The key to making your cat's trip to the vet, or any trip in their carry cage a stress free one is creating a positive association with their cage, carrier or cat box. Here are some simple steps to help make your cat's excursions more pleasant for you and your feline friend.

Cats love to have a birds eye view, and to be able to explore their environment. However, this often means you may find them on top of inappropriate objects such as kitchen benches, tables, chairs, TV's, and in some situations, even climbing the curtains.

Cats use an elaborate system for communicating with each other and other species. Body language, scent, touch, and sound are all important factors in communication and will also help you to determine their mood.

So you are about to move house and concerned about settling your pets into their new environment. Here's some handy tips on making the transition stress free and as safe as possible for your pet.

Cats

Cat owners are often concerned about the best way to settle their cat into a new home. Cats form definite attachments to places and often try to return to their old home, but a few precautions can ensure that your cat will accept their new address.

Just like children, cats can be picky and may not always eat what is healthy for them. Whether your cat is an active kitten or a maturing cat, they require a diet that is balanced and suited to their lifestage and lifestyle. Cats require a diet high in protein and low in carbohydrates with the correct amount of fats, vitamins and minerals. When in balance, a cat's natural defence mechanism is boosted and they will be able to fight illness and infection.

I am thinking of keeping it indoors. Is that ok?

There are many circumstances in which keeping a cat indoors may be safer for a cat and therefore, arguably, better for the cat. Indoor cats are at lower risk for injuries associated with the outdoor environment (cars, trains, dogs, predators, humans, etc.) and are at far less risk of contracting parasites and infectious diseases such as the feline immunodeficiency virus. Studies have consistently shown that urban cats that go outdoors have far shorter life spans (averaging 2 years or less), while most indoor cats will live over 15 years. Keeping cats indoors also prevents fighting and fight related injuries and has the added benefit of protecting natural wildlife.

If your favourite sofa, wallpaper or even carpets are the target of your cat's scratching attention the first thing you should know is scratching is a completely normal feline behaviour. The start of solving a scratching problem is to understand why.

Sneezing is a natural body mechanism in cats. There are a lot of causes for sneezing, some of which are covered below:-

The cat is a very meticulous animal and usually confines his or her toileting behaviour to the litter tray or garden. The smell of cat urine in the house or the discovery of faeces in a corner of the room can therefore be worrying and a challenge for pet owners. So what is the difference between urinating and spraying, why do cats spray, and why do some cats soil and spray indoors?

The toys that you choose for your cat must take into account the natural behavior of the species. Often the simple ones are the best and ones that offer unpredictable movement, rapid movement and high-pitched sound are likely to provide your cat with hours of entertainment.