#cat article

A cat is a small creature in the middle of the food chain that is fully aware that you are a very large thing that could stomp its head in at any moment and yet it chooses to rest its tiny little head on your leg for a nap and spreads out on the floor near you exposing its belly and its most sensitive organs. It brings dead mice and bugs to you to share food.

Don’t you get it? This tiny thing trusts you. It wants to help you too. It licks your leg thinking that it’s helping. It kneads on you to find comfort. It shares its body warmth with you in the cold and gives you your space in the heat. It hisses at other mammals it sees outside including other cats in an effort to protect its family.

Bringing your cat to the vet can be a stressful experience- for both you and the cat. Most cats run in terror at the first sight of a carrier making it very difficult for you to get your cat to the vet in the first place. Many people think cats are born with an innate fear of carriers but that’s just not true. If you only bring the carrier out for vet visits, your cat learns to associate the carrier with an unpleasant experience. It’s time for your cat to learn to love the carrier. It will make vet visits easier for everyone involved!

The first step to getting your cat accustomed to a carrier is placing the carrier in one of your cat’s favourite spots. Take the cover and door off the carrier, or if it’s a soft carrier, leave all the openings unzipped to allow your cat to venture in and out freely. Having the carrier out all the time will take away that negative association your cat has that a carrier = vet visit.

Make sure to make the carrier as comfy as possible for your cat. Place a blanket or one of their beds inside. You can also place a comfy sweatshirt of yours in the carrier. Your scent will make your cat calm and comfortable.

Now it’s time for treats and food! Give your cat a treat whenever they are in the carrier. Make sure to only give treats to your cat if they are in the carrier. Your cat will become even more comfortable with the carrier if you feed them while they are in the carrier. By associating food with the carrier, you are teaching your cat that a carrier is a safe place for them to be in.

After your cat is comfortable spending time in the carrier, it’s time to practice closing the doors. Once your cat is inside the carrier, close the door then give them their treat. It’s important you only give your cat a treat if they are calm. You can also place their food in the carrier and close the door when your cat is eating. 

It’s time for the final step! When your cat is accustomed to being in the carrier with the doors closed, pick up the carrier then place it back down gently. Continue doing this until it becomes a pleasant experience for your cat. You can take some walks around your house or the block with your cat in the carrier once picking it up and putting it down become a breeze. Make sure to continue with this routine regularly. By doing this, your cat will associate a vet visit with the carrier every one time out of ten instead of every time. 

The Conversation | Lori M. Teller || December 28, 2020

Treating separation anxiety with behavior change

Here, we’re talking about your behavior. The goal is to make your absence seem like no big deal. Making a fuss over your pet when you leave or arrive home only makes matters worse. If you treat it like it’s routine, your pet will learn to do the same.

It happens at least once in every pet owner’s life: you look into your animal companion’s eyes and wonder what they’re not telling you. Pets are members of our families, but they can’t speak to us to say they’re in a good mood, or that their stomach hurts today or they’re feeling lonely. So how do you know what your pet is actually feeling, and what should you do if they aren’t happy?

“Most owners really can understand happiness and joy in their pets,” says Melissa Bain, a professor of clinical animal behavior at the University of California at Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. “When we talk with owners and ask them about their dog’s behavior in certain situations, they often miss the fearful and anxious signs.”

Got a keyboard cat who won’t let you work? Here are 5 ways to keep kitty off your laptop.

What’s your favorite method? Let us know with a reply!

32 Proofs That Cats Will Rule The World One Day

Us here at BoredBug are almost certain of one thing – cats will one day rule the world. They’re cute, they’re smart, they’re fast, and know how to win people over to the dark side just by acting cute. And, if you have any doubt about this, just check out these 32 proofs below, all of which are sure to change your mind about your seemingly ‘innocent and adorable’ pet. Meow!

#1 They are trained…

1. What you see is what you get.

When you adopt an adult cat, you know what you are getting.  Sure, kittens are cute, but you never know what the future holds.  An adorable kitten could grow up to be a really ugly puss.  This is a big risk.  Go for the sure thing.  Take a sweet-faced old Tabby.

2. High mileage cats still run great. Used cats aren’t like used cars.  They aren’t at a shelter because they are defective or worn out.  They may have simply outlived their former owners or been unable to join them at a hospital, nursing home, or new apartment.  Some cats get lost and end up at a shelter.  And many are brought to a shelter after a family member develops allergies, or an aversion to the family cat.  (In those cases, it is the previous owner that is defective, not the cat.)

3. Adult cats aren’t as “chewsy”.? Kittens are like human children: Everything goes in their mouths.  Whether teething or just exploring bits of the world around them, kittens can be very destructive little bundles of fur.  Kittens chew on shoes, the corners of books, ear lobes, carpet tassels, electrical cords, drapery strings, plants, and much, much more.  Adult cats typically chew less, if at all.  They tend to save their energy for more important activities, like tormenting the neighbour’s terrier.

4. Kittens stumble in blindly, where adult cats fear to tread. Two well-known clichés about cats are: “curiosity killed the cat” and “cats have nine lives.”  And curiosity usually leads to the loss of about eight of a kitten’s lives in its first year.  Kittens tend to get into much more trouble resulting in accidents and injuries (see, for example, the reference to “chewing electrical cords” above).  Kittens eat things they shouldn’t, fall from high places, unsuccessfully attempt to make friends with the neighbor’s tormented Terrier, and generally worry you half to death.

5. Kittens are lacking when it comes to licking. Few kittens have mastered the fine art of self-grooming.  While adult cats may spend up to half their waking hours licking fur, kittens are just too busy enjoying life to clean themselves properly.  When you consider that kittens are really just dust-mops with legs, and that they generally display marginal litter box etiquette, you might want to master the somewhat dangerous art of cat-bathing.

6. Einstein knew the truth about cats. The genius scientist Albert Einstein discovered an important relationship between mass and energy.  He described it using the mathematical equation E=(MC)2.  This equation means that your Energy level (E) is proportional to the Mass (M) of your Cat©, twice over.  The equation basically shows that if you adopt a cat with more Mass, like an adult cat, your Energy level will be much higher than if you adopt a cat with a low Mass, such as a kitten.  This is true because adult cats sleep more, play less, require less supervision, break fewer lamps, and don’t try to bite your toes through the blankets in the middle of the night.  With an adult cat, you will sleep better, relax more, make fewer claims on your homeowner’s policy, and enjoy more Energy. There you have it.  Are you going to argue with Albert Einstein?

7. Kittens and children don’t mix. Children can be rough on both cats and kittens, even when they mean no real harm.  It can’t be helped.  It’s just how kids are.  When you tell a child that “cats always land on their feet,” the first thing the child will do is drop one from your rooftop to see if it’s true.  Adult cats are better equipped to deal with pesky kids.  They can generally escape from them, hide, and then contemplate revenge by moonlight.

8. You don’t need to teach an old cat new tricks. Actually, you don’t need to teach a kitten tricks either, because the truth is that neither cats nor kittens allow you to teach them anything anyway.  But new parents usually feel the need to try.  Inevitably, they end up feeling guilt or failure when the kitten disregards them, jumps on the counters, unrolls the toilet paper, and engages in other acts of feline mayhem.  If you adopt an older cat, you avoid all this emotional turmoil.  Since you didn’t raise the cat, you don’t have to take responsibility for the cat’s shortcomings.  Instead, you can blame the former owner and play the role of victim and saint for tolerating it all.

9. Adult cats don’t “litter” as much. Kittens play, sunbathe, build sandcastles, and even sleep in their litter boxes.  And then there’s a game called “poo-hockey,” where a piece of dried waste is removed from the box and batted around the floor until it disappears under a major appliance or piece of furniture.  People who adopt older cats happily miss this stage of feline development.  Adult cats understand the purpose of a litter box and will usually cooperate with your efforts to keep theirs tidy.  But the most important reason to adopt an older cat is:

10. It might be their last chance. Many adult cats end up in shelters due to no fault of their own.  Separated from their loved ones, surrounded by other strange cats, confined, confused, and sometimes frightened, many are emotionally devastated by their misfortune. Sadly for adult cats, most people who adopt gravitate toward the adorable, bouncy, big-eyed kittens.  Older cats sit by and watch, as one loving family after another passes them over for a cute kitten from this season’s litter.

Kittens will always be popular, and most have no trouble attracting admirers.  But for the abandoned, forgotten, and heartbroken adult cats, you just might be their last chance to have the love and warmth of a home where they can live out their years in comfort.  Please consider adopting an older cat.  When cared for properly, cats can live well into their late teens, and sometimes into their early twenties.  Typically, they will remain active and playful throughout most of their lives.  Some may need a little extra patience while adjusting to a new home, but once they feel safe and secure again, most will give you years of faithful companionship and unconditional love.