Pet Grooming Orange County

Bringing Home a New Cat or Kitten

By

Bringing Home a New Cat or Kitten

It’s always exciting to bring home a new pet. Many of us can’t wait to introduce them to our friends and family. However, how you introduce your new cat to your household will have a big impact on how well they adjust.

Cats prefer things to be predictable. When you adopt a cat or kitten, you remove them from the life they are used to. It can be difficult for them to adjust to new people, a new environment and possibly even other pets. This can be especially hard on a new cat or kitten after experiencing the stress and noise of the car ride home.

Before Bringing Them Home

Before bringing your new cat home, set everything up for them in a quiet room. In order to reduce the amount of changes your new pet is exposed to, make sure that you get the same brand of food and litter that they are used to.

You will need to take things slowly when introducing your pet to their new home. If at all possible, bring something home that smells like your pet’s old surroundings. This could be a favorite toy or a blanket or towel that they’ve slept on.

Introducing Them to Your Home

Keep your new pet in one room while they adjust to their surroundings. Allow them ample time to get used to you. Sit on the floor and let them come to you. Never attempt to pull them out from a hiding spot. This will only make the transition harder.

Once they are comfortable with you, you can begin introducing them to other family members. Take things slowly and watch your new pet for signs of distress.

Introducing Them to Your Other Cat

If you have another cat, let them sniff each other under the door. Some hissing and growling is normal. Feed them on opposite sides of the door and use a towel to rub their scent on each other. After a few days, you can shut your older cat in the new cat’s room and allow your new cat to explore the rest of the house. Monitoring your cats, begin opening the door a crack when you feed them. Slowly move their dishes closer together, watching for a reaction. Once they seem comfortable with each other you can open the door and let them meet.

Cats and Kittens for Adoption in Orange County, CA

If you are considering adding a new cat or kitten to your family, please consider adopting from us. We have many wonderful cats and kittens for adoption. All of our available felines have been socialized with other cats and people. Many of our kittens have been bottle-fed. Please stop by to see them or call 714-962-1005 for more information.

Help! I Found Kittens

By

Help! I Found Kittens

The warm months of summer are in full swing. Summer brings fond memories of warm beaches and bonfires in Southern California. It also falls right in the middle of kitten season. From April to November kittens seem to be everywhere in Orange County. Outdoor cats are capable of producing litter after litter during the warmer months. They often have these litters in remote locations away from human interference. However, it’s impossible to ignore the crying kittens in your backyard or basement, and eventually unsuspecting homeowners come across a litter of kittens.

It can be difficult to know what to do when you find kittens. We can help you through the process of keeping them safe.

Mother’s Milk is Best

When you find kittens it’s important to try to find the mama cat. A mother’s milk is specially designed for her babies and provides a number of antibodies that protect the kittens against harmful diseases. If at all possible you should try to trap the mother cat. You can rent live animal traps from your local animal shelter. Place a strong smelling food such as canned salmon in the trap and wait. Mama cats are often hungry from nursing and will readily take any food available to them.

Bottle-Feeding Orphaned Kittens

If it’s not possible to catch the mother cat you will need to care for the babies. Bottles and formula can be purchased from your local pet supply. Make sure that the formula you purchase is specially made for kittens. You should be able to buy cans of pre-made formula or powder that can be mixed with filtered water. Feed very young kittens every 1-2 hours both day and night. After feeding, they must be burped and you will need to help them eliminate. Gently rub a warm, wet cotton ball on their genitals until they urinate and defecate.

Never hold a kitten like a baby to feed them. They can asphyxiate which can quickly lead to pneumonia. Hold kittens in a standing position while they nurse.

If you have found kittens and are nervous or unsure what to do, please contact your local veterinarian for advice. Claws N Paws Day Spa has extensive experience bottle-feeding orphaned kittens. Stop by for a brochure on how to care for them.

Reasons Why Cats Meow

By

Reasons Why Cats Meow

Cats are capable of making a variety of different sounds, including several variations of the simple meow. There are many reasons why cats meow. Let’s look at the most common reasons:

  1. They are hurt
    If a cat suddenly begins to meow excessively, it’s a good idea to have them evaluated by a veterinarian. The cat might be trying to indicate that something is wrong, especially if they are not normally vocal. There are a number of diseases that can cause a cat to feel overwhelmed with hunger, thirst or pain. These feelings often lead to excessive meowing.
  2. They are saying hello
    Cats will often meow to its human when they arrive home or to greet them whenever they see each other.
  3. They want food
    As anyone that has ever lived with cats can tell you, they get very vocal when they are ready to eat.
  4. They want attention
    Sometimes cats meow simply because they want someone to pay attention to them.
  5. They are in heat
    A female cat in heat will often yowl incessantly. Spaying can resolve this issue.
  6. They are stressed
    Cats who are stressed often become more vocal. This is extremely common when cats are taken in the car.
  7. They are angry
    Angry, irritated cats will often scream at each other if they feel threatened. This will sound more like a yowl than a meow.
  8. They are lonely
    Sometimes when cats are left alone for long periods of time they can become anxious and meow excessively.
  9. They are getting older
    Senior cats typically vocalize more than their younger companions.

We hope that this information has been helpful as we strive to provide education on all aspects of pet care.

Claws N Paws Day Spa offers quality dog and cat grooming in Orange County, California. For more information, or to schedule a grooming appointment, please call 714-962-1005.

Receive a free teeth brushing for your pet when you mention our blog!

 

Why You Should Consider Adopting Two Adult Cats

By

Why You Should Consider Adopting Two Adult Cats

In shelters and rescue facilities everywhere people gravitate towards kittens and puppies, ignoring all of the older animals.  While it’s wonderful that more people are choosing to adopt, there are many benefits to adding an adult pet to your family. Even better, when you add two adult cats you save two lives and bring twice as much unconditional love into your life. Let’s discuss the many benefits of adopting two adult cats.

Even though adult cats don’t seem to need as much attention as kittens, all pets thrive when they receive lots of attention and stimulation. Cats are far less likely to engage in destructive behaviors when they have another cat to play with.

Numerous studies have found that when a cat shares its home with another cat, both cats are happier and healthier. Cats that live with a friend are sick less often, have shorter hospital stays and live longer.

Since adult cats have already developed their personalities, you will know if the cat you are interested in prefers the company of other cats or not. When you adopt from a rescue you get the benefit of finding out which cats do best together. Many times, adult cats at the rescue will already be bonded with another cat.

Claws N Paws Day Spa has been taking care of Orange County’s dogs and cats since 2001. We offer full service pet grooming at our state of the art pet salon in Fountain Valley, California. Additionally, we offer mobile pet grooming to all areas of Orange County. Claws N Paws also has many wonderful cats and kittens available for adoption. Two doors down from our pet salon we have a consignment shop offering several unique and interesting items. 100% of the profits from all pet supply sales at This n That Consignment go directly into our rescue efforts! For more information, or to schedule your next grooming appointment, please call 714-962-1005 today.

Bottom of Form

 

Introducing Your Dog to a New Cat

By

Introducing Your Dog to a New Cat

First impressions are so important, especially when it comes to dogs and cats. If you are thinking of adding a new feline friend to your household, you will want to keep the introduction as calm as possible for both animals. Although it might take some time, if your dog is properly trained the introduction to your new cat should go smoothly.

Before bringing home a new cat, train your dog to “sit”, “stay” and “leave it”. Sitting and staying will keep your dog calm and still during their initial meeting, and the leave it command can be used to stop your dog from chasing the cat. Just prior to their introduction, take your dog for a long walk. This will make your dog tired and less likely to chase the cat.

Put your new cat in a crate and give it plenty of treats to reinforce the experience as positive. Allow the cat to smell some of your dog’s things so that it can get used to your dog’s scent. If possible, try feeding your dog and cat on either side of a closed door. This will help them associate the scent and sound of each other with a pleasant experience.

To introduce your pets, crate your cat and place the crate on a table so that it’s out of your dog’s direct reach. Leash your dog and bring it into the room. Tell your dog to sit and stay. Once everyone is calm with no hissing, lip licking, growling, barking or lunging, offer both your dog and cat a treat. This will help each of them associate the experience as a positive one. Calmly praise each pet for calm, non-aggressive behavior. If both animals remain calm you can let your cat out of the crate. Continue to praise each animal for behaving calmly.

If your dog attempts to lunge at the cat during their initial meeting, use the leave it command. If the aggressive behavior continues, keep the cat in the crate and calmly take your dog out of the room on its leash. Try the introduction again on another day. Remember to only reward your dog and cat for non-aggressive behavior.

Claws N Paws Day Spa has been taking care of Orange County’s dogs and cats since 2001. We offer full service pet grooming at our state of the art pet salon in Fountain Valley, California. Additionally, we offer mobile pet grooming to all areas of Orange County. Claws N Paws also has many wonderful cats and kittens available for adoption. Two doors down from our pet salon we have a consignment shop offering several unique and interesting items. 100% of the profits from all pet supply sales at This n That Consignment go directly into our rescue efforts! For more information, or to schedule your next grooming appointment, please call 714-962-1005 today.

 

Black Cats and Halloween

By

Black Cats and Halloween

Even though most Halloween customs date back to the ancient celebration of Samhain, the association of black cats with Halloween is a far more recent addition. During the Middle Ages, cats began to be associated with witches. The exact reason for this is unclear but historians believe that it has something to do with a cat’s nocturnal nature. The powerful association between witches and cats, especially black cats, persisted throughout the years. Today, modern celebrations of Halloween often include images of the wicked witch with a black cat right behind her.

During ancient witch trials, cats were often tortured and killed by puritans along with the supposed witches. This occurred because many believed that witches had the ability to change shape into a cat and that both cats and witches were evil. Many people also believed that witches would sacrifice cats during their rituals. Because of communal reinforcement, many animal shelters will not allow the adoption of black cats around Halloween for fear of their abuse.

It is always a good idea to keep all cats indoors during Halloween, regardless of their color. Even if there is no one meaning ill will in your neighborhood or community, the sheer number of people out and about on Halloween, combined with the increased vehicular traffic make the outdoors a scary and unsafe place for our furry friends.

Keep your pets locked inside an interior room in your house on Halloween so that they do not panic when children come to your door in costume. Even the calmest of cats can become upset at the endless doorbell ringing and constant screaming of “trick or treat”. Remember to enjoy yourself this Halloween while trying to make the holiday as stress-free as possible for your feline friend.

Claws N Paws Day Spa offers quality grooming services for both dogs and cats in Fountain Valley, California. We also offer mobile pet grooming to all areas of Orange County. For more information, or to schedule a grooming appointment please call 714-962-1005.

Receive a free teeth brushing for your pet when you mention our blog!!