(Oh, got the information from this site.)
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...
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 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.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.
There were others. Some, I'm ashamed to say, I have been guilty of.
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11 comments:
Bonnie and Rufus have reflective collars because they go out at night and I've had to take the bells off them because otherwise they won't wear them. I had no idea that bells make cats more stealthy!
Reflective collars are a great idea.
I saw the effect of bells on a cat when I was young. We had several cats around the place, but one female in particular (Tasha) ruled. She was also a hunter.
My mother wasn't keen on cats and didn't like it that Tasha hunted. So she put bells on her to warn the birds and such that Tasha was around.
My sisters and I once watched as Tasha crept up on a whole flock of birds while wearing those bells. It was an agonizingly long wait. Tasha knew how to be patient. We took the bells off and told Mother she had only managed to ruin the lives of all the local birds.
I didn't know that about the bells.
Hey, fairyhedgehog, you have a cat named Bonnie also - seems Rufus has gotten all the attention. Gosh, Bonnie doesn't even have a mention on Bevie's side bar - Poor Bonnie.
There is also the myth, or misphrasing about training cats - Cats, in fact, train us, and probably think that we're pretty stupid and slow at times!
I once hired a catsitter, and when she came to find out where everything was, she expressed with considerable surprise, "Water? I thought cats only drank milk!"
*sigh*
3 of my cats love milk, 2 are intolerant. (I have 4. 1 is intolerant AND loves milk, LOL.)
Bonnie's on the sidebar! She's right between Fred and Bessie.
We used to always give our cats milk until I found out that was a bad idea.
Bonnie is in the Alley Cat Walk but she hasn't been kitten of the month yet.
She's much calmer than Rufus and much more of a traditional cat (think Simon's Cat, the cartoon.
You know, I DID quickly look and I swear I didn't see bonnie there -sigh, well, I do need reading glasses.
In any case, Bonnie IS under mentioned compared to Rufus - tsk tsk
Maybe we should have a Bonnie Day? After all, it's going to be several months before her turns comes around for Kitten of the Month.
As Mikey is a very clumsy cat-- always missing his jumps, falling off chair arms and whatnot--I know they don't always land on their feet. But I hadn't heard about the bells making them more stealthy. I seem to recall noticing that a neighbor's cat with a belled collar didn't jingle, but it didn't sink in.
Kind of like a lot of predators. When you hear them, it's too late.
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