|
If a
cat
urinates/defecates in the wrong spot (ie: on your
favourite Persian rug), rub it's nose in it.
Not only is
rubbing your
cat's nose in it's urine/faeces cruel, it
serves no constructive purpose. All this type of
punishment will do is frighten your
cat. A far more
constructive method would be to try & find out why the
cat has started eliminating outside it's litter tray.
Sometimes, owners think they are teaching the
cat a lesson
by rubbing it's nose in it's urine/faeces & then
placing the cat in it's litter tray. The
cat will start to
associate punishment with it's litter tray & avoid
using it all the more. The first stop should be to your
cat's vet to rule out a medical problem. If your
cat gets
a clean bill of health then you will have to try &
work out what is preventing your
cat from using it's tray.
Some possible causes are...
The tray is
too dirty, easily solved by cleaning the tray out more
often.
Your cat
was ambushed by another cat while in the tray.
Your cat
doesn't like hooded trays, or alternatively, your cat
doesn't like open boxes.
Your cat
doesn't like the location of the litter tray. Common
location problems are...the tray has been placed in a busy
area. Cats like privacy when they're on the loo. Because
cats are vulnerable when they are going to the toilet,
they like to ensure they have an escape route, therefore
some (but not all) cats will refuse to use a tray for this
reason.
For further
information on inappropriate elimination, please visit our
Health
Links page.
Cats can
have cow's milk
While a lot
of cats love to drink cow's milk, it's not recommended.
Many cats are lactose intolerant & giving them milk
will result in them getting an upset tummy. This is
especially dangerous in kittens who can dehydrate quickly.
An adult cat doesn't need to drink milk at all. If you must give
your cat milk, it is recommended you purchase special
"cat's milk" which has been specifically formulated for
cats to drink.
For
further information on cats & milk
read
here...
Cats can
have fish
It is
perfectly fine to give your cat the occasional treat of
fish, but it should not become a part of their regular
diet. Feeding too much fish can lead to Yellow Fat Disease
(steatitis), caused by Vitamin E deficiency. Cats require
taurine in their diet & fish doesn't provide this in
sufficient amounts.
For further
information on feeding fish to cats, please
read
here...
When you
move house, put butter on your cat's paws to stop it from
roaming & getting lost.
Putting
butter on your cat's paws won't stop it from getting lost
when it moves to a new home. The safest bet is to keep
your cat either exclusively indoors or allow it to go out
in a purpose built cat enclosure. If you absolutely must
let your cat go outdoors, hold off for 2-3 weeks. Before
letting your cat out, ensure it has a microchip & the
details are current. You could also buy some Feliway
(available from your veterinarian) & spray this around
the house. Feliway is a synthetic pheromone which help
calm anxious cats.
For
further information on helping your cat to settle into a
new home
read here...
My cat
will get fat & lazy if it is desexed.
By desexing
your cat, you are preventing it from contributing to the
very serious over population of kittens & cats. Entire
male cats run the risk of testicular cancer, abscesses
caused by fighting, being hit by a car while roaming, FIV
(Feline Aids) & FeLV. Entire female cats have a
greater risk of breast cancer & can develop pyometra
(infection of the uterus), plus she can contract FIV &
FeLV from an infected male, car accidents.
Some entire
females will often go off their food when they are in
heat, which happens several times a year. Entire males
will roam the neighbourhood looking for a female to mate
with. Both of these can cause cats to become underweight.
When your cat has been desexed, it's mind is no longer on
finding a partner. So, while a desexed cat won't gain
weight as a result of the operation, an entire cat
"may" lose weight because it has other things on
it's mind.
If you find
your cat is putting on weight, it is recommended that you
seek advice from your vet, NEVER put your cat on a diet
without veterinary supervision as this can lead to a life
threatening condition called Hepatic Lipidosis. Regular
exercise will also ensure your cat doesn't become
overweight.
My
female cat should have one litter before she is spayed
Not at all,
in fact it is better to have her spayed before 6 months of
age to prevent an unwanted pregnancy. Here is a very good
article on why it is important to spay/neuter your cat.
Spay
& Neuter Q & A.
Cats
must be 6 months before they can be desexed
With modern
anaesthetics, cats can now be safely desexed as young as 8
weeks of age. For further information on early desexing,
read this article.
Early
spay/neuter.
Cats
always land on their feet
Do cats always land on their
feet? Well...it depends, if the catfalls a very short
distance from the ground it doesn't have enough time to
right itself. A cat will be seriously injured & quite
possibly killed if it falls from a great height.
There is a new term coined by American veterinarians
called "high rise syndrome". Due to the ever increasing
human population, high rise apartments are becoming more
the norm & vets are seeing many cats who have been injured
falling out of high rise apartments.
Declawing
won't hurt my cat
Declawing is
more than simply removing the cat's claws, the last bone
on the cat's claw is amputated. This is an
excruciatingly painful procedure & one which not all
cats will fully recover from. Many declawed cats are
surrendered to shelters because of behavioural problems
they developed after being declawed including biting &
refusal to use their litter tray.
Cats by
nature walk on their toes, so after they've been declawed,
walking often becomes extremely painful to them.
If you are
worried about your cat scratching the furniture (or your
family) you can try trimming your cat's claws or you could
put
Soft Paws on it.
Can I feed
my cat dog food?
Feeding
your cat dog food is extremely dangerous. Dog food is
missing essential the essential nutrients taurine &
arachidonic acid. Taurine deficiency can lead to blindness
& arachidonic acid can lead to dry, scaly skin. Cats
require a higher protein & fat content in their diet.
Cat fur
causes allergies
The primary
cause of allergic reactions to cats is caused by allergens
found in the cat sebaceous glands in the cat's skin, such
as the allergenic glycoprotein called Fel D1(short for
"Felis domesticus"), it is also secreted via
saliva in lesser quantities. When cats lick themselves,
they spread this protein, which is rather sticky, and
glues itself onto dust particles, the home, your clothing
and their fur; whether it's long, short, straight, curly,
or absent. As all cats have sebaceous glands, all cat
breeds can potentially cause allergies. Allergic allergens
are also found in the faeces, serum, urine, mucous,
dander, and hair roots of the cat.
Written
by Tonia Marsh of Allarren Cattery.
A cat
purrs because it's happy
Well yes,
cats do purr when they're happy but they will sometimes
purr when they are in pain. Cats have been known to purr
when they are giving birth & they will sometimes purr
when they are dying. Purring is more an expression of an
emotion than an expression of happiness.
Cats
will not mate with their siblings/parents/offspring
Cats do not
share the same taboos about incest as humans do. If left
entire, closely related cats including brother &
sister, parent to offspring will mate. It is advisable to
desex your cats before 6 months to prevent this from
happening.
All
calico (tortoiseshell) cats are female
No, while
the vast majority of calico cats are female, there is the
occasional male. However, virtually all of these males are
sterile. the calico colour is sex linked. For a cat to be
calico it must have two X chromosomes ergo the cat is
female. In rare instances however a male calico will be
produced. This usually happens because the cat has an
extra chromosome. So, instead of him being XY, he is XXY.
These cats are known as Kleinfelter males.
* Approximately 1-3,000
calico's are male & out of those only 1-10,000 are
fertile.
Calico
males are worth a lot of money
While it is
true that calico males are rare, they are not valuable in
financial terms.
All
orange cats are male
No, it is
possible to have an orange female. Unlike the orange male,
who only needs one copy of the O gene to produce an orange
coat, the female requires the O to be on both chromosomes.
If she has only one O, the resulting coat colour will be
calico.
If you
no longer want your pet cat, it is OK to release it into
the wild because cats can fend for themselves
It's a
shame I am even having to reply to this myth, but sadly
there are still some people who tire of their pet
cat
& leave the cat outdoors, justifying their behaviour
by telling themselves that cats can fend for themselves.
This is NOT the case. Pet cats who find themselves turfed
out will most likely die of either starvation, injuries
caused by fights with other animals, disease or be hit by
a car. If you no longer want your
cat then do the right
thing & either find it a new home or take it to a
shelter.
All male
cats spray
Not all
male cats spray. Entire male cats are much more likely to
spray than desexed ones, which is another good reason to
desex your cats. Female cats (especially entire ones) can
also spray, although it's less common for an entire female
to spray than an entire male.
You
can't turn an indoor/outdoor
cat
into an indoor only
cat
Yes you
can, and my cats are a great example of this. They were
all indoor/outdoor but reverted to indoor only (with
access to an outdoor enclosure) with very little
difficulty. It is easy to do as long as you ensure the
cat(s) have enough mental stimulation.
Cats are
independent & the ideal pet for somebody with a busy
lifestyle
This is
entirely dependant on the individual
cat. Some cats are
more independent than others but generally ALL cats need
some companionship. If you lead a busy lifestyle
& spend long hours working it is advisable you have
two cats, so they can keep each other company while you
are out.
Cats
smother babies
There isn't
a single verified case of a
cat smothering a baby, this is
entirely myth. However, there are several cases of parents
accidentally smothering babies in their sleep.
Devon
Rexes, Cornish Rexes & Sphyx's are hypoallergenic
In
truth, a rex cat is no different from any other
cat and
produces allergen like all other cats. They are not
hypoallergenic by any means, as claimed by some. Then why
do some people seem to have no allergic reaction to rex
cats? There is no simple answer to this question at this
time, and more research is required to get the answers
needed. One possible hypothesis is that as rex cats have
less hair to shed, they simply deposit less allergen-laced
hair around the home. But, whatever the reasons some
allergic people seem to tolerate them. From personal
studies and observations by Margaret Lawrence in the UK,
she found that around 10% of people allergic to cats
tolerate rex cats. Please, before you race out and look
for a rex cat, remember you should always test your
allergies by visiting home or catteries that only own rex
cats, and test continuously over several weeks or months.
As you don't want the poor little kitten to be re-homed if
you find out you are allergic to him or her. Don't let
your new cat become another statistic at a shelter.
Written
by Tonia Marsh of Allarren Cattery
Indoor
cats cannot get diseases/parasites
Many
viral/bacterial infections are airborne & can be
carried into your house through the air or on a
person's clothing. Fleas & other parasites can also be
brought in via a person's clothing.
Pregnant
women shouldn't own cats
If
a woman hasn't had prior exposure to Toxoplasmosis &
becomes infected during pregnancy, it can harm her unborn
baby. Cats are the natural host for Toxoplasmosis, however
Toxoplasmosis can also be acquired from eating undercooked
meat, improperly washed vegetables or gardening. I was
tested for Toxoplasmosis throughout my recent pregnancy
& remained negative even though I was living with 9
cats, one of whom had tested positive for Toxoplasmosis.
Pregnant women should take precautions such as avoiding
cleaning the litter tray, ensuring their meat is
thoroughly cooked, washing vegetables properly &
wearing gloves while gardening. There is no need to get
rid of your cat just because you're pregnant.
Putting
bells on a cat's
collar will stop it catching mice &
birds
This
theory has been around for hundreds of years. I used to
put bells on my cat's
collars, in fact Eliot, who was my
best hunter had three bells on her collar at one point
& it did absolutely nothing to stop her catching the
wildlife. In fact, there is new research to indicate that
cats who have had bells put on their collars are better at
catching prey. This is because they learn to move without
the bell making a sound & therefore they are
stealthier.
For
further information on putting bells on
cat's collars,
read this article.
Cats
Indoors.
All
cats hate water
Most
cats hate water but not all. Turkish Van's are known to be
fond of water & enjoy swimming. My Bengal also likes
to play with water, although I can't imagine him ever
wanting to go swimming in it. I've known of other Bengal
cats who enjoy playing with water also.
Siamese
cats are mean
This
myth came about in part from the movie The Lady & the
Tramp where the Siamese
cat is portrayed in less than a
glowing light. In my opinion, temperament is a result of
genetics & socialisation. If a
cat is raised in a
loving environment, the chances are they will grow up into
well adjusted & loving pets. If the myth were true
that Siamese cats are mean, I'm sure they wouldn't be one
of the world's most popular breeds of
cat.
References
Torties,
Tricolour & Calico Cats
|
