Declawing Cats: Far Worse Than a Manicure by The Humane Society of the United States

Declawing is a topic that arouses strong feelings. Some people believe it's cruel and unnecessary, while others think it has its place.

Why people declaw cats
People often mistakenly believe that declawing their cats is a harmless "quick fix" for unwanted scratching. They don't realize that declawing can make a cat less likely to use the litter box or more likely to bite.

What is declawing?
Too often, people think that declawing is a simple surgery that removes a cat's nails—the equivalent of having your fingernails trimmed. Sadly, this is far from the truth. Declawing traditionally involves the amputation of the last bone of each toe. If performed on a human being, it would be like cutting off each finger at the last knuckle.

 What you can do
    * Keep his claws trimmed to minimize damage to household items.
    * Provide several stable scratching posts and boards around your home. Offer different materials like carpet, sisal, wood, and cardboard, as well as different styles (vertical and horizontal). Use toys and catnip to entice your cat to use the posts and boards.
    * Ask your veterinarian about soft plastic caps (such as Soft Paws) that are glued to the cat's nails. They need to be replaced about every six weeks.
    * Use a special tape (such as Sticky Paws) on furniture to deter your cat from unwanted scratching.


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Chattapets: Tips to help keep cats and dogs at ease while spending time alone By: Karen Nazor Hill

Bronson offered the following tips to help keep cats and dogs at ease while spending time alone:

* Let your cat-sitter know where your cat hides. Cats will tend to stay hidden or run, especially when their owners are out of town.

* Leave detailed instructions regarding feeding, medication and walks. Have your pet-sitter keep the same routine you follow.

* Cats are very sensitive to their surroundings, so if you have to travel out of town try to get a cat-sitter rather than boarding your cat.

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Yoga meditation music 'helps cats relax'

A study shows that when they are unwell, cats became less stressed when they listen to relaxing music. Student veterinary nurse Sian Barr carried out the research on cats being treated at a vet's surgery. She found that those who were played yoga meditation music and Om Shanti tunes calmed down and began to breathe more slowly while in cages at the practice in Powys, Wales.

Miss Barr, who has just graduated from veterinary school with a first class honours degree thanks to her research, said: "Stress in small doses can be a good thing, such as if a cat is under stress to eat, then it can perform better. 

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Why Do Cats Seek Attention In Bathrooms? Amy Shojai answers!

Marie Asks Amy:"Dear, wise, cat whisperer, I have a very burning question that has never been answered to any form of satisfaction. Why do all my cats (and my friends report theirs, too) love to be in the bathroom with me? I can sit for hours in the living room, bedroom and office and no one even shows up to say "meow." I mean they are around but don't interact with me.
But, if I walk into the bathroom and sit down, even if I am not using the facilities, they literally line up to come visit me..."


Read Amy Shojai's answer here

Catnip: Why Cats Go Crazy For It

You find your cat rolling and twisting on the floor, rubbing his face against it, and drooling everywhere. Right away you know—he's been in the catnip.

What is catnip, anyway?

Catnip is a member of the mint family, which has about 250 species. The essential oil in catnip, nepetalactone, has a powerful effect on cats who are sensitive to it, turning even the most sedentary couch potato into a flipped-out ball of ecstasy.

Smelling vs. eating
The most intense catnip experience is an olfactory one—your cat smells the herb and promptly goes nuts. Researchers aren't sure what the neurological explanation is, but it's thought that catnip mimics feline "happy" pheromones and stimulates the receptors in the brain that respond to those pheromones. When eaten, however, catnip seems to have the opposite effect: the cat may become very mellow.

Most cats react to catnip by rolling, flipping, rubbing, and eventually zoning out. They may meow or growl at the same time. Other cats become hyperactive, running around like their tails are on fire, and some get downright aggressive, especially if you approach them. They must protect their toys!

Usually these sessions last about 10 minutes, after which your cat loses interest. It may take as long as two hours for him to "reset" and become susceptible to catnip again.
 

Not for everyone
Not all cats fall for catnip. It's an inherited sensitivity, and if your cat didn't get that gene, he simply won't care about catnip. An estimated 50 percent of cats don't respond. The trait doesn't emerge until a cat is between three and six months old; until then, a kitten will not have a response.

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Cat Chat: Understanding Feline Language by the Humane Society of the United States

Body language, behavior, and vocalizations are keys to understanding the feline mind.

You and your cat might speak different languages, but you can still communicate with each other.

Indicators such as the look in your cat's eyes, the tone of her voice, the position of her ears, and the motion of her tail can provide important clues that reveal her feelings and intentions. You can learn to "read" these signals so you’ll get a good idea of what's on your cat's mind.

You'll learn a lot from your cat's wide vocabulary of chirps and meows. You'll know when it's time to get up (at least in your cat's opinion), when your cat's feeling affectionate, or when your cat's feeling threatened or is in pain.

Meow is an all-purpose word. This can be a greeting ("Hey, how ya doin'?), a command ("I want up, I want down, More food now"), an objection ("Touch me at your own risk"), an announcement ("Here's your mouse"). Some cats even walk around the house meowing to themselves.

Chirps and trills are how a mother cat tells her kittens to follow her. Kitty wants you to follow him, usually to his food bowl. If you have more than one cat, they will often converse with each other this way.

The purr is a sign of contentment. Cats purr whenever they're happy, even while they’re eating. Sometimes, however, a cat may purr when he's anxious or sick, using the purr as a way to comfort himself, like a child sucking his thumb.

Growling, hissing, and spitting indicates a cat who is annoyed, frightened, angry or aggressive. Leave this cat alone.

The yowl or howl is a loud, drawn-out meow. Your cat is in some kind of distress—stuck in a closet, looking for you, in pain. In unneutered and unspayed cats, it's part of the mating behavior (and very annoying). Elderly cats sometimes suffer from cognitive disorder (dementia) and may howl because they're disoriented. Screaming means your cat is in terrible pain.

Chattering, chittering, twittering is the strange noise your cat makes when he's sitting in the window watching birds or squirrels. Some experts think that this is an exaggeration of the "killing bite," when a cat grabs his prey by the neck and works his teeth through the bones to snap them.

Ears

• Forward: alert, interested, happy
• Backward, sideways, flat ("airplane ears"): irritable, angry, frightened
• Swiveling: attentive, listening to every little sound

Eyes

• Pupils constricted: offensively aggressive; content
• Pupils dilated: nervous, submissive (somewhat dilated); defensively aggressive (fully dilated); playful

Tail

• Erect, fur flat: alert, inquisitive, happy
• Fur standing on end: angry, frightened
• Held very low or tucked between legs: insecure, anxious
• Thrashing back and forth: agitated. The faster the tail, the madder the cat
• Straight up, quivering: excited, really happy. If your cat is not neutered, he or she could be getting ready to spray something!

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