Helpful Hints and Tips
In this section we will include helpful hints and tips. Please send any in suggestions you have for this section. If there is something you would like to see, please email me. We will be updating this section monthly but will keep all tips on file and can send a copy of them if requested.
catclub@heartofohiocatclub.com
or use our email form
De-clawing
http://amby.com/cat_site/dc-wyntk.html
www.cfainc.org/health/declawing.html
Housing Soiling Problems in Felines
http://www.netcat.org/housesoiling.html
Plants to Avoid
Jill A. Richardson, D.V.M. veterinary poison information specialist for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, National Animal Poison Control Center, says the following plants should not be kept in a house with cats.
Indoor Cat Facts
Indoor Cats Live Longer, Live Better
Deciding to keep your cats indoors can be a difficult choice, but it is one of the best choices you can make for your cats. Your cat may tell you the great outdoors is lot of fun - grass to roll in, trees to climb. However, cats, like children, depend on us to recognize danger and protect them from harm.
In addition to grass and fresh air, the outdoors poses many risks to your pets. Lethal risks that can be completely avoided:
TRAFFIC: To listen to some people, a pet's "getting hit by a car" is just part of pet ownership. Your pet is not likely to agree....
POISON: Cat's don't usually resist the temptation of checking out neighbors' yards, the hoods of their cars, and their flower beds. Although it is illegal and inhumane, some people put out a poisonous substance to get rid of those paw prints on a car. Poison also may be put out for other animals, and pets are accidentally poisoned, such as by eating poisoned mice.
CRUELTY: Unfortunate, but true, there are more than enough people in this world who are intentionally cruel to animals.
INJURIES: If your pet goes outside, it risks injurious or deadly fights with other animals, and also exposure to those animal's diseases. Bite wounds often abscess, resulting in a serious injury for your pet, and a veterinary bill for you.
DISEASE: Even if your pet is vaccinated, it runs the risk of serious diseases: * Leukemia - The vaccine for feline leukemia, although valuable, provides about 80% - 85% protection, leaving your pet still at some risk of contacting leukemia, a deadly disease transmitted basically by saliva, from another cat. * FIV - Feline Immunodeficiency Virus - FIV is a disease that compromises the immune system of the cat. There is no vaccine for FIV, and there is no cure. FIV is generally transmitted between cats by biting. A blood test determines if the cat is FIV positive. Scientific evidence indicates FIV is not communicable to humans. A number of stray cats are FIV positive, and your cat runs a significant risk of FIV contact with these outdoor cats. For more information regarding FIV, contact your veterinarian.
No cat, no neighborhood, is immune from these dangers. Give your cat a long, safe, healthy life - indoors!
Make Life Inside Fun -- Toys, playtime with you, a window to look out of, scratching posts, and a few twigs of catnip from time to time more than compensate for the risks your cat faces outdoors.