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Grey cat with curled tail lays on sheepskin rug. What do cat tails mean.

What Cat Tails Mean

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We are taught that communication is more than the words you say, and the same goes for cats. They may meow and purr, but the majority of what they are trying to convey can be seen through their body movement and the way they move their cat tails.

Bushy Tails

Just like our eyebrows may shoot up, or tension can go to our shoulders; bushy tails are a quick indicator that your cat is stressing. A low bushy tail says ‘I’m scared’. Do your best to relieve the situation, whether that is removing a human from that area, or calming down your movements. As much as you may want to console your cat at this point, be careful in reaching out as they may react in fear scratching or protecting themselves. A little space, and less noise, or interaction will help them calm down.

If a cat tail is straight up and bushy you need to step back quickly. This is your cat’s way of saying, “I am angry, leave me alone, I will attack if needed”. There is a tendency to want to soothe your cat in this as well by talking and petting them, but take a step back and give your cat time to calm down. They will not understand your words, but they will understand their boundary being crossed after letting you know they are unhappy.

Swishy Cat Tails

Tails that move frantically from side to side; display stress. It can also mean your cat is beginning to feel overwhelmed. If your cat is lazily swishing their tail with no particular rhythm, they are happy and enjoy their time. They may be playing, lazy relaxing while being pet, or just walking around.

Still or curled Cat Tails

A straight tail means your cat’s attention is captured. Could be a mouse, a car passing in the street, or you moving quickly after relaxing. Remember cats have great vision at night, but during day they may take longer to focus their eyes to see clearly. A curled tail can show curiosity. Whether that’s a new toy you have to play with, or that they want to curl up with you. If their tail is curled between their legs, your cat is most likely worrying and afraid. In this instance you can pet your cat calmly. Our pets sense our tension. Staying calm helps our furry friends relax as well

Thank you for reading with us! What tail movement does your cat do most often? Let us know your cat questions in the comments below, and we’ll create a blog post just for you!

Newborn kitten what you need to know to keep them happy and healthy

How to Care for a Newborn Kitten

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A Newborn kitten is the cutest, and also needs special care. In this blog edition: we have a video you can watch, and a written summary below!

It is kitten season right now. The time of year when kittens are left abandoned on the side of the road, or left with their mama. You might find a kitten or a batch of kittens that you might not know how to take care of. Having 3 cats of our own, we wanted to make sure our other cats weren’t stressed. Not bringing the kitten around our other cats- we kept him separated completely. Read this BLOG of ours about introducing new cats. He sleeps through the night at the moment, meaning no night feedings, kittens who are younger may need midnight feedings.

To feed your newborn kitten

You will need formula, we use KMR. Take two small scoops to put in the bottle. Fill it up with room-temperature water, about 2/3 full and shake it up. A good way to check the temperature is to put a little dot on your wrist; making sure you can’t feel anything. Wipes are used to stimulate them to go to the bathroom after you feed them. You will also need a bottle cleaning brush.

Our newborn kitten is 3 weeks old and in the morning we fill the bottle to the 45 cc line. We feed about every 3 hours. He wasn’t drinking this much in the beginning-but now he’s drinking a full line every feeding. When holding them, take a towel and wrap them up so they feel nice and warm and safe. Even though you might be inclined; don’t hold them on their back like a baby to feed them. Instead, hold them upright. They may meow for a minute, but will soon start suckling.

If they don’t suckle right away; act like their momma and pet them between the eyes. That’s where their mom would lick them. In the beginning, we had trouble feeding Vincent, because he wouldn’t take the bottle, and this trick worked for us. Sometimes they’ll need a little break and that’s ok. You just try again.

Things to keep in mind with your newborn kitten

Another thing that you might need for their comfort is a towel; folded up several times on top of a heating pad placed inside a cat kennel. Make sure the towel you have inside of here is fully covering the heating pad. You don’t want your newborn kitten to be burned. Medium or low is perfect. You can leave it on all the time, creating a cozy place for your newborn kitten.

After feeding your newborn kitten.

You might wonder why you don’t need a litter box when you have a newborn kitten. At 2-3 weeks old they don’t often go on their own unless you stimulate them. Hold them like their mother; cleaning the back of their private parts with the wipe to make them go to the bathroom. They’ll actually go to the bathroom right in the wipe. It’s good to have a towel or something on your lap to prevent you from getting messy. Then throw the wipe away and you’re good to go.

Wash your hands, put the bottle back in the refrigerator, a bottle is good for 24 hours. Every day make a fresh bottle. We feed him every 3 hours and then let him run around for a bit then put him back in the carrier. He’ll go right to sleep. In a few hours when he’s hungry, he’ll get up and want to eat again.

Thanks to San Antonio Animal Defense League for their tireless work in saving and caring for animals. Subscribe and find us on facebook Clean Litter Club or on Instagram @TheCleanLitterClub

How to Keep Your Kitty Happy

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Are away from your darling pet due to work, or other commitments?  Do you find when you finally get home that your kitty has left some unpleasant surprises for you? If this is the case; your cat may be bored and lonely. Acting out to let you know of their unhappiness. Not to fear though, we can help you make kitty happy again!

Here are five things you can do, making your cat’s life more entertaining when you have to be away!  Making kitty happy, and separation time more enjoyable.

  1. Cat’s love to explore! Leave an empty box or bag for them to hide in, or bat around.
  2. Have interesting items for your cat to watch! We recently invested in a bird feeder that is clear and attaches to our window. Our cats will sit there for hours waiting for hungry birds to come to visit.  Make sure you have window sills your cat has access to- they love to people watch as well. We all know cats are great at judging people.
  3. Hunting for food or treats is another fun activity.  Cats are natural hunters. Hide food throughout the house for them to find. Make note of where you’re putting it if you don’t want to find food 6 months from now. You can also find food dispensing toys, or a timed feeder to make mealtime more interesting.
  4. In this world of innovation, there are now ‘cat bags’ available! Allowing you to take your cat outside with you when you’re relaxing after a hard day at work.  These are safe and enjoyable! There are also retractable cat leashes allowing your cat to pounce around outside safely.
  5. Most important however is interactive playtime with you.  Take time to play with your pet when you are home. Using interactive toys, you can teach them tricks. Play games you make up to keep kitty happy, healthy and active.

Get our FREE GUIDE with 25 DIY Ideas for Cat Lovers!

Let us know your ideas to make kitty happy when you have to be away! Having issues with your cat acting up while you are away? Check out our blog about how we stopped our cat from peeing on the furniture.

cat grooming cat care

Professional Cat Grooming and Its Benefits

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Professional Cat Grooming and Its Benefits- Happy Pet Cats
Happy and Contented Cat

 

Grooming is an integral part of the health and well being of cats. While other cat owners are satisfied in giving home care to their feline friends, taking them to professional groomers is still highly recommended. These experts have the right tools and equipment for pet grooming that is essential in the proper handling of cats. Grooming a cat professionally can solve many owner problems. This includes shedding, having dandruff, hairballs, dirty ears, scratching furniture, allergies, matting, sanitation cleanliness and many more.

Listed below are some examples of services grooming professionals offer and the reasons why these are beneficial for our cats:

  • Bathing – helps to find out if your cat is infested with fleas and parasites

Cat Bathing

 

  • Nail Trimming – helps prevent the nails from growing too long which is very uncomfortable and unhealthy for your cats. Overgrown nails can cause a tremendous amount of pain and distress. This should be done at least once a month to prevent them from being overgrown. 

                                                                  Nail Trimming Cats

 

  • Brushing – distributes natural oils that help maintain the skin and the health of the cat’s coat, which in turn helps in lessening the chances of shedding. This will also be helpful in checking for abnormalities on the skin, as well as help lessen the chances of your cat’s hair from getting tangled and matted

                                                   

 

  • Ear Cleaning – helps prevent wax, fluid, dirt, and debris build up in your cat’s ears to lessen the chance of ear infections, ear mites or other possible ailments

     

    Ear Cleaning Cats

      The results of having your cat professionally groomed would really be very beneficial. More than the visual and physical benefits; it is a health benefit as well. A well-groomed cat can help in eliminating hairball and shedding issues, lessen allergies, improve their skin conditions, and eliminate ingrown nails and more.

       There are plenty of advantages that come with getting your cats professionally groomed, and the benefits that come from keeping your fur baby healthy far outweigh the cost. Give your pur-fect cat the experience and benefits of professional grooming it deserves.

 

 

 

Ferrell cats friend or foe

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There has been a lot of interest and comments made lately on Ferrell cats.  I have friends who recently adopted a litter of kittens from a Ferrell cat couple.  The whole neighborhood was involved in feeding and caring for these fur babies and recently put an ad out on Facebook for adoption of these cute little kittens as they hadn’t gone the way of the parents due to all the human interaction they had received.

This is not always the case, sometimes people fear them, try to capture them, call animal control on them, anything to rid the neighborhood of these unwanted guests.  On the flip side some people welcome them as a way to rid their neighborhood of mice, rats, unwanted birds, or they live by the mantra “live and let live.”

Where do Ferrell cats come from? Sad to say many come from abandonment; they get tired of their pet; or they have to relocate and no pets are allowed; maybe a child has an allergy and can’t tolerate the pet and instead of surrendering them to a shelter they take them to a neighborhood and drop them off to fend for themselves.  This is against the law in most areas however, under the cover of night, it’s hard to catch someone guilty of this action.

This is an age old debate, as long as there are people and pets there will be this problem; are you part of the solution?  Where do your feelings fall in this debate?  Start a conversation with your family, your neighborhood, to educate others on the proper way to care for their pets; spay or neuter; surrender or put up for adoption; there are many solutions to this age-old problem; which side of the fence do you fall on?  We’d love to hear from you.