DO YOU KNOW WHERE
YOUR CAT IS?		 CALLING CARDS BY DIABELLA



Preparing Your Cat For Life Indoors

  • Provide safe things for your cat to do. Cats can be amused for hours by very simple things: paper bags (never plastic!), catnip mice, balls (you can make balls from aluminum foil), cardboard boxes (always completely open on top!).
  • Make sure you have secure screens on all your windows. You can set up "window seats" for your cat to sit on and safely watch the world.
  • Provide at least one "cat tree" so your cat has something to climb and jump on. "Cat Trees" are tall pieces of furniture made for cats. They are usually made of carpet so the cat can also use it as a scratching post.
  • Cats can be trained to walk on a harness and enjoy the outdoors safely. Visit Harness Training to learn how.
  • Never use physical abuse as discipline. I usually give my cats a 10-minute "time-out" in the bathroom. You can also squirt the cat with a water bottle to discourage wrong behavior.



Should You Declaw?

The cat's claws are controlled by digital flexor tendons. If a tendon is damaged, the claw will remain permanently retracted. When a cat is declawed, some or all of the terminal bone in the toe is removed. Declawing does not just remove the cat's nails; declawing removes part of the cat's toe.
It is natural for your cat to use their claws. Removing the claws and part of the cat's toe is not natural! It is your responsibility as a cat owner to teach your cat where it is appropriate to scratch. Cats are not scratching the sides of your sofa to be "bad". This is a form of exercise to the cat. Provide tall, sturdy scratching posts for your cat to use. When your cat starts to scratch where he/she shouldn't, you can use the water bottle or a firm "no" to discourage this behavior. Show the cat the scratching post everytime he/she attempts to scratch at furniture. You can also use masking tape on the spots where your cat was scratching. The tape only has to stay there temporarily until your cat learns to use the scratching posts.
Natural Scratch is a 24" or 32" tall, cat-attractive, hard-to-tip-over, economical, and long-lasting scratching post that only looks better with use. Give it a try!






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