Eagle DNA

Archive for the ‘Cats’ Category

For anyone who is considering indoor cats, my suggestion is to visit the pet store and pick up some general cat items before going to the shelter or other facility, even if you plan on “just looking” at the cats. Why? Because chances are that all those cute little faces peering up at you will be too hard to pass up and presto! You will have a cat, but zero gear. It is far better to be ready for that moment!

I figured this out the good old hard way when I adopted my cat, Cody. Prior to going to the animal shelter in my home town, I had only just purchased a kennel, which was scarcely big enough, and a semi-automatic cat litter box that I chose to get rid of as soon as I’d had the opportunity to do some research on it. So there I was, scurrying around to purchase food and a satisfactory cat litter box while a relative took care of my new pet.

The reason I’m writing this is to hopefully save you from that stress and headache! Here are some of the essentials that are going to make bringing your new cat home a more pleasurable experience!

It’s a good idea to purchase a number of foods, including both canned and dry formulas.  Since almost everyone knows how choosy cats can be when it comes to eating, it’s best to optimize your chances of giving your new cat food he will like to eat. This may also help to minimize your cat’s stress as he adapts to his new home.

Home-made cat food is one of the healthiest ways you can choose to feed your cat, but only if you do it exactly right. Making nutritionally complete cat food requires a great deal of information relating to what a cat’s dietary needs are and how you can best provide for them.

Providing your cat with proper nutrition goes a long, LONG way in preventing so many of today’s commonly seen feline diseases. There are many inappropriate “cat diets” available on the pet food market, including veterinary feline diets, and these inappropriate diets are largely responsible for creating a myriad of the health problems that exist in our feline friends.

Cats are obligate carnivores: they are NOT meant to eat dehydrated diets, they are NOT meant to be eating grains, they are NOT meant to be eating significant amounts of carbohydrates, they are NOT meant to eat fruits & vegetables, they are NOT meant to eat significant amounts of seafood, and they are NOT meant to obtain their protein from soy! These unnatural ingredients in dry cat foods (and some wet foods too!) are inflammation inducing and result in a myriad of gastrointestinal disorders, skin reactions, and other health problems in our pet cats.

Litter mate aggression is very different from whether it is a neighbors’ cat or one you bring home.  I love the idea of two cats to exercise and entertain themselves but cats tend to be very territorial and you must take several steps to identify aggressive behavior and perform proper steps to introduce the new cat in the house.  First let’s define the types of aggressive behavior often demonstrated by cats.

This occurs when a cat feels that an intruder has invaded her territory.

Cats can be aggressive toward one cat yet friendly and tolerant with another. 
Aggressive behavior problems often occur when a new cat is brought home, a young kitten reaches maturity, or a cat encounters neighborhood cats outside.
The most typical behavioral actions are stalking, chasing, ambushing, hissing, loud meowing, swatting, and preventing access to places such as the litter box, or another room.
Female cats can be just as territorial as males.  This I know because I have one.

 Adult male cats may threaten and sometimes fight with other males.  This aggressive behavior is common with unneutered cats typical of feral cats.  They may fight over a female, for a higher place on the totem pole, or to defend territory.

Cats stalk, stare, yowl, howl, and puff up their fur to back each other down.  If one does back down and walk away, the aggressor, having made his point, will usually walk away as well.  If no one backs down the cats may actually fight. They may roll around biting, kicking, swatting, and screaming then suddenly stop, resume posturing, fight again, or walk away.

To keep your cat happy, healthy and clean it is essential to properly groom your cat. By reading this section you will learn how and when to groom your cat and also what equipment to use. You will learn how to brush your cat, bath your cat, how to clean your cats ears and how to look after your cats teeth.

Brushing and combing your cat

Cats spend 10 percent of their waking hours grooming themselves by licking dirt and excess fur of their coat but this is not enough to properly keep them clean and some cats do not clean themselves properly. You should brush and comb your cat on a regular basis. Short-hair cats are much easier to groom than long-hair cats. If you are unsure of what your cat is, visit the breeds section. When you are grooming your cat you should be alert and checking for fleas, scars, wounds and lumps.

The first thing you need to know is the difference between a cat comb and a cat brush. A cat comb is used to remove excess hair, remove knots and to remove dirt. A cat brush is to fluff up the fur and make it smooth and look good. If you own long-hair cat I would recommend buying both a comb and a brush as you will learn later on, if you own a short-hair cat it is not as important but you can if you want.

When you visit a supermarket to purchase food for your family and you see a newproduct that you think might be a healthy choice, your first decision is to read the label to identify the ingredients and decide if the ingredients are healthy for your family.

Don’t you think it would be prudent to read cat food labels and determine whether it’s a bad cat food or a nutritional cat food? A cat food with any of their first five ingredients listed as a carbohydrate is bad cat food and it is harming your cat.

However, most cat owners fail to read cat food labels and as a result, you feed your cats many bad cat foods with harmful ingredients that are causing premature cat deaths.

Since most cat caregivers consider their feline friends as family members, don’t you think you should show them the same consideration? Feeding your cat bad cat food that leads to premature cat deaths is not showing love for your cat.

Cats are carnivores and their physiology demands a meat-based diet as this will closely mimic their natural diet. It’s imperative that you remember and abide by guidelines that will benefit your cat and help him/her realize their longevity. Bad cat foods will not do this but nutritional cat foods will.

Such foods as carbohydrates will damage your cats’ digestive system and cause food related diseases that will severely shorten his life. These are not nutritional cat foods but rather bad cat foods and they are the main cause of premature cat deaths