cats are good to catch and kill mice & rats but other animals are at risk too. Cats were worshiped in Egypt long ago cause they killed rats and thus protected the grain supply from which Egypt became so wealthy and powerful. However, cats wont kill a big wolf rat rather they will catch the babies and smaller mice. If your cat goes outside, you should make sure it has its rabies shot.
cats are mysterious and unpredictable animals.
My cat, tiger, when she was younger, hunted. She often brought a young rabbit to my dog. The rabbit was alive. She
'd let it go. My dog would chase it and kill it. I am
not saying I didn't try to stop this, I did. but I was unsuccessful in saving the poor rabbit. I think she was trying to teach my dog how to hunt, like he was one of her
kittens. I caught her several times trying to do this. This is the nature of a
cat. I dont like this. My cat recently died of old age. I wont get another cat simply cause I
dont like that they are natural born killers. I often told my son, if he was
smaller than the cat, the cat would hunt him.
There are several reason many people prefer cats to dogs for house pets. You dont need to exercise cats. Cats use a litterbox and dont have to be let outside to use the bathroom. They also train themselves where dogs have to be housetrained. Cats dont bark or make loud noises. They dont need grooming cause cats groom themselves. They are less aggressive than dogs. Cats dont need your constant attention. They eat less. They dont chew and destroy things like dogs. Cats are not as dependent yet they are hard to train. They will come to you when you call them only when on their terms.
Cats are suppose to be clean that is one of the reasons many people prefer cats over dogs for pets. Cats use the litter box and are trained as kittens to do so perhaps by watching mama cat. Anyways, this is not always true. My cat many times use to sneak in the bathroom as I took my shower to urinate on my clean clothes and/or towel that I left in the floor. Since there was no apparent reason why she did so, I learned very quickly to keep my stuff up out of the floor. Then, she would sneak into my closet and urinate there too. so, I learned to keep my closet door shut. during this same time period, she also used the litterbox. It was kept clean too so the cat had no excuse. So, I know cats aren't clean like everyone says. There is nothing worse than the smell of cat urine either. Its hard if not impossible to remove cat urine odor. I wont own another cat because of this. The reason I kept my cat till she died of natural old age was for my kids who were very attached to it.'
Cat Urine Removal
Two years after my cat died the smell was still terrible in the room. It would knock you down. I shampooed with every kind of carpet cleaner for pet odor removal there was. I shampooed for hours at a time. I hired a professional carpet cleaning company who guaranteed to remove the odor. They told me if it did not come out they would be back. The urine odor did not come out and conveniently the carpet cleaner's truck broke down. I didn't bother to force the issue. I did not think they could remove it anyway. I was desperate. I did not want to replace the carpet. I bought another product, a natural product that was guaranteed to remove the odor if it wasn't in the floor. This stuff initially made the room smell much, much worse. After a week, the odor was still there. I ripped up the carpet and pad, sure enough the floor had been stained. I cut the carpet and pad up and put it in the trash. The odor was not as bad. I painted the walls. The odor was still there. So, I painted the floors with Kilz. The odor was still there. So, next, I painted the floor with polyurethane twice. Then, I put down new carpet. Finally the odor is gone. So, from this experience, I can say this, don't waste your time and money trying to get pet urine odor out of your rug with carpet cleaners and pet odor removers. They don't work unless you get the urine out immediately. When you find a urine spot. Blot it up with paper towels or better yet toilet paper (you can flush the toilet paper but not the paper towels). Then, shampoo the spot until it no longer shows.
Cat Fleas
When i first got my cat she was covered in fleas. It wasn't long until the rug was full of fleas too. You could walk on the rugs in white socks and see the fleas on the socks! I had to use a flea bomb to get rid of the fleas in the carpet. Then vacuum everyday for a couple of weeks. It was harder to kill the fleas on the cat because once she found out you were going to spray her or dip her, she'd run. Finally I had to put on gloves and long sleeves with a thick fabric and grab her. That was no fun at all for me or my cat. But, I got rid of the fleas. I tried a flea collar but have never found them to be effective.
They make frontline
plus for cats too. It kills fleas, flea eggs and ticks. Frontline Plus is fast
acting. Kills fleas including those that my transmit Lyme disease. Its waterproof too. You cannot use Frontline Plus for dogs on cats. Be sure to get the right type because cats
clean themselves with their tongues.
The problem with applying frontline to a cat is the cat wont let you apply it. Frontline for cats comes in 3 forms: spray, top spot and plus. Plus kills the adult fleas, eggs and larvae. Keeps all stages of fleas from developing. It is the most complete flea and tick control available. Frontline plus is what my vet recommends. fipronil is the active ingredient in Frontline brand products. After application, Fipronil is stored in the animal's glands and released from there. Frontline Plus and Top Spot are applied to the skin between the shoulder blades. Only use Frontline or any other flea medication made for cats on cats. Cats lick themselves and using flea medication made for dogs could make them sick or worse kill them.
Cats who have fleas tend to overgroom which makes them irritable. Cats can develop an allergic reaction to flea bites. This can cause FAD or flea allergy dermatitis. The only way to control FAD is to get rid of fleas. You can treat cats fleas with Frontline Plus for cats. Simply apply Frontline once a month to the back of the cats neck. The flea medicine is fast and long acting. 'Frontline will kill most of the fleas on your cat in less than 24 hours. it continues killing fleas for a solid month. You need to keep track of when you apply Frontline so you know when to reapply it next month. Frontline is gentle enough for kittens too. Its approved for pregant or nursing cats. The flea medication helps prevent common skin rashes and other problems caused by flea infestation.' Indoor cats get fleas and ticks too. Frontline kills most all ticks between 24 and 48 hours after use. It kills all 4 major ticks, the Deer tick, the brown dog tick, the American dog tick, the lone star tick. Ticks spread disease too. They cause a disease called cytauxzoonosis which is a similar to malaria infection. This disease is usually fatal and there is no known treatment for it.
Its not a good idea to use a flea collar on a cat cause they can get hung up somewhere. Its better to use frontline for cats.
Urinary Tract Infections UTI
Cats are prone to urinary tract infections due to the food they eat. A vet told me to get the cat food made for urinary track health. He also told me when my cat had an infection to sprinkle a little salt on its food so it would drink more water.
I once tried to put a leash on my cat. It didn't happen. The cat rolled over on its back kicking and wouldn't get up on its feet until the lease was removed. That was the end of that. A cat will rule the day.
I actually knew a person who had a cat who loved to get in the shower with her.
My cat was about 17 years old when she died. How long do they live? I thought they lived to about 15 years old. She was fat and lazy at that age. She hardly went out at all any more. stayed inside and sleeps most of the time. The vet said she was about 90 years old in human time. She died of cancer. We had her put to sleep. It was the hardest thing my son ever did.
When my cat, tiger, was young, she often jumped and literally climbed the walls. I 'd find her hanging from the top of a door or a window curtain rod. She was quite athletic when she got playful. She 'd always get down by herself too.
Hairballs
cats get hairballs from cleaning their coats. They will vomit these up. Its quite gross. However, there is cat food available that will help your cat get rid of hairballs.'
My cat had a bladder infection long ago. The cure was an antibiotic and a change in diet. The vet said that ordinary cat food was high in magnesium which aggravated the condition and could actually be a contributing factor. So, he recommended changing to a food that was specifically made for Urinary tract health. While the cat had the bladder infection, I had to give it an antibiotic which was hard to do cause the cat never like being held down. I had to wear gloves and long sleeves to prevent being scratched or biten. I also had to be quick cause she 'd squirm her way loose. I had to change the cat 's food and put a little salt in the food to encourage her to drink more water. One of the symptoms of a bladder infection my cat displayed was blood in her urine. She also urinated small amounts frequently and outside of her litter box. I am still finding spots today behind furniture. The medical term for what my cat had is FUS or Feline Urologic Syndrome.
Neutering / Cat Pregnancy
Always have your cat neutered. cats have about 4-6 babies in their litters. Its hard to give kittens away cause not everyone wants one. You 'll end up taking them to the animal shelter where most likely they will be destroyed. I once knew a person who couldn't afford to get their cat neutered. I dont think she would have if she could have afforded it. Anyways, the cat had kittens, the kittens had kittens and so forth till she had over 50 cats. At this point, she would call animal control sending all but one cat to the pound. That cat always was a female. The cycle repeated itself over and over. They claimed they needed a cat to take care of their mice problem. This is cruel so always get your pets neutered.
When my cat, tiger was a about a year old, a friend of mine talked me into taking one of her kittens. Bad idea. She assured me the kitten she was to give me was female. I didn't want kittens. She was wrong. The kitten was male. At 3 months, I caught Sam humping tiger. I asked the vet, if Tiger could get pregant since Sam was so young. The vet told me a cat that young could not make another cat pregnant. Wrong again. I few months later, I decided it was time for Tiger to be nuetered before Sam was old enough to father kittens. When I picked Tiger up after her surgery, the vet told me that she had been pregnant.'
Vet Visits / Bills
'Its important to take your cat to the vet at least when their shots are due. If your pet is sick or hurt, you should take it immediately. Dont wait to see if it will get better. If you cant afford to take care of a pet, dont get one. Its that simple. Pets require responsibility. They need care. I have known people, who have had pets that never took it to the vet even when the animal was obviously sick or injured. They 'd didn't have the money to care for the pet. They shouldn't have had the pet to begin with if they knew they couldn't take care of the animal. A vet can be expensive. A typical vet bill can run over $100 and upwards of $200. This includes shots, exam and to check for worms. The cost can also vary according to your location.
Feral Cats
Cats that have been abandoned by their owners and left to fend for themselves are called feral cats. One of my neighbors moved and left their cat a few years ago. The cat is wild. He wont let anyone near him. I 've been throwing out my leftovers to him cause I hate to see any animal go hungry. I also set up a dog house for it when I saw it a few years back trying to find shelter during a heavy rain.
