Giving the Love and Attention Your Cat Deserves

How often do you stop in your busy, daily life to tell your cat that you love them? How often do you sit down with them for a few minutes everyday, pet and tell them how your day went? Or show that you care about them by brushing their fur or playing with them for 15 minutes a day?

If you answered "not very often" or "once a while", stop what you're doing right now and give them the love and attention that they deserve.

Sit with them and rub under their neck or scratch their heads( don't you dare try rubbing their belly - unless you want your arm to be meat tenderized!).

Sit with them and tell them about your crappy day at work or how much fun you had with your friends today. Tell them all of the details because they will give you their full attention and listen to everything you have to say.

Play with them and spend all of their built up energy that they obtained while you were at work. They are a loaded spring and need it to be stretched!

Play with them for at least 15 minutes until they look tired and exhausted. Look at their eyes and give them three slow blinks. You are telling your cat that you love them. If they blink back, they are saying "I Love You Too".

Give the love and attention that your cat deserves everyday because more than likely, they are giving you all of their love, 24/7.

Petsitting Checklist for the Client Before They Leave

At Just Cats Pet Sitting, we provide quality cat care to your felines when you are away! There are lots of things to consider before going out of town such as packing, planning, etc. that you have to quickly accomplish before jet-setting to some beautiful destination!

Here is a checklist that may be helpful for you the next time you go out of town:

Pets

⬜  Pet food and treats with feeding instructions

⬜  Medications, with detailed instructions

⬜  Plenty of toys to keep your pets occupied while you're away

⬜  Extra litter, litter scoop, poop bags

⬜  Close doors to any rooms where cats aren't allowed

Household

⬜  Paper towels

⬜  Cleaning supplies (rug cleaner, dish soap, etc.)

⬜  Broom, dustpan, vacuum cleaner (or instructions on where they are kept)

⬜  Trash can & trash bags

⬜  Set thermostat to a comfortable temperature for your pets

⬜  Empty trash, wash dishes, water plants, etc.

For Your Pet Sitter

⬜  Leave a note with any last minute changes or instructions

⬜  Notify your pet sitter that you are leaving as scheduled

Cat Play @ A Young Age

Playing with your cat at least 15 minutes a day is not only good for their health and a way of burning energy, but it's also good for their social skills.

Developing a cat's social skills is key at the beginning of their life. Kittens learn how to act around other cats and as well as humans when they have littermate to play with. Ever see two kittens get into a tumble and it looks and sounds like they are hurting each other? They are learning when a bite or a scratch is considered "too much" . When humans play rough with a kitten, we are essentially teaching them that it's okay to scratch and bite. They learn this as they grow up and can then develop a bad behavior in which people consider them to be a "cat from hell" (Jackson Galaxy plug).

When you consider adopting a kitten from a shelter or a rescue group, think about getting another kitten , preferably a littermate so they can keep each other company; keep that sibling bond; and develop proper social skills for when they grow up to be sweet kitties.

23 Insanely Clever Products Every Cat Owner Will Want

I love Buzzfeed. Especially when they do something cat-related like "Cute Cats In Weird Sleeping Positions" or "21 Reasons Why We Love Cats". My friend Jenna recently sent me this Buzzfeed post on "23 Insanely Clever Products Every Cat Owner Will Want". Pablo and I already have a few of these!! Here are a few that we will definitely want in the future:

#9: Extra Side Bed (for Ginger)

#11: Home Office

#22: The Indiana Jones Cat Bed

Which products appeal to you? Post in the comments below!

Nicole @ Just Cats

Kitten Rescue Cam

Need a way to relieve stress during the heck work day or wake up on the wrong side of the bed and need a pick me up?!

I highly recommend the Kitten Rescue Cam which showcases adoptable kittens from a rescue group out of Los Angeles, CA. 365, 24/7 - you can see kittens at play or catch a nap with their momma cat.

What a great way to promote a great cause! Bookmark it on your browser!

Why Does My Cat Pee Outside the Box?

I did my first video blog on the common issue of why cats pee outside of the litter box. I saw a lot of this with my childhood cats Pepper and Salt and also with my current cats, Sarni & Ginger. And of course, their reasons were all different. Age, medical issues, and stress to name just a few.

You tubing and creating videos is all new to me, so please excuse the amateur-like video! I hope this information helps you determine why your cat pees outside the box. Enjoy!

How to Transition Your Cat to a New Food

All of us cat people has had to switch our cat's food at least once in their lifetime and surprisingly,  there is a right way to do it.

Cats and humans are not much different when it comes to transitioning to a new diet. When it comes to switching from a high-fat and protein diet to a low-fat and lean protein diet, our bodies need time to adjust to this type of change. Doctors recommend that we slowly transition by incorporating new foods in each of our meals to prevent our bodies from going into a nutritional shock. This same rule applies to our feline friends. Cats can experience diarrhea, loss of appetite or vomiting if they transition to the new food too quickly.

To prevent "nutritional shock", you must slowly incorporate the new food into a cat's current food.  Before starting, consult with your veterinarian. (Consult with your physician before starting a new diet). The transition time period should be between 7 to 10 days with the following mixture ratios:

- 3/4's of the current food and 1/4 of new food (Days 1-3)
- 1/2 of current food and 1/2 of new food (Days 4 - 6)
- 1/4 of current food and 3/4's of new food (Days 7-10)
-  New food = 100% (Day 10 and beyond)

Check your cat's bowel movements to see if they have loose stool/diarrhea. If they aren't eating as much or show signs of lethargy, etc, consult with your veterinarian. Follow this recipe for success in your next food transition. Ensure that you do the same when weening of the new food to either a new food or back to the current food.

Cats Rule, Dogs Drool

Okay, I'm not saying that dogs are terrible. I love dogs, but I love cats more. So says most people in the world since the current cat population sits at about 600 million and dogs at 525 million.

A recent article from PetSitter.com says that cats make better pets than dogs do. How so?

Cats are better companions, cheaper (really!? mine don't fall in this category) and are considered very clean animals as compared to that of dogs.

Sharing a home with a cat is also very good for your health. It can help with depression, loneliness, and even reduce your risk of heart disease. Even though most cats don't enjoy daily walks around the neighborhood, they can help reduce blood pressure and make you an overall healthier human being.

Have I convinced you enough to get a cat? Or adding another to your household?

Houston Pet Sitting - Just Cats Pet Sitting

In the past few weeks, friends have asked why I've gotten serious about our business at Just Cats Pet Sitting. There are actually two things that come to mind. One of the first reasons I got serious about this Houston pet sitting business is the need for a cat-friendly sitter. I have not gone on a serious vacation for the past couple of years because I couldn't trust someone else taking care of my cat Ginger. I've had friends in the past do it (in which I felt guilty in asking each time) and others had offered too, but I wanted someone who was cat-focused like I was. Someone who knows and loves cats as much as I do.

When I did a search on Google for "Houston pet sitting", I found pet sitters who were mainly focused on dogs. Granted, they had a picture or two of a cat, but where were the cat pet sitters? I typed in "Cat pet sitters Houston" and was reverted back to the same dog-focused pet sitters. This is where I found a need for a cat-only pet sitter. If no one else in the city of Houston could do it, I could. This was the start of Just Cats Pet Sitting - Houston's Premier Cat Sitting Business.

Oh! I forgot to mention the other reason why I got serious about Just Cats Pet Sitting. Pablo, the co-owner told me he loves to clean the litters and feed our three girls. Who loves that!? So, I figured, why not get paid for something we love to do. Meow.

Caring For a Cat with IBD - Part 1

$700, a large wound, and no explanation, I left the vet's office in 2008 with no clear answer. My newly adopted cat Ginger had unexplained medical issues that even a cat veterinarian couldn't figure out. I came home at the end of the week from a business trip when I noticed a large wound on the left-side of Ginger's neck. It had looked as if a dog had grabbed hold of her and took a chunk out of her small neck. I cleaned the wound and brought her into the vet the next day. The vet ran a blood test, took a urine and fecal sample and didn't know why she ended up with a wound on her neck. They had asked numerous questions, which were unrelated to her issue. They even considered her wound to be result of a "fly bot" larvae nestled in her skin which caused her to itch away at her neck. They proposed to cut a small incision into her neck to check. I frighteningly agreed, not knowing that the vet really had no idea what she was dealing with. Ginger was placed under anesthesia and a small cut was made. Ginger went home that day with a band-aid neck cast and no larvae to be claimed for.

Fast forward 4 years later, same story unfolded. Ginger would continue to have periodic wounds and scabs on her neck that I would clean and take care of for her whenever she would have a flare. She had a hot pink band-aid with purple hearts that I would place with gauze whenever she would itch herself raw. I kept her nails short so that she wouldn't create such a large gash as she did the first time. It became normal for us. Itchy skin, small wounds, no one knew why. She also became a dainty eater. She weighed 8 pounds and was a small cat, considering she's part Maine Coon. Ginger would eat a few bites of wet and dry food. At that time, I had done some research between the 4 years and had taken her to a new vet. The vet proposed that it could be food allergies and to do a test trial of hypoallergenic foods. We tried different brands, prescription and non-prescription foods and it seemed that she itched less with a certain brand. Her lips were also noticeably puffy when we did the food trials - that was a good indication to us that she was allergic to certain foods. The recommendation from the vet got me one step closer to what she had been secretly dealing with all of her life....food allergies. This was just the beginning of her struggle with feline inflammatory bowel disease aka IBD.

Just Cats Pet Sitting Website is NOW LIVE!

I'm happy to announce that the website for Just Cats Pet Sitting is now live, up and running! This is so exciting! We are ready to take on new customers in the Houston area! 

Come visit us at http://justcatshouston.com

Why Do Cats Meow?

Ever wonder why cats meow? Is it to communicate to each other or are they trying to communicate to us? I recently read an article in which they found that the cat's meow is unique to the human -  meaning that they only meow for us! In nature, cat's do not communicate to each other through meows, but through their body language (aka - running their bodies through our legs or on a tree, claiming ownership). Through evolution and the process of being domesticated, cats figured out that humans respond to their meows. So they're not meowing at us because it's their language, they are meowing at us so that we can understand what they are saying! Unfortunately, we haven't mastered the meow language yet, but other cats have.

In a multi-cat household, has there ever been a time where one cat meows loudly and then seconds later, all of the other cats appear from wherever they were sleeping? Well, the cats can decipher one meow from the other. Apparently, there is 120+ words in the meow language. ME-OWWW could mean "dinner" or Meee-oww could mean "pet me". Humans are too dumb to figure it out, but our fellow feline friends have. I wonder what the meow translation is for "cats rule and dogs drool"....