Precious Cat Blog

The debate on which type of food to feed cats continues to be a hot topic.  At Precious Cat, under the guidance Dr. Bruce Elsey, we recommend a canned food diet.  One of the reasons for a canned food diet is to promote good urinary health.  Cats are carnivores so feeding canned food is closer to their natural meat diet.  Cats are also desert animals so they don’t typically drink a lot of water so the added moisture in canned food is beneficial for cats.  This additional moisture can help with urinary inflammation which can be a reason for a cat inconsistently not using the litter box. 

As we have talked before, in other blogs, cats are extremely texture driven and that applies to the food they eat as well.  Sometimes cats that are use to eating dry food do not like the texture of wet food and have a hard time accepting it.  It is a good idea just to give them a choice putting down a spoonful or so of wet food in a bowl near the dry food and letting them make the choice.  As with any diet, it should be done slowly as not to cause digestive and or health problems.   I have had cats my whole life and even with my first cat in the late 50’s and 60’s we always feed wet food I have never had a cat with urinary issues.   I feed my cats a variety of canned foods but I try to stick to the ones with pure meat and no additives like Weruva and Wellness.  I also cook a turkey breast or give ground lamb or turkey as a treat in addition to their canned food. 

If you cat will not accept wet food then getting a water fountain can be beneficial as well for increasing their water intake. 

One other food for thought…..cats do not cross chew so dry food does not provide the benefit with dental care as originally thought.  Also, wet food has more protein and dry food has more carbohydrates therefore you hardly ever see a fat cat that is eating a canned food diet. 

Until next time, please remember to hug your cat and as my Lilac Point Siamese, Makeeta, always says - Mom remember to bring me home a roasted chicken from Costco!

Territorial marking is natural behavior for cats, a form of communication not unlike the big cat in the wild that marks his territory to communicate to other cats that - this area is mine.  However, in an inside environment we don’t want cats marking with urine. 

Territorial marking or marking with urine is a different behavior than sitting to urinate.  With territorial marking you will see small amounts of urine on walls, furniture, against the base boards and even on the owner’s clothes or bedding.  After the cat has marked it will simply walk away and not sniff and paw at the area as is the case with sitting to urinate. 

Often times cats will mark with urine if they are under stress from other cats in the household or even seeing other cats outside that may be invading what the cat perceives as their territory.  If this is the case, it is important to try to keep stray cats away from your house.  For the cats inside it is a good idea to zone the litter boxes and food bowls so each cat has their own space in theory.  Giving cats their own zone will help with any territory issues that may arise between cats in the household.  Also making sure that your cats have several elevated perches to hide from the other cats if the need arises.  Feliway, which is a synthetic feline pheromone, can also be added to mix to create “friendly zones” to help diminish your cat’s need to spray urine.

Research has indicated that many cats will not stop urine marking unless they are placed on anti anxiety drugs.  In any situation if your cat is urinating outside the box it is a good idea to have your veterinarian do an exam to rule out any medical issues.  Your veterinarian will also be able to discuss and suggest an anti anxiety drug that will be suitable for your cat.  Remember they will need to be on the drug at least 30 days and then depending upon results 120 days to life. 

Happy New Year and until next time please remember to hug your cat.

The Holiday season is upon us so I thought it would be good time to discuss some holiday hazards to avoid for cats.  As you know, I have had cats since I was three so I have really never had life BC (before cats) that I can remember anyway.  Many of my friends refer to the holiday season BC and how they have had to adjust their decorating life to accommodate their cats. 

Plants are popular around the holiday season and some of these plants can cause vomiting and diarrhea.  Some plants that need to be keep away from cats are poinsettia, mistletoe, and holly.  I like to always air on the side of caution – so I don’t allow these plants in my house - if you do please keep them away from your cat’s reach and if your cat does come in contact with them, it is good idea to have your veterinarian check your cat right away.

Christmas trees can be another source of frustration when you have a cat.  I have extreme allergies to trees and so does one of my cats, so I don’t have a live Christmas tree – if you do don’t allow your cat to drink the water under the tree.  There may be a fertilizer added to the water that may be poisonous so it is good idea to always keep the water covered well with a heavy tree skirt.  The Christmas tree itself can be a problem for many cats.  One night I walked into the living room to catch my Lilac Point Siamese “Makeeta” surfing the tree down onto my glass table.  Thankfully the cat, tree and table survived with no great harm but cats will climb trees so it is good idea to make sure the tree is anchored well and away from things like glass tables.  The same boy cat liked to chew the artificial tree as well and this can cause some serious problems if some of the materials become stuck in the cat’s intestines. 

Along those lines, ribbons and tinsel can also become foreign bodies in the cat’s intestine and may require surgery.  So, I avoid tinsel on the tree and I don’t put any packages around the tree with ribbon until they are opened under close supervision and away from my cats. 

The holiday season is also a time for a lot of good food.  Be careful not to over do it with giving your cat’s different food that may cause digestive upset.  I cook a turkey breast about once a week for my cats so they are use to having turkey on their canned cat food but you need to go slow and be careful how much food you are giving them.  Also, don’t allow them to eat sweet foods like chocolate, which can be hazardous for cats.

Last but not least, the holiday season is a busy time and cats do get stressed and they don’t like change.  This type of stressful activity can cause a cat to have inappropriate elimination issues.  It is a good idea if you have a lot of people over to place your cats in a quiet room with a radio playing softly.  Make sure to put their litter boxes, food, water bowls and toys in their room so they feel safe and secure.  It will also help avoid them escaping with people coming and going.  It is always a good idea to minimize the stress in the household as much as possible especially during the busy holiday season.

Wishing you and your cats a safe and happy holiday and please remember to give your cats a hug.

There seems to be a number of questions as to why you can not use the Cat Attract litter additive in alternative litters such as wheat, corn, pine, paper, cedar etc.  The paramount reason is that the additive works on a smell premise.  Alternative litters have a particular odor about them because of their composition.  In other words the corn smells like corn, the wheat smells like wheat and so on so these litters will mask the scent of the additive providing no benefit in drawing the cat to the box.  There are no problems with using it with any kind of litter since it contains non toxic natural herbs – if just won’t be effective.  The second part of this equation is that you need to use it with litter that is clumping so it will become part of the litter and mix in well.

We do recommend that it be used with our Precious Cat Ultra litter since this litter is non scented clumping clay litter.  However, it can be mixed with any clumping clay litter as long as the litter has no additives like baking soda, perfumes, chemicals and deodorants.

Thanks and until next time – please remember to hug your cat.

I have been receiving a number of phone calls and emails about the different types of litter that we offer.  In this blog I would like to outline some of our different litters.

Cat Attract™

Cat Attract was designed for cats with inappropriate elimination issues.  It is a clumping clay litter that is texture friendly to a cat’s paws and is blended with a natural herbal attractant that cats are attracted to.  It is hard clumping litter with superior odor control and is 99% dust free.  Keep at least 2.5 to 3 inches of litter in your box and remove the feces and clumps of urine a couple of times a day.  We recommend changing the box every 3-4 weeks. 

Kitten Attract™

Kitten Attract is for kittens 8 weeks to one year of age.  Kitten Attract is a clumping clay litter with a granule size and texture that is pleasing to a kitten’s tender paws.  It is blended with a natural herbal attractant that piques a kitten’s curiosity to use the litter box.  The Kitten Attract is 99% dust free.  Keep at least 2.5 to 3 inches of litter in your box and remove the feces and clumps of urine a couple of times a day.  We recommend changing the box every 3-4 weeks.

Precious Cat Senior

Precious Cat Senior was invented for senior cats in that senior cats are 45 times more likely to develop a urinary tract infection than a younger cat.  Precious Cat Senior has a small particle size that cats prefer.  The litter absorbs urine on contact and traps it inside the crystal to prevent bacterial growth, thus helping to prevent urinary tract infections.  The Precious Cat Senior is an amorphous silica gel that is safe if inhaled or ingested and the Cat Attract litter additive is hydrolyzed in the Precious Cat Senior.  This litter is biodegradable.  Since this is a silica gel litter it does not clump you just simply remove the feces daily and then rake the litter around with a scoop to refresh it.  One application which is about an inch and half of litter in the box will last around 2 weeks depending on urine output.  If you notice that the crystals are no longer absorbing the urine then it is time to dump the litter and start over again. 

Precious Cat Long Hair

Precious Cat Long Hair litter is an amorphous silica gel that is safe if inhaled or ingested.  The particle size is much smaller than other silica gels on the market which makes it more pleasing to a cat’s paws.  It is biodegradable and will not stick to a long hair cat’s coat.  Precious Cat Long Hair litter is infused with hydrolyzed herbs to draw a cat to the litter box.  Since this is a silica gel litter it does not clump you just simply remove the feces daily and then rake the litter around with a scoop to refresh it.  One application which is about an inch and half of litter in the box will last around 2 weeks depending on urine output.  If you notice that the crystals are no longer absorbing the urine then it is time to dump the litter and start over again. 

Precious Cat Ultra 

Precious Cat Ultra litter combines heavy non tracking granules with smaller granules.  The result is an excellent clumping clay litter that prevents moisture from reaching the bottom of the box, while providing a clump that will not break up.  Great for multi-cat families it provides superior odor control without any use of deodorants, additives, or chemicals.  It is hypo-allergenic in that it contains no plant protein and 99.9% dust free so it is an ideal litter for cats with allergies or asthma.  Keep at least 2.5 to 3 inches of litter in your box and remove the feces and clumps of urine a couple of times a day.  We recommend changing the box every 3-4 weeks.

Another frequent email or call I receive is “what the best way to clean up cat urine”.  As you are aware a cat’s sense of smell is 1000 times stronger than ours so even though you may think you removed the urine odor your cat may still smell the odor and use that area again.  If you do not remove all the urine odor there will be a tendency for your cat to continue to urinate in those areas over and over.  Cleaning up old urine odors is essential for getting a cat to use the litter box again.  In our Litter Box Solution Booklet starting on page 17 we go through each surface step by step and discuss how to clean each surface.  You can down load the booklet on the website www.preciouscat.com or it is attached to our Cat Attract litter products and additive. 

I have received a number of questions and or comments about the Precious Cat Senior litter.  In light of these questions, I thought it would be appropriate to discuss how to use the Senior litter and the benefits of using the litter. 

Inappropriate elimination is the number one behavioral reason cats are abandoned, surrendered to shelters and put to sleep.  It can be a frustrating situation to deal with.  Following is Precious Cat's Five Step Program - to help solve the problem of cats not using the litter box. 

First, replace your current litter with Cat or Kitten Attract.  Cat and Kitten Attract were designed to be texture friendly to cat's paws.  Cats are very texture driven that is why some textures of litter just don't appeal to them.  The texture of the litter can be an issue as to why cats will not use the litter box.  Both of these litters also have the natural herbal attractant added to them so they do draw the cats to the litter box by smell. 

This is our first blog entry to the Precious Cat website and with myself being the blogger I wanted to introduce myself to you.  My name is Gina and I am the Marketing Director for Precious Cat. 

I have had a long relationship with cats having lived with them since I was three years old which means I have shared my life with cats for a very long time.  I have worked with Dr. Elsey, DVM - owner and president of Precious Cat, Inc for many years and through my education, work and life experience I have gained some good knowledge about cats.  However, I am not sure one ever fully understands cats.

I live with three currently, 2 boys and a girl cat, Kaiote - 15 years, Makeeta - 9 years and Chyna Girl Too - 4 years.  I am sure you will see me refer to them many times in my upcoming blogs.  

Kaiote and Makeeta

Chyna Girl Too

New Blog page - coming soon.