Fur, Jaws, and Claws

posted by fmoore on Mar 3

Aging cats are going to take a little more maintenance as they mature. Visits to their vet should become more frequent to ensure that any problems are dealt with before they become life threatening.

One of the biggest problems that you need to consider as your cat ages is the health of its teeth. Teeth problems are one of the biggest causes of illness in cats, especially when they become older. In fact, it is often said that cats that live longest are those that don’t have any teeth left.

Your cat can get a buildup of plaque on the teeth which can cause gum problems. In turn, these gum problems can cause infections that lead to the deterioration of your cat’s internal organs, reduction in the quality of life, and the length of their life. Be sure to get your cat’s teeth checked and cleaned at least once every six months as they get older.

A handful of breeds are more prone to teeth problems than other breeds. However, the majority of gum disease often depends upon the type of food you are feeding them and the way that they eat. Some cats like to chew more than others and this chewing helps to clean plaque from their teeth.

Just as important as the cleanliness of your cat’s teeth is their overall comfort. As your cat becomes older, it will need a little more comfort. Not being as limber as they once were, giving your cat a nice soft surface to sleep on, away from drafts and in the warmth, will ensure that it remains in good health for longer.

Quite often cats will find a favorite place to sleep. Being that cats are very clean animals, this place will need to be cleaned on a regular basis or they will tend to move to other sleeping areas after a while.

There are some excellent cat beds available on the market designed to be very comfortable. They are relatively cheap and most of them are designed to wrap around the cat as they lie in their natural curled up sleeping position.

This gives your cat support and a sense of security. Good beds are made of materials that can be easily washed and dried to help maintain cleanliness and ensure that your cat stays in that same place the majority of the time. At this stage in its life, it is just like taking care of a parent. You want to make sure you meet their needs at every stage possible.

We offer access to an array of cat beds in the product directory that is included FREE with your download of Fur, Jaws, and Claws.

posted by fmoore on Dec 9

If you don’t know anything else about kittens, you know this: kittens love to play! While we might not have unlimited time to devote to them, there is nothing better than to spend the time playing and developing a relationship with them that they will keep for life.

There will be times you won’t be able to spend the time you would like playing with your kitten. Not to worry. There is an entire industry devoted to providing intellectually stimulating toys that will keep your kitten amused.

Kittens love soft toys. These are toys they can dig their claws into, literally, and roll about on the floor without causing themselves any harm or injury. Anything that will roll along the floor such as a ball, as they can chase it around, will keep your kitten amused for hours. The reason these types of toys work so well is simple: it resembles them in all the stages of hunting prey.

Anything that you get your kitten to play with needs to be safe. Anything that has sharp edges can cause injury and shouldn’t be given to your kitten to play with. If you think in terms of having a young child, where small objects can be chewed or swallowed and cause injury, that will be a good barometer on what to not get your cat.

It is also a good idea to have a scratching post that your kitten knows it can use to scratch. It will scratch something and you certainly don’t want that to be your furniture.

You can make your own scratching pole by attaching carpet to a wooden pole or you can choose from an array of very good poles available that have various nooks and crannies in them that the kitten will enjoy playing in and climbing through.

Once your kitten is comfortable with its environment and knows where its home is, it can be let outside to play. To make life much easier, there is nothing better than the convenience of a cat door to let it come in and out of the house without you having to open and shut doors.

The only problem you may encounter with a cat door is the fact that other cats can also come into the house and eat your cat’s food. However, this can be solved by getting an electronic cat door that will only open when it registers that the cat coming through the door is your own. This is done by having your cat wear a specific collar that is linked to the operation of the door.

If you want access to the best value money can buy for your cat, be sure to download a copy of Fur, Jaws, and Claws before the holidays so that you can give your cat the absolute best life possible.

posted by fmoore on Oct 29

holistic [hoh-lis-tik]

-adjective

identifying with principles of holism in a system of therapeutics, esp. one considered outside the mainstream of scientific medicine, as naturopathy or chiropractic, and usually involving nutritional measures.                                                                                                                                 

That word is what this blog is all about. You can help your cat maintain a much healthier and happier lifestyle by adopting a holistic approach. We are about alternatives to what conventional medicine says HAS to be the status quo. If you want the best for your cat, start with an open mind.

Cats spend 15% of their waking hours washing and grooming their fur with their tongue. They ensure that their claws remain in good shape by scratching trees, and sometimess,  your good furniture. They help to keep their teeth clean by eating meaty and poultry when they tear food while feeding. 

Now, here are the things YOU can do to help your cat stay in better condition for longer.

Ideally, your cat should be brushed or combed every day to reduce the constant shedding hair. If the hair is not kept well brushed on a regular basis it can become matted and create uncomfortable knotted balls of fur that will need to be cut out. More importantly, much of their fur will end up in the digestive system causing fur balls that can lead to constipation or vomiting.

Be sure to check regularly for cat fleas and mites that can get into their ears and become very uncomfortable. If there are mites it may be necessary to conact a holistic vet to get this problem solved.

Regular maintenance is a much simpler and easier solution and one of the benefits of combing and brushing a cat is it will reduce your stress levels considerably. Using a brush also gives the skin a light massage which helps the skin stay in good condition. So both you and your cat benefit from this action.

If your cat is one that is unable to get outside as often as necessary, you should provide them with a scratching post for them to maintain the condition of their claws. If you choose to help them with this on a regular basis, be sure to have them professionally done or invest in a good pet claw filing system that will keep them from getting injured in the process.

If you are looking for specific information that will ensure your cat not always looks, but feels beautiful, be sure to check out our holistic cat guide. You will NOT be disappointed.

posted by fmoore on Oct 23

I wanted to move on to a new subject today but I need to make sure that you, the cat owner, understand that you are the deciding factor on how well and how long your cat lives. We are living in a time right now where many things are uncertain and seem out of our control. One thing that I want you to be sure of is that you control how long and how well your cat’s lifespan will be. Be sure to take this post to heart.

The one thing many people don’t consider when getting a cat is the lifespan of the pet. You will need to plan to be responsible for the health and well-being of your cat for between 15 and 20 years. I would like to discuss 7 factors that need to be taken into consideration when becoming an adoptive parent of a cat.

First, you should map out the expenses of owning a cat. You are going to need to factor how much money you will spend each month for healthy diet so your cat can reduce its visits to the vet to just routine checkups. When the time comes in choosing a veterenerain of your choice, make a concerted effort that it is practicing holistic care. You will want to make sure you have a concrete idea of how often the visits will be and how much procedures will cost when necessary.

Secondly, as with people, cats are long on personality. You will either find the cat whose personality is matched to your own or that balances the personality that you have. There are many excellent books available at libraries, bookstores and on the internet that will give you a good description of the type of personality to be expected from the various breeds of cats.

Thirdly, you will need to find out early how much attention you will be able to offer your cat. There are breeds of cats that require more attention than others. This is true particularly for those cats that tend to live inside. Breeds of cats that are happy to run around outside and keep themselves occupied tend to need less attention than most of their indoor companions.

Fourthly, aside from personality, cats with longer fur will tend to shed more fur than cats with short coats. They will require more grooming and they will require more cleaning. This means that you will have to want to spend more time to give them the attention they need and deserve to be comfortable.

Fifthly, the one major difference, besides diet, is that cats are much more independent than dogs and are usually more difficult to train. This is something that you need to realize and accept before you make your decision in becoming an adoptive parent of a cat.

Sixthly, if you enjoy travel or you are away from your home much of the time, you will need to arrange for a person or a service, that you trust, that can mind your cat and ensure that it gets fed regularly in your absence. It is always worth considering where you’re living and if the environment is suitable for owning a cat.

Lastly, the one thing that many people surprisingly don’t consider before adopting a cat is whether any person in the family, including themselves, is allergic to cats. There are quite a large number of people who are allergic to cats. Make sure that you, or your immediate family members, are not one of these people. If you are, make sure that your love for cats is greater than the remedies you may need to live with them.

P.S. If you want to make sure that your cat has access to the best choices for alternative healthcare, holistic veterinarians, the best cat food money can buy and non-toxic cat accessories, be sure to pick up a copy of Fur, Jaws, and Claws: A Complete Introduction to a Holistic Lifestyle for Your Cat, on your way out. Trust me, this one purchase you will make for your cat that you won’t regret.

posted by fmoore on Oct 22

I normally don’t make assumptions. However, there is an exception to every rule. If you have a cat, companionship is probably very important to you. You value the companionship that your cat(s) bring to your life. So today, I would like to speak on the expected lifespan of a cat. I feel this is an appropriate opening topic so you can plan on how long and how full the relationship with your cat can be. Let’s begin.

Lifespan can vary quite considerably, depending on the breed of your cat. If your cat is overweight, as is true of humans, there is a high probability that it will have a shortened lifespan. This has become a MAJOR problem in the cat community. 65% of ALL cats suffer from obesity. This means that there is a high probability that your very cat(s) may be involved in this very epidemic.

Obesity has been consistently connected to health problems including diabetes, respiratory problems related to breathing, and extra weight that places additional stress and strain on cat’s limbs and internal organs. If your cat is well cared for, preferrably fed a natural diet throughout its life, and given adequate attention, it will usually live comfortably into its late teens.

Astonishingly, 85% of all cats over the age of four have gum disease. This can cause infections that can do damage to internal organs. As your cat ages, regular dental checkups will ensure that it will live longer by avoiding problems related to gum disease. Feeding your cat a nutritious diet is only more important.

Cats are quite durable animals. When offered the opportunity, they do try to look after themselves where possible by eating the right food that is natural to them.       

Their keen sense of smell helps them to avoid eating food that can cause illness. Since the common cause of early death in domestic cats is due to their owners feeding them the wrong food, this is by far the sense you, as an owner, can appreciate the most when you unknowingly offer them something that may not be good for them. In reading this blog, this should never pose a problem.

Feeding your cat a variety of foods in its diet will ensure that it is getting all the necessary nutrients to maintain good health. Do not assume that your cat can survive by just feeding it the same dried food every day and not keeping a fresh supply of water constantly available.

Cats will go out hunting, and they will eat what they catch, even if you have been feeding them a nutritionally balanced diet. If their diet is deficient they will be more inclined to hunt and find food that can maintain their health.

Giving your cat a warm, safe, stress-free environment, will extend their lifespan, and help them to be healthy enough to enjoy the geriatric years. Regular exercise will help maintain good health for a domestic cat that will commonly sleep most of the day.

And don’t be surprised to learn that there are many cats that have lived well into the early 20s. In fact, the Guiness World Book of Records list a certain feline living until the ripe old age of 36. Aim high and you will definitely have YOUR cat for years and years to come.

If you truly want to learn how to offer your cat the best life possible, be sure to pick up Fur, Jaws, and Claws: The Definitive Introduction to a Holistic Lifestyle for Your Cat. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.