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Thursday, March 12, 2009

Caring for your Cat

A playfull cat is a happy cat.
Who'd guess Tigger will be 12 years old next month?
Always ensure your cat is safe from being chased by dogs and cars driving into the yard

It’s been a while since I posted on my label, Soap Box Chronicles. Yesterday I came across a pamphlet from a leading supermarket. It had salient points on how to look after your cat and/or dogs and what the responsibilities of a pet owner entail.


Pets form an important part of our lives. They are totally dependent on our care and love and cannot fend for themselves. It is therefore, every pet owner’s responsibility to ensure their pets are happy and healthy.


Teach your children to be gentle with animals. My 6 yo granddaughter is as crazy as her grandmother about animals in general and cats in particular. Whenever she visits, she plays with Chip as if she is a doll. She cuddles her, sings to her and wraps her in crochet clothes, dishtowels and scarves. Chip who turns 10 this year, revels in all the attention.

My cats love the outdoors. They're always beside me when I'm in the garden
Give your cat pellets designed for a cat. If you have multiple cats (like I do) have a seperate bowl for each one
Clarice, who is a rescue cat, has crept into our home and hearts


Cats

These furry felines need lots of love and will repay you for your love by being a good friend.

How to care for your cat:

Non-spayed or non-castrated cats are likely to stray and fight. All cats should be sterilized.

If cats are kept in at night, always provide a litter tray.

Give your cat regular meals of canned cat food; provide a bowl of cat pellets as well as plenty of clean drinking water.

Do not allow your cat to eat out of dirt bins/garbage cans and never give him chicken or fish bones.

Do not feed your cat dog food or table scraps.

Do not tie ribbons around your cat’s neck. It may get caught in a tree or bush and injure the cat.

If you want to use a collar, make sure it is one with an elastic insert, so that it can pull free if caught.

Add an identification plate on the collar with your address and phone number should your cat be found by strangers.

Cats should be brushed often, especially if they’re fluffy. Fur balls can form in your cat’s stomach is the loose fur is not brushed off regularly.

Kittens are cute to look at and cuddly to hold, but many cannot find good homes. Therefore, wherever possible, ensure your female cat (queen) is spayed at 6 months.

Take your kitten to the SPCA or vet at 8 months for its vaccinations and deworming. Cats become very ill if they’re not dewormed and vaccinated.

If your cat scratches a lot of rubs his head against the floor, he may have an irritation in the ear. Take him to the vet to be checked for ticks or other ailments.

Above all, speak to your cat, give him lots of love and strokes and play with him often.

Next week I’ll post about “Caring for your dog”.


Source: (Partly used and paraphrased) Checkers Consumer Sense

4 comments:

  1. How is the interaction between dogs and cats over at your place? I'm pretty sure that Sheba would be alright with a kitten but Dennis certainly isn't. You asked about our neighbour's cat Teya. Well, people in Niger don't care so much about cats. The neighbours were aware that she had had kittens (she put them inside the house first) but didn't know where they were. However, they are no longer in our yard because after we introduced them to Sheba (who licked them all over), Teya removed her kittens and placed them elsewhere. One of the is unfortunately already dead, and the others will probably die as well, seeing Teya has a record of dropping her offspring in the worst places. I have talked to my neighbours and will try to have Teya sprayed, as I don't wish to have any more kitten deliveries in our yard that end badly. And unless the cat is ok with the dogs on the other side of the wall, it would not be comfortable getting into our carport, much less leave kittens there...

    That said, we do have a dog who acts like a cat (Dennis) and another one that is semi-human! :-) So we have lots of pets to enjoy!

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  2. Hi Esther, we had to admonish Eddy when she first arrived; even though she'd been here in the past the cats just looked TOO good not to chase. She is very good now and ignores them most of the time - well, now and again she feigns a chase and then I have to warn her. I'm so sad about those beautiful kittens. It's the same all over Africa, cats are not cared for or about. Well done on wanting to get Teya spayed. I had a similar [dog] case in Guinea and managed to have it neuteured by the local vet. I found the photos last week and remembered the time with fondness. You have a WONDERFUL menagerie of animals. I don't miss a visit to your blog even though I comment only now and again. Know that I love your Nigerien stories and the wonderful work your family does there. Thanks for popping in. Hugs Jo

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  3. A lovely post, Jo - your cats are all so healthy & happy - I can't believe that Tigger is so old - he looks like a spritely kitten :) I agree with you, no dogs/cats should be allowed to breed, there are enough unwanted animals in this world as it is, if only every person would spay/neuter their dogs/cats as soon as they came of age.

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  4. Yes Lynda, Tigger really carries his age well and regulary plays catch (and belt/kick/pumme/ wrestle) with our youngest cat Manduline. Ditto to everyone just "fixing" their dogs/cats and we'll have so many less unwanted animals in the world. Have a wonderful weekend. Hugs Jo

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