- a story about cats is a story about meat...
- the best place for the easiest, cheapest cat pan liners is your local Uhaul?!
- one cat can tell another cat what to do - they 'discuss' things?
- cats would prefer a 360° view from their litter box
- cats like to reach up and stretch when they do their 'nail scratching thing'..(don't be surprised if they don't use the 1 ft post you bought them)
- If you like the 'pellets' form of cat litter you don't have to buy this at a pet supply store. Much cheaper versions exist and work as well!
- overgrooming isn't always from stress, it could be his diet...
- cats can be trained to understand a lot of your language (not just the tone of your voice!)
- from Chapter 2 (cat stuff):
"...A 'fun' and good thing for cats (especially ones that drink a lot of water - e.g. only eat dry food, have kidney issues or diabetes) is the Drinkwell Pet Fountain: it has a continuous flow of water which is like drinking out of a faucet. Cats love this. Also, buy the extension/refill option: you'll get tired of adding water to it every day! They have at least two other brands of 'fountains', but they are not near as good and need to be completely cleaned out more often."
- from Chapter 3 (cat litter, etc):
"...ignore all the ads about fancy boxes/systems that are self-cleaning, self-maintaining, ('you never have to worry about a litter box' etc)... if you don't want to clean a litter box, get a stuffed animal cat"
from Chapter 5 (feeding/grooming!):
"I repeat: "a story about cats is a story about meat". Hands off to you vegetarians out there but don't even think about trying to make your cat one, if you want him/her around for more than a short time! "
"..Here's a list of some good foods, pretty much in order of increasing quality - and usually - cost. I'm talking dry foods here first, as I spend more money on these, as they are the 'staple'. Notice how the lower down on the list you get the less you see that 'by-product' term. Some folks get overwhelmed looking at all these 'technical' details, but I find most are fussy about what's in their cats' food.. "
- from Chapter 6 (extra cats, extra stuff!):
Making more 'territory'
"Vertical 'territory' or space is as important to cats as regular old square footage. In fact, probably more. Cats like to perch in high places, especially 'top cats'. You can even tell who is the more alpha ('top') cat by how high he/places himself in their vertical space. Watch for who perches on the tallest cat tree - and the lowest 'space'!"
- from Chapter 7 (health & safety):
"Diarrhea
"This can be caused by a number of things: inflammatory bowel disease, viruses or other bacterial infections, worms or other parasites, tumours, such as lymphosarcoma or adenocarcinoma, dietary intolerance, hyperthyroidism, drugs/toxins.
I normally don't go running to the vet, unless it doesn't stop, in which case dehydration becomes a dangerous possibility. If the cat will eat canned pumpkin, that can help, or low fat/moderate fiber foods like Science Diet W/D. Believe it or not, high fiber is used both for constipation and loose stools!"
"Not Eating (Symptoms...)
"...if an overweight cat suddenly stops eating you've got to be concerned about hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver syndrome). Don't wait too long. This is an emergency! "
"Lethargy (Symptoms...)
"This is usually accompanied by something else.... like not eating, for example. If the cat is really just sitting in that 'meatloaf' position i.e. all legs curled inward towards itself, I'll bet it's something serious. Go to the vet - now."
- from Chapter 8 (behavior):
"....if you have a cat that is NOT using the litterbox, you have one of two issues.
"The first thing to rule out is health: urinary tract infection or other issue. If a cat has a urinary tract or intestinal problem they might associate the box with pain. Once health problems are ruled out the answer is: it's behavioral...
"If you are providing a single litter tray in a home with several cats, that is your first mistake! The rule of thumb is ... one litter box per cat plus one extra."
For the real 'meat' of the story, buy now
