Pleasing 4 Pets

In part one of our article we described how although a cat may not be man’s best friend, they are much easier to care for than a dog. In this article we will discuss a common feline trait - kneading.

Why do cats knead?

It might seen like a cat is simply kneading your furniture or upholstery to get up your nose, but there is a reason for this behaviour. Cats knead their mothers soon after birth to stimulate milk production and milk release. They carry this on into their adult lives as a form of acceptance. So if a cat kneads you, it is simply saying ‘I accept you as my parent and I respect you - sorry about my sharp claws’

Having a pet can make a real difference to your life, but with the ups pets bring, there are also the downs. Like people, pets have good days and bad days and they have to be taught how to behave in certain situations.

So what do you do if you have a pet that constantly does something you are not happy with such as a cat scratching furniture?

We should start out here by saying here that disciplining your pet by smacking or by using an electirc shock collar is an absolute no no. Under no circumstances should you ever hit or hurt an animal.

Conditioning therapy works the best with most pets. Put simply it’s is a system of reward and non-reward for the things your pet does well or not so well. Think Pavlov’s Dogs. The more you reward good behaviour the more good behaviour you are likely to get.

If your pet scratches in one particular place stop them by moving that item or by providing an alternative place you don’t mind them scratching, such as a scratching post. If all else fails you can place citrus fruit peel around the items for a few days which should keep your cat away.

Many homes in the UK have a pet with most homeowners choosing either a cat or a dog. We’ve said before that bringing a pet into your home should be given plenty of thought, so we’re not going to harp on about that point here. What we will say is if you are torn between a cat and a dog it’s worth reading our five part article about cats before making your choice.

Cats - Your feline friend

Whereas a dog will dote on you, a cat will simply share your home with you. And this statement is not far from the truth. While a dog may wag its tail and shower you with affection when you arrive home after a hard day at work, a cat may simply give you a look of disdain at waking it from its slumber. Cats have other advantages though so don’t let this put you off. If you own a dog your work day is not complete until you have put on the dog’s lead and taken it for a walk. A cat can simply walk itself when it wants.

Does your cat’s breath smell like mouldy sardines and poo? That’s probably because they don’t clean their teeth. There’ll be bits of food from a week ago stuck there, and is only going to become dislodged by chance. And, oh yes, they clean their bottoms with their tongues. Nice.

Getting a cat sized toothbrush is pretty difficult, and harder still is finding cat friendly toothpaste and allowing your furry friend to let you stick a foamy stick in its mouth repeatedly. Go figure.

So, there are some wonderful treats for cats that brush their teeth whilst they eat. Whiskas dentabix are just one of the many varieties, and they really do work.

The new breath may not be minty fresh, or smell like roses, but at least it doesn’t smell of shit any more. That’s the key. And, no, I don’t think you can give them to your boyfriend in the morning.

Have plenty of sellotape, a lint brush or a sticky roller. At all times. A spare small blanket on the back of the sofa, a folded up towel by the bathroom radiator, removable cushions on your dining room chairs.

Cat lovers everywhere will love it when their feline friend curls up on their knee for a snooze. They will not love it when they get uip and find their long-haired calico has left a closely knitted thick layer of white fur on their trousers when they get up. It is a hazard of owning cats. But, if you’re prepared, it isn’t too much hassle.

The blanket: to put on your knee as soon as you cat jumps on the sofa.

The towel: a comfy sleeping place, and a towel you don’t mind getting trashed when you have to dry your tufty tortoiseshell after she comes in from the rain.

Removable cushions: so you don’t sit down to your breakfast in a smart black suit only to get up and look like your cat’s been sleeping on your bum for weeks.

Most cats pretty much look after themselves looks-wise. They may need drying off with a towel after they’ve been out in the rain, but they’re usually pretty good.

Long haired cats, however, get into all sorts of messy situations: twigs in the fur on their legs, knots on the side, ‘dreadlocks’ under their chin etc etc…

A pair of sharp scissors and a soft-bristled brush. The brush is pretty self-explanatory – run it through your moggy’s fur every week or so, to keep any monster knots at bay. If you do get a massive knot, just snip it out with the scissors: there’s no point hurting the poor thing by trying to brush it out.

The scissors are also for trimming that hair below the tail. Yep, around their bottom.

It isn’t always mud that clings on to that particular area of hair, so it’s on my kindest advice that you trim the hair to reduce the possibility of any… unwanted extras.

No, I didn’t think so. Neither do cats.

There are so many bowls for cat food on the market that are rectangular or stretched oval shape, split into two compartments. One of these is for food, the other for water. How often do you see a rogue biscuit, or meaty chunk in the water? What do you do? Pick it out and throw it away? Tip the water out, wash the bowl and re-fill? Or just leave it until they decide to eat it?

I don’t know about you, but I think I might change my glass of whine if a bit of my gravy covered roast beef fell into it. I think, in fact, that I wouldn’t like it at all. I don’t even think I’d like it if my glass of water had been stood next to smelly food all day, as it picks up scents and flavours of what’s around it. Never had cheesy milk?

Put their water around the corner from their food; on the other side of the room, or just a few feet away. They’ll be far more likely to drink it, and will be healthier for it too. It’ll also prevent that horrible slimy gunk that forms on the water side of their bowl when you go to wash it. Nasty.

Many of us absolutely adore our feline friends and their weird and wonderful habits. Some will enjoy sitting on your lap only at the most inconvenient times, others will not be picked up or cuddled no matter how gently or politely you do so.

One of the funniest things that one of my cats does is chase his tail. Now, that may not seem so strange, but the funniest bit is when he launches himself, all four paws off the ground to pounce on his own back end. Again, this may not seem so bizarre. His problem is eye contact, or even perceived attention. If he thinks that anyone – human, feline, fish or canine – is watching, he will stop and clean himself (but always keeping an eye on that pesky tail). No matter what he’s playing with, if he thinks you’re watching, he gets all bashful and embarrassed.

This could be because he is the only male out of our four cats, and so usually he’s the Boss, the big man, the one who gets the cream (metaphorically, of course). He may feel that ‘playing’ is beneath him. Either that or he’s just a bit mental. I think I prefer the latter.

Cat hair has crafty ways of sticking around. If you have a chair that your prize kitty likes to sit on, you’ll have noticed that it gets thick with fur.

Also, you’ll notice that if your cat is on the sofa next to you, and you give them a bit of a stroke, you can see swathes of fur flying about in the air. The cats don’t like it if their ‘released’ fur falls back onto them (especially their faces) so if generally drops onto the floor or your clothes.

Hoovering is the best way of getting cat hair from carpets and upholstery, and a lint brush or roller is by far the most effective way of removing fur from clothes. Some will have been intertwined with the fabric so you’ll have to manually pick them out, but putting them in the wash will not get rid of them, but rather cover other clothes with hair and exacerbate the problem.

Fleas are the bane of any cat owner’s existence. They bite, they spread, they get into the carpets, beds and even clothes. If you don’t get rid of them early on, it will be pretty difficult to do as they live in the carpet.

At least fleas can’t live on humans. Our blood is too rich for them, so even though they bite us they can’t use our flesh to live. Good to know.
Flea collars are one way of helping to protec
t your beloved feline from them, but their effectiveness does want after a relatively short while.

Spot-On flea treatment and house flea spray are probably the best way to keep them away. Use the Spot-On every month or two and spray your carpets at least every six months.
Hopefully that’ll keep the pesky pets at bay.