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When you go from one cat to two or more, your days of buying small, easy-to carry boxes or bags of litter are over. You have probably now entered into the world of the warehouse club shopper or at least learned which stores carry the super-duper jumbo-sized containers of litter. There are two things a cat owner never wants to run out of: food and litter. …

Weights can vary widely among cat breeds. But no breed ought to have a stomach like Fred Flintstone. And while its unlikely that youll be reported to the authorities for over feeding your cat in America, in other countries, things can be a little tougher. Recently, a 41-pound cat in Germany was removed from his owners home and put in a shelter - not to be given up for adoption, but to reeducate the cat in the ways of normal eating.

Probably the best way to have your cat experience the outside world is to let him experience it in an enclosed porch. But what if you dont have a porch? What if all you have is a backyard? The first rule to letting your cat play outside in your backyard is this: Get a cat-secure fence. …

Cats scratch your furniture not because they are being malicious but because they have an innate need to sharpen their claws. When they scratch, they leave their scent behind, which brings them back to the same spot again and again.

Thwart your cat by spraying a neutralizing solution to remove the odor. Then apply double-sided sticky tape, heavy plastic, or aluminum foil to the arms of the furniture or drape a big towel or blanket over the arms.

Thats Part 1. Part 2 calls for you to redirect your feline friend to practice cat scratch fever on a scratching post instead.Thwart your cat by spraying a neutralizing solution to remove the odor. Then apply double-sided sticky tape, heavy plastic, or aluminum foil to the arms of the furniture or drape a big towel or blanket…

Here are some ways to insure a proper introduction without a lot of hissing or flying fur:

1. Before you pick up the new member of the family, set up temporary housing for him in a small room, ideally a bathroom, with food, water, a litter box, and a place to sleep.

2. When you come home, take the new pet directly to the prepared bathroom. The goal here is not to let the resident cat(s) know that it was you who brought in the interloper.

3. At first, just allow the cats to sniff each other under the doorframe. Dont react to hissing or growling.

4. Spend one-on-one time with each pet, making sure that they each feel special.

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As cuddly cute as kittens are, they must be taught how to socialize. As soon as you bring your young feline home, you can begin instilling good manners, self-confidence, and trust in your newest addition to the family.

Expose your impressionable kitten to young people, old people, tall people, short people, people with accents and people wearing hats and other funny clothes that make them look different.

If possible, your kitten should meet other cats and yes, …

Use the correct brush for your cats coat:

Slicker brushes work on any coat.

Pin brushes are the top pick for longhaired coats.

Soft bristle brushes work well on shorthaired coats.

Always stroke in the direction of your cats fur. Going against the grain with the bristles can irritate your cats skin and make her want to flee the scene when she sees you pulling out the grooming supplies. Circular motions can …

Location, location, location. It applies to real estate and it most definitely applies to litter boxes. Where you put the litter box is more important than many owners realize. You can have the perfect box, filled with the best litter in the world, but if its in an area that the cat finds unacceptable, it may be rejected.

There is one rule that cat owners should never break under any circumstances: Dont put the litter box near the cats food and water. Many owners mistakenly believe that having the box right next to the cats food will serve as a reminder to him. Unfortunately, this plan can only backfire and you lay the groundwork for litter box rejection. Remember, cats eliminate away from...

In a multicat household, more than one box will be needed. This is not just because one box gets dirty too quickly (although it does), but also because some cats object to sharing and one cat may be too intimidated to pass another cat in order to get to the cats area. The litter box rule: have the same number of boxes as you have cats.

Multicat households can create litter box placement problems. If there are any territorial disputes going on or if your cats dont especially care for each other, the boxes should be place far enough apart so that if one is being guarded, there is easy access to another.. …

Whether or not your cat is allowed outdoors, you certainly dont want him charging past you as youre opening the door.

You should never greet or pet your cat right at the front door (or whatever door you use to enter and exit). If you call your kitty the moment you walk in the door, he may begin to wait there as the time of your arrival grows closer. The sound of your key in the lock could be his cue to slip through as you open the door. Instead of greeting your cat right at the door, walk over to a spot a few feet inside the entrance and make that the official greeting area. Ignore…

It might seem that taking a cats vital signs can help you determine whether hes in a state of emergency. But, says Tufts Cummings School emergency and critical care veterinarian Armelle de Laforcade, DVM, I worry a little about people trying to determine the seriousness of a situation by themselves because it can be tricky. For instance, you may find upon taking a cats temperature that he doesnt have a fever, but a cat can still be quite sick in the absence of an elevated temperature - especially if hes not eating or urinating.

That said, here are a couple of vital numbers:

Temperature (taken with a rectal thermometer made for cats) Normal: 100-102.5 degrees F. …

Many veterinary clinics across the country offer declawing, and policies regarding the procedure vary among university veterinary hospitals. Cummings School at Tufts University does not perform the surgery. University of California-Davis Small Animal Clinic normally does not perform it either, says spokeswoman Lynn Narlesky. The Ohio State University and the University of Georgia veterinary hospitals do offer declaw procedures, but only after making sure clients are aware of other management methods, representatives say.

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