My Types of Cats

Did you ever wonder what your cat thought of you? For most cat owners, becoming a friendly image in their cat’s eyes is a priority, but sometimes this tends to be difficult. It would be a lot easier if we understood our companions better.

Cats only come when they feel like it
Have you ever had this happen to you? After a stressful day you remember the best thing that could cheer you up, and as you’re practically lifeless body is resting on the couch you call to your cat who is just a few feet away, and instead of coming to cheer you up, the fur ball just lays there and yawns.

One may say cats ignore us and act like teenagers… or crushes. Studies have shown that cats can distinguish a stranger’s voice from their master’s with ease, but as it turns out, they simply choose to ignore us when we call. Depending on their mood, if the cat wants to cuddle it will come to you, but it doesn’t owe anything to you so unless it feels like it, it won’t come.

“Dogs have masters, cats have staff”
We’ve all heard this famous phrase but is it entirely true? Depending on the cat it may vary but for most part it is true. Cat owners often assume cats know their place as pets, thinking they’ll be submissive however several signs show that cats:

A) Do not view themselves as a pets

B) See you as a cat

C) Are their own “people”

Cats are lonesome animals but they do appreciate the company. Unlike most other pets, they don’t rely on you to provide them food but since you’re already offering… why not?

To make a valid comparison, a cat would survive on the outside should it suddenly became a stray which cannot be said for certain other animals.

One may say that cats view us just like any other cat, but they do care a bit more about us than any other cat. They most likely do find us to be clumsy and inferior in a way because we indeed are when compared to them. We don’t have a way of seeing in the dark nor do we sense when a cat is under our feet as we trip over them. A cat may even bring you a mouse to feed you because it came to the conclusion you cannot feed yourself. This frequently happens if you forget to feed your cat or you don’t give it enough food. One may guess it’s like saying: “I know you’re useless but I love you anyway”.

How do cats learn?
Training a cat? Good luck with that. Training a dog is a lot easier because, no offense to them, dogs trust us more if trained properly. Meanwhile cats are very stubborn creatures who prefer making choices for themselves.

A certain science experiment has shown that cats learn by mistakes, at least primarily, meaning it takes a while for them learn a trained action.

It may be difficult but it’s not impossible.

People mostly train cats by giving them treats and building specific patterns, but even then the cat will obey because it knows it will benefit from it.

In a way cats can be stupid because they take a while to learn things, on the other hand they’re smart because you can persuade a horse to jump off a cliff with you, meanwhile a cat would probably just hit the brakes and throw you throw you overboard.

They’re strange little creatures but they do love you in their own way. The greatest example of this is a stranger. One of my own cats is extremely cuddly, once picked up she cuddles constantly. Always around the feet, on the table, even shoulders.

However I was shocked when one of my neighbors said that same cuddly cat who has been eating food at her house for weeks, runs away from her every time she tries to pet her.

She isn’t exactly a stranger but it is rather odd, the way a cat bonds with its owner if provided the proper care so I definitely took that as a compliment.

In a nutshell, your cat doesn’t have to be super cuddly, but if it doesn’t run from you as it does from others, it’s sort of may like you.

Cats prefer meat just like we do however just like us, they don’t only eat meat. Cats sometimes simply like to nibble on certain plants or directly rely on them for food, however not all plants are safe for them.

Plants poisonous to cats aren’t always easy to spot simply because the ones that are harmless to us, can prove to be dangerous for them.

Why do cats eat plants?
Primarily as an addition to their diet. Not everything can be found in meat or the food provided to them by their owner so it’s very good that cats can manage on their own.

Just like humans, cats can sense that their body is in need for something specific and they go out to find it. They simply have the need for it in this case.

On the other hand there are certain plants that are dangerous for them, and their curiosity wins out and puts them in danger. Cats are excelled climbers so keeping them away from anything can be quite challenging.

Common household plants can prove to be poisonous to cats, especially the kind that have any toxic material in them.

If you have a plant that has toxic substances in it, even in the slightest amount, you should keep it away from your cat. Although the cat might not necessarily sink its teeth in the plant, it might come in contact with it, most frequently while sniffing, which can cause an irritation of the eyes or a more complex reaction.

On the other hand there are plants that some people use daily which seem harmless however they can be quite poisonous to cats. For example marijuana, which is more or less to be expected, or plants more attractive to the eye such as lilies.

Plants poisonous to cats really do come in all shapes and sizes so you should definitely research the ones that you have at home.

Cats can also show allergic reactions to not only plants but also perfume or cigarette ash. If you find that your kitty may be sneezing occasionally in the house, this is definitely a place to start your research.

Why do cats eat grass?
This is commonly viewed as strange behavior in cats. Plants like vegetables are understandable simply because they contain nutrients that the cat’s body needs, however grass is a very different story.

In most cases a cat will chew on a decent amount of grass, before throwing it up. This is viewed as strange behavior and cat owners tend to worry that something is wrong, however this is not an alarming situation. Many studies have proved that grass in no way harms cats, both when they’re eating it as well as when regurgitate.

The main purpose of this action is to clean the digestive system of any indigestible matter that your cat’s body cannot process. This is a very important process because cats eat their prey from head to toe, including bones and hair. Although you may treat your kitty like royal blood, an occasional mouse hunt is a natural occurrence.

Grass has juices that contain folic acid. It helps with the production of hemoglobin which is responsible for integrating oxygen into the blood. Ingesting it without the occurrence of a regurgitation is also nothing alarming.

Much like human bodies, cats can detect if something is wrong with their digestive system and they choose to react. In many cases the indigestible matter such as bones or hair tend to move deeper in the digestion and cats use grass and it’s juices to help their bodies to expel the matter on the other end…

Grass is a definite plus!
If you have an indoor cat, you might want to plant some regular grass somewhere inside for your cat to use. You could of course let your cat go out however be sure that the grass your cat “feasts” on is free from pesticides and other chemicals.

In the beginning of April this year, there was quite a gathering of people in Saint Andrews in Scotland. There were people from the city as well as curious strangers from all over the world, wanting to attend an event you don’t see very often. It was the unveiling of the bronze statue for one of the cats in the city for which the citizens gathered around seven thousand euros.

The story of Hamish McHamish

The life of this four legged celebrity began fourteen years ago in the home of his owner, Marianne Baird, a retired BBC producer. As her pet grew older she realized he wasn’t quite happy being confined inside and she almost felt like she was holding him hostage because he kept scratching at the windows, begging to be let out.

Like any cat owner letting their cat out, she was worried he might not come back, but each time he was out, he stayed a bit longer. He became familiar to the citizens because he’d turn to them for food, water or rest if he wanted it. He quickly became so familiar to them, that they all greeted him with joy.

Many citizens joke how Hamish started looking at Saint Andrews as a stage of his life because he acts as if he were the mayor of the city. Although Marianne doesn’t bother confining him inside the house anymore, she still takes care of him and takes him to the vet for a check-up. He also occasionally likes to stop by at her house to take a nap. Most cat owners agree that’s as close as you can come to a “thank you“, at least in this specific situation.

He is viewed as the main representative of the city so god forbid if anyone lays a hand on him. Figuratively speaking of course as he is widely accepted and doesn’t tend to run from people.

The knowledge of his existence has spread over the boarder of Scotland. Saint Andrews is one of the more important centers for universities and many students, not to mention tourists who come to the city, accept the famous feline with excitement.

Even as he was present at the unveiling of his statue, Hamish simply stood next to it, as if recognizing the similarities they shared, just before posing patiently for the flashing cameras to take their picture. He also has a Facebook page with over five thousand followers, and he hasn’t gone unmentioned on twitter either.

Hamish McHamish is a great example of how animals and people should be treated because, although he views the street as his home, wandering around the city as he pleases, people treat him kindly. He can’t of course be compared to a homeless person but the way people treat him spreads a message that even though animals or people live on the street and don’t have a home to go back to, that’s not reason not to make it a better and a more comfortable place for everyone.

I was initially going to title this article “How to create the purr-fect pet blog” but it sounded too cheesy.

Anyhow…

I get a lot of emails from readers telling me how they love the look of this site (thanks ya’ll) and I also get quite a few questions on how they can start a blog of their own.

I’ve realized that a lot of pet owners tend to hesitate when it comes to creating a blog. They think that it’s expensive and that there’s a lot of coding and other technicalities and crap involved.

I’m here to tell you that creating a pet blog is as easy as abc. And contrary to popular belief, it’s also inexpensive and damn right simple to implement.

After reading this post, you’ll learn how to find your hosting, create a URL, build the look of your your blog – all in under 3 minutes (maybe a tiny bit longer if you’re inexperienced with WordPress).

The longest part of this process is finding your theme… but that’s also the most fun part.

Shall we get started?

1. Domain name and hosting
Creating a domain name and finding your hosting can all be done in one place and in one go.

From experience, I would highly recommend that you use [bl id=”882″]Bluehost[/bl]. The hosting is only $3.95 per month (using the link) and they also have a great service.

Because of the discount, I recently purchased a few more hosting accounts for some personal sites. Not only is the hosting low-cost but it also comes with other features as well. Such as a free domain name, unlimited email accounts and a $100 Google advertising offer.

During the signup process, you’ll need to first create your custom URL. I managed to find a pretty cool name generator that you may find interesting: impossibility.org

After, it’ll take you to another page and ask you to enter your personal details and choose your payment package.

2. Install WordPress
The next step is to install WordPress, which is basically a content management system. It was built for people who’re looking to build blogs and write articles without much effort.

Now, after logging into your Bluehost control panel, scroll down to the ‘Blogs’ category and click on ‘Wordpress’.

Simply click install and it will take you to the next section.

On this part, choose your domain name then click ‘Complete’. After taking this step, you’ll be given your login details so be sure to keep them safe as you’ll need to use them on a regular basis.

3. Install theme
Ok, so this is the fun part. You’ll probably be spending a couple of hours (I spent 4) searching for your theme and testing them out.

There are two great sites I’ve got experience with, so I’ll list them out to you.

1) ElegantThemes

If you’re on a tight budget, then [bl id=”886″]ElegantThemes[/bl] is the way to go. You can get all 87 of their themes for only $69 (that’s less than $1 per theme).

2) Genesis Framework

If you have a bit more money to invest, then I would HIGHLY recommend that you purchase your theme from [bl id=”887″]StudioPress[/bl].

I’ve poured a lot of money down the drain purchasing different themes and then finding issues with them later. I then started to see numerous popular bloggers giving some seriously good feedback for the Genesis framework.

So what did I do?

I straightaway purchased my first theme from them and… let’s just say that I would gladly pay double of what they’re asking.

Not only do they sell awesome themes, but since they all run on the Genesis framework, the backend of all their themes is simply mind-blowing.

FINALLY, it’s time to install your portfolio theme
Sign in to your WordPress. The URL should be something like this:

http://YOUR URL/wp-login.php

After you’ve logged in, click Appearance (on the left sidebar)> Themes> Install Themes> Upload.

And you’re all set!

There’s a few important plugins (most of which are free) that you need to install, in order to prevent your site being hacked. One of them being Limit Login Attempts.

Once you’re logged into your WordPress account, to install a plugin, just go to your sidebar on the left, hover your mouse over ‘Plugins’ and click ‘Add new’.

I recommend that you don’t install too many plugins as it could slow down your site.

But I think I’ll create a new post on all of the important plugins as well as how to optimize your blog for search engines in order to get free traffic to your site in the future.

I’m thinking of also writing an article on how to monetize your blog so you can start earning some passive income from your site. Be sure to subscribe on the sidebar if you’re interested.

*I contacted Bluehost and managed to acquire a special link to get superfast hosting for only $3.95 a month (usually $6.95/mo). Be sure to grab the offer while it lasts. [bl id=”882″]Click here[/bl] to view more details.