Cats do not like change. It does not matter if they are introvert or extrovert, they like things to remain the same. They can tell when something is different. For example, have you introduced your cat to a new toy or a new bed? The first thing they do is hunch down on the floor and very slowly will work their way over to it. It may take several times for them to get there. They will then sniff it and walk around it a few times. They finally decide it is safe; they will put one foot in, then out, then slowly and oh so cautiously, they will work their way into the cat bed or bat at the toy.

                This is the same for anything that changes in their lives. Introducing them to a new cat food or new litter, you slowly introduce them by mixing with the old. You slowly add more of the new and less of the old. You finally get rid of the old and put the new in place. Most cats will reject a new litter or new food if it is not done this way.

                Think about when you get sick, and you are home lying in bed or on the couch. They know that something is different and not normal. They maybe lay on you or next to you. These sweet babies want to make sure you are alright, and things will get back to normal. When there are too many changes, they can become stressed and develop anxiety. For their emotional wellbeing, it is important for them to have a routine. Changes to a cat’s usual environment — such as rearranged furniture or a new family member in the home — can cause stress in cats. Older cats may be more sensitive to household changes since their ability to adapt to new situations declines over time. Insufficient resources, including litter boxes and scratching objects, an unclean litter box and lack of environmental enrichment can also cause stress. (Signs of stress, Hill’s Pet).

What do you do when your cat is acting out because of stress? Stay tuned! The next blog will discuss stress behaviors and how to work with your stressed cat!

Resource

Signs of Stress in Cats and How You Can Help | Hill’s Pet

Not all cats are the same, and as pet parents, we quickly learn their different personalities much like children. Some cats are more reserved and perfectly content with being by themselves. Instead of laying on your lap or with other cats, they tend to curl up alone. Another way you can tell if your cat is content if they rub up against you. For example, Robin follows me throughout the house. No matter where I am in the house, he is rubbing up against me. The only time this is an issue is if I have black pants on and going out.  It is also important to understand some cats will rub up against you to leave their scent to let other cats know that you belong to them.

Have you witnessed a cat kneading on a bed, chair, or even you? This is another sign of them feeling content and safe. If you have seen a kitten nursing from their mother, they knead on their mother when they are nursing. The kneading response reverts to when they felt safe and content with mom, so when shared with you it is a self-soothing action that is important to their feeling safe.

Purring is always a sign of being happy and feeling safe. If your cat is purring in your lap or when you are petting them, they feel content and safe. Olivers purr is like a diesel pickup idling next to you at a signal light. Otherwise, he is our least vocal kitty. We know when we are petting him in the right spot because he lets us know by his loud purring!

Did you know when your cat makes eye contact with you and slowly blinks at you two or three times in a row is a sign of content and peace? Want to make your cat happier, blink back in the same manner! This shows them you love them, and they will feel safer with you.

How about conversations with their meow? Not all cats will communicate with their meowing, especially ones who are not as verbal. Smoky and Saddie are perfect examples of this! Smoky is very verbal and meows all the time. Sometimes, I think he does this so we will call him by his name. We call him to ask what is wrong, he comes running so we can hug him and pet him! Saddie is very quiet and rarely will make a noise. She just comes up to get attention.

The way they hold their tail is another sign of a cat’s contentment. If it is in a question mark position, they are happy. They usually walk around with their tail in the question mark position. You can tell if they get scared or worried because their tail is lowered to the ground as they run to hide.  

Bursts of energy are also another good sign your cat is happy and content. When they bound through the house like their tails are on fire, or playfully jump out at you, they are happy.

Cats are their happiest when they spend time with you. Those who love to lay on your lap and sleep show they trust you and are content. However, this trust does not come easy for some cats. Oliver was a rescue cat from the animal shelter at seven months old. Oliver is eight years old now and has never wanted to lie on anyone’s lap. Over the past year he has been drawn to my husband, Kevin. In time he would sit on the arm rest of the recliner or couch next to Kevin, but that was his limit. Kevin was very patient with Oli and just allowed him to come around at his own pace and did not rush or force him. After about six months of Kevin earning Oliver’s trust, Oli would step in Kevin’s lap to step over to the other arm rest. It took time. One day he finally lay on Kevin’s lap and fell asleep. Now, they are buddies and Oliver is in Kev’s lap all the time. He has found someone he can trust and be comfortable with, but he had to do his own way in his own time.

Take some time and watch your cat. It is likely that you have already noticed most, if not all, of these behaviors, but we don’t often take the time to really isolate them and give them our full recognition. Your cat’s personality and contentment manifest itself through body language and facial expressions just like yours does.

I love my kitties. I’ve always loved kitties. It’s a soft spot in my heart. I’ve taken in strays, shelter cats, and rehomed cats, but boy-howdy, I DO NOT love the litter boxes! However, if you have indoor kitties like I do, we deal with it. It is a necessary task no different than cleaning my bathroom or doing laundry or dishes. It’s a must, so we do it. I could avoid it by just having outdoor cats, but then you deal with fleas, catfights, wounds, potential infections, veterinary bills, and so on. Litter becomes a much smaller issue in that perspective.

That said, it is still no fun and can be a messy, smelly ordeal. For almost thirty years, I have been battling the annoying, tiresome ordeal of cat litter problems. Currently, we have five cats. Yes, five! Having five cats demands I have a good-quality litter to keep the smell under control. It’s not an option. FINALLY, I discovered a method that has worked for me for several years. I have reduced the cleaning effort, the smell, the mess, and the number of litter boxes I once needed. I have tried several brands, which are the best I can find, and settled on these two. Here’s my method and my sources.

I use two types of litter for my cats: Arm & Hammer Platinum Clumping Litter and Boxie Cat Litter. I use a subscribe and save ordering method via Amazon, so I get my products delivered right to my door monthly. THAT saves cost, time, and effort to begin with. I mix these two litters when they arrive from Amazon. I get one of each for the month. If you have fewer cats, you will go through less litter. This is how I keep the smell under control and the price down on the litter every month.

Many articles claim you need one litter box per cat. That’s true with many brands of litter on the market. With a standard gravel-type or clay litter that doesn’t clump, you get a powerful urine smell because the urine drains to the bottom of the litter box, and you are forced to get in there and clean that mess out more often. It would be best if you dumped out the entire box each time. You need to wash the bin out or the smell remains. But when you use cleaners strong enough to kill the urine smell, the cats don’t like reentering the box because this new invasive smell bothers them, and they will find alternative places to potty in your house!

Cats don’t like change. Many are very finicky. Some don’t like certain textures of litter.  They don’t like certain smells. Too many changes cause stress for kitties, and if the litter box is a stress issue for them, they will not use it and will be soiling your house elsewhere. Once you have established something they accept, they don’t want you to change it. Using the current method and materials has kept my boxes much cleaner and easier to maintain. I’ve been able to cut down to two boxes for five cats. I wouldn’t even try that if this didn’t work. This has been a long trial-and-error method I’ve put to the test. Even with two boxes, we never have them both occupied simultaneously. I have had multiple boxes; they consume a great deal of space, take considerably more litter, and the cats still bounce around from box to box. I felt there had to be something that worked!

It felt hopeless, but I continued trying. It wasn’t until I mixed these two brands during a brand change that I found together they gave me what I was looking for. Five kitties potty a lot! Cats don’t like a nasty bathroom any more than we do. They also deserve better than that. You will greatly reduce or eliminate “accidents” if you keep their box(es) clean. The mix I use contributes to neutralizing smell and it captures liquid and clumps wonderfully.

When I clean my box now, I’m not forced to change out the litter boxes completely. I scoop the litter boxes three times a week. That sounds like a lot to some people, not enough to others, but this works for me. It is easier to maintain the boxes as I go, rather than waiting for them to get gross and then having to dump out everything each time. It only takes me a few minutes. After I scoop, I add three 12 oz scoops full of new litter that is already mixed and add a little litter Arm & Hammer Litter Box Deodorizer on top.

The particular litter box I use also contributes to neutralizing smell and it captures liquid and clumps wonderfully. My litter boxes are covered boxes with plastic doors. They have odor filters that I change once a month. For me, using this process prevents the smell from being out of control. I’m forced to have the litter boxes in my living room (since I live in a small house) with a wooden room divider to allow the cats privacy, and if I have company, they do not have to sit there and look at the litter boxes or the cats doing their business.

I purchased all of these through Amazon. I have Amazon Prime and have the products on auto-ship except for the litter boxes. I buy new boxes once a year because hinges and latches, etc., wear out with use, and that is the only time I fully change out the litter. It really does stay quite clean if you scoop well. When I change the boxes, it takes extra litter to refill, but it’s easy to maintain. By doing it this way, I save money and time as the litter and supplies automatically show up at my door and I do not have to worry about it. I love the auto-ship process because I set it up once, and then I do not have to worry about it as my litter arrives on time each month. I get an email before they charge my card, informing me my products are about to be shipped. They also give you a more significant discount if you buy items on auto-ship. This is truly a win-win situation.

Below, I have listed the products I use and links to them to obtain them.

Welcome! I wanted to share a little about myself and how my kitties have helped me through a very emotional and challenging time. As mentioned earlier, we are a family with five cats! Yep, Five, and they are a houseful. It’s like having five very independent teenagers who all live by their own rules.

My previous husband had been sick for several years before he passed away. He enjoyed having cats in the home, and he said they helped him emotionally, so we got our first two. He felt they would give him company as his time homebound grew longer, and they would be comforting companions while I had to spend the days at work. Later we adopted a brother and sister, and then our baby girl, Gabbie, not long before Jim passed.

I have always loved cats, but I did not understand the emotional and solid connection both Jim and the cats had developed until he passed away. I had worked two jobs when he was at his worst to help us, plus spending any spare time off at the hospitals with him. At his passing, I didn’t think I could deal with the loss, the endless paperwork, the house, my job, AND five cats. I had considered rehoming our babies, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it, and I can’t put into words how thankful I am that I didn’t. I soon came to realize I was not the only one grieving. I was able to show love to my fur babies as well as them showing love in return.

Cats are susceptible to the emotions of their owners. They can sense if you do not feel well or are struggling emotionally. Cats are, for sure, emotional support animals. When a cat purrs, it has a self-healing effect on humans. It has even been identified that having an emotional support cat can help lower blood pressure! They can also help with depression, anxiety, PTSD, and isolation. Cats are intelligent, gentle and can form strong bonds with their owners.

Have you ever considered officially making your cat or cats emotional support animals? Here is the link for this process. There are steps to take, but it is worth it! 

https://uprevenue.go2cloud.org/aff_c?offer_id=1&aff_id=1087.  

Cats are, by nature, loving and supportive. They will hug you, nuzzle you, play with you, talk to you, or just lay down next to you and cuddle up. Studies have shown that having a cat as a companion can lower your blood pressure, increase your mood, and even lower your risk for a heart attack! Numerous archeology discoveries where cats were mummified or found buried with humans testify that cats have been domesticated for several thousand years. They are loyal and loving. Are some cats moody and not interested in being petted? Sure, but for the most part, they are there for you!

We are going to discuss kitties as Support Animals. There are three types of support animals: Emotional Support, Therapy, and Service Animals.

Emotional support animals are protected under the Fair Housing Act. This means you have legal rights and protection for a certified Emotional Cat to live with you even if the landlord has a no-pet policy. However, be forewarned that despite protection to keep your pet, a landlord will often make your stay miserable until you leave. It is unfortunate, but we have heard innumerable stories supporting it. If you can have your companion, these emotional support animals can relieve anxiety and some depression just from them being the nature of animals they are! Did you know that people who own a cat have a 40% less chance of dying of a heart attack??

Therapy cats are trained and are considered part of the owner’s treatment. Some therapists will have a trained therapy cat in their office to help patients relax.

Service animals are trained to identify a medical emergency in their owner. At this point dogs are the only animal that can be designated and registered as a service animal. They are also trained to help owners with specific disabilities. These dogs who are trained are allowed in places where animals are not normally allowed such as stores and hospitals.

If you have an emotional support cat and want to register them, follow the link below for more information.

https://uprevenue.go2cloud.org/aff_c?offer_id=1&aff_id=1087.