I got my first cat when my friend moved out of his apartment many years ago, but his new place didn’t allow kittens. So I decided to take him, grudgingly. The first night the kitten attacked my feet and I barely slept. I wanted to give him back, but I toughed it out. Slowly over time I started to fall in love with this little ball of fur and he really started to open my eyes to the joys of owning a cat.

I didn’t have a clue how to take care of this kitten, so I got a book and learned. I realized he wasn’t very hard to take care of, and he didn’t slobber, I didn’t have to take him for walks, and he didn’t bark non stop. Of course changing his litter was an eye opener, but he pretty much took care of himself and loved to play. In fact, he turned everything into a toy… even Q-tips.

My cat got sick and died a few years back, but I decided to get a new one. I couldn’t believe that when I went out to get a new pet, that it was cat and not a dog. My new kitten was crazy and cute as a button. Now a couple of years later, I still look at him and melt. He brings joy into my life everyday, even on the days I am feeling down, he will cheer me up and make my problems seem silly.

This is what a pet cat can bring into your life as well. Once you let cats into your life and into your heart, I guarantee they are impossible to let go of!

I have come across some cute and downright funny cat lovers gifts that I think will crack a smile or two. If you are looking for a novelty gift idea for a cat lover, then the following items are sure to be a homerun for whomever you choose them for:

Crazy Cat Lady Figure (Accoutrements) – this has to be one of the most hilarious cat gifts I have ever seen. This toy comes with 6 cats and one “crazy lady”. If you have a friend or loved one who has one too many cats, or seems to treat her cats like they are her children, then this is the perfect gift. If they offend easily, then maybe try one of the gifts below.

Beware of Attack Cat Warning Sign (NoveltySignsOnline) – ok we all know that if an intruder ever broke in, our cats would be the first ones to hide. Which makes this sign a delicious irony. Posting this sign on your front door or window will be sure to get plenty of laughs and scare off… well… no one really.

Lessons in Stalking -Adjusting to Life with Cats (By Dena Harris) – this is one of the funniest books you will ever read and again can only be appreciated by cat owners. This book details the adventures we all face when living with our favourite felines, but it is also very heart-warming as well.

The gifts above are a great idea for any cat lover and sure to keep your loved ones smiling for a long time to come.

A pet boarder is basically a commercial service that will keep your cat (or dog) while you are away on vacation or whatever reasons you might need someone to watch him/her temporarily. Now some boarders will house both cats and dogs, while others focus solely on housing just cats or dogs. I always prefer to keep my cat in a “cats only” facility, because the constant barking of dogs can really stress them out. However, this is a personal preference.

You will want to find a boarder that has ample room for your cat to play. They should have toys and such things as towers, etc for your cat to enjoy. You want to ensure that he/she will not be confided to a cage for the duration of their time at the boarding house. You will also want to make it clear that if your cat is an indoor cat, that he/she shouldn’t be allowed outside (many boarding houses have outside cat enclosures).

There is a big difference between these commercial facilities and a cat sitter you find in the local classifieds. Many cat sitters run their business out of their home, and don’t have a full time staff to help care for all of the animals, or they will visit your home for just an hour or so a day to look in on your cat. So you really need to be careful about making a distinction between the two. This isn’t to say cat sitters won’t do a good job, but you will need to heavily scrutinize them as well.

The best thing you can do is to visit each facility and have a look around. Do the animals seem happy? Or do they seem stressed out? Are the living conditions clean or dirty? How does the staff treat the animals?

In the end, you are basically trying to get a feel for the caring nature of the staff and the environment your pet will be living in while you are gone. After that it is a judgment call on your part, but one that is made much easier when you do your homework first!

Having said that, here is a shortcut which work for many cats. Catnip works wonders for training your cat to use the scratching post. For your convenience, modern science has created a catnip spray which you can use to spray the cat scratching post. You should place this post near the sofa or furniture where your cat likes to scratch. You should also get a cat repellant spray – to spray the places where he likes to scratch.

Many cats scratch furniture as a means of marking their territory. The scratching serves as a visible mark and also leaves behind a scent from the glands in his paws. This means your cat, or cats, probably have more than one favorite piece of furniture where they like to scratch. You will need to buy more than one scratching post.

Cats also scratch furniture as part of their exercise, as well as to shed the dead outer layers of their claws. You should not buy a cat scratching post just because it looks cool. You should buy a post which fits your cat best. One way is to find something which feels like your furniture or carpet. Do not limit your thoughts to just a scratching post. Cats which like to scratch carpets often respond well to something flat laid down flat on the ground. If your cat is like this, it may take longer to train him to use a vertical scratching post.

Given this fact, it is better if you only buy cat scratching posts from your local shops – where you can see and feel the material of the post. If it looks or feels different from the furniture which your cat is scratching now, he is unlikely to switch to the new post. This factor makes buying cat furniture online a bit chancy.

Cat scratching posts bought from the store can be expensive for some cat owners. Here are some ideas for cheap, homemade cat furniture:

• Cheap, square pieces of carpet which you can buy from Wal Mart, etc. Should cost you under $10. You may also be able to get some free from your local carpet shop.
• Cardboard cartons and boxes – you should be able to get these free from your local grocery shop.
• Wooden logs.
• Old furniture, or parts of old furniture. If you have some handy wood-working skills, you can turn a small cabinet into a cat house.
• Rough wooden planks.

Here is another shortcut to prevent your cat from damaging your furniture – regularly take him to the vet to get his nails clipped, either once or twice a month. The vet will clip the hooked part of the claw. This is the part which causes the most damage to your furniture and carpet. You may want the vet to teach you how to do it yourself. Please note that this is different from declawing your cat, which is cruel and inhumane. Declawing actually involves chopping off the tips of your cats toes. How would you feel if someone cut off the tips of your fingers?

Some cats appear intransigent, and refuse to use the cat scratching post. The fact is, you may just need to understand him better. And also use a different way of training him. You have to remember that shortcuts do not always work.

Do you have problems with your cat scratching your furniture? Does kitty refuse to use the cat scratching post? Click here to learn more ways to stop your cat scratching your furniture.

You may have the cat litter box in a far away corner, down in the laundry room or even in the basement. Although the main reason for putting it out of the way may be to hide it, it also provides a useful purpose, a place of privacy for you kitty. In some large homes this may be easy to do. But many cat owners today live in smaller, modest homes that can not quite support the needs of both the cat and the owner.

So if you don’t have a basement or if you don’t want the litter box in the bathroom, what are you going to do? No one likes to see a litter box out in the open. This is not going to be visually pleasing to you and your guests. The cat will not appreciate it either as there is very little privacy when placed this way. The answer to this ongoing problem is cat litter furniture. Now you can hide the cat litter box inside a beautiful piece of solid wood furniture. This will solve the problem of both the cats privacy as the box is hidden inside the cabinet, and the owner who can now place the litter box anywhere in the house. Cat litter furniture looks beautiful and can double as a functional end table.

Cat litter furniture can accommodate the decor of any home with the many colors and styles available. The cat litter cabinet is one of the most popular. This type hides the cat box inside a wood cabinet. It is very versatile as there is easy access to the inside with openings on the sides. There is also ease of access to the inside for cleaning and because it serves multiple purposes it can be useful to all. The size of the litter cabinet is based on the size of the cat and the litter box. The best thing about this unit is the fact that it can be placed anywhere in the house. You can place books, knick-knacks or anything else on top just like an end table or book case.

When you decide to switch out the old litter box, you need to take a few things into consideration. Of course the optimal time to put in a new litter box is when your cat is a kitten. If you switch out the litter box on an older cat just be sure to make the transition a slow one. It would be a good idea to keep both litter boxes available at the same time while your kitty adjusts to the new one. Another idea would be to just place the cabinet in the desired location while you slowly move the litter box closer and closer until it is finally placed inside the cabinet. Give your kitty praise when you see him use the new cat furniture and always keep it clean as possible!

The most important thing about your cat litter furniture is that it is a barometer of your cat health. If you notice your kitty is not making his regular visits to the box then something is up! You may notice that you cat has a case of diarrhea. This would indicate a definite problem is at hand. Sometimes a cat will even lay down in it’s cat box, this is a sign of possible serious sickness or other problems as cats usually have very clean habits. If you notice any of these signs or symptoms you should be sure to contact your vet.

Now, go shopping for a great new piece of cat litter furniture!

David Lee is owner and designer of several pet web sites promoting health and responsible pet ownership. See his sites for more information on cat health, cat kidney disease and Pet steps For dog lovers tips on German Shepherd training