Great Products
from
ClydeSight
Productions

Subliminal
Messaging

Psychic
Pet Control

E-Books!

Cross of Ramplet

A Marketing Feast

Music!

Symphonia Felina
Music CD

Forestdale
Music Album CD

Psychic/Spiritual!

The Dream Angel Oracle!

Little Angel Messages

ClydeStuff!

Ceramic Mug

Tote Bag

Shirt

Small Box

Digital Art Print

Magnet

Postcard

Digital Art Print

Mousepad

Harmonising the Environment for your Feline Friends
Part One - Indoor Cats

by Cathrine Garnell, author of "Basil, the Bionic Cat"

Tim Thompson has already written in depth on the matter of Cat Vigilance around the home for cat safety, but I would like to share a few tips on harmonizing the home your cat or cats, after all it's their home too. You don't have to compromise too much, just a little to make your cats happy little purr monsters.

I live with six very cute cats, collectively known as the Kitty Clan or KC, all of whom have very different needs and requirements, which makes for a very interesting time.

Tips for Harmony Inside the Home

Toys

If your cat/s live inside and never go out, you need things to stimulate them. Boredom makes for a very unhappy, discontented and bad tempered cat. Even if your cats do go outside, they still need toys for when they are indoors. The pet stores have loads of things to choose from; I've tried plenty of them on the KC and have narrowed the field down. Sparkly tinkly balls, small mice dipped in catnip and things attached to wands by way of an elastic cord/bungee string, which could be feathers, fish or anything that wafts beautifully works well. (NOTE: Toys with string attached or bungees should only be used under strict surveillance as they can be a potential danger for your kitty unsupervised, i.e.; eating the bungee cord or getting caught/tied/ravelled up in the string. Please put such toys safely away when not in use, for peace of mind.)

I have tried the gimmicky motion sensored toys and other Hi-Tech stuff but ultimately it’s the simple stuff that the KC like best. A cardboard box is a great toy, as long as it’s big enough for your cat to get and hide you are onto a winner. Then add to the fun with the wafty thing on a bungee string and your kitty is in playtime paradise, a few careful flicks at the box and there'll be paws everywhere, just a quick word of caution: DO NOT PUT YOUR HANDS IN OR NEAR THE BOX WHILE SUCH FRENZIED PLAYTIME IS HAPPENING.

Also when your cat/s aren't in the mood for playing, you can have a toy box just for their toys, so your home is not a hazard to you, i.e.: treading on a small rubber ball hiding on the stairs = human damage. So it's best that cat toys are monitored especially if you have small children too, who like to put things in their mouths.

I keep all the toys for the Kitty Clan in an open top wicker basket in the lounge and if they want to play, they can go and get toys out by themselves and play, which in turn let's me know they are ready for playtime.

1. Amber sat next to the toy box - a happy little cat, look at that huge smile.		2. Having a bit of a rummage
3. It's been spotted and getting ones paw and arm right in there.		4. Success, one small purple sparkly mouse and off we go.
Amber is the youngest member of the Kitty Clan, AKA MiniCat

Time Spent Playing

Mildred is the oldest member of the KC, AKA Millie

So you've got the toys and a few wafty thingy's and a box or two, now you need to spend time with your cat/s. If like Amber, your cat "tells" you that he/she is ready for playtime, that's brilliant, but if like one of my other cats, Mildred, no effort is made at all apart from vegetating on the sofa/chair/comfy spot then a little encouragement will not go amiss, in fact it will persuade your cat to become more active. Time spent playing is also crucial to relationship development with your cat, the more you play, the more your cat responds, which in turn makes you more aware of their individual character and what they "tell" you at other times.

Scratch Posts

A true necessity, not only to save your sofas and chairs but for your cats health; please see Tim's previous articles on Why Cats Scratch and Managing Cat Scratching. Posie is a Scratch Post Diva, Humphrey is pawsing for just a moment before the excitement continues.

Posie AKA Princess PowderPuff		Humphrey AKA Lumphy

Activity Centres / Play Stations

Activity centres stimulate your kitty and engage their climbing reflexes, plus they add variety to indoor pursuits and they also help to steer your kitties away from trying to climb your curtains/wallpaper/tall furniture etc. - and it's great exercise as well! It's a complete workout for all your cats, much like having a home gym but if you sprinkle this model with a little bit of catnip, you can guarantee it gets used!

Snowie AKA White modeling one of the Activity Centres

Cat Beds

How would you feel if you didn't have a bed in your own home? Pretty miserable, I'd say. I know I'd be mortified not to have my own comfy bed! I know that cats move around and have different sleeping places for different times of the day and night and also dependent on whether there is a full moon or not, only kidding about the moon but seriously when you have a lot of cats in the same house, it's imperative that they each have their own "safe zone" and it's usually where they like to sleep.

There are many types of cat beds, but you usually find that your cat feels most comfortable and secure when they are cocooned, in other words a clear view of the front but with the top, sides and rear covered. Our latest cat bed addition for the KC is very modern. Apparently 8 out of 10 cats knew instinctively what to do with it - get in and go to sleep but the real story is here: 2 out of 6 cats knew what to do with it, the other 4 just stared blankly, then walked away!) I call it the Cat Pod and it meets all the requirements above, as do many different styles of cat bed, please see the other pictures.

Cat Pod--a total MUST HAVE for any 21st Century Kitty		Who Moved My Cheese?
A Pyramid is always is a winner. "Cats were once worshipped as Gods and they've never forgotten!"-- Anonymous

 

Meal Times

Your kitty is a creature of habit and appreciates you serving his/her breakfast and dinner roughly at the same time everyday and in the same order in a multi-cat household. Cats also have their own places to eat, all members of the KC have varying positions around the kitchen and no other member encroaches on that place, unless said kitty has finished and moved off, then another member may go and see what's left on the dish! All of the KC have different dietary requirements. Amber will only eat dry food, Basil will only eat pouches (very expensive cat!) and Humphrey, Millie, Snowie and Posie eat tinned food with crunchies available 24/7 next to their fresh water. Cats also like to eat in a relaxed environment, so a no stress zone is preferable to chaos and noise, which will make your kitty anxious, nervy and not want to eat.

Indoor Bathroom Facilities -Litter Trays

Cats are naturally very clean creatures and the more cats you have, the more litter trays you need and they need changing on a very regular basis. There's not much else to say on this subject apart from when you think you can't be bothered to change a soiled tray just think to yourself, "Would I like a dirty bathroom?" A nice idea is to have litter trays ready made up and stacked in a cupboard, then it's no great chore to change a tray. Just make sure you re-stack at the weekends ready for the week ahead.

And a final word about CATNIP...

Most Cats LOVE it! It comes in leaf form or a spray. The spray is great for using on toys and activity centres to promote playtime. The leaves are best given to kitty under supervision. Some eat it and others snort it. I have three "eaters" and three "snorters" but ultimately the produced effect is the same, total kitty euphoria. Your cat will rub in it, roll in it, flick it, and generally go crazy for several minutes. Just keep your fingers out of the way!

Basil having a "Catnip Moment!"

 

A very big thank-you to all my models ~ Humphrey, Basil, Mildred, Snowie, Posie and Amber

---

About the Article Author:

Cathrine Garnell, author of this article, is a self confessed cat-a-holic, and also a published author of a Children's book aptly titled, Basil the Bionic Cat (Yes, this is Basil, in the picture above) www.bionicbasil.com.

She is currently writing the sequel and has another 2 more books planned for the series, in-between working a regular job to keep the Kitty Clan in Toys, Scratch Posts, Activity Centres, Assorted Beds, Lots of Food, Tonnes of Cat Litter and not forgetting oodles of Catnip and she wouldn't have it any other way!

Cathrine is a resident of Nottinghamshire, England of "Robin Hood" fame. However, unlike Robin Hood, she doesn't have a band of "Merry Men", preferring instead her troupe of "Jolly Cats" in the Kitty Clan (KC).