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.

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!

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.

Playing with your cat probably is not something you think about very often. We all enjoy playing with kittens. But once those little bundles of energy grow up, cat owners tend to stop playing with them. Maybe that’s because they think cats are independent and prefer being left alone. And to a certain extent that is true about a cat.

But playing with your cat is actually an important part of responsible cat care. Besides being fun, playing with your cat is an excellent way to give your pampered pet some exercise. And the cat will not even realize it!

Playing with your cat helps keep your cat from becoming bored, too. That is really important because a bored cat is more likely to develop behavioral problems. Chewing or scratching furniture, aggressiveness, and a tendency to shy away from others are just a few of the problems bored cats develop. A well-established cat care routine can keep this from happening.

Believe it or not, playing with your cat benefits you, too. It is a great way to relieve stress. Throwing a small ball or fuzzy mouse around or dangling some string to see how high your cat will jump is all it takes to start relaxing. Give it a try tonight and you’ll see.

Don’t be surprised if one result of playing with your cat is a closer bond between the two of you. Cats might be independent, but they need love and attention.

How much time should you spend playing with your cat? A few minutes a day, a couple times each day is sufficient. Even if you are busy, it should not be hard to work that amount of time into your daily cat care routine. And don’t worry. When your cat is ready to stop, it will let you know by simply walking away.

While kitty peeing outside the litter box is an obvious clue, you should also be on alert about your cat’s urination habits. If you notice kitty making more trips to the litter box than normal, or releasing a greater than usual volume of urine, or its urine having a different smell, etc, all these are warning signs of illness. If you truly love your cat, then you need to be vigilant about its health.

Once ill health has been ruled out, you need to look into environmental factors. The most obvious one is moving house. There are one or two cat owners who somehow failed to realize that their cats became confused and could not find the litter box in their new homes. Or simply did not like the new location of the litter box. In any case, if you move house, be prepared to litter train your cat all over again.

Any number of factors could cause stress to your cat and cause it to urinate away from its litter box, even something as subtle as a change in your working schedule. On the one hand, this is rather inconvenient to you. On the other hand, a part of me would be happy, because this shows that kitty misses me and cares about me. It’s nice to know that you are more than just the person who fills kitty’s food dish, isn’t it? Anyway, if you cannot remove the cause of kitty’s stress, you will just have to toilet train your cat again. Besides this, you may want to learn cat massage. Just like for humans, massage can soothe away some of your cats’s stress. If all else fails, you may need to get a something from your vet to help soothe kitty. However, I strongly advise against aromatherapy or the use of massage oils unless your vet can recommend a safe brand. Cats are often sensitive to such oils and scents. There have been cases of poisoning reported.

Something that few people think about is the litter. Just because you still buy the same brand does not mean the manufacturer is still making the litter exactly the same. There could be major or even just minor changes to the final end product, and it could be noticeable to your cat. Remember that its sense of touch and smell is much better than yours.

The problem could even be the litter box. Are your cat still using the same litter box as when it was a kitten? Or has your cat grown old… You may need to try a different-sized litter box.

Did I mention that smell is important? Did you change the cleaner you used to wash the litter box? Are you cleaning the area around the litter box with a different cleaner? Perhaps kitty hates the smell of the new cleaning product and that is why it is urinating elsewhere. Or did you use a different cleaning product for your house. The new cleaner could be confusing kitty.

Your cat is a sensitive creature of habit. First, you need to eliminate health problems as the cause of your cat’s urination problem. After that, it takes time and patience and loving care to investigate the cause of the problem. A case study published by the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists (JAVMA, Vol 224, No. 10, May 15, 2004) reported that they took several years to resolve the problem. Partly it was because the cat in question had health problems. The vet needed to try different medications which would both clear up the medical conditions as well as not cause the cat to urinate uncontrollably. At the same time, there was no stability in the home environment. The owner got a divorce, and found a new boyfriend. And apparently some stray cats moved into the neighborhood.

When cats age they start to have more accidents and can’t help it. Unfortunately as they age their kidney function also reduces causing their urine odor to be especially potent. If you rent your current home it very important that you remove all of the cat urine before you move out or you could end up with a big bill for cleaning. Finding a permanent solution to cleaning cat urine is important. Of course you could call a professional to clean your flooring and furniture each time your cat has an accident but of course this is not practical. If your cat had just one accident per week, this could really add up to a lot of money.

If you own your home it’s equally important that you keep your home free of cat urine odors and stains. If ever you want to sell your home, there’s no guarantee that a prospective buyer is going to be tolerant of your cat urine issues. If they are not cat owners they certainly will not understand why your home smells of cat urine. Professional cleaning is quite expensive and unless you have money to spare, this is most likely not an option for you.

What you really need is a lasting solution to your cat urine issues. Even though your cat thinks that they run your house, you can’t allow the cat urine issues to take control. You can have a nice home, free of cat urine stains or odors.

The kittens have ranged in minutes in age on up. Depending on exactly how old they are, the first thing I do is start with an anti-bacterial bath. It is good to get whatever they might have on them OFF! This is especially important when getting them from the shelter. If they are newborns, I wait until they are a bit older.

Always keep the kitten warm and dry using licking like rubs. Have you ever watched a mama cat clean her babies? I try to intimidate the same process. Small strokes over and over again even around the face. I do this quite often throughout their growing stages. Not necessarily the bath but the cleaning process. And this can be replaced using a damp warm rag.

Most important is feeding them.

The formula is very simple and cheaper and healthier than buying pre-made mixes.

1 can of evaporated milk 2 small jars of meat baby food (stage 2) 1 plain yogurt 2 egg yolks 1 T of Karol syrup Mix all together and add enough water to make 1 quart.

Depending on the age of the kittens they will need to be feed every 2 hours. But like any mother will tell you eventually you can get them to sleep through the night and feed first thing in the morning and regularly throughout the day.

I actually use a surrogate mama cat that happens to be one of my own. She didn’t start out that way. She was my first pregnant foster mom from the shelter. She is like 100 years old, rotten teeth and not exactly what I call eye candy. Even though she does not have milk, she tends to all of the other needs like bathing, and trust me, the first time you notice the mom cleans the hineys of the babies you might re-think using one too. But if this is not an option for you here are a few other tips:

· They need their mama, and in this case that is you! So be there.

· Carry them around, especially when very young inside your shirt next to your skin, let them feel you and smell you. Keep them warm.

· Clean and sterilize your hands in between other pets in the home. You do not want sick babies! And remember to even have clean clothing when being around them.

· If you do have a sick kitten, it is very important to see your vet

· I used a bottle so that my kittens got to experience the sucking just like mom. But in some cases a small syringe will do the trick.

· Use a damp paper towel to “lick” the back ends and tummies of the kittens to stimulate the potting process. Do this after every meal.

· At about 4 weeks, you can introduce kitten food and the litter box. Use unscented, un-clumping brand. Your kitten’s health depends on it. You do not want them to lick anything with too many chemicals in it.

I loved the changes that occur right down to watching them learn to walk, and soon explore my home.

If you want to experience kittens, instead of allowing your cat to have kittens, foster a pregnant mom from the shelter. There is no short supply of them unfortunately. And they are happy to move them out to a safer, cleaner atmosphere. Not that our shelter is by any means, not clean. But you have animals coming and going. And you don’t know anything about them or what they are bringing in to the shelter.

Most of all enjoy the process. They will be excited to see you. And before long you will be saying goodbye to your babies as they find their first real forever home.

As you probably already know, cats are very clean critters. On any given day, you can find your cat washing himself and cleaning his entire body with his tongue. This is a way for your cat to be sure they always look their best and are clean. However, is self cleaning benefiting your cat, or does he still require a bath from you or a groomer?

There actually are several benefits to having an animal that will clean himself on a regular basis. The first benefit for the owner of the cat is the soft and silky fur that does not require much effort on your part. The cat pretty much brushes their own fur while they are grooming themselves. This means they are taking off the dead fur. The benefits for the cat include better circulation of the blood throughout their body and their muscles are being used, so they are toning at the same time. Wouldn’t it be nice if we were toning our bodies when we brush our hair?

There are ways that you can assist in keeping your cat clean and well groomed in addition to him or herdoing it themselves. For example, brushing your cat will enjoy the full body massage as you are promoting the re-growth of new fur and maintaining the healthy shine of his or her existing coat.

Depending on the length of the fur on your cat can vary the time that is required to fully brush him or her out. You should only use a soft bristled brush when you are grooming your cat. This will make it a pleasant experience as well as a safe one for you and your cat.

If your cat has a long thick coat of fur, you should use a comb that will help you untangle the knots and  mats in his or her fur. There are combs designed specifically for cats with long hair. The teeth are very wide, this help to catch the tangles and gently remove them without causing any discomfort to the cat.

You do not have to give your cat a bath once a week because he or she should be covering the cleanliness part pretty well. Although, in is healthy to bathe your cat. This can be quite a daunting task for you, so consider having your vet or groomer do this for you. Typically, a cat does not completely rid itself of the dirt and dead skin cells under the fur. So, he or she will need some help.

If you are taking on the chore yourself of bathing your cat, be sure to use only approved products. You should also be very careful around your cats eyes and ears when shampooing and rinsing him or her. Also, if you have never done this before, you will need to be extremely careful, or you will get scratched and even possibly bitten.