OUR CAT COMPANIONS: 12/01/2007

Saturday, December 01, 2007

Félix orchestra director

Félix orchestra director
Originally uploaded by lgh75.

My Admin fave for December is Felix by lgh75-Sylvain

I just love the big wide-eyed expression captured so well. The red bow adds a beautiful contrast to this kitty's black and white coloring.
Sylvain's photostream is well worth having a look at he also has some beautiful photos of Arthur -his other cat.
Congratulations Sylvain for a job well done!

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CAT CARE TIPS

Your Cat and Plants

To prevent your cat from digging in the dirt around your houseplants, go to your local craft store and buy a few pieces of the plastic needlepoint mesh. Cut it to fit the pot, with a slit and an opening for the plant. Place it on top of the dirt. Or, dampen a cotton ball with oil of clove, then bury the cotton ball just below the surface.

To stop him from chewing on houseplants, mist the leaves with water and sprinkle a small amount of cayenne pepper on the leaves. Or you can buy Bitter Apple from your local pet store and spray it on the leaves. Here is a list of plants that are toxic to your cat.

Getting Your Cat to Come to You

Unlike dogs and children, cats are unlikely to come to you just because you want them to obey. However, a cat who knows he will be warmly petted, brushed, will receive a treat, or an extended period of lap-napping, is more likely to get up, stretch, look casually around, and then wander over to you (displaying, for all intents and purposes, the attitude that it was his idea in the first place). No animal will come to you willingly if you are raising your voice or if they think they are going to be punished.

Cats, by the way, respond best to names that end in an "ee" sound. You will most likely get a better response if you shorten Prince Zadrach of Dominquez' name to Zaddy, for example. Too, they seem to respond better to a higher-pitched tone of voice.

Discipline in General

The first and most important thing to remember is that she's a cat, not a very short, 4-legged person. It also helps to realize that she will likely think of you as a very large cat, admittedly with some peculiar non-cat foibles (such as an appalling lack of talent at mice-catching). Try to look at things from her viewpoint--she really does have a reason for what she's doing.

Second, never, ever hit your cat. I have found that an attempt to be reasonable, as odd as that may sound, works best. (Example: Stanley was in the habit of taking other cat's tidbits out from under their nose; he'd been doing it for years. As I was sitting on the kitchen floor one day, giving out handouts, I observed him doing this - I pushed my hand up into his face, pushing him back slightly, and said, "Stanley, we DON'T steal from each other." He hasn't done it since; in fact, he looks up at me to ask permission to eat another cat's leftovers when they walk away.)

Using the same reprimand word works best - though I tend to talk in full sentences to my cats (they are, after all, much more intelligent than anybody else's cats), most people find that simply saying "NO!" in a firm, no-nonsense voice for all infractions works well. If he won't listen, keep a squirt bottle of plain water handy (be sure to keep the bottle away from your children, so they don't use it as a toy against your cat). Or toss your keys toward him - not at him - so the noise will startle him. At least one of my cats can't tell where a whistle comes from, and she looks over her shoulder somewhat nervously when she hears one - so if she's being "bad," I whistle and she almost always stops what she is doing.

OUR CAT COMPANIONS

Saturday, December 01, 2007

Félix orchestra director

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