What Is the Biggest Cat in the World?

The Liger is the biggest cat in the world (wild), and the Maine Coon is the biggest domestic cat in the world. As of 2010, Hercules is officially the biggest recorded Liger. The Serval cat straddles the two worlds of domestic and wild, and with a lot of care it can be trained. The next step down in size is the F1 or F2 Savannah cat.

Liger

A liger is a hybrid that is a cross between a male lion and a female tiger with characteristics of both lions and tigers. They enjoy swimming as tigers do, and they are social like lions. It is thought that they may have hormonal issues that cause their huge size. They take longer to grow to full size, sometimes taking up to six years before they reach their full size. Males can grow to 800-900 pounds, while females are smaller at 700 pounds, and they are about 10 feet in length. Ligers live into their 20s. They have stripes like tigers and a tawny shaded background like lions.

The liger Hercules lives in a theme park in Miami. The Guinness Book of World Records documented him as the biggest cat in the world. Although he's not obese, he weighs in at an impressive 904 pounds. Ligers are wild animals; they are not household pets and have to be treated as such.

Maine Coon

Maine Coon cats are one of the biggest cats in the world. They are domesticated so therefore, they are household pets. The male cat can weigh up to 25 pounds and the female up to 15 pounds. They range in height from 10 to 16 inches and grow to a length of 40 inches, including a tail of up to 14 inches. They may take up to four years to reach their full normal body weight. They have a rectangular body with a physical structure that supports their weight and height, so their overall appearance is proportional. In 2010, the Guinness Book Of World Records accepted the Maine Coon cat "Stewie" into their records as the "longest cat" with a length of 48.5 inches from the nose to tail. To the right is a picture of a Maine Coon shown up against a regular domestic tabby. Note the size discrepancy between the two.

Savannah Cat

The Savannah cat is a hybrid that is a cross between a domestic cat and a Serval. A Serval is a medium-sized wild African cat. In 2010, the Guinness Book Of Records recorded "Scarlett's Magic" as the tallest cat in the world measuring 18.1 inches from the shoulder to toe. They are loyal like dogs and can play fetch and walk on a leash. They make wonderful domesticated pets.

While you probably would not want to spend a quiet night watching television with one of these cats on your knee, they certainly are fascinating cats, and it's intriguing to find out more about their origins and histories. If you would like more information about the biggest cat in the world, visit your local library to see what kind of reference material you can find or search the Internet.

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Pioneer Pet Cat Drinking Fountains

The Pioneer Pet Cat Drinking Fountain is one of the more trusted brands of cat drinking fountains on the market today. It is one of the brands that you should look into if you are a busy cat owner. Circulating water not only attracts cats, it offers a number of benefits that still water cannot provide. Unattractive plastic bowls that are easily contaminated by bacteria can be replaced with an eye appealing, healthy alternative. Stagnant, unappealing water is transformed into flowing, refreshing water offered in an eye-catching design that does not look out of place in your kitchen.

Why Cat Drinking Fountains

Keeping a cat from dehydrating can sometimes be a challenge. Dry food diet plans do not offer the extra moisture found in a wet food diet. If your feline does not consume enough drinking water, a dry food diet may lead to dehydration. These fountains appeal to your pet by providing refreshing, running water that will stimulate interest and encourage them to drink. As the water continually moves, it obtains oxygenation properties that are essential to the health of a pet. These properties assist in the process of nurturing deep tissues and distributing fresh blood into the body.

The Line of Pioneer Pet Cat Drinking Fountains

Pioneer Pet Cat Drinking Fountains are available in a variety of styles, sizes, and colors. The Fung Shui fountain brings peace into the life of your cat as well as your home. This creative style instills a calming effect and has a 60 oz water capacity. It is available in the color black. The Big Max model has a 128 oz capacity and boasts a spacious drinking area to accommodate felines of all sizes. It is available in a ceramic design, which assists in preventing feline acne, or a stainless steel model that will help protect your cat from bacteria found in the scratches of plastic bowls. The Raindrop fountains, formed in the shape of a rain drop, offer a 60 oz capacity. This style compliments any kitchen and is offered in a ceramic, plastic, or stainless steel design. All fountains are operated by a 12v pump.

Benefits of Pioneer Pet Cat Drinking Fountains

All Pioneer Fountains are dishwasher safe, easy to clean and maintain. Their generous water capacity reduces the number of refills and always ensures water is available when desired. The circulating water is continuously filtered by a replaceable charcoal filter. This ensures pure, clean and healthy water for your pet. Use of a fountain prevents kidney problems and assists in avoiding urinary tract infections through keeping animals hydrated. They are highly recommended by veterinarians. If you are looking for a great fountain for your feline, this is definitely one of the models you should consider first.

Sabina loves her cats and writes about them at Cat Drinking Fountains. Learn more about selecting a cat drinking fountain and the Pioneer Pet Cat Drinking Fountain.

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How to Get Rid of Cat Litter

If you have considered bringing a cat into the family, you hopefully have read up on the proper methods of cat care. Whether you live in a house or apartment, you likely will keep your cat indoors - yet, however you decide to care for your new feline friend, you'll know you need to get a litter box and stock up on plenty of litter for use. This means cleaning the box on a regular basis, or else foul odors could permeate your home and make things unpleasant.

Of course, removing the used litter from its box and replacing it with a fresh batch is simple enough, but what do you do with the mess once you are finished? Let's first take a look at the steps involved in replacing the cat litter, which you pet may use several times in the course of a day.

Pet owners may offer different opinions on how often one should scoop the mess from a litter box before replacing the contents entirely. This will depend on the number of cats you have, but for the sake of argument let's say you have one cat and one box. A good suggestion - if you want to keep the environment as fresh and clean as possible - would be to scoop waste once daily and change out the litter once a week. With more cats, of course, you will want to pay more attention, but your nose is likely to tell you when it's time to clean!

In looking for a good brand of litter, you may wish to consider an extra strength brand design to accommodate multi-cat households. You may find waste clumps more easily, allowing you to scoop without problems. Always use gloves when handling litter and waste because you will be dealing with urine and feces. Remove soiled litter to a trash bag, seal the bag, and dispose of in an outside can.

When it is time to replace the litter completely, make sure every last bit is removed from the box into a heavy duty trash bag, and wash the box with detergent and hot water. Do not add more litter until the box has completely dried.

Caring for a new cat requires a great sense of responsibility. You will be charged with making sure the litter box is fresh and changed regularly. Be mindful of when your cat uses it, and you will know when to change it.

Kathryn Lively is a freelance writer specializing in articles on pet supplies and cat supplies.

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Rare Colors for Persian Cats

Known for its sweet pansy face and long thick coat of hair the Persian cat is one of the most popular breed of cats out there. They stand upon short legs and have a well toned muscular body inside the fluffy coat. Persian cats have a dazzling set of big and bright eyes which makes cat lovers fall in love with this exotic breed.

While all Persian cats are considered special, it's inevitable that some particular breeds are more exclusive than others. The desirability of a Persian will usually depend upon the color of its coat, eyes or both. What follows is an overview of many of the most rare breeds of Persian cats:

The brilliant white is perhaps the most popular variety of this exotic cat. Solid colored Persians are greatly valued. The long white hair coupled with pink nose leather and paw pads afford the white Persian a regal appearance. Coupled with its deep blue or copper colored set of eyes the white Persian tops the solid color division list as the most exotic cat.

Copper eyes are also to be found on brown Persian. This specific breed parades a wonderfully dark tone that affords it an air of mystique. Unlike many other breeds brown Persians often have a complementary brown colored mouth. It is the red paws and nose leather that bring out a wonderful contrast between the bright and dark in this particular breed.

Other interesting varieties of Persian cats include those that do not have a single solid color but rather a blending of colors. One example of this is the Chinchilla cat that possesses a silver tinge on the end of its coat while the undercoat is a pure and solid white.

This unique color combination gives it the appearance of shining silver. To add to the uniqueness the Chinchilla silver has pure white ear tufts, chin, chest and stomach. The rims of its eyes, nose and lips are outlined in black. This exotic cat will be staring at you with a set of blue green eyes.

The shell cameo also known as the red chinchilla is another rare variety of the Persian. Its white undercoat is topped with red tipped hair on its back, head, flanks and tail. Even the face and legs have slightly tipped hair making it a truly brilliant cat that stands out from the rest.

The tortoise shell cat must definitely be included on any short list of exotic Persian cats. It gets its name from the mixture of red and black shading that forms its coat making it look slightly similar in pattern to a tortoise shell.

This division features Persian that have unique patterns on their coats and this is the reason why the tabby division cats are held in high esteem amongst cat lovers. Take the mackerel tabby pattern for example.

This cat features clearly defined dense markings and narrow pencil strokes. It has a pattern of bracelets on its legs going all the way up to the body. The front of its head features an M like shape on its forehead and two lines running parallel from its eyes all the way down the spine making it one of the top varieties of exotic Persian cats.

Andrew Paine is a Persian cat enthusiast and runs a website about Persian cat care Please follow the link for further advice on Exotic Persian cat breeding

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Toilet Training Cats - Tips and Tricks

When it comes to being a cat owner, there is a common activity that almost every cat owner dislikes...cleaning the cat box. If you have more than one cat, this job becomes even more of a nuisance, not to mention smelly and even potentially harmful for pregnant women. There is probably many a cat owner out there that lamented the daily cat box cleaning and thought of how wonderful it would be if their cats could clean their own boxes, or better yet, use the toilet.

Think it's just a dream? Well think again, because this CAN be done. It takes a lot of patience and depending on your cat it may take weeks and even months to accomplish. But if you're dedicated to the task at hand and learn the correct methods, you could very well do away with that cat box chore altogether.

The process basically consists of moving the cat's litter box closer and closer to the toilet and eventually putting a bowl with litter in the toilet until it can be removed altogether. It's a slow, step by step process. Many advise to start putting newspaper in the box as bedding because you don't want to put litter in your toilet, as this can cause all kinds of problems with your plumbing, but do what works best for you and your cat.

There are many advantages to toilet training your cat. It cuts down on the expense of cat litter which can become quite costly and it has to be bought regularly to maintain the odor free home that everyone wants, regardless of being cat owners. No one likes their home to smell like a cat box. Another benefit to toilet training cats is the reduction of odor that cat boxes have. When you do not have to deal with a dirty cat box, you're not going to have the cat urine odor that is so awful and that is nothing BUT a plus. Toilet training your cat just makes life easier and is even better for the cat since they do not have to step in old feces and urine to use the bathroom again.

Some disadvantages to toilet training your cat that it is good to be aware of is that cats have a natural tendency to cover their waste. When using a toilet they can't do this, which for some cats will be a real problem. Toilet seats can also be very slippery and if the cat slips and falls into the toilet, you can pretty much bet that they won't be all that revved up to use it again.

A lot of this will depend on the cat and its personality. A more laid back cat will probably catch on faster and do better than a high strung, nervous cat that doesn't like change. Take you time to teach the cat at its own pace and don't ever get angry or yell when they don't do what you want them to. You don't want them to associate anger or fear with what you're trying to accomplish.

There are many ways you can find the exact steps to use to toilet train cats. Online searches, books, and sometimes even vets offices may have information on how to toilet train a cat. It's a process that takes time, patience and encouragement, but when it's achieved it will be an accomplishment for both you and your cat.

Get more ideas to correct cat behavior problems

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Cat Training - Can It Cure Litter Box Problems?

Cat training-can it cure litter box problems? Most cat lovers will tell you that a cat not using its litter tray is probably the biggest problem it can give its owner.

This ranks way ahead of scratching, biting and the many other aspects of cat misbehaviour. If a cat stops using its litter tray and the problem goes unnoticed or ignored for just a short while, it soon manifests itself in the most pungent and unpleasant way.

Nobody wants their home smell of a large cat litter tray.

So what is the best way to approach this highly odorous problem?

Cat training.

Health

The first and most important thing you must do is to make sure your cat is not suffering from a health problem. There are several medical conditions that can cause cats to stop using their litter tray.

They include bladder irritation or infection, diarrhea or diabetes among others, so it is vital that you seek a vet's opinion as soon as possible.

The sooner you find the causes for your cat's behaviour, the easier it will be for you to train it to use its litter tray correctly.

Once this has been done and a health problem has been ruled out, the next thing is to find out what is reason causing your pet to stop using its litter tray. This is where the detective work comes in.

A common cause of litter tray avoidance is stress.

The causes of stress come in many forms.

The most common cause of stress is moving house.

A recent article in a national newspaper reported that the stress of moving house can produce the feeling of aging between two and four years to a human. It ranks as one of the most stressful things we do in our lives. And the same applies to cats.

They are suddenly taken from their comfortable and safe home to a totally strange environment where all their familiar landmarks have disappeared.

Some cats will be so stressed with the move they may hide away in some dark place where they feel safe, or worse, try to escape and return to their old home

. Nobody can consider staying in the same house just to satisfy their pet cat, But careful considerate steps can be taken to ease the cats stress when a move is undertaken.

Moving and rearranging your furniture can bring the same disorientation. Cats will mark their territory with pheromones that are undetectable to humans

. Once theses have been removed, their comfort zone has disappeared.

Careful cat training can ease your pet's distress and get it back in the habit of using its litter tray

. Another cause for your cats stress could be a bereavement.

The debate as to whether cats, or any animals, can grieve is still on going.

But the sudden absence of a much loved and familiar face will confuse your cat. As the rest of the family grieve the cat will pick up on the change of people's behaviour, and may feel confused. This again is stressful to your cat and may affect its litter behaviour.

The death of a companion pet could also affect your cat and cause stress Are you using the right cat litter for your pet?

Another reason your pet cat has stopped using its litter tray, could be the litter its self.

You will be aware that there are many types of cat litter on the market.

Sand type, wood chip, clay type and more. As a rule it is best to avoid scented litter. Most cats do not seem to like it, but there are always exceptions to the rule.

The main thing is, once you have found the type of litter your cat likes, stick with it. Cats are very picky when it comes to their toilet. A sudden change of litter could mean some unpleasant mess and odours for you to deal with.

There are many more reasons why a cat would stop using its litter tray. But with careful cat training, these and the many other problems your cat may be suffering from can be over come.

It is not possible to shield your cat from every stress inducing situations, but cat training will help it cope with day to day problems

Barry Robinson is a life long cat lover and internet reviewer.
To learn more click on http://www.cattrainingsecrets.weebly.com/

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Cat Urinating Everywhere - Medical Issues That Can Cause This

Do you find your cat urinating everywhere? Do you find yourself walking into patches of urine which should really be inside the litter box of your pet? If so then there are many reasons why your cat will be peeing all over the house and these are easy to diagnose and stop from happening again and again. One of the problems which are the first you need to check out is medical problems.

Cats just like any other animals and being can pick up infections which can make them ill or in this case urinate all over the house.

For example urinary tract infection is one that affects the bladder of your cat and will have them urinating everywhere, you may even find blood in this too which should be the first sign to contact your vet.

Another type of infection is one which blocks the urethra of your cat which can make urination harder for your cat to do. This too can cause blood in your cats urine which again means to call the vet.

If you think that your pet is urinating too much and outside the litter box or if they are straining to pee or even if you find blood then you should go and get your cat checked out! These medical issues need to be handled by your vet straight away as they can be life-threatening to your pet which is the last thing that you want to happen. Don't worry if you find that your pet is one of the ones to have a medical issue as these are easy to treat by your vet and could be the main reason why your cat is urinating everywhere.

If your pet doesn't have an infection then great! But that still leaves you trying to figure out the problem.

If you find urine everywhere but the litter box and notice your cat avoiding the litter box completely then they may have litter box aversion. This isn't an infection it is just a way to tell you that they don't like the litter box. Cats are very fussy and will refuse to use a litter box for various reasons:

The location- the location of the box could be somewhere that is too cold, too hot, too noisy or even somewhere where they can't have privacy (they don't have bathroom doors like us)
The litter- The litter can be a material that is uncomfortable to your pet, it could be too rough, too soft, it could smell weird too
Space- If you have more cats then something that may happen is that one will mark their territory on that box meaning that others can't use it which is why each cat should have their own.

Cats are very fussy animals and like their litter boxes to be to a certain standard otherwise they won't use it at all

If you have checked that your cat doesn't have medical problems then the next is why there aren't using the litter box which the tips above should help with. If they don't help there are always plenty of other reasons and tips on why you will find your cat urinating everywhere.

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