Cat Circles - The Latest Feline Phenomenon

The internet and cats just belong together. As good as they are individually, when combined effectively they capture our hearts and imaginations in ways nothing else can, transcending cultures, borders and language barriers.

Our favorite pet's latest contribution to the web is so compulsive that cat owners simply can't wait to try it the moment they here about it. "Cat Circles" or "Cat Traps" are now delighting and baffling pet lovers, web users and scientists alike all over the world.

"Cat Circles" also known as "Cat traps" have taken the web by storm exploding across the web on every news site and social network going. Making people worldwide chuckle in bemusement at the curious behavior of the worlds greatest pet.

Like all great ideas, the concept is simple. Draw or create a circle of some kind on the floor. Then watch in glee as your favorite kitten or cat becomes curious. Slowly sizes up the circle you've made, before claiming it as their own. Take a photo or video, share it with your friends then watch it go viral.

At first, people started out using masking tape to mark out the circle. Since going viral people have of course become more creative. Socks, ties, scarfs, hose pipes, glow sticks are just a sample of the current photos circulating at the moment. As the craze takes hold and continues to capture the imagination of the public more we can be sure the "Cat Circles" will become increasingly imaginative and bizarre.

A quick search of "Cat Circles" will give you an idea of just how quick this craze has taken over, as you see articles from newspapers, trend following sites and news TV channels litter the search results. As quick and pervasive as "Cat Circles" have become the craze will have to get much, much larger to compete with some of the giant cat internet crazes of the past.

Previous cat crazes to ignite the web have been the "Infinite cat project," where users uploaded pictures of their cat looking at other cats on the computer monitor leading to an endless feline chain of fuzzy cuteness. "LOL Cats" had users photographing and uploading pictures of their cats with whitey slogans in broken English. Spawning the infamous phrase and site "I can haz cheezeburger." 2012 saw the slightly ethically challenging practice of "Breading" take center stage. Although arguably hilarious, placing a hollowed out slice of bread over a cat's head and photographing seemed a little cruel to many.

Making a "Cat Circle" is a great way to engage with your fluffy friend while we all sit and wonder what these amazing animals will come up with to surprise and delight us in the future.

Persian Cat Health Problems

The Persian cat consistently ranks as one of the most popular breeds of cat across the US and a number of other countries. With the chubby cheeks and cute short face, theirs is a memorable look and added to that the thick coat, Persians are unmistakable. Unfortunately, generations of breeding to achieve these and other particular looks has led the Persian to have more than the usual amount of health problems and this is something a potential cat owner should understand before adopting one. Here is a look at some of the main ones.

About the Persian 

Persians have been known as a domestic cat breed since Victorian times and have always been popular. There are currently two types of Persian; traditional and show. The show Persian has a ruff around its head, small ears, a flat nose and big rounded eyes. It is sometimes referred to as the Peke-faced type of Persian and has a heavily boned but short body. The traditional Persian, or doll faced, has less extreme features with a normal length nose. Both types comes in a variety of coat colors and patterns and have the same gentle and loving personality.

Grooming 

The first thing any potential owner should know about the Persian is that this breed needs daily grooming to maintain its coat and health. Most breeders recommend a daily comb to get rid of mats and tangles in the fur and also to remove loose hair, which benefits the cat and also means less is shed all over the house. The color of the coat of a Persian can affect the type of fur it has varying from silky and shiny to soft and cottonlike. The latter tangles easier than the former and takes more time to groom properly.

In addition to the daily grooming, Persians should be bathed every week. This needs to start from the youngest age possible to avoid terror and fear and to teach them that bathing is a good thing and something you can do together. Some people blow dry their coat on the very lowest setting to avoid burning the skin and comb as you go.

Both types of Persians have a tendency towards weepy eyes. To prevent staining of the fur and discomfort, each day their eye area should be carefully bathed.

Health problems 

There is nothing to say that any cat will or will not get a certain health condition though some breeds are more predisposed towards some conditions than others are. Always use a breeder who knows their cats and their genetic background but anyone that offers a 100% guarantee of health is not being honest.

The main health conditions that Persians are predisposed towards are: 

• Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) 

• Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) 

• Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) 

• Bladder stones 

• Cystitis (bladder infections) 

• Liver shunts

PKD is a hereditary condition that causes cysts to form in the kidneys and eventually leads to dysfunction of the organ. It can affect one or both of the kidneys and symptoms start to manifest at an age of 7-10 years, though it can appear earlier. There are tests to see if a cat is predisposed to the condition and many breeders are taking this to then remove the genetics from the breeding program with the long-term aim of removing the predisposition entirely.

PRA is also hereditary in Persians but manifests early in life, at around 4-8 weeks of age and rapidly progresses to complete blindness by the age of 15 weeks. Studies are currently underway to get more information about the condition.

HCM is the heart disease common to all types of cats where the thickening of the left heart chamber causes problems and sometimes leads to death. It generally affects male cats and from middle to older age. Tests need to be done regularly to check for it, as there is no genetic trait to show for it.

As well as genetic conditions, the peke faced type of Persian can often be prone to breathing difficulties due to the shape of their face and nose.

Combating problems 

If your cat has a hidden genetic problem, then there is little you can do about it until it manifests but the majority of Persians live a full and healthy life. They are susceptible to heat due to their heavy coat and should be monitored for overheating as well as associated breathing problems. This means they should not be transported in the cargo bay of a plane, as the chance of respiratory distress is strong and can even lead to death in extreme conditions.

Finally, the best way to help your cat is to watch them and learn their personality and behavior. This will mean that if something is wrong, you have the best possible chance of spotting it quickly and getting them to your vet. Remember, animals instinctively hide illness so you need to be part detective and part cat psychologist to figure out problems before they worsen.

Cat Meowing - Understanding Your Cat's Behavior

When you see your cats meowing a lot and the pitch is high, it doesn't mean that it is hungry and it doesn't mean you have to get up and feed it. This will not only ruin your cat's manners but it will also make a cat think that by meowing my human will feed me. This will just make your cat obese and will disrupt its feeding hours.

Cats meowing means a lot of things apart from food demands. Your cat might meow due to a number reasons, for instance, they might have some problem, they might be complaining of some pain, they might need medical attention, they might need to go to their litter boxes, they might be warning you or they might be just wanting to talk to you or to grab your attention.

Let me give you an example here. In February 2011, late after 11pm, I returned home after a one hour visit to my aunt. When I returned, my male blue Persian cat was very hyperactive, he was running here and there and was meowing in a heavy voice. My first thought was maybe he's getting excited to see me after I was away for an hour or maybe he needs food. I went into the kitchen and gave him his food in his bowl and returned to my bedroom and got busy with my computer. The meowing continued and this time my cat kept on pulling my shirt and literally dragged me towards my entrance door. However again I ignored him and took him to his food bowl where I saw that his food was untouched. I, then, reached into my cabinet and grabbed a pouch of his favorite cat food. He even resisted that. After 2 minutes my cat just ran and went under my bed and that was the time I felt strong tremors of an earthquake measuring 7.6 on the recto scale. I grabbed my footwear my cat and ran downstairs. That was the time I got to know that my cat's meowing was actually a warning for me to get out of the house and find a safe place so that I can be saved. However no harm was caused in my city.

After this incident, I figured out that cat's meowing means a lot apart from showing hunger or food demands. If one is sick and tired of useless meowing and is annoyed of this habit, then your cat can be trained well. When your cat is meowing, ignore them. Once they are silent and settled in feed them with a treat. You need to make a schedule of your life in which you can assign a specific time period in which you can play with your cat and spend quality time with it. Ignorance can also lead into excessive meowing. If you notice your cat is meowing and not purring, it means there's some trouble with your cat or there is a warning.

How To Take Care For Beautiful Cat Fur

care for cat fur

Knowledge of how to care for both the cat fur or Angora Persian cat owners should know. By taking care of the cats fur is expected that fur persian cat / Angora look better and beautiful, so nice to be petted and be seen by anyone.

Cat fur nice and wonderful it should be cared for by the owner prior to the types of Angora and Persian cats. In general, for cat owners, their fur on the sofa or chair is a common thing, but if it is too overwhelming presence of the plume then we should be suspicious that there has been a loss of fur on our cats. It required knowledge of how to care for the cat's fur.

Here is how to care for and maintain in order to remain beautiful cat fur;

1. Give the balanced nutrition, including the quality and amount of food. There is a lack of vitamins and amino acids in cats can cause cat hair becomes dull and can cause hair loss.

2. Comb your cat hair as often as possible. By combing the cat's fur, then we have to do therapy on the skin a cat so that the circulation of blood under the skin to be smooth, in addition to combing the fur cat fur cat will loose swept away the comb. How to comb a good cat fur is first, comb in the opposite direction of the flow of fur, do it slowly so that the cat is not in pain on the matted fur. Then according to the groove feather comb to groom the cat's fur.

3. If the cat fur is dirty then it is better soon to be bathed, a minimum of once a week. Most cats will be difficult to be bathed, as most cats afraid of this water is in the nature of the cat itself. Naturally without human assistance, the cat licking his fur with her own body, but it can bring adverse effects, such as swallowing feathers come into the belly of a cat and over time can lead to a buildup in the intestines of cats and cause abdominal pain in the cat. For that we need to help clear the way cat fur bathing him. To bathe a cat choose a suitable shampoo for cats, because there are some cats that do not fit on a certain type of shampoo. This may be due to the cat's skin is sensitive to certain shampoos, so try a shampoo that is suitable for sensitive cats are strongly encouraged to seek appropriate Sampho.

4. The need for control of ticks and fleas in the home environment. Fleas and ticks is the cause of the itching of the skin of cats and can cause hair loss in cats. To eradicate lice and fleas in the environment then do the cleaning on a regular basis in the narrow areas in the room or the house.

5. For the prevention of the cat's body from being exposed to ticks, then give anti-lice regularly at least once every 2 months, for example fronline spot on for paint.

Causes Loss In Cats Fur

Conditions on cat hair loss is often referred to as alopecia or baldness. This situation is a common problem that is common in cats. Cat hair loss can be partially / partial or total, may occur with varying patterns or symmetrical.

Signs or characteristics of any loss in cats demonstrated the presence of redness on skin areas that experienced a loss, a lump, but sometimes also do not indicate a change in the fur and skin around the area that suffered the loss.

Causes of hair loss variegated cat, could be due to hormonal disorders, high thyroid levels in the body of a cat, an increase of steroids can also trigger hair loss cats, ADE vitamin deficiency can also cause hair loss or cat can also be caused by parasites of the skin such as scabies disease, ringworm, scabies, scabies and fungal in cats. Skin disease in cats in general and certainly cause hair loss in cats infected. Besides, there are also hair loss due to cancer that attacks the cat, usually cancer drugs are also a cause of hair loss cat.

Treatment should be tailored to address the causes of hair loss, although it is sometimes very difficult to treat, especially hair loss due to cancer and hormonal disorders. While the treatment of hair loss due to parasitic skin disease easier to treat.

Then for the prevention of hair loss cat until now has not found a definite method for it. We can only maintain the quality remains good feed to ensure adequate protein, amino acids, vitamins and minerals as well as keep a cat is not a skin disease. This was done due to hormonal imbalance positively correlated to the quality and quantity of feed the cat.

Causes Cat Food Allergies

Allergies in cats can be caused by dietary factors, is no exception to the male or female cat, neutered or not at gelding, an adult cat or kitten is still small (kitten). Food allergies in cats will exhibit symptoms that is the itching of the skin a cat. The reaction of the offending food is the trigger increase of histamine in the body of a cat, food nutrition was rejected by the body of a cat and is considered a foreign body.

Examples of foods that can cause allergies in cats is beef, lamb, fish or other marine animals (seefood), corn, soy and dairy products. Like humans, the more individual allergy means that not all cats will suffer from allergies when eating these foods, only sensitive cats that can cause allergy symptoms.

Symptoms of food allergy in cats due almost similar to the symptoms of allergies are caused by parasites, bacteria, hypersensitive intestinal parasites, fungi, scabies or other substance that is the itching on the cat's body. These symptoms can cause the hairs that fall out due to excessive mengaruk cat. To distinguish it very difficult, which can be done is to test foods that can cause itching.

The most effective treatment for food allergy in cats because is does not give the food that could potentially cause allergies. Without the dismissal of the offending food is the treatment like dexametason be futile.

Hairball Treatment In Cats

Hairball / Cat Fur Ball

Hairball in cats is a situation where the presence of cat hair ball shaped in the stomach or intestines cat stomach. As we know that the cat's fur can not be digested by the intestine, so if the cat swallows fur because of frequent licking the fur itself then will gradually accumulate in the stomach. This condition is normal and not a problem if a small amount, but it will cause problems if the number of lots and cat fur balls in the enlarged abdomen due to accumulation of entry of feathers into the gut / stomach cat.

Usually, most of the ingested by the cat hair will be issued through the digestive system of the cat in his stool. Problems will occur when the plume could not excreted / removed and collect / accumulate in the stomach or intestines cat then the plume formed a solid ball and causing obstruction in the stomach. What happens then the cat will try to regurgitate the fur ball out of the stomach.

Clinical signs of hairballs in cats is more often associated with the digestive system such as the cat was vomiting, loss of appetite, and constipation. Genesis hairballs itself does not cause respiratory symptoms in cats, so it does not appear the symptoms of shortness of breath or cough in patients cat hairball. Most incidence of impaction in cats is due to a foreign object stuck in the cat intestine caused by cat fur ball shaped solid.

Other signs in cases of severe hairball cat is enlarged abdomen, can not defecate or it could also happen diarrhea, vomiting, decreased appetite cats.

Treatment is often done is to provide products that work to clean up and remove the feathers from the belly of a cat. The drug functions as a lubricant so that the belly of the cat's fur easy exit through the feces. Examples of drugs for the cat hairball is Laxaton or catlax. However, if the ball of fur on the belly of a huge cat then surgery is one option in dealing with the hairball.

Before the hairball in cats helps us prevent such kajadian. There are some precautionary steps to prevent hairball in cats include:

• Frequent combing cat hair, so hair loose and fall out can be eliminated from the body of the cat.

• There is a good wipe with a damp cloth cat fur

• Using a product that can remove fur from the belly of a cat, for example laxative, laxaton, catlax etc.

Use products that are sold on the market that can help to overcome the cat hairball usually consists of oil that are not digested by the intestine cat but the product is safe to use and does not cause stomach problems in cats. The product works as a lubricant in the digestive tract to help the fur cat is out of the belly of a cat. If this is done regularly, then the fur ball was never formed.

We do not recommend that you use homemade products containing butter or oil, because it can bring other digestive problems or absorbed by the digestive system of the cat.

High-fiber diet or fiber supplements can also help with chronic hairball problem. Fiber can help remove excess fur through the digestive system of the cat and will be issued through the feces. Whatever product you choose, use it regularly, according to the manufacturer's recommendations, to prevent the recurrence of a hairball.