Making a Place for Everyone

By: Christian Yost

March 28, 2009
Your older pet needs to be reassured that the newcomer will not take over his territory. If he has a favorite sleeping place, don�t let the kitten sleep there. Provide the youngster with her own toys.

Animals are often possessive of their food and feeding dishes. Since the kitten should be eating kitten food anyway, keeping her feeding dishes in a different room or area for as long as possible makes sense.

Monitor mealtimes to prevent either animal from pushing the other away from its plate. Since kitten food is best for her first 12 months, it may be a good idea to continue feeding your kitten in a closed room for a while.

Although a premium quality food for all life stages will provide complete and balanced nutrition for both animals, if your adult cat tends to be overweight, she does not need the extra calories that a kitten food provides. In fact, if your cat is already eating a diet intended for weight loss or weight control, the kitten will not receive all the extra nutrition she requires for her growing body if they are sharing food bowls.

It is best to feed the pets the food formulated for their specific life stage.

Please visit us at www.siamese-cattailscattery.com

How to Stop Spraying

By: Christian Yost

March 28, 2009

Male cats are the usual suspects in spraying. It�s their way of “marking” a territory. Female cats may also mark territory when they are in heat. Neutering or spaying may greatly reduce the chances of spraying, but about 10 percent of neutered male cats and 5 percent of spayed female cats may still spray.

Multiple-cat homes are more likely to have cats that spray to compete for territory. You should consider that your cats may not want to share a litter box. Offering additional litter boxes, more places to climb and hide, food for each when they are together and ample time to build a relationship may be solutions.

If your cat is a loner, it is important to avoid contact with other cats by keeping the windows and drapes closed and your cat indoors.

Keep in mind that commercial repellents or booby traps such as motion detectors (sold at pet stores) may discourage your cat from eliminating in a particular area, but they will probably not stop the spraying in new areas. If all else fails, your best bet may be pheromone sprays and drug therapy as prescribed by your veterinarian.

Please visit us at www.siamese-cattailscattery.com

The Buddy System

By: Christian Yost

March 28, 2009

Sometimes, the best exercise comes from a fellow cat. Cats who are left alone during the day can benefit greatly from a companion feline. Two cats will amuse themselves for hours playing games of their own invention. Older, more sedate cats can be jump-started into exercise with the addition of a kitten to the household. �Just be careful to keep the overweight adult cat out of the high-calorie kitten food.

Children also make wonderful playmates�with a few restrictions. Kids younger than 12 should be supervised. Teach them to play gently using cat toys, never their bare hands, and to stop playing when their pet becomes tired or over-stimulated.

Please visit us at  www.siamese-cattailscattery.com