Blog on Cats (pets)-Erakina

About Cats

We humans are unafraid of only one carnivorous animal which is a Cat. It has become a part of the household as well as the neighbourhood. People are quite naturally adapted to cats wandering around.

Since long periods of time, people have been in the practice of keeping cats as their pets. Cats were believed to be fore bringers of good luck to those who housed them, in ancient Egypt. Many Egyptian deities were depicted and sculptured with cat-like heads.

Though the majority population finds Dogs still as their favourite pet, the feline doesn’t lag behind in its popularity. I know that cats are a bit fussy, picky and sometimes confusing pets but the cute fur ball is worthy of all the tantrums it throws around.

Cats as pets are a delight to be experienced. The large eyes, soft meows, emboldening walk and the cute attitude is a treat to the eyes. But, let me tell you that the tantrums are not for the weaker hearts. 

Cats, these graceful and mysterious creatures, have charmed their way into our hearts for centuries. As beloved pets, they bring joy, warmth, and endless entertainment to millions of households worldwide. In this blog, we’ll explore the fascinating world of cats, their unique personalities, and the reasons why they make such delightful and cherished pets.

1. The Allure of Cats:

Cats have a magical aura that captures the imagination. Their graceful movements, expressive eyes, and soft fur make them incredibly endearing. From the regal Persian to the playful Siamese, cats come in a myriad of breeds, each with its distinct charm. Their independent nature and mysterious behaviors only add to their appeal, making them perfect companions for people of all ages.

2. Understanding the Feline Psyche:

Cats are enigmatic beings, and understanding their behavior can deepen the bond between humans and felines. Exploring topics such as cat communication, body language, and the reasons behind their quirky habits provides valuable insights into their world. From the comforting purr to the playful antics, every action tells a story of their feelings and needs.

 

3. Cats as Family:

Cats have an uncanny ability to become an integral part of the family. They offer unconditional love and support, proving to be loyal companions through life’s ups and downs. The joy of cuddling with a purring cat or sharing a playful moment creates lasting memories that warm the heart. Additionally, cats have been known to improve mental health, reduce stress, and provide solace, making them therapeutic additions to households.

4. The Responsible Cat Parent:

Owning a cat comes with responsibilities. Providing a safe and stimulating environment, regular veterinary care, a balanced diet, and love are essential for their well-being. Understanding their grooming needs, ensuring they stay mentally and physically active, and creating a cat-friendly space within your home are crucial aspects of responsible pet ownership.

5. Cats in Pop Culture:

Cats have left their paw prints on the pages of literature, in movies, and on the internet. From classic literary works like T.S. Eliot’s “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats” to internet sensations like Grumpy Cat, these feline celebrities have become icons in popular culture. Exploring their influence on art, music, and even social media can be both enlightening and entertaining.

6. Adopt, Don’t Shop:

Addressing the importance of adopting cats from shelters and rescue organizations can’t be emphasized enough. Every cat deserves a loving home, and adoption not only saves a life but also reduces the population of stray and abandoned cats. Encouraging responsible adoption practices and promoting spaying and neutering initiatives are crucial steps toward creating a better future for our feline friends.

Symptoms of Neurological Disorders in Cats

A large range of symptoms can accompany a neurological disease, and if there is a lesion, it depends on its location and cause. However, a cat can’t tell you if they’re dizzy, disoriented, or depressed, so looking for physical representations of distress is crucial in diagnosis. If you spot any of the following signs and symptoms of neurological disorders, contact your veterinarian immediately as they could be serious.

Causes of Neurological Disorders

Sometimes, a vet’s examination, combined with a few diagnostic tests, will unveil the cause of your cat’s neurological dysfunction.

 

• Brain tumors can spark a myriad of issues like seizures, incoordination, blindness, and behavioral changes. Clinical signs depend heavily on the size and location of the tumor.
• Meningitis, inflammation of the membrane that covers the brain and spinal cord, and encephalitis, inflammation of the brain, are usually caused by infection (bacterial, viral, fungal, or parasitic). These two conditions may occur at the same time (meningoencephalitis), and in some cases can signal a problem with a cat’s immune system.2
• Vestibular disease occurs when the nerves that control the vestibular system in the ear canals are affected causing vertigo in cats. Cats may seem drunk or dizzy, tilt their head, or show rapid abnormal eye movements. A major ear infection or tumor can lead to vestibular dysfunction, or meningitis, encephalitis, or meningoencephalitis could be the culprit3.
• Cognitive dysfunction, or dementia, is most commonly seen in senior cats.4 Cats with dementia seem to “forget” how to use the litter box, where the food bowl is, and how to navigate through the house. 
• Intervertebral Disc Disease (IVDD), or disc herniation, involves the inflammation or displacement of spinal discs, which ultimately put pressure on the spinal cord, leading to pain and possible paralysis. Though more common in dogs, IVDD can sometimes occur in cats.5
• Hyperesthesia is a condition that may affect a relatively large number of cats and is sometimes called rippling skin disorder. Feline hyperesthesia is often mistaken for a reaction to being pet along the back, when the skin may appear to ripple or twitch. The cat may suddenly scratch or overgroom the area and have a sudden burst of energy, or other abnormal response. Stress and anxiety may add to hyperesthesia syndrome.
• Toxins, such as poisons, pesticides, and insecticides can affect a cat’s nervous system.6
• Infectious diseases, such as FIV7, FeLV, or FIP8 can cause neurologic symptoms
• Metabolic diseases, such as thyroid and adrenal gland disorders, can seizures and lack of motor control in a cat.

How Much Exercise Do Cats Need Per Day?

Cats generally need around 30 minutes of exercise per day to stay healthy and happy. However, this can vary depending on the age, breed, lifestyle, and individual personality of the cat. Some cats may be content with short bursts of activity, while others may need more intense playtime or structured exercise routines.

 

All cats sleep a lot, but kittens typically snooze about 18 to 22 hours a day and they tend to stay active during their waking hours. Most kittens have high energy levels and need to exercise an hour or more each day. The good news is as long as you provide plenty of toys and games, your kitten will likely play enough to get the exercise she needs.

 

In the wild, cats naturally get exercise through hunting and playing (which is basically just hunting practice). Because of this, cats with access to the outdoors typically get more exercise than indoor cats. However, your indoor cat can still get the exercise she needs through environmental enrichment, even if space is limited in your home.

Importance of Exercise for Cats

Regular exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle for cats, helping to keep them physically and mentally fit and promoting overall well-being.1

B. McKenzie. What does the evidence say about feline fitness and dog aerobics? Veterinary Practice News.

 Encouraging exercise and play can also help prevent behavioral issues like destructive chewing and scratching.

 

Cats spend a lot of time sleeping, lounging, and grooming and tend to have short bursts of energy throughout the day and night. Provide your cat with opportunities for both physical exercise and mental stimulation through toys, scratching posts, and interactive playtime with people.

 

Physical Benefits

Regular exercise helps cats burn calories and maintain a healthy weight. This can help prevent obesity and reduce the risk of associated health problems such as diabetes and arthritis.2 Plus, exercise helps maintain and build muscle tone and strength in cats.3 This can be especially important for older cats, who may be more prone to muscle loss and weakness.

 

Mental Benefits

Exercise provides mental stimulation for cats and helps prevent boredom, anxiety, and depression, which can lead to destructive behavior and other behavioral concerns. Playtime with interactive toys or games can help keep cats mentally sharp and engaged. Regular playtime and activity can help reduce stress and anxiety, prevent behavioral problems, and encourage social interaction with humans and other pets.

Importance of Exercise for Cats

Regular exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle for cats, helping to keep them physically and mentally fit and promoting overall well-being.1

B. McKenzie. What does the evidence say about feline fitness and dog aerobics? Veterinary Practice News.

 Encouraging exercise and play can also help prevent behavioral issues like destructive chewing and scratching.

 

Cats spend a lot of time sleeping, lounging, and grooming and tend to have short bursts of energy throughout the day and night. Provide your cat with opportunities for both physical exercise and mental stimulation through toys, scratching posts, and interactive playtime with people.

 

Physical Benefits

Regular exercise helps cats burn calories and maintain a healthy weight. This can help prevent obesity and reduce the risk of associated health problems such as diabetes and arthritis.2 Plus, exercise helps maintain and build muscle tone and strength in cats.3 This can be especially important for older cats, who may be more prone to muscle loss and weakness.

 

Mental Benefits

Exercise provides mental stimulation for cats and helps prevent boredom, anxiety, and depression, which can lead to destructive behavior and other behavioral concerns. Playtime with interactive toys or games can help keep cats mentally sharp and engaged. Regular playtime and activity can help reduce stress and anxiety, prevent behavioral problems, and encourage social interaction with humans and other pets.

Handling cats as homies

Living beings have a capability of co-existing. We must acknowledge the facts of co-existence with one another irrespective of being articulate or not. Some of the ways towards better handling of the ‘Kitty’ as our best companion are as follows:

• Providing a comfortable space

Most cats are shy and reserved when they find themselves in a new place. Make sure that it feels the comfort, security and coziness of you as well as your house. 

If it is an adopted cat, then the feeling of belongingness is a late arrival. But, don’t worry it is a small carnivore after all, it will be comfortable once it knows that the Kitty itself is the Boss.

Once the cat enters its comfort zone in and around the house, it rapidly gets accustomed to every situation. Cats cannot be controlled to wander around if your house is on the ground floor or you own a garden. But, nothing to worry about, the feline returns once it’s done for the day.

Now once it accepts the house as its own, you might find it taking a nap on the refrigerator or just rolling on the floor. 

They are great pranksters and capricious beasts. You might want to caress it or play with it but if your kitty is not in the mood, not even the Egyptian Gods can force it too. They might pee in your potted plant and enjoy seeing you wonder when I watered the plant. 

• Quality or Quantity time spending 

Now that might be a question being considered by new kitten owners. Basically cats are tough to please (sorry, blaming their species)as pets. It has to be handled with patience and care.

They are not like other pets, here you have to cater to its likes and dislikes. If it doesn’t want to hug or cuddle, you should respect that. If it doesn’t want her hair to be stroked, that’s the cat’s choice.

Cats are fond of laser lights, stuffed toys, feathered balls attached to strings and squeaky items. 

• EXERCISING

This is the best way to create bonding with your kitty. It not only strengthens its muscles but also helps to maintain the health and weight of the cat.

Cats are natural predators with sharp instincts which can be exercised by using remote-controlled mice toys. Toys covered in catnips can be used for exercising its motor skills. 

This is a great way to bond with the pet in its intrinsic field of interest.

• Right food

Food for this lazy pet is not that a tricky part if you just remember it as a beastie. Its food should be a protein-rich diet as it’s a predacious creature.

The type of food to be given to a kitten is quite different from what is given to an adult cat. Some cats might be punctilious about their thirst drives but that’s nothing to worry about.

• Scratch it as much as you want

Cat Fact- Cats love to scratch anything, it might be your face the next time!!!!!… But it’s quite okay because your kitty loves you and that’s her style.

Various things like spare cardboards, wool scratching posts, old yarn balls and squeeze balls can be arranged for your cat to satisfy its scratching temptations.

• Instinct control of cats

For new cat owners, it might be overwhelming to see their cat grooming itself for hours, find it lurking over the top of cupboards, chasing after small toys and marking its territory. That is absolutely normal for an animal which was once an inhabitant of the wild before humans began to keep cats as pets.

The antics of your cat, which might seem weird to you, are the activities in which it finds happiness and those are its hard-wired survival techniques. Being a carnivore, it is an active animal which has a sharp instinctive psyche. You might find your kitten pouncing upon wriggling things like insects, toys or even your toe. 

Some cat parents put these instincts to good use for themselves. It helps them to eliminate insects and rodents in and around the house. But, this activity may become concerning if it involves risking other pet’s life or well-being. Just let the cat play with its toys to subdue its urge naturally.

All’s well that ends differently

Having a cat as your pet will be a different experience in totality when compared to dog keepers. You learn to make a mute creature happy and adjust according to it, which is quite rare to witness with other pets.

Cats are temperamental beings who love lazing around in solitude, watching out for the chirping birds, chasing the butterflies and basking in the sun with the glinting coat of fur. If you are a lazy person yourself and find bliss in the quietness of the afternoons, you are a cat person.

Someday, just sit along and watch your kitty sitting in the sun with its tail all wagging around…!!!!!!….the true feeling of Enjoyment lies there……. 

–By Sambhavi Yadav

Content Writer (Erakina By RTMN)

     28.10.2021