Do you and your cat see eye to eye on the litterbox??
Introducing a new kitten or a cat to your house means having a litterbox. While you may think it is quite a nice litter pan your cat may not agree. Here are some tips for the new litterbox………
Most cats have an innate tendency to use a litterbox. That means that they do not have to learn in order to perform. When kittens are very young they often like the feel of soft ground on their toes and will scratch in the area and often eliminate there as well. So unlike their dog counterparts cats usually do not need to be shown how or where to eliminate. In fact putting a kitten in the box and scratching with its front feet in the litter is often an unpleasant thing for the kitten and they sometimes will not go back to the box.
Picking a location for the litterbox is difficult. Usually owners will want to put the box in the basement, on a cold concrete surface beside a noisy appliance. This can pose a few problems. One, if a kitten is little often it will not make a flight of stairs to go to the washroom. Two, imagine how scary an experience it will be if the washing machine hits the spin cycle while you are trying to urinate, this will usually mean that the kitten will not go back to that area. Three, most cats like to scratch around the litterbox when they are "done". This may be a perfect time to introduce a scratch pad. Some owners will start a kitten’s litterbox in a nice quiet area on the same floor as the family living space and clean it frequently.
Picking the litter type is important as well. Most cats prefer a soft, grainy type of litter. I find that my cats have liked a product called "World’s Best Cat Litter". It is organic, scoopable, flushable and quite soft to the touch. However some cats may like the bargain brand clay litter. Try several types of litter and see what your pet likes the best and then stick with that same type. A change in litter can often lead to behavior problems like eliminating outside the box.
Deodorants and odors that we may find pleasing to the nose does not necessarily agree with your cat’s nose. Most cats are often offended by smells that we like so a fine layer of baking soda on the bottom of a litter pan is often enough to contain odors and not offend your pet. Cleaning of a litterbox should be done with a simple soap and water. Bleaches and other harsh chemicals are not pleasing to a cats nose and may end up causing your cat to eliminate outside the box.
How many boxes should you have? The rule of thumb is one more than the number of cats. So if you have 3 cats you need 4 litterboxes. Most cats will not eliminate where another cat has just gone to the washroom so that extra box allows for a clean box. Cats will usually not prefer one box as being their own but it may happen.
To cover or not to cover……..many cats do like the privacy of a covered litterbox and they can also help to control odors. Large cats will not like the box if they cannot turn around so you may have to make a litterbox out of a large plastic tub. Give your new cat the option at first and see which one they approve of.
If your cat starts to eliminate out of the box catching and dealing with the problem as soon as possible may prevent behavior problems later on. Consult your veterinarian as it may be a medical problem like crystals, diarrhea or it could be a behavior problem that needs medical attention. You can also call a local animal behaviorist in the area as they may have some suggestions for you.
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Dog Trainers in the Victoria Area
I am going to put a plug out there for a great dog trainer I know. Dara of Mutts N Manners is excellent with both the pet and the person. She not only helps you and your dog learn to work together but she teaches the entire family as it is important that all family members are able to work with the pet and see positive results. Dara only uses positive reinforcement in her classes which is a plus for both the dog and the owners.
Dara offers many different types of classes from basic puppy training to clicker training, advanced training to just being able to take your dog for a walk. Dara is a Certified Pet Dog Trainer and is a member of the CAPPDT and APDT.
If you are in the market for a dog trainer or behavior consultations contact Dara, I know you will be impressed.
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Sunglasses for Dogs……….more than just a cute thing
"Doggles are protective eyewear for your puppy dog. They look alot like swimming goggles for humans and protect your dog’s eyes from wind, uv light, foreign objects and fit quite snuggly on your dog’s face."
I have seen these used in situations where dogs love to stick their head out car or truck windows to protect the eyes from the wind or a nasty little bug flying into the dog’s eye. I have also seen people use them on dogs that are sensitive to sunlight, like dalmations, old english sheepdogs or any dog whose long coat gets shaved away from the eyes accidentally or on purpose.
If you are interested in these you should check out their website or ask your veterinarian about ordering them in for your dog.
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Feline Leukemia – A Social Killer
Feline leukemia virus is a retrovirus (named this way because of the way it reacts with cells). It is similar to HIV in humans because it produces an enzyme, reverse transcriptase, which permits the virus to insert copies of its own DNA into that of the cells it has infected. Feline leukemia virus (Felv) is found worldwide but the incidence or prevalence of infection depends on the cat’s age, health, lifestyle and enviroment that it is living in.
A cat that is at the greatest risk of being infected is one that may be exposed to another cat that already has the disease or through bite wounds. So cats that go outside, or cats living in the same household as a sick cat or a kitten born to a mother with the disease have an increased risk of contracting the virus. Kittens and young adult cats are much more susceptible to the disease as sometimes with maturity also comes resistance but this doesn’t mean that adult cats cannot become infected.
Felv can affect a cat in many ways. It is the most common cause of cancer in cats, can cause blood disorders, and like AIDS in humans can cause a state of immune deficiency that renders the cat unable to protect itself from other infections. In the beginning states of the disease cats may show no signs of being ill. Eventually a cat’s health will decrease or can have intermittent "sick" times. Some of the signs include the following:
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Loss of appetite
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Slow wasting of weight
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Poor coat
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Enlarged lymph nodes
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Persistent fever
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Pale gums and other mucus membranes
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Inflammation of the gums (gingivitis) and mouth (stomatitis)
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Infections of the skin, urinary bladder, and upper respiratory tract
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Chronic or intermittent diarrhea
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Seizures, behavior changes, and other neurological disorders
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Eye problems like constant weeping, redness, inflammation
To determine if your cat has Felv your veterinarian will want to run blood work. There are 2 types of blood tests that can be run. An ELISA test can be run at the clinic and an IFA test is usually sent out to a laboratory. As with many tests false negatives are always a possibility so your vet may want to repeat a test or do both.
Protecting your cat is trying to prevent exposure to Felv infected cats. Keeping your cat indoors, away from other cats and potential bite wounds is one way. Another way is to test your cats and then test any new cat that you may introduce to your cats that you already own. Felv vaccinations are also available at your veterinarian but again vaccines are not 100% so you may want to talk this over with your veterinary staff. Unfortunately, many Felv-infected cats are not diagnosed until after they have lived with other cats. In such cases, all other cats in the household should be tested for Felv and then you may need to separate your infected cat from the other cats.
If your cat has been diagnosed as being a Felv infected cat then as a responsible pet owner you must keep your pet indoors. It is also very important to spay or neuter that cat, feed it well, avoid RAW diets (increased chance of food-borne bacterial and parasite infections), closely monitor your pet’s health and behavior and bring any changes to your veterinarian’s attention. While it is impossible to predict the life expectancy of an infected cat but with appropriate care and support a cat could live 2-3 years. If your cat unfortunately passes away getting another cat and bringing it into the household poses some clean up solutions. Usually the virus will not survive outside of the cat for longer than a few hours but clean the house with a 10% bleach solution, throw away any old toys, litter pans etc and make sure that your new cat is vaccinated against the disease.
Laboratory studies have not proven that Felv is zoonotic but Felv infected cats may carry other diseases. Immunosuppressed people, such as those with AIDS, undergoing immune suppresion medications, elderly or the very young can have issues with the other diseases that these cats may carry.
Tags: cat, kitten, diseases, pet health
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Let me introduce myself……..
My name is Lorraine and I have been an animal health technologist for 15 years. I have worked in various veterinary clinics in Canada and thought that I would use this forum to bring information to people about and for their pets. I hope you like the site and find it and the information useful. Thanks for visiting.
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