CATMARIO4

What You Need to Consider Before Buying a Ferret As a Pet

Ferrets make amazing pets. They are small and therefore do not occupy too much space. Most ferrets are high on energy and need their daily dose of exercise to keep them calm. Keeping a ferret as a pet is a big responsibility and there are a number of things you must consider. However, with the proper training, most people can manage the job just fine.

Before venturing into this new life with a ferret, you should consider the legality of owning this new pet. It is essential that you find out if keeping a ferret at home, is legal in the locality you reside in.

You should also consider the diet. Most ferrets are carnivorous and so you need to know what their diet needs to be like. Ferrets can eat cat food but it is ideal that you look for ferret food at the pet store. In this day of age, ferret food is easily found in a number of pet stores around the country.

The average age of a ferret is seven years. However, some ferrets can begin facing illnesses by the age of two, if not taken care of properly. Medical expenses could add up to large bills. You should schedule regular health checkups for your ferret.

Ferrets usually live in cages at home. Small cages for ferrets are available at a number of pet stores and can be dolled up with interesting toys to make life exciting for them. Accessories like ferret hammocks can be fun. The animals usually love swinging themselves to sleep in them. The cage also contains a litter box and a space for food.

Having a ferret as a pet can be an expensive affair. But it does not have to be. There are costing cutting measures you can take and still preserve the quality of life for the little guy. Ferrets are fun to be around and they show their affection in a number of ways. Having this new companion will surely be worth the extra effort you will be giving.…

Choosing a Kitten From a Litter

If you entered room full of kittens, with their tiny meows and adoring blue eyes, it would be very difficult to choose one over another. All kittens are quite simply adorable. However if you are in the process of looking for and choosing a new kitten, you should only consider taking home a healthy one.

Your heart may go out to the runt of the litter, or the helpless 5 week old kitten abandoned by its mother, but unless you are experienced in the art of cat care, choosing a weak kitten could bring you nothing but heartache over the coming weeks and months.

Ideally a kitten should remain with its mother until the age of 8 weeks. Certainly he or she should not be taken away from their mother’s side before the age of 6 weeks. A kitten is totally dependant on its mother’s milk for the first 4 weeks of its life. This is the best and most natural way for the kitten to gain all the valuable nutrients needed for a healthy adulthood.

From 4 weeks onwards, the kitten may start to take very small amounts of wet and dry kitten food, but it isn’t until the age of 6 – 8 weeks that he or she will be eating independently.

If you can see your new kitten with its mother and siblings before you purchase, you will get an instant overall picture of the state of health of both the mother and her litter. This is a good starting point in assessing how healthy your kitten is generally.

There are, however a number of more specific signs you can and should look out for before you take a kitten home:

• The kitten should be lively, playful and responsive.

• The kitten’s eyes should be bright and clear with no discharge.

• The kitten should respond quickly to sound, even when sleeping. His or her ears should be clean and free of discharge.

• The kitten should have a clean, dry tail with no signs of soreness around the anus.

• Check the kitten is not too thin and that its stomach is not distended or unduly sensitive.

• Check the kitten’s skin for traces of fleas. This can easily be spotted as the kitten will have small black grit like traces along its spine and tummy and around its ears. If the kitten does have fleas, a vet will be able to provide you with the correct treatment for instant administration.

• Check the kitten does not have a runny nose.

• The kitten should be able to pass urine and faeces without pain or effort.

All kittens are sweet little bundles of fluff, but try to see beyond the cute exterior if this is the first time you have owned a kitten. A healthy kitten is more likely to grow into a healthy cat. And generally speaking, a healthy cat will go on to live, and be a valuable member of your family for 15 – 20 years or more.

Jill Webb…

Looking to Buy a Cat? 4 Valuable Tips For Choosing the Right Kitty

Are you looking to buy a cat? While bringing home a cute kitten can be really enjoyable, there are quite a few factors you have to consider before making the big decision. You should understand that having any pet is a huge responsibility and may want to consider carefully if you are ready to shoulder them. You will also have to buy a cat that will be able to adjust to your lifestyle. If you are ready, here some four valuable tips to choose the right cat for yourself.

Breed

When considering the breed of cat, the first thing to do is to list down your own preferences. Do you like long haired cats or would prefer to have a short coated cat? Do you have any preference regarding the color of your cat? Write down the answers to these questions and when you are ready, start collecting information on the behavioral traits and personalities of the different breeds. It will help you to zero in on the most suitable breed for you.

Choosing a Cattery

This is the second step to buy a cat. For getting a healthy purebred kitten of your choice, you must first take the time to choose the right cattery. You can start by collecting references and from seeking the help of vets or breed owners to locate a reputable cattery. Before you visit them and get carried away with the cute kitties on display, ask the breeders about their professional qualifications, how long they have been running the cattery, specific information and vaccination about the breed that you would like to have etc. After getting your queries answered, visit the cattery and choose your kitten.

Cost

Owning a pet is just like adding a new member to your family. So be ready to spend a generous amount of money on your cat for its well being. You will have to spend on its food, medication, grooming products as well as treats such as outdoor cat enclosures and toys. It may easily cost you $1000 per year. So, before bringing a cat home, consider whether you are ready to commit this amount.

Cat Health and Training

Before you buy a cat, also consider its health. Preferably, you should go for an active and curious kitten and not for one that has a weak appearance or is overly afraid of your presence. However, kittens that are too active will require more attention and if you are not keen on training a kitten, you may consider buying a grown up cat that’s already calm and trained to some extent.…

Cat Behavior Training – Effectively School Your Feline With These 4 Tips

Cats are fascinating and adorable creatures that offer an unrivaled companionship. But there’s more to them than just purring and curling up in your lap. They are also independent and self possessed, which means it can be difficult when it comes to cat behavior training. However, don’t give up hope. It’s not an impossible feat. Here are some things to keep in mind when trying to school your feline.

THEY ACT UP WHEN THEY’RE BORED

When felines are bored, they will do naughty things in order to work off excess energy. Racing up and down the stairs, jumping on counters and knocking things down are only the tip of the iceberg. This can be resolved by spending more time with your pet. Playing with him will not only relieve him of his boredom, but also create a stronger bond.

REPRIMANDING DOESN’T WORK

Here’s the deal, cats really don’t care if you punish them. Dog owners know that punishing them will help change their bad manners. Not so with these frisky fur balls. As a result, reprimanding your cat is often an ineffective tactic. He will learn that getting caught while misbehaving brings about some awful reactions and will simply learn to hide it better and do it when you’re not around.

ENCOURAGE GOOD BEHAVIOR

When it comes to cat behavior training, it’s far easier to reward your kitty when you see him performing a right behavior. This is called operative conditioning. Anything you want him to do should be rewarding, enjoyable and pleasant. Whenever he does something positive, reinforce this good behavior with praise, petting and a couple of treats.

REMOVE THE AGGRESSOR, REWARD THE VICTIM

If you live in a multi cat household, you’ve probably seen your share of “cat fights”. Felines are territorial by nature and will occasionally get into scuffles over their domain. If you witness such a battle, the first thing to do is disengage them. However, don’t try to do this physically. You could get severely injured, since they may not recognize you in the heat of emotion. One of the best cat behavior training tools is a spray bottle. Use this to squirt the aggressor while trying to avoid the victim. Then, confine the “bully” in a separate room and reward the innocent pet. Give him a treat or free roam of the house. Try to keep them as supervised as possible when you reunite them again.

Cat behavior training isn’t hard at all. It just takes a little bit of patience. With the proper tools, you can be on your way to a more fulfilling relationship for the both of you.…

24 Ferret Facts

Here are 24 pieces of information that will aid you in understanding who and what ferrets are. To properly care for your pet ferret you need to know these facts.

Ferrets…

1….share genetics with weasels, otters, badgers, skunks and minks. They are not rodents.

be thought of as somewhere between cats and dogs but smaller.

playful like puppies – except they never grow out of it.

be trained to do anything a dog can do. They can be litter box trained like a cat.

people oriented rather than person oriented. They are able to bond with a number of humans over the course of their lifetimes although its can take up to a year to complete the bonding process..

cross species social. They enjoy being with other ferrets, humans, dogs and cats. Ferrets do not do well with mice, birds or other small animals.

primarily indoor pets. They should be in a harness and on a leash if outside.

not carriers of rabies. There is no record of a human ever contracting rabies from a ferret.

not noisy creatures. They chitter when excited.

10….smell like ferrets. A neutered ferret does not have an offensive smell. Regular cleaning of his cage and bedding will help keep smells under control.

relatively poor eyesight compensated for by acute senses of smell and hearing.

expectancy is 6-8 years although they can live up to twice that length of time.

13. Baby ferrets are called kits, females are jills and males are hobs.

14. Males tend to be about 16 inches long and weigh nearly 3 pounds. Females grow to around 12 inches and weigh in at one and a half pounds or so.

to sleep 15-20 hours per day. They are crepuscular, i.e. most active just before dawn and just after dusk.

very energetic and love to play.

good pets and are people-friendly.

18….require more attention than cats. They are more likely to “have an accident” and miss their litter box than cats.

not a good pet for families with small children under the age of six.

extremely inquisitive and will attempt to explore everything in their environment. Ferret-proofing a room for them to run around in is a must.

chew things. The danger is they may swallow small pieces and experience intestinal blockage – an emergency visit to the veterinarian.

illegal in Hawaii and California. Many municipalities have made ownership of ferrets a crime. Their illegality stems from misinformation. First, many consider ferrets to be wild animals like raccoon or skunk. History shows that ferrets have been domesticated for over two millennia. Second, domesticated ferrets offer no rabies threat. If a ferret contracts rabies (rare due to almost universal vaccination against it), it tends to die before it is capable of passing it on to others. As of this date, records indicate that no human has contracted rabies from a ferret in the United States. Third, the danger of escaped or abandoned ferrets forming feral communities is minimal. Most domesticated ferrets are neutered. Their ability to survive in the wild is almost zero. An escaped ferret will be dead within 72 hours of release into the wild. There is no evidence of even one feral ferret community in the U.S.

to spend a significant amount of time outside their cages in a supervised environment.

to make regular visits to the veterinarian for shots and annual checkups.…