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Pet Supplies - Cat Supplies - Pet Meds

Articles

Spring Has Sprung!
Kittens Harassing Elderly Cats
What to Look For in Cat Foods
Some Fun Cat Body Language - Submissive

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Spring Has Sprung

Long time subscribers and counseling clients know that I often recommend play therapy. This is done by isolating the cat from the group, and playing with it using a tickler wand or fishing-pole type toy. I love "Da Bird" for this purpose. Offer the toy to the cat for 15 minutes, followed with a treat and a cuddle. Put the toy up out of reach but where the cat can see it. Do this twice a day, every day for a week (4-7 days). The cat will ask for the toy and is now trained to the toy.

The beauty of this technique is that if you have two cats who are not getting along, you can train them to the toy and then bring the cats together, with the toy as the main attraction, instead of the hard feelings between the cats.

Another benefit with this technique is that it builds a bond between the human and the cat. The two of you begin to communicate, as you assist the cat to catch the toy - or not - as the play progresses. You learn to read your cat's body language, and your cat learns to trust you.

Try some play therapy in your home and see how much more friendly your cat becomes! It's amazing what happens to those stand-offish cats...

Kittens Harassing Elderly Cats

Young active kittens and cats confined to a house with older cats are inevitably going to want to roughhouse and playchase those older cats. And the older cats, politely, are unlikely to respond aversively. Besides, fighting back might be fun for the kitten; keeping a low profile is probably a safer strategy.

It's my feeling that this sometimes troubles owners more than it troubles the cats themselves. However: you can help the cats out a little. Each cat should have its own hideyhole or home cage, a carrying case or small crate with solid (i.e. not wire) walls, preferably in an elevated and warm spot, where it can retreat and be left alone. Additional litter boxes are also a good idea.

And the kitten needs more to do. Target train the kitten with the clicker and then use the target to lead the kitten across obstacles and up or under the furniture, for clicks and treats, a few minutes morning and evening. This will give the kitten some exercise and something to think about, so it won't harass the older cats out of pure boredom nearly as much. You can also use a chase toy such as feathers on a spring, or the Cat Dancer, as a reward after the click for doing something strenuous such as a big jump from one chair to another. That way you wear the kitten out twice.

This does involve some effort on the owner's part: getting and reading the Clicker Training Kit for Cats, and learning to communicate with your cat through the clicker. But target training, the first exercise, is easy to do and takes about five minutes or less with most cats, after you find a preferred food. And the restless young cat will love you for it and find you more interesting than those old fogy cats, once it catches on. It's well worth the time to develop a little clicker skill, since you might after all have this kitten for 16 years as well, and come to love it greatly too.

Happy clicking, Karen Pryor

About the author Karen Pryor is the founder and CEO of Karen Pryor Clickertraining, and the author of many books including Don't Shoot the Dog. Learn more about Karen Pryor or read Karen's Letters online.

Quality Pet Food Ingredients to Look For...

• Animal proteins - identified by name (e.g., chicken, beef, lamb) - not just any "animal." Meat meals are very good - again, when the meat is identified (e.g., chicken meal)
• Organic ingredients - meats, vegetables, grains and fruits - these are certified free of pesticides, hormones, and antibiotics. Check for the USDA Organic seal on the package as well.
• Whole unrefined grains like barley, brown rice, ground oatmeal (although it's really best to skip grains for cats - most cats can't digest them).
• Human-Grade, or fit-for-human-consumption ingredients - while this is a frowned-upon practice in pet food labeling, some holistic cat food makers think it's worth the risk to let buyer's know that they use top quality ingredients. We agree - if it's human grade, that's a good thing!
• Whole vegetables and fruits - the less processed the better (whole potatoes are much better than potato starch, for example). These are important sources of natural plant-based nutrients (phyto-nutrients) and antioxidants.

-- courtesy of Only Natural Pet Supplies

New-home drops help your new cat adjust to your home.

NuCat and Nu Cat Senior dietary supplements are easy to give to your cat and help with many conditions.

NEEM Oil Spray is a natural way to repel fleas

Lubri-ease to ease stiff joints.

The Furminator helps relieve the fur issues that happen at this time of year. Prevent hairballs by removing the loose fur.

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