Are you thinking about getting some discus then and want to know a little about them. Have you been to the aquatics and seen some lovely colourful discus in there show tanks.
A lot of people will tell you that discus are only for advanced fish keepers but in my experience they are easy to keep as long as you follow some basic rules.

First of all, discus require clean water free of chlorine and heavy metals. You may be best to invest in a water purifying unit. Make sure the water is on the soft and acidic side. pH between 6.0 and 7.5 with a general hardness between 5 and 15. Now is you want to been them these will have to be lower.

The water should be well filtered but slow moving and be heated at around 82 – 86F.

Another point to cover is that discus are best suited to large deep aquariums as they commonly grow to around 6 or 7 inch. They prefer to be in shoals of no less than 6 when they are growing up.

They can be kept in bare tanks but benefit from bog wood and plants as these help the discus feel safe knowing they have some where to hide. If they get stressed and scared in a bare tank they can dash around and damage there selves.

Ideal tank mates for discus include small tetras from South America i.e. neon tetras. They are also ok with various cat fish and plecs but please make sure the discus is the largest fish in the aquarium.

Discus can be fed on most aquarium foods and practically like sinking pellets. They also like frozen bloodworms and brine shrimp. Young discus should be fed 3 times a day and adults just once.

I hope you have enjoyed this article and learned a little bit more about discus fish. If you would like more information on discus fish please visit my site http://www.discus-fish-secrets.com

Rob Clarke owns Discus Fish Secrets website helping begginners and advanced fishkeepers with discus problems inluding keeping and breeding them. Please visit the site for more discus information

A new puppy is a joyous addition to any home. Who can resist that cute little bundle of lovable furry fun? Wouldn’t it be great if puppies were potty trained and came into our homes without any mess or bother? OK, reality check here.

Just ask any dog owner what the hardest task at hand is, and most will agree, that potty training is high on the list of unpleasant tasks. Actually, potty training is a simple task, requiring merely a little patience and diligence.

First, be mindful of puppies as infant dogs, not children. Dogs are creatures of Habitual Re-enforcement. Start early with the basics, and you will have a well trained and obedient friend for many years.

A sure fire method of potty training, at least in the opinion of a kennel and breeder friend of mine, is to simply catch the puppy in the act of relieving itself.

First, you need to decide where you want him to go to the bathroom. Immediately approach your puppy, pick him up gently but firmly, and tell him “No No” with a firm clear voice. Carry your puppy immediately outside, preferably to a pre designated area, and set him down on his haunches, holding him firmly for a few moments. If he still needs to relieve himself, keep him in that spot and pat and praise him when he’s finished. OK! Not so hard, eh?

Guess what, he will do it again. So, make a game out of it, get the kids involved and when he starts to go, repeat the routine, acting immediately and firmly.

Puppies tend to be the center of attention at first, especially with kids, so there is usually someone at hand to scold the puppy in a gentle manner and immediately remove him to the designated site.

This method is a quick and effective method in toilet training any puppy, who, with the right amount of attention and praise, will be toilet trained in no time at all.

It’s important to catch the puppy in the act. Coming home and finding the mess a couple of hours later and then getting upset and scolding the puppy will only make your job harder and confuse the puppy. What then, you may wonder? Well, a method that has worked for me is to carry the puppy to the offending deposit, gently but firmly placing his nose into the substance and saying firmly “No No or Bad Bad”, you get the drift, and immediately carrying puppy out to the site. This method is not the favored method, but it is effective if done properly.

About the Author

Timothy Robinson is the owner of PetGiftsandToys.com.

Raising up is a dog is a hard task. The only consolation that you’ll have when raising up a dog is that it’s not as hard when you raised or will raise up kids.

Dogs may be a little rough around the edges when you start training them. But when they get trained, a small amount of dog burdens will be lifted away from your shoulders. Imagine that you will no longer have to step on dog poop all of a sudden or have your dog occupy your couch.

However to get your dog trained well it will need a little effort form you as well. As the saying goes, “It takes two to tango.” The better you are at training your dog, the better attitude your dog will have. Here are some tips that you can do to make the training effective.

If you live with a family or lots of other people, chances are there will be one person with most of the burden of training the dog. This person might be the one who bought the dog or the person who got forced to train the dog. It is suggestible though to make kids train the dog. This is because kids have a higher pitched voice and are more animated making dogs react more. A child training the dog will also make the dog feel less abused or imposed because of their size.

Having the right attitude when you are training your dog will also be helpful. Don’t think of training the dog as a chore, because if you do you will feel bored. Naturally when you feel bored, you and your dog will not enjoy. Prevent it from happening, because when it does happen you will be spending less time training. Try to enjoy and have fun, that’s what your relationship with the dog should be anyway.

If you are tired or cranky, train at a later time. Relax first, if you train the dog when you are tired, you will only become more irritated when things don’t go right. When the dog is having trouble with something new; try to go back to something the dog has already mastered. This will make the dog feel not so bad.

Don’t give up immediately when things are not going your way. Just think about the dog learning something from a different language. If you are learning how to read a book in Chinese, you’ll also have a hard time right?

If you’re at the point of giving up, just think about the benefits of all things once the dog has been properly trained.

Michael Colucci is a technical writer for Free Dog Training and Dog Care

Good dog health and happiness for Charlie

Our Charlie’s dog health was a very important issue to us in our family. It all started when he was a puppy of course. Aside from the fun and laughter he brought into our lives he brought us new found responsibilities we hadn’t concerned ourselves with BC. With some common sense and attention dog health shouldn’t have to be a major family issue. Here’s how we dealt with Charlie.

A few dog health issues:

Feeding –

This is normally the easy and fun part. Be careful though because there’s so much ballyhoo about the great stuff various products can do. Major brands are tried and true with a normally safe harbour. Avoid going off into generic diets. Competing with the major brands on research and quality control is pretty tough. Better to take the high road for your doggie’s sake. Vitamin and mineral supplements would be a great addition to the diet helping to keep the immune system strong. Remember, dry food helps keep the teeth nice and strong too.

Bathing –

The primary concern here is to use a pet product. Not shampoo made for us people. We want to use a very mild shampoo. The pH balance of our doggies is quite different and if not careful we’ll dry out the skin so bad that scratching, itching and all sorts of other fireworks will go off. Bath less not more. Chances are that a good wash job every 30 days or so will be just fine. Don’t forget to drop a couple of plugs (cotton balls will do)into the ears before you start along with a nice brush job on the coat before and after. Keep the shampoo away from those gorgeous heart breaking eyes, if you slip simply wash with warm water or even a saline. Hey, a nice little designer outfit afterwards really makes your great little buddy a spiffy looking dude.

Those nasty tick and fleas issues –

Give me a break, how’d you like to run around itchy and biting, scratching and jumping around all day. That would be enough to drive anyone nuts. A topical oil usually placed between the shoulder blades will do the trick. Your best friends natural oils will spread it evenly over your pet. Be watchful about exposing the oil to the kids and put it in a safe place. Try and have your pet really dry for a few days before and after application. This process will rid your doggie of fleas and ticks. Good riddance for sure. A super blow on those nasty critters ensuring good dog health.

Puppy housetraining –

The all time favorite issue. Potty training! No different than when we potty trained our children, the process is somewhat similar. Patience, consistency and confinement does the trick. Do yourself a favor, get a crate for your doggie big enough for it to stretch out in and also take a snooze being able to nestle into a little corner.

Your best pet friend needs to be in there when you’re asleep, gone from the premises or to be left unattended (you’re busy cooking dinner and doggie treats. Doing so teaches them to hold it for awhile. Putting them in a crate for 6 – 8 hours during the training period is alright too.

While home have your little sweetie out with a timer going off around each 60 minutes or so. You and the doggie hit the turf outside for 10 minutes or so giving them a chance to potty. When they do reward them with positive comments, petting, stroking – some real love if you will which is positive reinforcement( something we all would like to have,right?). Chances are pretty good your doggie will catch on very soon. Be patient, take your time and no accident frustrations. Your new best friend needs a little time to learn, adapt and assimilate your wishes. Keep in mind that your doggie loves you. Cleanliness goes a long way for good dog health.

About the Author

Interesting dog information surrounded by love and compassion at www.dog-stuff4u.com

Stingrays will eat a wide variety of foods. Maintaining a varied diet is extremely important in captive animals, as monocultural diets incur a risk of nutritional deficiencies. Stingrays are very active, and should be fed at least once a day, preferably twice or even three times daily. The daily diet can be varied in order to create some environmental enrichment as well as balanced nutrition for the rays.

First Foods

First foods for newly acquired rays should be blackworms or tubifex worms. These foods seem to be the most readily accepted, and are small enough to be inadvertently ingested either by mouth or through the spiracle, thereby giving the ray an opportunity to taste these possibly unfamiliar foods by chance. Foods that have been used for very small specimens, such as the teacup rays, are small insect larvae such as mosquito larvae, small shrimp known as ghost shrimp or glass shrimp, live adult brine shrimp, and blackworms. Chitinous foods such as shrimp provide less nutritional value than do soft-bodied foods, and so should not be used as sole food items.

The best way to be certain that your new stingray is feeding is to watch the spiracles as the ray passes over food on the bottom of the tank. If it is eating, you will see the spiracles opening and closing rapidly, or fluttering, as the food is ingested and water is passed from the mouth and out the spiracles. Once you observe a newly acquired ray readily feeding on black-worms or redworms introduce finely chopped night crawlers in small quantities. Once stingrays recognize these as food, most will readily eat them. Later, experiment with other types of food.

Types of Food

Live Foods

Feed live foods, including blackworms or tubifex worms, in quantities adequate to allow a small amount to be left in the tank so the rays can browse later. However, when cleaning the substrate, note whether a significant amount of living worms is present; blackworms and tubifex worms will colonize the substrate if not eaten and add to the nitrogenous waste production in the aquarium.

Nonlive, Nonaquatic Foods

Chopped earthworms, redworms, or night crawlers and any nonlive, nonaquatic foods should be fed in smaller quantities to prevent any overlooked food from decomposing in the tank. Keep in mind that stingrays have relatively small mouths-a 10-inch (25-cm) ray may have a mouth that is 1/2 to 3/4 inch (13 to 19 mm) wide, so chopped food items must be small enough to be eaten easily. If a ray ingests a piece of food and repeatedly spits it out and ingests it again, this usually indicates that the particle is too large. Some ray species, such as antenna rays, have extremely small mouths relative to their size.

Once acclimated, rays often develop techniques for eating larger pieces of food; for example, newly imported rays may have difficulty consuming even small chopped pieces of night crawlers. Eventually, however, they learn to eat an entire worm by sucking it into their oral cavity without chewing. Newly acquired rays also often ignore feeder goldfish but they quickly learn to chase down and consume feeders, even learning where they hide in the tank.

Commercially Prepared Foods

Stingrays may learn to eat other unfamiliar foods such as brine shrimp, pellet foods, or other commercially prepared foods. While there is probably no harm in offering these foods to rays, it is best to use fresh, live, or frozen foods as the dietary staple. Although stingrays often do not initially accept frozen or other nonliving foods, they may soon learn to eat these foods after they have been acclimated. A benefit of frozen foods is that they are less likely than live foods to introduce diseases or parasites.

Hand-feeding

Occasionally, a well-acclimated specimen will fail to gain weight, even though you are offering enough food. Several things may cause this problem; the most likely possibility is that it is not competing efficiently for food against other fish in the aquarium, or it may have a parasitic infestation. Stingrays occasionally do not seem to learn where foods can be found during feeding times, and are always in the wrong part of the tank during those times. In these cases, it is helpful to hand-feed such specimens. By this I do not mean feeding with your hands. Although some aquarists do this with stingrays, I do not recommend it because of the possibility of being accidentally stung. Remember that stingrays are wild animals, and no matter how accustomed your specimens become to your presence, it is impossible to always accurately predict their response to humans. Instead, you should always perform the hand-feeding of specimens with long forceps or a similar instrument. Stingrays generally avoid metal objects and appear to be frightened by metal; however, because they can sense metal, they will quickly learn that when there is a metal object in the aquarium, food is being offered. In this way, you can teach your stingray to feed directly from forceps, and selectively feed it more food.

Simply hold a night crawler (or a piece of night crawler) in the forceps, and hold the worm in the aquarium so that the ray can touch it with its fin. It should eat the worm immediately. After a few feedings in this manner, allow the forceps to touch the ray while it is eating the worm. It will quickly learn to associate the forceps with feeding and soon you will find that the ray will pounce on the forceps as soon as it touches it, eagerly looking for a treat!

How Much and How Often

The key to having well-fed stingrays in your aquarium is providing plenty of food. Unlike most fish that swim quietly between feedings, stingrays search constantly for food, looking under and around tank ornaments, moving driftwood, rocks, filters, and even other fish! This high activity level translates to a high metabolic rate, which means that while searching for food rays continue to burn energy. If they use up energy looking for food, but do not find any, they will lose weight. To compensate for this loss of energy, it is essential to provide adequate food. I cannot stress this enough. Hobbyists sometimes tell me that they feed their rays three times weekly, thinking that this is adequate. Stingrays should be fed at least twice, and usually three times, daily. In spite of these frequent feedings, rays will still constantly look for food between feedings!

When feeding significant quantities of live feeder goldfish, it is wise to add vitamin B1 to the feeder supply. Goldfish contain the enzyme thiaminase, which destroys thiamin, or vitamin B1, and this vitamin must be replenished. It should be your practice to add one 50-mg tablet to each 500 gallons (1893 L) of water every two weeks. You can add the tablets directly to the sump of the wet-dry filter; or as an alternative, the tablets can be added directly to the tank.

About the Author

Brendon Turner maintains The Animal Gazette - a weekly edition of helpful articles for pet owners. Visit AnimalGazette.com for information about cats, dog breeds and tropical fish.

Purchasing a puppy for your family is a very big decision. It
should never be approached casually, or lightly. A new pet
becomes part of your family. You should do everything you can to
educate yourself about the breed of puppy you are considering and
its personality. You should also explore how much grooming or
maintenance each new addition to your family requires.

The worst thing you can do when selecting a puppy is simply
choosing one because you think it is cute. Most dogs are cute.
Cuteness alone does not make a good pet. Even the sweetest
looking dog can bring havoc to your home if you are not set up
and prepared for it.

Each breed of dog should be investigated. You do not want a dog
with herding instincts around small children. They may truly
take to rounding up the kids and nip and bite at their heels
during play. Breeds which have the hunter instinct in them may
not work well in homes where there are other pets, such as cats,
hamsters, rabbits and birds. Dogs which require constant
grooming may not work well in a farming family, or living
outside. Research the history of the breed you are considering
before you purchase your animal. If you are purchasing a beagle
to hang out in the house, you may be upset when he decides to
take off after that aroma that is beckoning to him from the
woods.

Terriers are favored choices by pet owners because this breed
comes in various sizes, from large to small and they have much
personality. The Cairn Terrier, for instance is wire-haired. This
breed sheds very little. You should keep in mind the Carin was
bred to be a ratter. You should be prepared for a pet that loves
to dig and burrow. This breed is very trainable, and if you
supply him a patch of ground for digging all should be well.
However, if you plan on keeping a Carin in a quiet apartment
complex, you should keep in mind this breed is prone to barking.
Find a breed which matches the personality of your home. Be
realistic and do not assume you can change a dogs nature.

When you go to observe a litter of pups, you should take in the
kennel cleanliness and the health of the parents. If the kennel
is smelly, dirty and unkempt, you can assume the mother dog may
not be in the best of health or she probably hasn’t had the best
care. You should never assume because the mother is thin she is
unhealthy. Most mother dogs do go through a thin stage after
birth and during the weaning process. However, signs of
malnutrition are obvious. If the mother dog is in bad shape, you
should not purchase a pup from her litter. If she is aggressive
toward you, you should also reconsider purchasing one of her
pups.

Don’t jump right in and start picking up the pups. When you go to
choose your pet, you should observe him as he plays with the rest
of his litter, first. Is there a pup that dominates his family?
Is he pushing the others aside, or being rough toward his
siblings? This pup should be considered the alpha dog of the
litter. This dog knows who he is and what he wants. You should
keep in mind these dogs tend to push their boundaries. If you
purchase one, you will have to be very diligent with your
training. He can never assume he is dominant over you, or the
children in your family. These dogs do make wonderful pets for
the family who has enough time to give them the consistent
loving but firm attention he will require. However, they can be
stubborn.

What about the pup who is cowering in the corner? This pup may
be the runt, or the shy one in his family. If you are wanting to
purchase a pet to serve as family protection, this dog is
probably not for you. This dog will scare easily and will most
probably beat you to the hiding place if an intruder bursts into
your home! However, it should be said these pets do work well
with children. They tend to be gentle, and they will come out of
their shell if they are lavished with love, praise and the proper
training. These dogs are lovers, not fighters. However, if these
pups are not worked with, their shyness will turn to fear. This
could lead to snippy dogs, or ones that actually bite. Children
should not be allowed to mistreat animals, especially ones which
are timid or shy by nature. Their sweet, loving pet may turn on
them.

If there is a pup in the litter who is barking at your presence,
you should carefully observe it. Is it barking simply because
you are a stranger? Is it barking because he wants your
attention? Or, is it barking because he is afraid? If he is
afraid, this dog could possibly grow up to be aggressive and
possibly dangerous. Fearful dogs protect themselves through
barking and barring of their teeth. If the pup is aggressive, it
will most probably grow up to be even more so. Just because a
dog barks doesn’t mean he is aggressive, though. Some dogs bark
to be friendly. You should be able to tell if the pup you are
observing is simply saying “hello” or “get out of here and leave
me alone.”

The middle of the road pups are usually the best. These are the
pups which come up to you. They are friendly. They may
playfully pull on your shoe strings or climb upon your lap and
start licking your face. These puppies are already trusting by
nature. They are willing to socialize with you and they want to
make friends.

You should take each pup you are considering purchasing away from
its litter to a different area for observation. How does it
react away from its family? Is it jumpy and nervous? Is he
confident and happy? Does it cower? Do loud noises send it
scurrying to hide, or is he simply startled and then full of
investigation instincts? When you talk to the pup, does he seem
interested in you, or is he simply ignoring you and doing his own
thing? All of these little clues will give you an inside peek as
to the personality of the pup.

When you hold the pup like a baby, what is his reaction? Does he
struggle, lash madly and try to nip at you? If so, this pup is
probably very stubborn and will require a firm hand to get it to
obey. Does the pup stare at you wild eyed and it fright? This
pup is probably very skittish and will require a lot of love and
coaxing. The pup who tries to right itself, relaxes, then tries
again, off and on while you are holding him should be considered
a middle of the line dog. This dog should be fairly easy to train
with the proper care and training.

Try walking away from the pup. If he doesn’t follow you and is
more interested in doing his own thing, this dog will be very
independent. He may not be interested in training at all, and it
may be a challenge to get this pup to focus on you. If you call
him, he looks up and continues about his business, this is also a
sign that you have a little prince or princess on your hands who
may be oblivious to rules.

Choosing a puppy for the family should be an adult decision.
Children can easily be swayed to choose a pet on a whim. Parents
can easily check out the litter first and choose a suitable pup
or two for the children to choose from. You should also keep in
mind that children will be happy with a pet you simply bring
home, even if they had no say in the selection process.

About the Author

Author Ian White is founder of Dog-Breeders.biz. This extensive
online directory includes listings by private breeders, kennel
clubs, and occasional hobby or family breeders. Those seeking
dogs can locate and match with appropriate breeders.
Dog lovers and breeders can find more information on the website
at: http://www.dog-breeders.biz

Speaking as a quintessential cat lover, receiving a “Cat Lover’s Gift Basket” is second only to receiving an actual cat!

Next time you’re shopping for someone who is as wild about cats as you and I are, consider the following suggestions. You’ll all be happy, including the feline of the group.

First of all, decide upon your “Basket”. It can either be a medium-sized wicker basket (cats love to nestle inside of them) or it could be a fairly deep cat bed. Inside, on the bottom, lay out sheets of colorful tissue paper, or even a pretty baby blanket.

Following are some ideas for treats to fill the basket or bed. Customize the list appropiately for the lucky person who is receiving the present.

-A CD of light jazz that he/she and their feline friend will enjoy listening to together. Cats love jazz. They have such exquisite taste.

-A great looking set of water and food dishes.

-A coffee mug with a cat on it.

-A Garfield book of comic strips and/or a Garfield calendar.

-Cat Nip-filled toys or balls.

-A ball of yarn. Stereotypical, sure….but oh so much fun!

-The Video Version of the musical “Cats”.

The possibilities are as endless as your imagination and your desire to bring a smile to this person’s face.

Visit: Cat Pause.com

About the Author

Cat Pause.com is a perfect site for cat lovers! It features tons of articles, product reviews, information, tips, and lots more. E-mail the author at joi@cat-pause.com

The hordes of homeless and feral cats everywhere are growing by leaps and bounds, and finally people are beginning to wake up to the necessity of neutering their cats.

Population Explosion

Because cats can reproduce several times a year, and kittens mature quickly, just 2 feral cats (the wild offspring of domestic cats) can quickly become 2,000. In fact, the feline reproduction statistics are staggering. 2 uncontrolled breeding cats produce: 2 litters a year, at a survival rate of 2.8 kittens per litter. Continued breeding will produce 12 cats the first year, 66 cats the second year, 2,201 cats in the third year, 3,822 cats in the fourth year, 12,680 cats in the fifth year, and on and on . . .

Unaltered Cats Spread Disease

Many of these feral cats are actually unaltered pet cats (or their offspring) that were released by owners who could no longer care for them. A colony of feral cats can spread diseases among pet cats and dogs in the area.

Even when these cats are fairly healthy, they are usually infested with fleas. Hungry cats will raid trash cans, and playful kittens will destroy shrubbery and soil lawn furniture.

Noise Pollution From Cats In Heat

When female cats are in heat, the colony can keep neighbors awake all night with their fighting and howling

Spaying and neutering cats provides several important benefits in addition to reducing the number of unwanted cats. If you have an un-neutered female cat at home, the sound of her mewling pitifully at the door will soon be joined by the yowling and shrieking of every tomcat in the neighborhood.Both indoor and outdoor tomcats will try to mark everything in sight with their odorous spray.

Reproductive Cancers In Unaltered Cats

Certain types of cancer are much more common in unaltered cats. These cancers of the reproductive organs are very rare in cats that are altered prior to 1 year of age. Unaltered cats can also develop a number of reproductive diseases that are contagious.

Help Make Every Cat A Wanted Cat

Kittens can be altered at quite a young age. Some humane societies routinely alter kittens at 8 weeks. While some veterinarians feel that it is better to wait until kittens are 5 or 6 months, that is often simply not a option. Certainly for feral kittens who are trapped for altering, then released back into their colonies, or for those who share a home with other unaltered cats, neutering at the earliest opportunity is critical.

Most cats heal well and without incident after being neutered. However, a cat can contract an infection in the incision. Check your cat daily to be sure the incision area has not turned red and puffy. If you notice your cat licking or chewing at the stitches, your vet may suggest a surgery collar to keep the stitches out of reach until the incision is healed. While male cats can be active and bouncy without injuring themselves after neutering, female cats should be confined indoors for a few days after the surgery.

Feline “Zero Population Growth”

Unless you’re a cat breeder, your cat almost certainly would be better off neutered. The typical cost of neutering a cat is about $125 for a female and $65 for a male. If the cost is too much for you to afford, many communities have special funds available for neutering cats. Your humane society or veterinarian can give you more information.

Visit New Cat to learn more. Copyright 2005 Ron King. Ron King is a full-time researcher, writer, and web developer. This article may be reprinted if the resource box is left intact.

Even the most dedicated cat lover has little patience with a cat that doesn’t use its litter box. Yet, patience is the key to creating litter box success. A positive introduction when young, and simple housekeeping on your part will solve most problems.

Most cats instinctively use the litter box. However if you see your kitten crouching or sniffing in a corner lift her and place her in a litter tray - this is a sign of oncoming urination. If your kitten is not using the litter box you should place her in the box every morning.

It is important for your cat to be able to easily access the litter box. If you have a large home, put litter boxes in more than one place. If your house has many levels, make sure each floor is equipped with a litter box. As in real estate, location is crucial to your cat successfully using the litter box. The best spot offers your cat a certain amount of privacy, but not so out of the way that you forget to clean it. Some people put the litter box in a seldom-used closet. Be sure, however, to use a hard-rubber stop to keep the door, or install a pet door so your cat can go in and out whenever she wants.

If you need to move a litter tray you should move it by only a few feet at a time. If the cat stops using it you have probably moved it too far.

If your cat doesn’t use her litter box study the situation carefully for the reason(s) why.

Some cats will avoid a “dirty” litter box. Scoop out feces and wet litter daily. Completely empty and replace the litter at least once a week. Don’t be too generous with the litter; most cats prefer a shallow layer of about two inches.

If you have more than one cat, you need more than one litter box. Cats are very particular and won’t eliminate in a “used” litter box. The general rule of thumb is to have one litter box per cat.

Location, location, location; sudden noises, or lack of privacy can scare a cat from using a litter box. Try moving it to a different spot.

Never punish your cat for having an accident. She won’t make the connection unless you catch her in the act. Even then, punishment only creates fear of you, not a desire to change behavior. Use an enzyme-based cleaner to remove the smell of the accident. This will help prevent future soiling in that spot as the smell of urine will make the cat think its OK to go there.

If you notice that accidents happen in the same place over and over, try putting a litter box there. Perhaps your cat prefers this spot for reasons you’ll never understand. If accidents tend to happen when your cat has free run of the house or while you are away, keep her confined to one room until you can watch her. Be sure to provide food, water, and that all-important litter box in whatever room you place her in. If your cat uses the litter box successfully for several years, then begins to have accidents, have your veterinarian examine her for a possible urinary tract or kidney infection.

About the Author

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