Siamese dangers heat up in Summer!

Keeping your kitty out of mischief is a daily duty, but owners have to be extra vigilant during the summer, when threats to your cat’s well-being generally rise with the temperature, says Michael Stone, a veterinarian who specializes in small animal care at Cummings School. He points out a few of the hazards and offers up some remedies:

Accidental poisonings. Fleas and ticks are abundant in the warmer months, and cats can get very ill when they’re exposed to antitick and antiflea products developed specifically for dogs. Cat owners should talk with their veterinarian about the safest preventive measures, especially if there are other animals in the home. Never apply a product that isn’t labeled safe for cats.

Antifreeze, a sweet-smelling liquid that’s very attractive to cats, tends to leak out of overheated automobiles during hot weather and puddle on driveways and garage floors. If your cat laps up ethylene glycol, the main ingredient in many antifreezes, it can cause serious damage to the kidneys, and if untreated, lead to kidney failure within 24 hours. Protect your cat by cleaning up spills immediately and fixing coolant leaks in your car right away.

Falls. A cat can sustain serious injury or be killed by leaping or accidentally tumbling from an open window or balcony. Make sure that all upper-story windows in your home are properly screened—and double-check that the screens are tightly fitted and closed.

Encounters with cars and other animals. Of all the warm weather threats to cats, none is more potentially fatal than being hit by a car. Also, bite injuries sustained in fights with other animals are a portal through which bacteria can enter and then multiply and cause a serious infection. Fatal diseases, such as feline leukemia, can be contracted through bite wounds. So play it safe and keep your cat indoors at all times.

Adapted  from Catnip: The Newsletter for Caring Cat Ownerstuftscatnip.com

If I might add another danger.. Heatstroke!  Please be aware that cats do not sweat. So, it might not be apparent that your kitten is getting overheated.  Please see the following graphic for more information:

– The Catman (William Harrison)

Kitty Heatstroke

New Kittentanz Website!

Kittentanz has published a brand new website!  We have included some new features that will make mobile browsing a lot easier!  

We have noticed that as many as half of our customers come to Kittentanz through their phones and we wanted to make the site as best it could be for them.  Please look around and if you find a bug, let us know!

770-735-1405  or catman@kittentanz.com

Thanks!   -Bill 

 

Siamese and Babies!

We often hear that “the cat resents the new baby” or “the cat is jealous of the new baby.”  This may be true, but do not assume this is the cat’s motivation for house soiling. We have found that is usually not what is going on.  Pottying is about going to the bathroom, not about jealousy.

Cats often quit using the litter box while the lady is pregnant.  Her husband is supposed to be cleaning the litter box, but he does not meet the cat’s standards.  The next difficult time is when the baby comes, and the cat box is not getting attention because NO ONE but the new infant is getting attention….

Purchasing any one of many automated litter cleaning products such as Litter Robot, Litter Maid, Cat Genie, etc. will keep the cat’s litter clean even when you are gone or preoccupied.  This is one time that money can buy happiness!

Another pit fall of new babies is that they soon grow into toddlers.  The most common reason cats and toddlers do not get along is that toddlers ambush cats in the litter box.  I am not picking on your parenting skills or your baby.  This is true of most homes and most toddlers.

Providing a safe place for kitty to potty will prevent trouble.  Not providing a safe place means your kitty will select a safe place.  Chances are, it will be an elevated location such as a bed or furniture.  Kitty will choose something nice and adsorbant that offers a good view of trouble on the way.

From the cat’s point of view, once you wash the bedding or clean the furniture, it is ready to “go” again!  Remmeber that the most important thing about a litter box is that the cat likes it and feels safe using it.  Your decorating ideas simply do not enter into the cat’s decision making process. So keep it clean, and keep it safe , and all will be well.. well at least with the litter box!

Kittentanz!

Hairballs! Ewww!

With the coming of Spring, you will start to notice your cat grooming more often and shedding its coat.  Licking this loose hair can create another problem: hairballs!  Your cat’s swallowed hair normally passes in  the litter box. But, when it does not, the hair forms a mat in the stomach.  When that mat builds up your cat will vomit this hair and we call these “hairballs”.  The coughing, the choking, and  the wet surprises stepped on in the night are no fun.

Here are a few ways you can help your cat to keep hairballs from forming:

Grooming –  many cats accept or enjoy brushing to remove loose hair. Better yet, brushing also helps keep hair off you and your home. My favorite cat grooming tools are:

  • Slicker brushes whose metal pins quickly remove loose hair even from long coats
  • Soft rubber curries which work better for older cats with sensitive skin and on really short hair

Fiber – special food and treats add bulk and moisture to help hair to pass in stool

Laxatives – flavored hairball treatments coat swallowed hair and pass it in stool.  Some cats refuse these but will eat butter or other oils such as bacon grease and the oil from tuna.

We joke about hairballs because they are nasty and inconvenient for you and your cat but, hair balls can cause serious blockages. If they are more than a seasonal irritation, please see your veterinarian.

How to take better Holiday photos of your kittens!

Kittentanz’s Customers often do not believe how easy it is to get good photos of your favorite Kittentanz Kitty!  During these holidays, when you go to take pictures of your furry friends,  we hope that these pointers will make you get better results!

The first thing we must discuss is your camera.  Here at Kittentanz we use a Nikon d-90 with a 70-135 lens.  This allows me the flexibility for slightly different exposures and the speed and response to get good photos.  I know many of you might have cell phones and Ipads and those can still work to make great photos.  However, there will need to be much more planning or luck for these devices to get the picture that you can get with even a lower level digital camera.  So if you have one, or are asking Santa, use a mid level camera such as this – Panasonic Lumix ZS20  (http://tinyurl.com/n9edmdm).

You want to use Shutter priority.  For those who do not know what that is – it is a setting on your camera that you can set where you control the shutter speed.  250 or above please!

Use Burst mode – if you have it -to take several pictures at the same press of the shutter.  (It feels like you are a pro!  Click click click …ha!)

Natural light !  Let me say that again — NATURAL LIGHT! — or bright indoor lights.   That means NO FLASH!  This is super important –  getting your kitten posed in natural light or good indoor light,  allows you to work without scaring the kitten with the flash and no annoying “red eye” to deal with.

Close ups!  Close ups are better!  Close ups allow you  to see your kittens’ eyes or to illustrate the emotional moment.  That makes for better pictures!

Focal point is important..  and I don’t mean that the picture is clear… but, the subject is obviously what you intend the viewer to see.  If it is your wife and her new kitten, frame your wife and the kitten as the only major elements in the photo.  Get down to your kitten’s level and take the photo there the focal point will be better!

Focus.. ah.. the last major point..  How to get good focus.  I always make the eyes as the place where I focus the camera.  The eyes are truly the window to the soul, using them as THE element to focus on is a “can’t miss.”  If you are using a cell phone or an Ipad to get your pictures, focus can be difficult. But, closeness and patience will get you better picture!  Remember no flash on that cell phone.

Photoshop is your friend…  A good retouch with a photo editing program is often a good idea.  Removing the little fuzz balls, or the odd piece of litter or dust will make your photo better.  Contrast adjustments and brightness are important too!

I hope these tips will help you take better pictures and remember, I want all of those terrific Kittentanz kittens on our Facebook page!  Send them to me at catman@kittentanz.com

Bill