Remember the song......Summertime, summertime, sum, sum summertime! Summertime, summertime hot, hot summertime, summerti-i-i-i-ime! It reminds me, thankfully, winter is over! South Texas is hot and humid, thats normal. Texans accept the heat as just part of life. However, that doesnt keep us from lamenting our 100+ degree temperatures. My cats cant wait until I open the pet door to their outdoor kennel, each morning, after their breakfast. They so enjoy getting out in the fresh air, in the morning. However, when the fresh air starts to really heat up, they make a quick retreat into the air conditioned house! That is where they spend their day, napping. Then, in the late afternoon, as the heat gives way to a cooler breeze, they again seek the fresh air and outdoor wonders of their kennel. I firmly believe the kennel keeps them from the boredom of indoor confinement. They know they have another place to go. What can I say? Its summertime! Time to provide an outdoor kennel for those little furrballs who inhabit your home. Time to let them have some fresh air! And, to go with it, a maintenance-free cat tower for them to climb, play and nap on in the fresh sunshine. Give it some thought.............for them! I am happy to report that KittyStoreOnline is now the exclusive retailer of Dianne Woods beautiful feline artwork. Dianne is entering semi-retirement and will limit her offerings to our website. She even has some new ones. Check all of them out. I have a new friend, artist Sue Hains, who offers beautiful custom artwork of your pets, from photographs. She is an amazing artist. You can see her work here suehains/ and contact her for a painting of your pet or pets. Speaking of art, we now offer T-Shirts and a wide variety of shapes and sizes of bags, with the tantalizing cat artwork of French artist, Albena. The artwork is from France but the products are made in the good old USA. Check these beauties out. Theres nothing like wearing or carrying a beautiful piece of french artwork. As previously announced, we are now offering a new line of all wood cat trees/condos. These extremely functional, furniture finish quality cat trees or condos are available in a variety of finishes; Maple, Walnut, Mahogany, Semi-Gloss White and Semi-Gloss Black. Theres no carpet to get dirty, making these very easy maintenance and offering your kitties a selection of an open space, up high, or a cozy, safe place to hide. We all know how cats love to climb AND to hide. There is also a scratch pad on each level, allowing your cats a place to scratch other than your sofa. Dont forget...........Come by KittyStoreOnline and leave a review of a product you have purchased, from us, and I will send you a discount code, good for 10% off your next order! There is no time limit on your discount and no minimum purchase or maximum discount restrictions. The discount applies to your next purchase, as our way of thanking you for taking the time to submit the review. MOLLY AND FRIENDS, has expanded their line of premium quality, hand crafted, American made cat furniture. Come see the old and the new. Cat Trivia, Found on the internet: It’s well known that olive oil offers several health benefits to humans, but your furry roommates can also get in on the goodness. The occasional dash of olive oil added to your pet’s food can help with weight management, circulation, a strong immune system and a shiny coat. Bonus: Olive oil can also help rid your kitty of those embarrassing hacking hairballs. Both humans and cats have identical regions in the brain responsible for emotion. A cats brain is more similar to a mans brain than that of a dog. The cats clavicle, or collarbone, does not connect with other bones but is buried in the muscles of the shoulder region. This lack of a functioning collarbone allows them to fit through any opening the size of their head. Cats have 32 muscles that control the outer ear (compared to humans 6 muscles each). A cat can rotate its ears independently 180 degrees, and can turn in the direction of sound 10 times faster than those of the best watchdog. Cats hearing is much more sensitive than humans and dogs. Cats hearing stops at 65 khz (kilohertz); humans hearing stops at 20 khz. Cats can judge within 3 inches the precise location of a sound being made 1 yard away. If a cat is frightened, the hair stands up fairly evenly all over the body; when the cat is threatened or is ready to attack, the hair stands up only in a narrow band along the spine and tail. Cats dislike citrus scent. Some people spray a citrus spray on furniture to keep cats off. A cats jaw has only up and down motion; it does not have any lateral, side to side motion, like dogs and humans. Did you know, cats lap liquid from the underside of their tongue, not from the top? If you are unable to see the YouTube video, below, please go to youtu.be/j30UdXILrHE . I believe you will find this interesting. A recent customer, a shelter volunteer, has this on all of her emails: ~Saving the life of one cat may not change the world, but surely, for that one cat, the world will change forever~ As most of you know, I try to share information about new products I find helpful, even if I dont sell them. I recently purchased a product called Swipets. These are gloves you wear to easily remove pet hair from all types of surfaces. I have found them to be far superior to any method I have tried. Here is a demo of the product and, believe me, they work precisely as demonstrated. youtu.be/o631W4y4sig I recentIy read an article by pet behaviorist, Julie C. Bond. This is the very insightful article, in its entirety. I think you will find it interesting and, quite possibly, helpful. I have often heard it said that cat ownership is a lot like chocolate chip cookies--you can never have just one. While this may be true, it is important for cat owners to realize that many problems can arise from keeping several cats in a household together. It is true that cats are social creatures, but the confined nature of our homes is very different from what social living cats experience in the wild. Feral cats often co-exist in very large, complex social groups. These groups are generally made up of related females and their offspring, as well as several unrelated males. The ability for so many cats to live in relative harmony in the wild is due to the fact that each group has a large home range and each individual has an established territory within that home range. When we bring cats into our homes, we have to realize that our house and yard basically comprise their home range; home range size may be greater if the cat spends more time outdoors than inside. In multi-cat households, each individual cat will stake out a territory within this home range. It just follows then that in a multi-cat household, each individual cat will have a fairly small territory, especially if all of the individuals are living strictly indoors. So, how many cats are too many? This is a very difficult question to answer since this depends on the size of the home range, the number of territories available, whether any of the cats are related, and the individual personalities of the cats involved. In some cases, it only takes the addition of one, unfamiliar cat to completely disrupt a previously peaceful multi-cat household. There are steps you can take to increase the chances of successfully introducing a new cat to your household. First, you will need to determine how your current resident cats define their territories. Do they share food dishes, water bowls, litter boxes, and resting areas? Does one cat spend all of his time in your bedroom while the others are content to sleep on the back of the sofa? Once you have figured out which territories are already in use, you can bring in the new cat and establish a separate territory for him. This territory should include his own food and water dishes as well as a litter box. Once the new cat is comfortable in his new territory, then you can begin gradual, and controlled introductions to your other cats. Reward your cats with food treats if they behave in a curious or friendly manner. Never directly punish your cats if they are unfriendly to the newcomer. Instead, allow the newcomer to escape back into the safety of its new territory and try again later. It may be the case that the new cat will never be accepted into the group. While this may be difficult for you to understand, you should try to accept the fact and go on as long as full-scale war is not erupting in your home. Although many owners believe that fights will be the obvious result of adding a new cat to their household, many are surprised to find that this is not the case. Other more subtle forms of aggression are more common. In addition, other behavior problems may arise among your established group of resident cats that seem unrelated to the new feline member of your household. First, if aggression is seen, it may not be directed toward the new cat. Instead, it may be directed toward other familiar cats in the house or the owners themselves. There has been a disruption in the social hierarchy and the confusion that is felt by the resident cats may be expressed in outward aggression. More commonly, however, owners notice more subtle forms of aggression such as guarding food bowls, blocking access to litter boxes, or hogging of favorite resting areas. Although no direct conflict occurs, it is obvious that there is tension among the resident cats. Resident cats may begin urine spraying to mark their territories, urinating on upright objects such as stereo speakers, furniture, door jams, or curtains. If one cat in a multi-cat household is spraying, chances are that others are too. For example, in a household with 10 resident cats, the chance of an owner seeing spraying at some point is 100%. Some cats may be even sneakier in their show of aggression. These individuals will urinate on your bed, in your laundry basket, or on your jacket as a response to social stress. These are more passive ways of asserting dominance. So, what can you do if this is happening in your multi-cat household? First, you will want to enlist the help of your veterinarian. You need to make sure there is nothing physically wrong with any of your cats. Cats suffering from stress can develop bladder infections and other medical conditions that may lead to behavioral changes such as inappropriate urination. Even urine marking may be a sign of a physical problem. If your veterinarian indicates that your cats are in good health, then you may want to seek the help of a qualified behaviorist who can help you and your cats sort out their new territories and relationships. There are many techniques that can be used to discourage a cat from spraying or urinating inappropriately. It is very important to begin working on these techniques immediately before your cats become accustomed to using their alternate toilet areas. You will also want to clean up any soiled areas well using an enzymatic-style cleaner that not only removes the stain, but also removes the odor, without simply masking the smell. If you have a cat that is blocking access to the litter box, you will want to add more litter boxes. Most of the experts on cat behavior believe that you should have two litter boxes in your house per cat! The same is true if one or more of your cats is monopolizing the food and water bowls. You can add additional bowls in each cats individual territory in order to make sure no one is being edged out. It may even be helpful to allow one or more cats additional time outdoors if your cats are indoor-outdoor. If you have a happy, peaceful multi-cat household, you may be tempted to add another cat--the more the merrier! However, the social dynamics of multi-cat households can be very complex and may not be readily evident until you stress the members with the addition of a new individual. What we all have to remember is this: while cats can live happily in large groups, this may not directly apply to our household situations. Our homes are artificial social situations in which we ask our cats to live; home ranges are small and individual territories are even smaller. It is important for all cat owners to understand normal cat behavior and appreciate the complexity of their social structure in order to better keep the peace in their multi-cat households. Julie C. Bond, M.S. Certified Animal Behaviorist Pet Education & Training Services Serving the San Francisco Bay Area I hope you have a wonderful summer. Keep those outside pets cool and well hydrated. Theyll love you for it! Until next time...................Keep singing............Summertime, Summertime, Sum, Sum, Summertime, Summerti-i-i-i-ime!! Warm regards, /\„,,„/\ ( =;= ) /*??*\ (.|.| |.|.) Pat Lemmons KittyStoreOnline Tel. 361-813-6000
Posted on: Mon, 21 Jul 2014 18:05:08 +0000
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