Welcome Home
If cats could talk, your cat would thank you for giving her a new home. Each cat has a distinctive personality, and soon your cat will reveal what makes her special. Cats are perfect pets that find amusement in the simplest things. Provide your cat with proper care and lots of love and you’ll have a friend for life.

Playtime and Places
Cats like attention and show their affection by purring and friendly playtime. They are also avid spectators who love to see what is going on around them. Pet Supermarket offers a wide variety of cat furniture to give your cat a place to call her own where she can watch the action.

We’ve Got It All
At Pet Supermarket you can find all the cat supplies and accessories you will need to pamper your new feline friend. We maintain a large selection of premium foods without artificial ingredients, as well as cat furniture, carriers, and lots of fun cat toys. Best of all, our pet-loving associates are always happy to answer your questions and explain our wide range of products.

Our mission at Pet Supermarket is to provide you the food, toys, treats and supplies to give your new cat a happy and healthy life. We’ll be sending you additional emails in the future with cat tips and product recommendations. If you have any specific questions, feel free to visit us and ask. We look forward to seeing you soon!

The next time your cat is active at night, think of the bobcat, lynx and puma. They’re wild cousins to your domestic cat and they follow instincts your cat would have out in the wild. Although she’s indoors, your cat has natural senses and instincts that come alive at night. Unfortunately, they might inspire behavior that’ll keep you up past your bedtime.

How the night comes alive for your cat:

• Prime hunting time for wild cats is late at night and early in the morning. For your house cat, this is prime time to pounce after anything that moves or makes a sound, including other pets, insects and even you!
• Vocalizing or meowing at night is her way of “speaking” to neighborhood cats, attracting other cats, expressing her insecurity or getting attention.
• Darkness isn’t much of an obstacle to your cat with her keen eyesight. Her eyes are especially sensitive to side-to-side movements, which lets her spot anything moving across the ground from far distances.
• Cats have acute hearing as well and can hear high-pitched sounds. The sounds of outdoor cats, small animals, outside noises and even indoor insects may pique her curiosity.
• Your cat’s whiskers not only help guide her, they also help her hunt and smell by directing air currents to her nose and mouth.

Tips to get some sleep

• Try to spend time with your cat before and after work, and any time you can during the day. Also set aside a little playtime before bed to wear her out with interactive toys.
• Try to change her body clock to make her “hunt, eat, sleep” cycle work for you. Read tips on our blog.

When your cat asks for food, what do you feed her? Choosing the right cat food is one of the most important decisions for your cat’s health. But with so many brands available, it can be hard to choose. Learn how to read cat food labels and choose ingredients for a quality cat food that will fulfill your pet’s needs.

What does your cat need for good health?

These are the basic essentials that should be a part of your cat’s diet:

• Protein from red meat, fish or chicken
• Taurine (an amino acid vital to your cat’s health)
• Vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates and fatty acids
• Water

Tips for reading cat food labels:

• The first few ingredients should include a named protein (beef, chicken, etc.), rather than a general protein (“meat”).
• Buy foods with high-quality proteins such as chicken, beef, lamb, salmon, etc., which are more easily digested than by-products.
• Avoid food with meat/bone meal, by-products and ingredients with “digest” or “meal.”
• Notice the name of the product. If an ingredient is mentioned in the name, it must meet minimum requirements per FDA rules.
• If the name mentions a meat or fish, that item should make up 95% of the formula (not counting water). “Tuna Cat Food” should have 95% tuna, for example.
• A food with “dinner” in the name (i.e. “Chicken Dinner for Cats”) must have 25% of that ingredient.

Keep in mind that low-quality food will often have too many carbohydrates or grain filler, which means your cat will need to eat more food to get the nutrients she needs. A diet with low-quality food may also lead to allergies or medical issues.

The benefits of premium cat food

Just like human organic food is more nutritious than processed food, premium pet foods are more densely packed with nutrients. Their high-quality proteins are also more digestible and their amino acids lead to shinier coats. Overall, they have more nutritional value per ounce, so your cat will get more nutrients in less food.

Consider buying a premium cat food to support your pet’s health and quality of life.

If your cat doesn’t like change or new environments, she’ll like going to the vet even less. Unfortunately, most vets don’t make house calls, so your cat will have to make the trip and it’s up to you to make that trip as stress free as possible. This calls for a little prior training on your part, so even if your next vet visit isn’t for another year, consider taking these steps now. You and your cat will enjoy the results later.

Get a cat carrier and use it
If you don’t already have a cat carrier, buy one and use it to transport your cat anywhere outside your home. This is a must as you really don’t want your cat to get loose in an area that could expose her to traffic or other dangers. Choose a carrier that will give you more than one option for entry or exit (some open from the top or the front), so you can lift her out or let her walk out.

Turn your cat’s carrier into a comfy home
Help your cat get comfortable with the carrier. Put some of her favorite toys in it and line it with a towel or blanket and then leave it open on the floor for her to explore while at home. When she seems more comfortable, carry her around the house in it a few times.

Give your cat a passport to travel
If you only use the carrier for vet visits, your cat will quickly put it on her “no fly” list. Turn her into an experienced traveler instead, by taking short trips with her. She’ll get used to carrier travel as you take her around the block, around the neighborhood and if she’s ready, to your local Pet Supermarket! Keep a blanket handy as you may want to drape it over the carrier to make her feel more secure.

Avoid motion sickness
Since cats are prone to motion sickness, avoid feeding her before traveling. Keep in mind that her hunger might actually make her more receptive to the vet, especially if he has treats.

Get touchy feely
While getting your cat more comfortable with the carrier and the car, don’t skip another important step-getting her used to being touched and examined. Start by brushing or playing with her and slowly get her used to having her body, feet, mouth and ears checked. If you do it consistently and reward her with a treat, she’ll be a calmer kitty when it’s time to visit the vet.

A visit to the vet’s office with strange animal smells and noises can be scary for your kitty. We hope these tips will help you choose a cat carrier and reduce stress for you, your cat and the vet.

Does your cat peer out at you from dark, hidden spots around the house? It’s a natural part of her behavior. Cats instinctively seek out places to hide and use them for protection and hunting. They also love to climb and have a keen sense of sight. So how can you use this knowledge to help your cat? Choose cat furniture that will create a comfortable cat habitat at home. Keep reading to learn how.

Give your cat a high lookout perch and a low hiding place
If you give your cat a high perch for safety and a tunnel or covered feature for hiding and stalking, you’ll satisfy a few of her most basic instincts. Choose a spot near a window or in an area where she can watch all the action indoors and she’ll be happily entertained.

Give her something to climb
Give her vertical space so she can satisfy her need to climb. Once she reaches her high perch, she can survey her domain, sleep or “look for prey.” Best of all, she’ll be doing it from her furniture, not yours.

Scratching is a must
Cats love to scratch and you’ll limit scratching damage around the house if you give her a scratch-approved area. Many cat trees and stands have vertical posts covered with carpet, sisal or other material, perfect for stretching and scratching.

Make sure it’s sturdy and stable
Although your cat has great balance and can usually land on her feet, don’t test that ability with an unstable cat tree or stand. Choose a piece with a stable base that can’t be tipped over easily. Also, pick one that can hold your cat’s weight and has solid construction. We recommend Molly & Friends cat furniture, which uses solid wood posts (instead of hollow ones), covered with durable carpeting that is stapled, rather than glued on.

Enhance the experience
When you first bring home your new cat furniture, make it more appealing with a little catnip spray. It’ll enhance the experience and will make it irresistible to your cat!

Choose a cat tree or stand that will suit your cat’s natural instincts and it will become her playground of choice for years to come. Visit your Pet Supermarket for furniture your cat will love.

It’s Pet Dental Health Month and while dogs get a lot of attention on this issue, cats need dental care too. If your cat is on a wet food diet, it’s even more important that you care for her teeth. Here are a few tips on how to get started:

• Use the right tools –A small finger brush with bristles might be more comfortable for you and your cat. Use it with a toothpaste designed for pets, as human toothpastes upset pet stomachs.
• Give your cat a slow introduction to toothpaste – Dab some toothpaste on her lips and teeth and let her taste it. It helps if the paste has a pet-friendly flavor like meat or poultry. Then reward her with a treat. Do this every day for a few days.
• Next, introduce the toothbrush – After a few days, let her lick the paste off a toothbrush or finger brush. Again, reward her each time.
• Brush her teeth – Lift her lips and gently brush her teeth in small, circular motions and along the gum line. Don’t brush the inside of her teeth, just the outside, which gets the most plaque. Continue this daily and don’t forget the reward!
• Gradually increase brushing – If you can only get a few teeth the first day, don’t worry. Start with her fangs and gradually get to others as you brush her teeth more often.

Fight gum disease and bad breath with cat dental care products and dental treats from Pet Supermarket.

Is your cat lonely? Do you want to expand your feline family? Now may be the time to introduce a new cat. If you want your current cat to welcome the new kid on the block, try a slow introduction based on these tips:

• Get your new cat her own food bowl, litter box, etc. to prevent territorial disputes.
• Prepare a safe, separate room for your new cat and keep her separate from your current cat with the door closed. There may be some hissing and spitting through the door as your cats become aware of each other and set their boundaries.
• Rub a towel on each cat and let the other smell it. This will introduce each cat to the other’s scent and will help them get acquainted.
• After a day, open the door a couple of inches and let them meet face-to-face. Observe their behavior to gauge how things are going.
• Let them explore each other’s spaces by having them switch rooms as well.
• If it seems to be going well after a few days, let them out together under your supervision and see how they react to each other. There may be some growling and hissing, but if they tolerate each other, praise them both lavishly.
• Try a little “parallel play.” Use two toys (one for each cat) and play with them separately, but next to each other. This may help each cat associate fun playtime with the other one.
• If it doesn’t go well, start again and be patient. Cats can become fast friends, depending on their personalities, but it may take weeks or months for them to truly accept one another.

Focus on making the introduction process as smooth as possible and you may end up with felines who are friends for life.

Have you considered adoption? Shelters and rescue groups have many lovable cats looking for homes. Visit the Adopt a Cat page on our website for a list of organizations.

Achoo! That’s not the first sound you want to hear when a guest walks through your door. But with the holidays around the corner, you might be expecting guests who are allergic to cats. What should you do? Here are a few tips:

Treat your cat

• If neutering your male cat is on your “To Do” list, do it now. Un-neutered male cats shed much more allergen than females. Neutered males shed less.
• Bathe your cat with a shampoo that cuts down dander, such as Allergy Relief Shampoo.
• Keep your cat in a separate room while your guest is visiting. No matter how much you clean your home and pet, your cat may have sebum and allergens on her coat that could worsen the allergy. Move her food, water, bed, scratching post, toys and litter box in with her too.

Treat your home

• Vacuum your home thoroughly. Allergens are mist-like particles that can attach to fabrics, so make sure to clean rugs, curtains and furniture. A vacuum with a HEPA filter will also help trap particles.
• Avoid spreading more allergens by dusting furniture with a magnetic cloth duster or spray and mopping hard floors instead of sweeping them.
• Get a portable air purifier with a HEPA filter to cut down on airborne allergens. Another option is to buy a special filter for your home’s heating & cooling system.
• Does your cat sleep in your bed? If so, wash your sheets and resist giving your allergic guest a house tour as the bedroom may have more allergens.
• Move accessories that collect dust, like accent pillows and dried flowers. Also move coat racks and shoes from the entryway.

These things won’t guarantee an allergy-free visit, but they will improve the chance that your guest will sigh rather than sneeze.

Get started by visiting Pet Supermarket for cat grooming and cleaning products.

It can be quite a challenge to keep a Christmas tree upright when you have a cat swatting at ornaments or jumping on branches. But it’s possible to keep your tree free of “clinging cat” ornaments. Use these tips for a cat-friendly holiday tree.

• First, get a cat repellent spray like Keep Off. Using it around the tree will keep your cat from getting too close. Just make sure the spray is for indoor use.
• Consider getting an artificial tree. Real Christmas trees can bring hazards into your home, including toxic sap, sharp pine needles and harmful preservatives in the tree water.
• If you get a real tree, put it up and leave it undecorated for a couple of days. This will give kitty a chance to get used to the tree and accept it.
• Secure the tree so it doesn’t tip over. Anchor the top to the ceiling with fishing line.
• Lighting and other string-like objects are especially attractive to cats. Consider leaving them off. Otherwise, use them sparingly and twist the cords around branches tightly.
• Garland, tinsel or icicles shouldn’t be used as decorations as they can cause choking and intestinal blockage if swallowed by a kitty.
• Artificial snow is toxic to your cat.
• Avoid hanging breakable ornaments on lower branches. Plastic ornaments or homemade decorations are safer in those areas.
• Careful with ribbons on gifts placed under the tree. They’re too attractive to your kitty and can be harmful if ingested.

To distract your cat from the tempting tree, give her an early Christmas gift. A new catnip toy, interactive toy or scratching post is sure to keep her busy. Look for all the cat distractions you’ll need at your nearest Pet Supermarket.

A sagging stomach and no waist are two signs that a cat needs to lose weight. Does your kitty show these signs? If so, she’s not alone. More than 57% of cats are overweight, according to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention (APOP).

But while your indoor cat may be the queen of leisure, don’t let her get too cozy. Her extra weight can cause health problems like diabetes and may lead to life-shortening diseases.

You know your cat is overweight if…

• You can’t feel her ribs easily
• She has a sagging abdomen
• Her back is broad and flat
• She has no waist when viewed from above

What should your cat weigh?
The ideal weight for a domestic, shorthair cat is between 8 and 10 pounds, according to APOP. This may vary, depending on breed, gender and spay or neuter status. Ask your vet for your cat’s ideal weight.

Losing Cat Weight
As with humans, losing cat weight focuses on diet and exercise. Try to cut calories and fat while keeping your cat active. Keep in mind, a 10-pound domestic cat only needs 200 calories a day per APOP. Here are a few steps:

• Talk to a veterinarian to make sure health issues aren’t behind the weight gain.
• Consider buying a weight-loss food for cats. Most major brands offer them.
• Keep the food dish out for a limited amount of time.
• Avoid table scraps and switch to low-calorie treats.
• Have more than one cat? Feed each cat a separate portion based on her needs.
• Get your cat moving with interactive toys, puzzle games, chase games with laser lights, and other activities.
• Give her toys and attention, without always involving food.
• Weight loss shouldn’t be too fast either. One pound a month is healthy says APOP.

Use these tips to help your cat reach a healthy weight and live an enjoyable life! Visit Pet Supermarket for a wide selection of weight-control products and interactive cat toys.