Cat Advice

5 tips to help you cope with the death of your cat

After years of living together, of happiness, of shared moments, and of games, how can we overcome this milestone? How to digest the news of the death of your feline friend? Who can we confide in and express our emotions? Would it be a good idea to adopt another one?

Knowing that this type of event can lead to depression, not only in the owner but also in other pets in the family, it is important to find the strength to go up the slope.

Here are 5 tips to help you overcome the loss of your cat, should you ever have to go through this painful experience.

1. Express your emotions

The worst thing to do when you go through a difficult time is to suppress your emotions. This is a bad reflex which should be avoided even more when it comes to the loss of a loved one.

It is vital to express and externalize feelings as strong as anger, shock, and grief, which are associated with the death of your cat.

The best is therefore to confide in cat owners, especially those who have been there. They are in a good position to understand you and usually have no shortage of great advice to help you deal with the situation.

2. Turn to the vet

As we have seen before, it is important to find someone who can be trusted with your distress. The vet is one of those people you can trust and who, moreover, know exactly what you are talking to them about.

3. Keep only the bare minimum of what belonged to the cat

Perhaps it would be more reasonable to continue to detain only a few of them. Only the ones that are most valuable to you.

First, because the memory of the cat goes far beyond this material aspect. Then these accessories can be useful for other cats if they are in good condition. You can donate it to a local shelter, for example.

4. Offer him a burial

Accompanying your deceased cat to its final resting place or performing any form of the funeral rite can help you cope with its disappearance.

5. Adopt another cat?

You might think that adopting another cat can make it easier to get through the ordeal of loss. In fact, it depends on many aspects, such as the time spent with the deceased animal and the circumstances of its disappearance. What is certain is that you must first grieve before taking this step.

Cat Advice

4 Solutions To Prevent Your Cat From Eating Plants

The problem is that some of these plants are dangerous for them, as explained in our article where you will find a non-exhaustive list of toxic plant species.

In addition, this bad habit is also annoying for you who would prefer that your beautiful plants remain in good condition.

So what can be done to end it? Here are 4 solutions to prevent your cat from eating plants …

1. Divert the cat’s attention to something other than plants

One of the reasons that your cat may spoil your plants while eating them is boredom. When lacking activity and stimulation, pets may want to let off steam on anything that is within their reach.

This includes furniture, decorative items, but also plants. He will not hesitate to manhandle them, to scratch the soil where they are planted, and to chew on the leaves and stems.

2. Use a repellent

To protect your plants and prevent your cat from eating them, you can try to keep them at bay by using natural repellents. These are odor-emitting substances that cats do not like. Which will dissuade them from approaching it.

Pepper is one of those natural repellents to be placed around plants, just like citrus fruits. It is especially the skins or rinds of these fruits (lemon, orange, tangerine…) that you can use. Place a few directly in your plant pots; there is a good chance that your cat will not dare to touch it again.

3. Bet on catnip

As we saw in the introduction, your cat draws on the grass it finds outside, fiber and various other nutrients it needs to balance its diet. The feline also uses it to induce regurgitation of elements causing discomfort in its digestive tract.

This is particularly the case with hairballs, which form in his stomach when he licks himself to wash. If there is no way out, your cat may turn to the plants that are available to him, plants grown at home in this case.

4. Make the plant inaccessible to cats

If, despite everything, your cat continues to eat your plants, you will have no choice but to make them inaccessible to him. Protect them by putting a fence around them, for example. You can also place your plant pots high up, so that your cat cannot reach them. Arrange them on shelves high enough or hang them from the ceiling or any support. Make sure that nothing nearby can act as a stepping stone to these pots.

Cat Advice

How to Control an aggressive cat

In some situations, even the calmest, kindest cat can be a formidable adversary – fear or pain can be the root cause. How do you control an aggressive cat so that it is neither a danger to you nor to itself? Here are some suggestions:

How to recognize an aggressive cat?

Certain behaviors and postures should make you understand that the cat you are facing is not the most cooperative on earth, even to the point of being dangerous.

Spiky hairs on the back
Growls, growls
Flattened ears on the skull
Eyes Wide Open
Crab walk with curved back

These behaviors have two vocations: to prevent and to intimidate. If this is not enough, the cat can then kick (with or without the claws) and as a last resort attack.

How to control an aggressive cat?

Except in cases of extreme necessity and in a dangerous situation, it is better to let the storm pass. The risk of injury is far too great.

In the event that the cat manages to be mastered, it will have a very bad memory of this experience and could continue to behave more wary or even dangerous.

It is mainly a question of identifying why the cat has put itself in such a state?

He’s a wild cat, in which case you’re the danger
The cat does not want to be touched or caught
The cat is in pain and the contact is even more painful
The fear generated by noise or an unsuitable situation …

For situations identified as stressful and potentially triggering an aggressive sequence, such as transportation, care … your veterinarian can help you with the use of soothing essential oil blends.

Cat Advice

How to put my cat into the water?

You can try and put your cat to water in several ways. You could place your cat on the side of the sink and give them food and treats while cupping your hand with warm water and gently depositing the water on to the back.

Otherwise, you could get a washing up bowl lined with a small towel and fill the bowl with a little warm water. After, place your cat in the bowl and reward it with treats. The water could then be gently placed on the body via your cupped hand alongside a treat.

This way you are teaching your kitten that water is connected to a positive and will not harm them but will be a fun process. Toys can also be used. This process should be slow and at the cat’s pace until they are calm around the bathing procedure.

When bathing her, use a cat shampoo that is unscented. If your cat hates the process then I would stop trying, as most cats do not need a bath and mainly need good combing and handling techniques.

Advice given by our expert cat groomer.