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Keep Cat Out of Garden, Stop Dangerous Chewing Behavior, Cat Keeping Me Awake June 01, 2011 |
Hi there, ,What's in This Issue:Updates to the site
One of my goals for 2011 is to the THE Cat Whisperer. In order to do that, I ask my readers to step up, step out, and don't be afraid to ask for help. Please tell your friends about my services and how I've helped you. Please read my blog, Diary of a Cat Whisperer and comment on my posts. Talk me up, Twitter, Facebook (I'm tn-morgen) and friend me. Talk to everyone and let's see how much closer I get to being "THE Cat Whisperer" in 2011! ~ Morgen Articles
Don't forget the interactive pages... Bragging Rights For Readers These pages are all user-generated! That means you can write about your cat, your favorite cat story, or get help from other visitors (sometimes even me!) if you have a serious problem with a cat. Use the Cat Whisperer Contact form if you or a friend has a problem that is involved or delicate.
How To Keep Cats Out Of Your Garden by Owen JonesIt is very difficult to keep cats out of your garden, but do not give up, it can be managed. Cat owners may not understand why gardeners want to prevent cats gaining access to their gardens, but there are valid reasons, it is not always that gardeners hate cats. Cats are vicious hunters and can also be quite destructive.For instance, my next door neighbour had a cat, but became lonely when her daughter moved away, so she allowed the cat to to have young. Now she has six cats. But cats are not like dogs. My dog stays in my garden not upsetting anyone except by barking if a stranger walks past the house However, that is his job and he is not only warning me but the neighbours too. These six cats do not stay in their own garden though, so we have all acquired six cats whether we want them or not. The first problem I noticed was that birds stopped coming to pick my dog's bowl clean in the afternoon. Then I saw a cat killing a lizard, a beautiful nine inch specimen and then I remembered not seeing a lot of lizards lately. There is one lizard, the Tokay, that they have completely wiped out - I used to listen to them calling at night, but no longer. Cats also dig up flowers when they defecate and use furniture as scratching boards, so I do not want these destructive animals in my garden. But how do you keep cats out of your garden? Walls are rarely an obstacle to cats, but cats will often prowl along the base of walls and if they come across a gap, they will possibly go in out of curiosity, so plug all low-level gaps in your fences. There is not much you can do about the top of your wall short of putting broken glass or electrified wiring up there, but that is not a nice idea. Some dogs are good at keeping cats out, but not all. My dog got a nasty and completely unexpected swipe of claws across his nose one day. He used to chase them when they were kittens, but now they have grown up, he only growls to inform me a cat is on the premises. I cannot blame him. In Australia, many gardeners reckon that transparent bottles full of water confuse cats, so they stay away, but in my experience, only Australian cats react in that way. A row of thorny bushes or flowers along the base of a wall where cats frequently come in helps. At the bottom of high walls too, where the cat cannot see them until he is on top of the wall. I often see cats mewing (in frustration, I hope) on the top of one of my walls. The only way down is to go back. If you still cannot keep cats out, then you will need to teach them not to come in. This is best achieved by using a few methods. If cats are using your flower pots are conveniences, try rubing the pots with pepper, lavender, lemon, mustard, or tobacco. Or you could leave a mothball in each pot. Some of these will work for you, others will not. Then there are commercial repellents, but I do not want to resort to them. However, if you have a big garden and a big problem, it could be the only way. There are also high frequency sound emitters. Humans cannot hear them, but almost all animals can, so I think that that is unacceptable as well. At night, motion-activated exterior lighting is a great upset to cats. Cats have very sensitive night vision so a quick flash from a floodlamp really puts them off a garden. The best deterrent is water. You can buy motion-activated sprinklers, which are brilliant at keeping cats out of your garden, but I like to sit in my office or in the garden with a powerful water pistol and squirt them by hand. The lizards have not come back yet, but nor do the cats quite so often either. About the Author Owen Jones, the writer of this piece writes on quite a few topics, but is at present concerned with exterior lighting fixtures. If you would like to know more or check out some great offers, please go to our website at Outdoor Wall Lamps.
Help! My Cat is Keeping Me Awake. by Larry Chamberlain"My cat is awake all night, full of energy and is stopping me from getting any sleep. It's driving me nuts!"Most cats spend a good part of their daylight hours sleeping, they like nothing better than finding a warm spot and enjoying a little snooze. The trouble is that some cats are wide-awake when night falls and are full of vim and vigor, if your cat is one that could mean broken sleep or even entirely sleepless nights for you. And that's no joke, you need your sleep so you can be bright eyed and bushy tailed for work in the morning. You are embarrassed about being constantly bleary eyed and yawning at your desk! So, are you sharing your home with an evil feline, a cat that has a secret agenda to torment you with sleep deprivation? No, it's not really your cat's fault. In their natural state cats are nocturnal hunters, they stalk their prey at night. Centuries ago cats ventured into human settlements because where there was humans there were rodents. This arrangement was good for both parties, good hunting for the cats and the humans had the rodent problem solved for them. Years later the rodent problem was not so acute for humans but many found that they enjoyed the company of cats. Cats began to be kept as pets and the humans fed their feline pets so there was no need for them to hunt for their food. But the hunting instinct remains with the cats to this day... and so does the nocturnal instinct. "OK, cats are naturally active at night but I really need my sleep. What can I do?" This problem most usually affects "indoor only" cats because cats that have access to the outdoors via a pet door can slip out at night and satisfy their hunting instincts. But you may have many reasons why you prefer to keep your cat indoors. Do you play with your cat? You should, playing is fun both for you and your cat and helps increase the bond between the two of you. If your cat's night energy is causing you to lose sleep try a play session with your cat shortly before you go to bed, this may just tire out your cat so she or he is not so active. Involve interactive cat toys, the fishing pole type and the toy mouse on a string variety, roll a ball for your cat to chase. Don't overdo it the object is not to exhaust your kitty but get rid of excess energy. At first your cat may only be interested in playing for a few minutes, that's okay try playing a little longer the next night. The energy that your cat spends playing represents the energy a cat would spend hunting, and at the end of a hunt, a successful one anyway, is a meal. So feed your cat a small meal after the play session. In this way you are recreating your cat's natural nocturnal habits and it just may mean she or he will be a little less active at night. Don't expect this to work instantly, you will need to patiently keep trying, good luck. About the Author Larry Chamberlain is a life long lover of cats. To find his articles and thoughts about the domestic feline visit Best Cat Art the site for all the best in cat art, cat and kitten health and cat issues. - Cat Urine Odor
Training a cat not to chew on dangerous objects by Tony RobinsonCats chew, lick, or eat non-food objects for medical and behavioral reasons. Out of curiosity, a cat will try to chew on most things. Easy to swallow items will need to be put up out of reach of your cat.Cats chewing and eating items, which are not food, thought to be a lack of certain nutrients in the diet. Vitamin imbalance could be some of the cause. Making sure, you are purchasing healthy well balance food for your cat. Healthy eating for a cat means healthy bones, muscles, and brain functions. If you are not sure which brand to buy contact your vet for information and recommendation for a healthy cat food. You will also want to make sure that your cat has been up-to-date on the shots. Chewing and sucking on clothing especially wool could mean a sign of weaning to early. Cats or kitten sucking on wool finds the smell similar to that of the mother's fur around the nipple. In turn, this could become a security blanket for the cat, as long as the fabric is not chewed and swallowed. Your cat may eventually stop the sucking or not. Your cat still can be a wonderful companion. One sign of danger is a cat that is playing or sucking on an electrical cord. Use Tabasco sauce, cover the cord in duct tape, bitter products that are for cats (they do not like the taste). If the cord is not electrical and the cat continues to play with the cord, search at a local do it yourself centers, for molding to hide cords. Household plants are also poisonous to cat. One of the worst one is the Easter Lilly. That beautiful fresh of spring at Easter will kill your cat if eaten. Place the plant in an area that the cat will not be able to reach or there are plants that are not poisonous at Easter time. Learn and research more about the plants in your home to make sure that the kinds you have are not poisonous. Some of the side effects a cat can experience with eating poisonous plants are welling of the tongue, and throat, paralysis of the throat. If you see your cat with any of these signs, please call the vet right away. The cat will need treatment fast. Use a couple of leaves on the plant to place or rub bitters or tobacco sauce, pop a balloon near the cat if you catch them around the plant. Grow plants that the cat can eat. Catnip is a great way to start all cats love catnip. Wheat and parsley grows good indoors and is cat safe. Remember to praise your cat when the behavior is good. Rewards as small treats are also a great way to show your cat that you care. With rewards, it tells them that you approve of the behavior. When they are eating a plant, electric cord, the drape cords, or any small object that has come in the cat's site, a firm "NO" can do the trick. Drop a heavy book, hissing sounds, some type of loud noise that will distract the cat from the chewing. Have spray bottles with water handy. Cats do not like the spray of water. Never hit a cat for any reason, never tap the nose, or throw the cat. Any physical harm you do to a cat they will fear you. The training for your cat not to fear you after you have done physical harm to them will never work Always remember you are the human in the training and your cat is the cat. You can only train a cat if you know how to do it the proper way. Training a cat and not following thou will be disaster when the time comes to retrain. As a cat gets older, they are set in their ways and this is very difficult to train. Start with the trainings early, as it is the easiest. Do not wait until the worse happens and it may be too late. Your cat is your friend, we take care of friends are friends take care of us. About the Author Cat lover Tony Robinson shares tips and techniques for a happy, healthy well adjusted cat. Visit http://www.officialcats.com
Offers Wysong - Foods and Supplements for Humans and Their Pets
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