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Mental Health
Cats rely on their natural instincts for hunting, self preservation and
elimination. Many of the behaviors cat owners deem undesirable are
simply manifestations of natural behaviors. Cats instinctively mark
their
territory by spraying and scratching, they play roughly with one
another, and they pounce on and bite their prey. If you really think
about it, many of the ways we demand cats behave are totally contrary to
their
nature. Cats need individual attention from their owners and are
generally better adjusted socially when they are raised with at least
one other cat. You are wrong if you think your cat doesn’t need you.
Although cats can manage staying home alone all day while you are at
work, it’s really not their preference.
Environmental enrichment and awareness of your cat’s
needs are important factors in making her happy in your home. If left
outdoors,a cat would spend a large part of her day stalking and eating
prey. This activity would provide mental stimulation and challenge. It
would also provide exercise and keep the cat in good physical condition.
Cats scratch to communicate visually and by scent, and to keep their
nails in shape. Give your cat at least one tall, sturdy scratching post
in an easily accessible area. If she is not given appropriate items to
scratch and then trained to use them, she will seek out alternative
objects in your home.
Indoor cats don’t have to work to eat, so boredom and
obesity can result. Train cats to perform tricks and reward them with
treats. Throw the treats and let your cat chase them. Consider placing
small amounts
of food in several locations and making your cat roam around to eat.
Create vertical space to keep your cat happy. Cats love to jump up on
things and watch the world from a high vantage point. Jumping up keeps
cats active, and giving them a high perch gives them an appropriate
place to hang out and retreat from other cats, animals and people in a
household. If two or more cats must live together in a small home, cat
trees and elevated perches give cats more space, create vertical
territory, and decrease the stress of sharing a small area.
Although cats may play less as they age, play is another component of
good feline mental health. Many cats will play on their own with toys,
but interactive play every day is also very important for your cat’s
mental health. Play relieves boredom and provides exercise. It provides
an outlet for stalking, pouncing and biting behaviors. Don’t give up on
cats who seem uninterested in playing. Search for fishing pole toys
with feathers or laser lights that will stimulate at least a little
interest in play. To keep your cat entertained, set up an outdoor bird
feeder that your cat can observe through a window, or install an
aquarium. These
items will provide a lot of stimulation to a cat who longs to hunt and
chase, as well as a couch potato.
Signs of stress
Trying to understand how a cat perceives the world is
difficult. We do our best to make their lives comfortable, but we do not
always properly meet our cat’s individual mental needs. Changes in the
home environment or with an owner’s schedule may seem trivial to us, but
they can have a major impact on our feline friends. Cats can manifest
their stress through various behaviors. A trip to the veterinary
hospital sends some cats into a frenzy of fearful aggression. Boredom
makes some cats engage in destructive
chewing and clawing behavior. They often perform these behaviors simply
to get negative attention from their busy owners. Some cats overgroom to
the point of creating bald patches and sores as a response to stress.
This condition is called psychogenic alopecia. Other stressed cats spray
urine or eliminate inappropriately around the house.
Pay attention to your cat and look for signs of
stress-induced behaviors. Early intervention is the key to preventing
unwanted behaviors from continuing, and to making your cat happier.
Kittens develop very quickly and are grown-up cats before you know it. The maturation that occurs during a kitten’s first six months of life correlates to the first 15 years of a human’s life.......
Mental Health
Cats rely on their natural instincts for hunting, self preservation and elimination. Many of the behaviors cat owners deem undesirable are simply manifestations of natural behaviors.........
Cats cannot tell us how they feel, so it is important to have some understanding of the signs that a cat is sick. Cats are generally stoic animals, and often they do not let us know .........
There is no set schedule for bathing a cat, and some cats may never need a bath. Factors to consider when deciding about a bath are:.........
Food has a high ranking on a cat’s top 10 list. It ranks higher than affection from you, cravings for catnip and clawing the furniture! Food is a treat some ...........
Although cats are said to have nine lives, they only have one, and you can help that one along. In the wild cats do a good job of taking care of themselves .................
As a cat owner, it is useful to have some basic knowledge about the diseases you protect your cat from with vaccines. You may be surprised to find out that vaccines are not as .......
Cats are very efficient at reproducing and are able to have several litters a year with multiple kittens in each. Most cats go through puberty at an early age somewhere .......
Cats do not live forever, although we’d like them to. When you have shared your home with a cat for many years, he becomes an integral member of the family, and you develop strong ........
The skin is the largest organ of any animal’s body; it comprises 12 to 24 percent of a cat’s body weight. It protects the cat and is responsible for much of her external appearance ......
The central nervous system is composed of the brain and spinal cord. The brain is the computer that commands the other parts of the body. Cerebral spinal fluid surrounds the brain ........
What Can You Catch From Your Cat?
Humans have successfully lived with cats for thousands of years. Overall, cats are extremely safe pets to own, and they rarely transmit diseases to humans ......