February 04, 2008
What's in This Issue:
A quick list of what's in this issue:- Site Updates
- Kitty Love
- Whose House?
- Specials
Updates to the site
News and updates:I've been doing a lot of "housekeeping" on FLOC in the last month. If you are subscribed to the RSS feed, you will notice that pages you didn't know existed are popping up. I've been rewriting and cleaning. I'm checking links to make sure things work.
Litter Box Supplies has been totally updated. I changed suppliers and de-listed the page until I could get back to it. I finally did get back to it! And there is actually a litter on it! More about that below.
A new page is Litter Box Problems - FLUTD. This is about Urinary tract disorders that can cause litter box problems. Since I'm not a vet, I've been slow to respond in this area. I have always counseled people to take their cats to the vet. But now, there is something to help. The page is more about the amazing new litter invention, but it gives you an idea of what the field is about.
The last leg of the Holiday Kitty Contest petered out. No entries and no winners. Prizes were awarded in the previous legs, so we are even. I think we may do this again, but maybe it's just too much at one time.
I've put up a sitemap. I realized that there are over 250 pages and it can be a little tricky to find what you want when you need it so I made up a quicky sitemap. None of the pages are linked, but the URL of the pages are there. There are some "hidden" pages and they are not listed.
Kitty Love
Sometimes, our kitties love us soooo much that it is unhealthy for them. They pine and get depressed if we have to go out of town to the wedding of the year or for a business trip.They cry and meow when we go to bed. They stop eating and there seems to be nothing we can do to help them. They try to eat us up, biting, licking and chewing our fingers. They misbehave terribly when we go out. They might even pee on our beds!
What to do? Well, there are a couple of things we can do. We first off need to acknowledge the problem. We need to know it's happening before we can fix it. Then, we need to talk to our cats. I suggest having a cup of coffee & putting some food out for Kit and having a conversation. Kit will listen - between bites.
When Kit gets done eating, don't let her just run off to find a toy or take a nap. You need to be the one in charge and bring her into a private area (litter box room is good- she'll need the box in a minute and you want to keep her attention) and offer her the tickler wand. Continue talking to her and then give her a cuddle when you are through talking. Let her digest the information.
Later on, Kit will come to you and ask for cuddles. She will seem to be saying either "I get it" or "what was that about" and you need to figure out which one. If she gets it, she will jump down after a quick cuddle. If she wants to know why you talked her ear off, try it again.
Litter vs. Bed Issues
I've been getting a lot of questions about cats using the human bed for a litter box lately. I'm not holding back, but you really need to look at your life. Do you have a new person sharing your bed? Do you ignore Kitty? Is the litter box in need of a good cleaning? Have you been allowing this new person to abuse, neglect or otherwise mistreat Kitty or have they been doing it while you aren't around? Most cats will only go to this extreme when we just won't listen to them.
If you have a significant other and she doesn't seem to like that person, give the wand to them and make her play with them. Some cats have definite preferences for sex or person. Don't give in!
Another reason is that you, who put Kitty first for so long (all her life really) suddenly puts this other human first and Kitty is not getting the love and attention she feels she deserves. Look at that for a cause and see if it fits.
Email counseling is such a nebulous thing! I have to guess at Kitty's motivations more than I would like to. I really need your help to get the job done! :) So, if you run into any of these issues and need to contact me (Or refer your friends - Thank You!) please don't be upset if I get a little personal. It's not meant for spite. It's meant to help.
Whose House?
Cats, for whatever reason, want to be the lords or ladies (read RULERS) of their domains. Well, La-Dee-Dah!Like that's news or something.
So, we need to keep them in line, and tell them (repeatedly) that we (the humans in the household) actually run things. After all, if we didn't go to work and get the kitty food, they would not eat! If we didn't clean the litter boxes, they would go all over the house - but we have to get litter! So, yes, we are the "Great God Food Giver" in our households. We have to remind the kitties of that every once in a while.
It's good to ignore them once in a while. It makes them wonder what they've done wrong. A cat that is being ignored will begin to bring toys and meow at you. The cat may jump up on the chair while you watch TV and stick their butt in your face. That's really a sign of love, not a dirty trick. It means - please - pay attention to me. Do this only sparingly. It's cruel otherwise.
You can set down rules and make them do things: I tell them to get out of the way (so I won't step on them); that it's MY PILLOW and they can sleep on the bed, but I don't share my pillow; and Not Now. The last is especially helpful when you have a cat trying to share the computer keyboard with you.
Hey, you don't see me running when the cat food can opens, do you? So, just let Kitty know that you are the alpha, and things should be fine. However, every once in a while you may notice certain behaviors:
- Window Ledge Sitting (usually acceptable)
- Scratching Furniture (re-direct to posts and scratchy boxes)
- Chasing Invisible Mice (usually cute)
- Counter Sitting (tell them to get down or use double-sided tape. Other methods exist, look around at the website).
Weird Symptom Going Around
There is a weird disease or symptom going around. If your cat seems "depressed" and is having trouble breathing, there is a mold spore at the heart of it. Take your cat to the vet and have an x-ray done on the lungs. If the lungs are full or filling, have the vet take a sample of the fluid and test it.It's something we can fix, but you need to know it's there, first. Don't let your vet ignore it.
Once your vet is treatin your cat, she may need some immune support supplements to work with the medication, and anemia can become an issue.
This is just a note for those who are wondering.
Specials and Coupons
OK, I said I'd tell you about it. There is a new cat litter on the market, Pet Ecology Litter. It changes color when the urine indicates infection. It can really help if your cat has a history of UTI or FLUTD. If your cat has suddenly begun using the laundry basket or a corner of the carpet instead of their litter box, you might try this product to see for yourself. However, if your cat has never had a problem, and you see stuff happening - take the cat to the vet! This condition can KILL your cat in short order. For those cats that are prone to the condition, the litter can give advance warning to the owner so that the cat can be treated sooner. And for the record - this is the ONLY litter I offer on the website. It's light enough to be shipped cheaply. The company offers a subscription service, and you don't need to use the litter all the time.I'm working on the grooming equipment and the cat-safe chemical pages. It will depend on getting the datafeeds I've requested, and making up some custom links for you. I have to wait on the datafeeds, though.
Please be sure that if you are getting your sweeting a pretty for V-day that you look at the options on the shopping page. For every purchase you make, a portion goes to animal rescue.
This newsletter is produced for YOU, the reader. Please let me know if you want to see anything in here that hasn't been covered for a while. You can view all the past issues and look deeper into the new information I've found.
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