The House Cat Diary

The cats are lovely pets to have. You may know the feeding and rearing of cat.  Many don’t know where the cat sleeps?  Many doubts may arise in your mind regarding this. Will she sleep in your antique quilt?  Will she sleep in easy chair? Will she share the pillow of the owner? Let us discuss about the cat’s sleeping requirement here.

The recent survey conducted online revealed certain interesting facts about the cat’s sleeping place. Nearly 96 percent of the cats lovers allow their pet cat sleep in their bed room.  Nearly 50 percent of the cats are allowed to sleep in the pet owner’s bedroom itself. Nearly 38 percent of the cats share the pillow with their owner. The young kittens prefer to sleep in the pillow while the adult and older cats prefer the foot of the bed to sleep. Quite interesting, is it not?

The sleeping time varies from cat to cat. The sleeping time varies depending on the age. But on an average the feline species spend 13 to 16 hours for sleep. The cats require cozy and warmth for sound sleep. The cats search for the place that is comfortable for her sleep. In case the temperature of the surrounding is more, she prefers a shady corner and stretches her body while sleeping. If the temperature is low [winter], the cats search for warm sunshine or heat source, for good sleep. In winter the cat curl their body to reduce the heat loss.

Not all the cat owners prefer to share their bed with their pet cat. Such people will want to provide special sleeping place for the cat. There is nothing to bother much. There are plenty of beds available in the market for cats, which can be purchased. Some may like to make a bed for their lovely cat on their own. They can do so. Here is certain information about the cat bed. 

The cats require something to sleep. That’s all right. Sheet of paper placed on the middle of the garden is also enough for cats. But it is the duty of the pet owner to provide suitable sleeping place for the cat. The bedding material can be folded towel or blanket purchased from pet shop or taken from the house. Let the bed be flat with soft fabric and some stuffing. The bed should be portable and washable.

 In market beds that are electro-statically charged to capture the fallen hair and dander are available. Bed made of sheep skin or fake fur is also available in the market that provides extra warmth. Different size, shape and color beds are available for cats. The price of the bed varies depending of the size and extra features attached with it.

Cats prefers cup -beds, because the circular design suits the curling habit of the cat. Some beds are provided with removable and washable cloth lining for hygiene purpose.  The cats can sleep well in basket or card board box lined with thick soft blanket.

Just providing comfortable bed is not enough for some cats. The cats love to sleep with their best friend in company. Those who like to share their bed with their lovely pet cat should keep in mind the following facts. The cats don’t sleep whole night continuously. They get up around 4 am for food and play. Cats like to catch anything that moves at night. Hence your hand or leg may get a painful catch of the cat, in case you are sleeping with him.

Sarcoptic mange is also called as scabies.  The causative agent is sarcoptic scabies. Sarcoptic scabies is microscopic mite that affects both the humans and animals [cats, dogs etc].  These mites gain entry in to the skin of the lovely pet cat and results in various types of skin problems.

The human beings who are living close by to the affected pet cat are likely to get infected. Scabies is more commonly noticed in young cats, but one needs to be informed that all age groups are equally susceptible. For the survival the mite has to be attached with the host.

Symptoms

The affected cats will have very severe pruritis which will not show any response to the symptomatic treatment. You can notice the constant scratching of the cat. At the beginning one will notice, papules [small bumps that are red in color] at the elbow, ankles, abdomen, chest and margins of the ear. Soon there will be generalized lesion. One can notice crusty scores and hair loss in patches.

In general the symptoms are due to allergic response of the body of the cat to the mite. The incubation period is 2 to 3 weeks. Incubation period is nothing but the time taken for the symptoms to develop from the entry of the organisms.

In case the infection is not treated immediately, there can be thickening of the skin, increased pigmentation, draining tracts and ulceration of the skin.  The secondary bacterial infection is very common due to the constant scratching [self trauma].

Diagnosis

Clinical sign- the onset and spread pattern that is suggestive of scabies infection. Skin scrapping examination- the scrapping collected at the point of lesion will be subjected to microscopically examination to find out the mite presence. Treatment response- if the response to the scabies treatment is good, then that itself is one good indication that the diagnosis is correct.

Treatment

The key in treating the scabies mite is the duration of the treatment. The cats must be treated for 3 weeks as the life cycle of the mite is 3 weeks. The other house holds also needs to be treated simultaneously as a preventive measure to avoid re infection.

Anti parasitic lime sulfur dip- the cats must be subjected to anti parasitic lime sulfur dip every week without fail.

Iver mectin is a very effective anti parasitic drug, which can be administered to the affected cat.  The dosage is as per the vet’s advice. This drug needs to be given 3 times at the interval of 2 weeks. But one should wary of using this treatment option as some breeds likely to have adverse reactions to this drug.

Revolution is a product which can be applied topically. This is very effective for flea control and heart worm eradication, and for the sarcoptic mite treatment. Antibiotic treatment is inevitable in case secondary bacterial infection was noticed

Care at home

Regular vacuuming, cleaning, washing etc of the cat house and its surrounding will help to minimize the parasitic infection such as scabies. 

The cats must be washed at least once in a week time. better to use anti parasitic [lime sulfur ] agents at that time for dipping. One has to very careful while using lime sulfur combination as it will damage the porcelain dishes and jewelry. The hair coat may get yellow tinge due to the action of sulfur. One must use gloves while dipping the cat. The other disadvantage is the offensive odor of the sulfur, which resembles rotten egg smell.

The dip has to be performed out doors, not indoors. The cat must be allowed inside the house only after complete drying. This way the furniture and other items are protected from sulfur.

Have you ever heard the term FLUTD? It is nothing but feline bladder infection. It is also called as cystitis. You can easily identify this disease simply by the way your cat is urinating. Your cat will urinate often outside the litter box and also cries out whenever she tries to urinate. Blood in urine also being noticed.

One step further, if your cat can’t urinate at all, immediately seek an appointment from your vet because there might be blockade in her urinary tract. So your cat requires treatment solely on diagnosis.

The main treatment for this feline bladder infection is prescribing antibiotics. The problem of this disease can easily be ascertained by urinalysis to check for white blood cells and also you ought to perform a urine culture for your cat to identify the bacteria that is causing this dreadful disease. Urine cuture also help us to choose the suitable antibiotic to contain feline bladder infection.

The ticks, is the tiny arthropods that bothers the cats very much by preying on the. Ticks are not insects, and are acarina order members. These ticks not only prey on cat but also indulge in disease transmission.  The vets as well as the pet owners have been fighting against these tiny arthropods for years and the fight still continues.

These tiny arthropods trace the potential prey by heat sensors. They get attached to the prey firmly. Thus once reaching the cat the ticks slowly makes its move and reach a part where there is less concentration of the hair such as ear or lips. Then, by inserting its mouthpiece the ticks starts feeding on the cat.

The Tick Removal Process

There are many methods available for the tick removal. Some of the methods such as applying extinguished match or fingernail polish are not full proof as these two only causes the mouth part loosen and don’t trigger of the fall of the tick from the cat.

The other effective way is use of tick removal devices such as tweezers. One should wear gloves while using these devices to pull out the ticks. This is because the ticks may harbor disease transmitting organisms. At times the head of the tick may remains in the skin. In such case nothing to bother much as it won’t harm any more. At times bit of skin too may come off with tick, while pulling, just don’t worry. In general the cat’s immune system will take care of these minor damages. In case you are convinced, the vet’s help can be solicited.

Prevention and Control of Cat Ticks

The control and the prevention of tick is must to keep the pet away from diseases that are transmitted through the ticks. Besides trying to remove the ticks as and when spotted, we should care for not allowing the pet cat to get the tick. The cat house and environment must be free from ticks.  The tall grass or the small bushes needs to removed or at least sprayed for ticks.

Special care needs to be taken while traveling through the tick prone areas with the pet cat.  The market is filled with various procedures such as bathing, dipping, spraying, or powdering to eliminate or kill the ticks. Even topical medications are available for the same purpose. Any one of the above mentioned procedure can be followed for tick elimination as preventive procedure. Tick colors also are very effective in detaching the tick as well as preventing the attachment, which can be tried as and when required.   

It is always advisable to consult the veterinarian before deciding on the medication for tick complaint for cat, because some have the habit of buying counter medication just to save money   or time of visiting a vet. He may suggest spot on products which can be applied on the pet cat as advised by the vet once in a month or as directed by the vet. The vet may advise the use of systemic topical products like fipronil methopre or without it. One should remember that the tick medications of the dog should never be used on cats.

The cat goes near a vertical structure, the tail is being lifted vertically and a small amount of urine is being sprayed from just beneath the tails of the cat. This is a very common scene for pet owners. The sprayed urine hits the ground surface firmly. One can notice very intense quivering movement of the tail [the tip] of the cat at that time. The cat will show intense concentration on its face.

If you consider this as litter box problem, then you are absolutely wrong. It is a kind of communication, [nonverbal nature] of this cat with the other fellow cats. The meaning of this act is that this area is mine. It is like ear marking its area, there by informing the other cats not to enter his domain.

The spray of the cat contains a substance called pheromone. These chemical substances are produced in the cat’s body for this kind of nonverbal communication. In cat’s body, different types of pheromones are produced by different parts. The pheromones are used for attracting mate, defining their boundary, expressing the well being etc. The pheromone combinations are unique for a cat and the combination is not the same in other cat. Just as the finger prints differ from individual to individual, the pheromone combination too differs from cat to cat.

The cats use different ways to mark their boundary. Some cats scratch the substance or surface, some cats leave their faces in a place uncovered, and some cats rub against a particular thing at the boundary. but spraying is the most common method. Males especially, the intact ones are aggressive in spraying. This can’t rule out the possibility of spraying in castrated males, as they too spray if aroused. Female do indulge in spaying practice, but they do so in squatting position.

In general the urine marking can be done either by standing or squating position by the cat.  The volume of the fluid that comes out may be small or can match the regular outflow. The vertical structures are the prime targets. Some cats exhibit virtual marking behavior. Here there is no urine passed and this act is also called as phantom spraying.

Things to do if the spraying is noticed

The vet needs to be consulted to rule out the medical problem possibility.

Neutering the cat is a good idea as this can solve the spraying problem the area needs to be cleaned completely using product that contains deodouriser. Better to avoid ammonia mixed or based products as the smell of ammonia may induce the cat to spray again.

If the pet cat is under any kind of stress, please try to avoid the stress which may be the triggering spraying. Commercial pheromone products can be used to discourage the cat from spraying.

Like all the mammals the cats too love to play. Not only the young cats, the grown-up cats too love and enjoy playing. The play not only makes the cat physically active but the mental acumen too gets sharpened. The play is very fun to the cat, which is why even the adult cats involve in it. Watching the cat’s play is good entertainment for the pet owner. Play of course is bit complex activity.  There are three different forms of cat’s play. It is not easy for any individual to separate these three different forms.

The social play

Here the kittens play with their mother, father, litter mates, the pet owner and also with the other pet animals like dog. During this form of play the cats; especially the small ones understand the world and their place in the world. The very personality trait of the kittens has direct impact of their playful activities which continues till their adulthood. As the kittens grow, they stop playing with the littermate and start playing with the pet owner or care takers. At this stage the pet owner can very well confirm that the cat had adapted in to the family.

The object play

Here the kids start playing with the objects. The kittens learn to bat, poke and toss around the objects. The same play tactic is used to deal with the prey. During this crucial learning period, the cats develop their skills to fight and defend themselves from the predators. The pet owner can observe that the cats will almost fight with the toy or object by flipping and encircling the object as if it is her prey. This crucial play period, the cat understands the difference between the animate and in animate things. One can notice the cat jumping out of the toys, run away from it and the cat’s delight of discovering that it is harmless.

The locomotors play

The locomotors play such as running and jumping helps the cat to improve its coordination, strength and flexibility. This locomotor play keeps the cat to remain fit physically and also increases the appetite. Besides this the locomotor play chases away the boredom. It is better to allow the cat to have good locomotor play session at night. This immensely helps the cat to have good night sleep thus helping the owner to have a peaceful sleep without worrying about the nocturnal habit of the cat. In addition to the physical improvement, the cats do improve their emotional aspects during locomotor play.

During the first month of the life the cats will like to see and hear more, than to play. Because nursing and sleeping will tale quite a lot of time during their periods. At that period jingling or crinkly will have very less effect on the kittens. The kittens can’t focus on the object that is moving. They can’t even chase a moving object for want of strength and required coordination.

The second month of the life is the suitable time to engage the cats in play. At 7 weeks the cats will be extremely active. The same intensity level will be maintained till 14 weeks of age. The kittens will start playing without any stimulation but the adults require encouragement to start playing. By making the adult cat play, the pet owner will understand more about his pet thus chasing away the possibility of any behavioral disorder of the pet.

Separation anxiety is a problem of children, we all know. The same can affect the cats too. This psychological problem of cat bothers the pet owners most. The separation anxiety in cats is expressed differently, unlike dogs. The cats don’t bay and howl like dogs. They don’t dash and bite the door or even the window sills of the house. They don’t make any attempt to escape from the new environment. They suffer in silence and only the pet owner could understand the uneasiness of the cat.

Separation anxiety, we all know stems from the animal’s low confidence level and the dependency on others like pet owners, fellow kitten or mother cat. Though the expression of separation anxiety is due to environmental factors the susceptibility increases due to genetic factor. e.g.  Breeds like mainecoons are less susceptible whereas the breeds like Burmese and Siamese are highly prone for separation anxiety.    

Separation Anxiety -Signs

There are few signs which can be observed to understand the cat’s separation anxiety. Here they are.   The cat will follow the owner, where ever he moves about in the house.

The cat may express signs of depression when the owner prepares to move out either for work or any other purpose. The cat will start mewing, hiding, slinking away, sulking etc. the cat will start crying, and meowing or moaning once the owner left the scene. This can be observed by the household of the owner.

The cat will not eat in the absence of owner. In some cases the cat will urinate or defecate on the owner’s cloth or property or on the door through which the owner left. At times the cat may indulge in excessive self grooming or destructive behavior or may vomit. 

Treatment- Behavioral

The separation anxiety in dogs can be corrected to some extend by proper training, but in cat the training is tricky and bit difficult too. Teaching "home alone environment "and by training the cat to sleep in the cat bed while the owners is not in the house will help to great extend. We can also make the cat to have a full view of the surrounding by taking her to up-stars. Positioning the windowpane bird feeders strategically   and providing mobile toys helps to some extend to overcome the separation anxiety. The radio can be put on even when the owner is away.

Treatment -medical

Incase the behavioral treatment is not providing the necessary result one can opt for medical therapy. There are many anti anxiety medications available in the market which can be used after the consultation with vet. Medication like clomipramine [primarily dog use], fluoxetine, and buspirone serves the purpose.

Conclusion

The separation anxiety in cat is not major problem as it is in cats, hence same can be ignored. Those who are having the genetically susceptible breeds like Burmese can take extra precaution. The behavioral therapy is best recommended as it has no side effects like the medications.