My Types of Cats - Information about cats

An honest review of the SmartCat Ultimate Scratching Post

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We all love cats.

We all love leather couches.

For the longest time though, it’s been near impossible to have them coexist in the same universe, simply because cats love to scratch, everything!

A quote that floats around says ‘As every cat owner knows, nobody owns a cat’.

I couldn’t agree more.

They always seem to have a mind of their own.

Nevertheless, I think I might have stumbled across the pinnacle in feline mind control with the SmartCat Ultimate Scratching Post.

How good is this cat scratching post?

Admittedly, I’m not a MacGyver by any measure.

That’s why I was utterly relieved at the simplicity of assembling this contraption.

All I had to do was tighten a couple of screws at the base, and voila!

I was done.

Surprisingly, the post looks really good. It easily blends in with the furniture and seems to have some pretty decent workmanship.

You’ll have to cough up a bit more for it, but every penny is worth it considering the aesthetics.

Now, I have a monster of a cat.

At 19 pounds, it easily knocks anything in its path. That was one of my hugest concerns while getting this post.

I wasn’t sure if it would withstand the affronts of my mini-godzilla. However, I’m pleased to report that the scratcher is still standing! The base is large and steady enough to handle hours of climbing, scratching and boxing.

This particular model is also pretty tall. At 32” high, it’s much larger than your ordinary cat toy.

Nevertheless, this works to the advantage of the kitties.

They can easily stretch through the whole length of their body, which is essential in toning their muscles. The height also makes for thrilling scaling adventures, keeping the playful ones entertained without end.

The durability of this SmartCat scratcher is worthy of note.

In the past, I’ve owned… No wait, my cat has owned carpet-based scratchers that wear out in no time. This one, however, still looks new many months after I got it. This has to do with the sisal fiber that it’s made of.

My kitty seems to have tons of fun digging-in its claws, but at the end of it, the fiber still looks pristine.

The bad sides to this cat scratch post

Just like the Furminator, it took a while before my kitty took to the scratcher.

After excitedly assembling it, I waited for a reaction, some emotion even, and nothing.

She just went on with her business of ripping up the couch and looking extra cute at that. I tried moving it near the couch, as the makers suggest, and nothing.

In frustration, nay, in desperation, I sprayed a bit of catnip on it. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Despite the initial hesitation, my cat now can’t get enough of this scratcher.

My couch has now been spared (Thank God!), and she is as happy as ever. For those who want to spoil their cats, a padded perch, that is sold separately, can be placed atop the post to provide a comfortable lounge for the kitty.

Should you get this scratching post?

Damn right you should!

All things considered, the SmartCat Scratcher is worth every dime. This is probably the best cat scratching post I’ve ever used.

So if you’re looking for cat scratching posts, I highly recommend you pick this up.

Cat Grooming Tips: Stuff You Need to Know!

By Rahat Bashar

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When most people get a feline, they neglect the cat grooming part of the job.

Now, while cats can take good care of themselves, their fur welcomes any help you’re willing to offer.

Short hair is easily handled, and in fact some owners don’t even brush their cats. Including grooming in your daily routine will keep your cat’s fur in check and also decrease the amount of fur found around the house.

How to groom a cat

Get the tools!
Long-haired cats are clearly the challenging kind when it comes to grooming, and you’ll need an arsenal of brushes in order to maintain their fur in perfect shape.

A wide brush with a combination of wide and narrow teeth is perfect for the start. You’ll need it to prepare the fur for the wire slicker brush. If you have a Persian cat or any other cat with similar length of hair, grooming should be done on a daily basis.

Brush everywhere!
It may take a bit of time and a meow or two to get all the fur, but be sure to cover all parts of the body. Sensitive parts like the belly or the tail are the ones where the cat may protest and you shouldn’t spend too much time brushing them, especially with the wire brush.

If you run into a mat that’s fuzzy and too large to comb out, it would be safest to have the groomer shave the fur off. You shouldn’t try to cut it out yourself because you may end up cutting the skin.

Their skin isn’t attached to the muscle and with long-haired cats you can’t be too sure if you’ll accidentally cut into it.

If you decide to take care of the mat yourself, which is entirely understandable, you can use a mat splitter or wide-toothed brush to split the mat into smaller pieces.

If you can’t untangle it, you should at least be able to divide it enough to cut it off safely away from the skin. Be gentle when you handle mats. Don’t tug on them as you may rip the skin, and also it’s very annoying for the cat.

Start early
Cats with short hair get used to brushing almost immediately, mostly because you don’t need to hassle them for too long.

Long-haired cats on the other hand require quite a bit of effort and frequently complain because it will take more than a short minute to get the job done. Start brushing them as soon as they’re old enough so they’ll get used to the feeling and tolerate it more easily.

Ambush the cat when it’s comfortable
Cats will eventually get sick of being brushed, but you should have quite a bit of work done if you comb your cat when it gets comfortable.

Grabbing it and just starting with the brushing can end up with a lot of complaints as well as a potential scratch. You don’t have to go through the entire combing session at once.

Some people like to scatter a few brushes around the house so they could do a bit of grooming every now and then.

Most of my cats like to lay next to me and nap, however as soon as I get up to grab the brush they think I’m going to the kitchen so they get up and follow.

The ambush part in this case becomes impossible so it helps to keep a brush within arm’s reach of the place where the cat spends most of its time.

Don’t force your cat
While you may want to hold your cat tightly or have someone else keep it occupied while you do the brushing, you should know when to stop. If the cat starts to protest and clearly shows signs of discomfort, it’s pointless to go on.

Brushing will be practically impossible and it will only make the next time more difficult.

The end should be the sweetest
Once you’re done with the grooming session, give your cat a treat. If your cat connects the feeling of comfort with the brush, the next session will run a lot smoother.

If your cat isn’t in the mood for treats, which is extremely rare, reward it with something else. A rub on the chin, behind the ears or on the back of the neck will suffice.

My honest review of the FURminator. Is this cat brush any good?

By Rahat Bashar

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I usually use a standard brush on my cats mostly to give them a good massage, and although there was hair left on the brush, there never was a large amount.

So while searching on Amazon, I came across this brush with tons of reviews called quite simply… The FURminator.

The name sounded impressive but so did the reviews. I mean with over 2,500 people bothering to leave a 5 star review, this cat grooming or deshedding tool (whatever you may call it) must be pretty good.

Right?

So I decided to try it out and see the results for myself.

And man, was I impressed.

This is like a cat brush on steroids.

No…

A better description would be that this product is like a freaking vacuum for cats.

Also, I thought I should mention this.

I’ve had the FURminator for over a year and just recently decided to write this review. So if you’re wondering why my brush looks different to the one on Amazon, it’s because I may have the old one.

But it still works pretty damn good.

My honest FURminator reviews

Now, I have four adult cats and four kittens, they’re about two months old. With that many cats I’m used to my clothes being marked by cat hair.

The price did seem a bit strong but I decided to order it to see if it really works how it’s described and I was pleasantly surprised (as mentioned above).

I wasn’t even aware that I could get so much hair out from a single cat, it made me flashback to when I had a really fluffy dog.

Although it may not look like much hair in the image above, keep in mind that I used the FURminator on Snowy last week after I had bathed her.

So I prefer black clothes, which is a deadly factor for any cat owner.

Sure, there are some hairs left when I pick them up after using the FURminator, but nothing that requires a sticky roller session.

I honestly didn’t realize my short haired cats could shed so much. One of my cats has longer hair and I got a decent pile after introducing her to the product.

If you have a cat with longer hair I’d suggest getting the long-hair version of the FURminator (which is what I have… I think).

From what I can tell it’ll cover both long and short hair, unless you have a cat with a very short coat.

Also, don’t use it too often.

Brush her a few times and give it a break. From what I can tell, it does scrap the cat’s hair a bit, much like when you comb your own hair.

You’ll always find some hair on the comb, but this being a more dense product it will gather a lot of hair every time you brush your cat. Just do it every once in a while to control the cat shedding and prevent hair loss.

It’s also far less work for you.

As far as the product design goes it’s very comfortable to use (totally loving the grip on the handle), a lot different than a standard brush.

The huge plus is the button that releases the hair. I always had to spend several minutes ripping them out of the brush, with this feature it takes a second.

The cats love it, one of them starts playing with it whenever I try to brush the belly, but doesn’t run away. As long as you don’t spend too much time brushing the key areas of your cat’s body, she shouldn’t protest.

The price seems higher than an average brush would good.

But that’s probably because this product is far superior than a regular brush.

For some strange reason, I was expecting batteries or something more complex but it’s fairly simple.

My cats usually keep a clean coat so I don’t have to clean much before brushing. Bear in mind the brush is very dense so make sure there are no obstacles in the hair that might get stuck. I don’t bathe my cats but if you do, it’s best if you comb a washed and dried coat.

FURminator Amazon… something to be aware of

Okay, so I thought I should include this in the article.

I ran into a concern in the reviews about the products ordered from Amazon being counterfeit. As long as you order directly from the FURminator products dispatched by Amazon and not a third party you should be fine. Basically if you’re reading this comment you’re safe to order the product.

Should you buy this cat grooming tool?

I buy a lot of stuff from Amazon. This is honestly one of the best, if not, The Best cat brush I’ve ever used. The amount of fur that comes out by using this thing is ridiculous.

I highly recommend you pick one up and try it out for yourself. I guarantee that you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Some more artsy fartsy shots:

*I’ve been receiving a few emails on the type of camera I’m using. It’s the Canon EOS Rebel T3i with this lens (invest in some good lens so you have less editing to do after).

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I want you to know that I’ll earn a very small commission if you decide to click on one of the product links above. However I never recommend something I’ve never fully used. If you do feel uncomfortable with that, feel free to just open up Amazon on your browser and manually type in the product name.

How (not) to protect your kittens from fleas

By Rahat Bashar

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“Your cat must be older than eight weeks!” An inscription of this type is commonly found on most cat products, especially the ones containing chemicals. So basically you can protect your cat from fleas when it already develops an immune response, meanwhile newborns are left defenseless. How do you protect them from fleas and other potentially tiny pests?

No direct chemicals any kind, shape, form or size!
All babies are the same. Cat or human alike, and just as people protect their babies as if they’re the most fragile things on the world, newborn kittens need this protection as well. When they’re born, their immune systems and general physiology is still developing. This is the main reason why all products against fleas or irritating pests suggest your cat be at least six weeks of age.

Chemicals can seriously affect the development of newborns, even the slightest degree can prove to be have serious issues starting from a respiratory problem which may last, or even killing them instantly. Meanwhile this pocket of time may allow fleas to multiply and harm the health of your pet.

There are various flea shampoos out there but most of them are not safe for kittens. No matter what the bottle says, chemicals are present and they may prove to be damaging. The feline law: “Must be older than eight weeks” applies here as well, and that’s a real pain we can’t ignore, so shampoos are a no go.

Careful bath time
Giving the kitten a warm bath is an acceptable choice instead. Fill your kitchen sink with warm water and give the kitten a bath, dipping it in the water up to the neck. You may even use some dish soap if you want to but be extremely careful not to spread it near the face. You should see fleas in the water and some even running up to the kitten’s head to escape. You can grab them with tweezers or comb them out.

There are various online tutorials about certain oils and essences you can add to the water to have an increased effect, but warm water is the starting point and the main factor which eliminates the fleas.

After you dry the kitten from a bath, give it a combing session with a thick comb. It is rather time consuming but it will eliminate the fleas. Fleas are the biggest menace so don’t expect a quick solution because they multiply by the time you think of one. Once the kitten is somewhat flea free at least, don’t make the mistake of putting it back to the same spot where it was before without cleaning the area.

There are fleas everywhere so be sure to wash the surface where the kitten spent time with hot water. This is the part where you can go on a chemical rampage, just be sure to clean them up before you return the cat on that spot. You’ll need to check on it daily and keep repeating the process until they’re completely gone.

Use the mother!
Seems like in any case mothers are the keys to everything. While the kittens are nursing they accept nutrients from the mother. Applying a Frontline ampule to the mother will eventually reach her milk and benefit the kittens to a certain degree. The advantage of this is that the mother absorbs most of the chemicals and they aren’t too powerful by the time they reach the kittens through the milk.

You should never apply the ampule directly to the cat as that’s a too powerful dose. Not even the slightest bit of the chemical. Ampules are the only thing you should do to the mother. Be sure to check the box or ask the vet which ampule is the best. Frontline ampules have been tested on nursing cats, and they may cost a bit extra but they’re a safer choice. Cheaper brands shield themselves by stating the product isn’t tested on nursing cats so you shouldn’t risk it.

No anti-flea collars!
Cat collars that have a scent to repel fleas can be dangerous for kittens. As they wiggle around they may end up coming into direct contact with it or even chewing it while the mother is nursing. Applying the collar directly on the kitten is an even worse idea. Don’t try to weaken the chemicals in it in any way, it will not work. Picture someone handing you a small piece of Plutonium while you’re not wearing a protective suit. So in conclusion don’t give your cats Plutonium until they develop a protective suit!