Where To Find a Pet Cat?

If you are planning on getting a new cat, even if you already have a cat, kitten, dog, rabbit or childern you need to be sure that you can handle another addition to the family. Think carefully and plan before making the final decision. Any New Pet is a big commitment. Once you are sure you are ready you need to know where to look for your new pet.

there are basically four places that you can get a pet cat from:

1. Rescue Shelters
2. Breeders
3. Non Breeders
4. Pet Shop or Store

Rescue Shelters: These are great places to find kittens and cats, most have several cats to choose from. In most cases the cats have been assessed and had a checkup from the vet. You will also find that all vacinations will be up to date and often the cat will have been spayed or neutered.  When you take all this into account, plus the fact that you will be helping not only your new friend but your local shelter, the fees that your shelter charge seem very minimal.

Breeders: Particularly if you are looking for a specific breed of cat this is the best way to find your perfect companion. Be sure that you are dealing with a reputable breeder, check breed directories and listings. Dig around for 10 min on the internet. It really is very easy now to check up on things. If you can get involved early on, go and see the litter, where they are living and of course both parents if you can or at least the mother.

Non-Breeder: Ask around, many people are looking to give away cats or kittens due to changes in personal circumstances, some cat orgainisations foster out cats and kittens untill they can find a permentant homes. There are also many people who have kittens “by mistake” and are very happy to find good homes for their kittens.

Pet Shops/Stores: There is little to be said about pet shops other than “Stay Away”! Although there have been many improvements pet stores are notoriouse for not taking good care of their pets. It just is not worth the risk.

STV’s Vet School Series promsies to be a Winner for Cat and Pet Lovers

STV’s new series “Vet School” takes a behind the scenes look at the internationally renound Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies in edinburgh. The 5 one hour programmes follow both the vets and the students treating domestic, wild and agricultural animals.

You can catch up anytime with stvs free player, click here for more details, of particluar interest is Dr Nicki Reed, cat speacialist holder of a Royal College Diploma in Feline medicine, you can find out more about here and her work here

Take a look at episode one and meet brodie the cat.

How do you get a Cat into a Pet Carrier.

We are asked this question every single day. Realy there is one No 1 Rule. Dont Wait untill the day you need to travel!!

Pet cats generally do not like to be forced into any small unfamialiar space and most will but up a stiff fight if challanged. In an ideal world you should buy each  cat you own their own pet carrier, you should do this as soon as you get your cat and use the carrier in your home as a indoor kennel or cave. Regularly leave treats in the carrier and encourage your cat into the carrier often, from time to time close the door for short spells then open it again. Take your cat with you on short test runs both walking and in the car or on the bus.

Ok i know all that but what if i need to move my cat tommorow and they dont even have a carrier yet? This is not ideal but i am sure happens a lot. Here are a few tips that will help.

1. Place the carrier on end so that the door faces the ceiling, use soft towls inside the carrier.
2. Pick up the cat with one hand under ist front legs and the other supporting its bottom
3. Tilt the cat s othat when its toso is released, it can only go into the carrier
4. Close the door and make sure the catch is secure
5. slowly lay down the carrier in the correct carrying position.

Sounds easy, the main  thing is to keep calm, if things go wrong wait half an hour to an hour before trying again. For more tips and ideas check out the following article

Is There a Correct Way to Pet your Cat.

So most of you that own cats are saying “you’d better beleive it”. But what if you have never owned a cat or if you have never spent mutch time around cats? Thankfully there are some simple steps you can take to improve your chances of success with cats and to prevent you from getting scratched or worse bitten. Extra care should be take with children also.

There are 4 main steps you can follow.

1. Let the cat sniff you before you pet him/her, let the cat get comfortable with you before try to touch them.
2. Pet his or her Head Gently with your fingers to start with
3. Run the palm of you rhand smoothly from the neck and along the back, all the way untill you get to the tail then begin again.
4. Stay Away from the tummy

If you are gentle and take your time you will know if the cat is friendly or not and if it is ok to carry on. Never rush a cat or try too hard to be their friend, they will accept you in their own time.

If you are visiting friends or relatives with cats you should always take gifts. Cat toys for a young cat or perhaps a nice collar for an older cat. Either way this is by far the best way to get in the cats and the owners good books.

for more infomration check out the full article here

Cat’s Lucky escape after Recycling close Shave

A stowaway cat made a lucky escape today in Kirknewton West lothian. It was descoverd hiding in a recycling shed at scotwastes plant. It is thought that the inquisative Tom had hitched a ride in the lorry after houses had been cleared in east lothian.

Scottish SPCA ambulance driver Emma Phillips, who transported the cat from Scotwaste in Bathgate to the Lamond Vet Clinic in Livingston to be checked over, said: “Cats are inquisitive creatures so he may have decided to explore the contents of the lorry, or it may be that he was hiding in there after being chased.

The cat is said to be making a good recovery and has no major injuries.

Near misses like this are becoming more and more common. To make matters worse the cat is not microchipped and although he did have a blac, sparkley cat coller with a tag there were no owner details on it. Firstly we would reccomend that you get your pets microchipped but failing this there is a massive range of cat saftey collers with tags that you can buy. If you get one just remember to fill in your details.

You can see the full news story on todays bbc news channel here.

I have Seem the Vet But Should i Get aSecond Opinion about My Cat?

I just came across an article that details whend you should seek a second opionon if your cat is not well. It is a really good article and well worth a read. It breaks down what you should look for i your own vet and poses the questions below to evaluate if you should be getting a second opinion. We all become very attached to our pets and it is very easy to lose sight of the real issue.

Here is a summary of the questions but the full article is well worth a look, as it also has real life examples and full explanations.

Is the vet capable of performing more than just the basic medical procedures in office or will he/she refer you to an expensive hospital for anything more than a vaccination?
Is your vet quick to return phone calls or see you on short notice?
Does your vet listen to you and weigh your thoughts and suggestions?
Did my vet explain my cat’s condition, describe alternate treatments, and expected prognosis?
Did my vet explain the costs and reasons for lab reports, special tests?
Is my vet frank about chances for cure, the comfort quotient of your cat, or long-term survival?
Have I asked my vet “What would you do if it were your cat?”
Did my vet reply to all my questions, or ignore them?
Has my cat’s condition deteriorated rapidly under my vet’s care?

In short if you give a negative answer to one or two of these questions then you probably should seek a second opinion.

I felt these questions were a great way to make you think objecivly about your vet and i know i have found them usefull, I also hope that you never end up in the position that you need to get a second opinion but if you do i hope things work out well.

tom
The Cat Pet Shop.

Cat Jokes Part 5

• What side of the cat has the most fur? The OUT-side.
• What is a cat’s favourite car? The Catillac.
• What kind of cat will keep your grass short? A Lawn Meower.
• Why did the judge dismiss the entire jury made up of cats? Because each of them was guilty of purrjury.
• What do you use to comb a cat? A catacomb.
• Why did the cat run from the tree? Because it was afraid of the bark!
• Why is it so hard for a leopard to hide? Because he’s always spotted.

Facts about Cats and Kittens Part 10

today’s cat facts

1. Cats are the sleepiest of all mammals.   They spend 16 hours of each day sleeping.  With that in mind, a seven year old cat has only been awake for two years of its life!
2. Cats are more active during the evening hours
3. Cats spend 30% of their waking hours grooming themselves
4. 95% of all cat owners admit they talk to their cats.
5. Backward-pointing spikes on a cat’s tongue aid in their grooming.
6. The average cat weighs 12 pounds
7. If you can’t feel your cat’s ribs, she’s too heavy
8. If an overweight cat’s “sides” stick out further than her whiskers, she will lose her sense of perception and stability.  Don’t be surprised if she starts to squeeze into an opening that the rest of her can’t fit into, only to back herself back out quickly!
9. According to the Guiness Book of World Records, the heaviest cat on record was Himmy, an Australian cat, who weighed 46 pounds, 15.25 ounces in 1986.  Himmy’s waist was 33 inches!  The previous record-holder had been Spice, a ginger-and-white tom cat from Connecticut, who weighed 43 pounds when he died in 1977.
10. Cats can see in color!
11. Cats are partially color blind.   They have the equivalency of human red/green color blindness.  (Reds appear green and greens appear red;  or shades thereof.)
12. Cats don’t see “detail” very well.  To them, their person may appear hazy when standing in front of them.
13. Cats need 1/6th the amount of light that humans do to see.  Their night vision is amazing!
14. Cats can see up to 120 feet away.   Their peripheral vision is about 285

Pet Cat Quotes part 4

Thank you for sending us all your great cat quotes.

“Dogs have owners, cats have staff.”
- Unknown

“Thousands of years ago, cats were worshipped as gods. Cats have never forgotten this.”
- Anonymous

” There are many intelligent species in the universe. They are all owned by cats.”
- Anonymous

“No amount of time can erase the memory of a good cat, and no amount of masking tape can ever totally remove his fur from your couch.”
- Leo Dworken

“One cat just leads to another.”
- Ernest Hemingway

“The cat has too much spirit to have no heart.”
- Ernest Menaul

“As every cat owner knows, nobody owns a cat.”
- Ellen Perry Berkeley

“People who hate cats, will come back as mice in their next life.”
- Faith Resnick

“One reason we admire cats is for their proficiency in one-upmanship. They always seem to come out on top, no matter what they are doing, or pretend they do.”
- Barbara Webster

“I have noticed that what cats most appreciate in a human being is not the ability to produce food which they take for granted–but his or her entertainment value.”
- Geoffrey Household

“As anyone who has ever been around a cat for any length of time well knows cats have enormous patience with the limitations of the human kind.”
- Cleveland Amory

Facts about Cats and Kittens Part 9

Todays Cat Facts

1. There have been three different cats who have played the famed “Morris the Cat.”  The first Morris was adopted from a shelter in 1968.  In 1969 he landed the role of Morris the Cat in the famous 9 Lives Cat Food commercials…and was an overnight success!  The first Morris died in 1978 and was subsequently replaced by two more cats who played “Morris.”   All three of the “Morris the Cat” cats were rescued from shelters.
2. Choose your cat toys carefully.   Choose light toys (for tossing), soft toys (for teeth and claws) and toys large enough that they can’t be swallowed
3. A flashlight makes a great cat toy!   Turn the flashlight on in a dark room, and watch your feline “chase” the beam of light!
4. Cats love to hide!  If yours comes up “missing,” be sure to check in the bathtub, in your closet, in the dresser drawers, under a blanket or rug…or anywhere else you can possibly think of!
5. A collar and tag can help your cat find his way home should he ever be lost.  Better yet — outfit your cat with an electronic identification chip.
6. To make sure your cat’s collar fits properly, make sure you can slip two fingers under the collar, between the collar and your cat’s neck.
7. The easiest way to pick up cat hair?   Spray an anti-static spray on the area you want to clean.  Wait one minute, then wipe up the hair with a six inch brus Egyptians shaved their eyebrows as a sign of mourning when they lost a beloved cat

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