First and foremost keep in mind that declawing is not the answer. Declawing is a surgical procedure that involves amputating the last joint of a cat’s “toes”. Basically, declawing is the equivalent of cutting off the tips of your fingers. A cat’s claws are essential parts of their anatomy, essential to balance, mobility and survival. Declawing can often be the cause of other unwelcome behaviors and problems such as, biting, aggressiveness, litter box aversion and inability to balance well.

Provide Kitty a “Scratch OK” surface

Before we can deter a cat from scratching on what they should not scratch on we must provide them with at least one good quality surface where they are allowed to express their natural behavior. Then you can begin to re-channel kitty’s desires toward the appropriate surfaces.

Every cat should be provided with a good sturdy scratching post or tree. Cats like a post that will be sturdy and not wobble when they rip and tear at it with their claws. Therefore, when choosing a post or tree make sure it’s long enough to be at least the entire length of kitty’s body (at least 28 inches) when she is all stretched out in her scratching pose. Also, make sure it is large enough and has a wide enough base so that it won’t wobble. If the post topples over even once your cat will likely never go back to it. To prevent it from wobbling or toppling, secure it to the floor so that it remains firmly in place while being used.

Redirect the Scratching

Now that you’ve provided a suitable and enticing surface for kitty to scratch on, it should only be a matter of time before she begins to use it. However, she may still be enjoying tearing holes in that designer sofa. So how do we convince her to use the provided post exclusively for her scratching needs?

First we need to make her new post enticing, then if she still reluctant to give up her old spots, there are means to discourage her. First, we need to make the new post a desirable surface. Rub some cat nip on it to peak your cats interest and to get her in the right mood for scratching. You can even attach some feathers or other toys to it. Try to feed her and play with her by the post and reward her with a treat when she uses it. Remember that since scratching is a way that a cat marks their territory, the post should be placed in a common area of the house used by the whole family.

If after all this kitty is still going at it on that designer furniture, there are ways to deter her. Cover the areas she is scratching with aluminum foil or double sided tape. Cats do not like these surfaces. Also, since cats have an aversion to citrus odors you can try a lemon scented spray. If all else fails, you can keep a water gun handy and give kitty a little squirt or use a loud whistle when she scratches the undesirable surface. You must employ these deterrents while she is scratching for them to be effective and you must be consistent. Sequester your kitty to a scratch proof room when you’re not around to prevent her from getting away with the behavior consequence-free.

Alternate Solutions – Nail Trims and Soft Paws

Regular nail trims or “Soft Paws” are a humane way to take the destructive edge off kitty’s toes. Regular nail trims (every 2-4 weeks) will take the razor sharp tip off of kitty’s nail. This will greatly help minimize any potential scratching destruction. The Best Little Cat House offers nail trims for only $12 dollars! “Soft Paws” are acrylic nail caps and they are another great option. Soft Paws usually last about 4-6 weeks and they render kitty’s nails harmless. The Best Little Cat House also offers “Soft Paws” application services for only $20 for the two front paws or $30 for all four. Understanding that scratching is a natural habit is the first step. The next step is to take appropriate action. Providing kitty with a suitable scratching post and deterring her from on inappropriate scratching should keep both you and kitty happy.

-Cindy

How to Tell if Kitty Has Fleas

There are several ways to spot fleas on a cat. Perhaps the most obvious is if kitty seems to be scratching excessively. However, since cats scratch themselves as part of their normal routine, this may not be the best way to tell. The best way to tell is to search for flea dirt and actual fleas on your cat. Flea dirt will look something like salt and pepper flakes on kitty. The “salt” will be white and feel grainy. These are actually flea eggs. Gross! The “pepper” will look like little black or brown flecks. This is flea feces. Gross again! The actual flea will be very small, narrow and brown or black in color.

There are a couple good ways to search for fleas. One way is to roll kitty over onto her back and expose her belly. Then blow gently all around her belly to part the hair while searching for anything suspicious. Another option is to place kitty on a white sheet of paper and stroke her several times against the grain of the fur vigorously. If black specs fall off onto the white sheet of paper mist them with water, if they turn red, then it is flea dirt.

How to Get Rid of the Fleas for Good

Okay, so we’ve found evidence of fleas or actual fleas on kitty. What next? Getting rid of the fleas for good is a two part process. First, we need to get the blood suckers off poor kitty. This means a good bath is in order. You can try giving kitty a bath yourself at home with baby shampoo or leave it to the professionals at The Best Little Cat House. We use an all natural flea shampoo that will be safe for kitty, but curtains for the fleas. The bath alone will get rid of most of the fleas but it will not kill all of them, therefore, you must follow up the bath with a topical flea treatment like Advantage, Frontline or Revolution. Do not use cheaper generic versions of these products; they can contain chemicals that can be harmful to kitty’s health. The topical treatment will proceed to kill 98-100 percent of the fleas on kitty within 24 hours. The treatment will continue to work for up to 4 weeks thereby helping to break the life cycle of the fleas.

Next, it’s imperative to kill any fleas that may have taken up residence in your home. According to the Humane Society Cat Care Guide, only 5 percent of the fleas in your home are on your cat. Scary stuff! So how do we get rid of all those fleas hanging out in kitty’s home? First, all bedding should be washed in hot water. Then, locate all the areas in your home where fleas are likely to nest. These areas include carpet, behind and underneath furniture. These areas should be treated with borax. Sprinkle a small amount of borax on the affected areas and allow to sit for a while. Then vacuum all treated areas thoroughly. Be sure to keep kitty far away during this process since borax is toxic to her.

How to Keep the Fleas Away

Once the fleas on kitty and the fleas in the environment have been eliminated, preventing their return is easy. For most cases, treating kitty every four weeks with a topical flea treatment such as Advantage will do the trick. Also, regular vacuuming, dusting and mopping of your home helps to prevent cozy dust ball hangouts for fleas. If the problem is really bad you may need to look outside of your house. An aerosol type flea “bomb” used in the crawl space under your house is a good idea, just make sure to evacuate for a few hours while it’s working. Pyrethrine based bug killers work well on fleas and break down easily in sunlight for grass and garden spraying. We like to put up a sign out on the grass to keep pets and kids off for a few days especially when it’s wet from dew or sprinklers. Now you and kitty can raise your paws in victory, you have defeated the flea!

What a lot of people, especially first time cat owners, don’t know is that this behavior is crucial to a cat’s health. As cats become older they become more sedentary in general. They may groom poorly or not at all. A cat’s nail can continue to grow until it eventually pierces the pad of the foot if it isn’t kept sharp. The photo below was taken during a recent groom and was to worst case I’ve seen. Pretty much everything below the crusty bit near the thick end of that nail was embedded in what was left of this cat’s pad. The wound was septic and abscessed. Not good.

Of course this is potentially a problem which most cats will encounter if they live long enough but the nail need not penetrate the pad in order to create problems. When the nails become very long the cat is no longer able to retract them . The nails will take a lot of the weight of their body as they walk which is painful and places stress on the cat’s joints. Picture walking on your nails and the situation becomes apparent. When your cat starts getting older check its nails every couple weeks. Nail trims are easy, we can show you how to do it if you’re adventurous. If you’re squeamish bring your cat to your local animal groomer or veterinarian for a trim when you notice the nail is thickened and long. It only takes a moment and your cat will be much more comfortable afterward.

FIV, or the Feline Immunodeficiency Virus, was first isolated in cats in 1986 at UC Davis. FIV is a retrovirus belonging to the lentivirus family and it is related to the HIV virus in humans (the virus that causes AIDS). However, these two viruses are species-specific. HIV does not produce disease in cats and FIV does not produce disease in humans. FIV is most commonly found in free-roaming un-neutered toms and is thought to infect 1.2% to 4% of cats. Transmission of the virus is through bite wounds or blood transfusions. It is thought that food bowl sharing does not contribute to the spread of FIV. In our anecdotal experience, we have seen many multi-cat households with one FIV infected cat remain as such with no further transmission of the disease. FIV, like HIV, can live in its host’s body for years before leading to a life-threatening AIDS situation. Ultimately, FIV is suppressive to the immune system and the average life expectancy from the time of diagnosis is five years.

Vaccinations in general help to protect against infections by tricking the body into thinking it has the full blown disease thereby causing the white blood cells to develop antibodies to prevent against future infection. The FIV vaccine was developed by Fort Dodge, a leading manufacturer of animal vaccines.  There are five strains of FIV virus, called “Clades.”

• The vaccine was made using Clades A and D and tested using Clade A. Clade B, for example, is a very common strain in most regions of the U.S. and no testing of the vaccine has been performed thus far against Clade B. This means that a pet owner might wrongly believe they were protecting their cat fully against the FIV virus with this vaccine. California has both Clades A and B.
• The FIV vaccine is an “adjuvanted” vaccine. An adjuvant is an additive used with killed vaccines to improve their ability to stimulate the immune system. Unfortunately, adjuvanted vaccines have been implicated in the development of certain tumors in the cat. (For more information on vaccine-associated sarcomas click here). Our hospital currently uses no adjuvanted vaccines for cats and has no desire to administer a vaccine that stimulates tumor growth even under rare circumstances.
• Vaccinated cats will test positive on all current methods of testing for the FIV virus. This means it will no longer be possible to distinguish vaccinated cats from truly infected cats. The vaccine is advertised at protecting 82% of cats which means 18% can still be infected. This is nearly a one in five chance of unknowingly having an infected cat. What this means in practical terms is if your cat has been vaccinated for FIV and gets loose it may be subjected to destruction since FIV positive cats are routinely destroyed by animal control.

In our opinion, since incidence of this disease if fairly low in most house cats and the vaccine has unacceptable risks associated with it, we believe that annual testing is the best approach. It is important to note the UC Davis VMTH pharmacy does not stock this vaccine, and its routine use in indoor cats is not recommended. Certainly owners of recently adopted cats should develop their own philosophy in conjunction with their family veterinarian when it comes to this vaccine. If you decide to vaccinate against FIV be sure to have your cat tested just prior to the vaccination.

Sources:
U.C. Davis School of Veterinary Medicine
American Association of Feline Practioners
PetSide.com
About.Com:Cats
Mar Vista Animal Medical Center
Manhattan Cat Specialists
How Stuff Works

It is said that the Prophet Muhammad was an animal lover and had a special fondness for cats. One day, as he was preparing to leave for prayer, he discovered his cat Muezza sleeping on the sleeve of his garment. Rather than disturb the sleeping cat, Muhammad cut off the sleeve. It’s the assumption that the letter M symbolizes the esteem in which he held cats. In the Islamic world cats are highly regarded and are even permitted in mosques.

A few weeks back a couple took a tour of our L.A. location because they were thinking about adopting a kitten from the shelter and were planning ahead for their holiday vacation.  Cindy convinced them to have a look at Fred and Stinky by mentioning the positive aspects of adopting older cats. They were both spayed (Fred’s a girl!) and house broken and both are really easy going, low maintenance cats. I like the idea of adopting older animals because their personalities are fully developed.

It turns out they were a great fit. I checked in last week and the cats have adjusted well to their new home and the owners adore them.

:EDIT: Stinky got returned to us. Apparently the owner was moving away and couldn’t take her “baby”.

A couple stopped by The Best Little Cat House in Burbank today thinking we were a cat rescue place. Even though we aren’t, we have several cats up for adoption who were abandoned by their owners.

I’d like to think most of these owners gave up their cats as a last resort, though dropping a cat off for grooming AND boarding and never picking it up isn’t an ethical maneuver in my book. The sad truth is we’ve had 7 or 8 cats dumped on us in the past 6 months. As a small business owner it’s never an easy thing to swallow when someone decides to contract a service and stiff you for the bill. As an animal lover, it’s bewildering why someone would decide to abandon an animal. It’s not that much work to take care of a cat. OK end of rant.

Sable’s been with us now for going on seven months. Her owner made good with us a while back and since Sable’s really a wonderful cat she can stay with us as long as she lives. The couple spent time with Polly (another rescue cat) and Sable and said thet’d be back next week to choose one. They seem really nice and I’m sure will provide a good home.