Saturday, March 28, 2009

How to Give Your Cat A Pill

Giving a cat a pill can be a nightmare. No cat wants something shoved down his throat, and he will fight you tooth and nail to prevent it. Although most cats are small in size, you'd be quite amazed with how much power they actually have. There are ways that you can get your cat to take his pills, which we will cover below.

The easiest way to give a cat pill is to crush the power into a powdery form by putting it between two spoons. Once the pill is powder, mix it in with some wet cat food. Cats that are used to eating dry cat food will see the wet food and think of it as a treat. They will normally eat it up, unaware that they just took their medicine.

If the medicine happens to be in capsule form, all you have to do is pry the capsule apart, then sprinkle the medicine on some wet food and serve it to your pet. I

f your pet is sick, chances are he won't eat it. In this event, you should look into a pet piller. You can get these handy devices from your veterinarian. They are plastic rods that hold the pill until you press a plunger. When you get one, you should always get a long one with a softer tip.

When you get your gun, your vet should show you how to use it. The most difficult aspect of using the gun is getting your cat to open his mouth. The gun will more or less shoot the pill in the cat's mouth, and down his throat. You'll need to hold him tight, to make sure that he doesn't wiggle his way loose. Once you have his mouth open, you'll need to squeeze the trigger and pull the gun away quickly. After the pill has been inserted, make sure you give your cat a treat.

If you aren't comfortable using the gun, you can always try giving your cat his pills by hand. To do it this way, you'll need to hold your cat still, and open his mouth with your hand. Once you have his mouth open, you should aim for the back of his throat and throw the pill in. Once it is in his mouth, you should close his mouth with your hand and hold it shut for a few moments. This way, your cat will swallow the pill if he hasn't already.

If you can't get any of the above techniques to work, you can always go to a local pharmacy and get them to make a flavored gel or liquid using your cat's medication. You should use this as a last resort though, as it can tend to get expensive.

Enjoy a deeper relationship with your cat than you ever dreamed possible: Ultimate Cat Secrets







How to Break Up a Cat Fight

Here are some tips on how to break up a cat fight.

1. Avoid hitting the cats or getting your hands anywhere near their mouths. Hitting could make the situation worse and could cause the attack to be redirected toward you.

2. Spray the aggressor with a water hose. If this doesn't make a difference, aim for the nostrils.

3. Hold a broom between the cats to separate them.

4. Use a noisemaking device such as an air horn to drive the animals apart, and be prepared to move away quickly or defend yourself.

5. The quickest way to break up a cat fight is loud hissing, spitting, and a glass of water appropriately applied (aim for the face).

6. Put a magazine or a newspaper between the two cats to block their vision of each other. This works where the cats are in a frozen position, but not yet making contact. It allows the frightened one to run away (if it can) and you can pick up the dominant one if it is tame. Without blocking the sight of the other cat, picking up or even touching the aggressive cat can make the attack start. Usually the frightened cat is cornered and can't get away, so your only option may be to move the aggressor after blocking it's view. It is best to help your cat avoid cat fights through proper training or by keeping your cat inside.

Abscesses resulting from cat fights can pose serious health risks and are expensive to treat.

A cat can become infected with feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) when it is bitten - such as in a cat fight. FIV will be transmitted only if the biting animal is carrying the virus.

Train your cat to use a human toilet; no more smelly litter boxes.

How to Cure Your Cat's Bad Breath

Cat owners know for a fact that cat breath can be disgusting. It isn't that much different from bad human breath, as both are caused by bacteria found in the mouth that breaks protein down and releases the sulfur compounds out into the air. Sulfur smells very bad on its own, which is why breath containing it smells bad as well. The bacterium that causes bad breath with cats is normally associated with a buildup of tartar around the teeth. Tartar is yellow in color, known as a coating of bacteria, food, and minerals.

To cure your cat from bad breath, you'll need to remove the buildup of tartar. There are several cat foods out there that are designed to reduce the buildup of tartar, many containing enzymes that will literally dissolve it. You can also give your cat treats as well, as many of them will help eliminate and prevent tartar. If the buildup of tartar is bad, you may need to have your cat's teeth professionally cleaned. Once the tartar has been removed, the bad breath will go away.

You may be able to clean the tartar off your cat's teeth at home. There are several toothpastes available for pets, available in several different flavors. You'll need to get a mechanical toothbrush, as the motion is very important for removing tartar buildup. Toothpastes that contain enzymes will dissolve tartar, helping to cure bad breath. If you start early with brushing your cat's teeth, you can virtually eliminate any type of tartar buildup that will ultimately lead to bad breath.

Some bacteria that lead to tartar can be found in your cat's diet. When you feed him, you should always make sure that the food he consumes doesn't contain a lot of bacteria. If you shop healthy and feed him only healthy foods, it can help his bad breath a great deal. When you give your pet a treat, make sure that the treat is designed to help with tartar. After your cat has finished eating, you can brush his teeth or rinse his mouth out. This way, you'll get the bacteria out of his mouth before it has time to build up on his teeth.

Sometimes, cats may have a bad odor in their mouth that doesn't come from tartar or bad breath in general. In these rare cases, it can be either liver or kidney disease. If you notice bad breath and it isn't tartar, you should take your cat to the vet. Even though it may be something to do with tartar, it's better to be safe than sorry. Your veterinarian can pinpoint the problem, let you know what the cause is -- and how you should go about fixing it.

For more advice on living with your cat, go to Cat Secrets Revealed


Thursday, March 26, 2009

Common Meanings Of Cat Behavior

A lot of people think that cats work on their own agenda, not paying much attention to their owner -- provided they have clean litter, food, and water. Cats can behave in odd manners at times, which can easily confuse their owners and make it really hard to determine what the cat wants. As much as cat behavior can be confusing, there are some ways that you can solve common cat behavior mysteries.

A common behavior that almost all cats do is push their heads into any type of object that will allow them to do it. You've probably seen your cat do this before, probably against table legs, TV stands, or another object. This can be noticed more when you have other people who own animals or those with allergies over at your house. When a cat notices this, he will rub his head against the person. In doing so, he will put a touch of saliva on the individual. In a cat's mind, he owns what he puts his saliva on.

By putting his saliva on something, that object or person will have a familiar scent. Although this can be very annoying, you have to understand that other people in your home are seen as odd or weird to your cat. When a cat does this, he is simply trying to make the visitor belong. When he brushes up against them and puts his saliva on them, he is trying to put his scent on them -- which in his mind will mean that they belong in his territory.

Even though marking someone or something with saliva is beneficial to the cat, saliva is one of the most common forms of pet allergies. When someone wipes the saliva off of them, the scent will be gone and the cat will go back and attempt to do it again. Even though it may appear that cats target those with allergies, cats are actually just trying to make the visitor belong at the house. If the guest simply cannot take the saliva, allow the cat to rub himself on their pants leg a few times. Normally, this is all takes for a cat to leave the person alone.

Those of you who have an indoor cat should expect the cat to spend quite a bit of time lying near windows. During this time, you may hear your cat make very strange noises or weird movements. You shouldn't fear though, as he is simply acting out his hunting instincts. Whether it's another cat or object outside moving about, the cat will see it and simply go into his native hunting instinct.

As most already know, cats love to play. They love to play, especially with toys. They will pounce on things on occasion, which should always be expected. If you try to prevent this type of behavior, your cat will take a very negative approach and you'll end up with a lot of broken things in your home. You can always play with your cat using a string, as he will love to chase the string around the room.

The longer you own your cat, the more odd behavior you'll see him exhibit. Cats behave in strange ways, although they always have a reason for behaving the way they do. If you can understand why your cat behaves like he does, you'll have no problems keeping him healthy and happy. If you simply pay attention to your cat and the way he behaves at times -- you'll be able to understand him better than ever before.

Enjoy a deeper relationship with your cat than you ever dreamed possible: Ultimate Cat Secrets

A Look At Cat Breeds

Over the last thousands of years, cats have pretty much handled their breeding themselves. In the beginning, they were used for one purpose - hunting and killing rodents. As the years progressed, we began to breed cats more to our liking. Nowadays, there are several different breeds of cats - which you can tell if you look closely.

These days there are over 70 distinct cat breeds which are recognized through cat registries. There are several registries that will recognize only around 40 breeds or so, as they exclude the more exotic breeds such as tigers. There are also many variations as well, including wild cats that have longer hair.

There are some cat breeds that have roots going back quite a bit in history. Some Japanese breeds, such as the Japanese Bobtail, can be traced back more than 1,000 years in history. These cats were very common and well known throughout Medieval Japan. Nowadays though, they are all but a myth throughout Japan and the entire world.

The more common cat breeds that are found in North America include the alley cat, long haired cat, and Persian cat. Siamese cats are also common, although they are well known to be destructive and to have a foul temper. Persian cats are very popular, proving to be loving companions. Persian cats can be very expensive, depending on where you get it and what type of Persian cat it is.

Alley cats are the most common in North America. There are actually several different breeds, although most of us just refer to them as alley cats. They make good pets, although there are literally thousands of them in existence. Cats are known to breed more than any other pet, and they will continue to breed until they are stopped. Alley cats are among the most bred, as there are hundreds of thousands of cats that are homeless - and have nothing to do but breed.

The look of the cat is the easiest way to tell what breed he or she may be. Some people choose to go by color, although color isn't as easy to identify. Different breeds of cats have quite different appearances, such as the Siamese and Persian cats. Siamese cats are almost always black, and easy to identify by their color and their eyes. Persian cats, on the other hand, are easily identified by their body type and their hair.

Over the years, there has been quite a few breeds come along. Cats were one of the first pets, and easily one of the most popular. Millions of people around the world own cats, with many people preferring a cat over any other pet - including dogs. No matter what breed of cat you get - you're sure to get a pet who make for a great companion for years and years to come.

Enjoy a deeper relationship with your cat than you ever dreamed possible: Ultimate Cat Secrets