in his life. Check out the adoption procedures, so you can visit with your new pet outside of the shelter kennel. Good shelters also don’t promote dogs who have a prior history of bad tempers.

Always avoid any preconceptions about what kind of pet including its age, breed, color, sex or size - and be prepared to have an open mind.

Once you have chosen your new pet, the best way to introduce new pets in your family is to put the new pet in his or her own room for a week before allowing the younger pet to be around it. Spend plenty of time with each pet. Let the new pet out of its room, and let the older pet goes in the room where the new pet was staying, so it can get used to the new pet’s smell without being intimidated.

Be very loving to both pets and always respect them. Then let them see one another but do not allow any physical contact. Or you could separate the animals with a child gate. If you hear some hissing or growling, know that this is normal. Once they seem to be used to seeing one another, let them get together, but make sure that someone supervises them. Provide treats to each animal and feed them in separate bowls at opposite sides of the room so they won’t fight for the food. This should be done at the same time every day until the animals become used to the routine. Over time, move the dishes closer together - slowly. If either animal shows signs of aggression, move their dishes back to the original starting point. Wait a few more days and move the pans closer once again.

Never let your animals be together unsupervised until they are completely comfortable with one another, to avoid fights. This process may take anywhere from one to six weeks. However if done right, in the end, you will have a calm family and happy pets.

And as sad as it may be, when an older pet dies, make sure that you have planned for a pet memorial. Let your children help choose a pet urn for cremation, or a pet casket for their pet’s burial, along with a memorial keepsake box for photos. This along with adopting another pet, can help children through sad times.[ad#ad-1]

1. Can you afford it?
Food, treats, toys, scratching post, bedding, litter boxes, litter, flea treatment, worming tablets, vaccinations, visits to the vet, pet insurance, cattery costs… it all adds up, and it’s not cheap.

2. Are you around enough?
Your cat needs regular, fresh meals and a constant supply of fresh drinking water.

3. Are you able to give your cat attention every day?
Cats need lots of human companionship. It’s not fair on a cat to leave him alone for long, frequent periods. Most cats are OK to be left alone while their owners are out at work during the day, as long as they get attention in the evening.

4. Are you willing to put up with some damage to your home?
A home with a cat is unlikely to survive completely unscathed. Your furniture may get scratched, your cat may do the odd pee or poop on the carpet, he may throw up on the sofa…

5. Do you have a safe area where your cat can play?
Your cat will need a safe area to exercise in (whether that’s indoors or outdoors). If it’s outdoors, it needs to be well away from busy traffic etc.

6. Is your home environment suitable?
If you have a dog or young kids, for example, you’ll need to ensure the cat you adopt is able to cope with them. Also, are there any areas in your home that would be unsafe for a cat (a workshop in the garage for example), and if so do you have a way of keeping the cat out of there?

7. Do you have enough time?
Cats need playing with every day. Long haired cats need grooming every day, short haired cats once every few days.

8. Are you OK with cleaning the litter box?
You’ll need to scoop out the box at least once every day and clean it out completely once a week.

9. Are you able to care for your cat if he gets sick?
This may mean taking some days off work, staying up with your cat overnight, giving him medication, cleaning his eyes, ears, nose etc.

10. Are you prepared for the commitment?
Lots of cats are now living into their late teens and even early 20s. If you’re 25 and single now, there’s a good chance your cat will still be alive when you’re 40 and married with kids.

If you are able to provide the right environment and enough time and commitment, cat adoption will likely be one of the most rewarding and pleasurable things you ever do.

Remember to be patient. Your cat is an individual, with his own abilities and preferences, just like you. He will pick up some tricks quickly, but may struggle with others. Make adjustments for his personality, and do not lose your temper if training does not go exactly as you planned.

If you are leaving food out at all times for him to eat when he feels like it, stop. Enforcing a feeding schedule has two main benefits: it increases the reward-value of food treats used for training, and also introduces some routine into your cat’s life, which most cats actually desire.

If you are using food treats, make sure your training sessions are just before mealtimes. Your cat’s natural desire for food at his regular mealtime will sharpen his focus and increase his desire to obey you, so he can get a treat.

Take baby steps. When training your cat, do not jump right into the harder tricks. Making sure he has a solid grasp of the basics will make learning the harder tricks that much easier.

Remember, cats have quite short attention spans and become bored very quickly. Try to keep your lessons short and interesting, and always end your lessons on a positive note.

Animal shelters and pet adoption centers do their best to accommodate dog rescues, and look forward to all dog adoptions. Every time a dog is adopted, one more dog is saved from possible euthanasia. Animal Control adoption regulations require that all currently owned pets be up-to-date on rabies vaccinations and animal licensing. Landlord approval is needed for tenants of rental properties. Animal lovers that we are, we knew that there must be a better way! In the beginning, we had a very small adoption fee, very few requirements for adopting, and our pets had virtually no vet care prior to adoption.

Pet adoption can be an informal or formal arrangement. Some owners will post adverts about pets to a good home, where by they just pass on responsibility to someone else, creating an informal adoption process. Pet adoption should always be something that people should consider when looking for a new pet. A quick look around the numerous animal shelters will uncover dogs, cats, rabbits, horses, in fact any animal that you can think. Pet adoption allows you to legally own a dog in an easy manner. Lots of wonderful, beautiful puppies and dogs are wanting of deserving pet owners to adopt them and give them a home to enjoy.

Shelter pets are a bargain. For an pet adoption fee between $60 and $100, you can adopt an animal that would cost several hundred dollars through other means. Shelters and rescue organizations agree that black cats are the last ones chosen from any litter. We can’t understand it - they are shiny, sleek awesome companions! Shelters also have healthy animals and they are not expensive. Adoption counselors in the shelter help owners in arriving at a decision on pets.

Rescue groups are also a good source for information about a specific breed and can give you information about reputable breeders if you desire. Rescues are very careful to make sure their adoptable dogs and cats go to the right homes. Each organization has its own application and screening process for potential adopters.