Purrfect Lynx Care Recommendations
Pawsome Diet
Dry Food
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Purrfect Lynx love Science Diet and the TSC Brand (recently re-branded to Harvest Goodness) seafood or chicken flavour dry food.
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Purrfect Lynx especially when they are growing love to graze and eat periodically so we always leave dry food accessible for them. In our opinion, once your Purrfect Lynx is full grown you can re-access their weight and determine whether portioning is required for weight management.
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We always recommend seeking your vet’s opinion if you have concerns about your Purrfect Lynx’s weight as they are the professionals.
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Wet Food
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Love, love, love cooked boneless chicken breast and tuna they think it’s the best cat-ch!
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Canned wet food our Purrfect Lynx Blue has definite preferences and are other Purrfect Lynx are flexible so we go with the one she thinks is Fur-real!
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Friskies (seafood, salmon, chicken and turkey and gravy) the others Blue is adverse to! (She is a Purr-ty Queen!)
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Water
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Recommend a stainless steel water dish that is always accessible
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Raw
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We have had some forever homes advocate for a raw diet as their preference for the natural diet benefits. At Purrfect Lynx we are personally adverse to this diet due to our own personal preferences. If you are choosing to introduce a raw food diet your Purrfect Lynx will have no prior exposure and we strongly recommend to consult a veterinary before starting any major diet change to a growing kitten.
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Pawsitive Scratching
Cats scratch to stretch, exercise specific shoulder and back muscles, express happiness and play, groom and mark territory. Scratching makes cats feel good and keeps their nails trimmed and free of old sheaths (layers). For cats, scratching is as natural as breathing air.
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How to Promote Good Scratching Behaviour
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Cat claws grow just as your fingernails do and need regular trimming. Regular trimming of claws every 4 to 6 weeks keeps cats comfortable. Note: Only the clear hooked portion of each claw is trimmed. Purrfect Lynx that are polydactyl require extra patience to trim the declaws to ensure they do not get overgrown as they get used less then the other nails.
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Provide at least one scratching post at least one metre in height. The taller, the better. Posts should be well constructed and placed near a sunny window or near places where your family gathers.
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A sprinkle of catnip at the base of the scratching post or a game wiggling a wand toy up the post will encourage use.
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Use positive reinforcement. Reward your cat for good scratching behaviour with treats, affection and attention.
Cat Tree Recommendations
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In our Purrfect Lynx community and ourselves we love best DIY, Amazon.ca, and Costco are the best for design, customizability and affordability.
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Cat trees that have the scratching post within them are pawsome
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For Purrfect Lynx recommends visit our Shop page with Amazon links!
Pedi-claws
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Recommend to use the cat claw clippers (from your local pet store) that are curved to accommodate your Purrfect Lynx nails. Do not use regular human nail clippers as they are flat and could crack the nails.
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To familiarize your kitten or cat with having its claws trimmed, begin by gently touching or stroking its paws without clipping several times.
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Always try to trim a cat’s claws when they are very relaxed or enjoying some wet food.
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To trim, hold the paw and gently press the toe pad to extend the claw. Trim the clear pointed hook end of the claw. Be careful not to cut into the pink area or ‘the quick’ found in the upper half of the claw as this will cause pain and bleeding.
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If the cat becomes impatient or restless, take a break. Sometimes you can only trim one or two claws per day, but the job will get done.
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Reward your cat with a treat to encourage his cooperation.
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If your cat does not cooperate, seek assistance from your veterinarian or an experienced cat groomer.
Litter-ally Purrfect Litter Box
Litter-ally the best is unscented clumping cat litter or natural hardwood pellets
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Purrfect Lynx’s are raised with both unscented clumping cat litter and natural hardwood pellet litter boxes once they are of age to understand. This allows you to choose what litter option you prefer and we can advise whether your Purrfect Lynx kitty has developed a preference. We have great success with them easily transition to different brands but different styles of litter may take more time, especially if your Purrfect Lynx is polydactyl.
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Scoop the litter box daily and wash litter pans with mild soap; rinse and dry. There is also litter bags that can line the litter pans to help with cleaning.
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Switch style of litter (clumping, non- clumping, wood pellets) gradually by slowly mixing the old with the new for best results.
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Do not underfill or overfill litter boxes. If there is not enough litter in the box to adequately cover waste, cats may develop an aversion to the box. A good depth of litter also prevents urine and feces from sticking to the bottom of the box (1-2 inches and then a bit deeper as your Purrfect Lynx grows).
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Ensure the litter box is a sufficient size once your Purrfect Lynx is closer to full grown as males are very long once they are full grown (1 year +).
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Placement and Location
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Always locate the litter box so it is not directly beside the food and water dishes.
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Avoid placing litter boxes in high traffic areas or near noisy appliances such as washing machines and dryers
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Multi-Cat Families
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Multi-cat families have a hierarchical nature with “lower ranking” and “higher ranking” cats. In order to accommodate the different personalities, you should have multiple litter box locations so your lower ranking cats do not have to enter the territory of a more dominant cat.
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Troubleshooting Litter Box Problems and Spraying Behaviour
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If your cat is having problems using the litter box, praise your cat and/or give the cat a treat when it uses the litter box appropriately.
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Soft, fluffy bedding such as quilts and duvets may be an attractive alternative to the litter box in the early weeks of settling in for a new cat. Scattered dirty laundry or laundry piles may also invite your cat to urinate/eliminate inappropriately. Remove and store these items or prevent access. Remember, new cats may be nervous or unfamiliar with their surroundings and kittens may simply forget the location or not have the bladder and/or bowel control to make it to the box.
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Soil at the base of potted plants can also look very inviting to cats. Cover the base with tinfoil or get rid of the plants if this becomes a problem.
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Strangers, babies, guests, new roommates, sudden schedule changes or other changes in the household may cause stress and therefore, inappropriate urination/elimination.
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Previously sprayed/marked furniture can also attract new cats to spray (and leave their mark). The smell often remains for years. Consult a pet supply centre for effective cleaning products.
Travelling
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Socializing the travel carrier for your Purrfect Lynx is the key to success! We recommend to leave the travel carrier in the Purrfect Lynx’s safe space so they can check it out on their own time with the door open. We also recommend to leave their comfort blanket and to offer some wet food in the travel carrier so they can walk in and out at their leisure to eat. This allows your Purrfect Lynx to get comfortable and be rewarded for travelling in and out of the carrier with freedom before they go on a trip.
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The risk is for your Purrfect Lynx to associate the travel carrier immediately with being stuck going somewhere they may not like to travel to.
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Some Purrfect Lynx prefer to travel in a harness or freely by being carried from one place to another. Know your Purrfect Lynx before you attempt the free travel option as each kitten has its own personality and each scenario is different. Our Blue loves a trip in the car to go with us through the drive thru for fast food; however, Simba would rather stay home!