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Why Did My Neutered Cat Pee On Me? (5 reasons)

If your cat has peed on you, you may be left confused and wondering how this is happening, especially when you have neutered him.

Why did my neutered cat pee on me? Your neutered cat peed on you because she is feeling stressed, has a medical issue or marking her territory. However, the territory is less likely, this is usually done by rubbing against us.

Now that you know why your cat has peed on you, let me go on to explain some misconceptions you may have, how these issues affect your cat, what you can do about is, and much more…

The misconception of having a Neutered cat

The fact that she peed on you and not on a piece of furniture suggests it could be a medical issue. But, this is not guaranteed because there are a number of factors.

Most cat owners assume that their cat will not urinate when they are neutered. The reality is, this is not the case. Just because they’re neutered does not mean that they will not urinate around the house.

Cats have other motivations for urinating (or spraying) other than reproduction.

What causes a cat to spray or urinate indoors?

Earlier, I briefly discussed that just because your cat is neutered it does not mean that you will get rid of any chance of her urinating or spraying in your house. I’m going to explain some of the reasons why this might be happening…

01. Another cat causing stress.

Stress is a big factor for cats urinating inside of a house. This can be triggered by just the mere presence of another cat. The other cat doesn’t even need to be a physical threat, are you with me?

The reality is, cats are ruled by territories and, this is a big focus of their day-to-day. Therefore, the presence of another cat even close to their territory will make them feel anxious, stressed and infiltrated.

02. New family friend or baby

Similar to a cat feeling anxious or stressed by another cat. They can also have this same feeling by a new family member or friend entering the house (Click here to see why some cats attack houseguests).

They can feel that their territory has been violated, their owner may be taken away from them or even jealous.

In reality, there’s not much you can do apart from giving them time to adjust. Especially if this is a new baby.

03. Simple redecoration of the house.

Believe it or not, just giving your house a simple lick of paint by redecorating, can also unsettle your cat and cause it to start urinating inside.

This may sound bizarre and somewhat unbelievable, but this is a reality. The reason why this happens is your cat’s scent, such as scratches or your cat rubbing against your furniture are subtle little ways of it marking its territory.

When you redecorate a room, even if you do not directly cover the area which is scratched or rubbed against, disrupts her scent.

The powerful smell of the paint that you used to decorate can cause her to get confused and get struggle to identify her scent.

The best way to get around this problem is to remove access to that room immediately after you have decorated it. Let the paint settle down first. And, give the scent of your cat a chance to naturally re-enter the room.

Advanced techniques, such as trying to unnaturally get the cats sent back into the room are talked about, but to be honest, it’s probably more difficult doing it that way round. Keep it simple.

04. Medical issues.

Another common reason why cats urinate in their house is that they lose control due to medical issues. Common issues, such as urinary tract infections (also known as UTI), can cause pain and discomfort to your cat.

There are many other medically related issues that cause similar problems. But, to be honest, whatever the medical issue is, the best thing to do is take your cat to the vet.

This should be done immediately, for inspection. Rather than waiting and speculating what it could be, are you with me?

05. Old age

Old age creeps up on the best of us. Your cat is no different. You may get a shock one day when you notice her urinating on your sofa.

The reasons for this could be:

• Arthritis (causing joint pain)
• Dementia
• Inability to get through the cat flap

Issues like Arthritis can mean your cat is struggling to leave the house to relieve herself. Or she may even have other related health problems due to old age. These issues could prevent her from leaving the house or using the cat flap that you’ve provided.

The best option for this is to get a cat litter tray for indoor use. This is because the cat flap may become difficult for them to use in their old age.

06. Overly clean litter tray

Keeping a clean litter tray is very important. So it may sound a little bit weird saying that it could also cause your cat to urinate in your house. However, this is can happen.

The reason this happens is, sometimes as cat owners we go over the top. The reason I say over-the-top is, excessive disinfecting of the cat litter tray causes strong smells. Your cat doesn’t like this.

Also, sometimes we buy scented litter to try and get rid of the awful smell the litter tray causes, right?

It sounds like a good idea in theory, but your cat may find the smell overpowering and turn her off using it completely.

The best way to get around this is to using feline-friendly disinfectants. And, make sure you thoroughly rinse the litter tray with water rather, than using strong disinfectant.

Do cats urinate in a house out of Spite?

No, cats do not urinate out of spite. You may be wondering if your cat has urinated on you, or in your house, just out of sheer spite. I understand the thought process, for humans, this could make sense. However, this is not the case for cats.

Nine times out of ten, its something that is causing them stress, pain or anxiety (Click here to see why this cat bed helps to reduce cat anxiety). The challenge is finding out what this is. As a cat owner, you have taken on the responsibility of looking after the livelihood of your cat.

Therefore, it is your duty to work out what the root cause of the issue is and help to resolve it rather than telling the cat off.

Do cats mark their humans?

As I mentioned earlier, cats typically do not urinate on their owners. It is possible but rare.

Their usual method of marking humans is by rubbing their forehead against them. This is to mark their scent on us humans. However, you may notice that your cat urinates on other objects in your house as well as scratching.

Why do cats leave their scent on you?

You may be wondering why cats need to leave their scent on us, is it even necessary? Cats like to feel comfortable in their own territory. However, they do not associate their territory visually the same way we do.

Instead, they rely on their powerful sense of smell. So in their mind, this is the best way to identify their territory, are you with me?

They will Mark and rub against you, and other objects, to group them together, to form their visceral territory.

Is spraying and urinating different?

Yes, cat spraying and urinating are slightly different. Spraying is a way for your cat to mark their territory. However, urinating in general typically means your cat is simply trying to empty her bladder.

Making your cat feel secure.

You may be wondering if there are ways that you can make your cat feel more secure and help to stop them from marking and spraying your house.

Although there is no guaranteed way of doing it. You can help to reduce the chances of it. This is done by limiting them to roaming around a couple of rooms in your house.

In reality, this can be quite difficult to implement. But, if you do get it working, they may feel less compelled to spray those rooms because they have limited space to move around.

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Maine Coon Cat Matted Fur: How to get rid of it

If you have a Maine Coon cat and noticed some matted fur, you may be looking for some simple solutions to get rid of it…

Can I get rid of my Maine coons matted fur? Yes, you can get rid of your Maine Coon’s matted fur. However, there are some simple techniques you can use to avoid making life hard for yourself. 

Now that you understand that it is possible to get rid of the matted fur, let me share with you some actionable tips to get rid of them, explain what actually causes them, how to prevent them coming back and much more…

What causes my Maine coon’s matted fur?

The matted fur (sometimes looks separated) is typically located around areas on your cat’s body that cause a lot of movement. Therefore, you may find it underneath her tail, under her chest or even around her legs, because these areas create a lot of movement.

Shedding

Shedding is another known cause of matted fur. This typically happens when the loose fur falls onto your cat and stays there, over time, if this is left unattended, it becomes thicker and harder to get rid of, which then escalate into matted fur.

Unable to groom himself.

If your cat is feeling sick, overweight or feeling pain when grooming, you may find that she will stop grooming. In time her fur will become neglected and matted.

The matted fur will eventually get worse. With time and further neglect, it can become unmanageable.

Typical reasons for this include:

• Obesity
• Arthritis
• Dental problems

Why you mustn’t get her fur wet (When it’s matted).

Some cat owners decide what they want to take matters into their own hands by trying to wet their cat’s fur, in an attempt to get rid of the matting.

I can tell you from now, this is not a good idea. The reason I say this is because the water can actually tighten up the tangled fur. This will make it even harder to get rid of the problem.

Therefore, your efforts to get rid of a problem becomes harder. Often, cat groomers will suggest using detanglers or anti-static spray, to get rid of the mess.

One of the mistakes cat owners make, to cut corners, is reuse cosmetic products made for humans, such as detanglers, to save money. It may sound like a good idea, from a financial perspective, but, It’s not a good idea for your cat, are you with me?

Why? Because cat-specific products have been specially formulated for cats for a reason. They have different requirements to use, for example, different ph levels.

Why is matted fur so bad?

You may be wondering to yourself what’s so bad about the matted fur in your cat and can you not just leave it as it is.

Apart from the obvious reasons that it looks bad and I’ll give me an I saw there are some genuine reasons why you want to take action with the matted fur before it becomes uncontrollable.

Skin irritation

When your cat has matted fur, it blocks oxygen and moisture to her skin. Over time her skin will become irritated and dried out. Then she will start to over-compensate by trying to groom these areas more than usual.

This typically ends up with her ingesting excess fur, this can then lead to health-related problems.

Trapped urine and faeces.

On some of these heavily matted areas, such as on the back of your cat’s legs, you may find it starts to trap urine and faeces. Not only does this smell bad, but it can also lead to other health-related problems.

Parasites

Leaving tangled or matted hair for a long duration will increase the chances of attracting parasites.  This obviously causes immense irritation and pain for your cat. And, can also lead to further health problems.

Therefore, as you can see, keeping on top of your cats grooming and avoiding matting is the best way forward.

How to remove your Maine coon’s Matted fur

So far you have learnt exactly what causes matted fur and the dangers of ignoring it. In this section, I will reveal some solutions on how you can get rid of it…

01. Using your fingers.

In the first instance, if you are lucky, you may find that you’ve caught the matted fur in its early stages. Rather than investing in any other solutions, or over-complicating matters, you may get away with simply brushing your fingers through her matted fur, to get rid of it easy.

02. Wide-tooth comb.

If you’ve tried running your fingers through your Maine coon’s fur and it has not made any difference, then you can try using a wide-toothed comb (Click here to see if this great comb is still available, on Amazon).

The best way to use this is to make sure that you grasp the end of the fur closest to the skin. This is to avoid tugging her fur. As you can imagine, tugging at her fur hurts.

Gently get the wide-tooth comb and place it near your fingers and then comb away from your hands to the end of her fur. This will avoid causing any unnecessary pain to your cat.

If you notice that your cat has a particularly thick undercoat, you can actually use an undercoat comb (click here to check availability of this one on Amazon) to deal with this. It is well suited for this particular issue and can save you some time and stress.

03. Using a de-matting comb

These de-matting combs (Click here to see why I selected this) are specifically made for the matting. Therefore, they are ideal, if you have failed with the other two methods.

The unique thing about these combs is, they are designed to cut through the fur as you brush, to get rid of really persistent matting. In fact, they’re often called razor combs for this reason.

Again, while using these combs, hold that base fur, close to her skin, are you with me? This is for the same reasons as discussed earlier.

04. The clippers method

If all else fails, and she still has this unsightly matted fur, it’s time to get the groomers involved. Typically, groomers will end up using some clippers to get rid of the matted fur.

So, it is advised to let the professionals take over. You don’t want to make any unnecessary mistakes with these clippers, trust me.

How can you prevent your Maine coons fur getting matted?

As you may have heard before, prevention better than cure, right? Therefore I’m going to share some techniques to avoid this happening…

01. Running your fingers through her fur

On occasion, you should routinely rub your hands through your cat’s fur. This can easily be done while you are petting her. If you notice any small matted fur, it’s your chance to get in early and sort it. Better to act now before it gets out of hand.

02. Bathing

Another tactic to use in bathing your cat (click here to see if it is really a good idea to bath your cat). It doesn’t necessarily have to be done on a regular basis. But, it’s a good idea on occasion, especially if she gets really messy.

03. Trimming & Brushing your cat’s fur.

On occasion, trimming your cat’s fur will help to keep it maintainable. You should also help your cat by brushing and grooming her fur. Especially with Maine coons because they have such long fur. Its easier for their fur to get out of control.

I understand that cats naturally groom their own fur. But sometimes they need help, this will reduce the chances of matted fur developing.

What if the matting is out of control?

If you have used all of these solutions and you are still finding it hard to deal with your kitties matted fur, then you need to get a professional groomer involved.

It’s not worth taking any risks with your cat and, generally speaking, professional groomers know exactly what to do in these difficult situations.

What is the best brush for a Maine coons hair?

Because Maine coons have long hair, it is important to get a comb which will help them. In particular, ones that are made for shedding.

Reason being, they are typically good for getting rid of really matted or stubborn fur. These brushes tend to have wire bristles.

Related Questions:

In this section, I will answer some questions related to Maine coons and grooming. If you have any extra questions that have not been answered, please feel free to leave a comment below.

Why do Maine coons meow so much?

Your Maine coon meows too much because you haven’t trained her not to. If you respond to her every demand, she effectively clicks her fingers and you do whatever she wants. The result is, she will continue to meow and make noise.

This kind of behaviour similar to a spoilt young toddler. You know, when their mother does everything at their beck and call? In time, she becomes trapped, doing everything her toddler demands, are you with me? The solution is to gradually stop this trend.

Does matted fur hurt your Maine coon?

Yes, matted fur can hurt your Maine coon. Initially, it may not be so much of an issue. But as the matted fur gets tighter and larger, it becomes a big issue. Eventually leading pain and discomfort.

One of the biggest issues as they get larger and cause pressure on your cat’s skin to the point when I find it painful to lie down with the mats on their body. Ideally, prevention is best, this is why other cat owners use cat brushes that are gentle, for those cats that do not love being brushed (Click here to see the best choice).

Does the time of the year make a difference for matted fur?

Yes, the time of year does make a difference. In the winter cats become more susceptible to getting matted fur. This is because in winter time your cat will develop a thicker coat, this is why some cat owners use cat wall brushes to help (Click here to see why I rate this one the best).

This winter coat of fur, which is larger and thicker, will make them more susceptible to picking up large clumps of matted fur.

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Why Does My Cat Pee in the Sink? (Can I stop it?)

If your cat is acting up and peeing in your sink, you may be desperately looking for reasons why and solutions to stop it.

Why does my cat pee in the sink? Your cat is likely peeing in the sink for one of the following reasons: unclean litter tray, urinary tract infection, behavioral problems, old age, litter box avoidance or just generally loves your sink. 

Now that you understand why your cat could be doing this, I will go on to explain more detail about each of these issues, how you can stop your cat peeing in the sink and much more. Keep reading…

 

What triggers your cat to pee in the sink?

The triggers, that pushes your cat to pee in the sink can be for a number of different reasons such as:

• Urinary Tract Infections (UTI)
• Behavioral Problems
• Unclean litter box
• Elderly
• Loves the sink
• Thirsty

Urinary tract infection (UTI)

A urinary tract infection is when your cat picks up an infection in its urinary tract, also known as UTI. The symptoms of this are uncontrollable bladder control, burning sensation when urinating, etc. This may be one of the reasons why your cat is urinating in your sink.

Behavioral problems.

Sometimes these issues could be down to behavioral problems. However, this can be for a number of reasons.

For example, she could be feeling stressed, anxious, caused by numerous reasons, such as another neighboring cat bothering her. Or, maybe you have recently moved house and she is feeling uncomfortable about it, are you with me?

Unclean litter box.

Cats absolutely hate dirty litter boxes. You may think that you’re saving time by only doing it every other day. But, what this perceived saving is short-sighted because you will spend more time cleaning up an unacceptable mess outside of the litter tray when your cat refuses to use it.

Elderly cats.

As cats get older they tend to get slower and their chances of getting dementia increase. If they do get dementia they may have unexpected behavioral problems. This is not because they have been naughty, it’s because they are simply having problems doing simple day-to-day activities.

Just loving your sink.

Sometimes your cat is not really being bad in any particular way it may just genuinely love your sink.

But, why?

Your sink and the bath are very similar to a litter tray in your cat’s opinion. And, sometimes your cat may even prefer it over the litter tray you have provided. Unfortunately for you, this ends up with her using your sink instead of her litter box.

Thirsty

If you have neglected your cat’s water supply by not leaving enough water out. Or if the water you have left out is getting dirty, then you may experience your cat going into the sink and trying to drink from the tap. following on from this, you may even notice her start to urinate in the sink as well.

Litter box avoidance (What now?)

Little box avoidance is when your cat has suffered A traumatic or unpleasant experience in the little box and is, therefore, unwilling to use it anymore (avoiding it).

To be honest it doesn’t have to be a major traumatic experience in our eyes. But, it has to be enough in your cat’s eyes to make her not want to use it anymore.

Here are some examples of what can cause this…

• Not enough litter boxes
• Poor location
• One-off (or continuous) pain when using the litter box
• Type of litter box
• Unclean

Not enough litter boxes

Sometimes you will notice that your cat is using your sink just because there is not enough little boxes in your house.

This is more apparent if you have more than one cat. But, even if you have one can you still need to provide more than one litter box, ideally.

To give you an indication of the expectation. You should be providing at least one more litter box then you have cats. So, for example, if you have one cat, then you should be providing a minimum of two litter boxes, are you with me?

The location of the litter box

If you put your litter box in a weird location, for example, if you have a 3 story house and put it on the top floor, your cat may not want to venture up there or even remember that it is there, are you with me?

She may end up searching for an alternative and your sink may be the obvious choice in her eyes.

Type of litter

You may be wondering if the type of litter could be a reason why your cat is not using the litter tray. In some cases, this could literally be the problem. For example, you may have switched to a scented litter.  This may make sense to you because it will smell nicer, right?

However, your cat may not like scented litter. And, she may be rejecting it by refusing to use it, which results with her in your sink.

Pain when using the litter box.

Earlier I talked about UTI, what this infection is and how it can cause issues for you and your cat. The reality is, there can be any random health issues that happen to cause pain while they are using your litter box can make them associate this unpleasant experience with your litter box.

This can, in turn, cause a psychological problem. Meaning, they may not want to use your litter box again. If this is the case, you may see your cat urinating in your sink.

The type of litter box

Believe it or not, even the type of litter tray/box you are using can result in your cat refusing to use it. For example, there is a type of little box that has a closed top.

Whilst they do look nice, your cat may not necessarily love it. If you have recently purchased or switched litter box, and your cat is acting up, then this could be the obvious reason why.

How can you prevent your cat from urinating in your sink?

As we have discussed in the previous section there are numerous different reasons why your cat could be urinating (Click here to see what it means when your cat pees on you) in your sink.

Therefore in this section, I will break down some solutions to cater to your particular issue.

Unclean litter tray

If this is the case you simply need to clean your litter tray on a regular basis. Depending on the cat that you have got it needs to be done a minimum once a day.

However, some cats need more frequently than that. You have to use your common sense with this one. If you are cleaning it once a day and it’s still looking messy by the afternoon, then clean it out again.

Urinary Tract Infection (or other health-related problems)

If you have cleaned the litter tray and made sure it’s tidy, and you’re still seeing her hovering in the sink, then you need to contact your vet.

It’s important to get your vet involved as early as possible because your cat could be harboring a health problem. And, if that’s the case, the best person to diagnose this is your vet.

Suspected behavior problems

If you believe that this abuse of your sink could be related to a behavioral problem you need to analyze what could be causing this.

Have you recently moved home? Introduced a new family member? anything else changed? These are the questions you need to ask yourself.

If this is the case, then you may need to give it some time. This is to allow your cat to adjust a bit, basically, grin and bear it.

If it is not down to a new environment, other triggers could be the litter, have you changed her litter and now notice she is acting up? If yes, you can simply just change the cat litter again to see how she responds.

The name of the game is trial and error. Testing, adjusting, and over and over again until you hit that sweet spot.

Thirsty.

If your cat is thirsty, and can’t find adequate water, she may end up in your sink. And, you may even find her urinating in there as well.

To avoid this, you need to put out more, fresh & clean water. If you know you have a problem remembering to do this, then don’t let your cat suffer. It is better to invest in a pet water fountain (Click here to see why I rate this one). A pet water fountain is great because it encourages her to drink more, and avoid using your sink.

Location of the litter box.

The location of the litter box is a quick fix. You can literally just change its location. Instead of hiding it away on the third floor, why not move it closer to the sink to see if this will work for you.

The type of litter box.

If she isn’t happy with the litter box, replace the closed litter box for a conventional one and see how you get on with that one.

How to get rid of the cat urine smell in the sink?

So far we have looked into ways to prevent your cat urinating in the sink. But, what if you are staring at a big mess right now, that you need to clean up?

In this section, I’m going to give you some step-by-step instructions and how to clean up this horrible mess.

01. Mop up the mess first

The first thing that you need to understand. Do not feel tempted to turn the tap on and simply rinse it down the sink. Why? because this may just push the smell further down the plug. It won’t help you.

Instead, get some paper towels and mop up the urine. Then throw it away in the bin.

02. Baking soda

The next step is getting some baking soda. Sprinkle it around the sink. You may wonder why we are using baking soda? The reason for this is because it’s a natural deodorizer. It is ideal for situations like this. After this, scrape the sink with the baking soda using a scrubbing brush.

03. Vinegar Solution

Vinegar is another very good and natural deodorizer. It will help to get rid of the urine smell. You need one part vinegar, 8 parts water.

Mix it together and prepare it in a separate container. Put the vinegar mix into the sink and cover the sink with the vinegar mix. Let it sit for a few minutes so that works it’s magic in the sink.

Then scrub the area with the vinegar mix and then rinse it.

04. Enzymatic Spray

You need an enzymatic spray (Click here for the best one). This will help to break down any remaining traces of cat urine. Basically finish off the job nicely.

Sprayed the enzymatic spray into the sink, finish by cleaning it up and then rinse it out.

Related Questions:

In this section, I will answer some questions related to cats and behavioral problems. If you have any extra questions, not answered here, feel free to drop me a comment below.

Q: Does urine turn to mold?

Yes, urine can attract moisture. In time this moisture and urine mix will start to create mold. Therefore, it is a good idea to clean up the urine as soon as possible.

Can cats get a UTI from a dirty little box?

No, the litter itself does not cause the UTI. UTIs are actually caused by bacteria that infect the bladder which then leads to this infection.

However, it is possible that the feces in a dirty litter tray can lead to infection if it enters her system.

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How to Make a Cat an Outdoor Cat (Transition Safely)

If you are looking for clever ways to transition your cat to an outdoor cat, you are in the right place. There is a right way and a wrong way to do this. Keep reading to see how…

Can you change your indoor cat to an outdoor cat? Yes, you can make an indoor cat and an outdoor cat. But, you need to do this gradually (more on this later). And make sure that you give them suitable access and an incentive to return every day.

Now that you know its possible, let me explain, step-by-step, also how you can feed your cat outdoors (Click here for my best outdoor feeders), how long until you should even start this transition, and much more…

How to make your cat an outdoor cat?

Before you start (Pre-requisites)

Before you even open the door and put your cat outside its important that they are supervised before you even think about letting her go free.

This can be as simple as just going outside with her and making sure that they don’t make silly mistakes.

Checking with your Vet

It’s a good idea to consult your vet to let them know that you’re planning to convert your cat to an outdoor cat. The reason for this is he may have some very good advice on how to avoid common diseases and parasites. This can be really simple things that you can do that you could completely overlook.

Giving it time

If you have just recently adopted a cat or picked up a cat from a local friend, etc. It is a good idea not to immediately try to transition them to an outdoor cat. Regardless if they had experience of being outdoors or not before.

She needs to get used to her new environment first. Before you allow her to run free. If you do not do this, there is a good chance she will never get familiar with your house.

And, a chance she won’t come back, are you with me? She will be far more likely to want to return to her original house, rather than yours.

Other Recommendations (Before you start)

Start with short trips outdoors at first. I will give you some advice about how you can gradually do this. It’s a good idea to do things slowly and one step at a time.

Start off with really short trips outside to get your cat familiar, before taking the big step into allowing them to go out unsupervised but, more on this later.

Steps to taking her outside.

In this section, I will give you some step-by-step tips to transition your cat to an outdoor cat.

01. Go outside with her

The first thing to do is gently open the door. Then step outside, ideally in a back garden or enclosed space, rather than a busy public road, are you with me?

Then allow her to gradually come out at her own pace. And, when she is ready, she will meet you there. The door is deliberately left open because it gives her the option to go back inside if she feels uncomfortable, makes sense?

Once she is outside for a little while, making sure that she is not wondering too far, stroll around gently. You can call her back if she starts to stray a bit too much.

02. Building up the length of time (with treats)

Once she is familiar with going outside you need to gradually build up the length of time that she is allowed outside. One of the best tricks for this is to use treats that she really enjoys.

You will use these as ways to get her back inside when you feel that she has had enough time. So, if she starts to wander too far, you can simply call or coax her with these treats.

03. Training her to come when she called.

Another important step is getting her to start coming to you on demand.  It is important that you master this skill. Why? Because it’s your only way to feel comfortable with letting her out unaccompanied.

The way to do this is to use treats again. But, you need to be careful about how you call her. The trick is to vary what you are calling her for, let me explain.

Instead of calling her and then taking her inside every time, instead, you need to vary it. So, sometimes you call her and simply give her a treat, just for responding. Then, other times you will call her in. Are you with me?

04. Unaccompanied time.

Once you feel confident about her going outside and have gradually increased the duration. Then you are at the stage when you need to consider letting her out unaccompanied.

If you have any concerns about her not coming back or not responding to you forget it, give it more time. Don’t feel pressured.

If this is the case, continue taking your time and following the above steps until you feel comfortable.

The importance of reliable access.

Once you get to the point where your cat is ready to roam free outside unaccompanied. It is important to prepare your house for this.

The best way to go about this is to have a cat flap (Click here to see why I feel this is the best cat flap). This will allow her free access to come and go. Also, it will free up your time. Because you will not have to be there to let her in all the time.

You can get some clever cat flaps nowadays that will allow access to your cat only. It does this by making use of the microchip embedded in her skin. Also, having internal cat doors (Click here for the best ones) help her freedom as well.

How long before you can let a cat go outside?

If you have a new cat, as mentioned earlier, it is important not to allow her outside for at least 6-months.

When she is young, she is more susceptible to other diseases. Or, even being attacked by rival cats in your area.

How far will a cat roam from home?

Once your cat starts to become comfortable and go outside you may start to get anxious and wonder how far she may travel away from home. In reality, there is no real perfect way to know this, because every case is different.

For example, Some cats are timid than others. Meaning, they may only run within a very small distance of their house, like within the bounds of your garden.

Then you will have the complete opposite end of the spectrum where you will have a cat that’s very confident and will actually go as far as it can until it gets hungry.

It is expected that cats can travel any distance up to 85 m (on average). But, this is quite a rough guide. Every cat will be slightly different. This is why some cat owners use GPS trackers to keep an eye on her when she is out of the house (Click here to see why this one is popular).

Will your cat return if it runs away?

One of the biggest concerns for cat owners, when they consider taking their cat outside, is wondering if it will run away. And, if it does run away, will it ever come back?

In most cases, when a cat hasn’t returned home, it is more likely that it’s gone on an extended walk. In these instances, the likelihood is she will return. She may just need some time to wander back home.

Been away for a few hours?

If you have noticed that your cat has been missing for only a few hours then it’s probably too early to panic. Not a good idea to get over-excited and assume she has run away.

However, if this extends to 18 to 24-hours, then this is a bigger concern. Especially if it is out of character for your cat.

Remember, at that length of time you have not fed her for hours. Therefore she is either stuck somewhere and can’t find her way back or maybe something worse because food is often a big reason for cats to return home.

How long do outdoor cats live?

Could there be an effect on a cat’s life expectancy if she lives outside? This section will explore this in more detail.

The reality is, there is an impact on your cat’s life expectancy if she becomes an outdoor cat.  This is because she will experience a lot more hazards outside of the house.

To put this into perspective, an outdoor cat is expected to live anywhere from two to five years, according to this site, whereas an indoor cat can be expected to live up to 17 years.

These are only averages, obviously, there will be different durations for every cat.

Is there any way to control your cat while it is outside?

If you are worried about your cat being outside, you may wonder if there’s any way that you can help to control her when she is outside.

In reality, the only way to do this is to use a cat harness (Click here to see why I am weirdly impressed with this cat harness). This device is excellent for training cats.

Another cool use for these cat harnesses is in the early stages when you are training her to go outside. Or if you have an older cat, who is currently a dedicated indoor cat, that you wish to allow outside for some fresh air, but do not want to fully transition her to an outdoor cat, are you with me?

What is the best time to let your cat outside?

Earlier I mentioned that food is quite a good incentive for your cat to come home, right? And I also mentioned its a good way to control her while she is out of sight.

One tactic that you can adopt is to train her to have a scheduled mealtime. Ideally, this is done before allowing her out unaccompanied.

This is good way to keep her safe and avoid dangerous times of the day. The best time to allow her outside is in the mornings rather than late at night.

Why?

Late at night, or in poor poorly lit conditions, increases the chances of road accidents due to reduced light. Therefore, you can adjust her feeding times around this.

Basically, you can adjust her feeding times, so that she is likely to return before the dangerous times in the day, are you with me? Also, if these feeding times are not ideal, you can consider using an automatic cat feeder that is not easy to tamper with (Click here to see why I feel this is best).

What are the risks of letting your cat outside?

To be honest, there is a long list of risks, but before I list a few, don’t let this deter you from letting your cat out forever, you just need to understand these risks:

• Road accidents
• Poisoning (Such as unintended rat poising)
• Injury
• Other aggressive cats
• etc.

The best way to increase the chances of you getting your cat back if she disappears is having a collar with your address or microchipped.

What are the advantages of letting your cat outside?

One of the best things about letting your cat outside, putting all the risks aside, is the following:

• More sociable
• Exercise
• Use her natural hunting instincts
• Better behavior
• Reduce the chances of her spraying
• etc.

Sociability, Exercise & Hunting

Your cat will have better social interaction with other cats. It will allow her to use her natural instinctual hunting skills. Such as hunting for rodents or other small animals.

Behaviour & Spraying reduction

There is also a good chance that it will reduce the chances of her urinating in your house (Click here to see why your cat’s peeing in your house all of a sudden). And improve her behaviour (such as clawing up your furniture).

This is because, while she is outside, she will get an opportunity to use some of her territory marking outside of your house, rather than bringing the problem indoors.

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Cat Attacks Houseguests (What can I do?)

If you worried about inviting guests over because your cat is going crazy (Click here to see my best pheromone collar to help with this) then you may be looking for solutions…

what can I do if my cat attacks houseguests?  You can try getting your guest to help (more on this later),  redirect their aggression by offering them a treat, Or you can try using a pheromone collar (or toy) to try and alter her mood to stop this aggression.

Now that you know a few ways to stop this, let me go on to explain why your cat might have switched behavior, why your guests can stress them out, how to prevent it happening and much more. Keep reading…

Why has my cat become aggressive?

Now that you understand why this has happened you may be intrigued to understand why this happened in the first place.

The reality is there are a number of different reasons that could have triggered this behavior. And, for that reason, I’m going to summarise a few of them for you.

• Overexcited by stimulus
• Afraid of new people
• Overstimulated while she is marking
• Feeling she has been ambushed

Overexcited by stimuli

Simple things like big sounds can overexcite your cat. The reality is, different cats have different ways of dealing with situations.

Therefore, you may find that your cat may redirect that aggression towards you or your guest.

Afraid of new people

There is a chance that your cat is genuinely scared of new people. This could be because of an issue with a stranger they may have had in their past, that you do not know about. This can be hard to see at first, because it may only manifest when you have a new guest that comes to your house.

Overstimulated during marking

Cats have a natural tendency to mark their territory. And, this involves actual people, not just objects. Therefore, if you have a new guest your cat may have a tendency to rub against them, which is normal, right?

Your guest then may think your cat is being friendly, but to your cat, she is marking her territory by placing her scent on him.

During this process, if your guest is unaware of what’s going on, and interrupt her by overly petting her, she may get overstimulated and lash out. Unfortunately, this could end with her attacking and biting her guest.

Feeling like an ambush

There are some cases where your cat is not generally scared of people but they may misinterpret your guest as an ambush.

Because they are not aware of your new guest or their scent, they may interpret them as a predator trying to challenge their territory (but more on this later).

Why are cats stressed out over visitors?

Cats are creatures of habit. They view your house as their territory and they like things done the same way every day, are you with me?

When your visitor enters their territory, cats respond in different ways. Some cats feel uncomfortable with this entry because it invades their space and changes their routine.

As much as this seems like quite a minor thing to us, it means a lot to your cat. Cats focus on any small thing as a potential violation.

How can you prevent this from happening in the future?

Understanding why they are stressed or why they have had a sudden change in behavior is one thing. But, you may be wondering how you can prevent this happening so you don’t have the embarrassment.

For that reason, I’m going to summarise a few different ways that you can do this…

Avoiding new guests in your home

one straightforward tactic that you can use is not to allow the guest to enter your property. And, no, I do not mean creating a scene at the front door. I mean subtly suggesting that you meet in a cafe or a neutral spot instead. This is not always ideal but it is a suggestion nevertheless.

Safe Zone for your cat

Another suggestion is creating a safe zone for your cat within your house. The idea here is that your cat can be in the same house with the guests. But, they do not meet your guests because they have their own sectioned off safe area.

This will keep your cat happy and stop her from getting anxious at the sight of new guests.

Understanding the root cause of the issue

Take some time to understand the root cause of the problem. For example, if your cat is freaked out by kids running around the house. Then do not suggest that you will host your toddler nephews next birthday party, are you with me?

Preparing for the inevitable.

If you have plans of having a new lodger, a friend coming over for an extended stay, etc. Rather than waiting for him to come and freaking your cat out. Instead, proactively prepare your cat.

Therefore, if this is happening, you can start by gently introducing new people into your home so that your cat slowly gets used to it.

For example, you could start introducing new people months before, to get her cat used to people coming in and out of the house.

People Training

Effectively this is is getting guests to help you with everyday activities that involve your cat. For example, you could get your neighbor to help out with feeding.

You could offer some treats to your cat. But, have your new guest in the same room while the treats are being offered.

Avoiding eye contact

Another thing that you can do to prevent this happening is asking your guests to purposely avoid eye contact. It may seem strange to you, but, cats have an issue with direct eye contact (more on this later).

Signs that your cat is unhappy with house guests

Sometimes it is blatantly obvious that your cat is unhappy with your guests coming over. The obvious signs are your cat hissing (Click here to see why your cat is hissing at your dad), charging at your guests or in extreme cases she may even want to bite them.

However, there are other subtle behaviors that may go undetected…

For example,

• Hiding
• Defecating outside her litter tray
• Fur standing up

All of these things are subtle indications that your cat is unhappy with the new guests in their environment. Meaning you need to take action.

The rude awakening sign.

Another tactic that cats use is to purposely wake up your guests while they are trying to sleep in one of your guest beds. If you have a new guest, that is staying over, you may witness them sneaking into the guest room to deliberately disturbed their sleep.

You may think this is just an unexpected accident. But, cats are clever sometimes, it is a calculated attack to try and get them out.

How can you get your visitors to help you?

So far I’ve talked about clever techniques that you can use to try and prevent this happening. However, there are some things that you can do, in collaboration with your visitors, which can help your cat from feeling stressed.

Avoiding eye contact

Earlier I briefly explained that avoiding eye contact is a good tactic. But, you may be wondering why this is?

Simple, cats associate direct eye contact as a challenge to their territory. Therefore, if your guest enters the door ad looks at your cat directly and smiles, this simple eye contact can freak him out. To us humans its nothing, in fact, it’s deemed as a friendly thing to do, right? But for your cat, she may interpret it as an attack.

Therefore, asking your guests to kindly refuse to give your cat direct eye contact can help your cat feel more comfortable. To be perfectly honest it’s even better if they completely ignore the cat instead.

Waiting for your the cat to come to them

Alongside avoiding eye contact. It is a good technique to allow cats to come to them instead of them proactively going to the cat to force unwanted petting.

This can easily be achieved by arming your guests with treats that your cats love. What they can do is cunningly drop treats around the house periodically. The idea is, it will arouse the curiosity of your cat.

Hopefully, in time, your cat get will pluck up enough courage to approach your guests and start to feel more comfortable with them.

Clever positioning

In addition to these techniques you can ask your guests to be clever about where they sit or how they position themselves in your house. I know its a big ask, but it helps immensely.

But, what do I mean by this?

Well, it is a good idea that your cat does not feel cornered by your guest. So, ask your guest to carefully choose where they sit carefully. Ask them to position themselves in a room so that your cat has a clear escape route if they are uncomfortable with the guest.

Remember, if they are cornering the cat in a room she may have no alternative in her mind but to attack.

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Do Cats Like Cat Trees? (Benefits/Features/Reasons)

If you are contemplating picking up a cat tree (Click here for the reasons why I think these are the best cat trees), you are probably wondering if they are really worth it, this is normal.

Do cats like cat trees? Yes, cats like cat trees. Especially if they are indoor cats. They enjoy their own area where they can climb, scratch their claws and hide. The best cat trees typically have a cat condo, scratching post and high heights, which ticks these boxes.

Now that you know that your kitty will love these cat trees. I will now go on to explain what are the best features you should look out for before you buy, the benefits, how to get your cat to use it and much more, keep reading…

What exactly is a cat tree?

You may be wondering if you’ve never heard of it before, exactly what a cat tree is, right? A cat tree is an artificial man-made structure for cats that allows them to climb, hide and scratch their claws against.

You may have heard it called a number of different names before, such as:

• Cat condo
• Cat stand
• Cat post
• Kitty condo
• etc.

What all good cat trees should have…

If you are considering getting a cat tree you may be wondering what exactly you should be looking for, right? You know, what are the best features that will make sure that you make a good purchase, are you with me?

Strength

If you are looking for a cat tree. It’s important that you get one that is very strong. Especially if you have a big cat. You need to feel confident that if they are climbing the tree will not fall over.

Condo

The best cat trees offer a cat condo. This is a hiding spot for your cat. But, the key thing is making sure that it is the right size. especially if you have a particularly large cat.

The Perches

The perches on a cat tree are levels that hold and support your cat’s weight. Therefore, it is important when you are looking for one that you get one that has good perches. They need to support your cat well. You may have heard of perches in other contexts, such as window cat perches (Click here to see why I feel this is the best one), essentially the same thing, a raised level item.

The height of the cat tree

Believe it or not, the height of your cat tree is one of the most important features for many cat owners. Cats like to climb as high as possible, obviously within the constraints of a normal domestic home.

Also, bear in mind that if you have a particularly small cat. They may be a bit timid. Meaning, they may not want to go as high as a bigger cat would. So, you may need to take that into consideration before making your purchase.

The scratching post.

Cats absolutely love the scratching post that typically comes with most good cat trees. The better ones have sisal covering on it, which is ideal for scratching.

If you have a particularly large cat, make sure that you look at the cat tree closely to see thick if can support some aggressive scratching from large cats.

What are the benefits of having a cat tree?

Early we talked about some of the things to look out for, to make sure that you get the best cat tree. Also, what a cat tree really is. But, in addition to this, there is another benefit that is often not talked about.

Dominance by height (Avoiding Fighting)

In the cat world territory is everything. This is why you will find that most cats will typically mark their territory even in a domestic home.

Another behavior for marking territory is establishing dominance. This is typically awarded to the one who wins the fight.

The benefit of using a cat tree in this instance is that a cat can establish their dominance by climbing to a higher height in their minions. Therefore this cat tree may be able to avoid unnecessary fights that are typically used to establish dominance.

How can I get my cat to use the cat tree?

If you are in the owner of a cat, you may be pulling your hair out wondering why your cat is not using it.

The good thing is I’m going to share with you some simple things that you can do that hopefully will help and work right away.

Sprinkling catnip

If you’ve not heard of it before, catnip (click here to see the crazy effects catnip has on cats) is a very interesting thing that is used by a lot of cat owners to create weird behaviors in their cat.

You can use catnip to your benefit by sprinkling catnip around your cat tree to entice them to use it more.

Using their toys.

Another cheeky trick that you can use is putting their favorite toys at different levels on the cat tree to entice them to climb it.

This is a good way to get them to use it. After a while, they may start using it without you having to put their cat toys all over it.

Finally, make sure that you praise them (positive reinforcement)

In my opinion, the best way to motivate someone to do something is by giving them positive reinforcement.

What do I mean by this? Well, it’s simple. If you want your cat to continue using the cat tree, the best way to do this is to give them positive praise on the rare occasions when they do what you want them to do, are you with me?

So, if she uses her tree, simply praise her for doing so. This will motivate her to return to her cat tree because she will now know it pleases you.

Do cats like second-hand (used) cat trees?

Yes, they can use second-hand cat trees. However, only if you clean it thoroughly. And, I mean really well. In general, cats do not like using any second-hand equipment, including cat carriers, toys, etc.

Why?

Simple, they easily pick up the scent of another cat and this turns them off using it. In extreme situations, it can cause anxiety and behavioral issues in your cat.

So, in all honesty, if you can avoid using second-hand cat trees then please do. However, if you’re on a tight budget and this is the only option available to you then, by all means, give it a shot. But, make sure you clean it properly.

In one of the following sections, I will explain some tips about how you can clean up a cat tree, to help reduce the chances of your cat rejecting this second-hand (used) item.

Where is the best place to put a cat tree?

If you have a new cat tree and you’re wondering where you can place it. I have some good advice for you.

Cats are natural people watchers. What do I mean by this? Well, they appreciate watching people passing by, birds flying, etc.

Therefore, it is advisable to put your cat tree in a position where they can see outside. For example, near a window is ideal. Obviously, this depends on its size (Click here for my best large cat trees for ragdolls).

It is also advantageous to put it in a spacious room. This way they can see other areas of the room. This makes them feel that they are in control of their territory. This will allow them to observe things easily.

How do you clean your cat tower?

Early I talked about the importance of cleaning a cat tree, especially if you get it second-hand. In this section, I’m going to give you some handy tips about how you can go about cleaning one of these.

This advice is handy if you own a cat tree and just want to take good care and want to maintain it.

First step – The initial clean

First thing,  you need to get hold some nice soapy water. Make sure that it is really soapy. If you have an upholstery cleaner you can also consider using this instead of soap (more on this later).

Use a cloth, sponge or something you can scrub with. This is to get rid of the obvious dirt stains and messy looking areas that you want to get rid of.

Wipe it on to these areas until the soap starts to create suds and leave it to soak for a while.

Second Step – Drying it out.

The next step is to draw any moisture out of the cat tree that you got wet in the first step. This is done by using a dry cloth. Once you have completed this it is advisable to leave it for 24-hours to completely dry up before allowing your cat to use it.

It’s important to leave it for that long. Why? It also eliminates the chances of your cat bringing more dirt back onto the tree by mixing up with a wet cat tree.

Other tips for cleaning

If you are using an upholstery cleaner, that I mentioned in the previous section, it is important to use a non-toxic one. Because this avoids causing issues with your cat.

If it smells really strong to you, your cat definitely would not like it. But, that’s not the only indicator you need to look out for. Nothing toxic is acceptable.

It is a good idea to remove any odors around the cat tree on an ad-hoc basis.  In addition to this cleaning procedure. You need to do a deep clean at least a couple of times a year.

This deep clean is essentially breaking down the cat tree and cleaning out all the little hidden crevices that may go unseen and then allowing it to be completely cleaned up.

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Leaving My Cat for 3 Months (What should I Do?)

If you have a long trip planned, you may be stressed about what you can do ith your cat, right? Well, there is only one good suggestion that I recommend.

What should you do if you’re leaving your cat for 3-months? If you’re leaving your cat for 3-months or anything near that time frame, you need to get someone else to look after them.  Ideally a family member or close friend that has met your cat before.

later on, in this article, I will give you some options if you have a shorter duration, such as using a good pet camera (Click here to see why I rate this one) or you do not have anyone that you can trust.

What about if you’re going away for less than 3-months?

So far I’ve talked about what you should do if you’re going away for a long duration of time for example 3 months or more. But if you’re going away for less than 3 months? but greater than 24-hours, what other options do you have?

• Getting someone to come over and check on your cats.
• Cattery

Getting someone to come over and check on your cats

This option is only really viable if you’re going to be away for less than a couple of days. This option relies on you having a trustworthy friend, next-door neighbor or someone close to you who will come over and check on the cats while they still remain in your house, such as a friend or roommate (Click here to see what happens if your roommate wants a cat).

Therefore, you still need to provide food and water for them, this is one of the reasons why some cat owners use water fountains (Click here to see why I rate this one). Your guest will just come in and check that they are ok, are you with me?

Cattery

A cattery is effectively a paid service where you can leave your cat for extended periods of time. For example, you may be going away on a vacation or working away from home. And, you know that getting a friend or relative to pop over is not going to cut it.

To be honest, there is mixed feedback with these catteries, some owners have even compared them to a form of “cat prison”.

This is based on them allegedly being kept in confined spaces and not having the same luxury as being at home or if they stayed with a friend.

Can you leave your cats alone for a few days?

If you are going away for a short weekend you may be thinking you can get away with leaving your cats on their own. The reality is it’s not OK. Anything more than 24-hours is really not a good idea. In fact, it could be called neglect.

The reason for this is your cat will run out of food very quickly. You may also find that your cat’s litter is in a complete mess.

Another key thing is they likely to run out of water. Which would mean that they could be in danger of serious health problems.

All of these problems are quite a lot to put on a guest who comes in periodically to check-in. They may or may not be prepared to deal with this problem in your absence.

Do cats forget their owners?

No. They are not likely to forget you. In fact, they will miss you. The confusing thing about cats is, when they miss us, they do not display this feeling in a very obvious way.

One of the biggest telltale signs is them urinating or defecating outside of their litter tray. Basically all over your lovely floor.

Although this sounds quite weird there is a known theory about them getting inflammation caused by absence, which can cause this to happen.

Therefore, if you notice that your cat has defecated outside of her litter tray. Do not think of this as an act of defiance, it is actually a natural reaction to her feeling that they’re missing you.

Do cats get lonely if they are left alone?

You may be wondering if your cat gets lonely if you leave her unattended. The short answer is yes she will feel lonely.

The reality is, cats are sociable animals. And, they really do appreciate your presence. They may also get separation anxiety. This is similar to the same despair that they may have had when they were separated from their mother at birth.

Is it beneficial to have two cats?

If you go away on holiday, long work trip or even just for a day while you’re at work, you may wonder if it would be better to have another cat to keep themselves happy.

The reality is, yes, it is a good idea to have two cats, in some cases. However, you need to have sufficient room and resources to be able to keep them satisfied. Or it will completely negate the benefits of having the extra cat in the first place, are you with me?

The benefit of having these two cats, assuming that you meet all the other prereqs, is that they will actually entertain themselves.

This comes to fruition especially in the night-time, when your lonely cat can play with their new cat friend, instead of bugging you and interrupting your sleep.

How can you keep your cat entertained while you’re out?

You may be wondering, if you leave your cat alone for a short period of time, such as while you’re at work, how can you keep them entertained?

The reality is, there a number of ways that you can do this. Some easier than others. Here are just a few suggestions:

• Cat Toys
• Cat Trees
• Cat puzzle feeders
• Asking a friend to pop in and play with them.

Cat toys

Using cat toys (Click here for my 3 best cat tunnels for entertainment), such as ones that are laced with catnip,  can often keep them happy and entertained.

Cat Trees

Cat Trees are great (Click here for my best cat trees).  This is because it keeps them entertained even if it’s just for a short duration.

Asking a friend (or neighbor) to come in and play with them

This is obviously more complicated. Because you need to involve a third party. But, it can actually keep them happy and reduce their anxiety while you are away.

Cat puzzle feeders.

These puzzle feeders (Click here for my best slow feed puzzle feeders) are good for keeping your cat food while you’re away. They also add entertainment into the mix while you’re away as well.

Do cats enjoy their own company?

Yes, cats do enjoy their own company. In some cases, this may seem confusing because at times it seems that your cat doesn’t even notice that you were gone, right?

Don’t let this deceive you because they do generally miss you and appreciate your presence.

How can you find good cat sitters locally?

If you are struggling to find a good and trustworthy friend or relative to look after your cats in your absence you can consider getting a cat sitter.

Recommendations from friends

The challenge of doing this is finding a reputable one that you can rely on. The best way to do this is to get recommendations from friends that may of using a service before.

Recommendations from your vet

Failing that you could speak to you on local vets to see if they have any good recommendations because they have a large number of pets that may even have a stronger recommendation and a friend or family.

Referencing

Failing both of these you can also consider referencing an unknown cat sitter. This is to make sure that they have had a good reputation in the past.

However, you need to understand that references can be faked. And, therefore, it is important to do your due diligence on these references to make sure that you are not duped.

Related questions:

In this section, I am going to answer some questions related to cats and traveling without them. If you have any other related questions you need answering drop a comment below.

Q: Do mother cats remember their kittens?

No, they won’t, even after a short period of separation. If you have a new kitten in your family and you are giving them away you may wonder if your cat may even remember them in years to come.

The reality is a cat is very different from us. They recognize people based on their scent rather than vision. Therefore, they have very limited recollection of people they may have met in the past. Even if its their own offspring.

The reality is once a kitten is removed from its mother and it is put into a new environment. It will have a whole new scent around it. Meaning, the chances of your cat remembering its own kitten, even after a couple of months of separation, is very unlikely.

Q: is it better to have two female cats together?

No, unless they are kittens. If you are considering getting more than one cat you may wonder how the best way is to group them together. Getting two female adult cats together may sound like a good idea but that’s this can also be problematic if they have not grown up together.

Two female kittens that have grown up from birth will definitely be your best option.

And it almost goes without saying that two adult males is a big no-no. This is due to the inevitable territorial arguments and fighting.

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My Cat Didn’t Drink All Day. Should I be Concerned?

If you are a proud cat owner the reality is any little issue will concern you. But, when it comes to water, this is always something to take seriously. Especially if she isn’t drinking enough (Click here to see my best cat water fountains to get her to drink more).

Should I be concerned that my cat didn’t drink any water? Yes, if your cat is not drinking any water you should definitely be concerned. However, in reality, you may find that your cat has actually been drinking but it might not always be obvious (More on this later).

Now that you know it could be a cause for concern, let me go on to explain how much water your cat should be drinking, how to measure this, reasons why he might not be drinking and so much more.

How much water does a cat actually need?

Cats typically need 3 to 4 ounces of water per 5 pounds of body weight, according to this site. However, they really do not need to drink as much as you think they do.

The reason for this is because they originate from the desert. Meaning, they learnt how to survive on less water because, as you can imagine,  there wasn’t that much available.

So, you should find that your cat will draw a lot of water from the food that they eat. Especially if they eat wet canned food.

Why do cats need water?

This may seem quite obvious because we all know that every living thing needs water, right?  Water has a lot of jobs and all of them are essential. Including, but not limited to, helping their metabolism, digestive system, brain function, etc.

The bottom line is, water is something that any living thing could not live without. Food? Well, that is another story.  They could last a lot longer without food. But, water is definitely one of the biggest factors. In fact, a cat will not live for more than a few days without having water.

Why has your cat stopped drinking water?

There are a number of reasons why your cat may have stopped drinking water. The annoying thing is, it could be something very small which has triggered this behaviour. Here are a few reasons why it’s happening…

• Their water is dirty.
• The location of their water.
• They simply forgot to drink.

Water is dirty.

If their water is unclean, and I mean, this could literally be one speckle of food in their water, your cat may refuse to drink the entire bowl. Yes, the entire bowl, but honestly, would you drink a glass of water if you saw a random piece of food in it? Especially if you never poured the glass yourself? (Exactly).

Therefore, this is one of the reasons why people say it’s very important to clean out the water bowl once a day, at least. To be honest, it should be more frequent than that.

The location of the bowl.

Believe it or not, the location of the bowl may influence how much water your cat will drink. The annoying thing with this is, there is no exact science as to where this idea location is, are you with me?

Therefore, you have to take just test it to see how your cat responds.

Forgetting to drink.

This may seem silly, if not unbelievable, but sometimes your cat may not have a compelling urge to drink. This could be because they are indirectly getting enough water through the food they consume.

Or, it could be because they simply do not like drinking from the water bowl you’ve provided.

Using devices such as pet water fountain (Click here for my best one) can vastly increase the chances of them drinking if they are refusing to drink from the bowl.

How do cats drink?

You may be wondering how your cat actually drinks. The funny thing is, a cats drinking technique is very different from dogs. They do not lap up the water in big gulps like a dog may do.

Instead, they skim the water with their tongue at an alarming rate. This will create a vacuum of water which they quickly lap up. If you see this it’s very hard to catch it with the naked eye.

In fact, it’s better to see this recorded at slow-motion to fully understand how impressive this is.

How can you monitor how much water your cat is drinking?

You may be wondering how you can actually work out exactly how much your cat is drinking. This can be useful, so you can get an idea if they’re drinking enough. This is a great thing to consider but is not as easy as you may think it is to actually do.

The reason is, cats do not make it easy for you to see how much they consume. Why? because you may find that there is a large proportion of their water consumed through the food they eat.

To add more confusion, they do not always drink when you are watching them. Therefore, you may think that they’re not drinking but in reality, she might just be drinking when you’re not around.

Therefore, the best way to measure it is to monitor the levels of water that’s been consumed from their bowl directly.

You need to take a measure of the level of water you’re putting in and consistently put the same in every day. Then monitor how much has been consumed since the last refill. By looking at the water level.

To do this it is important to be consistent about when you fill and refill the bowl.

What happens if your cat does not drink water?

If your cat persists without drinking water and you are confident they are genuinely not drinking properly, it is important to get them to the vet as soon as possible.

Because without water they can become dehydrated which will cause them serious problems long-term. If they are dehydrated your vet may be able to give them a solution which will start working almost straight away.

But, in worst cases, it could be a longer and more complicated solution which could take days. So better to get her over to the vet ASAP.

How can you encourage your cat to drink more water?

Obviously it is much better to prevent dehydration happening. Rather than waiting for it to happen and then fixing it, are you with me? That old saying, prevention is better than cure, right?

Therefore, in this section I’m going to suggest a number of ways that you can encourage your cat to drink more water to avoid dehydration.

Elevating the bowl or changing its location.

Elevating the bowl, believe it or not, may change the way that your cat perceives the water. Try this simple trick to see if it makes a difference.

Also, you can try, as discussed earlier, to change the location of the bowl to see if it makes a difference.

Water fountain.

Water fountains are ideal (Click here for my best water fountain for your cat) because they are more natural to cats. It’s more in line with their instincts to drink from flowing water rather than still water in a bowl.

In fact, there are some cats that will only drink from water fountains because it is more natural for them to do this.

If you tried everything else this is quite a quick-win that you can try. The good thing is because it’s flowing constantly it will encourage your cat to have regular drinks of freshwater.

Switching to wet food.

If your cat primarily drinks dry food and you are finding that she is getting dehydrated. Then there is a good chance that you need to consider switching to wet food.

The reason for this is it a lot easier to get them to consume more water by having them eat wet food rather than doing it the opposite way round, are you with me?

Adding water to dry food.

If your cat is adamant that she won’t eat wet food or there are some reasons why you cannot do this. You can also consider applying some water their dry food to see if this make a difference.

Another suggestion is adding flavour to the water.

Sometimes cats are not drinking the water in the bowl because they just do not like the flavour. You can test out adding some flavour to the bowl. This can be done by adding clam juice, chicken broth, etc. See if this will encourage them to drink more water.

How does old age affect their water intake?

As cats get older they need to consume more water. As discussed earlier, their water intake is based on their body weight. Therefore, they naturally will drink more as they grow bigger and their body will require more hydration.

As they get even older though, beyond their adult years, you will find and they will need to consume even more water to keep them active.

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Why Does My Cat Sleep Under My Bed? (7 Reasons)

If you are a proud cat owner and wondering why your cat is hiding and sleeping under your bed, it could be a simple case that you have not offered a suitable cat bed for her (click here for my best cat beds). If not, there could be a few other reasons…

Why does my cat sleep under my bed? Its either because she is anxious, scared, seeking comfort, hiding for safety, pregnant (more on this later), or unhappy with changes in her environment. As there is a wide selection of reasons here you need to evaluate your cat to see what matches their behavior.

Now that you know why this might be happening, let me break down the seven reasons why your cat could be hiding under your bed, what you should NOT do if they are, and the best way to deal with it, keep reading…

7 reasons why your cat sleeps under your bed

As discussed earlier, there are numerous reasons why your cat is sleeping under your bed.  For that reason, I have compiled a list of 7 potential reasons why your cat is doing this so you can understand why is happening.

01. Comfort.

One thing to understand about your cat, they need to sleep a lot, which I am sure you will agree.  In particular, you can expect your cat to sleep up to 18 hours of the day. This is typically broken up into small, frequent naps (or cat naps, as they are known).

For that reason, they are always looking for a nice comfortable, quiet and dark spot where they can relax and catch up on this sleep they need, this is one of reasons many cat owners invest in cat beds or stackable cat cubes (Click here to see why I rated this one as the best).

Also, this is why under your bed is a very attractive option for them. And, maybe one of the reasons why your cat is doing this.

02. Hiding from hot weather

Depending on where you live your cat could be hiding under the bed simply because of the temperature.

In some countries, it’s exceptionally hot in different areas of the house, especially if there’s no air-conditioning throughout property.

Therefore, your cat could be clever enough to learn that underneath your bed is one of the coolest spots to hang out and hide from the direct sunlight.

03. Anxiety or stress

It doesn’t take much for your cat to feel stressed out or unhappy. Even basic things like a boisterous toddler that is running around could make them feel a little bit stressed and anxious, are you with me?

So, you may find out that your cat is retreating to hide underneath the bed to keep away from some of these stressful situations.

04. Health problems

Cats act a bit weird when they are feeling sick or in pain. For us humans, we typically like to communicate our problems by talking or by showing some obvious body language.

As you can understand cats do not have this luxury. They actually have a weird reaction, which is to effectively hide or mask up the pain. This is understood to be a safety measure that has followed them instinctively from living in the wild.

The idea is, they do not want to show any weak vulnerabilities to their predators, because they stand a much greater chance of being attacked.

Obviously, in the domestic environment, this is not an issue. But instinct is hard to avoid, it just happens. Therefore, you could see your cat under the bed hiding to cover up a health issue.

05. Changes in the environment.

Cats do not like changes. In fact, they like things to say static. This is so they know where things are and makes them feel comfortable.

Remember, they view your house is their territory. And, when things change it makes them feel uncomfortable and out of control. Even basic things like rearranging your furniture can really throw them off. Therefore, your cat may retreat to hiding under the bed to hide away from some of these situations.

06. Pregnancy

Believe it or not, pregnancy can also be an issue for them to run off hiding under your bed. The reason for this is what is known as “nesting”.

This is where your cat starts to prepare things for the upcoming birth of a new kitten. This is similar in humans, but not exactly the same symptoms that you may see. Therefore, your cat may be just preparing for things and this may not be a cause for alarm.

07. Safety

one of the more obvious reasons why your cat may be hiding underneath the bed is for their safety. In reality, when we look into the reasons why they’re hiding, it may not really be such an issue to us. But, we are different.

To be honest, this can be something as simple as a loud bang,  for example. You know, maybe if you have a fireworks night that particular night. Or, it could be the intrusion of another animal that is causing them to be fearful.

Why do cats like to hide?

As we discussed earlier there are numerous reasons why your cat is hiding under your bed. However, in general, why do cats enjoy hiding?

They enjoy hiding because they enjoy some time on their own. They also like to feel comfortable as much as possible. Like us humans, they are programmed to avoid pain and seek pleasure.

If you have not provided an obvious comfortable area, such as a cat bed (Click here for my best cat bed) for example, then they may seek out areas like under your bed to find a suitable alternative.

The dangers of hiding

In general, hiding is harmless. However, there are some situations when it can be dangerous. Apart from the fact that you may be tearing your hair out wondering where your cat is.

There can be some real issues such as them hiding behind an electrical device which could potentially be a shock hazard. Or hiding behind a parked car, etc.

The point is, they could be in the face of danger but not clever enough to understand this. This is the reason why it’s a good idea to always monitor your cat just to make sure they are not doing something silly which can put them in some serious danger.

What you should NOT do if your cat is hiding underneath the bed

If your cat is hiding under the bed and you want to change this (click here for my best 3 cat caves as another option for her to sleep and play) there are some things that you should just NOT do.

Physically removing or coaxing her out

As tempting as it is, you should not try to put your hands under the bed and move them. It is far better to let them come out on their own time.

The same goes for trying to coax them out of their hiding spots only to remove & relocate them to an area that you would prefer.

Both of these actions will just make your cat feel unhappy and make her grow to not trust you.

It may be a bit annoying at first but if you are patient with it you can get her to stop doing this by just being patient and offering her positive reinforcement for doing things that you prefer her to do.

Trust me, this will make them more likely to do what you want in the future.

What things should you do?

We talked a little bit about what you should not do but there are a few things that you could do that are good quick wins that will help you and the relationship with your cat.

Treating your cat

Treating your cat as much as possible when they do positive things is the best way to guide her.

There are other direct things that you can do. Such as offering pheromone collars (Click here for my best options) which can help them feel comfortable and happy in areas which you would prefer them to be in. For example in their cat bed (Click here to see why I love this squishy cat bed).

Positive reinforcement & Quality time

Also, general praise of your cat to make her feel more confident and happy will help a lot. As well as this you should also be spending a lot more quality one-on-one time with your cat. This will make her feel happier in your house.

Related questions:

In this section, I am going to answer some questions related to cats and beds. If you have some extra questions please feel free to drop a comment below.

Q: Do cats become more affectionate with time?

Yes, If you have a kitten that has grown up around humans, in time, they will become more susceptible and comfortable around humans. Therefore they will naturally become affectionate.

However, if you have a feral cat that has had little, to no, contact with humans it is unlikely that they will become more affectionate. In fact they’re more likely to become more fearful and hostile towards humans.

Q: Do cats miss their owners?

In general, yes, people do believe that cats miss them. And in my opinion, it seems obvious at times.  However, there are recent studies that show that cats do not need their owners as much as dogs do.

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My Cats Fur Looks Separated (Now What?)

If you have noticed separated fur on your cat, you may be looking for a solution to get rid of it (Click here for my best cat grooming combs to help this) and to understand why it’s happening.

How do I get rid of my cat’s separated fur? The best way to get rid of separated fur is to help your cat by grooming their fur. This is typically done by using a cat comb and it is also a good idea to consider shampooing their fur on occasion.

Later on, in this article, I will give you some advice on how you can groom their fur (Click here to see why I rate this comb so highly), such as de-matting it and other useful techniques.

What does healthy cat fur actually look like?

So by now, you understood how to help to get rid of your cat’s separated fur. But, how do you actually know when you’ve done a good job, and your cat is looking in good shape?

Ideally, your cat’s fur should be shiny and smooth looking. It should have a coarse texture without being brittle, are you with me? It is quite hard to describe this, but once you see it you’ll know what I mean.

As for the skin…

Their skin should be smooth without looking flaky. if you see flaky skin it could be an indication that it could be dandruff or it’s getting dried out. Also, their skin should not be too greasy and without bumps on it. If you can see greasy skin this could be an issue, but more on this later.

How do you get rid of mats in your cat’s fur?

If you notice that your cat’s hair is matted then this is a big problem, if you do not get on top of it. This is typically seen in long-haired cats who have fur which is typically hard to manage. This is usually avoided by preventing it in the first instance, such as using a wall grooming brush (Click here to see what I mean and why this is the best one).

Using a simple de-matting comb (Click here for my best choice) and some effort you can help to de-matt your cat’s fur. This is so that it doesn’t have big unsightly mats of fur that it can’t deal with.

Make sure you use gloves

But, before you even think of de-matting their fur, you need to make sure that you put on some heavy-duty gloves.

Why?

This is because your cat is likely to put up some serious resistance when you start combing those difficult and painful mats out of her fur.

Think of it this way, if you had really long hair with knots in it, and someone attempted to aggressively comb them out, wouldn’t you be apprehensive? Let’s be honest, it would be quite painful. And, chances are, you would put up resistance yourself, right? So, be mindful of this.

Adult Cats, without experience, can be hard work…

This resistance is even harsher if it is an adult cat, that has never been de-matted or combed before, as you can imagine.

Therefore, if you find this to be overly difficult, and you find that your cat is getting quite vicious. You need to stop, give it a break and then maybe try again at a later date, are you with me?

If all fails, get a professional groomer

If you find that even after you’ve given it a break and attempted to do it again, your cat is still not enjoying it, or shall I say not co-operating, because in hindsight they never really will enjoy it.

Then you need to think about getting a professional groomer involved. This is because they have the experience and knowledge of how to do this without injuring your cat or aggravating you in the process.

Why is my cat under-grooming?

If you notice that your cat is not grooming properly, it is a very good chance that it is connected to some health-related problems. The challenge is finding out which particular problem it has.

To give you an indication of what is possible, I’m going to list a few of these potential problems and then provide detail about them.

• Arthritis
• Old age
• Injured
• Dental issues
• Obesity

Arthritis and old age.

Arthritis and old age typically go hand in hand. As your cat gets older they will find it harder to do basic tasks such as grooming themselves.

As you may know, arthritis causes serious joint problems in your cat. And, can make grooming a painful exercise. Therefore, you could find that she is not grooming properly because she is in pain.

Injured

If your cat has been injured in some way she may not groom herself properly, which could cause problems. This is simply because basic grooming techniques are going to cause problems and aggravate the injury.

Therefore, it is a good idea to consult your vet to understand exactly what the injury is. Especially if it’s not obvious.

Dental problems

As you probably know, cats use their mouth (and tongue) to groom themself. And, therefore any dental related problems is likely to cause them to stop grooming.

Sometimes these issues are quite obvious. However, there are occasions where it’s quite hard to see or your cat is keeping it to itself.

The best thing to do is to consult your vet to understand exactly what the issue is. Because in some cases it could be a simple fix. And, in some cases, it could be fixed and get them back to grooming again.

Obesity

If your cat has gradually become overweight, to the point of obesity. This could be causing her to stop grooming. Believe it or not, if she doesn’t look after her weight it can affect her doing basic things like grooming.

What about if your cat is over-grooming?

Overgrooming, as you can imagine, is the opposite of under grooming. It is when your cat is grooming himself to the point of injury. This will be quite obvious because you’ll see skin irritation, patches or other obvious signs.

Usually, this is to do with some kind of parasites or irritation that has occurred in their skin. And, they are overcompensating by continuously biting, nibbling or excessively licking the infected area.

The best way to deal with this is to consult your vet to understand exactly what the issue is. This will help to see what can be done to get rid of the root cause of the problem. Rather than just dealing with the symptoms, are you with me?

If it is a flea problem they may give you a good flea shampoo (Click here to see my best fleas shampoo) which can help to get rid of it. But, either way, your vet will have some good advice on this.

Greasy or Clumpy fur

If you notice that your cat seems to have greasy or clumpy fur. This again could be due to some physical problems. The best thing to do is to consult your vet to understand what the issue is.

But, in the meantime, you can intervene by lending a hand with grooming by using a wide-toothed comb to clear up some of the greasy or clumpy areas of the fur.

Related Questions:

In this section, I am going to answer some questions related to cats and fur. If you have some other related questions that you need answering, please feel free to drop a comment below.

Q: How often should I bathe my cat?

As you know bathing your cat is sometimes required (Click here for the full article). Not all cat owners do this because cats are quite good at grooming themselves. And, in some cases, you can get away without doing it.

However, there are situations where this is necessary and some cat owners do this on a regular basis regardless.

To cut a long story short, you shouldn’t bathe them too regularly and anything less than every 4 to 6-weeks I would suggest is not a good idea.

Q: How does their diet impact their skin and fur?

Like us humans, cats rely on their food intake to regulate how the body functions.

Therefore, the right level of protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals is needed to maintain a healthy-looking coat and skin.

The challenge with this is these things are not instantly noticeable. And therefore, a lack of one particular macronutrient is not instantly noticeable, but, can cause deficiencies at a later date. Therefore, it is important to monitor this.