Cats with blue eyes are not more prone to blindness than cats with any other eye color. However, blue-eyed, white cats are more likely to be born with inherited deafness.

According to current research, About a fifth of white cats with non-blue casino spiele eyes are born deaf. In white cats with only one casino internetowe blue eye, deafness is 40% likely, and those with two blue eyes are up to 85% likely to inherit deafness. However, cats suffering from deafness, either in one or both ears can often get along fine without much assistance. As long as these cats are kept as indoor cats and away from danger, their impaired hearing shouldn’t affect them too much.

Many people falsely believe that in order to find the age of a dog, or sometimes cat, in comparison to human years, we must multiply the actual age of the pet by seven. But seeing as both cats and dogs experience rapid aging in their earlier years, and age more slowly as time goes on, it isn’t that simple.

One way to roughly estimate the “human age” of your cat is to add 15 years for their first year of life, ten for their second, and four every year after that. For example, a one –year-old cat is roughly fifteen years old in human years; a two-year-old is roughly twenty-five. And using this method, we can calculate that at 16 years old, your cat is around the age of a human 80-year-old.

So, are cat years about equal to dog years? Well, yes and no. Small dogs age around the same rate as a cat, but the larger the dog, the more quickly they age. While a 16-year-old small dog or cat is around 80 years old in human years, a 16-year-old medium sized dog is around 87, and a 16-year-old large dog is around 120 in human years.

It may be true that cats are in fact faster than dogs. In fact, cheetahs are said to be the fastest land mammal, able to reach speeds up to 100 km per hour (about 70 miles per hour.) The domestic cat has been said to be able to sprint at an average speed of about 31 miles per hour, while the domestic dog has been said to sprint at an average speed of about 25 miles per hour. I guess the only real way to find out for sure who runs faster is to make a cat and dog race each other and see who the winner is.

Generally, most domesticated cats are friendly and make wonderful pets, but it really just depends on the specific cat and his or her temperament. A number of things can determine a cat’s attitude. A few things that can have an effect on whether or not a cat is friendly include:

• How he or she was raised
• Environmental factors
• Health factors (disease, conditions, parasites, old age etc.)
• How the cat is being treated by the individuals around it.
• The cat’s past
• Traumatic events that have happened during a cat’s life
• Neglect, abuse, or being ill, etc.

Before setting out to find a new feline companion one should give some serious thought to how much keeping a cat costs and whether or not they can truly afford to keep one. Owning a cat is a serious commitment.

Keeping a cat as a pet, can be rather expensive however there are ways to cut down costs and whether or not you can afford to keep a cat as a pet is really up to how much you make financially and how well you take care of your cat. For instance, keeping your kitty indoors and up to date on his or her vaccinations can really save you a lot of money in the long run as it decreases your cats chances of contracting a nasty disease or parasite, etc.

In any case, cats are a wonderful companion and will enrich your life in all sorts of ways, so in the end the expense is usually worth it. Before searching for a cat, it is important to keep in mind that he or she needs a “forever home”, so before you make that leap it is important to consider all of the costs that are involved in keeping your cat healthy and comfortable for the rest of his or her life.
The Cost Of Buying A Cat

How Much Does Getting A Cat Cost?

Here are a few questions to ask yourself:

• Do I want a kitten or a cat?
• As a pet?
• To breed from?
• To show?
• To buy?
• To adopt?
• To rescue?

Other Things To Consider When Searching For A Cat

Pedigree kittens and kittens in general are much more expensive than older cats. Sometimes certain breeds can even cost hundreds or thousands of dollars. A cheaper route to go, and very beneficial to kitty is adopting a cat from a rescue shelter. Cats that are found here are usually already up to date on vaccinations, have come in as strays or from being abandoned or surrendered, and would be very grateful if you adopted them and gave them a forever home.

The other perk to adopting is that not only are you doing these poor cats a favor, but it is also usually cheaper to adopt as it usually just requires a small adoption fee, in most cases about $50-65. When adopting you will be asked to fill out an application and then notified if you pass the background check and application process before being able to take kitty home. Sometimes you will even receive a certificate for a free wellness exam that is good for a year. This can help tremendously with cutting costs down.

The Costs Of Keeping A Cat

Things you will need to buy just once:

• Food bowl
• Water bowl
• Litter box or tray
• Litter scoop
• Grooming set (brush, flea comb, etc.)
• Bed
• Scratching post
• Pet carrier
• Toys
• Microchipping (optional)
• Collar and I.D. tag

Ongoing Cat Costs

Things you will need to continue to buy:

• Food
• Litter
• Veterinary bills
• Annual vaccinations
• Flea and worm treatments
• Pet insurance (optional)

Useful Tips For Budgeting Your Pet Expenses

Before getting a cat here are a few useful tips you can utilize to budget your potential pet expenses for kitty. Afterwards if you decide to keep your cat, you can always go back and edit your budget to make paying for kitty each month a lot easier and less stressful.

• Copy all of the items above into a spreadsheet or write them down on a piece of paper. Research all of the costs by searching online or in your local area, and then add up all of the costs to find out the total.
• Visit your nearest pet store and price all items on the onetime costs list
• Check online to see if you can buy certain items such as food and/or litter for a cheaper price or have them delivered. Sometimes there are lots of savings or coupons online or perks if you buy items in bulk.
• Be on the lookout for special offers or discounts on pet foods in your local supermarket.
• Sign up as a member at your local pet store for additional coupons and savings. Many times once you become a member, after your purchase a certain amount of items you will get additional savings or can have coupons emailed to you or sent to you in the mail.
• Talk to your neighbors or friends with pets and call at least two local veterinary clinics to ask about the cost of annual vaccinations and health checkups. Another good thing to ask about is flea and parasite treatment as these sorts of things happen from time to time. Contacting a groomer may be another option you want to ask about.
• Shop around and search quotes online for annual pet insurance. It may seem like a costly expense, but it is minor compared to what you will pay in veterinary bills should your feline friend end up needing surgery. If you can afford it, get it. You’ll be glad you did.
• Consider applying for pet credit cards. It may sound silly, but there are a few different banks and/or companies that offer credit cards specifically for pets. The good thing about these credit cards is that many of them are not only for your cat’s health issues but can sometimes even be used for your own medical expenses as well. Be sure to read the fine print to see what your card will cover.

Care Credit Card

One great credit card out there is from Care Credit. It can be easily applied for online and if you have well enough credit it only takes a few minutes to get approved and is usually sent to you in the mail within a week or two. The other cool thing? After applying, many times they will give you the card info right away so you can charge the card in the meantime if you absolutely had to.

For a person with average/good credit you can easily get approved for at least $500-700 or more in a matter of minutes. Having this card really helps as most veterinarians accept it and it comes in handy when your cat needs to make an emergency visit to the vet but you don’t have the money to pay the cost upfront. Just charge it on your card and pay it off later, or pay a minimum balance monthly until you can make a payment in full. Another cool thing about this card is that sometimes you can get additional immediate discounts off of your vet bill for using it.

http://www.carecredit.com/vetmed/

Whether or not cats are easy to take care of is really a personal opinion and varies from person to person. However, taking care of cats is a lot easier than taking care of dogs as cats typically do not require as much affection as dogs, and use their litter box so there is no need to take them outside to use the bathroom as you would with a dog. Cats are also much more independent than dogs.

Here are a few tips for making taking care of your cat easy:

Feeding

Cats are very easy to feed. Basically all they need is fresh water, kibble, and wet cat food daily. Your cat’s water should be changed twice a day, their bowl of kibble should be filled up every morning, and they can be given some wet food in the evening. Usually your cat will clue you into what he does and does not like to eat, so eventually it shouldn’t be too hard to find him a food that he likes.

Litter

Choosing the right kind of litter to use with your cat is dependent upon what you prefer. The cheapest litters just lie in the litter box and fill up with urine and feces, while scoop able litter takes the urine and puts it into clumps. There are also organic litters that are a lot healthier for you and kitty as they do not contain dust and other added chemicals that can be harmful to your cat if he ingests litter from licking his paws. They are also better for your home as regular litters can make your house dusty. There are litters made out of recycled papers, sand, and pine. Feline Pine is a great alternative to your regular litter. It is made out of little pine pellets and turns to dust when it needs to be changed.

Once you have chosen the type of litter you would like to use, you should line kitty’s litter box with a litter bag or trash bag. Another easy option is to use a disposable bag and cut holes into it, or use a bag that already has holes in it. These are designed so that when you lift the bag, it will sift the unused litter away from the used litter. Simply throw away the used urine and feces and keep the unused litter that sifts through to the bag below it.

Your cat’s litter box should be scooped out at least once a day, and the bag should be changed once a week. In addition to this, fresh litter should be added to the litter everyday to help freshen things up a bit. Adding baking soda to the litter can also help keep things cleaner and smelling better.

Behavior

Since cats are crepuscular, meaning they are most active at dawn and dusk, they can be found sleeping most of the day away and are typically most active at night. Cats in nature hunt at night, so they generally wake up just as you are heading to bed. This can be frustrating when you’re trying to get to sleep and kitty wants to play or beg for attention, and hey he wants some food and he wants it now! If you have an indoor cat, they might change their schedule around a little since they don’t actually have to hunt for their food as a wild cat would. Trying to play with kitty more during the day and keeping him awake longer during the day should help tire him out just enough for the both of you to get some shut eye come night fall.

Health And Wellbeing

Always make sure that your cat is vaccinated, spayed and/or neutered. Cats can contract feline leukemia and feline AIDS. It is also important to make sure that they get their yearly booster shots and rabies shots. Having your cats fixed is also one of the most beneficial things you can do as it will hopefully keep your cat from spraying and can also cut down his or her risk for disease and other illness significantly. It is important to get them spayed or neutered before they go into heat.

Declawing is a personal option, and there is a lot of ethical debate about it. Technically declawing a cat is like if you were to cut off a human’s knuckles. Cat’s use their claws for many things. Speak to your veterinarian to learn about the pros and cons to declawing your cat and decide whether or not it is something you will follow through with. In any case, a cat’s back claws should never be declawed as it leaves them completely defenseless against predators. Make appointments for your kitty at least once a year for a health checkup with your veterinarian just to ensure that your cat is still in good shape and does not have any medical issues or dental problems.

Cats have voluntary control of their tails, which aids agility and communication. In fact, you can tell a lot about your cat just by looking at his or her tail. A tucked or lowered tail is a sign that your cat is sick, afraid, and/or submissive. A tail swishing back and forth could mean that your cat is excited, feeling playful, or about to attack. Cat’s tails have 18 to 23 vertebrae with attached muscles and nerves. A cat uses his or her tail for hunting and also for maintaining balance. You can always tell what a cat’s intentions are by looking at his or her tail movement and placement.

While it may seem unthinkable and/or taboo in many countries, and while some individuals might debate on the ethics of such a topic, cats are in fact edible and historically have been eaten by humans in the West for centuries. They also remain a common food in parts of Asia and other countries. The consumption of cat meat is especially common in areas where other food sources are scarce and in times of war and/or poverty.

Some cultures even believe that eating cat meat will bring good luck or health and have longstanding methods of preparation. Others consider the consumption of cat meat to be disgusting and/or taboo for hygienic or humane reasons. In response, supporters of cat meat have often argued that there is no difference with eating the meat of different animals.

When it comes to behavior in cats and dogs, dogs will do what they are told. For instance lets say you tell a dog to come, he will do so. If you tell a cat to come, he will think about it and get back to you. This is because cats are more independent by nature. However, this does not mean that cats cannot be trained. Quite the contrary, actually. However, the methods that are used to train your cat are going to be quite a bit different than the methods you would use for a dog since a cat’s mentality and behavior are wired differently. Cats are very intelligent creatures. Research has shown feline intelligence to include the ability to acquire new behavior that applies previously learned knowledge to new situations, communicating needs and desires within a social group and responding to training cues.

How To Train Your Cat to Do Tricks

Perhaps the most important thing to understand when it comes to training a cat is that negative reinforcement is a poor training method in any species, but especially when it comes to cats. Punishing a cat for doing something bad is more likely to make them afraid than obedient. The most effective method in training a cat is using positive reinforcement and rewarding them with things like treats. If a cat receives a reward for his or her behavior, he is more likely to repeat that behavior in the hopes of getting another treat.

The key to training a cat is to look for certain behaviors that your cat already performs and encourage those actions. Cats unlike dogs will not follow through with every trick you try to teach them, as they get bored or find no use in doing it if it doesn’t benefit them in some way. The key is to find something that your cat already enjoys doing and encourage that behavior. For instance, if your cat loves to play with toys and carry them around in his mouth, he might be a great candidate for learning how to fetch like a dog. If your cat loves to climb, he can be trained to walk along a narrow ledge. While training cats may not always work out the way you would like, it is not impossible. It just takes some time to understand your cat’s behavior and favorite hobbies and use that to your advantage to get the result(s) you desire.

How To Train Your Cat To Be More Obedient

Realistically, cats might be a little bit harder to train when it comes to performing tricks, however if you are like most people asking the question “can cats be trained” chances are, you are most likely inquiring because you would like to modify some of kitty’s behaviors such as scratching your furniture instead of his scratching post, or peeing on the floor instead of in the litter box.

Before you can start training your cat to do or stop doing something, first it is important to understand how a cat learns. Cats are not like us. They do not understand what we are saying when we tell them not to do something. They are creatures of instinct and they learn by experience. If the experience is good, they will repeat that behavior, if the experience is unpleasant they will try to avoid it in the future. When it comes to changing a cat’s behavior you are going to want to make sure that whatever it is you would like them to do is highly rewarding for them. Whatever you don’t want your cat to do needs to be extremely unpleasant.

Lets look at one example of negative reinforcement in cat behavior to understand this better. One common complaint many cat owners have is that their cat likes to wake them up at 5AM because he or she wants attention or to be fed. Rather than ignore kitty, most cat owners will give in and get up to feed or play with the cat. However by doing this, they have actually trained their cat to wake them up. Your cat has learned that this is okay and it has gotten him exactly what he wanted. This is a behavior that would need to be modified, but in order for it to change, you are going to have to learn not to give in to kitty’s high demands. You’re both going to have to start out with a clean slate. Below are tips on how to do that.

Rewards Vs. Reprimands

When training a cat to be more obedient reprimands do not work. If you catch your cat in the act of doing something bad chances are he will only misbehave later when you are not around. Rather than reprimanding or punishing your cat for his negative behavior try focusing on making your relationship with him fun, rewarding and playful. Keep things interesting and try to build trust with kitty. Sometimes this change alone can make all the difference in the world when it comes to your cat’s training problems. Many cats are known to become overly destructive when bored or feeling neglected. Just setting a few minutes aside each day to give your cat the attention he deserves and tiring him out with a bit of play once or twice a day can really change his behavior. Always praise and reward your cat for good behavior. Treats are a great way to reward your cat when he is being on his best behavior.

Making sure that your cat has lots of room to run around and play is also crucial to his behavior. When cats feel claustrophobic or unwanted they act out. Cats need space to roam freely, to claim, to mark as their territory. If your house is small, crowded, and boring your cat is going to show you that he thinks so in the way he acts. You may want to consider investing in some nice cat furniture, a scratching post, and/or some new toys that keep kitty alert and entertained. There are plenty of interactive toys for kitty sold at your local pet store that can keep him busy for hours.

In addition to enriching your cat’s environment and just showing him a bit more affection on a daily basis, one last and important step in training him to behave is to make certain things appealing and others unappealing. Lets say your cat keeps scratching your brand new couch. A proper way to deal with this would be to get him a nice scratching post and encourage him to use it by making it fun and appealing. Try sprinkling a bit of catnip around it, taking kitty’s paw and gently rubbing it against the post in a scratching motion, teaching kitty that it’s okay to scratch here. Now, make your couch unappealing to your cat. Some cats hate having sticky paws, there are certain tapes that you can buy at pet stores that are invisible and stick to the places your cat frequently scratches. Simply place it on your couch and watch kitty get annoyed as he places his paws up to scratch and finds the stickiness unappealing.

There are many other methods you can try. Certain sprays that can be bought that teach kitty to stay off of that particular piece of furniture or area, filling an empty spray bottle up with water, and squirting it at kitty when he does something bad, clickers that are sold at the pet store that can be clicked when kitty does something good. This is used in rewarding kitty. If he does something positive, you click and then reward him with a treat. Eventually kitty will associate good behaviors with the clicking sound he hears and expect a treat, encouraging him to continue repeating the behavior. There are all kinds of additional tricks and tips that one can take to make your cat behave. There are lots of books about cat behavior and how to train your cat. Also speaking to your veterinarian or a cat behaviorist are other options as they are experts who know a lot about felines and can definitely help with advice and additional methods of training and behavior modification. Best of luck.

Cats can be harmful to a baby’s health. However this does not always have to be the case as there are plenty of precautions pet owners/parents can take. Check with your veterinarian about your cat’s temperament and your baby. Cats with aggression problems are perhaps the biggest danger to infants and might need to be re-homed.

Possible Threats To Baby’s Health

Outdoor cats and sometimes even indoor cats, may encounter parasites (Toxoplasma gondii) and as a result can develop toxoplasmosis. Cats often get toxoplasmosis by eating infected animals. Toxoplasmosis has been known to cause stillbirths in pregnant women, as well as birth defects such as blindness. The best way to prevent toxoplasmosis is to bring outdoor cats indoors to prevent parasites. In addition, women who are pregnant should avoid the fecal matter cats and have somebody else change the litter box, as toxoplasmosis is often transmitted this way.

Are Cats A Danger To A Sleeping Baby?

According to the ASPCA, it is an old wives tale that cats will smother babies in their sleep. However it is important to keep in mind that newborns cannot turn their necks from side to side. It is for this reason that cats may obstruct infant breathing by snuggling up to them. Some cats may be found trying to do this as a way to keep warm. In order to keep baby safe, pet owners should keep the cat out of the infant’s room, or train it to stay out of the crib.