Feliway is a popular cat-calming drug-free product that is proven to help with issues like anxiety, urine marking, and unwanted furniture-scratching. We used Feliway with great success with our shelter cats to help reduce anxiety which was exacerbating a bladder-stone problem.
Our cats Arby and Alex were given up by their family of 7+ years after the owners had a skin baby and Arby began urinating outside of the litter box. When the problem continued at our home, we brought Arby to the vet, where he was diagnosed with painful stones which made urinating uncomfortable. A change in diet helped tremendously. On the vet's recommendation, we also tried using Feliway.
Feliway mimics natural calming pheromones in cats. When you purchase Feliway in liquid form, you use a diffuser to distribute the scent throughout your home. The product linked here is a 48ML starter container with a reusable electric diffuser that you plug right into the wall.
For humans, Feliway is odorless. We didn't notice it all, except for the way it helped out our kitties during times of stress and anxiety. Along with the change in diet, we believe Feliway really helped Arby with his issue and he stopped "missing" the litterbox with these two changes.
We put the electric outlet on a timer when we used Feliway, so it was distributed during the daytime. This helped save money and conserve the pheromones for when they were really needed.
If you've got a cat with behavioral issues, be sure to seek advice from a vet in case the problems have a medical basis, as we saw with Arby. Give Feliway a try to see if it might help your kitty like it helped our sweet Arby.
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A device made for slowing down your pet's eating process can be a life-saver for cats that chow down their food too fast. Products like this Interactive Slow Pet Feeder from Northmate are designed to make feeding time less stressful and speedy, as well as more interesting and engaging.
Fast eating sometimes leads to vomiting. This type of binge-and-purge eating is unhealthy for kitty. This slow feeder has a forest of rounded plastic protrusions on a sturdy base. When your cat's food is distributed on the device, feeding time becomes an interesting challenge and a slower process. This product helps alleviate boredom by making mealtime a challenging game with food as a reward for success. Kitty finds food among the protrusions and captures them with her paw, simulating wild hunting behavior.
With a name like Midnight Crazies, you know this cat toy bundle will be a hit with kitties who love to play at any time of day or night!
Check out this affordable multi-pack of cat toys that's highly rated by Amazon users and their cats. This is a bundle of seven cat toys that rattle when they roll. The open balls make an enticing noise when they are rolled, batted, or tossed across the floor.
The balls are about the size of ping-pong balls and the enticing cut-outs make the rattling jingle bell inside visible for extra stimulation. The slots also makes the balls easy to carry in small cat mouths, if your kitties like that kind of play like ours do.
This device is a great item for pet owners that want to make sure their pooch or kitty's regular feeding routine isn't disrupted when the family leaves the house for a day trip or even a short overnight jaunt. This is a timed feeder to deliver dry food whenever you want!
This great feeder has so many useful features. It has a built-in camera so you can watch your cat as she eats and make sure she gets to the feeder for mealtime. This is a smart device that will quickly connect to your home network for web access -- you can monitor everything from your smartphone!
You also schedule up to 6 mealtimes per day using your smartphone. This gives you maximum flexibility in when your kitty will be fed!
The feeder also has a built-in voice recorder so you can call your pet to the feeder when its time to be refilled. Kitty doesn't have to wait by the bowl for something to happen -- she just has to hear you calling her in for mealtime!
A device like this is perfect for when you need to have a quick getaway and want to leave your cat without having to hassle with a sitter for such a short time.
Pets with eating disorders or sensitive stomachs can also benefit from this device and give pet parents a break from giving frequent small meals to cats that require such a routine.
Note that a device like this is only going to work in single pet households, unless you have a way to separate your kitties and use two or more of these automatic smart pet feeders. The feeder runs on power but loss of WiFi connection will not interfere with scheduled feedings. There is also battery backup in the form of 3 D batteries to ensure the feedings will continue in the event of loss of power. Check out the great reviews pet owners have given this high-tech pet feeder and see for yourself how useful and fun it can be!
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File this under "What Cat Owners Need" because it is an essential item when it comes to keeping your house clean for yourself and your kitty companion. Did you know that black light can help you find urine stains in your home? This handy portable black light flashlight will do the trick!
What can you do when your room stinks, but you can't find the stain? In a darkened room, this black light flashlight will illuminate dried cat, dog, or even rodent urine. Use your favorite cleaning solutions only where it's really needed and save money as well as sanity!
This small highly rated flashlight beams ultra bright LED UV black light. It uses three AA batteries and comes with a set so you can use the flashlight right out of the package.
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One of our cats' favorite toys is the popular Madcap Mouse plush from SmartyKat. This is always our Timmy's favorite toy, but he shows added interest when we add a bit of dried catnip from our stash. Yep, Madcap Mouse is refillable! These kinds of toys will attract your cat initially and then again and again as you keep the catnip pouch filled with the good stuff. Here are 10 great refillable catnip toys for cats.
This toy has to top our list because its just like another favorite at our house! Now that I think of it, though, I haven't seen it for a while. Maybe I should check under the couch (a favorite stash spot!). The fluff factor on this toy's tail is out of control, which makes it perfect for kitties that like to snuggle with their toys.
Here's another set of toys we've had in our home. Like the others on the list, they each have a refillable pouch that seals with a safe velcro seam. The set includes a bit of nip to get you started.
Cats will love the fleece texture of this refillable catnip toy! Here you'll get a toy in the abstract shape of a fish, with fuzzy plush body and fabric face. This refillable catnip toy comes with 2 grams of catnip.
This toy may not be fluffy and plush, but I bet your cat will still love it! The bulk of the toy ball is made of irresistible cardboard corrugate which kitty will love to scratch. And when with each scratch another whiff of catnip is released from the refillable center, kitty will be occupied for a very long time.
This extremely popular choice from Petlinks comes with a standard velcro-closure pouch that you can refill with catnip as needed. The cute furry animal comes complete with a stubby tail and fun animal pattern.
This is a cute novelty toy that comes with a vial of catnip to get kitty started! The happy cat photo on the package is funny, but true -- that's how some cats look after a bout with catnip.
This darling little toad cat toy comes with a Velcro closure pouch to add catnip for added kitty interest. The protruding toes and eyes on the cute toy are interesting to kitty, too.
This cute burlap rat-shaped cat toy has a hidden catnip pouch. Features like eyes, ears, and tail are made from felt or string, and there is an enticing curled ribbon at the end for added fun and interest.
These vinyl toys aren't fuzzy like most of the other toys on this list, but that doesn't make them any less fun! Kitty can bat around the nip-filled dice to release the sweet fumes. And how much fun is it to bat around a box-shaped object as if it was a ball? Can you say random crazy trajectories!?
This set of three catnip ball toys is a great pack for multi cat households.You'll get three refillable balls that also make realistic sounds like birds, crickets, and frogs. The balls also move on their own; recharge using USB. This is a fun set of toys that have a lot going on!
Pick up some extra catnip to keep your refillable toys stuffed with the best stuff that your kitty loves! This is a two ounce package of North American grown nip.
Some cats don't mind to be groomed, while others run when they first see the cat brush. And not all kitties are as polite and patient as they could be when having their claws trimmed. But these necessary grooming tasks have to be performed periodically, whether your feline pal likes it or not.
If grooming your pet is more scratchy nightmare than playful romp, consider getting a cat grooming bag like this one. The grooming bag acts like a cat straightjacket, safely and securely controlling your cat's sharp-claw-weilding legs until you are ready to clip or brush. The bag is made of heavy-duty nylon with rubber mesh, so it can even be used in case your kitty needs to have that most dreaded event in any cat's life: a BATH.
The bag secures over your cat with a zipper across the back and snug Velcro at the neck for a good fit. Zippers at the front and rear of the bag allow targeted access to all four legs and paws individually, plus access to the tail / hindquarters if that area needs any grooming attention.
The bag is available in two different sizes. Be sure to check out the customer reviews to see how great this bag has worked for other cat owners!
Our cats love this soft mouse toy from SmartyKat. Madcap Mouse is a soft toy with plush "fur" on its body and a soft face with a shorter pile. The mouse has a short tail, whiskers, and leopard-pattern ears.
Madcap Mouse comes with a small vial of certified organic catnip. The toy has a small velcro opening that you can use to refill the toy with more, fresh catnip. This mouse toy is about four inches long, not including the tail.
Madcap Mouse is a highly rated toy that's virtually irresistible to cats -- especially when its filled with catnip. Reviewers also like the quality and long-term durability of this awesome cat toy.
We have three cats that are fond of Madcap Mouse here in our home. This toy was the first one that our kitten Timmy went for when we first brought him home. We had picked up Timmy and his mother, sister, and brother from living wild at a local county park. Madcap Mouse was the first toy he went to, and it's still his favorite toy today. Timmy likes to grab the mouse in his front paws and kick at it with his back paws. He also carries the toy around the house, which is extremely cute to watch.
Here's a photo of Timmy the first day we had him, right after he found Madcap Mouse.
Does your cat feel anxiety in certain stressful situations? The Thundershirt for cats is designed to help keep cats calm by applying gentle and constant pressure around the cat's torso.
The Thundershirt works in much in the same way that swaddling a baby will make the baby feel more secure. Pressure is also used to help reduce anxiety in autistic people encountering a stressful situation.
Use the Thundershirt when your cat is showing signs of anxiety during travel, grooming, visiting the vet, noise, or other issues.
Cats love to find hiding places and their natural curiosity gives them a desire to explore. Large interactive toys like this fun tunnel fulfill these natural cat tendencies.
This Fun Tunnel from ABO Gear is a large tube that measures over 50 inches long when fully extended. The tunnel is open on both ends and there are two portholes for a quick escape or an unexpected mid-tunnel pounce. The tunnel is lined with a faux fur interior and has a stylish cat-themed leopard print on the outside. The tunnel has a crinkly lining that makes crunchy noises when touched, which is interesting and exciting to many cats.
We have a tunnel similar to this one and our two younger cats, Timmy and William, absolutely love it. They bring toys inside with them - their favorite combination is to bring a crinkly toy inside the crinkle tunnel and make a cacophony of crunchy noises. Our older kitty, Gumby, isn't a big fan of the crunch sound. Not all cats are. He likes to play with his mates though, and he's been in and out of the tunnel a few times while chasing the others. As a larger cat (13+ lbs), he fits in our similar tunnel just fine. This tunnel from ABO Gear is also appropriate for cats in this size range.
Long play tunnels like this are a fun toy for single cats to use as a hideaway or a spot for creative play. Play tunnels are also a hit in multi-cat families. The access holes midway through the tunnel are perfect for sneaky attacks and quick getaways when playmates are having fun together.