Cats | Pet Lover Blog

Nervous cats hide from people, they do not readily present themselves for petting, and may seem downright scared of you.

Probably, this was not exactly what you had in mind when you decided to get yourself a pet. So, is it at all possible for nervous cats to overcome their timidity and learn to trust you? The answer is yes, but you will need patience, patience, and patience.

It is usual for a kitten to be cautious and timid for the first week or so in its new home, but some kitties remain nervous of you no matter how loving and caring you are to them. Kittens that spent the first weeks of their life in the company of humans and other pets, along with the associated sounds and smells, are far less likely to be nervous cats. They will accept sharing their living space with humans more readily, and be more likely to accept petting. Your cat may have had a nasty experience before coming to your home, and is naturally apprehensive of a reoccurrence.

One way to gradually get a nervous cat used to petting is to gently wrap your pet in a thick towel, to prevent it from scratching you, and gently stroking its head. Talk to your cat softly as you do so, and only use a light grip never hold your cat extremely tight. Set aside a time each day to perform this bonding ritual and your shy cat may grow to trust you enough to stroke it without the towel, remember patience pays.

Great results have been obtained by owners of nervous cats by using a pet crate. Cover the sides of the crate with card or a blanket so that your cat can see through the front but still feels protected. Put the litter tray in the crate and perhaps your cats favorite toy. Start by using the crate in a room that humans are not using, but from where your cat can hear the sounds of the house. Then, move to a place where the humans of the house can be seen carrying on their normal activity, talk to your pet soothingly. Gradually your cat may learn that there is no threat to it from you, and you may achieve enjoying your cat’s company outside the crate without any sign of nervousness.

Bribery can often work wonders with nervous cats. Try a offering a tempting healthy treat, if your cat is hungry enough to overcome its fear and stay still to eat its treat, stroke it gently, don’t make sudden movements! You may have to persevere, but often your pet will eventually accept and enjoy your petting.

Never lose patience, and remember that your nervous cat is not rejecting you, it is just an in built protective reaction to something that has given kitty cause to be wary of humans. Love and perseverance will often win the day, and you will be rewarded by your cat’s affection.

About The Author

Larry Chamberlain is a lifelong cat lover and webmaster of http://www.best-cat-art.com - Cat art posters, art prints, cat calendars and cat collectibles. Great cat gifts for yourself or your cat loving friends! Larry@best-cat-art.com

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Need super cat urine prevention tips? You’ve come to the right place.
There’s no question that cat urine is difficult to clean. The scent is
strong, and isn’t removed easily. The amber color isn’t easy to get rid
of either. So it makes sense that you’d want to prevent the stains.

This article will provide you with basic tips for preventing your cat from
urinating in the wrong places. There is plenty to learn, but if you follow
these tips you’ll be off to a good start. Here are five super hints:

1. Clean your cat’s litter box daily. Like people, cats want to urinate in
a clean environment. You don’t necessarily have to completely change
the litter each day, but try to scoop the waste once or twice a day. If
you have more than one cat, you might need to scoop it more often.

2. Change your cat’s litter box at least once a week. Dump all of the
old litter, dispose of it properly, and then rinse and dry the box. Once
the box is dry, refill it with fresh litter. Follow the directions on the
container of litter to make sure you fill the box with the right amount.

3. Place your cat’s litter box in a private place. Cats like privacy when
urinating, just like we do. An unused bathroom or a large closet is often
a good location. Just make sure you leave the door open at all times!

4. Speaking of open doors, ensure the litter box is easily accessible. If
it’s placed too high or behind closed doors or is blocked by anything,
your cat will find another, more accessible place in which to urinate.
The location you choose should be at floor-level and free from clutter.

5. Keep the litter box free from odor. Scooping and changing the litter
regularly will help, but you might want to try sprinkling an odor-
eliminating powder that is designed for cat urine in the litter box.
If your cat’s box has a cover, make sure it has vents with filters.

There are other factors to consider when preventing cat urine stains,
such as behavioral problems and medical issues. These and other
factors call for more advanced prevention techniques.

You might also want to learn how to remove cat urine stains once
they’ve occurred. Or maybe you want to learn how to choose a
cleaning product. Now that we’ve covered the basics, it’s time for
advanced super cat urine tips.

Jenny Johnson is a pet lover and the author of the highly successful ebook
“How To Clean Dog & Cat Urine”. To learn how you too can clean your cat’s
urine, and live in a clean, odor-free home again, please visit:
http://www.removedogandcaturine.com

Super Cat Urine

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The cage was small, but the people were nice and Tiger felt safe. He was fed, petted and regularly groomed. Still, it wasn’t home. Tiger had been ‘home’, and still had vague memories of the woman who had cared for him and the other cats who lived with her.

He hunkered down and remained as invisible and silent as he could.

Adoption in Haste

The staff of animal shelters greet people looking for new pets with both joy and misgiving. People walk between the cages, looking over each cat, and the staff hope they will select a cat that has been there for a long time.

But they know what the people are looking for; they are looking for kittens, not adult cats.

If there are no kittens, the customers will sometimes reluctantly choose an adult cat as a “consolation prize”, pay the adoption fees and cart him or her off

Only to return the cat two or three days later.

“I’m sorry, but this cat just didn’t work out. We couldn’t fit it into the family.”

Or

“This cat is just too wild. We need something tamer, something that will fit in.”

“What happened?” The staff member asks.

“The cat bolted and hid. It took us three days to find it, and when we finally did, we had to chase it all over the house before we caught it. We need something tamer; something that will fit in better.”

So go the sad tales of the returnees but wait, it can be worse for cats adopted in other ways.

“The landlord won’t let me keep her, could you please take her in?”

People who adopt strays off the street, or a friend’s cat, many times don’t realize the full extent of the things they need to do for their new cat:

Prepare their house to receive their cat
Take care of their cat’s medical needs
Make sure their other cats have protection from disease
Take care of their cat’s physical needs
Properly introduce their cat to their live-in companions, children and other pets

And perhaps most importantly:

Prepare themselves for a good relationship with their new cat

People who have never owned cats before don’t really realize what a cat is: A highly intelligent, independent animal which needs love and affection daily - but is not a dog.

Cats will bond with people, just as dogs do, but they don’t always bond with the person who has adopted them. They will choose whom they like, much to the consternation of the person who “picked them up” hoping to have acquired a new friend.

This is one very good reason why the first 24 hours is so important. It is in during that period that your cat will decide whom she wants to bond with.

Unless you know what you are doing, it might not be with you.

Time

A cat needs time spent with her. One of the big mistakes busy people make is to fail to realize that they have busy schedules that don’t allow them to spend enough time with their newly adopted cat.

This could ultimately result in your cat running off. If you have no time to spend with your cat, she will not choose your house as “her den”. She will go out searching for another one, and you could be soon reporting a “lost cat”.

Or, to your consternation, you will find that the cat you thought would be a loving companion has bonded with another member of your householdsomebody who did have the time to spend.

Money

A lot of people don’t count the cost of pet ownership. In their exuberance to adopt a cat, they forget that they don’t have the budget to keep her. Belatedly, they discover they don’t have the cash on hand to buy their new feline’s basic necessities or give her the medical attention she is most certainly going to need.

Many people shun pet medical insurance, not realizing that the same things that happen to people happen to cats, and can cost large sums of money to cure. This can result in losing their beloved pet because the price to save her is “just too high”.

Medical Needs

Some people who adopt strays or cats owned by friends don’t realize the full extent of the medical attention their new cat needs:

A complete physical examination
A complete vaccination regimen
Spaying or neutering

In particular, that cute kitten you brought home from a friend’s litter will need a long series of vaccinations (along with boosters) that will extend over a period of a couple of years. You can’t do it all in one day.

To fail in this will almost assuredly mean tragedy down the line. I know. I failed to give one of my kittens its vaccinations. I made it an outdoor cat, and it died of feline leukemia. The story definitely had a very sad ending

Your cat’s physical needs

When your cat climbs out of the carrier box for the first time, will you be equipped with the essentials?

Or, will you discover that you need these things laterand bring them in one at a time, after your cat has defecated in the corner, started scratching the furniture, or begun some other unauthorized behavior you are not prepared for? (And, be advised, a cat is a very obsessed animalonce she starts doing something, it is very hard to change it).

Making sure you have what you need to receive your new cat is vitaland you must have the basics on hand before you bring her home.

First introductions

So, when your cat first climbs out of her carrier, is she going to be set upon by every member of your household all at once? And when she does, will she flee in terror, trying to find the safest and darkest corner she can find?

Or will you introduce her gradually to try to reduce the trauma as much as possible so she can adapt to and feel at home in her new situation?

Your technique for doing that can be a deciding factor in whether or not your cat adapts to your home immediately, by the next day or the next month, or flees the house altogether.

The days to follow

Do you know how to take care of your new cat in the days to come, assuming you handled your first introductions well? Do you know about allergies, special foods, bathing, grooming, hair balls, removing urine, training and teaching without frightening and alienating her, and a multitude of other situations cat owners wrestle with on a daily basis? Do you know the hazards involved in letting her become an outdoor cat?

Be prepared

As you’ve often heard, ‘preparation is the key to success’, and nowhere does that apply more appropriately than to cat ownership. If you are prepared, your adoption will probably go very smoothly.

I say probably because every cat is different. Even with the best preparation by a knowledgeable owner, a cat may still want to hide for awhile. And if you discover that’s the case

You need to know what to do.

The Key

So, that’s why I wrote my book, “Your New Cat’s First 24 Hours”, www.yourcatsecrets.com, to give you everything you need to know and have, not only to get ready for your new cat and introduce her to your household, but to understand and care for her in the days to follow.

I’ve got to say it again: preparationand knowledge is the key. When you decide to adopt, I hope you won’t do it in haste.

I hope you will do it knowledgeably and with understanding.

John Young is a writer and a cat lover, having owned one cat or another since he was four, and that was over 57 years ago. He is the author of the E-book: “Your New Cat’s First 24 Hours”, which is filled with information to help you introduce your new cat to your household and care for it from then on. John’s book is available on-line at: http://www.yourcatsecrets.com. He also has a free newsletter: “Your Cat’s 9 Secrets” which you can subscribe to from his Web site.

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