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Cats, Kitten (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Kittens develop quickly, so it is important for the animals to receive excellent care during the first several months of their life. Kittens that are well cared for are more likely to grow into healthy, happy pets that enjoy the company of people and other animals living in the home. Whether pet owners are dealing with an unexpected litter or they have just brought a new kitten home, they should take the time to learn how to care for kittens.

If a mother cat has abandoned her kittens or she is unable to feed them for any reason, they need to be fed a nutritional mother's milk supplement until they are six weeks of age or until they are able to eat solid food and drink milk or water on their own. Kittens should visit the vet between six and nine weeks for an examination, parasite testing and to receive their first set of vaccinations. They need to receive three sets of vaccinations in total. The vaccinations protect the kitten from contracting a variety of serious diseases including rabies, feline distemper and feline rhinotracheitis. A good vet will answer any questions people may have about pet health and caring for kittens during the examination.

When bringing a new kitten home, it is best to keep it in a small room for a few days so it has time to adjust to its new surroundings. Any household pets should be introduced slowly so the kitten feels safe and secure. Kittens are very curious creatures so people need to put any small objects away to prevent choking. Once the kitten begins to relax in its new environment, it can begin to roam the house. It is a good idea for people to train their kitten to use a scratching post while they are young. Pet owners should provide a scratching post for their cat as well as a comfortable pet bed and plenty of cat toys.

It is a popular misconception that kittens are ready to leave their mother at six weeks of age. By six weeks, most kittens are eating dry or wet food, drinking water out of a bowl and using the litter box but this does not mean they are psychologically ready to go to a new home. Between six and twelve weeks of age, kittens learn how to interact well with their littermates and mother. If taken from their mother too soon they can develop lifelong anxiety problems. Since a kitten's immune system is not developed until around three months of age, kittens that leave their mother too early are at risk of becoming ill. The ideal time for kittens to go to a new home is at twelve weeks of age.

The author has spent a lot of time learning about kitten and other related topics. Read more about pet health at Shawn Manaher's website.

By Joe D David

We've all done it - got luxurious pet toys and pricey cat food for our favourite pets for them only to momentarily pause, sniff, back away and hiss in disgust at our thoughtful purchase. Felines are naturally fussy; so buying things they will appreciate can be very difficult.

Cat Hebe (Photo credit: @Doug88888)

"Should I bother with buying a cat bed then?" - is the common dilemma which comes to many peoples' minds when it comes to getting a cat bed.

Well it's a good question. But on the other hand, here are 5 very good reasons why you should try and motivate your furry friend to use a comfortable cat bed.

First of all, it offers them with their very own little private area. Regularly cats just want to have their own space to get away from the noises of other pets, company, the TV and kids. So a lovely bed for your cat in a quiet room gives them a cosy spot to relax in peace.

Should you place the cat bed in a private place, like in a free room or in the corner of a tranquil place, you will offer them something so tempting that they most likely won't be able to turn it down.

Number two - It gives them a location to use all the time. Most cats love sleeping where we humans want to chill out. Our beds, the sofa, dining rooms are just a few illustrations.

Yet truth be told; it can be quite infuriating when they are resting on top of your bed every time. So offer them a place all of their own so they stop doing it (all of the time anyway) down the road.

#3 - It looks tidier than using duvets and soft cushions for them. Quite a few people choose to use old quilts, duvets and pillows to construct make-shift sleeping places for their felines, but it does not look particularly beautiful if you have friends and family around.

You don't have to compromise and lower the style and attractiveness of your home with old soft furnishings with a trendy new cat bed.

Number four - You can place it in a dry place outside the house. If you've got a garage, green house or building outside that your cat likes to visit then buying a cat bed offers them something pleasant to rest on in an unconventional place.

And in the summer time, you can put it in the garden and put your cat bed in a lovely shady place to allow them to relax in comfort outdoors.

My fifth reason is to keep them extra comfortable and hot - with a radiator cat bed. They will adore being able to get up on it, as its over the radiator, and it will make them nice and warm in the winter.

And that is it! Five compelling points why you should invest in a lovely new bed for your cat. For a purchase of 10 to 30 quid, you can provide a specific place that is extra comfortable and out of the way of your sleeping space for your much-loved pet.

Ready to buy a new cat bed? Joe David recommends http://www.purrfectlypets.co.uk - who have a fantastic range of cat beds and pet supplies in stock, with free UK delivery available on most orders. Make your order now - cat beds on sale

By Velita Livingston

Any cat owner is more than aware of their pet's propensity for hairballs, and hairball control is a topmost priority for the benefit of the cat as well as their human companions. It's never pleasant to slip out of bed for a late night snack only to step on a cool, hairball cluster right next to the bed, and anyone who has watched their cat retch up a hairball feels the utmost sympathy for their condition. Dealing with hairballs is both reactionary and proactive, and taking a positive and productive approach to your cat's overall health is a priority for cat owners world-wide. It's impossible to prevent a cat from cleaning and grooming themselves. With that in mind, what can cat owners do to control or prevent hairballs as much as possible?

Hairball (sometimes called Furball) (Photo credit: wallygrom)

1) One of the simplest and effective tricks to hairball control should be obvious. The more often you groom your cat, the less loose hair they are able to swallow when they clean up behind you and groom themselves. Brushing your cat regularly can remove a lot of the fur that could be ingested by your feline companion, and it makes the possibility of a hairball less likely. Contrary to popular opinion, cats do love to be brushed regularly, and as an added benefit it can be a fun bonding experience between you and your feline. Expect them to nuzzle the brush and purr like crazy, but use caution. You don't want to use a brush with sharp-ended bristles or you could cause irritation on your cat's sensitive skin, and you don't want them to see regular grooming as a painful or stressful process.

2) A lot of hairballs can also be prevented by a change in your cat's regular diet. A lot of cat foods have adopted a special, indoor formula specifically designed to limit or reduce the likelihood of hairballs. These dietary formulas are high in fiber which encourages a strong, healthy digestive system which allows swallowed hair to pass safely through without accumulating in the stomach. They also serve to strengthen your cat's healthy coat which minimizes shedding on the surface and leaves less loose hair to be swallowed initially.

If store-bought brands don't seem to be effective with your cat (especially if you have a long-haired breed that is naturally prone to hairballs in the first place) special, holistic blends are available. A lot of vets are recommending pet owners to adopt a more natural approach and guiding their patients away from cat foods that contain grains like wheat, barley, rice, corn or gluten. These blends are a lot milder on your cat's digestive system, and they still provide all of the essential nutrients to make sure they have a well-balanced, healthy diet free from fillers that aren't really effective overall.

3) If your cat is already susceptible to hairballs, there are a lot of products on the market specifically designed for hairball control. Most of these products act as a mild laxative for your cat, and it encourages digested balls of fur to be passed through their systems rather than being vomited back up. Make sure to read the instructions carefully and use only as instructed to reduce the chance of dehydration and diarrhea. You don't want to act so proactively that you give your cat an additional digestive system issue rather than preventing one completely.

If your cat seems to experience frequent hairballs regardless of your efforts to prevent or limit them, it can be a symptom of a more serious problem like IBD or intestinal lymphoma (which is a cancer) so you are certainly advised to take your pet to the vet for a full checkup. You want to make sure that there is not something more serious in play before trying a mix of alternate solutions, and the last thing that you want to do is to take a gamble with your favorite feline's overall health.

While hairballs are typically harmless, they're still unpleasant for both the cat and their owners. It may not be possible to prevent all hairballs initially, but these remedies and ideas can work to improve the overall health of your pet, in addition to providing them all of the essentials needed for a well-balanced diet and a healthy life. Hairballs can be a symptom of something worse, so don't avoid a trip to the vet if their hairballs appear more frequent than normal.

Velita Livingston is the founder of the Cat Lover's Diary blog which provides rich content with great advice on cat care tips and cat training, teaching pet owners how to protect, pamper and live peacefully with their pets. Visit the http://www.catloversdiary.com to watch the Cat Lover's Diary Movie, it contains breathtaking images and heartwarming quotes... It will uplift and inspire you! You can also visit the Cat Lover's Diary on Facebook and Twitter.

By Delroy A Rainford

A basic litter box and a bag of litter (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

How does one go about choosing the best cat litter for their cat?

Assume that you are new to the pet cat ownership arena and you want to choose the best cat litter for your newly purchased cat. This actually happened to me several years ago. I walked into a few of the name brand pet stores and was mesmerized by the wide choice of products available. I literally did not know where to start.

Cat litters can be placed into seven categories:

1)Clumping/ non clumping or (scoopable/ nonscoopable) 2)Odor controlling or non order controlling 3)Scented or non scented 4)Diagnostic or non diagnostic 5)Natural ingredients or non natural ingredients 6)High Bulk Density or Low bulk density. 7) Coarse Pellets or fine Pellets.

In short, there are a number of features on which to differentiate between the products.

In addition, although all cat litter products absorb the cat's urine, the level of absorptivity varies with the different products.

The final major variance between the products of course is price per lb or unit volume of the product.

What is the meaning of some of these categories?

Clumping or scoopable means where ever the cat urinates in the litter the wetted particles will adhere together to form a clump or lump. This lump can now be scooped (scoopable) from the dry cat litter. This can be done by hand or it may be mechanized. For a good product, the lumps should be firm and should not break apart when allowed to free fall from a height of about 12 inches.

Products that does odor control has an ingredient that destroys bacteria producing odor other products mask the odor by using a scented ingredient.

Diagnostic type cat litter is a recent development in the industry and only a few products have this feature. What these products are attempting to do is provide early warning for urolithiasis, which is usually accompanied by bacterial infection, in the cats. This phenomenon is more common in the winter months and when the cat has low water intake. Normally, by the time it is recognized in the cats the process is well advanced and the only satisfactory treatment is surgical removal of the calculi. If discovered early, gentle manipulation of a sound or catheter often may dislodge small calculi. Dilating the urethra by alternately injecting sterile water or saline solution under pressure and manually compressing the bladder may also relieve the obstruction.

However, due to the inherent difficulties of surgery involving these organs, the results are not always favorable, besides the procedure is usually expensive. The early warning feature of some products involves a color change of the product, the sick cat's urine causing the clumps to change from it's normal color to some other predetermined color.

It is an advantage for the product to be made from natural ingredients as disposal should not be a problem environmentally. Some environmentally friendly products can be disposed of by simply flushing in the toilet. However this cannot be done for those products with high bulk density or those with toxic ingredients.

It is reported that cat faeces may be contaminated by a type of bacteria that is harmful to some sea otters,this is a concern if there is a practice of dumping raw sewage into the sea.

The bulk density of the product mainly affects its absorptivity. Those with high bulk density have low porosity and so are less efficient in absorbing the urine on a per unit volume basis of the product. The result is unless you are using a large quantity of this product, some urine may seep to the bottom of the cat litter box and you are prone to a lingering smell. In other words, you have to purchase a larger quantity of this product to do the same job as the product with lower bulk density. Products with high bulk density also present a handling problem.

Coarse versus fine pellets: Coarse pellets tend to provide less comfort for the cat whereas fine pellets may have a dust problem. The key is to find the best balance in size grade, this may be influenced by the size an age of the cat. However, some products that have fine particles mitigate dustiness by including anti tracking ingredients as well as anti dustiness ingredients.

Having reviewed the features of cat litter products on the market, we are in a position to define the features that would be included in the best product:
It should have strong clumping or scoopable properties, have ingredients that provide effective odor control (destroying odor causing bacteria), have good diagnostic properties, made mainly from natural ingredients and have low bulk density with medium size pellets. It should not pose a dust problem by having dust control ingredients if necessary. Above all, it should be reasonably priced on a per unit volume basis.

Have you come across any product that meet the above criteria? If you have that is the best cat litter product in your area.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

The author, Delroy Rainford, is a chemical engineer by profession and currently resides in Snellville, Georgia USA. He is passionate in caring for his two year old cat, Gram. He also did some work in developing a unique cat litter product. For further information visit: http://www.daracpetsupplies.com

Further information on, Healthalertlitter, the product the author participated in developing can be obtained from the author's website

By Alex Pupkin

It can be incredibly difficult to tell if your cat is sick, because they are exceptionally good at hiding their symptoms. In fact, in many cases symptoms of illness will not appear in a cat until the condition has become nearly fatal. For example, with certain forms of cancer, you may have no idea that your cat is sick until it is too late. For this reason, it is especially important for cat owners to be aware and vigilant about their cat's health. Regular veterinary visits are obviously important, but you should also watch for these signs that will help you with how to tell if your cat is sick.

Changes in Social Behaviour

A veterinary surgeon removes stitches from a cat's face following minor surgery on an abscess. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A loner cat that suddenly becomes clingy or an excessively affectionate cat that suddenly becomes reclusive may be a sick cat. If you notice sudden or extreme changes in your cat's behaviour, this may be a sign of illness. Unfortunately, there may be no other obvious symptoms so if the odd behaviour continues for more than a few days you should visit your veterinarian.

Changes in Activity Level

Likewise, if your cat has become lethargic, distant, or lacks energy, this is also a common sign of illness. Arthritis is one example of a cat disease that will likely make your cat less active than normal. But even more life-threatening conditions can have a significant impact on your cat's activity level. Similarly, if your cat starts to behave erratically or appears to have an excess of energy, there may be an underlying health concern.

Changes in Appetite

Whether you're monitoring your cat's eating or drinking habits, obvious changes could be a sign of illness. Indeed, one of the earliest signs that your cat is sick is lack of appetite or diminished consumption of water. If you have a general idea of how much your cat eats or drinks on a daily basis, you'll be well prepared to notice changes in appetite that may signify illness. Similarly, excessive weight gain or weight loss for no apparent reason is a common symptom of sickness in cats.

Halitosis

Bad breath in cats is often associated with metabolic diseases or most likely dental disease. Ensure your cat undergoes regular dental health checkups with your veterinarian in order to maintain proper oral health.

Changes in Grooming Habits

A cat that becomes disinterested in grooming is likely ill. From arthritis and obesity to oral health problems, there may be many underlying reasons your cat is not grooming. Regardless, if the lack of grooming persists, visit your veterinarian.

Other changes

Changes in sleeping habits, litter box habits, excessive scratching or other routine changes may indicate your cat is not feeling well. Essentially, you should monitor your cat's general behaviour and if you notice significant alterations, visit a vet.

If you notice any of the above changes in your cat's behavior, it is advisable to visit a veterinary clinic near you, such as Steveston Veterinary Hospital in Richmond, BC.

By Steven S Perissinotto

Even the best-trained cat and dog has a toilet accident now and again, but the way a pet owner deals with the problem will determine how frequently this occurs. If your pet begins to suddenly go to the restroom indoors, there are several steps you should take to prevent this from occurring again.

Caught in the Act

Photo used under Creative Commons from Muffet

On the Sly

If you did not catch your pet in the act of going, you should simply clean up the mess without making a big deal over it. Take your pet outside and encourage it to go. Give it about 15 to 20 minutes to take care of its business. If it does not go, bring it back inside and resume your normal schedule. Be sure to praise your pet extensively when it goes outside. You might also need to keep a closer eye on your pet to see if it is having problems with emptying.

Causes of Indoor Elimination

If your cat or dog is beginning to have frequent accidents inside, you may need to consult your veterinarian. There are several possible causes of indoor emptying from pets that are housebroken. Some of these causes are:

- Change in diet

- They are eating garbage or because of certain medications

- Kidney failure, diarrhea, constipation, diabetes and anal sac inflammation are other health issues that can cause a pet to have accidents

- A dog experiencing separation anxiety or feeling anxious because of a new pet

They are feeling submissive. For the dog, this type of urination is almost meant to show that he or she is not intending to be threatening. Submissive urination is also a common occurrence with some dogs if their owners yell at them. For some pets, however, it is just a bad behavior that needs to be corrected.

Steven Perissinotto is a passionate pet lover and a pet health professional. Since establishing Vet Shop Online with his veterinary surgeon brother in 1999, Steven has helped establish the business in to one of the world's leading online retailer of revolution for dogs.