These days money is tighter than ever. Even those of us that had no need to tighten our belts a few years ago, may now have to look for ways to save money. This is especially true for cat owners. Cat food is something that you constantly need to buy and it can become quite expensive, this holds even more true for those of us with multiple cats. Recently, I tried to save some money on my monthly grocery bill by cutting back on cat food costs. I did this by purchasing a cheaper brand of cat food, special kitty cat food.

The reason that special kitty cat food caught my eye, was the fact that their brand of pet food was far cheaper than any other that my supermarket offered. I purchased an eighteen pound bag for just over eight dollars. This was almost half as much as I was spending on my cat’s food. I figured that there wouldn’t be much of a difference and that this would be a great way to save myself some money.

Special kitty cat food offers a fairly wide variety of food. There were a few different flavors and formulas. They offered cat food for older cats and kittens alike. There was also a claim on the package that if I wasn’t satisfied that they offered a 100% money back guaranty. My first assumption was that if this company was willing to offer me my money back if I was unsatisfied with their product, how bad could it be.

After only a few weeks of feeding special kitty cat food to my cats, I began to notice some changes in my pets. I noticed that their coat looked thinner and that the hair looked more dry and brittle. Now, if this would have only happened to one of the older cats I would have thought that it was due to old age but it was happening to all four of my cats and all at the same time.

Another side effect that my cats developed from eating special kitty cat food was an abnormal amount of gas and terrible smelling feces. I know that cat feces does not smell good under any circumstance but after a few days of eating this substandard cat food my cat litter box began to stink up the entire house. I own four cats so their litter box needs to be cleaned out on a daily basis. Before I purchased special kitty cat food when I cleaned the litter box each morning I would only notice the foul smell only after I knelt down in front of their box. After only a few days of trying out this cheaper cat food I would be able to smell the litter box throughout my home a few hours after cleaning it out.

When I decided to look at the ingredients, I noticed that in this particular type of special kitty cat food there were 36 different ingredients, I only recognized about ten of them. I am no veterinarian but I do know that that it is not  a coincidence that all four of my cats were effected in this way only a few days after the switch to special kitty cat food. I am not making any claims about this pet food, nor am I trying to sway any of you in any direction. I am simply sharing my own personal experience and I hope that every one who is reading this post has found it helpful.

If you can not afford any other type of cat food besides special kitty cat food, then there isn’t much of a choice. Personally, I have chosen to go back to my cats’ original food as I do not want to take any type of risk regarding their health and well-being.

Clipping your cat’s nails can be a little bit scarey. The reason for this is that cats, as well as dogs, have a very large vein that reaches more than half way down their claw. If this vein is cut, it can cause a great deal of blood loss. This is why many pet owners are weary of clipping their cats nails. It would not be so bad, but for many of us it can be quite hard to hold our cats still while we are attempting to complete this task. If you are thinking about trying to clip your cat’s claws, there are a few things that you should keep in mind.

The part of your cats claw that causes them to bleed is you do not properly clip their nail is called the quick. The quick is the fleshy part of your pets nail. This pink tissue holds veins and nerves. What does that mean? If you clip the quick, it will cause pain and bleeding. Needless to say this is something that you want to avoid. Look at the picture to the right. It will give you a better idea of where you want to place the cat clippers before you make the incision.

Most importantly, you should make sure that you purchase a good pair of cat clippers. Having sharp and well made cat clippers can make the task much safer and easier. If you have a cheaper, more dull pair of clippers, you may find it harder to cut through the nail. The utensil may not be able to slice through the claw cleanly and smoothly. During this time your cat may begin to struggle which will increase the chance of injury. This is why step number one is to make sure that you have a good, sharp pair of cat clippers.

One of the first rules of cat nail clipping is that you should do it from a very young age. If you have been clipping your cat’s claws ever since they were a kitten, they will be used to you handling them in such a way. This makes them much more docile during the process and makes your life much easier as well as lessening the chance of injury. If you have never clipped your cat’s claws, you may want to practice before you try using cat clippers. Have your cat lie on your lap as if you were going to clip their claws but instead gently rub their paws. Try lightly pressing on the bottom of their paw, pushing out the claws. This will help your pet to get used to their paws being handled. After awhile, when you feel a bit more comfortable handling your cat’s claws, you can attempt to clip them.

When clipping your cat’s claw, you should make the cut vertically. Not only will this make a cleaner cut but will make the claw far less likely to split or break later on. Cutting the claw vertically will also put less pressure on the quick, which could cause your cat some pain causing them to struggle.

If this is your first time using cat clippers on your pet, don’t worry, it gets easier over time. A great tip that will help make this experience go more smoothly is to reward your cat with a treat after each grooming session. This will help them stay calm and maybe even look forward to them. If you ever accidentally clip the quick and your cat’s claw begins to bleed, relax and don’t begin panicking. Yes, this is a bit painful for your cat but the bleeding will quickly stop. Calm your cat down and once he or she is relaxed you can pick up your cat clippers and begin again.

How often should you clip your cat’s claws? This depends on how well your cat grooms their own claws and how much of the claw was trimmed during the last grooming session. For the most part, this should probably be done once or twice a month.

If you simply can not clip your cat’s claws, whether it is because your pet will not allow it or your are too worried about cutting the quick, bring your pet to a veterinarian. Your vet is a professional and will easily be able to clip your cat’s nails.

There are quite a few signs that your cat has become pregnant, the most prominent of which is of course an increase in appetite. Much like humans, a pregnant cats will need to to bring in more nourishment. This is due to the fact that she has several little kittens growing inside of her. This increase in appetite will come in a wave. When your cat first becomes pregnant she will be much more hungry than she would normally be. As the pregnancy continues and she nears her last trimester, the cravings will subside.

This brings us to the next most obvious sign that your cat is pregnant, she will begin to gain weight. You will notice that your pet has put on quite a few pounds in a very short amount of time. This is a sure sign that she is pregnant. Physically, you may notice that you find it hard to see your cat’s ribs, or even feel them for that matter. You may notice that it is almost impossible to see your cat’s hips or that her back has become wider. Your cats stomach will become enlarged and appear slightly swollen. Until the last few weeks it may even appear as if your cat is simply getting fat. If this weight gain happens in a very short amount of time, it is more likely that your cat is pregnant and not just getting larger.

Keep an eye on your cat’s nipples. If your cat is really pregnant, you will notice that her nipples become a bit swollen and have more of a pinkish tint to them. This will continue and become much more evident as the pregnancy continues.

The last sign that your cat may be pregnant is that she will become much more emotional. How can you tell that your cat is feeling a bit more loving than usual? You may notice that your cat is less interested in exploring, playing with other cats and even going outside. Your pet has become much more docile and quiet. Now, there is nothing that she wants more than to cuddle up with you on the couch all day long. This type of behavior is a common sign that your cat has become pregnant. Along with this overabundance of emotion, you may also notice that she is displaying signs that her nesting instinct has gone into overdrive. This can be most commonly seen in the fact that she has literally started to build a nest in preparation for her litter.

So to wrap it up, here is a list of the most common signs that your cat is indeed pregnant.

• Increased appetite.
• Considerable weight gain.
• Pink and swollen nipples.
• She acts calmer and more cuddly.
• She is beginning to show her nesting instinct.

How long are cats pregnant for? That is the question that you have all come here to find out. The total gestation period for felines is sixty-five days or nine weeks. This is from conception to delivery. Odds are that you do not know the exact day that your cat became pregnant, this will make it a little bit harder to guess exactly when she will be giving birth. However, your cat should be showing some major signs that she is pregnant after about three or four weeks. This means that once you have noticed that your cat may be pregnant, she probably has about five weeks left. In order to get a more accurate idea of when her due date is, you should take her to a veterinarian.

What will your cat need from you during this time? Essentially nothing. Make sure that she has a stress free life (that she is left alone by other animals ) and that her food bowl is always full. If you want to go that extra mile, you could mix in some kitten food with her regular cat food. Kitten food is rich with vitamins and minerals that baby cats need, this can also help them while they are still in Utero. Aside from that, all that you need to do is sit back, enjoy your cat’s attention and hope that you get a chance to witness the miracle of life.

A great way that you can ensure that your cat stays safe is buy using an indoor cat fence. These fences are used to ensure that your cat is never able to run away. It will ensure that your cat is nice and safe within the confines of your home or the immediate area around your house. This will keep your pet safe, secure and out of harms way.

What exactly is an indoor cat fence? These devices essentially come with two pieces, the transmitter and the receiver. Obviously, the transmitter transmits and the receiver receives. The way that indoor cat fences work is by using radio waves to send a signal. The transmitter will constantly emit a radio wave to the receiver. Your cat wears the receiver around their neck, in the form of a collar. As long as your cat does not wander off, the collar will continuously receive the signal from the indoor cat fence transmitter. However, when you pet attempts to leave your property, they will receive a small correction letting them know that they have gone too far. It is as simple as that.

Indoor cat fences allow you to give your pet some freedom, without having to worry about them running off and getting hurt. Another great feature that most indoor cat fences have is an adjustable range. This means that you can set the transmitters range so that you can control just where your cat can roam. If you are less concerned about your cat leaving your home and are more worried about them destroying your new living room furniture, you can set the transmitter to allow them access to any area aside from the living room. Since these transmitters work by using a ranged radius, you would need to plug the device in in a room that is farthest from the living room and set the range on the transmitter. This will allow your pet to freely roam your home but only to a certain distance.

The downside to using these wireless devices is that they do give your cat a corrective shock. Although, this shock is very minor and will startle your pet as opposed to actually inflicting physical pain, no one wants to see their pet unhappy. Luckily, the way that wireless indoor cat fences work is that they make a clicking sound as your pet reaches an inappropriate location. Your cat will quickly learn that those sounds mean that they need to turn around. They will learn where they can and can not go. After only a few hours your cat will no longer receive corrections because they will have learned not to go where they shouldn’t.

All in all, an indoor cat fence is a great way to either keep your cat safe or teach them boundaries. These devices are safe and will not harm your pet. They are fairly easy to find and you can purchase them at very reasonable prices. So if your are looking for an easy and effective way to control where it is that your cat roams, consider using an indoor cat fence.

The most common design for these types of litter boxes is a litter box where the entrance is on the top, or lid. This means that your cat needs to climb in through the top of their litter box. This is easily accomplished by a cat but makes it much harder for a dog to go sniffing around and almost impossible for them to get inside. By placing the entrance to the litter box on top you are keeping it out of your dog’s site and you know what they say, out of site out of mind. Dog proof litter  boxes are a simple solution to a very annoying problem that many owners of multiple pets go through.

Another type of dog proof litter box is one designed with a cylinder like entrance, this “doorway” is built for smaller animals and to keep out larger animals. This type of litter box is perfect for families with larger dogs. Your cat will be able to enter and leave at their convenience, while your dog will not be able to enter.

Amazon.com offers some great dog proof litter boxes for cats. The reason why I suggest searching Amazon for these particular types of litter boxes is that, even though this is a very common problem for many pet owners, they are a bit hard to find. If you can’t find exactly what you are looking for on Amazon you can try searching Google.com’s shopping site Froogle.com for some great deals on dog proof litter boxes. Between these two sites you are sure to find a litter box that is perfect for you and your pet’s needs.

Using a dog proof litter box is a perfect solution for nessy, over curious dogs. You will be able to keep your cat’s litter box out in the open and keep your dog out. These types of litter boxes are faily priced and won’t spend much more money then you would have on a traditional cat litter box.