Cat Tree Furniture

Check Travel Restrictions

Cooler weather has started sweeping across the northern states, and it won’t be long before the real cold weather of winter will be here.  The cold weather creates some additional challenges when wanting to take your cat along on a trip when your plans call for traveling by air .

The number one thing to remember is to check with the air carrier before making that final decision about taking your cat.  Most carriers have restrictions not allowing small pets in the unheated baggage compartment during the winter months.  That means your cat can only go so long as it can travel with you in the cabin of the aircraft.

The cost of bringing your cat into the aircraft cabin will be more than if you were able to check the kennel as an extra piece of luggage.  There are also restrictions on how many pets an airline will allow on the same aircraft;  it is the first passengers confirming their reservations that will get the “pet space” – another good reason to plan early.

Any mode of travel is going to be particularly stressful for your cat.  Try to familiarize your cat with the kennel for a few days before your trip – this may be as simple as leaving the kennel open in the middle of your living area and let your cat’s curiosity take over.  Always fly the most direct route with the least amount of elapsed time between take off and landing at your final destination.  The less actual travel time the better for your cat.  If you think your cat will not travel well talk to your vet about getting some type of medication that will make the experience less stressful.

The final tip, and perhaps the most important after the decision is made to take your pet, is to check out if the state or country to which you are traveling has any restrictions about bringing in live animals .  Some areas have a minimum number of days the animal has to be in quarantine, and if you are planning to make this a quick trip the quarantine period may be longer than you were planning to stay.  Your vet can also help you out with obtaining this information.

Click on this highlight -  Cat Air Travel – to find out some specific carrier information.

We all know how important it is to take our cats to the veterinarian on a regular basis – but not all of us heed the advise.

According to a recent poll conducted by the cat litter manufacturer, Feline Pine, only 47% of cat owners schedule their cats annual checkup with their veterinarian.  The poll showed another 35% take their cats to the vet only when the cat is sick.  This begs the question – What is happening to the other 18%?  18% doesn’t sound like a lot, but if you apply the percentage to the number of estimated cats in the U.S. you come up with 15.8 million cats who never see a vet – and that is appalling.

We encourage you to be a responsible owner, and if you are one of the cat owners in the 18% category, we ask that you do all possible to have your feline friend checked out by a vet.  A few dollars spent now could save you a lot of money in the future.

Here is a tip to keep in mind … soon we will all be getting our 2010 calendars, and we will be sitting down to enter reminders for birthdays, anniversaries, and other important dates we don’t want to forget during the year.  This would be a good time to list a reminder to make a vet appointment for your cat.

And if you are in the market for a new cat tree for your buddy don’t forget to enter the following web address to check out the cat trees preferred by more cats than any other cat tree -

www.greatlakespetfurniture.com

Better Health

Maintaining your cats’ good health is an important factor in increasing its longevity and quality of life.

The aging process in cats is a very natural thing and as a responsible owner you need to be aware of subtle changes in your cats’ behavior that are tell-tale signs that your cats’ health is being challenged.

A healthy cat today can live to 18 plus years.  But in order to become a ’senior cat’ with good quality of life it needs your help and that of your veterinarian to minimize the negative impact that the aging process brings.  Early detection of a problem and bringing it to the attention of your veterinarian is the best assurance that your cats’ senior years will be productive and enjoyable.

We have published an article that contains information about what you should be asking your veterinarian to make sure you are working together as a team, and we list some of the signs to look for that are early indicators of a possible health problem.  To read the entire text simply click on this link: Senior Cat Health

To breed and raise healthy cats requires a lot of work and the need to be constantly vigilant for potential health problems that could spread throughout the population.  Any breeder will tell you that cat health issues is an area that can ruin a reputation faster than just about anything else.

Great Resource to Have!

A professor at the University of California Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, Niels C. Pedersen, DVM, wrote a respected book that covers all aspects of managing feline health in catteries – Feline Husbandry: Diseases and Management in Multiple Cat Environment (1991, American Veterinary Publications).  Dr. Pedersen intended his book to be a highly useful tool to improve the way breeders manage cats.  The book is currently out of print, but remains in demand.  In response to this the UC-Davis Center for Companion Animal Health is offering a digital version of the 447 page book for free.

If you are a serious breeder, or maybe you are thinking about starting a cattery and want as much information as possible, this would be a good resource to have in your library.  By downloading and saving an electronic file of the book you could always have the information available to you through the use of “search” on your computer.

Go to this page on our website to download your free copy of this highly respected resource:  Resource Links

We have seen local news reports or read in national publications or seen on the internet, the overcrowding problem experienced by animal shelters in all parts of the country.  Much of the problem is attributed to the economic situation many citizens find themselves in and is not likely to change significantly before America gets back to work and our high unemployment numbers go down.

There is a percentage of these animals currently at shelters whose owners want them back and if the owner knew where they were would immediately rescue them.  Unfortunately they are simply caught up in a system that is overwhelmed by shear numbers, exhausted budgets, and overworked help.

One solution to uniting owner and pet is a greater use of the “microchip” (See our Newsletter article).  The microchip is a little larger than a grain of rice and contains the owners name and contact information.  The chip is inserted under your cats’ skin by your veterinarian and provides a means of locating you should your cat wind up at a shelter as most shelters today do scan for chips.

Want more assurance you will be reunited with your cat should the two of you become separated – talk to your vet about microchipping.

A recent post at examiner.com talked about the reasons people choose to have their cats declawed, including the prevention of damage to furniture, drapes or curtains.  The decision is often made without a full understanding and knowledge of the procedure and what the cat goes through in the process.  Many believe that it is a simple in-office operation, but that’s far from the truth.  The article noted that if this procedure were to be performed on a human it would be comparable to cutting off each finger at the last knuckle.  Declawing can leave your cat with a painful healing process, long-term health issues, and behavioral problems.

Educating owners is the best defense against the often unnecessary declawing of cats.  Cats can be taught were to scratch and a responsible owner will provide their cat(s) with a cat tree for this activity, which for a cat, is as natural as breathing.

If you, or someone you know, is thinking about declawing a cat, we encourage you to become better educated before you take that step.  The Humane Society of the United States has some very good educational information on their website; simply enter the word “declawing” in the search box to access.

New to the market is a dietary supplement available through veterinarians that is specially formulated to manage common behavior problems in cats.  The product is made by Meridian Animal Health, a company that provides innovative proprietary products to the veterinary industry and partners with veterinary professionals to advance the health and well-being of companion animals.

The product is called Tryptocalm LT and is an essential amino acid that is biochemically converted to serotonin and has a calming effect on your cat.  It is not a sedative and thus not addictive.

Common causes for behavior problems may include a change in routine, separation anxiety, fireworks or thunderstorms, visit to the groomer or vet, travel, or even a visit by your family or friends.  Many cat owners who don’t know how to handle behavior problems wind up giving their animal to a shelter or worse, abusing the animal.  Now with this new dietary supplement you can reduce the behavioral problem and enhance your relationship with your pet.

If your cat expresses nervous or unruly behavior you might want to ask your vet on your next visit if Tryptocalm LT might be a good option to calm your pet.

You can get more information about this natural calming supplement at:  www.meridiananimalhealth.com

Another way to calm you cat down is to make sure it gets plenty of exercise.  A good way to do that is to make sure it has a multi-level cat tree to play on.  You can find several on our website, but one of the most popular is the Jack-n-Beanstalk.

The same factors that affect your skin and hair also affects the skin and hair of your cat.  Cracking and flaking skin, dryness, itching, a dull thin coat are all signs of an underlying problem that if not treated could lead to more expensive trouble.

The first line of defense in preventing skin and coat problems is a proper diet.  That diet needs to include essential fatty acids from the omega-3 and omega-6 fats that are found in chicken, fish oil and eggs.  These fatty acids help the skin maintain a water barrier to prevent dryness.  Vitamins A, E and B, along with zinc are also essential for healthy skin and hair.  According to veterinarian sources, vitamins A and B prevent hair loss and scaling skin; Zinc is important for healthy skin because it helps keep rapidly dividing skin cells healthy; and vitamin E is an antioxidant which protects your cats’ body cells from the damaging effects of oxidation.

So check the ingredient label on your cats’ food packaging to make sure it contains the right fatty acids, vitamins and minerals to help maintain healthy skin and hair.  Also check for the AAFCO label to assure what the label says is true.

(Picture courtesy of Heavnzsent Cattery, LLC)

Your cats’ continued good health is dependent on its ability to fight off illness before it has a chance to get started.   This defense starts with good nutrition which is important for a properly functioning immune system.  You already know that a proper diet includes protein, amino acids, essential fatty acids and essential vitamins and minerals.  In the essential minerals group, cooper, zinc and iron are three that are known to be important for proper antibody and enzymatic defense mechanisms.  It only takes a little extra effort to read the ingredients label to make sure what you are feeding your cat has all the important ingredients.  The question is – can you depend on what the label says?

The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) is a group that regulates the pet food industry, and they verify what the manufacturer says is in the product is actually there.  So after you have found the cat food where the label says it contains all the proper ingredients for good health, check to see if it has the AAFCO seal of approval on the packaging to know that the nutritional claims are true.

A healthy cat is an active cat and there is no better way than providing the opportunity for your cat to get excercise than providing the properly sized cat tree.