Merry Christmas Kitty Cat

It's holiday time again and cat owners love to buy Christmas gifts for the kitties. Some folks buy cutesy collars and funny catnip toys for Christmas gifts. Those kind of Christmas gifts are really a present to the cat owner. How about some gift ideas that the cat will like and use?

Start with Feliway® Pheromone Spray and/or Diffuser. Feliway is the synthetic analogue of the feline facial pheromone. In other words, it mimics a cats method of familiarizing his environment with facial pheromones.

It's wonderful for behavioral problems like urine marking, vertical scratching, and loss of appetite. It's great to use when you are moving, getting your cats comfortable with new surrounds, and when bringing a new cat into the home.

I was moving from North Carolina to Iowa with five cats. One week before the move, I sprayed the cat's carriers and left them open for the cats to play in. The day of the move I sprayed my car and the carriers again, loaded up the cats and headed out. I drove 1,000 miles with five cats in the car. Merry Christmas to me! They were calm and relaxed and did not fuss once on the trip. Once we arrived, I sprayed my wood furniture and my cats have not scratched once.

Costs run between $20 and $30 for the spray bottle. It's worth every penny and an excellent Christmas gift for the whole family!

Now that your cats are comfortable and relaxed, how about a more natural litter? Nature's Earth (www.naturesearth.com) provides Feline Pine. It's Southern Yellow Pine in the Feline Pine scoop and it binds directly to the ammonia particles. Feline Pine clumps tight with the all-natural fiber made from Guar bean.

Feline Pine is biodegradable, flushable, has no harsh artificial fragrances and no unnatural chemical additives. Because it is biodegradable you can put it into your mulch pile or backyard compost. Feline Pine also has a free bag rebate! Visit their website to print out the rebate form. You can purchase Feline Pine at PetCo for $4.47 for a 7 pound bag.

Okay, your cat is relaxed and happy with his/her litter. What's next? Make sure you're cat has an ID tag. It should include your name and phone number. The Humane Society recommends using a collar made especially for cats that has a short piece of elastic sewn into it. They allow the cat escape room if he/she gets caught on furniture or other material.

You can also have a tattoo put on your cat! It's a permanent ID system that marks a code on the cat. The finder will call the database and uses the code to find the owner. If your cat is stolen for research (and that happens) the labs will know instantly that the animal was not abandoned but a pet.

You've also got the choice of a microchip that is embedded under the skin. Any agency, including many animal care and control agencies, veterinary clinics and research labs can identify the the code that links your kitty to you.

Last but not least, the best Christmas present is to spay or neuter your cat! There are many benefits to this Christmas gift.

1. Over 10 million animals will be euthanized at shelters each year. So if your cat has kittens you can't keep and they end up at a shelter -- their chances of being euthanized are too high to take a chance.

2. Spaying stops a female cats pacing and constant crying while she is in heat.

3. Your male cat after neutering will no long have the mating drive. That means the urge to roam is reduced and he won't be likely to want to fight.

4. If you have more than one cat, they will get along better.

5. Early neutering nearly eliminates breast cancer and totally prevents uterine infections and uterine and testicular cancer. (Thanks to www.americanhumane.org for this information.)

Call your local animal shelter to receive information on low cost neutering.