Category Archives: Living With Cats

The Cat’s Purr – Talking about Good Vibrations

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A cat’s purr is surely one of the best things about owning a cat – there is nothing quite like snuggling up with your cat and feeling its contented vibrations thrumming through its body.

Most people think that a cat merely purrs when it is feeling contented. In fact, there are a whole lot of reasons that a cat will purr.

Reasons for a Cat’s Purr

There are many different reasons that your cat may purr:

  • When they are relaxed and happy.
  • When they are scared – a cat will often purr when it is trying to self-soothe while under stress.
  • Mother cats often purr when they feed their kittens as a way to communicate and transmit their affection for their young.

Physiology of the Purr

The cat’s purr originates in the feline’s voice box (larynx) when the vocal chords and diaphragmatic muscles work together to create a continuous vibration as it breathes in and out.

Cat’s purring noises measure between 25 and 150 hertz and there is evidence that this noise can be used therapeutically.

Many people have positive results when using the purring of a cat to aid sleep disturbances or difficulty falling asleep.

Some people now even use artificial cat’s purr white noise apps to fall asleep!

The Thera-purr-tic Effect

There are various potentially therapeutic effects of a cat’s purr. There is evidence that the gentle vibration of the purr:

  • can aid healing of soft tissue injuries to ligaments, tendons and muscles
  • reduces stress levels
  • reduces blood pressure
  • boosts immune system function
  • calms nervous anxiety.

A cat’s purr is a truly soothing sound that can bring a sense of tranquillity both felines and cat lovers alike.

Behaviour Management 101 for Naughty Cats

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Naughty cats can be just like children and need help to learn limits and the appropriate behavior.

If you have a cat that is providing some challenging behavior, then you might like to consider time outs as a useful tool.

Signs you May have Naughty Cats

Time outs might be required for naughty cats when you are experiencing any of the following behaviour:

  • Biting
  • Scratching
  • Aggressive play
  • Hissing
  • Bullying behavior towards other pets.

However, it is not an appropriate behavior management tool in order to deal with:

  • Anxiety
  • Phobias
  • Toileting issues.

How can I Use Time Outs with Naughty Cats?

Giving naughty cats time outs is a simple process – all you need to do is to place the cat in an isolated location for a period of time.

A laundry or bathroom is usually the best option.

When you put the cat into time out, you must do so without playing, petting or chatting to it.

If you do so, then you are potentially rewarding the cat for bad behavior.

Another key point is that you must not chase your cat into the time out area as they will perceive it as being part of a game.

Ten minutes is generally an ideal amount of time to leave naughty cats in a time out.

Following this period of time, they will have made a connection between their action and the punishment.

It would be counter-productive and unkind to your pet to leave it in isolation for an extended period.

Any longer and your cat may become stressed and their behavior will deteriorate in the time out space or once they are let out.

Use time outs for naughty cats consistently and you will soon begin to see marked improvements in their behavior.

Handling Cats Safely and Lovingly

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There is nothing quite as calming as cuddling your kitty, but handling cats needs to be done carefully or you may injure them – or yourself.

Often your cat will enjoy being patted, but cats also live life on their own terms and there are times when your cat will not be interested in affection.

As a cat owner, it is important to learn to distinguish when they are in the mood for snuggles and when they are not.

Tips for Handling Cats

There are several tips that a caring owner should know about handling cats:

  • First, consider your cat’s body language – do they appear relaxed?
  • Earn the cat’s confidence by patting it or talking to it so you have its attention.
  • Once the cat appears comfortable with you, you can pick it up.
  • It is best to scoop the cat up by placing one hand on their chest under their front legs and use your other hand to cradle their hind legs.
  • Then bring the cat in close to your body so it feels secure.
  • It is best not to move around very much when handling cats  to avoid frightening it.

Tips on Kids Handling Cats

Many children adore animals and are very eager to try handling cats; here are a few tips to help keep the children and the cat safe:

  • Children should be supervised when handling cats at all times.
  •  They should sit down with the cat to pet them as there is a risk they may drop it, or the child may also get scratched or bitten if they frighten the animal.
  • Demonstrate how to carefully pet the cat and ensure they understand they need to be gentle.

Don’ts for Handling Cats

There are a couple of things that you should definitely not do when you are handling cats:

  • Although you may see mother cats do it, you should never pick a cat up by the scruff of its neck – it may become injured.
  • Cradling a cat like a baby is also unwise as it may feel vulnerable and you stand a good chance of being bitten or scratched.

Tips on Handling Cats with Affection

Cats love to have their ears gently scratched or massaged and they also enjoy a tickle under the chin.

They will often enjoy being stroked along the length of their back and having a scratch on their back at the base of their tail.

Cats do not generally enjoy having their fur brushed backwards, having their whiskers or paws played with.

When handling cats the key is to watch your kitty’s body language and be sensitive to any signs they are not enjoying your attention or affection.

Cat Superstitions Over Time

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Over time, there have been many cat superstitions across different cultures that have coloured the way people connect with felines.

Bad Luck Cat Superstitions

Of course, one of the best known cat superstitions is that black cats are bad luck.

In the UK and many other English speaking countries, the black cat was associated with witchcraft and evil.

In China, the black cat is associated with hard times and poverty.

In much of Europe, one of the leading cat superstitions was that if a black cat jumped onto a sick bed, it was a sure sign that death was near.

Remnants of these cat superstitions are still prominent to this day and for this reason, black cats have the lowest adoption rate at pet rescue centres.

Good Luck Cat Superstitions

Fortunately for the black cat, some places also believe that they are good luck or even sacred.

Freya, one of the Norse goddesses, drives a chariot that is pulled by two black cats.

In the South of France, black cats are known as magician’s cats and they are believed to bring good luck.

Cat Superstitions and Seafaring Folk

Pirates, sailors and fisherman have always been a superstitious bunch, so it is unsurprising that they have some about cats:

  • Sailors – in the 19th century sailors believed that black cats would attract good luck and many were kept on ships.
  • Pirates – believed that a black cat walking towards them was bad luck, but a black cat walking away from them was a harbinger of good fortune.
  • Fishermen – many fishermen’s wives used to keep black cats because they believed that it would protect their husband while they were away from home on the seas.

Cat Superstitions and Romance

 In Japan, it is believed that a woman with a black cat will have many suitors and many favourable offers of marriage.

It is also commonly believed there that if a black cat sneezes near a bride, it will bring good fortune.

Often black cats, in the form of ornaments, are given to couples as gifts on their wedding day.

There are many cat superstitions throughout the world in different cultures.

Do you believe in cat superstitions?

Fascinating Feline Facts for Ailurophiles

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Cat Facts for Ailurophiles

Fun Cat Facts for Ailurophiles

All cat lovers know that kitties are fascinating creatures, but here are some feline facts that might surprise even the savviest ailurophile.

Fun Feline Facts

Here are some fun feline facts to expand your general knowledge about your favourite pet:

  • As you may have guessed, a cat lover is known as an ailurophile, which comes from the Greek ailurous.
  • Conversely, if you dislike cats, or you are scared of them, you are an ailurophobe.
  • The collective noun for a group of adult cats is a clowder.
  • The collective noun for a group of kittens is a litter, or a kindle, which comes from Middle English when birthing was known as kindling.

Feline Facts: Agility

It is a well-known fact that felines are fleet-footed, but did you know:

  • They can move at a speedy 45 kilometres per hour.
  • They can spring up to five times their height in one single jump.
  • Cats are excellent fallers; they have a kind of internal gyroscope that helps them to turn themselves the right way up when falling and their legs are designed to distribute impact when they land.

Feline Facts: Senses

Dogs are known for their keen hearing, but cats can pick up sound a full octave higher than dogs.

Although cats are not colour blind, they do not see colour the same way a human does.Fun Cat Facts - Cat Planet

They are good at detecting the colours blue, green and yellow, but have trouble picking up some shades of red.

Freaky Feline Facts

  • Female cats are generally right-pawed, but males generally favour their left paw.
  • In ancient Egypt, when the family cat died, the family would express their grief and mourn them by shaving off their eyebrows.
  • Sir Isaac Newton invented the cat flap after his cat kept interrupting his experiments.

With these feline facts up your sleeve, you will be able to hold your own with the best of the ailurophiles.

Cat lovers Treated to Feline Therapy in Paris

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Therapy Cat Ginger Kitten

Cat Therapy

Cat lovers craving a kitty cuddle can now combine their fondness for felines with a croissant and cappuccino.

Purr-therapy for cat lovers

A new café in Paris has launched a novel concept for Parisians who love animals, but are not allowed them, or don’t have space for them, in their cramped apartments.

Le Café des Chats, in the Marais district of Paris offers patrons some purr-therapy by cuddling one of the 12 rescue cats that call the café home.

Djenko is one of the dozen cats that has been adopted from pet rescue centres in the French capital. He is a tabby who has feline dwarfism; this genetic condition causes small paws and a stunted tail.
Djenko, Habby, Oreo and the rest of the kitty crew at the café have been carefully chosen for their social characters.

Cat lovers: health benefits

It is well-known that there are many mental health benefits to owning pets. Some of these include:

  • Reduction in stress levels
  • Lowered blood pressure
  • Easing of chronic pain
  • Reduced risk of heart attack and stroke
  • Lowered cholesterol levels
  • Mood elevation – preventing depression
  • Helps with loneliness.

Patting a tabby as you sip your coffee enjoying the purring ball of fluff on your lap has appealed to young and old alike with visitors spanning all points on the age spectrum.

Cat lovers On opening weekend, the café had queues lining up around the block and more than 300 cat lovers had to be turned away. Bookings are now taken for interested potential visitors.

Cat lovers who visit the café are asked to observe a few rules for the cats’ health and wellbeing: no handling the cats when they are sleeping and no feeding them.