Dog Breeds that act like Cats

Source: Women's Day

Everyone likes to say that there are cat people and there are dog people. But, believe it or not, there are some people who are fans of both. If you're one of those who love cats and dogs equally and just can't decide which type of furry friend you'd want to add to your family, perhaps one of these dogs that are like cats will entice you.

Basenji

Just like a cat, the Basenji is a good little hunter, according to Dog Time. The breed is also known as "the barkless dog" because it's so quiet. And to make it even more cat-like, the Basenji has an extremely stubborn streak. It may very well known what command your asking him to do, but whether it follows or not will depend on how it's feeling.

Chow Chow

It's no secret that the big fluffy Chow Chow isn't exactly kitten-sized, but these proud dogs really do behave like cats. They've been likened to cats in their need for keeping clean, according to the American Kennel Club, and are incredibly easy to house train. They're a refined and dignified breed and can act aloof at times, but are very loyal towards loved ones.

Greyhound

Greyhounds may be best known for racing at high speeds, but according to Vet Street, these dogs love nothing more than lazing around on the sofa all day and actually require minimal exercise, making them great apartment dogs. They're also quiet, gentle, and extremely friendly dogs.

Manchester Terrier

The Manchester Terrier definitely has the size of a cat — usually maxing out around 20 pounds — but the breed also shares one very stereotypical cat trait: being great mouse hunters. According to the AKC, Manchester Terriers are also very graceful and athletic, which sounds pretty cat-like.

Papillon

The Papillon may be named after the French word for butterfly, thanks to its big wing-like ears, but this little dog share plenty of feline personality traits. According to Dog Time, Papillons are very agile and curious, but also love nothing more than curling up in a ball on your lap.

Shiba Inu

These little, muscular dogs were once used as hunters, according to the AKC. They have a smooth, graceful stride and are basically born house broken, so you'll never have to really worry about them having accidents like most puppies will.

Whippet

Another racing breed that loves curling up on a soft armchair in a warm house more than anything else. But they do enjoy a good sprint from time to time, according to Hills Pet. They're also known for getting along great with other pets, including cats.

Source: Women's Day

Cats and Compulsive Scratching, Licking, and Chewing

Cats and Compulsive Scratching, Licking, and Chewing

Most cats are meticulous groomers, but what happens when the behavior goes into overdrive? For a variety of reasons, some cat licking, scratching, and chewing behaviors become compulsive, which can annoy you and damage your pet’s skin and coat.

If your cat is scratching, licking, or chewing herself compulsively, it is likely you regularly catch her in the act. But if you don’t, your first clue may be the disappearance of your cat’s fur, often in strips along her back or stomach. Cats with self-mutilating behaviors may also cause red, irritated areas called hot spots to form, but they are less likely than dogs to do so.

Although compulsive cat scratching, licking, or chewing behaviors can develop in any animal, they are more commonly observed in Siamese cats and other Oriental breeds. Female cats are more likely than males to lick, chew, or pull on their fur.

Because there are a number of medical problems that may result in scratching and licking behaviors, be sure to consult with your veterinarian to help determine the cause and the best course of action.

Why Do Cats Compulsively Scratch, Lick, or Chew?

Parasites. Fleas are often the culprits behind compulsive cat scratching or cat licking behaviors. Because cats are excellent groomers, they may actually remove all traces of fleas. If you notice your cat licking his lower back obsessively, with or without scabs on the neck, it is a sign that fleas might be causing the problem. Other parasites, including ticks, mites, and ringworm, can also prompt scratching, licking, or chewing.

Allergies. Just as some people develop skin irritations in response to certain foods or environmental triggers, cats may have itchy, irritated skin if they are allergic to something in their environment.

Dry skin. Dry winter air or nutritional inadequacies can contribute to dry, flaky skin that gets your cat started licking or scratching in search of relief.

Pain. If you notice your cat licking or biting at the same spot over and over again, it could be that he is experiencing pain or discomfort in that area.

Boredom, anxiety, or compulsive disorder. Compulsive cat chewing, scratching, or licking behaviors often develop in cats who are bored, stressed, or anxious. These mental disorders are more likely to occur in indoor cats, which may be due to the fact that they receive less exercise and excitement than outdoor cats. Compulsive disorders often begin when there are changes in a cat’s environment, including a new animal or baby in the house or a move to a new location. Also, behaviors that started in response to a medical problem sometimes persist as compulsions after the condition is resolved.

Treatment for Your Cat’s Scratching, Licking, and Chewing

Eliminating parasites. Because it can be difficult to diagnose flea infestation in cats, some veterinarians recommend trying reliable flea control products purchased from a veterinary office for six to eight weeks to see if it reduces the incidence of licking, scratching, or chewing. Similarly, treating mites or other parasites, if present, can eliminate your cat’s discomfort and the problem behaviors.

Changing foods. Putting cats that arescratching or chewing on a 6-week exclusion diet is a good way to find out whether food allergies are the problem. You may have to try several diets before you find one that works. Veterinarians may also prescribe the addition of certain fatty acids or other nutritional supplements if dry skin is to blame for your cat’s incessant scratching and licking. No other foods or treats should be offered during an exclusion diet trial.

Using medication. Depending on the extent of skin damage your cat has caused by licking, chewing, or scratching, your veterinarian may prescribe the use of steroids, antihistamines, and antibiotics. Additionally, some compulsive cat behaviors caused by psychological factors can be addressed with clomipramine, an anti-anxiety medication, or amitriptyline, which helps fight anxiety and also functions as an antihistamine.

Addressing anxiety or boredom. If you and your vet determine that there is no physical cause for your pet's behaviors, there are things you can do to improve your cat’s state of mind. Making sure your cat feels safe, loved, and comfortable in your home is important, as is providing adequate stimulation and exercise. You may find that desensitizing your cat by slowly and carefully exposing her to things she fears can be beneficial. Be careful to take baby steps if you try this so as not to overwhelm your cat and make the compulsive licking, scratching or biting worse. Counter-conditioning, by training your cat to associate something pleasurable, like a treat, with something he fears may also help reduce stress and anxiety. Many times, boredom licking (also known as psychogenic alopecia) is improved by adding another cat or pet. But, there is always the risk that the second cat could be a new stress in your pet's environment that could make the hair loss worse.

Source: Pets WebMD 

Overcoming 7 Obstacles to Cat Ownership

Overcoming 7 Obstacles to Cat Ownership

You’d like to have a cat or you wouldn’t be reading this. But something’s holding you back from making the commitment. Maybe you’re afraid that cat allergies will have you wheezing and sneezing. Maybe you’re worried that cat scratching will ruin your furniture. Maybe your spouse or roommate refuses to let a feline join your happy home.

Whatever the reason, there are solutions. We’ve gathered some of the most common obstacles to cat ownership, along with suggestions on how to tackle each.

Cat Allergies

While the ideal solution for allergies is to avoid what you’re allergic to, you can minimize symptoms with a little work. But the first step is to visit an allergist to make sure you really do have cat allergies. Once you’re certain that cats trigger your symptoms, get the facts.

For example, it helps to know that people with cat allergies aren’t actually allergic to hair, but to proteins found in cat saliva, urine and dander. Stepping up kitty baths is not necessarily the solution, however. While bathing a cat can reduce your exposure to this protein, the effect is short lived, and bathing kitties too often can irritate their sensitive skin.

It will be easier on both of you if you make these adaptations:

• Make your bedroom a cat-free zone. It’s the place where you spend the most time, so keep this spot a cat-free sanctuary to help reduce allergy symptoms. If you also switch to special bedding designed to be less permeable to allergens, you may start the day significantly less wheezy.
• Demolish dander. Vacuuming, dusting, and sweeping more often can reduce the buildup of pet dander (where much of that allergy-inducing protein attaches). And make the job easier on yourself by minimizing carpets, heavy drapes, and upholstery in your house.
• Wash up. Washing your hands and face frequently can help significantly reduce your exposure to dander.
• Filter the air. Change house air filters regularly and look into installing an air purifier with a HEPA filter.
• Try medication. Both over-the-counter allergy medications and allergy shots can help relieve allergy symptoms. Over time, allergy shots can also help reduce cat allergy symptoms.

Cat Shedding

Just as shedding hair is normal for people, so is it for cats. Felines usually lose more hair in spring, as the weather warms. But cats also shed because of medical issues such as stress, poor diet, allergies, medication, infection, and sunburn. To help minimize normal kitty hair loss, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) suggests:

• Feed your cat a healthy, balanced diet.
• Brush and groom your cat regularly.

While grooming your cat, check for suspicious hair loss, redness, bumps, cuts, fleas, ticks, or other parasites. If you see signs of any of these problems or just aren’t sure why kitty is shedding so much, visit a veterinarian.

Cat Litter Box Issues

If the thought of litter box smells is keeping you from getting a cat, you’re not alone. With daily care, however, litter box odor is easy to control. And keeping a clean litter box will also help ensure that your cat will use it. To help minimize odors and maximize the chance of your cat using a litter box consistently, try these strategies:

• Buy scoopable (clumping) litter, or small-grained clay litter, as research shows that cats seem to prefer fine-grained litter. As with any litter, you’ll need to clean the litter box daily, and dump the entire box and start fresh about once a month.
• If bringing home a new kitty means you’ll have more than one cat in the house, be sure you’ve got enough litter boxes -- ideally, one for each, plus one more. For example, if you have three cats, you should have four litter boxes. If a cat can’t use the litter box due to cat traffic jams, or if the box is consistently dirty, he may begin to go outside the box.
• Don’t overfill a litter box to avoid cleaning it as often. Clean litter up to twice a day if there are multiple cats using a box. Aim for about an inch or two of litter per box.
• Some cats prefer a cover on the litter box, but most don’t. Covered boxes tend to trap and magnify odors, so they need cleaning more often. Large cats may also have trouble maneuvering in them. The answer? Try both kinds of boxes, covered and uncovered, and see what your cat prefers before settling on one.
• A cat that consistently eliminates outside a litter box may have a medical problem. Always talk to your veterinarian before presuming the issue is unsolvable. It could be something that’s easy and inexpensive to address.

A Housemate Doesn’t Want Cats

This is too big an issue to boil down to a quick solution. But here are two strategies to try when you want a cat but the person you share your home with doesn’t:

• Talk it out. Learn why your spouse or roommate doesn’t want a cat. Maybe she prefers dogs. Or maybe she would like a pet one day, but now isn’t the right time. Talk about the pluses of cat ownership: love, purpose, fulfillment -- and even better, health. Studies show that having a pet can lower a person’s blood pressure, reduce anxiety, and even diminish depression.
• Offer solutions. If your roommate or spouse is resisting cat ownership for issues you can tackle, such as shedding or odor, talk about how they can be addressed. Or the problem could be numbers: You’d like multiple cats, but she can only cope with one cat. See if you can compromise. Perhaps she’s just not sure whether she wants a pet. In that case, fostering a cat could be a way to test the waters.

The key is to begin the conversation. In the end, if your spouse or roommate is still against getting a cat, you can soothe some of your cat craving by volunteering at a shelter or humane society.

Cat Aggression

Cats fight one another and us for many reasons, emotional and physical. Territorial, inter-male, and maternal aggression are a few of the most common. And, of course, sometimes it’s just overly rambunctious play. While solutions depend on the cause, here are some to consider:

• Talk with your vet. Cats can become aggressive due to serious illness, so it’s vital to rule out a physical cause for a cat’s aggression.
• Encourage appropriate play. When cats are aggressive toward a person, it’s usually because they’re frightened or they’re playing. To prevent a cat from playing rough, never use your hands or feet as playthings. Offer many toys and spend time playing with them with your cat. You might also consider adopting another cat as a playmate or providing a more stimulating environment, such as an outdoor enclosure.
• Consider spaying and neutering. Intact males are more prone to aggressive behavior, and one intact cat can affect the behavior of others. So be sure all felines in a household are spayed or neutered.
• Ease competition among cats. If you have more than one cat, you can prevent competition by providing multiple food and water bowls, and have one box for each cat plus one more in different parts of the house.
• Provide pheromones and perches. Encourage the cats in a multi-cat household to spread out by providing hiding spots and perches throughout the house. You can also buy artificial pheromones that mimic a natural cat odor (undetectable by humans); these can help cats stay calm.
• Use short-term medication. Prescribed by your vet, these can help while you’re dealing with cat aggression. Never use over-the-counter medications -- especially those meant for humans -- unless recommended by your vet. Some drugs that are safe for humans can be fatal to cats.
• Restrain, but don’t punish. Don’t hit your cat for being aggressive, as it will only spur more aggression, as well as fear. But don’t let cat aggression go unchecked, either. To stop a cat fight in progress, make a loud noise, squirt the cats with water, or throw something soft at them. Don’t try to pull apart two fighting cats.

Solving aggression problems between cats takes time. Enlisting the help of a family vet, a board-certified veterinary behaviorist (ACVB), or a certified applied animal behaviorist (CAAB) can make it easier.

Cat Health Care Costs

If you’re concerned that cat health care is too expensive, it’s good to know that cats tend to be healthy and usually don’t require a lot of pricey care. That said, they still need regular exams and vaccinations. And like human medical care, veterinary care can be costly. Fortunately, there are options to help manage the cost:

• Pet insurance. It costs money, but it can potentially save you money, too. There are many options available. Some pet insurance is affiliated with national pet store chains and others can be purchased through a local veterinarian. Talk with other pet owners or do an online search to get an idea of the available options and what they cover.
• Subsidies through a local shelter or chapter of the Humane Society (HSUS). If you have trouble affording care for your cat, they may offer subsidized health care or know of local groups that do.
• Veterinary school discounts. Vet schools sometimes offer discount services to the public. You can locate a veterinary school near you through your vet or the American Veterinary Medical Association website.

Cat Scratching and Other Behavior Issues

It’s in a cat’s nature to scratch. They scratch to remove frayed bits of claw, to mark territory, to work off energy, and to play. Yet you can have both a cat and nice furniture by giving kitty some other outlets. Try these solutions:

• Scratching posts. Provide several scratching posts made of sisal, cardboard, or wood. Scent the posts with catnip to get your feline friend interested.
• Claw caps. Also called “nail caps,” these tiny vinyl sleeves slip over a cat’s claws, painlessly preventing him from doing damage when he tries to scratch. They are available online and at pet stores and many veterinarians.
• Nail trimming. Trimming a cat’s claws isn’t difficult, especially if you start while your furry friend is young. You can get tips on claw trimming on the web sites of the ASPCA or HSUS.
• Declawing. This is a controversial practice, so you should consider the pros and cons carefully. A cat’s claws grow from the bones of their digits, so permanently removing a claw means amputating the last joint of each digit. If you’re thinking of adopting a kitten, the Humane Society suggests a more sympathetic solution: Immediately introduce your kitten to scratching posts and other acceptable objects to satisfy his itch to scratch.

Talk to a vet, veterinary behavior specialist, or CAAB. If you bring a cat into your life and find you can’t get a handle on one of her behavior issues, always talk to a veterinarian to rule out health problems. Simple issues like a urinary tract infectioncan cause a cat to vocalize, stop using the litter box, or even become aggressive. Rule out problems such as these before assuming your cat is incorrigible and beyond redemption. If the cause is behavioral, a CAAB or veterinary behavior specialist can help. Many offer remote consultations and can work closely with your own veterinarian.

Cats can fill a home with purring warmth, silly play, and lots of affection. Yet before adopting a cat, be sure you’re ready for the commitment of a lifetime -- the cat’s lifetime.

Still not certain? Talk to your local veterinarian about briefly fostering a cat or kitten, or offer to ”cat-sit” for a friend. Either way, you’ll get a taste of the bliss -- and a few of the burdens -- of living with a cat.

Source: Pets WebMD 

The History of House Cats

The History of House Cats

It may be that “nobody owns a cat,” but scientists now say the popular pet has lived with people for 12,000 years.

On any of the surprising number of Web sites dedicated entirely to wisdom about cats, one will find quotations like these: "As every cat owner knows, nobody owns a cat" (attributed to Ellen Perry Berkeley); "The phrase 'domestic cat' is an oxymoron" (attributed to George F. Will); and "A dog is a man's best friend. A cat is a cat's best friend" (attributed to Robet J. Vogel). Of course, there is such a thing as the domestic cat, and cats and humans have enjoyed a mostly symbiotic relationship for thousands of years. But the quips do illuminate a very real ambivalence in the long relationship between cats and humans, as this history of the house cat shows.

The Mystery of the Ancient House Cat

It has taken a while for scientists to piece together the riddle of just when and where cats first became domesticated. One would think that the archaeological record might answer the question easily, but wild cats and domesticated cats have remarkably similar skeletons, complicating the matter. Some clues first came from the island of Cyprus in 1983, when archaeologists found a cat's jawbone dating back 8,000 years. Since it seemed highly unlikely that humans would have brought wild cats over to the island (a "spitting, scratching, panic-stricken wild feline would have been the last kind of boat companion they would have wanted," writes Desmond Morris in Catworld: A Feline Encyclopedia), the finding suggested that domestication occurred before 8,000 years ago.

In 2004, the unearthing of an even older site at Cyprus, in which a cat had been deliberately buried with a human, made it even more certain that the island's ancient cats were domesticated, and pushed the domestication date back at least another 1,500 years.

Just last month, a study published in the research journal Science secured more pieces in the cat-domestication puzzle based on genetic analyses. All domestic cats, the authors declared, descended from a Middle Eastern wildcat, Felis sylvestris, which literally means "cat of the woods." Cats were first domesticated in the Near East, and some of the study authors speculate that the process began up to 12,000 years ago.

Civilization's Pet

While 12,000 years ago might seem a bold estimate—nearly 3,000 before the date of the Cyprus tomb's cat—it actually is a perfectly logical one, since that is precisely when the first agricultural societies began to flourish in the Middle East's Fertile Crescent.

When humans were predominantly hunters, dogs were of great use, and thus were domesticated long before cats. Cats, on the other hand, only became useful to people when we began to settle down, till the earth and—crucially—store surplus crops. With grain stores came mice, and when the first wild cats wandered into town, the stage was set for what the Science study authors call "one of the more successful 'biological experiments' ever undertaken." The cats were delighted by the abundance of prey in the storehouses; people were delighted by the pest control.

"We think what happened is that the cats sort of domesticated themselves," Carlos Driscoll, one of the study authors, told the Washington Post. The cats invited themselves in, and over time, as people favored cats with more docile traits, certain cats adapted to this new environment, producing the dozens of breeds of house cats known today. In the United States, cats are the most popular house pet, with 90 million domesticated cats slinking around 34 percent of U.S. homes.

God and Devil: The Cat in History

If cats seem ambivalent towards us, as the quotations from cat fan-sites indicate, then it may be a reflection of the wildly mixed feelings humans, too, have shown cats over the millennia.

The ancient Egyptian reverence for cats is well-known—and well-documented in the archaeological record: scientists found a cat cemetery in Beni-Hassan brimming with 300,000 cat mummies. Bastet, an Egyptian goddess of love, had the head of a cat, and to be convicted of killing a cat in Egypt often meant a death sentence for the offender.

Ancient Romans held a similar—albeit tempered and secularized—reverence for cats, which were seen as a symbol of liberty. In the Far East, cats were valued for the protection they offered treasured manuscripts from rodents.

For some reason, however, cats came to be demonized in Europe during the Middle Ages. They were seen by many as being affiliated with witches and the devil, and many were killed in an effort to ward off evil (an action that scholars think ironically helped to spread the plague, which was carried by rats). Not until the 1600s did the public image of cats begin to rally in the West.

Nowadays, of course, cats are superstars: the protagonists of comic strips and television shows. By the mid-90s, cat services and products had become a billion-dollar industry. And yet, even in our popular culture, a bit of the age-old ambivalence remains. The cat doesn't seem to be able to entirely shake its association with evil: After all, how often do you see a movie's maniacal arch-villain, as he lounges in a comfy chair and plots the world's destruction, stroke the head of a Golden Retriever?

Source: smithsonianmag.com 

The 10 Incredible Ways Your Cat Shows You Love

Even though my cat can’t speak aloud, she is constantly trying to find ways to communicate with me. Whether my cat is “meowing” because she’s hungry, or pawing at my legs because she wants attention, she finds ways to let me know exactly what she is thinking. While I can’t read her mind, I know that she is also constantly finding new ways to tell me she loves me. And just as there are specific behaviors through which a dog communicates love, there are specific, unique ways that our cats are saying “I love you.” This exclusive list of behaviors delves into the incredible ways that our cats attempt to communicate their love for us. And while I knew a few of these already, most of them were quite surprising. In fact, I was shocked by just how often my cat has been trying to show me how much she loves me!

1. Kneading Your Legs

Kneading is when your cat uses their paws to push in and out against a soft surface, such 
as your lap. This is one of the main ways your cat tries to say “I love you.” According to 
PetMD, “If your cat is curled up and kneading your lap while you’re petting him, he’s 
returning the affection and telling you he loves you right back. Unfortunately, this can 
be quite painful, since the happier he is, the harder he’ll dig in with his sharp nails.” They recommend that you ease the painful part of this kneading by “placing a thick, soft barrier between the cat and 
your lap.”

2. Bringing You a Present

You may be familiar with your cat bringing you presents, such as toys or small, dead animals. 
This is your cat’s way of showing love. Certified Animal Behavior Consultant Amy Shojai
writes, “Cats love with gifting. Mighty hunter cats that catch everything from toys to bugs, 
mice or frogs, often share the bounty with those they love. Kitties who present you with this bounty deserve praise.” While it might seem odd, Shojai says, “They wouldn’t bring these 
special gifts if they didn’t love you.”

3. Head-Butting You

Head-butting may seem like an odd behavior, but it actually shows that your cat truly cares
about you. According to Mother Nature Network, “Cats have secret glands concentrated on certain parts of their bodies, including their cheeks and heads. When your kitty rubs her
head or face against you, she’s marking you with her scent and claiming you as part of her
family group.”

They continue, “This scent is a source of both comfort and familiarity for your kitty.”

4. Staring Into Your Eyes

Staring at you and slowly blinking is a way in which your cat shows you great affection.

Dr. Karen Becker writes, “This might be the display of cat love that is easiest for humans to understand. If your kitty first stares at you, then blinks, then opens his eyes wide, then slowly blinks a second time, he’s telling you he loves and trusts you.”

She says this is an extreme sign of affection. “It’s the equivalent of being kissed.”

5. Showing You Their Belly

The flashing of the stomach is one way that your cat is saying “I love you.”

According to IHeartCats.com, “Like most animals, cats do not show their stomachs to
just anyone. If your cat rolls over on its back to give you a flash of that fuzzy belly, this is
an indication that they feel comfortable around you.”

They continue, “Not only this, but they feel loved and protected by you, rendering
themselves defenseless while on their backs.”

6. Curving the Tip of Their Tail

The tail can actually be an incredible barometer into how your cat feels about you.

In an essay entitled, Ask a Behaviorist: How Do Cats Show Affection to People?, Catster
writes, “Kitties express happiness and warm feelings by fluffing out the base of their tails
while subtly quivering them. Simultaneously, they hold their tails upright with a slight
curve at the top.”

They continue that this tail curve “is sometimes called the happy tail dance.”

7. Nipping You

Don’t get mad, because gently nipping at your finger is another way your cat is saying
that they love you.

According to Dr. Karen Becker, “This show of love from your kitty can prove to be a
bit painful... [but] your cat really doesn’t understand her love bite isn’t always
pleasant for you.”

These love bites can also be seen as your cat interacts with other cats. “Kitties nip
each other affectionately, and their skin is tougher than ours.”

8. Rubbing Against Your Legs

When your cat just can’t seem to get enough of your legs, that is likely a sign of true love.

Dr. Karen Becker writes, “Rubbing against another creature is how cats show affection.
If your kitty rubs up against your leg... he’s putting his scent on you as a way of
claiming you as his own.” This is quite similar to the head-butting behavior.

“It’s important to your relationship and bond with your cat to allow him to rub
against you.”

9. Purring

You’ve heard your cat purr before, but you may not have realized that this was a love purr.

According to certified expert Amy Shojai, “Cats love with purrs. Her purrs can mean
a variety of things, from delight to expressions of concern. And kitty purrs range from
soft and subtle to Mack-truck loud.”

In case you had any doubt, she writes, “When your cat purrs in your presence, you
can be sure she’s expressing her love for you.”

10. Following You Around

If your cat can’t seem to get enough of your company, you know you have a loving connection.

According to the Mother Nature Network, “If your feline friend follows you from room
to room, jumps onto tables and counters to be near you, and always seems to be
right where you step, she clearly enjoys your company.”

A good test is if your cat continues to follow you, “especially if it’s not near feeding time.”

Paying attention to these common cat behaviors is the best way to be sure
that your pet truly does love you.

Source: Phil Mutz, writer at LittleThings.com