If you notice something blackish and small crawling around your cat's fur, you are probably right to suspect that they are cat fleas. When cat fleas strike, they can mean big trouble and it’s important to get rid of cat fleas quickly and thoroughly. A flea infestation of your home can happen in no time at all as the fleas lay eggs on carpeting. A cat flea treatment often isn’t enough and you’ll have to deep clean your whole home.
It is quite easy to notice the presence of cat fleas. Your cat may be scratching very frequently and more intensely than normal. You or your family may have red itchy spots on your ankles or stomach as well.
Comb your cat's fur near its tail and you will find small bits of dead fur and blackish dirt. This is the excrement of fleas. To test, tap the hair and dirt onto a white piece of paper and sprinkle over with water. If the little bits of crumbling, dark stuff dissolve into what looks like blood, you can be sure it is definitely a case of cat fleas. You might even notice the tiny black insects crawling or leaping about. It is critical that you send your cat for a flea treatment immediately, as you need to get rid of cat flea problems as fast as you can.
Your vet will be able to offer easy solutions for cat flea treatment. "Advantage" is one product that will help get rid of the cat flea problem without having to give your cat a bath in insecticidal solutions (also available at your veterinarian). The Advantage cat flea treatment is a spot-on treatment. The pet owner places a drop of the solution onto your cat's skin in between its shoulder blades. Reapply at scheduled intervals to ensure that all fleas are killed. That’s it! "Frontline" is another popular choice for spot-on treatments.
Natural options for cat flea treatment exist as well. However, these are far more painstaking than spot-on treatments. Washing your pet with 1 - 2 rounds of soapy water and then combing (once it is dry) with a fine-toothed flea comb can help get rid of cat flea eggs, larvae and mature insects from your cat's fur. You’ll probably have to comb your cat every night for several in order for the cat flea treatment to be effective. Wiping a lemon-juice repellent on your cat's fur can help to remove any cat flea hitchhikers on your kitty, though you’ll still have to remove the eggs and larvae by hand.
Whichever treatment you choose, for the cat flea treatment to be effective, you’ll need to thoroughly vacuum your home and steam-clean all upholstery as well. Wash all bedding, throws, or blankets the cat is in contact with in hot, soapy water. Secure the vacuum bag in a plastic bag before throwing it into the outside garbage bin.
Prevention is worth a pound of cure. You can try these natural remedies to get rid of cat flea worries before the pests invade your pet. Feed your cat garlic in its meal and add a dash of apple cider vinegar to its water. If it doesn't want to drink it, then just use the apple cider vinegar as a spray to deter fleas by misting your pet every now and then.
To get cat care information, click http://www.My-Pet-Cat-Page.com


Are Home Made Dog Food Recipes Good For Your Dog? Part 1
By
Forrest Hagstrom
Concerned about the recent pet food recall, many pet owners
are looking for alternative ways to feed their dogs and are
increasingly looking to home made dog food recipes as a form
of healthy dog food.
Feeding your dog this way is proven to be much better than
commercial dog food which, even under normal circumstances
contain harmful ingredients that build up in the dog's system
over time that often results in illnesses, allergies and a decreased
life span.
When this happens, many pet owners often dismiss these illnesses
and diseases as due to old age or as a normal condition for certain breed
types when in reality, the commercial dog food they have been eating
all their life may have played a significant role.
A good dog food recipe is essential for proper health and
nutrition as some "people food" can be harmful, even fatal
to dogs. Hence, it is just as important to know what
not to feed your dog.
Dogs also have different nutritional requirements than people so
pet owners need to educate themselves and find good dog
food recipes that are appropriate for the dog for example,
puppies have different nutritional needs than do older dogs,
or if a dog is pregnant, nursing, is neutered etc.
Unlike what most pet owners think, feeding your dog a homemade diet
is actually a lot easier than it sounds once you know a few tricks and is
actually a lot more cost effective than the commercially prepared dog food.
You could literally save hundreds of dollars per year by finding
good home made dog food recipes.
Think for a moment about the food you eat and your grocery bill.
When you buy your food, prepared foods always costs more than
the food you prepare yourself. It is the same with dog food.
More and more pet owners are discovering the downside of feeding their dogs
with commercial pet food - and in the light of the most recent pet food scandal that
has rocked the industry yet again, it could very well be that more and more pet
owners will shift to homemade dog food.
After all, if pet owners can devote an hour a day to take their dogs for a walk,
what is another half hour (or even less) to treat their loyal four legged
friend to a homemade dinner.
Feeding your dog healthy, nutritious home made dog food is the
way to enjoy many more years with your dog and will spare them
the pain and misery from illnesses and diseases associated with
commercial dog food while giving them a much better quality of life.
You have my permission to reprint this article as long as it
is printed in full with the authors link left intact.
Shocking Report Reveals
What the Pet Food Industry doesn't want you to know!
Be sure to read part #2 of the story "What is Really in Pet Food?"
Pet Food


Have your cat come when called
In this article, I'll teach you how to teach your cat to come when called.
To have your cat come when called by name is remarkably easy though it takes an understanding of the process.
STEPS:
1. Talk to your cat as much as you can. Encourage her to come to you, and regularly pet her and brush her. Bonding is very important, cat massage, baths and generally being on good terms is important.
2. Pick a special dry snack that she likes. It must be different to her regular dry food and only used for this (don't give it to her at any other time until she's mastered this). Make certain it is nutritious. I suggest a dry, crunchy snack that is also good for the teeth.
3. Pick a special word, such as "snack" or "treat." It must be a word she will associate only with the special snack. This is creating an "anchor" (a trigger).
4. Use your special word during her next snack time. In her presence, place one piece of the food in her empty dish and say the special word.
5. Say the word again (and be sure to say it in the same way as before) after she eats the first piece. Place another piece of the food in her dish and say the special word again.
6. Walk away. If she is giving you "I am really starving" cries, say your word again and give her one more piece. Then walk out of the room.
7. Repeat the procedure after about 4 minutes. Cats learn very quickly when they are motivated and have a strong bond with you.
8. Follow this procedure for the next several days.
9. Once your cat is coming every time you say the special word, start only giving the food treat every so often and instead give lots of attention (whatever she likes such as a pet) for a few minutes. Then let her go and repeat the process a few minutes later.
10. If you've done the above right, and you've done the bonding exercises in the training manual, your cat should now be associating affection from you with the special word. Now you can use the word and she should come AND each time she sees or hears you nearby she will be more affectionate because she's reminded of all the affection you've given her in the past.
Don't forget, it is to be a small snack, not a small bowl of dry food. Otherwise, your kitty might gain unwanted weight. Be patient and follow the above exactly otherwise you will confuse your cat. Use the special word daily, not only when you want to find the cat for a trip to the vet or when it is bath time. On those occasions, give her the snack and try to allow a few minutes before following through on your hidden motive.
Another little secret is that if you can whistle, most cats will respond. Usually, a very loud high-pitched whistle (as if to say, "Here, boy"), repeated over and over until the cat comes to you is very effective. Eventually, your cat will come after only 1 or 2 whistles. However, again this is based on a strong bond being in place.
It's important to note that the bond is most important because then your cat will WANT to come to you whenever you give it the chance. This is why some people find that if I want her to come to them, or sit on their lap, all they have to is pat their leg with their hand, and tell her to come, and she hops up on their lap or come to them.
A way to do this is to show her the brush. (Assuming your cat loves to be brushed) because when you show it to her, she'll run over to you.
If your cats are outside and you can't find them, if you shake their "dry food" jar and they may well come running right away. To make this more powerful, every time you feed your cat make the same "shake" noise in front of them or when they can hear, just before you feed them.
How does the above work?
Well basically what you are doing is conditioning your cat to associate two things. (The special word with the treat, for example). When this happens a few times, your cat learns that when the trigger happens, the other thing should happen. (For example, "when I hear the special word and I come, I get a treat").
This means from then on you can say the special word and the cat will come running because it thinks it will get a treat. Once your cat ALWAYS does the desired behavior, (in this case comes when you say the special word), you can change the special word for their name, if you know how. I'll tell you more about that in a future newsletter.
The basic structure of the above can be used with training your cat to do anything or be in any emotional state... excited, relaxed, affectionate etc.

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UltimateCatSecrets.com

Tuesday, January 8, 2008