Category Archives: love your cat- talk about my cat

We feel you when you say “I love my cat!”  We share tidbits about my cats; plus this is where you can find out about cat breeds — maybe your cat. We really love it when people share their stories, video and photos of you and your cat or cats. Sends us photos, videos and stories about your cat to mykittycare.

cat learns to being held - and likes it!

Marnie likes being held!
photo by s.dunaif ©2017

why you should adopt two kittens: reason two

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That’s great that you want to adopt a kitten, but have you considered adopting two?

Here’s why you should adopt two kittens: reason two

Since it is not uncommon during kitten rescues for a kitten to have lost their mother, it is the siblings, if there are any, who become very important for how a kitten learns to be a cat. Or, once the kitten is in a shelter and either doesn’t have siblings, or their siblings have been adopted, they hopefully have developed a shelter pal. The significance of a shelter pal is that young kittens can form a relationship with each other that can be a substitute for a sibling.

why you should adopt two kittens: reason two
shelter pal
photo by shari smith dunaif © 2017

Sibling or shelter pal, they learn by playing together.

  • Kittens learn to gauge distance while jumping
  • Kittens learn to judge what spots are safe to land on
  • What spots are not safe
  • Develop balance while walking on anything narrow

They also learn by observing each other

  • Use of the kitty litter box
  • How to share their territory

Observation and play are both necessary ways for kittens to learn and develop skills.
And, a pair of kittens are twice the fun!

Why you should adopt two kittens: reason one

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It’s so much fun watching kittens play. And here’s

Why you should adopt two kittens:

They rassle, pounce, do all kinds of entertaining things. They also help each other learn. The mother cat is the primary teacher for the social and survival skills kittens need to learn,  in order to behave as adult cats. But it’s not unusual for kittens in a shelter to have lost their mother. So what happens if young kittens don’t have their mother? For siblings who don’t have a mom, at least they have each other.

reason one

let’s talk about biting
According to Rita Del Rey, Operations Cat and Volunteer Coordinator at ARF, kittens who are deprived of their mother, and siblings, are more likely to bite. That’s because a kitten raised alone has no one to learn from.

why you should adopt two kittens

lone shelter kitten
photo by shari smith dunsif © 2027

 

When kittens play together, they are learning to communicate, including how hard to bite.  If kittens are playing, and one kitten bites the other too hard, that kitten will certainly let the biting kitten know to not bite so hard. For alone kittens, how are they going to learn the difference between play biting from biting when hunting?

Why you should adopt sibling kittens

adopt sibling kittens photo by shari smith dunaif ©2017

so adopt two kittens:

  • Twice the love
  • Twice the cuddles
  • Two kittens can entertain each other while you’re busy or away at work
  • There’s not much added cost to having a second kitten

cat grooming Love Your Cat videos

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cat grooming Love Your Cat chapter 1

Love Your Cat videos are a series of five chapters, each chapter covers various topics about cats. Just released on my kitty care youtube channel, is cat grooming Love Your Cat chapter 1, which has great tips and information from Gerry, a professional cat groomer.

Gerry shows you how to clip your cat’s nails, and what the ” quick” is.

love your cat video cat grooming

Gerry with Perky
photo by shari smith dunaif © 2016

Gerry has suggestions on how to groom a short haired cat.

cat grooming short hair cats

Gerry grooms Toby, a short hair cat
photo by shari smith dunaif ©2016

Gerry demonstrates how to handle your cat while grooming her/him.

cat grooming Love Your Cat

Gerry drying Perky after his bath
photo by shari smith dunaif ©2016

Gerry loves her cat Perky, and loves taking care of him, which includes cat grooming.

cat grooming chapter 1

Gerry and Perky
photo by shari smith dunaif ©2016

Watch cat grooming Love Your Cat chapter 1, so you too can keep your cat healthy, beautiful and happy!

addressing an older cat

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Talking to an older cat

My cat Toby is an older gent. Come October (2017) he’ll be thirteen years old. I heard myself saying to him “Good boy,” after he did something sweet, as he frequently does.

Addressing an older cat

I calculate 1 cat year equals 5 human years, which means for Toby, when he celebrates his birthday, he’ll be 65 years old in human years.  So is it appropriate to address him as “boy”?

I think not.

Hence, I now refer to him as “cat-man”.

addressing an o,dear cat

Toby
photo by shari smith dunaif © 2017

So now I say “Toby, you’re a good cat-man.”

What my cat’s meow means

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A cat meows for lots of reasons

Like everybody everywhere, some cats are quite chatty, while others not so much, but at one time or another, your cat will look at you and meow. And? Chances are, your cat wants or needs something. What my cat’s meow means? Often it’s food or attention.

cat eats

Toby eats
photo by shari smith dunaif © 2016

Or, maybe they’re trying to tell you something else. One morning my cat Toby, a cat of few words, leapt onto the bed I hadn’t gotten out of yet and looked at me while he was meowing. He had food, so it must be something else. I petted him behind his ear, which he loves – makes him smile. But not this time, no he looked me in the eye and meowed again. Toby had never done this before. Maybe he was saying something about the litter boxes.
I always clean their boxes every morning and if necessary, at night too. But he needed to use the litter box, and someone else had used both boxes and he wanted his litter cleaned NOW!

why cats meow

“Scratch my ears. Please.”
photo by shari smith dunaif © 2016

 

 

Other times, Toby meows because he does want his ear scratched. I love seeing Toby smile.

 

Or when you get home from work or taking care of errands, or whatever happens beyond your cat’s world – which is irrelevant and insignificant to your cat, you are back. Maybe, your cat greets you with a happy Meow!
Our wonderful and talkative cat Little Bear (we miss her so much) would meow every time we’d sneeze. Every time – I sneeze a lot because I’m allergic to cats, it was like she was saying “I know you love me!”

Introvert or extrovert, cats certainly communicate. I’m not sure if it’s true, but I’ve heard that cats only meow to their human companions. Either way, cats do meow as one of several ways they communicate with us.

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