Month: December 2015

Cat Shampoo: The Guide

Cat Shampoo Guide

Cats usually do a pretty good job of keeping themselves clean. Sometimes however, they need a little help. This guide is here to help you inform on which cat shampoo matches your needs. 

Best Shampoo for Cats Is…. Saliva?

You read that right! But don’t start licking your kitten yet. The best cat shampoo there is, is actually the cat’s own saliva. Felines are heavily into grooming themselves, and come equipped with all they need for the job: nails. tongues, paws, teeth and saliva.

Also never use cleaning products made for people on your feline. Certain chemical compounds in hygiene products made for human use are too harsh for a cat. However calm and gentle a human’s grooming product may claim to be, always buy one that is specially formulated for cats.

Special formulated shampoo´s can be bought on the grooming aisle of you local pet store, or online. If your pet has special needs like an anti-dandruff or an anti-flea shampoo, you´ll find these items wide available as well.

Best Organic Pets Washing Product
Sometimes hygiene products can be used on both cats and dogs.

When looking for cleaning products for pets, stick with natural solutions. Rule of thumb: the fewer chemicals, the better. Nowadays, a lot of manufacturers use homeopathic and/or botanical oil blends instead. These oil blends help cleaning your feline, and make sure he/she smells nice. And best of all, they’re safe for animal use..

 

 

Before you buy an expensive cleaning product in a fancy bottle, check for the following ingredients. Avoid these!

  • Parabens
  • Sodium Laurel Sulphate
  • Artificial dyes
  • Petrochemicals

Cleaning and Deodorizing

Sometimes your feline just… smells. You have two options:

1) You decide he/she hasn’t seen the great outdoors for a while and should spend some more time there, or

2) You invest in a gentle cleansing & deodorizing cat shampoo

 

Eathbath Cleaning Product for felines

There are many options available. But which one to choose? Keeping the list of ingredients to avoid in mind, you might want to go for a all natural cat shampoo like Earthbath’s . This one is made specifically for felines, and has amazing customer reviews on amazon.

 

 

Waterless / Dry

So your kitten can’t stand water. At all. And he’s not afraid to let you know this by scratching, biting and mauling. Luckily there are also dry / waterless shampoos for cats available.These products reduce hairballs, condition the coat and give your feline a nice smell. You can buy these as sprays, powder formula’s or towel wipes.

 All Natural Hypo-Allergenic and Fragrance-Free Wipes

 

Dandruff, Dry Skin and Coat Conditioning

Skin conditions are quite common. Especially in older felines. Some of these conditions may trigger excessive flaking and itching. This can dry the fur and strip it of it’s natural protective oils. Hygiene products containing natural oils like aloe vera or chamomile help sooth the skin, fur and help relieve itchiness. Like this one from Top Performance for example. (pictured left)

If the skin has open sores, or is irritant, bring your pet to the vet. Your veterinarian can check for infections or other health issues that may require medical attention.

 

Hairballs and (Excessive) Shedding

Cats shed hair. Some more than other, but generally speaking, they all do.If your pet sheds excessive, you might want to consider getting a hygiene product that helps control excessive shedding, like 8 in 1 Cat Excessive Shedding & Hairballs. It can also help detangle knots, and reduces hairballs.

 

Tip: Brushing is an effective method to help your kitten get rid of excess fur. While brushing, you also stimulate oils to condition the coat. If you have a long haired kittycat, regular brushing is something that becomes more necessary.

Fleas, Mites and Tick Control

Fleas can be a real nuisance to your pets and to you. The same goes for mites and ticks..

If you decide to use a special formulation, make sure the active ingredients aren’t harmful to your pet. This one fights against fleas and ticks using a natural botanical, d-limonene. It has a pleasant citrus smell.

 

General reminders

  •  Don’t bath your pet too often. It’s best to let your kitten do it’s own hygiene, and you should only intervene when necessary.
  • Before you decide to wash your pet, make sure you remove any tangles. If you don’t, there’s a chance your pet’s hair may get matted.
  • If you have a kitten under 6 weeks old, don’t bathe him/her without consulting your vet first.
  •  Avoid getting any in the feline’s eyes, nose or ears. Even if the manufacturer claims it’s “tearless”.
  • Consult your vet for advice before using any product that is not specifically produced for animals.

Thanks for reading. Any questions or comments, please let us know in the comments

Cat Shelves

Cat Shelves

 


wall wounted cat shelf refined felineCat shelves and perches are important when you have felines. They need vertical territory. Vertical territory an umbrella term that describes the cat’s need for high places to climb and jump to. 

 

Vertical territory has several functions for our feline friends. It makes the kitty feel entertained, safe and secure. Not all animals are such climbers like cats are. From up high up they can keep an eye on their world, scout for food and keep a close eye on other pets or resident animals, who might pose a threat to the kitten.

if the space in your apartment is limited, vertical furniture is ideal. Wall-mounted cat shelves and wall mounted perches to lounge on are a great idea. Especially when it comes to saving space, while still providing vertical territory to your kittens

Couple of points you need to keep in mind.

 

  1. Stability.
    Wall mounted cat furniture has to be stable. Don´t let it wobble or your pet could fall off! But if it does wobble, usually it´s an easy diy fix.
  2. Surface
    Modern cat furniture can look cool and sleek, but make sure the surface is suitable for felines. Some shelves or perches have a slick wooden or varnished surface. While it might look nice, cats can easily slip and fall off. Also, they might find hard surfaces not ideal for napping purposes. If you do have a slick surface, make them suitable by installing sisal, carpet or other material to your cat shelf.
  3. Sturdiness
    Because felines can be very playful (or run through the house like proper maniacs) it´s important that your shelves are sturdy enough to support this kind of behavior. Also, the shelves need to be strong enough to support multiple cats, which brings us to point four.
  4. Size Matters
    Make sure the shelves or perches are large enough to support 1 or 2 cats. Kittycats like to have their space. They like to be able to lounge about and stretch themselves. Especially when it’s cold, cats like to share of shelf with another feline friend. This way they can keep warm by snuggling each other.
  5. Easy Acces Baby
    If your pet is very young, old, has special needs or simply is just not as agile as he/she once was, he/she might find it difficult to reach and navigate through hard-to-reach cat furniture. Make sure your kitties can access the shelves easily. Lower shelves make sure the special kittens can safely climb the higher shelves/perches. Install enough shelves for the cats so they can easily climb around. Stairs or a strategically placed chair can do wonders too.

 

Don’t skimp on vertical territory for your kitties. Definitely not less is more; the more the better!

1.Refined Feline Cat Shelves

wall mounted cat shelveThese modern floating cat shelves are made for climbing, and can hold up to 70 lbs. They are made from strong metal, with comfortable pads to lie on and provide grip. If the pads get worn out, you can replace them easily. The pads are connected to the shelf with magnets. These cat shelves come in a few different colours: black, white, off white, titanium.

Check on amazon for more pictures.

2.  Urban Pet Haus Wave Wall Mounted Perch

Another modern looking shelf, these babies come in a large (top) and a small (bottom) version. They fit very well in small spaces, and have a nice sleek look. The Wave mounts to the wall, and mounting hardware is included.

The Wave provides your feline with a comfy lookout and climbing options.

  • Real wood veneer
  • Dark zebra wood engineered finish
  • Chocolate brown felt padded top
  • Attaches securely to wall studs

Check on Amazon for more pictures

3. Sophia Cat Climbing Shelves

The Sophia is a set of two separate wall shelves. You can mount them on the wall any way you want. One of these shelves is closed, while the other has a hole. The closed one can be used for books, plants or what ever you feel like putting there. They will not be disturbed by the playing kitty.  Carpet for comfy lounging and grip on both pieces

4. Harmony Contour Cat Wall Shelves

 

harmony cat shelves espressoThese sleek and streamlined perches can hold up to 40lbs (18kg). You can attach them to the wall with their hidden brackets. They come in two varieties

  •  standard shelf
  • L-shaped shelf

These are definitely cheaper shelves. Starting at 14.99$ last time we checked, but check on amazon for recent pricing. You might want to install some carpet for grip, or a more comfortable lounge place. If you’re looking for a cheap solution, and don’t mind doing some DIY, these are the way to go.

 

Check on Amazon

5. Amish Made Wooden Cat Shelves

 

 

amish cat shelvesWoodwork? Leave it to the amish. If you can raise a barn, how hard could it be to raise a cat. These real sturdy, heavy wooden cat shelves are made from furniture quality dark cherry maple wood. They have carpet on top, This set includes two rectangular shleves, and one corner piece. Built to endure up to 50 lbs (~22.5kg). Mounting hardware & screws are included.

 

Check it out on Amazon.com

Thanks for reading. If you have any comments or questions, please let us know!