cats

How cats groom themselves

Cats take grooming and hygiene very seriously, devoting more than three and a half hours a day to what appears to be just a cute, amusing activity. Your cat will often stretch and twist himself into some pretty unusual positions to get clean. While they're grooming, their rough tongue stimulates secretion from the sebaceous glands, so the coat becomes covered with a layer that protects them from water. When your cat can't reach a spot, he'll lick his paws and use them like brushes.

The role humans play in cat grooming
Generally, cats do their grooming alone. Sometimes, however, they like a little help. Humans can participate by combing their coat with a fine comb and brush. Long-haired cats need daily grooming to help prevent tangles and hairballs. What's more, cats enjoy the sensation of being groomed, an activity that's sure to bond you ever more closely to your furry friend.

The eyes and ears of a cat are very delicate. You can occasionally wipe away the "sleep" from the corners of the eyes, with a moist cloth, but leave the ears to your vet.

Litter box cleanliness
Make sure your cat's litter box always has enough litter in it. Remove the soiled litter immediately if possible, and change the litter completely at least once a week. Wash the box thoroughly with water and some dishwashing liquid.

As cats naturally look for a quiet place to urinate and defecate, they prefer a quiet area of the house where they can use their litter box in private. It shouldn't be near their feeding dishes.

Feeding and sleeping area
Cats pay a lot of attention to the cleanliness of their feeding dishes and area. If a cat feels her dish isn't clean enough, she may refuse to eat. That means you should rinse the dishes with water regularly.

As for your cat's sleeping area, this is something she'll probably choose herself. She will be content with a draft-free, quiet, warm and cozy place. All you need to do is shake the cushions out every now and then, and wash them once in a while.

Understanding Your Cat: Choosing Your Cat's Name

Your cat deserves a good name, a name that gets at the essence of your cat, who he is, what he looks like, his personality. So, what's a great name for a cat? How do you decide when there's so many options?

The first thing to consider is that cats are better at learning names that consist of only one or two syllables. They react especially well when their name ends with "ie" or "y," which may explain all of the very happy "Fluffies" out there. The second is whether you will want to use the name all the time, or will get sick of it. For instance, long, aristocratic-sounding names may sound interesting, but can get tiresome to say every day. Long names will get shortened, and sometimes come out sounding quite different than you expected.

Warnings aside, there's literally no end to the names you can choose. You can base his name on a physical feature, a personality trait, a favorite author, artist or singer, mythological names, or the circumstances by which he came into your life. Take your time, write a list, narrow it down, try out a few names before you settle on one - just don't take too long or your cat may have a minor identity crisis. Whether your cat is a Lucky or Fluffy or even Pandora, your new friend deserves the name that's just right, and the effort it takes to find it.

There is a beautiful quotation by T. S. Eliot, the English Nobel prizewinner for literature in 1948. He said that every cat should have three names: the everyday name, a dignified official name, and a third one -- "which only the cat knows and doesn't tell. You might be clever, you might be begging -- she will remain the only one who knows."

Top 20 Female Names

1.  Maggie 2. Molly 3.  Lady 4. Sadie 5.  Lucy  6.  Daisy 7. Jasmine 8. Amber 9.       Pumpkin 10.   Samantha 11.   Dakota 12.   Nala 13.   Chelsea 14.   Bella 15.   Daphne 16.   Sophie 17.   Angel 18.   Tasha 19.   Princess 20.   Chloe

Top 20 Male Names

1.   Max 2. Tigger 3.  Buddy 4. Bailey 5. Sam 6. Rocky 7.  Buster 8. Gizmo 9. Owen10.   Milo 11.   Charlie 12.   Jake 13.   Harley 14.   Rusty 15.   Toby 16.   Murphy 17.   Sylvester 18.   Simba 19.   Barney 20.   Oscar

Understanding Your Cat: Clean Cats, Happy Cats

Kittens are naturally clean animals, first learning from their mother how to keep themselves clean, then, after six weeks, taking care of grooming on their own. Though cats are mostly self-sufficient when it comes to hygiene, their human companions play an important role in staying clean and healthy.

Cats take grooming and hygiene very seriously, devoting more than three and a half hours a day to what appears to be just a cute, amusing activity. Your cat will often stretch and twist himself into some pretty unusual positions to get clean. While they're grooming, their rough tongue stimulates secretion from the sebaceous glands, so the coat becomes covered with a layer that protects them from water. When your cat can't reach a spot, he'll lick his paws and use them like brush

Lowering stress levels

Stroking a pet or simply watching aquarium fish helps us to relax. Even just being with a pet has a soothing effect. The relaxation we feel can be measured as a slower heartbeat and a drop in blood pressure.

Research has shown that this reduction is particularly noticeable in people who suffer from high-blood pressure. The reduction in blood pressure from pet ownership is the same as you would get by changing to a low salt diet or by cutting down on alcohol.

Pet ownership can also help reduce the risk of asthma, and it can help us cope with the death of a life partner.

Keeping your heart healthy
Pet owners are more likely to survive after a heart attack than non-pet owners.

Why?

The fact is, when pets help us relax, our blood pressure is lowered. In fact, research has shown that pet ownership is better than drugs for reducing high blood pressure.

When American researcher Erika Friedmann studied heart attack sufferers, she found that pet owners were more likely to survive heart attacks than non-pet owners. As both cat and dog owners and owners of other pets showed better survival rates, the difference could not be attributed to the extra exercise that dog owners take. However, people who live alone or are depressed are less likely to survive after a heart attack, so the presence of a pet may provide support simply through companionship.

Keeping elderly people active
In a Canadian study involving over 1,000 people, Dr Parminda Raina found that elderly people with pets were more able to cope with daily activities than those without. He also found that older pet owners had lower health care costs than non-owners.

Another research project discovered that a group of elderly people in residential homes who were given budgerigars, coped better with other aspects of the aging process.

Children and pets
Most children love having a pet, and scientists have been discovering the benefits.

Children who have pets tend to be more self-reliant, more sociable and less selfish than children without pets. In a German study, 90% of parents thought that their dog played an educative role with their young children, and improved the child's quality of life. 80% of the children interviewed considered their dog to be primarily their friend and confidante.

Adolescents, too, can benefit. A study of young people from large cities found those with dogs to be more content with life, with a more positive relationship with adults. There could be an important role for dogs in the prevention of delinquency, therapy for the young unemployed and others, such as drug addicts.

At Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital in London, weekly visits from pets helped children overcome the depression brought on by lengthy hospitalization and unpleasant clinical treatments.

The presence of a dog in a class of children with severe learning difficulties markedly sustained their interest and attention.

Pets and general well-being
Pets provide us with companionship and generally foster a feeling of well being.

A pet can act as a social lubricant. Walking in the park or visiting the vet provide opportunities to meet and talk to other people. Studies have shown that people walking a dog have far more positive encounters than those out walking alone. A pet can be an ice-breaker, a topic of conversation.

Owning a pet also means having to make an effort to get out, buy food and provide exercise. The routine, sense of purpose and feeling of fulfillment in caring for a pet gives meaning to the lives of many isolated people, and helps fight off depression and loneliness.

Understanding Your Cat: Cat Litter Lessons

For a happy cat and a clean-smelling litter area, your cat's litter box should always be full of fresh litter. Remove soiled litter immediately if possible, and change the litter completely at least once a week. It's also a good idea to wash the box thoroughly with water and dishwashing liquid.

Cats naturally look for a quiet place to urinate and defecate. They also prefer a quiet area of the house where they can use their litter box in private. This spot shouldn't be near the cat's feeding dishes. If you have more than one cat, or a large home, you might consider multiple litter boxes in different parts of the house.

Cats are sensitive to smells and concerned about their hygiene. If their litter box is too dirty, or in a location they dislike, they may find another, less appropriate, location to do their business.

However, out-of-the-box litter behavior can also be a sign of a serious health problem such as a bladder infection. If your cat's litter habits change drastically, and the box is clean and well-placed, consult your vet immediately.