“The problem with cats and dogs is that they shed.” Shedding is a common complaint of people who prefer homes free of pet hair to the joys of having a pet. But do we have to choose?

To a point, yes. If you don’t want any pet hair in your home, don’t get a pet. However, we can reduce the problem of pet hair on furniture and clothing with these approaches:
(more…)

Cats are happiest when they’re at home. But on occasion, we need to transport them for short trips to the veterinarian or longer trips when we’re moving. How do we make the trip as comfortable as possible for our homebody pets?

Choose a good pet carrier

Cats don’t like being confined, but they do like to feel secure. A pet carrier with solid walls helps your cat feel protected. In addition to providing ventilation, holes in the sides and a grated door allow your cat to see some of her surroundings while she’s in the carrier.

Make sure that the door latches securely and that the carrier is sturdily built. A handle on the carrier makes it easier to carry and to fasten to a car seat.

Soft-sided carriers are easier to store and to stow under an airplane seat if you’re flying and your cat is allowed in the cabin with you. However, walls that can fold in on the cat while she’s in it can create a frightening experience. If you choose a soft-sided carrier, look for one with walls that don’t collapse too easily, and see how your cat adjusts to it before using it for travel. In most situations, a hard-sided carrier may be a better choice for your cat.

Get your cat accustomed to her pet carrier or harness

If you wait until the day that you and your cat need to go somewhere before introducing her to the pet carrier, your cat will naturally be resistant. Instead, leave the pet carrier out where she can go in and out of it when she pleases. Since cats like to be higher than ground level, it may appeal to her more if you place it on a table or somewhere else off the ground. Put treats or even food in it so that she’ll associate good things with it. With her favorite blanket in the carrier, she may even choose to take naps in it.

After she’s used to her pet carrier, close the door for short periods when she’s in it and walk around with it, being careful to minimize the motion she feels. Give her a treat and plenty of attention afterwards to keep the associations with the pet carrier positive.

If you’re traveling by air, the airline may require you to use an airline animal crate. You can still help your cat become accustomed to being confined beforehand, and you can bring a favorite blanket to put in the flight crate.

If you’re taking your cat just to the veterinarian or another local destination and your cat isn’t difficult to restrain, a harness and leash may work fine. Get your cat used to wearing and being restrained by the harness at home, and check that the harness straps won’t slip if your cat pulls hard to get away.

Get your cat accustomed to car travel

If your cat is a kitten when she joins your family, take her for occasional trips in the car so that she can get used to the sounds, smells, and sensations of car transportation. She may not enjoy it the way dogs do, but if she experiences it enough, particularly when she’s young, she’ll be less stressed about traveling in a car.

Make your cat comfortable for the trip

Make the pet carrier comfortable for your cat. A familiar blanket will provide psychological as well as physical comfort. A favorite toy will add to the comfort level. If you’ll be traveling for more than a short distance, include a bowl of your cat’s usual food and water in a water dispenser.

Don’t put anything heavy or large in the pet carrier — it could injure your cat or cause her to panic when the carrier moves. Also avoid blankets with a weave or holes large enough for your cat’s claws to get caught in.

Help your cat stay calm. Cats can sense when their people are stressed. Stay calm around your cat, and be sure to keep her indoors for several hours before you need to put her in her pet carrier.

When you pick up or interact with your cat, be gentle. Assure her with your voice that everything is fine. Don’t sedate her unless it’s really necessary to do so. If your cat becomes agitated easily, discuss sedation with your veterinarian before the trip.

Give your cat identification

No transportation method is 100 percent safe. In the unlikely event that your cat gets out of her carrier or harness, or that the carrier gets lost in transit, have your cat wear an ID tag with a phone number that you can be reached at. If she has an identification tattoo or a microchip, she’ll be identifiable even if the ID tag is lost.

Keep a current photo of your cat on-hand in case you need it.

Travel by air with cats

Traveling by air is risky for animals — airline cargo holds aren’t designed for live creatures.

Each airline has its own regulations about transporting animals. Some allow small pets in the cabins, some allow animals only as cargo, and some don’t transport animals at all. Those that do allow pets may require a specific type of pet carrier.

If you need to transport your cat by plane, see these pages for more information on flying with pets:

• Tips for Safe Pet Air Travel
• Airline Rules for Travel with Your Cat

Related articles at this site

• Moving Home with Dogs and Cats
• Including Your Pets in a Disaster Plan
• Travel with Dogs

You’re expecting a baby, and you already have a cat in the family. Your friends and relatives are telling you that you can’t keep your cat when the baby arrives. Do cats smother or suck the breath out of babies? Is it safe for cats and babies to live together?No, the old tales are not true, and yes, it is usually safe for babies and cats to share a home.

Do cats harm babies?

Before Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) had a name, babies were sometimes found suddenly dead without an explanation, and a cat might have been in the vicinity. With nothing else to blame, the rumor that cats smother babies circulated. There is no evidence to support this theory, though.

Some cats like to sleep with people, including babies. It’s best not to leave babies or small children alone with cats. The child may unknowingly hurt the cat, and the cat may react with her claws.

Toxoplasmosis, a parasitic infection that people can get from the feces of infected animals, is a risk for pregnant women. Chances are that anyone who has lived with cats for some time has already been exposed to it. If you’re pregnant, it’s best to have your partner clean the litter box to reduce your risk of exposure to toxoplasmosis.

Babies from a cat’s point of view

Think of the situation the way your cat sees it. She’s been your baby and may have been getting all the attention, and then this noisy creature that smells funny comes into the home and diverts attention from you. She may feel sibling rivalry, and she may want to cover up those foreign smells.

On the other hand, if your cat continues to get some attention from you or your partner, she’ll feel less deprived. She might regard the baby as a family member that needs her protection.

As long as your cat gets enough attention and is allowed to feel connected with the baby, she will more than likely accept the baby into the family.

Your baby’s room and your cat

If you allow your cat in your baby’s room, consider getting a crib tent, which is a tent-like netting structure that fits over the crib. It prevents babies from climbing or falling out of cribs — and cats from climbing in.

To keep your cat out of the baby’s room entirely, any of these methods stop the cat from entering the baby’s room:

• Always keep the door to the baby’s room closed when the baby is in the room.
• Put a screen door on the baby’s room so that your cat can see what’s happening without being able to go in.
• Place CatScram silent electronic cat repellent at the door to the baby’s room.

In addition, if the baby’s room is on the ground floor and your cat goes outdoors, put a screen on the window so that your cat can’t enter the room through the window if it’s open.

Preparing cats for a baby in the household

Start preparing your cat for a newborn baby before the baby arrives.

• When you’re getting the baby’s room ready for the baby, allow the cat to explore the room. She’ll be less curious about it after the baby arrives if she’s allowed to investigate it beforehand.
• Bring any flea problems under control, and check with your veterinarian to make sure that the flea treatments are safe in a household with a baby. Have your cat dewormed if she has worms.
• Before the mother and baby come home from the hospital, get the newborn baby’s scent on a towel or cloth to be taken home for the cat to smell. Your cat will then recognize the baby’s scent right away when the baby joins the household.

After the baby comes home

Your cat will probably be curious about the new human in her home. Allow her to sniff the baby or at least the blanket that the baby is wrapped in.

You will naturally have less time to spend with your cat when you have a baby to take care of. Ask your partner to give the cat more attention if possible. When you have visitors, encourage them to pet and play with your cat too.

When the baby starts to crawl, keep cat food dishes and the cat’s litter box out of your baby’s sampling reach.

Always supervise the time that your baby and your cat spend together. With the right preparations, though, babies and cats can become friends.