For example, here is an email from a woman called Carla:

“I encourage you to cut the tips of your fingers off and to sell bandages instead. You cowards – declawing a cat is the worst thing you can do to an animal, so the fact that you are selling a product that encourages it, should e your one way ticket to hell. Your product must not be very good if you have to lean on mutilation to sell it.

I will make sure everyone I know does NOT buy your product.“

Here’s another one, from Kathy Kwieran:

“I provide a low-cost spay/neuter clinic for my community for cats. I also rescue cats from death row. I was appalled when I heard your advertisement stating “for newly declawed”. I would NEVER declaw a cat and anyone that adopts from me gets information on it. They cannot declaw any of my cats and if they do they have to pay a $5000 fine and return the cat. I am working hard along with many others to get it banned in the US. It is banned in other countries because it is CRUEL and unnnecessary. It causes all kinds of problems and health issues later.
I would never buy your product or recommend it to anyone if you continue to advertise in this way. In my honest opinion, you are just promoting declawing and that is not acceptable. California has many cities that has already banned it so it is just a matter of time before we get it banned in the US.
I will be putting out the word to Boycott your product until you change your advertising.”

This woman also gave us her website address, but we’re not going to give this idiot any free publicity, nor would we ever contemplate taking any animals of ours to a clinic where the owner cannot read basic English.

So, to make it 100% clear, we do not recommend declawing cats, we never have, and we never will.

Why the clarification?

Well, the product we are reviewing on this site, Swheat Cat Litter, is apparently so soft and gentle that it is suitable for use with cats who have been declawed.

It goes without saying that declawing is nothing more than legalised mutilation, and we will never support any form of animal abuse.

But let’s suppose that you’d just rescued a cat – maybe you found it in your back yard, or you saved it from a local animal rescue, or a shelter and you noticed that somebody had removed its claws. If you are kind enough to rescue animals, then you are not going to hold it against that poor animal if he is deformed either by genetics, an accident, or had been mutilated by cruel in-humane unnecessary surgeries such as de-clawing.

If you did rescue a cat that had already been de-clawed by some uneducated irresponsible idiot, would it not make sense to use a cat litter that was so soft and gentle that it wouldn’t cause further pain and discomfort to the poor cat that has already suffered this unnecessary surgical procedure?

Swheat Cat Litter are not saying that you have to have your cats declawed before you can use their product, nor are they saying that their product is only suitable for declawed cats – they are merely making a point about how soft and gentle it is on a cat’s feet.

Perhaps these two idiots would prefer to use cat litter that is so harsh and gritty that it completely shreds a cat’s feet, but to us, using the softest litter available makes perfect sense!

So, before you fire off ridiculous emails to us and your friends, please make sure you can read properly first!

We are a small Non-Profit Organisation with limited resources, and we don’t have the time to respond to this sort of BS – we would much rather spend our time helping to save sick animals from Canine Parvovirus through the use of safe, natural home Parvo Treatment products and protocols, helping to stop cats and dogs coughing with our natural kennel cough treatment products, and promoting other natural, organic, chemical-free products for your pets (and you).

And for anyone else who cannot read:

Training a cat must begin when she’s still a kitten – the sooner you teach the correct behaviors, the sooner she’ll learn what’s expected of her, as this article shows:

Everything your cat knows, she learned when she was a kitten

A cat’s habits, behavior and personality are all learned as a kitten. Cats have to be excellent teachers and kittens great students in order to impart so much knowledge in the short time of kitten-hood. The down side is that once they learn their lessons, it’s almost impossible to change their habits or behavior. Your best option is to emphasize the learning aspect and enroll them in a good training program.

That’s right. Everything your cat knows, good or bad, she learned in the first weeks of her life. Further, even though she is trainable as she leaves kitten-hood and grows into an adult, it becomes more difficult for her to change the way she does things as she grows older. Is that the reason older cats seem to be crotchety ole’ grouches? And why they won’t move off of your favorite chair without a lot of grumbling? Maybe. But, it’s well documented that the first weeks of a kitten’s life is where they develop all the critical elements of their physiology and personality.

Physical Development and Growth:
The first weeks of a kitten’s life is the most dramatic, growth-wise. At birth a kitten will weigh around 100 grams (3.5 oz). Normal weight gain is about 7-10 grams a day and their weight should double in 14 days. A healthy kitten is plump, firm and vigorous and they will nurse every 1-2 hours. They prefer one teat to nurse and find it by smell. When they’re well fed their stomachs are round and they sleep quietly. If they are crying and moving around, they are not getting enough to eat and may be taking in air when they nurse. Before, during, and after nursing, the queen will lick the stomach and perineal area (the area just above the tail) to stimulate urination and defecation. She’ll do this for the first 2-3 weeks of her kitten’s life.

At 3-4 weeks the kittens will begin to imitate their mom’s eating and drinking habits. Keep a shallow dish for water available for them and you can also allow them to taste a kitten mush mixture of high quality kitten food, kitten milk replacement and hot water blended to the texture of infant cereal. Start off with 3-4 meals a day of this mixture. At first the kittens will explore it, walk in it, and eat some. After that mom may finish the meal herself. Each week decrease the amount of milk replacement, water and time of blending. Weaning will be complete by 7-8 weeks when the kittens should be eating dry food and drinking water on their own.

This growth schedule matches what wild kittens will experience. Mom will nurse them for a while after birth. Then, she will hunt her territory for prey, bring it home and teach her kittens how to eat it. Later she will catch the prey and bring it home alive so that she can teach them how to kill. Kittens need to learn fast because, being easy prey themselves, they are susceptible to predators . They also need to learn fast because mom’s territory is not going to be sustainable for providing food indefinitely. As they grow they’ll eat greater amounts and more often. So, they need to grow up, get out on their own, find their own territory and fend for themselves.

Personality and Socialization
Though cats are solitary creatures, they are not completely loners. Young kittens do not have a developed sense for personal space or territoriality. They’ll snuggle in a ball with themselves or with mom in order to maintain normal body temperature. Conversely, they’ll spread out a little if they’re too hot. As they grow and their bodies develop the ability to maintain itself, they’ll begin to find their own private spaces for resting or sleeping, but still play with each other. In the wild mom will stop providing food for them eventually. She’ll resume protecting her territory, causing her brood to leave or chasing the now adult kittens off. Now they’ll need to establish their own territories and begin the cycle all over again. Domestic kittens may seek their own private space, but since food is readily available, they’ll display less protective territoriality instincts with each other. They’ll include your house as part of their territory, but exclude neighbor cats or other animals from the property.

While they’re still kittens, they’ll stalk and play to develop their balance and coordination. This is the training ground for learning predation and the basic survival techniques that has perpetuated the presence of cats for thousands of years. As cute as the play seems, this play is critical to the survival of the species.

Kittens will learn many things while they are young. For example:

• The food they learn to eat as a kitten, either in the wild or as domestic progeny, will be the food they prefer as an adult. If you feed a variety of foods (quality kitten food, but from different sources such as chicken, beef, seafood, lamb, etc.) they’ll tend to be less picky as an adult. Wild kittens fed only mice will hunt mice as their main source of food as an adult.
• They will learn how to set boundaries in order to identify territory and private space. Kittens raised in closed places such as a cage will not be able to do this as an adult and will appear fearful; unable to establish or identify where the lines of boundary are. Either theirs or anyone else’s. Their personal space will be very small, again making her very fearful, easily threatened and she’ll hide or go into defensive postures easily.
• As already mentioned, play activities of stalking, wrestling, biting and chasing are all directly related to the development of predation techniques. In the wild, the success of an individual cat depends upon how well she learned these tactics, especially the aggressiveness in the application of these methods, when she was a kitten. The Queen plays an important role when she brings home live prey to teach the kittens how to kill and eat prey. The kittens may at first play with the prey, but soon they’ll learn what they’re supposed to do and associate the prey with food for sustenance. Domestic kittens, other than barn cats or other kittens who may receive this ‘on the job training’ come to expect their food to magically appear in a dish from you. Although they’ll retain the instinct to apply the predation methods of ‘stalk, chase, kill and eat’, they may not refine them. Consequently, they may stalk and not catch, catch and not kill, and/or kill and not eat any prey that catches their attention. And since domestic cats develop a kitten/Queen identification with their human counterpart, you might find yourself the recipient of a special gift from them in the form of a field mouse, lizard or squirrel.
• Handling kittens born into your home will socialize them with people and other pets in your house. Most Queens will let you pick up her kittens right away. Just don’t worry her by walking away with them. Any young children should not handle kittens without adult supervision to prevent injury to the kitten or the child. Stroking, petting, grooming and medicating kittens will acclimate them so that they’re tolerant of these things as adults. The presence of dogs, birds, gerbils, fish or other pets in a kittens youth experience will teach them to be un-fearful of other animals (and not think of them as food) when they become adults. Of course, as with all things of this world, the theory is not fool-proof, but, generally true. Careful observation and intervention in a kitten’s activities is always useful, with the emphasis on ‘careful’.
• Punishment is not an option for training a kitten. Cats don’t understand punishment and only associate it with the punisher, not the ‘bad’ act. They’ll learn to fear you, and continue any ‘bad’ behavior. Training is best accomplished when the cat or kitten has an unpleasant experience associated with any particular behavior. For example, placing sticky tape over the end of a couch where the kitten is scratching will be an unpleasant experience and the instinct is easily transferred to a scratch post placed nearby. She’ll remember this the rest of her life. If you punish or yell at her, she’ll remember this too, and continue to scratch where she’s not supposed to. Then hide from you when you come into the room.

Simply put, whatever your cat learns when she is a kitten, you will have to live with for the rest of her life. And there’s no real expectation of changing those learned habits or behaviors. It is realistic to expect juvenile and adult cats can be trained. That’s your only realistic alternative to change unwanted behavior after kitten-hood is passed. Still, 99% of who and what she is as an adult can be traced directly to her kitten experiences. And if she’s a kitten in your home, a lot can be traced right back to you.

By Robert Gallegos Published: 8/6/2007

Training a new kitten may be a lot of work, but it’s certainly easier to do it when they’re very young compared to when they’re older!

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Training Your Cat

Tips for successfully training your cat.

Training your cat is very important and for several different reasons. First, a cat that hasn’t been trained, doesn’t know what behaviors are acceptable and what are not, therefore, they are more likely to misbehave because they don’t know they are misbehaving. Having a trained, well behaved cat allows the cat and the owner to bond and have a loving relationship rather than having a misbehaving cat that causes its owner a lot of stress and frustration.

It is very important, as a cat owner, to understand that cats cannot be trained the same way as dogs. They don’t behave the same way and they don’t have the same thinking process as dogs. If you are trying to use the same training techniques on your cat that are designed for dogs, you probably aren’t going to see results. Forcing training techniques on a cat will not work. They are stubborn by nature and if it’s not something that is appealing to them, they are going to ignore you.

The first step to training your cat should be to learn and understand your cat’s personality. There are many aspects to your cat’s personality and they should all be taken into account when choosing the right training tactics. Find out what your cat’s likes and dislikes are and use that information to help you. There are a few simple tips to keep in mind when training your cat:

• Keep your training sessions short. If you drag out sessions for a long time, your cat will most likely become bored and will stop listening.
• Only start training session when your cat is already awake. Don’t wake your cat up for a session because he or she will probably just ignore you.
• Always be sure to reward your cat for obeying you, using treats, food, or showing them affection.

You should also only train your cat for one thing at a time. Whether you are teaching them to do tricks or use the human toilet rather than a litter box, you shouldn’t try to teach them everything all at once. When you’re training your cat, let them master one thing before moving on to another. This will avoid both you and them becoming overwhelmed.

There are many benefits to having a well-trained, well-behaved cat. You will have less stress because you won’t have to worry about how your house is going to look when you get home. You can enjoy a loving relationship with your cat instead of spending most of the time mad at him for misbehaving. Taking the time to train your cat will definitely pay off in the long run and you and your cat will both be happier.

For more information on training your cat, check out Cat-Secrets-Revealed.com, the cat training authority site.

By Cortney Martin Published: 6/12/2008

Cat obedience training is vital if you want to avoid behavioral problems, such as not using cat litter pans when they should.

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There are many myths about cats, as well as some amazing facts about cats too, and this article is sure to reveal a few trivia about cats that you probably didn’t know:

Cat Facts

Purring is not always an indication of happiness, a cat also purrs when it is in terrible pain. Here are some more facts about cats.

Let us take a walk back in history, and unravel the mysteries that have surrounded cats. These animals have gone through every emotion displayed by human beings; they have been loved, hated, worshipped and persecuted. Despite, all this, the cat is still a human beings best friend. The African Wildcat was the first to be domesticated some 5000 years ago. This was done because the people of Egypt consumed large amounts of grain, which was being eaten up by rats. Since cats were the only solution to the problem, every person in Egypt began leaving food out for the cats. At this time, the Pharoah felt the need to have more cats to protect his own granaries. As asking everyone to give up their cats might cause a revolt, he declared cats as "demigods," so that people would care for them and they would remain his personal property too. The cat gained in status and strange rules came into existence. One rule stated that if anyone killed a cat, he would be killed too. The other said that if a cat died a natural death, the family had to have their statement confirmed by the priest. People began beating their chest and shaving their eyebrows to display their sadness on the death of a cat.

Facts About Cats

• The love of cats is known as "Ailurophilia."
• A cat takes 20 to 40 breaths per minute.
• A cat’s urine gleams under black light.
• Humans have 30 vertebrae less than cats.
• You could try stroking a cat to relieve stress.
• A cat uses its tail to maintain balance.
• Unlike other animals, cats walk on their toes.
• A cat is unable to taste sweet.
• The average cat litter consists of 2 to 6 kittens.
• There are more bones in a cat’s body compared to a human’s. A cat has 230 while a human has 206.
• A cat’s heart beats at the rate of 110 to 140 beats per minute.
• A cat is able to gauge your mood. A change in your mood might result in a change in your cat’s mood too.
• A cat has 30 teeth, which consist of 12 incisors, 10 premolars, 4 canines and 4 molars.
• When a cat is frightened, the hair on its body stands up fairly evenly.
• When the hair stands up only in a narrow band along the tail and the spine, it is an indication that the cat is ready to attack.
• Unlike dogs and humans, the cat is unable to move its jaws side to side, or laterally. The only motion that a cat’s jaw performs is up and down.
• A cat’s whiskers, eyes and ears will tell you the cat’s mood.
• A layer of extra reflecting cells which absorb light is responsible for the cat being able to see six times better than a human.
• A cat has a third eye called a haw, which is only visible when the cat is not feeling well.
• A cat has a more sensitive hearing compared to dogs and humans.
• As a kitten grows older, the color of its eyes changes.
• A cat eats grass as it helps in digestion and also gets rid of fur in its stomach.
• The cat’s back paw has 4 toes while the front paw has 5.
• A cat’s body temperature is 102 F
• A cat has 24 whiskers, which it uses for measuring distances.
• Just like a human fingerprint, the nose pad of a cat is ridged with a pattern, which is unique.
• If you notice your cat snoring or rolling on its back, it means it trusts you.
• The tiny barbs, which are located on a cat’s tongue, help it to scoop the liquid backward.
• A cat is blessed with over a hundred vocal chords.
• White cats with blue eyes have higher chances of becoming deaf.
• Kittens usually open their eyes between 7 to 10 days; in some cases this might even happen in 2 days.
• The Jacobson’s organ is a special scent organ located in the roof of the cat’s mouth. This organ helps the cat to analyze smell.
• Those cats that are born with 6 or 7 extra front and back toes are called "polydacti."
• "Kindle," is the name given to a group of kittens.
• "Clowder, " is what a group of grown cats are called.

By Rachna Gupta Published: 9/19/2007

So, there you have it, some weird facts about cats – just make sure these playful little creatures don’t develop some bad cat behavior!

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Cat misses litter box?  Maybe he’s stressed out? Wondering if it’s bad cat behaviour?  Well, this article will give you a few clues as to what’s going on:

Bad Cat Behavior or a Cry for Help?

Have you ever wondered why your cat can be perfectly content and then unexpectedly, they strike out as if in frustration? Now you can get some insights as to why and find some natural solutions to help them transform.

If your cat has gone from mellow to mean or nice to nasty, they just may be trying to communicate to you their frustration so you can help them change from being a bad cat into a loving cat. "Stress is too often an unrecognized problem behind the problem," says veterinarian Paul McCutcheon of Toronto. "It can play a tremendous role in nearly every condition that a veterinarian treats."

Causes of Stress in Cats

As humans we can become stressed by not liking our jobs, money or difficulties at home. With cats, some causes of stress can be from:

* Boredom from staying indoors 24/7 and 365 days a year

* Missing an owner who does not spend enough time with them

* Lack of variety and stimulation or exercise in their life

* Interpersonal relationship difficulties with pets being dominant or territorial

* Unpleasant environmental conditions

* Past abuse from a present or former pet owner

* Upset when there is tension and arguing between human household members

* Unnoticed illness or pain

What Problems Can Stress Cause?

Just as in humans, stress can be caused by a variety of cat situations and circumstances. You may feel baffled, confused and angry at your cat’s frustration but try looking at it from their perspective.

OVERALL STRESS: As the stress builds up from those problems, it can begin to make the adrenal glands overwork. When the adrenals become too stressed, that burden will cascade into other organs and may eventually undermine the entire immune system. In addition, if the adrenals become exhausted, the cat will have a hard time coping with that physical stress and any added emotional stress will increase the burden.

SOLUTION: First, take your cat to your veterinarian to make sure there is no physical ailment. Then, make sure your cat gets some exercise and time to play every day. Set up a regular play time for at least 15-20 minutes. The more you get your cat moving and feeling stimulated by chasing, jumping and attacking play toys, the happier your cat will feel. The stress will be relieved by the play time and your attention.

INAPPROPRIATE URINATION: Another common target of stress is your cat’s bladder. If you notice inappropriate elimination of urine outside the litter box, your cat could be trying to tell you that it feels stressed because the litter box may not be clean or perhaps it’s too perfumed or too confining.

SOLUTION: Clean your cat’s litter box more frequently. Twice a day is ideal. If you do it first thing when you get up and first thing after you get home, your cat will appreciate it..and it will only take seconds to do. Also make sure that your cat has plenty of room to turn around in the litter box and try using an unscented litter. A cat’s strongest sense is its nose so perfumes are not welcome.

TERRITORIAL STRESS: Another related bladder problem is urination in front of the owner or it might be urinating on beds, furniture or clothing. That message may carry several meanings. It could be a sign of a severe health problem or loss of bladder control. It might also mean that the cat is trying to say that a person is the source of his or her anxiety. More often than not, the cat is just trying to tell you he misses you and has separation anxiety. S/he may be trying to mark your belongings as his territory because the cat misses your attention and is trying to claim you back. Or perhaps you are giving more attention to another human and forgetting your cat companion.

SOLUTION: Make sure your cat does not have a health problem. Then, after you play, your cat will be ready to relax and spend some time grooming and petting. Trim nails twice a month. Get a good brush or slicker and comb through the fur. Give your cat a nice massage especially on the cheeks and back of the head. That’s really relaxing for them and they often purr, which relaxes you so you get something out of it, too.

Whatever Happens, Be Compassionate

Do your best to be compassionate, even if a cat gets angry or aggressive. Remember that they haven’t created the stress to irritate you. They are just acting out what they feel inside which is probably extreme frustration. They’re just asking for help.

"Examine the animal’s lifestyle and relationship with you, other people or other animals in the household," recommends Dr. McCutcheon. "Is there a new addition or major change in the household that is affecting the pet? Are you spending more time away from home? If you take the time to look beneath the surface of the symptoms, you will often find the real reason for the animal’s stress. Then you can try to modify the situation."

The goal is to have a better, healthier relationship with your cat so that you both can spend a happy, carefree lifetime together.

SOURCES: "The Veterinarian’s Guide to Natural Remedies for Cats" by Martin Zucker and CatsInternational.org, a non-profit educational organization to help people understand their feline companions.

By Marika Ray Published: 10/20/2007

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Useful Advice for Cats – How to Care for your Human

If you think you own your cat(s) – think again. A humorous look at the cat/human relationship, but seen from the cat’s point of view.

For us cats there are several sweet advantages in having a human as a pet. However, remember you are taking on a big responsibility when you adopt one or more humans. Humans are demanding pets that need daily care and attention.

With responsibility come both advantages and disadvantages. If you adopt a human, you must get used to spending time at home. Your human does not deal well with being left alone – they will get into all sorts of mischief. For example, if you are gone just two or three days you run the risk of seeing posters put up all over the neighborhood. Your human will put out an APB on you ! Often with an embarrassing text that reveals all sorts of personal details – and usually accompanied by an unflattering photo of you – with morning fur and crumpled whiskers. Exactly the kind of thing that attracts ridicule from all the neighbor cats.

So please consider carefully if you are ready for a life with humans. In addition, remember humans generally grow very old, so there is a big chance that you will spend the rest of your life with your human.

Entertaining your Human
The litter box provides a great opportunity for entertaining your human. Naturally there is all the fun your human can have cleaning and scooping out the box. A lot of human time can also be used getting fresh litter – going to the pet store, transporting it home etc. However many humans like new challenges. Utilize your litter box time in the best possible way. Make interesting and artistic renderings of countries or well-known islands. Your human will have lots of fun guessing which one you made. Humans like game shows – so this should be a popular activity. When your human increases in skill, you can also make portraits of family and friends. Start with profile portraits – this will make it easer for your human.

Shedding
Make it a priority to shed indoors on appropriate surfaces. Fleece is a particularly suitable material to shred on. All you need to do is pass close by your human when he or she is wearing fleece. All cat hair within a radius of 2 feet from the fabric will immediately be transferred to your human. No brushing necessary for several days ! Another good solution is to get access to a filled clothes hamper. Jump in and give all contents a good work over. An extra bonus with this method is that most cat hairs will survive a trip to the washing machine. Your human will be stylishly accessorized with cat hair on all outfits.

Extra Food
All chances for a bit of extra food must and should be taken advantage of. Whenever your human is in the kitchen, you have a prime opportunity of getting an extra snack. When your human is busy at the kitchen counter place yourself in your humans blind angle (just behind the ankle is usually a good spot). And the second your human moves one or both feet you jump back screaming your most heart-wrenching cry. Your human will automatically assume that he/she stepped on you. When your human looks back scared to see what is happening look up at him/her with a painful expression on your face (practice this before hand in front of a mirror). Your human’s bad conscience will often result an edible apology.

Grass Etiquette
Before you eat grass, make sure that you are close to a suitable place to throw up. Delicate furniture fabrics, precious carpets, and shoes are all good places. If you choose furniture: aim for the part that has non-removable fabric. When you are getting down to business, make sure you back up a step or two so that you cover the largest area possible. Another technique is to do several items with pauses in-between. Persian carpets will give a good camouflage effect and your little gift will often not be discovered until somebody steps in it.

Preventing your human from wasting valuable time
One of the most important tasks we cats have is to prevent humans from wasting their time. Humans love to spend their time on things with no relevance for cats. For example watching TV, reading, talking on the phone – and many other things that have no entertainment value for us cats what so ever. Many methods are available to prevent human time waste – use your imagination. Some especially effective techniques will be mentioned here.

Watching TV; make sure that you always position yourself between the TV and your human. On the coffee table for example. You can also lie on the TV and let you tail or paws swing down in front of the screen. This method is most effective with small screens where you can cover a large percentage of the screen. It is a bit trickier with a flat screen – and only recommended for the agile kitty. A variation can be used with a computer screen. Flat screens often leave a lot of empty space on the desk – so just get up in front – remind your human of how wonderful you are.

Cleaning; stalk the vacuum cleaner and attack when it passes by. You can also pretend that you want to attack the vacuum cleaner but "accidentally" catch a foot instead.

Garden work; jump repeatedly up-and-down and scatter any leaves that your human has raked together. Attack gardening tools – especially while they are in use. Immediately dig up any newly planted seeds, plants and flowers.

Closed Doors
Under no circumstances accept closed doors that separate you from your human. At all times you have a right to know what your human is doing. If by accident you have been placed on the wrong side of a door you need to make your human aware of this ASAP so he/she can remedy the situation immediately. Loud meows and scratching on the door should be sufficient to get your humans attention. If this is ignored you need to take more drastic measures: Make a sound as if you are going to throw up. All humans in a 50 feet radius can hear this sound. This sound can also be heard through closed doors. The "puke sound" will always result in your human’s immediate presence.

Sleeping Time
It is important for us cats to prioritize our sleeping time. The objective is to get as much sleep done as possible while your human is awake. You will then be especially well rested and bushy-tailed at night when it is your job to keep your human awake. There is the classical "play with toes" approach: attack everything that moves under the duvet. You can also reenact highlights from last year’s Grand National Steeplechase by repeatedly galloping across the bed. A couple of loud meows will give it an extra exiting dimension for your human

Houseguests
Houseguests require special attention and handling. The following procedures should be followed:

• Houseguests that either do not like us or are allergic to us: As soon as they sit down – jump onto their lap.
• Noisy children that run after you and/or pull your tail: It is your duty to punish them – it can be necessary to use both claws and teeth. However, be prepared that this can result in noise that is even more annoying and of an even louder decibel level.
• Guests that try to get in contact with you by ingratiating themselves and speaking in a sweet voice: Should just be ignored. If they try to approach you, back away 5-6 feet – but never further away than they feel encouraged to try again. With a bit of practice this game can he kept going for hours.

Bad Weather
Even in bad weather, it can be necessary to go outside. The rain and wet ground will result in an unpleasant layer of dirt and mud on your paws. However, this can easily be dried off on certain appropriate indoor spots. Find a light carpet, a duvet cover or nice piece of furniture and walk over it a couple of times. When your paw tracks are almost invisible, your paws are clean and you are ready to go outside again.

Training your Human
Sometimes it can be necessary to discipline even the most well trained human. However, do remember never to hit a human. At the most, mark with a soft paw on the human’s arm or hands. Try first to make your human understand what it has done wrong. And most importantly: be patient! The human intellect is relatively limited and it can be difficult for them to understand our wishes and needs.

Even after approximately 5000 years of domestication, the human species still has primitive instincts and it does take time to train your human completely.

Door Training
One of the first things you need to teach your human is to open the front door, the garden door and backdoor when required. This is done by walking up to a door and making an impatient and very loud meow. Make some tripping steps with your back paws obviously indicating that you need to go to the outdoor litter box. When your human has gotten up from the couch and opened the door you decide that you do not really need to go outside right now. Just for appearances, you can stand in the open door and pretend that you are thinking about the situation for a few seconds before you turn around to go inside again. Repeat this procedure several times a day. This will keep your human in good door opening form.

Inspection of the House
A house usually has unlimited possibilities for suitable sleeping spots. Every possibility no matter how theoretical should be investigated and tested. Cardboard boxes, cupboards, drawers, couches and beds are obvious localities, but places such as old slippers (size 11 or higher) open gym bags or kitchen cupboards should not be overlooked.

The house should further be investigated for all possible toys. An old sock can represent several hours of entertainment if you get your claw on a loose end and unravel a couple of miles worth of yarn. You human will love to tidy up after your play.

About the author:
Martine Carlsen is owned by two wonderful silver abyssinian cats, Sonny and Cher. She is also a web designer and the proud owner and creator of http://www.carlsencards.com. And as you can tell from her website, cats play a big part in both her life and her work.

By Martine Carlsen Published: 10/27/2006

We especially love the bit about how they can use their cat litter pans to entertain you.

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Cat Training Tips

Most people don’t think about training their cat to do some tricks or just to obey basic commands. They see cats as happy freeloaders; eating and sleeping all day long, without giving us anything in return.

It’s important to learn how to train a cat correctly, so this article on kitten training tips and cat behavior training will be invaluable to you.

Cat Training Tips

Learn how to effectively train your cat with these great cat training tips.

When it comes to cat training tips, there is one very important thing to keep in mind, you cannot train them the same way you would train a dog. Dogs have a more "aim to please" mentality and are very likely to do what you ask of them; cats on the other hand, don’t give in quite so easily. They are stubborn animals and will make you work for their love and affection, as well as for their obedience.

Cats are predatory animals. They like to hide and attack things, not knowing that they are making a mess of your house. They may steal your socks, jewelry, pens, anything that seems interesting at the time. The easiest way to avoid this is to be sure to keep enough kitty toys in the house and make sure they are kept out where your cat can easily find hem. This will help keep them from becoming bored and focusing their attention on your personal belongings.

A great tip for training your cat is to remember that punishing them won’t have much effect. Unlike dogs that will usually change their behavior after being punished, cats will most likely ignore the punishment and continue with the bad behavior, again because they can be very stubborn. The best cat training tip is to use positive reinforcement. You are much more likely to see results when rewarding your cat for good behavior. When they go to play with their cat toy rather than your watch sitting on the coffee table, reward them. You can reward them with a kitty treat, praise them with words, or perhaps even better, play with them. If they see you engaging with them, they will know that behavior is not only acceptable, but also encouraged. Playing with them also allows for a good bonding time with your cat, allowing them to become more comfortable with you.

Another great cat training tip is to keep them on a strict schedule. Cats are creatures of habit, they enjoy being on a schedule. Try to feed, groom, and play with them at the same times every day. If they never know what to expect from day to day, they can become anxious and stressed out, which will ultimately cause behavior problems.

Although these are not the only cat training tips out there, they are two of the most important and just by following these couple ideas, you can drastically improve your cat’s behavior and help prevent future bad habits from occurring.

For more cat training tips, check out Cat-Secrets-Revealed.com, the cat secrets authority site.

Cat litter training is also a crucial activity, and litter boxes for cats are the most common way of doing this.

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Unsightly Litter Box- Love Your Cat with Cat Litter Furniture

Everybody who owns a cat has at least a couple of litter boxes. Of all the things we own for the benefit of our kitty, the cat box may be the one we like the least. But what is one to do? Is there some alternative to the dreaded cat box? Yes! Cat litter furniture may be the answer to your ugly cat box problems.

Most people keep the litter box for the family pet in a bathroom, basement or even a closet. This placement does two things, it provides the cat with the privacy it needs to do its bathroom duties and, just as important, these locations hide it from view. This is possible if you have a home that is large enough to support both yours and your cat’s needs. But in today’s fast growing society, many people live in smaller residences, with less room than ever to hide the litter box.

So if you don’t have a basement or if you don’t want the litter box in the bathroom, what are you going to do? No one likes to see a litter box out in the open. This is not going to be visually pleasing to you and your guests. The cat will not appreciate it either as there is very little privacy when placed this way. The answer to this ongoing problem is Cat Litter Furniture. Now you can hide the cat litter box inside a beautiful piece of solid wood furniture. This will solve the problem of both the cats privacy as the box is hidden inside the cabinet, and the owner who can now place the litter box anywhere in the house. Cat litter furniture looks beautiful and can double as a functional end table.

Cat litter furniture can accommodate the decor of any home with the many colors and styles available. The cat litter cabinet is one of the most popular. This type hides the cat box inside a wood cabinet. It is very versatile as there is easy access to the inside with openings on the sides. There is also ease of access to the inside for cleaning and because it serves multiple purposes it can be useful to all. The size of the litter cabinet is based on the size of the cat and the litter box. The best thing about this unit is the fact that it can be placed anywhere in the house. You can place books, knick-knacks or anything else on top just like an end table or book case.

When you decide to switch out the old litter box, you need to take a few things into consideration. Of course the optimal time to put in a new litter box is when your cat is a kitten. If you switch out the litter box on an older cat just be sure to make the transition a slow one. It would be a good idea to keep both litter boxes available at the same time while your kitty adjusts to the new one. Another idea would be to just place the cabinet in the desired location while you slowly move the litter box closer and closer until it is finally placed inside the cabinet. Give you kitty praise when you see him use the new cat furniture and always keep it clean as possible!

The most important thing about your cat litter furniture is that it is a barometer of your cat health . If you notice your kitty is not making his regular visits to the box then something is up! You may notice that you cat has a case of diarrhea. This would indicate a definite problem is at hand. Sometimes a cat will even lay down in its cat box, this is a sign of possible serious sickness or other cat disease as kitties usually have very clean habits. If you notice any of these signs or symptoms you should be sure to contact your vet.

Now, go shopping for a great new piece of cat litter furniture!

By David Perrin Published: 1/10/2007

Now that you’ve found a way to hide that unsightly litter tray in a designer cat litter box, you’ll want to fill it with the best litter on the market, which in our opinion is Swheat Scoop Litter. 

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Cats And Litter Boxes. What Does It Mean?

Why do some cats stop using the litter box? What can you do about it? Find out in the following article.

If you have a cat that doesn’t seem to want to use its cat litter furniture, don’t be concerned. You are not alone as many cat owners complain about this problem. Lets see why this might be the case and find out what you can do about it.

If a cat does not use his or her litter box cabinet, this may be happening due to one of two reasons. The first reason is that the cat has developed a dislike for the litter box for some reason. The second is that some kind of stress is causing the cat to stop using the litter box.

A dirty litter box is most often the cause of cats not using the litter box. If you think this might at all be a problem, you should first scoop every day and change the litter more often than you have been doing previously. A cat may also develop a dislike for its litter box simply because it is somehow not easy enough to get to. Some cats either can’t or don’t want to spend a lot of time trying to get to their litter boxes. Therefore, if you place the litter box in a more accessible place, you take this obstacle away from your cat and make the litter box easier for the cat to use. Another problem is that the cat may not like where you’ve put the litter box. Try moving the box and see if it helps solve your problem. Often cats prefer a quiet and private place where they can do their business without stress or interruption.

If your cat is under any kind of stress, he or she may also urinate outside the litter box. In multiple cat households, for example, stress is often present that an owner is unaware of. Cats’ group dynamics have recently become an interesting topic in behavioral research. Recent studies have shown that even though one cat may not be actually deliberately be kept away from the litter box, the cat may still be anxious and may be manifesting this by going to the bathroom inappropriately outside of the litter box or by even using "marking" behavior. Try using one litter box for each cat, placed in various locations. This gives each cat a choice of location and can also help the cat choose who he or she would like to share the litter box with, if at all.

Cat may also develop a preference for the material of their litter box. Oftentimes, cats prefer hard porcelain surfaces or smooth soft ones.

Another reason this behavior may occur is that your cat may have developed a urinary tract infection. This can cause a previously completely litter box trained cat to begin going to the bathroom outside of the litter box. Cats also can associate unpleasant memories with locations or with particular people. Therefore, if the cat has a urinary tract infection and goes to use its litter box, the cat may then associate the litter box with the pain of the infection. The cat therefore thinks that if he or she no longer uses the litter box, the pain will go away. Therefore, if the cat is normally very good about using the litter box and suddenly stops doing so, take your cat to the vet immediately and have it checked out for a urinary tract infection or other cat health problems.

Finally, owners often complain that their cats "misbehave" and urinate on bedding or clothing when "parents" leave the house; many owners think that their cat is simply angry or upset with them and is showing its displeasure. However, this is not true. Cats don’t develop separation anxiety, although dogs might. Cats simply do not become as strongly attached to their owners, as many of us cat owners have come to relize. However, cats can become stressed by change. This can cause anxiety, which cats can manifest by inappropriately urinating or defecation outside of the litter box.

David Lee is an expert on pet care. See his site for more information on cat furniture, pet steps, German Shepherd training and dog bone cancer .

By David Perrin
Published: 8/18/2007

Something else that can help with cat litter odors is a good natural cat litter such as Swheat Scoop cat litter.

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Finally, a litter box that the dog can not raid for tootsie roles. Yes a dog proof litter box that the cat will actually use. No moving parts, no batteries, no odd noises in the middle of the night and no litter spread all around the floor.

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These handy camouflage items make a cat box inconspicuous (as long as you’re good about keeping the area tidy… dunes of cat litter surrounding the entrance are a dead giveaway).