And it's my fault, really.
When I first brought my little cat home from the pound, she had a small litter box which sat on a large trash bag. Whenever she would use the litter box, she found that she could reach outside the tray and pull the edges of the plastic bag over and into the box.
That was her way of covering her mess.
So from then to now, even though there is no plastic under the box, instead of pawing at the litter to cover her business, she scratches at the edges and outside of the box. My older cat sometimes will go behind her to cover it, but lately he doesn't anymore (unfortunately).
I guess old habits die hard.
Sunday, December 2, 2012
My Desert Lynx Cat Buying Experience
I bought my Desert Lynx breed cat about 2 years ago from Arlene at the Love Spots Cattery.
I was/am single, living alone and I wanted to have the company of a pet. I actually like dogs better than cats, but I am way too lazy to have a dog. I like to stay in the house so I would resent having to get up to take a dog out or go for walks. That just wouldn't be fair.
The main reason I was attracted to the Desert Lynx was because they are bred to have good personalities. The websites say that they behave like dogs, they like water and may even play fetch.
The few dogs and cats my family has had over the years have turned out to be mean and anti-social so I was glad to learn that there was a cat breed that actually liked people.
I contacted the breeder and placed dibs on the next litter when I was ready. When the kittens were born she sent pictures and I chose the one I wanted. I knew I wanted a boy.
The cats are beautiful, marked with stripes and spots and most have little bobbed tufts for tails.
From the time I chose him, the breeder would email me pictures once a week until he was ready to be flown out to me cross country. She raises the kittens in her home among people so that they are used to being around humans.
The male kittens cost $750 and the females were $650--I think. I don't remember the exact figures but that's around what it was--the males cost more. Then there's a charge for the cage to fly the cat in if you don't live close enough to drive to pick up the animal. You may be thinking that this is way too much to pay for a cat, but I wanted to ensure as best I could that my cat would be a friendly, sweet pet, considering my past experience with family pets.
So when my kitty was old enough, he was shipped to me by plane in a little crate with food and water and a small section with litter. He also had a little blanket, if I remember correctly.
My Desert Lynx is now weighs about 12 pounds. I love my cat, but if you ask me if I'd ever spend that much money on a cat again, the answer is 'no.' Don't get me wrong: He's a gorgeous cat. He has amazing stripes and his little bobbed 'no-tail' is so cute. But if I'm honest, he's not what I expected and hoped for.
He has his sweet moments, but for the most part, he's a hand-off type cat. He just wants to be left alone. He's terrified of strangers. He doesn't like water. He doesn't really like to play.
Last year I got a kitten from the pound and she's very nice and fairly affectionate. She's so cute and she likes to follow me around. If I could do it over, I would have just gone to the animal control and chosen a shelter kitten instead of spending hundreds of dollars on a designer cat.
However, with that said, the LoveSpots Cattery is a great place to buy a Desert Lynx if you are set on getting one. The breeder is great to do business with and I had no issues during the whole process.
I was/am single, living alone and I wanted to have the company of a pet. I actually like dogs better than cats, but I am way too lazy to have a dog. I like to stay in the house so I would resent having to get up to take a dog out or go for walks. That just wouldn't be fair.
The main reason I was attracted to the Desert Lynx was because they are bred to have good personalities. The websites say that they behave like dogs, they like water and may even play fetch.
The few dogs and cats my family has had over the years have turned out to be mean and anti-social so I was glad to learn that there was a cat breed that actually liked people.
I contacted the breeder and placed dibs on the next litter when I was ready. When the kittens were born she sent pictures and I chose the one I wanted. I knew I wanted a boy.
The cats are beautiful, marked with stripes and spots and most have little bobbed tufts for tails.
From the time I chose him, the breeder would email me pictures once a week until he was ready to be flown out to me cross country. She raises the kittens in her home among people so that they are used to being around humans.
The male kittens cost $750 and the females were $650--I think. I don't remember the exact figures but that's around what it was--the males cost more. Then there's a charge for the cage to fly the cat in if you don't live close enough to drive to pick up the animal. You may be thinking that this is way too much to pay for a cat, but I wanted to ensure as best I could that my cat would be a friendly, sweet pet, considering my past experience with family pets.
So when my kitty was old enough, he was shipped to me by plane in a little crate with food and water and a small section with litter. He also had a little blanket, if I remember correctly.
My Desert Lynx is now weighs about 12 pounds. I love my cat, but if you ask me if I'd ever spend that much money on a cat again, the answer is 'no.' Don't get me wrong: He's a gorgeous cat. He has amazing stripes and his little bobbed 'no-tail' is so cute. But if I'm honest, he's not what I expected and hoped for.
He has his sweet moments, but for the most part, he's a hand-off type cat. He just wants to be left alone. He's terrified of strangers. He doesn't like water. He doesn't really like to play.
Last year I got a kitten from the pound and she's very nice and fairly affectionate. She's so cute and she likes to follow me around. If I could do it over, I would have just gone to the animal control and chosen a shelter kitten instead of spending hundreds of dollars on a designer cat.
However, with that said, the LoveSpots Cattery is a great place to buy a Desert Lynx if you are set on getting one. The breeder is great to do business with and I had no issues during the whole process.
How to Teach a Cat to Roll Over
I started teaching my Desert Lynx cat to do tricks when he was about 5 months old.
All you need is a click pen (or something that makes a clicking noise) and some kitty currency---I use Whiskas Temptations cat treats. It doesn't matter what flavor, my cats love these. Just like in the commercials, they come running when they hear the crackling of the bag.
So here's how I taught my cat to roll over:
Well, before this trick, I showed him to "lay down." I think it will be easiest if your cat knows this command first, actually.
Once he was in the laying down position, I would put a treat up to his nose and pull it to one side. The cat would follow the treat with his head until his body flipped over. When he returned to a laying down position, I would click my pen (or clicking device) and give him the treat.
One important thing to remember when trying to teach a cat tricks is that even with an incentive, they are not all that excited about completing the task and receiving praise. Even though my cat knows his tricks, when I ask him to do them with treat in hand, sometimes for 2 minutes, he will walk around me doing everything but what I'm asking of him. His focus is only on the treat he smells.
All you need is a click pen (or something that makes a clicking noise) and some kitty currency---I use Whiskas Temptations cat treats. It doesn't matter what flavor, my cats love these. Just like in the commercials, they come running when they hear the crackling of the bag.
So here's how I taught my cat to roll over:
Well, before this trick, I showed him to "lay down." I think it will be easiest if your cat knows this command first, actually.
Once he was in the laying down position, I would put a treat up to his nose and pull it to one side. The cat would follow the treat with his head until his body flipped over. When he returned to a laying down position, I would click my pen (or clicking device) and give him the treat.
One important thing to remember when trying to teach a cat tricks is that even with an incentive, they are not all that excited about completing the task and receiving praise. Even though my cat knows his tricks, when I ask him to do them with treat in hand, sometimes for 2 minutes, he will walk around me doing everything but what I'm asking of him. His focus is only on the treat he smells.
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