Tips on Selecting a Healthy Cat Or Kitten

Before bringing home a cat, there are certain things you need to look out for on selecting a healthy cat or kitten. Whether you decide on a purebred or a mixed breed cat, and whether you buy from a pet shop, adopt from a shelter, these tips will give you an upper hand when selecting a cat.

1) The cat should possess good muscle tone. The cat should have bright clear eyes with no discharge in the corners. The cat should also be alert and friendly with a curious or playful attitude.

2) Check the cat's ears. It should be clean and free of dark, crusty wax.

3) Check the cat's anus. It should be clean and free of any signs of diarrhea.

4) Check the cat's ears for signs of mite or other infection at the ears.

5) Check on the cat's living environment. It should be kept clean and free of pungent animal odors.

6) The cat's coat should be clean and free of fleas. One way to check for fleas is to rub your hand against the fur and look for fine grains of black dirt. This so called flea dirt is actually dried flea excrement. Problem areas to look out for include behind the ears, on the back, and at the tail base where the cat cannot easily reach to lick clean.

7) Test the cat's personality using a feather or ribbon and gauge how playful and relax it is around strangers. Depending on your personality and lifestyle, you may choose one that suits you.

8) Ensure that the kitten you are bringing home is fully weaned and litter-trained. Around this time, it should be feeding on solid food. Ideally, a kitten can only leave its original environment between 8 -16 weeks old. For many breeders of purebred, they will only release them when they are at least 12 -16 weeks old.

9) If buying a purebred, try to get it from a private, small volume breeder. Most of the time, you will be able to see the parents, giving you a good idea of your kitten's appearance and temperament when grown. Besides that, you have the opportunity to establish a relationship with someone who can share experiences in raising and showing that particular breed.

Once you have selected a cat, check out its medical records and the type of vaccination it has already taken. If the cat is not tested yet, you may want to make sure that it is free of any disease before bringing it home. You should send your cat for a checkup within a day or two to ensure you have picked a healthy one.

Albert recently developed a eCourse for looking after your cat's mental and physical needs. If you are interest in learning more about this free eCourse and taking good care of your cat, please go to http://www.catownerclub.com or you can send an email to catcentral@getresponse.com to request for your free eCourse.

Tips For Bringing a New Cat Or Kitten in Your Home

A cat or kitten is nice pet to have, but before you can bring home a new kitten or cat you have to know some vital information regarding the transfer of the new addition into your household. It is really exciting to have a new pet. The introduction of the new cat in your house can do a great difference on how well the cat makes the adjustment.

You have to consider that cats are like creatures in their habits. They want predictable things around and very much similar everyday. When you will bring the pet in your home, you will take the cat out of its familiar surrounding, place in a moving vehicle that is noisy, and then you will expect the cat to adjust into the new environment, different people around and perhaps other animals.

It is really a hard thing to adjust to new environment, this also true to us; we always adjust to our new surroundings if we are new to the place or home. The most relaxed cat will also feel the same, the cat will probably be nervous or stressed upon observing the new surroundings. In order that the transition is smooth and orderly, you have to do things gradually and help your pet by giving plenty of time for the adjustment in the new home and surroundings.

Initially, you have to see your veterinarian and schedule the examination of new pet, try to have your pet examined immediately after you have brought the cat in your home. Be sure that the travel crate where your new pet will ride on is very strong and comfortable since trip home involves car ride. It is important that the travel crate is enclosed because when cats feel nervous, they will feel secure in an enclosed space. Uncontrolled cat is a real hazard in driving, specifically if the cat will climb down in the pedals, or jump into your shoulder. It is also advisable to place the cat in a carrier in case he vomits, defecates or urinates, which some cats really do when they are stressed or nervous.

Sense of scent is very essential to cats or kittens, and it makes them more relaxed to have anything that smells similar to their previous home. For kittens, it is very helpful to bring with you in your home the towel or blanket the kitten has been using for sleeping on. Before picking up your new cat, you have to make some preparations with the shelter or breeder ahead of time, probably to provide them the towel for the kitten or cat in sleeping on for some days. By the time you pick up your new cat, put the towel you gave in the carrier while riding for home, and leave the towel inside the carrier in order that the new pet will sleep on it in the initial few days.

You have to ask the breeder or shelter what kinds of food and wastes the kitten has had already, and try to buy the same brand of food before picking up the new cat. If you like to change the brand of food later, slowly combine the new variety with the former brand.

Before bringing home the new cat, place the water, food, scratching post, toys, and waste pan in the room that is quiet and you can close, maybe an unused bedroom. There are food products for cats that are designed to aid lessen their nervousness; this food product contains pheromones from the face of the cat.

Pheromones are substances which are utilized to correspond with further members of similar species. You can observe that cats often rub their faces and chins on upright surfaces. They are leaving a smell there that contains the pheromones. These pheromones have the relaxing effect to other cats. You can also buy the plug-in form of product with pheromones to be used at home.

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The Essentials For Your New Cat Or Kitten

It is important that you have ready for your new cat or kitten in advance, the following, in preparation for its arrival to its new home.

The basic essentials are:

Food
Feeding Bowls
Bedding
Cat Litter Tray
Toys

Food

Most shops, supermarkets and pet shops have a full range of pet food for your cat. It comes in two main varieties: dry and moist food. Dry food comes mainly in a large bag or small cereal size box and typically looks like small pellets with minimal water content. Moist cat food comes typically in tin or more noticeable now a packet type form. This type of food unlike dry food is moist and has a higher water content, however it does tends to dry out and go off if not eaten at the time. Dry food can work out less costly, will keep a bit longer as long as it doesn't get splashed with water as it is essential that you provide fresh water alongside it.

Nowadays, you will find quite a variety of foods for your cat, some specially labeled for the kitten, the adult cat and the senior cat. You can also feed a combination of both dry and moist food. It is generally advised that a kitten is fed on small meals, around four times a day. An adult cat won't need to be fed as often, typically twice a day. You should also have available for your cat a water bowl, washed and replenished daily. Milk is generally not advised to be given as a drink as cats lose the ability to digest lacrose shortly after they have weaned. Cats do seem to like milk but it can give some diarrhea. There is however, specially formulated 'cat milk' on the market, that contains less lactose but this is perhaps not as widely available and tends to be more a specialist purchase.

Feeding Bowls

You will need a couple of cat dish/bowls, one for water and the other for solid food. They can be made of plastic, ceramic or metal, it doesn't really matter, just so long as they are sturdy and have a non-slip base. Saucers are not ideal as kittens tend to end up getting their paws in the saucer during feeding time. You should place food in a quiet area away from the normal hussle and bussle of family life, perhaps a quiet corner in the kitchen, where your cat won't be disturbed while it is eating its meal. It is essential that you to keep your cat bowls separate from your normal household dishes for hygiene safety. You should thoroughly wash each cat dish in hot water and washing up liquid and rinse well after.

Bedding

Your cat will need a bed as they have a habit of finding something they like and may find your own bed more appealing so its essential that you have a bed ready for their first night away from their old home. Nowadays, there is a range of beds available commercially from pet shops, made of wicker, fabric or plastic.

Ideally you will want the bed to be washable and look out for ones with labels stating they are easy to wash or machine washable. You might gather up some old clothes, an old blanket, jumper, or t-shirt and use these as extra bedding if required. You don't need to buy the most expensive cat bed on the market, even an sturdy cardboard box with a hole cut in the side with an old blanket or jumper on top of a few layers of old newspaper will suffice.

Cat Litter Tray

Make sure that the cat's litter tray is available when you first bring your cat home. It is ideal that you use the same type of cat litter as it has been used to so it will be able to identify that as being the toilet area. You can of course change to a different type of cat litter gradually though some cats may have their own preference.

Your cat could find an alternative 'toilet' area if they have difficulty finding the litter tray or find it not cleaned regularly. Remember to keep the litter tray in a quiet, safe area, away from the cat's bedding or feeding area.

Toys

For cats, play takes the form of the hunt, tossing around a toy and gives them stimulation and something to do, particularly for indoor cats. Outdoor cats can have the big open world and back garden to occupy themselves, watching birds, chasing leaves and scratching the wooden fence to mention a few. For the owner, play is a great way to develop a bond with your cat and even something as simple as a scrunched up bit of newspaper thrown back and forth. Older cats may not respond the same in play, but kittens are a delight to watch as they play.

Commercially made toys to name a few come in the form of most typically toy mice, plastic balls, novelty and some may include catnip, a herb known to have a temporary effect on cat behaviour, making them more excited, more vocal, etc. Very young kittens will not be effected by it and you should avoid cat toys containing catnip if your cat develops aggressive behaviour after being exposed to it. Check that toys you buy are strong enough and don't have small parts that could come off and may be swallowed.

Furthermore... You should consider investing in a scratching post, as scratching and stretching extending its claws is part of a normal cats behaviour. You don't want a cat to start scratching household furniture or carpets. Encourage your cat or kitten to use the scratching post instead. Look out for a sturdy, tall one, that is strong enough to receive a good clawing and looks like it won't get knocked over easily. They can be purchased in most pet supply stores but some people make their own variant of it. Cats when outdoors, will typically scratch against the bark of a tree, a fence and wooden items of that nature.

E. McAllister. This article has been written by a cat enthusiast, who has owned cats and kittens since primary school age. If you are interested in cats and kittens and want to learn more about them please give the following website a visit - http://www.catandkittenlover.com