The Pleasure Of Cats
feline friends are one of the most widespread choice of pet. Most keepers choose to bring home their moggie from being just hours old, and the feline will be with them until its last hours. We are drawn to the loyalty of cats, they are very placid animals, and give their keepers regular attention.
From the day it comes home, disciplining the cat is important, unless you want a future of pungant stenches and stained areas on the flooring, along with scratched upholstery and maybe even bites. You will quickly become familiar with the advantages of scratching posts, toilet trays, and certainly scrubbing the carpet with cleaning products.
There is some good advice out there on cat litter trays. Reading up on other people's stories will be a great comfort.
Pets will however soon become well trained, remembering to go to their poop box when they need to urinate or poop. Once the behaviour has been developed, the rest should appear straightforward - simply shifting the pet away from furniture when it begins to scratch.
The responsibility to your pet doesn't stop yet - you will soon find that the inconvenience of a pet cat is seen most when you have to be away for a number of weeks. If you are lucky a friend or colleague might be happy to call around to your home daily to add to the feed bowl and perhaps empty out the litter. Longer trips will likewise need forward plans as moggies tend not to go with their owners. A handy hint is to holiday sit with another local cat owner, then so long as trips don't coincide, you'll have somebody to ask when you're not there to watch out for your pet.
Lastly, you want to be clear about the less common problems relating to animal care. Vet treatment may be quite expensive, so research some pet insurance. It's proportionally cheap (especially next to the medical bills) and will protect you in the case of a large cost dropping on your doormat following an operation.
Most importantly though, the reward of having a cat on your lap watching the TV is well worth the inconvenience, and there's nothing quite like the sound of that purr. You'll have a friend for ever, although they will drive you mad every now and again.
Some good advice on cleaning cat urine here.
Get Your Cat to Use the Litter Box
While training a dog can be an enjoyable and rewarding experience, cat training is considerably more difficult. We’re not talking about training your cat to roll over or sit—we’re talking simple things like teaching your cat to use the litter box or a scratching post. It’s important that your goals are realistic so you don’t spend a great deal of time and frustration trying to teach your cat something he simply can’t learn to do.
The first thing you need to understand before you attempt to train your cat is that the mindset of a cat is much different than that of a dog. Where a dog takes a great deal of joy in pleasing his owner, a cat is not so selfless; he won’t do anything that doesn’t please himself. This is a very simple state of psychology, one that you will have to use to your advantage if you are to successfully teach your cat something.
If you want to train your cat to use the litter box, the first thing you’re going to want to do is make it accessible (but not so much that it becomes a nuisance to family members or guests in your home). You also want to keep it clean, but leave just a little soiled litter in the tray—not so much that it reeks, but just enough that your cat can learn to associate the litter box with going to the bathroom. If you catch your kitty going anywhere he isn’t supposed to, pick him up and move him to the litter box. Eventually he will catch on that this is where he should go. When he uses the litter box successfully, give him a nice scratch behind the ears or a pat. Cats are affectionate through touch rather than verbal praise, so you’ll get the best response through this method.
Some pet stairs have hollow areas meant to store your litter box. This helps to keep your little box smell contained as well as to give your cat a quiet place to do his business. If your cat is comfortable in the space his litter box is placed, he will be more likely to use it.
You may be struggling with a cat that is too liberal with scratching your sofa or carpet. Scratching is normal behaviour for a cat, as it helps keep their claws in shape and gives them a bit of exercise. It can also be a form of marking their territory. To encourage your cat to stop this, you’ll need to invest in a scratching post. There are many different types to choose from, and your cat will likely have his personal preference. If he doesn’t take well to the first scratching post you buy, try rubbing it with catnip. This is an herb that entices cats into a playful state where he is more likely to use the scratching post. You might even attach a toy to the post to help him get rid of excess energy. Placing the post in the room that your cat frequents most is another way to encourage him to use it.
For more great tips on raising your cat or to purchase pet stairs with litter box storage, visit Help Your Pets.
