Archive for March, 2008

Even if you’ve never heard of the Colorpoint Shorthair cat before, you may have seen several of these elegant animals. Many people mistake Colorpoint Shorthairs for their close relative, the Siamese. After all, the only real difference in their appearance is that the Colorpoint has a variety of point colors that Siamese cats do not have.

These cats have a graceful body, a long, tapered tail, and a tan or white body color. The points, which include the feet, tail, ears, and face, are in a different color. Recognized Colorpoint colors include Red, Cream, Cinnamon, Fawn, Smoke, or Silver. In addition, this breed can have tortoiseshell, tabby, or particolor patterns in any color. These cats have a long, narrow face with an almost triangular shape and almond shaped eyes.

One of the main reasons people decide to own a Colorpoint Shorthair is the fact that these cats are less likely to cause allergies than most other cat breeds. Of course, someone with allergy induced asthma who is allergic to cats still should not add a cat of any kind to the home, but if you or a family member just suffer from mild allergies and you want to own a cat, then you may want to take a close look at this breed. Just be sure to spend some time around a few Colorpoints before buying a kitten so that you know that you can handle your allergies.

Of course, being a low allergy cat is not the only thing this breed has going for it. The Colorpoint is an outgoing, sociable cat breed and loves to spend time with its family and friends. These cats are ideal family pets, since they seem to enjoy all of the comings and goings in a busy household. Of course, they also love to see what is in all of those intriguing grocery bags, as well.

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Your Maine Coon Cat is special. This is evident from the price that you paid for him to the fact that he is sociable to the point of behaving more like a dog than a cat. Because he is special, you want to be sure that you feed him the way that he needs to be fed, and that you are feeding him the right things.

First, let’s discuss water. Fresh water should be made available to your Maine Coon Cat at all times – otherwise, it won’t be long before he learns how to lift the lid on the toilet, or how to turn on faucet on the kitchen sink. He is perfectly capable of turning that faucet on, and since he’s been paying attention, and he knows that this is where the water comes from, he will do it if other water is not available to him. He will not, however, turn the water off when he is finished.

While fresh water should always be available, food should not. Free feeding is highly discouraged for Maine Coon Cats. Most cat breeds eat what their body requires, and then they walk away from the food bowl – regardless of how much food is still in it. Maine Coon Cats do not. They will eat until the food is gone – like dogs do. If you free feed, it won’t be long before your precious kitty has a weighty issue.

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When considering pet grooming options, one must decide which pet groomer will be best. There are many dog groomers out there, but very few cat groomers. If you have a cat you should look carefully at what specific facilities offer cat grooming expertise. Cats are finicky animals and they can be very hard to groom, putting the groomer at risk for bites or scratches. Choosing a professional cat groomer is a important decision the pet owner must make to ensure the health and happiness of their cat. As with all animals a bad pet groomer can make mistakes and unintentionally hurt the animal destroying confidence in making the cat emotionally distraught.

Cat pet grooming is a difficult job and not many people are up to the task. Some of the best dog groomers refuse to groom cats due to the fact of the danger to both themselves and the animal. Most cats do not like water and bathing them can be a adventure as both cat and human fight for dominance. Most cats become emotionally distraught when immersed in water, and it takes a experience pet groomer to calm the cat and at the same time protect both parties involved.

Pet grooming techniques have been designed to keep the animal safe and give the animal confidence in the person doing the bathing. A good cat groomer will use the necessary gloves and other equipment to make bathing a more pleasant experience for the feline.

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Has your cat become infested with fleas or ticks? If his buggy skin has been keeping you up all night, it is time for you to get those fleas or ticks under control.

Even the cleanest cats can end up with a flea infestation. All it takes to turn your flealess pet into a flea bag is one friendly stray cat or dog that comes along for a visit and leaves his fleas behind. When a person or cat walks outside, he will pick up the fleas and bring them inside. Even one flea can lay quite a few eggs. When the eggs hatch, you will have a full scale infestation.

Some people don’t want to risk having fleas or ticks at all and use a flea and tick preventative before the insects even appear. Two of the most well known flea and tick preventatives for cats are Frontline and Advantix. These products both come as pre-measured liquid treatments. The treatment is applied directly to your cat’s skin and works to kill fleas and ticks right away when they hop on your cat.

However, most people wait until they see fleas or ticks before they begin fighting them. Of course, if you see tiny black or dark brown insects hopping around, there is little doubt that your cat is flea infested. By the time you see fleas, though, you probably already have a major infestation on your hands.
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Once you have a Maine Coon Cat, and you start talking and socializing with other Maine Coon Cat owners, you will find that you need to use a new vocabulary of words, in relation to the beloved cats. Here is a list of common terms and phrases associated with Maine Coons.

Outcross – If a Maine Coon is an outcross, this means that he is a product of mating between two animals of different blood lines. Litters that are outcross litters tend to be healthier and more robust than those who are products of inbreeding or line breeding, after a certain number of generations.

 

Line Breeding – Line breeding is the breeding of two animals that are members of the same blood line, but not closely related enough to be inbred. Generally, the two animals being mated have common ancestors four or five generations back. After much line breeding, however, the breeder should consider outcross breeding.

 

Inbreeding – Breeding two animals together that are closely related. The two animals may be mother and son, father and daughter, brother and sister, or half brother and half sister. There are some breeders who like the positive outcomes of inbreeding, and consider the negative outcomes affordable risks. There are also breeders who avoid inbreeding, and use line breeding instead.

 Stud – A male Maine Coon that is used for breeding purposes. Ideally, this male will come from titled parents, and have titles of his own as well.

 Queen – A female Maine Coon that is used for breeding purposes. Ideally, this female will come from titled parents, and have titles of her own as well. She may also be referred to as a Dam.

 Genetic Disorder – Any gene related disorder. Genetic disorders are inherited from one or both parents. This is often a negative result of inbreeding.

 Breed Standard – The acceptable characteristics of the Maine Coon, or any other breed. This is a set of standards by which the cats are judged at shows, and those standards are widely agreed upon by breeders and the feline organizations.

 Call Name – This is essentially the name that you call your Maine Coon, even though it is a shortened version of his or her registered name, which is typically quite long.

 Pedigree – A document that states the blood line of an animal. Pedigrees range from three to five generations, but may go back even further – but certainly never less than three generations.

 Pedigreed Cat – This is simply a cat that has a pedigree. This does not mean that the cat is a pure breed, or that he is even registered. It simply means that there is a document for the cat that lists his blood line.

 Registered – A cat that has been registered, along with his ancestry, through an accepted registry association. A registered cat may or may not be a pedigreed cat, but usually does have a pedigree.

 Hybrid – a cat that results from breeding between two cats of different - pedigreed - breeds. For example, if a Persian is mated with a Maine Coon, the kittens are hybrids.

 Show Quality – A Maine Coon that meets the breed standard enough that he can effectively compete in shows.

 Pet Quality – A Maine Coon that falls below the breed standard to the point where he cannot compete in shows. An animal that is pet quality is still healthy, and can even still be a pure bred animal. It just means that he or she does not meet the standards in physical characteristics, and therefore, cannot be judged by those standards.

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In the pet world you will hear lots of people talking about training their pets. They might train their pets to do tricks, to use a litter box, or to walk on a leash. But if you own a Maine Coon Cat, you can bet that your cat is talking to other animals about training you – not you training him. That’s right – when you have a Maine Coon, you are not the ownee - you are the owned, and you must therefore be trained.

First, your Maine Coon will set a sleeping schedule for you. He does this by paying attention to your habits. He notes the time that you usually go to bed, and the time that you usually wake up. In the future, if you do not go to bed or wake up at your usual time, he will not tolerate it. He will nag you about going to bed – and he will torture you until you get up. You will learn to stick to the bedtime schedule, or pay the consequences.

You will learn that your Maine Coon wants his breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack served at a specific time each day. After watching you, he knows where the food is kept, and he expects you to follow the same ritual at each meal. He will help you if he deems it necessary – but you must stick to his dining schedule and rituals.

Your Maine Coon is very diligent in his duty of making sure that you are doing everything that you are supposed to do. This means that he hates closed doors, and expects to have access to you at any time of the day or night – so that he can check up on what you are doing. Your activities will be monitored, and your friends will be thoroughly inspected. When you shower, he will want to test the water to make sure that it is perfect, and watch you bath to ensure that you wash behind your ears. Don’t try to escape his dutiful attention.

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If you’ve never owned a cat before, you may not realize that cats can suffer from quite a few different health problems. Some of these problems are easily preventable, while others are hereditary.

One of the most common cat health problems is the hairball. Cats groom themselves constantly with their tongues. The loose hair comes off on their tongues and is swallowed. Sometimes the hair gradually forms into a ball instead of passing through the cat’s body. If your cat starts coughing and hacking, he may have a hairball. Usually, the cat will expel the ball on his own. To prevent hairballs, groom your cat frequently to remove loose hair. In addition, feed your cat food that helps control hairballs. Recently, cat treats that help control hairballs have become available, as well.

Another common health problem in cats is the urinary tract infection. This infection is particularly common in un-neutered male cats, although female cats can also develop this problem. If your cat has suddenly stopped using his litter box, a urinary tract infection could be the culprit. If your cat’s urine smells strong, you should suspect a urinary tract infection. These infections need to be treated by your veterinarian. Be sure to ask about cat foods that help alleviate the chance of an infection re-occurring.

There are also several dangerous viruses that cats can catch. Feline Infectious Peritonitis, Feline Immunodeficiency Virus, and Feline Leukemia Virus.

FIP is a disease that is related to Corona virus. This problem is serious, because there is no known treatment for the disease. Cats who test positive for this disease may not actually have it, as Corona gives the same result on the titer. There is a vaccine for FIP, but many veterinarians and scientists say that it actually is not very effective. Luckily, this disease is not as easy to catch as some other diseases.
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If you want a longhair cat breed that is as intelligent as it is beautiful, you may want to take a look at the beautiful Turkish Angora. This breed is one of the oldest cat breeds, originating in the fourteen hundreds in Turkey. For some time, cat fanciers thought that the Angora was extinct, since imported cats had been bred so frequently to Persians to improve the Persian coat that Angoras in other countries died out. Luckily, Turkey was more careful to preserve this ancient breed. At first, this country refused to part with any Angoras. However, finally Turkey agreed to sell a few cats and some pure Turkish Angoras were imported to Europe and America after World War II.

The Turkish Angora is an elegant, graceful looking cat breed. This cat has a long, muscular body that is covered with a silky coat of long, luxurious hair. The Angora has a triangular face, big, slightly slanted eyes, and a long, fluffy tail. This breed can have eyes of any color, including mismatched eyes. These cats weigh six to eleven pounds.

You can find a Turkish Angora in almost any color or pattern. However, not all variations in pattern are recognized by the different breed organizations, so if you want to show your cat, you should be sure that that particular color is acceptable.

If you want a quiet, placid cat breed, then the Turkish Angora may be the wrong choice for you. These cats are fairly vocal and love to communicate with their family members. They tend to suddenly leap up to race around the house after some imaginary pest. The Angora is quite playful and loves to spend time romping with family members. However, if you give your cat a ball, he will amuse himself for hours, as well.
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Many people are under the mistaken impression that cats are arrogant, moody creatures that will ignore their owners’ attempts to train them. They think that cats could obey and choose not to. Although cats do ignore commands because they don’t feel like doing what their owners ask, sometimes they are not obeying because they simply do not understand.
Training a cat generally takes a lot more time and patience than training a dog. Positive reinforcement works better than negative reinforcement with cats. If you punish them, they will just wait until you are not watching to misbehave, so it is better to simply ignore wrong responses and lavish praise on your cat when he responds correctly.

You should start training your cat when he is about eight to ten weeks old. However, if you have an older cat, don’t let that stop you. It may be a bit harder to teach him, but old cats can learn new tricks.

It is best to begin training your cat by teaching him to come when he is called, just as you do with a puppy. Make sure you have a supply of your cat’s favorite treat and that he is feeling well rested and fairly happy. If there is Read the rest of this entry »

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Although the Japanese Bobtail is a breed that goes back several centuries, this breed is still incredibly rare. If you are fortunate enough to find one of these beautiful cats, you will have a wonderful pet.

The Japanese Bobtail was first developed in the seventeen hundreds in Japan. Unfortunately, the longhair cat gene is not dominant, so few kittens are born with the long coats required by the breed standard. To make breeding these cats even more difficult, two related longhairs are not bred together unless there is no other choice. This is because the Bobtail is a very healthy breed. Too much inbreeding would lead to the development of some dangerous genetic disorders.

This small cat breed weighs in at a very light six to nine pounds. However, the Bobtail may be small, but it is no weakling. These cats are actually very muscular. You can find Bobtails in a wide range of colors. They come in tortoiseshell, tabby, and bicolor patterns, as well as solid colors.

The short, fluffy rounded tail looks like a pompom and the big round eyes that are often two different colors are two of the most distinctive traits of the Japanese Bobtail. Bobtail owners prize cats with mismatched eyes, usually valuing a cat with one blue and one gold eye more highly than a cat with two blue eyes. Whether the eyes match or not, they appear to be especially large in the Bobtail’s neat, little triangular face. Luckily, big ears balance out the breed’s face. Oddly enough, these cats have back legs that are longer than their front legs. However, since they hold their back legs in a slightly crouching position, the difference in length is not noticeable.
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When a cat breed has a name like Havana Brown, it can only come in one color, right? Well, actually, the active Havana Brown comes in a rich Chocolate color or an attractive Lilac color.

This breed was created when a Chocolate Point Siamese cat produced a solid Chocolate kitten. Although this has been happening in Siamese cat litters for centuries, these Chocolate kittens were usually disqualified by both the Cat Fancier’s Association in the United States and cat associations in Great Britain. In the nineteen fifties, a breeder in the United States fell in love with the Chocolate Siamese and imported a female cat from Great Britain to found a new breed of cat called the Havana Brown.

Since this breed is so closely related to the Siamese, it is no surprise that it has a very similar appearance. The Havana Brown has a long head with a face that looks rather square when it is viewed from the side. Long, graceful legs and a sleek body complete the picture.

These cats may be on the small side, weighing in at a lightweight six to ten pounds, but they have big personalities. The Havana has a very dog like nature and is extremely affectionate towards people.

Don’t be surprised if your kitten quickly learns to come when he is called. This breed also can learn to fetch and walk on a leash with ease. The playful Havana will spend hours plotting an elaborate ambush, suddenly diving from behind a chair or leaping off of a fireplace mantle to pounce on unsuspecting family members. These cats are a bit on the nosy side and enjoy helping their family members with household chores, especially if the job involves emptying bags. After all, this energetic breed feels that there is nothing better than using a paper bag to play an impromptu game of hide and seek.
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While cats do have a reputation as finicky eaters, few cats really insist on dining from fine crystal bowls. However, that doesn’t mean you should feed your cat straight from the can, either. Cats should have their own sturdy feeders or bowls that are easy to clean.

If you spend quite a few hours away from home or have several cats, you may want to take a look at cat feeders that can hold enough food to feed a cat for several days. This way, you can be sure your cats are cared for even if you are a bit busy.

The first type of cat feeder refills from a reservoir as your cat empties the bowl. It can be used to feed one cat for several days or you can feed multiple cats from the feeder. However, these feeders do have some disadvantages. Aggressive cats can easily prevent the more timid members of the family from getting enough food. Also, it is harder for you to monitor how much each cat is eating, so you may not realize that one of your cats is not eating as much as he usually does. Since this is an important sign of illness, this can be a serious problem. Finally, cats who are finicky may waste a lot of food by refusing to eat it if it has been sitting in the feeder for more than a few hours.

The second type of cat feeder available is the automatic cat feeder. This feeder has several compartments. The feeder’s lid has an opening that allows the cat to eat out of one compartment at a time. A battery operated motor rotates the lid using a timer so that a different compartment is revealed at timed intervals.
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If you are looking for a cat breed that is as wonderful as a good French wine, you may want to consider the Chartreux cat. After all, a legend tells that this breed was named for the Chartreuse liquor that Carthusian monks were so famous for. Of course, while it is true that the Chartreux cat is mentioned in Carthusian records as early as the fifteen hundreds, this breed probably received its name because its coat looks similar to the wool of the Chartreux sheep.

The Chartreux cat breed has a thick, wooly coat in a rich gray blue color. This breed is neither a true longhair nor a shorthair, since the outer coat is longer than that of a shorthair, but not as long as that of most longhairs.

A Chartreux cat has a body that is solid and muscular, while its legs are on the short side and slender. Some breeders say this breed looks like a potato with toothpick legs. However, despite its build, the Chartreux moves quickly and gracefully and has a reputation for being an excellent mouser. One of the most eye catching characteristics of this breed is the way his mouth curves in a perpetual, sweet smile. These cats weigh in at anywhere from seven to seventeen pounds, with cats at the heavier end of this weight range being the ideal.
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While almost everyone walks their dog, few people walk their cats. However, cats can learn to walk on a leash. In fact, there are collars, harnesses, and leashes designed just for cats.

Unlike dog collars, cat collars are not created so that they can be used with a cat leash. The shape of a cat’s head makes it too easy for a collar attached to a leash to pop right off. Instead, collars are used for other reasons. Many people use collars as accessories. They place jeweled collars on their cats simply because they like the way these collars look. Other people use cat collars to hold id tags, so that they can more easily find their cats if they escape. Of course, the most common reason for putting a collar on a cat is to warn birds of his approach. Collars with bells on them may be a low tech alarm system, but they work.

Cat harnesses are designed to stay securely on a cat, even when the cat is on a leash. You can buy a simple nylon harness for your cat or you can find more deluxe models that look more like padded vests. As long as the harness is completely adjustable, it should work well.

Cat leashes can be standard leashes or retractable models. Whichever type of leash you choose, be sure that it is lightweight enough to allow your cat to move easily under its weight. Retractable leashes are ideal for people who want to allow their cats to explore their surroundings in a park or other traffic safe area, but want to keep the cats close by when they are walking to and from their homes.
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Is the Maine Coon the Right Breed For You?

Are you a dog lover who wants to own a cat? If so, you may want to take a look at the extraordinary Maine Coon cat breed. This breed is extraordinary intelligent and has a personality that is not exactly cat like. If you think all cats act the same, you probably haven’t seen a Maine Coon decide to take a leisurely dip in your family’s wading pool.

The Maine Coon is known as a gentle giant, which is not surprising, since these lovely cats weigh in at anywhere from nine to twenty two pounds. The breed has a squarish face, a thick neck, large ears, big, rounded eyes, and a large, muscular body. The tail is long and quite bushy.

This cat breed was first seen in Maine in the late eighteen hundreds and most likely developed its thick coat as a way to protect itself from the bitterly cold winters in that area. When the breed was first established, only the brown tabby color was recognized. This coat color and the Maine Coon’s bushy tail gave it the look of a raccoon, and it is probably this appearance that gave these cats their name. Today, this breed comes in many more recognized colors, including black, blue, cream, red, tortoiseshell, blue tortoiseshell, white, smoke, silver tabby, brown tabby, red tabby, blue tabby, cream tabby, and bicolors. Cats can have green or gold eyes, unless they are white, in which case, eyes can also be blue or mismatched.

The Maine Coon gets along well with other cats, dogs, children, and just about every other type of animal, except mice. This breed is notorious for its excellent hunting abilities. These cats have a wonderful personality and are the perfect cat breed for families. However, they are also content being the only animal in a quiet household.

If you want an extremely quiet cat, then the Maine Coon may not be the perfect choice for you. These cats are a bit on the vocal side. However, the mewling these cats make is a pleasant chirping sound that few people find to be annoying.

With the long coat this breed has, it is no surprise that the Maine Coon needs frequent grooming. You should be prepared to thoroughly comb out your cat’s coat at least twice a week. If the coat begins to develop knots and snarls, you may need to groom him even more frequently.

Overall, this descendant of hardy farm cats is a healthy breed. If your cat seems to be feeling under the weather, he most likely has a hairball problem. Of course, you should seek veterinary care to be sure he does not have any more serious problems. While you are talking to your veterinarian, you may want to consult him about feeding your cat a cat food with hairball control.

Since the Maine Coon is said to be the most popular breed in the world, it would be no surprise if you decided that you wanted to own one of these beautiful animals. If you want an intelligent and loving cat, this breed may be the perfect choice for you.

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