We Heart Cats

Cat urine is something that all kitty parents will have to deal with. Of course, the ideal situation is as it is being neatly scooped up from the litter box. However, some cats are a bit more free with their peeing habits. So, after noting this firsthand, here are some reasons I’ve found out why:

A female un-spayed female might urniate outside of the litter box when in heat. A male will do the same thing.

Males who are not neutered will mark their territory by urinating in the corner of rooms, regardless of whether or not it’s mating season.

Cats who think their litter box is too full will urinate somewhere else until the litter box is cleaned.

Stressed cats (this could be from health problems, or a change of residence) will urinate out of nervousness.

If a cat is accidentally shut in a room and has to urinate, it will find a hidden spot and urinate there.

Urination outside of the litter box also happens often in homes with a dog or multiple cats.

Websites that can help:

18 Ways To Stop Cat Urine Odor

Train Your Cat to Use a Human Toilet!

How To Get Rid Of Cat Urine & Odor From Your Home

PeeAway Pet Urine Neutralizer

How To Make Your Own Cat Urine & Odor Remover

Cats are quite a popular addition to a home, and for good reason: they are as lovable as they are intelligent! However, too many cats have ended up in a shelter because of improper adjustment to their new home. A website that I found that has a lot of information on how to deal with various cat behavior problems can be found HERE .

As a responsible kitty parent, here are some tips to make the new kitty feel more at home:

First of all, a cat should always have a companion. If the kitty parent will be home most of the time, then the cat will be fine on its own. However, for those kitty parents that have to be at work most of the day, it’s very important to have a playmate for the cat - get two cats instead of just one to keep each other company while Mom or Dad are away.

If you do plan on getting two cats contingently, make sure they’re the same age. I found this out the hard way. When I got my youngest cat Mozart two years ago, I thought he’d keep himself busy with the two older cats I have. However, since the two older cats are, in fact, so much older, they weren’t really all that interested in playing with him. Thank goodness for my little Yorkie Spunky, because he will play with him!

Of course, I ran into a bit of trouble with dominance on the part of Mozart and my oldest cat, a male named Buster. Buster, then fifteen, had ruled the roost, and now here was a young whippersnapper trying to take over his territory. The result? Many a fight. Mozart didn’t try to challenge Ruby because she’s female. Needless to say, it was quite hectic around my home for a while, trying to break up fights and making sure that poor old Buster didn’t get hurt. I consulted the veterinarian about it, and he said that it is a natural process and to let them duke it out until it really looked like one of them was going to get hurt. Nowadays, there’s still the occasional fight, but everyone’s pretty much accepted everyone else.

Cat parents want to do whatever they can to keep their cats healthy. So, what are some ways to tell? The Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine released some signs that indicate a cat is healthy, and you can check them out HERE

For a website that has a lot of detailed information about cat health, click here!

Cats love anything new, and here’s a site I came across that sells DVDs just for cats! Not only will it be fun for the cats, but it will be fun for you to watch the cat’s reactions! Check out the site HERE.

This is a question that plagues many cat parents, especially if they have multiple cats. For example, I have two older cats, and one young cat, and all of them have different dietary needs. For cats that have certain medical conditions, veterinarians might suggest WD Formula cat food. This kind of cat food is easy on cat stomachs, and is moderately priced.

Fancy Feast is for cat parents that like to give their cats wet food. There are many different flavors and consistencies to choose from with this brand. However, wet food does lead to faster tooth decay, so it’s best to mix in some dry food with the wet food.

My personal choice for cat food is IAMS. They have formulas for each age bracket, and the food is highly nutritious. Plus, my cats can be picky eaters, but they love it!

I love a good joke, and here are plenty of them that I found at THIS WEBSITE

For all you cat lovers out there, I highly recommend I Love Cats magazine. This magazine has been around for years, and it’s always a delight to read. The magazine contains great tips on cat care, information on cat breeds and products, heartwarming stories, and adorable pictures. Check out the site for the magazine HERE

I found this cute Top 10 List HERE and thought I’d share:

Out of my three cats, only one of them has had to have his teeth cleaned, and boy was it an experience. You can generally tell when your cat needs a teeth cleaning. The teeth are brownish, and the cat has terrible breath. If the teeth aren’t cleaned, the cat ends up with abscesses, which can lead to other health problems. While some cats are docile enough to allow their kitty parents to clean their teeth, often the veterinarian has to do it. This usally ends up being an overnight stay, because it’s a surgical procedure and the cat needs an anesthetic. When it comes time to pick kitty up, you might need to give the kitty some medication. Put the kitty, food, and the litterbox in the bathroom for a day or two, because the cat will be disoriented from the anesthetic, and needs to be in an enclosed space so it won’t get hurt. Fortunately for the cats, they don’t need their teeth cleaned all the time!

You can hear it coming. The cat starts coughing and heaving. Pretty soon a hairball is on the floor. I don’t know why, but my cats always choose the carpet to unleash a hairball. Luckily, it doesn’t happen too often. However, hairballs are inevitable, especially given how meticulous cats are about grooming. I’ve found that there are a couple of ways to ease the hairball. First of all, if you happen to be around when it’s happening, try to run the cat’s throat. This will ease the heaving, and sometimes the hairball goes away. However, the hairball definitely shouldn’t stay in the cat’s stomach. So, the next step is to get anti-hairball food, which is available at your veterinarian’s or at your local pet supply store. Lastly, brush your kitty often - especially if the cat has long hair.

With my two older cats, I never had this issue. However, once Mozart arrived, I slowly began seeing little pieces of poop in places where they shouldn’t have been. Cats are supposed to be meticulously clean, so why the heck was this happening?! I turned to the internet and did a basic search. It turns out that this behavior is known as “Poop Hockey.” In fact, many cats tend to do this at least a few times. Why? Well, the answer has to do with one simple thing: the cat is bored. Cats who tire of their toys (especially young cats) will turn to their poop and bat it around just to do something different. As for what you can do to stop this behavior, play with your cat for at least a half hour everyday. Also, make sure that the litter box is cleaned once in the morning, and once at night. If the smell of cat urine (the cat is marking out of a territorial nature and/or boredom) instead of poop hockey is the problem, you can find a soluton HERE.

I only took over the reins of writing for this site about a week ago, and have already met with such a positive response! I love feedback from all of you cat lovers out there, so if there’s something you’d like me to write about, just send me an e-mail and I’ll see what I can do!

Also, it has come to my attention that We Heart Cats has been nominated for a Blogger’s Choice Award! If you love this blog, please vote HERE.

My cats love to crawl into things to feel secure. Many a time have I come home from work to find a kitty or two under a stray blanket. While searching Petco.com today, I found a great little hideaway that comes complete with catnip:

It’s available for a reasonable price, too, so click HERE for reviews and ordering information.

Having given you all a heads up about what was happening with the Cat Fanciers Association cat shows, now I’m going to give you the 2008 schedule for The International Cat Association’s cat shows. These dates are subject to change, so keep updated on cat shows and registration information by checking out The Official TICA Show Calendar

MAY

17-18 Longview, WA The International Specialty Club
17-18 Porto Alegre, Brazil Clube Gaúcho do Gato
18 Arcadia, CA SoCal ExoTICA Cat Club
24-25 Buenos Aires, Argentina TICAdelPLATA
24-25 Moscow, Russia Crystal Club
31, June 1 Montenaken, Belgium Belgium Cat Lovers
31, June 1 Enderby, Leicester, UK TickedTICA Cat Club

JUNE

7-8 West Warwick, RI Mysticats Cat Club
7 Tokyo, Japan Cloud Nine Cat Club
14 Fort Worth, TX Ft. Worth Feline Fanciers
14-15 Chehalis, WA Commencement Cat Club
14-15 Arcadia, CA America’s Finest Felines
21-22 TBA (North of England) CatTica All Breed Cat Club
21-22 Sidney, B.C., Canada Garden City Cat Club
21 Loveland, CO NoCo LoCo Cat Club
21-22 Pigeon Forge, TN Volunteer Cat Club
22 Sancerre, France Gallic Cat
28-29 Orange, TX Orange Blossom Cats
28-29 Portage, IN Glass CiTICAts
28-29 Gagny, France Shadow and Light

JULY

5-6 Buenos Aires, Argentina TICAdelPLATA
5-6 Tournai (Kain), Belgium Be TICACats Club
6 Arcadia, CA San Gabriel Valley CF
12-13 St. Petersburg, FL Hurricane Cat Club
12-13 Wauwatosa, WI Wisconsin-Illinois Cat Fanciers
12-13 Waco, Texas Lone Star Cat Club & NEKO Junior Achievers
12-13 Newbury, West Berkshire, UK Spoticat
19-20 Wichita Falls, TX The Maine Coon Connection of Texas
19-20 Allentown, PA Christmas City Cat Club (MA Regional)
26-27 Pasadena, CA SoCal ExoTICA Cat Club (SW Regional)
26-27 Kissimmee, FL AquaTICAts (SE Regional)
26-27 Yakima, WA The Evergreen Cat Fanciers (NW Regional)

AUGUST

1-3 Grand Rapids, MI Great Lakes Cat Consortium (GL Regional)
9-10 Langley, BC Cat Fanciers of BC
9-10 Sturbridge, MA NECCO (NE Regional)
10 Arcadia, CA America’s Finest Felines & Kat Knappers Cat Club
16-17 Austin, TX Austin Cat Fanciers (SC Regional)
16-17 Bracknell, Berkshire, UK Spoticat
16-17 Porto Alegre, Brazil Felis Catus Criadores Associados
16-17 Hayward, CA East of Eden and South Bay Cat Clubs (MP Regional)
30-31 Arlington, TX South Central Annual Team (TICA Annual)

SEPTEMBER

6-7 Porto Alegre, Brazil Clube Gaúcho do Gato
7 Tokyo, Japan Shonan Cat Club
13-14 Tucson, AZ Coatimondi Cat Club
13-14 Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Edmonton Cat Fanciers
13-14 Buenos Aires, Argentina TICAdelPLATA (SA Regional)
13-14 Marstons Mills (Cape Cod), MA Cats on the Beach
19-21 Reno, NV Silver Cats Club
20-21 North Augusta, SC Cattyshack Cats
20-21 Norwich, CT Mysticats Cat Club
20 Beaumont, TX Golden Triangle Cat Club
20-21 Maidstone, Kent, UK TickedTICA Cat Club
20-21 Moscow, Russia Crystal Club
26-28 Toledo, OH Buckeye oHIo Rollers
27-28 Arcadia, CA San Gabriel Valley CF
27-28 Altheim, Austria Blue Danube Cat Club
27-28 Porvoo, Finland Alfa Felis

OCTOBER

3-5 Longview, TX La Cats
3-5 Lodi, CA Jazzy Cats
4-5 Lutterworth, Leicestershire, UK Bengal Cat Club of Great Britain
4-5 Madrid, Spain TICAndalusí
4-5 Palmer (Easton), PA Lehigh Valley Cat Club
11-12 Evergem, Belgium Belgium Cat Lovers
11-12 Crepy en Valois, France Euro-Cat
11-12 Tokyo, Japan Enjoy Cat Club
11-12 Tulsa, OK T-Town Katz
11-12 New Milford, CT Americats
11-12 Salt Lake City, UT Salt City Cat Club
18-19 South Bend, IN Great Lakes Area Cat Enthusiasts
18-19 Jacksonville, FL Florida Sun Cats
18-19 Arcadia, CA Purr Pourri of Kats
25-26 Calgary, Alberta Southern Alberta Calgary Cat Fanciers
25-26 Toulouse, France Cats French Lovers (ES Regional)
25-26 Hartford, CT Chowder Chuggers Cat Club
25-26 Pleasanton, CA Fog City Cat Club
31, November 1-2 Lancaster, PA Keestone Katz

NOVEMBER

1-2 TBA (Southwest England) CatTica All Breed Cat Club
1-2 St. Francis, WI Great Lake Friends of Felines
1-2 Orleans, France Catimini Club
1-2 Heinenoord, The Netherlands Cats and Tulips
7-9 Richmond, BC, Canada Can-Am Cat Club
8-9 Meridian, MS Mississippi Cat Fanciers
15-16 Giubiasco, Switzerland Cat In A Boot
15-16 Arcadia, CA America’s Finest Felines
15-16 Irving, TX Turkish Van Cat Connection
15-16 Portage, IN Glass CiTICAts
22-23 Elsecar, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England NaturallyTICA
22-23 White Plains, NY Westchester Feline Club
22-23 Cleveland, OH 44135 Great Lakes Cat Consortium
29-30 Bourges, France Gallic Cat
29-30 Vienna, Austria Blue Danube Cat Club
29-30 Montréal, Québec, Canada Feline Cat Club

DECEMBER

5-7 Tucson, AZ Coatimondi Cat Club
12-14 Corpus Christi, TX The International Feline Showcase
13-14 Arcadia, CA Kat Knappers Cat Club
13-14 Córdoba, Spain TICAndalusí