Pet Care Tips Blog

Author: Susan Roberts

cats always seem to sniff out the people who least want them around. We've all had company over where one person is allergic to cats, and that's who the cat beelines towards. Why?

It's not because cats are malicious and want people to cough and sneeze, although it's amusing to think so. cats are intimidated by eye contact. People staring at them makes them nervous.

In humans, eye contact is considered part of communication. cats, on the other hand, view direct eye contact for extended periods of time as threatening. If you have a good relationship with your cat (and you should!) try getting your cats attention. It'll glance at you, and then look at something else. It's not because your cat is ignoring you, it's because it trusts you enough to not have to stare.

I'm sure it's probably true of all pets but I know sibling kittens make happier adult cats.

From personal experience, I have learned that sibling kittens grow into happier, more well rounded pets. From sibling rivalry rough-housing to cuddling while sleeping, the sibling kittens have a sense of belonging and friendship. Sibling kittens will possess a playfulness longer and play long into adulthood.

cats adopted alone can become jealous of other cats in the house and not want to play or socialize with other cats. This can lead to boredom, more destructive behavior and lack of exercise from not running and playing enough.

Understanding more about your cat’s basic nature will often help you solve cat behavior problems. Domestic cats are descendants of wild relatives and therefore many instinctive traits carry over as part of their nature. This can become quite frustrating when you are trying to raise a well-behaved domestic cat!

Consider that cats are hunters by nature. In the wild, most of the smaller cat species subside on hunting small rodents. They are typically solitary, nocturnal animals that catch their own food to feed only themselves. Therefore, stalking and pouncing on small prey is a common behavior of cats in the wild.

Do you want to stop your cat from crying all the time? Often times cats will cry or “meow” excessively and this can become a problem for many pet owners. There can be several reasons why your cat is crying excessively but most often the owner accidentally encourages the behavior. Cats will discover that crying gets a certain reaction from their owners and will meow in order to get that specific reaction. If you want your cat to stop meowing, here are a few things to keep in mind.

Sometimes crying is a sign of discomfort and your cat might be expressing symptoms of pain. Constant crying can also be from sexual tension if your cat is not spayed or neutered. Crying may also be a response to a dramatic change in an environment; unreasonable crying can be a reaction to this change.

The simple answer to how you reduce cat hair on your cat is to brush them daily. There is of course a method to this that you will want to follow. Your cat will not only love your for it, they will be healthier too! The best method for reducing hair on your cat is to have two different brushes. Use one that removes surface hair and another longer bristled brush that goes deeper and massages the skin.

While many cats enjoy being brushed others will tend to avoid it. Sometimes your cat can be converted to enjoying the brush, other times they will refuse. Whether or not your cat will warm up to brushing is dependent on their personality, be persistent and do not give up too easily! Cats that like to be brushed tend to really enjoy it and the treatment can actually be good for their health!

A while ago I wrote an article discussing the similarities between a cat’s brain and a human brain (A Study of Cats and Humans,) this article is going to try and go inside of your cat’s head and see why it does what it does.

According to a report by Rolan Tripp, DMV, (www.AnimalBehavior.Net) that I found in the Catnip Newsletter (July 07, Vol. 15, page 10.) Dr. Tripp stated a cat’s behavior is based on five factors: genetics, gestation, early socialization, intentional training and experience.

When it comes to genetics, the kitten’s father plays an important part in determining the cat’s personality, while mom plays an important part in teaching social skills, hunting and eating.