Pampering Your Cat

Important Nutritional Information On Cat Food

by: Jay Moncliff

Cat Food Fact #1 Cats must get their Protein

Protein is crucial for your cat’s health, and generally comes from fish, meat or poultry. Advertisers will often say their brand is beef, turkey or mackerel flavoured, but it may not actually contain those products, meaning it may not be rich in protein. Always ensure the food you buy but your cat has a sufficient amount of protein in it, irrespective of the flavour.

Cat Food Fact #2 Cat Food with Taurine

Taurine is an important amino acid for your cat, and you should also check that the food you buy contains this supplement. Cats control their own levels and indicate these with their appetite. If you cat is eating a lot, the food you are buying may not have enough nutrients for a balanced diet. You can watch your cats weight by buying a nutrient rich food as your cat will eat less and you might even save money.

Cat Food Fact #3 Canned or Dry Cat Food?

Cats require a varied diet, including a mixture of canned and dry food. Contrary to opinions that it doesn’t matter, buying only one type of food because of convenience or price is a mistake, and can harm your cat’s health. When the cat is alone or unattended for a period, carbohydrate rich dry food should be left out for your cat with a supply of fresh water. Tinned food is higher in protein due to the meat content, and contains higher water levels. Both are essential for a balanced diet, and a combination of both dry and canned food will keep essential variety in the diet and prevent the cat from seeking food elsewhere.

Cat Food Fact #4 Avoid fillers in cat food

Protein is essential for your cat as part of a balanced diet. Ensure the food you buy is rich in protein, and not overly full of carbohydrates, common fillers used by manufacturers to build out volume. Always read the label, and check for overly high levels of carbohydrate and other by-products in the cat food.

About The Author

Jay Moncliff is the founder of http://www.catfoodcenter.info a website specialized on Cat Food, resources and articles. This site provides updated information on Cat Food. For more info on Cat Food visit: http://www.catfoodcenter.info.

There Are Over 50 Cat Breeds. What Breed Makes The Best Pet?

How to choose the perfect cat breed for you is easy if you do your research first.

Cats are the world’s most popular pets. They are independent but at the same time make for great company. The have minimal maintenance needs but they satisfy any pet owner’s need to cuddle.

There are many different domestic cat breeds, but less than one percent of all cats have pedigrees or are pure breeds. All in all there are about 70-odd breeds. The rest of the cats fall into two main groups: domestic longhair and domestic shorthair. Cats that have a long slender build, almond-shaped eyes and sleek fur are often characterized as Oriental.

For potential cat owners there are many breeds to chose from ranging from a pure cat breed to your standard non-purebred breed, often called an alley-cat.

Exotic cat breeds include the Bengal (a relatively new breed; a cross between the Asian Leopard Cat and the domestic shorthair), Scottish Fold (its ears are folded forward and down), Egyptian Mau (resembles ancient Egyptian cats) and the California Spangled Cat. The most popular longhair variety is the Persian. In fact, Persians are probably the most well-known of all cat breeds, probably because of its long coat. Potential buyers should know that their coat demands a daily program of grooming. But they’ll make up for that with their gentle temperament.

The most popular shorthair variety is the Siamese. The Siamese has blue eyes and colored ears, face, tail and paws in contrast to the rest of the body. This breed has a long and slender body.

How to choose the breed you want?

Although all kittens and cats can have very different personalities, breed specific characteristics can aid in making your decision. Attending a cat show is an excellent way to get a real life idea of what you may expect and to find out what you are really looking for.

Consider the length of the coat, the size of the adult cat, what some of the breed traits are. Does this breed of cat generally need a lot of grooming, are they a family oriented breed or do they bond better with one person? Is the breed more active as an adult or more of a lap cat?

Every different breed of cat has its own personal needs, but generally they are flexible and can be accommodated in various homes and apartments and don’t mind being left alone. That’s what makes cat the all-time favorite pet for people with demanding lifestyles and long work hours.

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About the Author
Dean Erickson. Journalist, and web site builder Dean Erickson lives in Texas. He is the owner and co-editor of cat-breeds-directory.com on which you will find a longer, more detailed version of this article.

What’s the Real Deal on Pet Insurance?

by: Blake Kritzberg

Even if you haven’t had a run-in involving your pet of late, pet insurance has probably crossed your mind. And if you have, the bill for any non-routine care may have cost you anywhere from a cool couple hundred to nearly a grand.

You might have wondered why people have health insurance and most pets don’t, when the medical costs seem practically the same! And yet, navigating through the underbrush of fine print involved in pet insurance may have put you off. Is it worth the money? What do insurers really cover? And why do some plans cost the moon while others seem much more affordable? We’ll try to clear a path through the paper jungle.

Tip #1: Get Them in Young

Ideally, you’ll want to identify right pet insurance plan for you, and get your pet in young while she’s still quite healthy. The reason is, should your pet develop a long-term health issue such as a thyroid problem, she won’t be eligible for many programs, having a “pre-existing condition.” If you stick with one quality program, though, you’ll probably be fine.

Tip #2: You Get What You Pay For

This may stick in the craw a bit, when you start looking at insurance premiums. Some of them cost an awful lot! Be sure to look ahead too, at estimated increases down the road. The older your pet grows, the more the premiums will cost. They will get quite stiff for an older pet, even a healthy one.

So why should you pay out a mint for plan A, when plan B offers coverage for half the price? The answer is: lack of nasty surprises.

Let’s face it, no one but an insurance adjuster can tell what the fine print means when it comes to covering your pet. But we do know this: on the cheaper plans, unhappy things happen. Let’s give an example — let’s say you have two pugs, both covered by an inexpensive plan. One sadly breaks his leg and needs several surgeries, costing two thousand altogether.

You may think your inexpensive plan — which happily, covers 2K of expenses — will handle it all. But when you submit your claim, you discover that 2K is the maximum coverage for both dogs, and your pug is only eligible for half. Even worse, but very common, is a lower limit per incident. In this case, Low Cost Pet Plan will respond that it only covers $500 for this “incident,” but if your poor pug breaks his leg three more times this year, they’ll be happy to help.

Tip #3: You Get What You Pay For

Yes, we know we said that already — but we didn’t say it enough.

Here’s a horror story that can happen on a low-cost plan: you have an insurer. You pay your premiums. But one day, your aging pet develops diabetes. That year, when it comes time to renew the plan and update the premiums, your insurer sticks in an exclusion. As of that moment, they no longer cover diabetes in your pet. Yes, they can do that — and you’re out in the cold.

No less common — and no more pleasant — is the limited payout per condition problem. Your low-cost insurer may cover the first three years of your diabetic pet’s vet bills, but after that, you’ve run through her lifetime allowance for diabetes. Now in her golden years, all her medical costs come straight from your pocket.

What you want is a reputable company that agrees to insure your pet for life, period. No tricks, no last-minute exclusions, no lifetime condition limits. But to have these things, you’ll need to pay for them.

Tip #4: Follow the Wagging Tails

Pet insurance costs too much to be throwing darts in the dark. You need to know which plans will come through for you down the road after you’ve paid their premiums for years. So do your research — look for good word of mouth. You can learn a lot with some smart surfing and Googling.

Although we haven’t used either, we found many satisfied buyers with PetPlan and Marks & Spencer. There are other good plans as well, and plans that are best avoided. The tip we like most is to ask your vet what she uses. Yes! — many vets insure their beloved animals, and are scrupulous in who they choose.

Tip #5: Do You Even Need Insurance?

There’s an argument — and it’s a good one — that pet insurance really serves no purpose. You can see the force of this line of thought when you check out the premiums of quality, reliable plans — they’re high. So why should you pay out all that cash for what *might* happen, instead of stashing it each month in your own high-interest savings account and simply withdrawing what you need?

The answer is simple: discipline. Some people have the discipline to pay their premiums, but not to establish a separate account they won’t touch except for emergency pet expenses. Other than discipline, there’s probably no real reason why you shouldn’t self-insure.

With one exception — liability. Some plans offer extra coverage if your dog injures someone and you get sued. These aren’t the kinds of things you can effectively save up for on your own, so if you think it might be a problem, pet insurance might truly be the route for you.

Tip #6: One More For the Road

Is your pet a prize purebred, with a pedigree reaching back before William of Orange? Expect more vet costs over its lifetime — it’s just a statistical fact. Perhaps this subtle factor will help you decide whether you should self-insure or go for a plan.

Peace of Mind: Priceless

We’re animal lovers. And in the back of our minds lurks the fear that Fido will someday come down with something we can’t afford to treat — simultaneous renal failure and diabetes, for example (to cite a sad chapter from my own pet annals). The peace of mind in knowing you can afford to care for your furry companion, no matter what the future brings, is profound. That’s why insurance was developed, and that’s why pet insurance might be the right choice for you.

About The Author

Blake Kritzberg is proprietor of Poodle-oo: Fashion for Toy Dogs. Stop by for toy dog couture and home decor, free toy dog postcards and the Toy Dog Blog.

http://www.poodle-oo.com/

Learn more about pet insurance: http://www.poodle-oo.com/pet-insurance.htm

Veterinary Secrets Revealed

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Purchasing a scratching post is much the same as purchasing a piece of furniture for ourselves. Just as we know what we prefer, knowing your cats habits – likes and dislikes will help in choosing a scratching post your cat will use and enjoy.

Scratching posts can be purchased in many shapes, styles and sizes from flat, that lay on the floor, to tiered with multiple scratching posts. Some even have hideaways for climbing and playing. You can also find scratching posts with cat nip in them to help entice your cat to scratch and stretch.

There is more to your cats scratching than keeping their claws sharp. The dead outer layer of the nails are loosened and fall off. Scratching and stretching is good therapy for your cats muscles and tendons.

Having a scratching post available for your feline is also a great stress reliever for him/her. Cats have scent glands located on the bottom of their paws. A scratching post at your cats disposal will supply your pet with a means of marking it’s territory which is a natural instinct and preferable to using your furniture, woodwork, carpets or drapes.

In selecting a scratching post, it should be long or tall enough for your cat to stretch it’s full length. opinions differ on the types of material used in stretching posts. You can purchase scratching posts covered with sisal which is recommended if your cat uses your woodwork to scratch on.

Sisal covered scratching posts are popular. Woven sisal is said to be softer and becomes more appealing to your cat with use. Opinions also differ on coverings for the base of the scratching post. Two choices for a base is carpet or vinyl. Some feel carpet covered bases could lead to your cat using your carpet to scratch and stretch on. Knowing your cats habits and some research will help you greatly in your choice of a scratching post.

If you have a serious problem with your family feline using your furniture, woodwork or drapes to scratch on, please consider a quality scratching post before contemplating declawing your pet. It is a very painful surgery to put him/her through when it may not be necessary. Your veterinarian can give you an explicit explanation and most likely photos of what your cat will go through.

“So – you’re getting a kitten. That’s great! You are in for a wonderful learning experience”

Special thanks to
Tammie Whitted for this
great article.

How could something so fluffy, adorable and small cause so much trouble? Having a kitten is similar to having a two year old. They need to be watched almost constantly. You know the old saying about curiosity and the cat? It applies even more to a kitten. And because kittens are so inquisitive, here are a few tips to help protect your little one:

1.Check book cases, curtain rods, shelves, etc. to make sure they can withstand your kittens weight.

2.Be sure to check under sofas and recliners to make sure he/she cannot get trapped under them.

3.Kittens love playing with (and very often destroy) houseplants. Since many plants are poisonous, you may want to consider hanging them out of the kittens reach.

4.Cover all waste baskets so your kitten can’t go exploring.

5.Pieces of yarn, string and thread are wonderful play things for your kitten but if swallowed can become intestinal blockages that can be fatal.

6.Your new kitten should be introduced to its new home carefully. They can become disoriented in their new surroundings. It’s best to introduce children and other pets gradually over a few days.

Have you noticed your kitten loves to knead? They do this from birth to stimulate their mother’s milk. Sometimes kittens will drool in anticipation. This “milk kneading” is done at a slow pace and the kitten will purr loudly while kneading. If we suddenly stop this activity by tossing the little one down, he/she is surprised. The mommy kitty never did that! When setting, you look relaxed. To the kitten that is an open invitation to hop in your lap and start kneading. The next time your kitten looks eager to knead, throw a blanket over your lap to protect yourself and your cloths from claw pricks and let your kitten do what comes natural. They will soon withdraw their claws.

“Kittens are social animals”

They respond to your voice, enjoy your companionship and can be trained. Even though kittens (cats) are social, they are far more concerned with territorial issues than we could ever imagine. Kittens don’t suffer much from loneliness. They do a great job of entertaining themselves. Be sure to provide it with some toys to play with and it’s own bed and scratching post to save your furniture.

You may be wondering about the litter box. Kittens don’t need to be taught to go in a litter box. Just show him/her where it is and your kitten will take it from there. Be sure to have it in an accessible place determined from your kittens point of view.

A very important bit of information you need to be aware of is if you are pregnant, litter box duties are definitely off limits for you. There is a risk of toxoplasmosis. You can have your vet check your kitten for toxoplasmosis by examining his/her feces for the presence of eggs.

And last but not least is finding a good veterinarian for your kitten. This is a very important part of caring for your pet. Your vet will give you all the information you will need to ensure a healthy life for your pet.

Unless your kitten was purchased for breeding purposes, please consult your vet on spaying or neutering at the proper age.

To shop for the essential supplies you will need, click here to visit our home page.

How to Make Your Cat Adore You

If you want your cat to adore you, you must first adore your cat. If Kitty falls in love with you after you learn to follow this “courtship” plan, you had better be willing to…learn more

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