Tips and Tricks for Cat Owners

Shedding hair: Brush your kitty with a fine wire brush. To get the hair off of the back of your couch you can run the brush gently over it or rub it with a fabric softener sheet. Extra bonus: Put all that hair in an old onion bag (or other kind of mesh bag) and hang it near your bird feeder. Birds will love that you supplied a nice lining for their nests.

Claws: Instead of declawing your cat, clip her nails. It is easier if you wait until she's sleeping. Gently hold your cats paws, pull back slightly on the pad to expose the nail. Using a small pair of nail clippers, clip above the angle above the thick base where the nail starts to curve: in the clear part of the nail. If you cut too closely, styptic powder can be applied to stop the bleeding quickly. If you dont have any, you can make a thick paste with corn starch and water.

Clawing furniture: Invest in a scratching post.When making this purchase, you want to look for is sturdiness, you don't want it falling over and chasing off the cat or hurting her. Pay attention to your cats preferred scratching areas, does she like vertical or horizontal areas, what does the material feel like. If she still goes after the furniture, try a small spray bottle set to a fine mist to shoo her away, don't aim directly at the cat. Do not use this for litter box problems.

Litter box problems: Cats like litter so if your cats not using his try these steps to help him out. First make sure the litter pan is in a quiet area. If you have multiple cats, observe the behavior of the others using the litter. Establish a daily routine for your cat and introduce new animals/people slowly. Cover dirt in indoor planters with a mesh cloth so she cant dig in it. Try out a different litter or litter pan. Don't move the litter box around too much. Keep the area clean. One last note: you may want to get her a check up to eliminate any medical problems.