If you haven't already done so, it's time to think about how to dress your cat for Halloween! As you can see in these pictures, Neo is going to be wearing a green sequined bow-tie and if I can get him into a little vest and matching hat the look will be complete! My little furry Gentleman Caller - you know what I mean, from the 1940's, The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams....No? ok, well he's cute in his tie anyway!

Neo is a real sport about dress up time. He'll do anything if I pet him and talk nicely to him and give him treats. Training him to tolerate a harness paid off for Halloween too! If your cat is used to a collar or harness, or it your cat is just really easy-going, you can probably get away with putting him in a costume.

But there are a few things you should and shouldn't do to make the evening fun for your cat too. Besides we don't want to anger kitty, he knows where you sleep. No, he won't hurt you, but he might start displaying some unwanted behavior if you upset him - think kitty pee on your pillow, stuff like that. Ok so here goes:

1. No dresses. Their hind legs get caught in them and it trips them and they fall. While this can be very funny for you, it's not fun for kitty.

2. Leave the ears out - cats rely on their ears so covering them will only irritate your cat and he'll spend the whole time trying to get the hat off of his head.

3. Hats and head pieces work best on kitties who wear collars, they are used to something being around their necks so securing the hat to their head is usually no problem.

4. Don't let kitty outside while in costume. This is bad for several reasons, it's a distraction so he could be fussing with his costume while a car is speeding up the street. Not good.

5. And just so we're clear, a cat outside on Halloween night is a recipe for disaster, there are too many idiots out looking for a laugh and they can do some pretty extreme things to your cat. In costume or out of costume, keep your cat in that night and save his life.

You can browse cat costumes at Annie's Costumes and at KittyCity. And view some pictures of cats in costume from 2007. My favorite is the pissed off pink fluffy bunny cat costume but I think it's been photoshopped!

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You know how I've been telling you about my problem with Neo wanting to get outside all the time.  I've been looking for a cat fence that would keep him in my yard, but until I figure out what I want to do, I've been letting him out on a leash and harness.  

So tell me, how can a cat go hunting with a harness and leash on?  I don't know but Neo has figured it out! He was outside for about an hour just wandering around and I noticed he was sitting very still watching the neighbor's back step.  When I went out to check on him, he ran and pounced and the next thing I know there is a chipmunk in his mouth!  I was shocked.

Neo was born in feral cat colony and I know his mom took him out for hunting lessons, I just didn't think he would have remembered what she showed him.  I guess somethings are hard to forget and he demonstrated that with his catch today.

He was so proud of that catch, he strutted toward the back door with this chipmunk dangling from his mouth.  It was as if he was saying, "This is the best day ever!" 

It looked like he wanted to take it inside the house but I didn't let him. I wasn't excited about the idea of a chipmunk loose in the house. So he stayed outside and started to play a cat and mouse game with it.  You know letting it go then running after it and catching it. 

I honestly didn't know what to do next.  Should I catch Neo and let the chipmunk go or should I let him play with it for a while?  The chipmunk looked like he wasn't hurt, he still had speed and agility.  I was torn, I felt bad for the chipmunk, but I also wanted Neo to enjoy his catch for awhile.  

So I let him play with it for a few minutes.  I took him off his leash and ran in to get the camera.  He let it go and chased after it again a few times and I got these two pictures you see here.  It was hard to get a good shot because he was moving so fast - usually Neo is a slow mover, but not today.  

He chased the chipmunk in the tall, wet grass for a few more minutes and I could see that the chipmunk was getting tired.  He still didn't appear to be hurt, just wet and tired.  So I picked up Neo and took him inside.  The chipmunk when to his home in the trees in my backyard.  

Neo came in and was very excited, meowing and pacing and I praised him for his hunting skills and he loved the attention.  He started to clean himself and then had a long nap.  Actually, he didn't get up for at least 6 hours.  He came in at around 2:00 PM and he didn't get up from his nap until around 8:30PM.  

Poor tired Neo - he had a big day.  I bet Neo had some good dreams.   

I wonder how long the chipmunk slept? 

Is your cat pooing or peeing outside of the litter box? Join the party. I don't know of any cat owner that hasn't had this sort of problem. It happens. Depending on how fussy your cat is, it may happen more than you like. My cat Maddy usually lets me know (if I forget) that the litter needs cleaning by meowing in the basement.

Cats are very smart animals and usually when something is "off," they'll show you their displeasure by doing something you probably don't want them to do.

If you're not in the habit of removing your cat's waste on a daily basis, that may be the issue. Your cat's nose is far more sensitive than yours so he's probably peeing or pooing outside of the litter because it's dirty.

Some cat owners like to mix a small amount of baking soda into the litter to try and control the smell. Some people say the baking soda helps and a lot say it doesn't work. It depends on your cat.

The best way to control the odor of your cat's waste is to regularly clean the litter box pan. According to my vet, one of the best ways to do this is by cleaing the litter/pan with soapy water on a regular basis.

If your cat is really picky, the absolute best option is to use a ten percent bleach solution. Bleach is very effective against odours and bacteria and it is a fantastic way to rid your cat's litter of unwanted smells. If you're going to use the bleach option, make sure that you rinse thoroughy.

You should avoid using disinfectants or any other substance that has a strong scent. Remember that your cat's scent is about fourteen times more sensitive than yours. Scents that are slight to you will overpower your cat. The last thing you want to do is irritate your cat with the scent of their own waste combined with scent of pot pourri!

If you have any suggestions that have worked or not worked for your cat's litter box, please comment below and share.

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How do you feed your cat? Do you leave his food out or do you feed him at scheduled times? The one factor that will determine feeding patters will be the type of food you feed your cat. If you feed your cat dry food, you more than likely leave the food out for him to eat when he pleases. If you feed your cat canned food, you know that your cat likes his food fresh. Canned food almost forces you to measure and place your cat's food out on a schedule. This isn't a bad thing.

Depending on your cat and her dietary needs, "free feading" or scheduled feedings can work. In my opinion, scheduled feedings are the way to go for most cats; here's why:

My vet told me about a really neat trick that you might want to try to switch your cat from a "free feeding" to a scheduled feeding program. The night before your first scheduled feed day, remove all of your cat's food from his bowl. Don't put out any food the next morning. In the evening, put some food out for your cat and leave it there for about half an hour. If you have more than one cat, you might want to supervise the feeding to make sure that both cats are eating enough food. Once your cat or cats are done, remove the food and follow the same procedure in the morning. In a couple of days, your cat will get used to a scheduled food regimen.

If your cat isn't adjusting to a scheduled feeding, talk to your vet about other options.

If you've had positive or negative experiences with either "free feeding" or scheduled feedings, post a comment below and share your story.

Click here for our past posts, our archives have hundreds of helpful cat information posts for cat lovers. Please subscribe to our RSS feed if you're a cat person that likes cat related information, cat care advice and news.

Yesterday, I told you about Neo who loves to eat pumpkin in True Halloween Cats are Crazy for Pumpkin. Well, it seems that Neo is very much like his distant cousins, the Cougar. Here's a video of pumpkin day at Big Cat Rescue, a non for profit rescue organization for wild cats. These cougars are having a great time "Smashing Pumpkins"

Enjoy.

One of the questions we get asked a lot from our readers is, "Where are the best places to buy kittens?" There are number of good places to purchase a kitten or an older cat:

Visit your local shelter; you may or may not be surprised to know that some of the best cats are adopted from the local shelter.

Getting your kitten from a responsible source like a reputable breeder is always a great choice.

Kittens from friends or family is always a great choice. Knowing the people and where the kitten comes from is a huge bonus.

Some of the worst places to buy kittens are as follows:

Cats aren't commodities and they're not interchangeable. Make the right choice and purchase from only reputable sources. It's always amazing to me that people don't research a being that is going to be part of their family for likely ten years or more. My best advice to you would be to ask lots of questions and be a skeptical buyer.

Good luck!

I'm not convinced that this will be good for Neo, but take a look and tell me what you think. I'll keep researching this and let you know what I find. I am not sure why this person lets her dogs have free run of the yard but not her cat? Maybe because the cat can get away and out of the yard easier than the dogs, but it seems a little unfair to kitty!

Other posts I think you might like:

The true story of Christian the lion...

12 cats that will be extinct by 2020

The European Cave Lion was the largest cat that ever lived...

A cat's daily diary vs a dog's daily diary...