Cat Fact Files

You can contact a breeder through professional registers of your local veterinary surgery. You will need to discuss breed standards to ensure that any resulting kittens measure up and will therefore find good homes. You will also need to talk about the fee structure, and then arrange to have your queen mated. An alternative for an owner with a non-pedigree cat would be simply to get in touch with another cat owner with an entire male and arrange for the two cats to come into contact with each other when your queen is in season.

The average lifespan of a domesticated cat is somewhere between 12 and 15 years. Of course, some individuals may not reach 12 years while others may survive beyond 20 years. There is little information about longevity in wild cats, but it is thought that the domesticated cat lives twice as long as its feral relative. Needless to say, surviving life in nature is a great deal tougher than leading the cosseted life of a pampered, much-loved house cat. The life-expectancy of a wild cat depends largely upon them finding enough food, avoiding illness and injury and keeping out of the way of predators.

The main problem door for attention seeking cats is the bedroom door. Often the owner finds it easir to allow the cat access to the bedroom rather than have it continuaily scratching to enter. One successful method of dealing with this problem is to place a large scratching with this problem is to place a larg scratching post outside the bedroom, at the point between the door and the door frame. This has to be drawn into place as the door is closed. The cat will tend to scratching the post a few times, feel that its frustration has been relieved, and then wander off to perform different night-time activities.

Cats have a fur coat to keep them warm and are equipeed to survive normal weather conditions. Some breeds, such as the Norwegian Forest and Siberian Forest cats, are extremely hardy and can survive in rough condition. A cat caught out in bad weather will want to return home as fast as possible. If it has explored too far to return home without being exposed to the worst of the weather, then it will instinctively seek out shelter under a car, shed or bush.

There are indication that pure white cats are more vulnerable to skin cancer caused by over-exposure to direct sunlight. Experts suggest that it is safer to keep a white cat in daytime shade during the brighter summer months. Sphynx cats and those with very short hair are more vulnerable to the the adverse affects of sunlight.

Instinct encourages us to go to a kitten when it cries. This is because material and paternal behavior is part of the human social behavior that would be directed towards an infant. A young kitten can easily learn to manipulate a concerned response from its owner and could then cry at every desire, from being hungry to wanting attention. In this way, over-dependency on the kitten’s part is quickly encouraged.

It is possible to identify different types of kitten cries in the same way as with a human baby. A mother instinctively learns which cry relates to:

* Genuine hunger (by linking it with feeding patterns).

* Attention-seeking (just been fed and made comfortable).

* Genuine distress (higher-pitched cry).

You can learn to distinguish between the different cries of a kitten and will then know which can be ignored (the cries will then stop) and which require an appropriate response.

There are a number of causes for eye infections in cats. It is advisable to first of all have the worst-case scenarios eliminated through professional examination. In some cases, the cat may have been exposed to bad weather, have been caught in the eye by a branch or plant. In more serious cases, the infection is a sign of feline chlamydial diseases and veterinary help should be sought immediately

Most commonly, a coughing cat is attempting to regurgitate a developing fur ball with its vomit. In other cases, the cat may have consumed grass in order to bring up a digestive irritation or fur ball. In rare cases, the coughing may be a sign of feline calici virus: If you have any suspicions that this may be the cause of your cat’s coughing, veterinary help should be sought.

There are a number of infections and conditions that might cause this problem. A common aliment in male cats is feline urological syndrome, while other cats may be suffering from infections of the bladder or urethra or have feline cystitis. You should consult a veterinary surgeon at the earliest opportunity to prevent further health complications resulting from the condition.

This relatively new development in feline behavior works on the same principle as a plug-in air freshener.

However, instead of wafting a pleasant scent into the home, it sends out feline maternal pheromones. The device can be refilled as the reservoir empties. This may have a calming effect on the cat following installation, but long-term use suggest that it is not enough on its own to help cats with behavior problems. Cats experiencing acute behavioral condition may not benefit significantly from the use of these plug-in devices until a behavioral therapy has also been introduced to look after the problem.