Pet The World

Cats need to knead. Nobody knows much about why cats do anything. There are many notions but few dependable facts. The usual suspects are: The cat is reverting to kitten behavior in which the mother is not producing an immediate supply of milk and the kneading opens the gates. Seems reasonable and likely. I have many cats. Actually I have two, they just seem like many. One kneads often, the other-never.

Some suggest that the cat who kneads in adulthood was weaned too early. Maybe so. (I guess I should explain that ‘making biscuits’ is a colloquialism for kneading. Sounds good to me).

Some say that the cat who kneads in adulthood was weaned too late. For this we need scientists?

Who can say? Purring is even worse. It seems that cats purr as they are dying. How does that relate to all the happy purring? The kiss of death? No, that’s a whole other scenario. Purr them an offer they can’t refuse. I don’t know.

The Rising Rump Syndrome is another matter and cannot be discussed without adult supervision.

Some of my two cats are chicken and some are bold. I say some because they switch sides; one day chicken one day bold. They sniff-to-death things they have sniffed for years as if they had never sniffed them before. I bring in a new object; they don’t know it exists. Two days later it is the exclusive property of one and the other should drop dead before touching it.

I bring home an elegant cat toy full of catnip and bells. They play with the bag. I’m gone for a week and a neighbor feeds them. I come home, they never heard of me.

A stranger comes to the door, they run for the hills. A friend they have met a hundred times comes to the door, they run for the hills. I come home from shopping. They yawn.

I’m trying to watch television; plop, right in front of my eyes. I go make dinner, plop, right on the counter. I go to the bathroom; plop, all over me.

Now I want to pet and cuddle; sorry, sleeping time. I run the vacuum, I’m Frankenstein. I get a piece fish; oy! What can I tell you?

People write books about cats. What do they know? All they got is facts. You want to know about cats? You don’t want to know.

You can look at my cats on my website below.

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Jack Wilson owns cats, or vice versa, in Tempe. Arizona

http://www.geocities.com/galimatio/jackwilson.html

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Animals are a gift from God, in my opinion. They can make us smile or laugh even when we are feeling at our worst. If you have an animal who is use to being in the middle of attention when you first arrive at home, or lounging around watching television, reading or just relaxing, make sure you take this under consideration if you’re going to be bringing home a new addition to the family.

Animals can get a little confused if the amount of attention suddenly changes, without warning. This can cause them to go into a depression, which can cause serious life-altering symptoms, such as: not eating, anxiety, excessive gnawing, aggressiveness, etc

If you’re expecting a baby start cutting down the amount of attention you’re giving your animal now and work down to the amount of attention you think you’ll be able to give them when your baby arrives. Make sure to still give them adequate attention and not to take away the amount too quickly. Also, it’s important to let them smell items you are bringing into the home, such as the baby clothing and furniture. Let them walk around the baby’s room, where the smell will not be foreign to them. It’s also a good idea to bring home an article of clothing the baby has came into contact with after s/he is born, before bringing him/her home from the hospital.

Most animals will feel a certain amount of jealousy. The way the owner responds to this kind of behavior will determine how far the animal takes this emotion. Let the animal smell the baby when you bring him/her into the home. If you think your animal will react violently to this new addition, then you may sadly have to think about finding your animal a new loving home.

All animals know is how we treat them. They get use to receiving attention, just as a human does. This is our fault, as owners. We are the ones who made them this way, so we are the ones who need to get them use to sharing the attention with another. They can turn out to be your child’s best friend and protector, as your child grows. You must set limitations with them, just as you would a sibling. This may sound funny to a few people reading this - but many times an animal gets away with doing things we wouldn’t let a child do. Animals need discipline as well. This does not mean hitting on them, or yelling at them. Usually a very stern voice with a quick touch on the dog will work. For example, if your dog keeps barking at everyone who walks into the door (especially people who they know), you can stand in-between the dog and the person and sternly say, “NO” while touching them quickly on their neck. This startles them into listening, as well as the act of standing in front of them, teaches your animal that you are the boss - the leader.

Letting your animal know you are the leader and giving them discipline, will actually make your animal a happier, more secure pet. They need boundaries and they need to know you are the leader (just as they would have a leader in a pack). This will also make bringing a new addition into the home a more pleasant experience and add to making you all one complete, happy family.

This article has been submitted in affiliation with http://www.PetLovers.Com/ which is a site for Pet Forums. Most of Tracey’s writings can be found at http://www.writing.com/authors/intuey

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