kittens

Entertain your cat while you’re at work

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Some cat owners worry that while they are away at work that their cat will sleep all day and become sedentary. There are a few tricks that you can do to entertain your cat during the day or when you are away.

Adopting another cat if you only have one, may be the solution. This works very well if the cat is still a kitten or younger. Two young cats will play and entertain themselves quite nicely. As they get older, they will provide company for each other. If you have an older cat, be sure to introduce the cats by keeping the new cat in a room alone. You will know when it is time to let the two cats get together when the resident cat sits by the door where the new cat is being kept. Do not force the cats to interact, let them do it on their own.  

Cats love to explore boxes and paper bags. You can design a maze of boxes by cutting holes in the sides and attaching them together. You can also leave open paper bags (shopping size) around the house.

Making a window available for a cat, either with a chair, wide window sill or a cat perch designed for a window is also a way for a cat to enjoy being alone. If you hang a bird feeder outside the window the cat will enjoy watching the birds for hours. Make sure that the available window is by a sunny side of the room because cats love to sit in the sun.

If there are no dogs in the house, you can hide cat treats for the cat to find. Do not let the cat see you hide the treats the cat may get wise to the treat hiding game. If your cat gets wise to the game, lock the cat in one room while you hide the treats. Your cat will have a lot of fun hunting for the treats.

Be sure to include lots of toys for your cat to play with. Adding new and different toys will keep the cat interested. You can remove a few toys each week and add different ones, rotating the toys will make the old ones seem new to the cat.

Some cats enjoy soothing music, such as classical music or easy listening music. If your cat likes music play it while you are gone.

With a little thought and planning you can keep your cat happy and entertained while you are away. Your cat will appreciate it and help prevent separation anxiety.

Understanding cats

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Just like any other animal, cats have a wide range of personalities from very shy and demure to the warrior cat who likes to attack and chase everything in sight.  It is very difficult to evaluate a cat or kitten’s true personality before selecting one to take home. This is especially true for cats and kittens that are being adopted from a rescue or shelter because they will not have the opportunity to exhibit their true personality in that environment. 

What can a cat owner do if their cat is the warrior cat who likes to get into and chase everything, even your feet when you walk? The first thing to do if it has not already been done is to spay or neuter your cat which will help calm the cat.

Next, be sure that your cat is on a high quality diet. It is has been my experience that nothing you buy at the super market is a high quality brand of food. I personally recommend Wysong or Annamaet.

What many people fail to understand is that a cat needs quality time with you playing with toys. Do not allow the cat to play with any part of your body or on your body. If your cat does try to do this, gently put them off of your body and say no. If your cat bites or claws you say “ouch” in a high pitched voice and remove the cat. Make sure that you ignore the cat for a few minutes after that. Only interact with your cat if the cat plays gently, which reinforces gently play.

If your cat does something you do not like, distract the cat from doing it by offering a favorite toy. When the cat focuses his attention on the toy instead of the bad behavior, praise the cat in a soothing voice.

Some cats like to have play sessions in the middle of the night and will wake their owners to join in the fun. If you do not want this to become a daily habit, do not get up. It is best to pretend to be asleep and ignore the cat. It may take a few nights but the cat will eventually give up trying to engage you in play.

What can help is to have a tiring (for the cat) play session before you go to bed, but pick a time that is convenient for you because it may become a daily habit and cats do not like changes in their routine.

A very busy cat might enjoy having another cat (or dog) as a companion. I always felt that adopting two kittens or cats at the same time works out the best rather than try to introduce a new adult cat later. Often cats are kept together in the rescue or shelter and have already bonded enough to live successfully together. Having a familiar companion can help the adopted cats’ make the transition to a new home easier. If you do adopt two cats, be sure to have at least two litter boxes for them. However, it is important that the litter boxes not be kept in the same location, or the cat will view the two boxes as one.

With a little planning, you can help your cat be everything you want him to be. Contrary to popular myth, cats can be trained and are happier when they understand the house rules. Consider purchasing one of the books available about clicker training cats. It is a very successful method to train cats.

Cats love secret hiding places

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Cats enjoy boxes and other “secret” hiding places. But why? While no one knows for sure, some studies have shown when cats have boxes to hide in they have lower stress levels, especially cats in rescues or shelters.

Cats generally enjoy going behind, into, under and on top of things. It provides a way to explore, satisfy their curiosity, provide exercise and practice hunting skills. Anyone who has watched cats play have seen them hide behind something and then pounce on anything, (dog, cat or you) that goes by. This can be great fun for the cat. It is especially funny to see kittens do this and after they pounce on their victim, bounce away on their toes, as kittens do. Cats enjoy paper bags, especially if you make scratching noises with your finger nails on the outside of the bag and slowly move your finger along the bag.

Cats may enjoy going in small places such as boxes, to keep warm or bury themselves in something soft such as blankets or clothes in an open hamper. Some cats learn to head for the clothes that have just come out of the dryer and if they can, settle down for a long, warm nap.

A careful cat owner will keep their cat’s safety in mind as they play. This is especially true around holidays, birthdays and other events where there can be empty boxes, wrapping paper, plastic wrap around the house. Children may not see a cat hiding and step on them, especially a young kitten.

Cats can also chew boxes, wrappings, paper, ribbons, strings and other tempting non-cat toys which can result in a trip to the veterinarian. While it is fun to watch a cat or kitten play with these things, they should never have access to anything that can harm them. Even if the owner is there to supervise the cat/kitten, things can happen so fast that you cannot prevent them.

So instead of spending a lot of money on cat toys, once in awhile give your cat a box to play in or a paper or reusable shopping bag to hide in. Your cats will love you for it.

http://phys.org/news/2015-02-cat-stress-access.html

Fearful cats and socialization

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Doctoral Researcher Salla Mikkola from the University of Helsinki and the Folkhälsan Research Center wanted to look into what causes behavior problems in cats such as fearfulness, aggression towards people and excessive grooming.  

What they found out is important, and that is socialization when cats are kittens with people is very important. Cats under the age of twelve weeks who only came in contact with strange people and children a few times or more fearful than kittens who interacted with strangers on a weekly basis. Fearful cats had more litterbox, aggression and excessive grooming issues.

The researchers noted that there were less fearfulness and aggression in cats when the cat lived with another cat.

Mimi who is partly blind

Sue’s Note: People tend to associate socialization with puppies and dogs but it is just as important to socialize cats. This should include handling all body parts, grooming, traveling in a vehicle, being put in a carrier, and exposure to noise that is not excessively loud. It is very important to make sure that the cat is not physically handicapped which can cause the cat to become frightened. For example, my cat was born with limited vision that is not detectable by a physical examination and was only apparent by observing her behavior. Many people do not realize that cats are very social and do best if there is at least one other cat in the home.

Journal Reference:

Salla Mikkola, Milla Salonen, Emma Hakanen, Hannes Lohi. Fearfulness associates with problematic behaviors and poor socialization in cats. iScience, 2022; 25 (10): 105265 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.105265

Indoor/outdoor cats and wildlife

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Researchers studied 935 indoor/outdoor cats to determine how their hunting habits impacted local wildlife. They found that the cat’s hunting range was small, but the impact on the wildlife in their range was two to ten time more than wild predators. This is because their hunting was limited to their own property or into neighbor’s yards. It was also interesting to note that cats do more damage to wildlife in areas that have been disturbed by housing developments.

Sue’s Note: Many people think that cats need to roam outside. This is not true. Cats can be 100% happy and satisfied as a house cat if their needs are met. Different breeds of cats have different activity levels. Since many domestic short and long-haired cats have questionable parentage, their needs may have to be determined by how the cat acts. If a cat owner feels that their cat needs to go outside, there are products on the market that can confine a cat safely outdoors or in a cat designed window box. Keep in mind a cat that is allowed to roam outside freely becomes prey for other animals such as foxes, coyotes, wolves and free roaming dogs as well as other cats. If the cat is small enough, it may be snatched by birds of prey as well. Cats that eat or come in contact with wildlife are exposed to various parasites as well. For the benefit of local wildlife and for your cat’s well-being, it is better to keep them indoors or have safe access to the outdoors. Google outdoor cat enclosures to see the many products available.

Large carnivore attacks on humans

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Studies have shown that at least half of the attacks on humans by brown bear, black bear, polar bear, puma, wolf and coyote are due to risks that humans take. Most are due to the fact that people do not understand how to act in areas where these animals live. This is not limited to North America, the studies have been conducted since 1955 in the United States, Canada, Sweden, Finland, Russia and Spain.

If you are going hiking, camping, hunting or visiting areas where these animals live do not go jogging at night, leave children unattended, approach a female with young, walk a dog unleashed.

Bears are attracted to food, so find out the safe ways to have food if you are camping. Local rangers can advise you what works in their area. Do not feed wild animals, this teaches them to approach humans.

Recently in certain parts of the United States and Canada, coyotes and wolves have interbred creating the coywolf.

These animals are typically bolder than wolves and no one is sure what the mix of wolf or coyote they are, if they are more of one or the other. If they are in the area where you live, you must take precautions if you have pets, especially outdoor cats, since they prey on small dogs and cats. If you live in a rural area where there is a large population of feral cats you can expect that coyotes and coywolves are in the area.

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This makes it important to understand how to protect yourself, pets and family from these animals. Often if an animal attacks a human, the animal must be destroyed, even if the attack was defensive and not aggressive. By being careful and avoiding confrontation, you are protecting yourself and saving the life of the animal.

www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/02/160204111357.htm

A parasitic worm that infects the eyes of dogs

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The worm, Thelazia callipaeda is transmitted by a fruit fly and is capable of infecting mammals including dogs, cats and humans. Three dogs in the UK have been infected that were imported from Europe. The adult worms live in the mammal’s eyes and the tissues around the eye. The infection manifests itself as mild conjunctivitis to severe corneal ulceration which if left untreated can lead to blindness.

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The discovery was made by a research team led by John Graham-/Brown at the University of Liverpool.  In light of the fact that so many people travel abroad and import dogs and cats, it is a wise idea to keep this information in mind in the event that you or your pet develops eye problems. With the history of how illnesses are spread, there is no doubt in my mind that it is just a matter of time until this parasite reaches the U.S. and other countries.

www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170918222244.htm

Where did our domestic cats come from?

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Paleogeneticist Claudio Ottoni and his colleagues from KU Leuven (University of Leuven) and the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences did a study to determine the ancestor of the modern domestic cat. There are five subspecies of the wildcat Felis silvestris that are known today, but all skeletal remains look the same.

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Therefore, Ottoni studied the DNA from bones, teeth, skin, and hair from cats found at archaeological sites in the Near East, Africa and Europe. The cat remains were from 100 to 9000 years old.

What they discovered was that all domestic cats descended from the African wildcat Felis silvestris lybica, found in North Africa and the Near East. What Ottoni could not determine is if the cats from Egypt were a separate group of cats or if they descended from the African wildcat.

What is interesting is that most if not all the ancient cats were striped. Few if any had spots or blotches such as today’s tortoise shell or “tortie” cat. Spotted cats did not show up until the Middle Ages. Since cats were taken on ships to control the rodents, they spread across the world and remains have been found at Viking sites near the Baltic sea.

www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/06/170619125825.htm

Keeping cats safe outdoors

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Many cats enjoy being outdoors as much as dogs do, but unfortunately it is not safe to allow a cat to roam outdoors. There are many dangers a cat faces while outdoors that do not necessarily threaten a dog. Cats can be prey for large canines, including dogs, coyotes, wolves and even a fox.

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They are exposed to parasites of all types, including ticks, fleas, and various worms. This is especially risky if the cat catches small rodents.

Feral cats can also pose a problem by attacking and passing diseases to your cat. So what is a cat owner to do?

One option is to teach your cat to walk on a leash. Some cats enjoy doing this if they are taught properly. The first step is to be sure that your cat has a collar with ID tags or is micro chipped in the event that the cat should get away from you. Since cats do not like having pressure on their necks, you should use a harness for the cat.

The first step is to get the cat used to the harness indoors. You can do this by putting it on while you give the cat a special treat that they love and only get for wearing the harness. Clicker training the cat also works very well.

Once the cat is used to wearing the harness, you can lure the cat around your house with the special treat to get the cat used to walking with the harness on. As soon as the cat is used to that, you can attach a leash to the harness and lure the cat with the treat.

It is important to avoid pulling on the leash to get the cat to follow you, rather lure the cat with the treat.

Once the cat is willing to follow you, try doing it outside near your home or in your backyard. Gradually increase the distance that you walk with your cat. It is OK if you can only walk your cat in the backyard.

Keep in mind that your cat may be frightened by the outdoors and only feel comfortable in your backyard. Cats typically do not like noise and strange people if they are too close.

If your cat does not enjoy being outdoors on a leash you have other options. A nice window or enclosed porch can be enjoyable for a cat, or a cat “pen.” See https://www.pinterest.com/explore/outdoor-cat-enclosure/?lp=true for some ideas. Keep in mind that if you use a cat pen, you need to protect your cat from hawks as well, especially if the cat is small or a kitten.

Never force a cat to go outdoors if they do not enjoy being there. Some cats never get used to being on a harness. It is important to pay close attention to see if your cat is enjoying the experience. Some cats are very happy being an indoor only cat with a large window to look out of.

If your cat is one of those who do enjoy being outdoors, make sure that you check with your veterinarian to get tick and flea as well as parasite prevention measures to keep your cat safe. All of your cat’s yearly shots must be up-to-date as well.

Happy cat walking!

 

Excessive licking in dogs and cats

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Dogs and cats will groom themselves by licking their fur. This is normal. They will lick their owners as a sign of affection as well. Licking can be a form of play and to let you know they are hungry. If the owner pays attention to their pet when they lick, it can reinforce the behavior, encouraging the pet to do it more often.

However, some pets will engage in excessive licking. Only the owner can determine if the pet is licking more than normal. Excessive licking is a compulsive behavior and the pet may lick everything in sight. This is not good for the pet and the family. Do not try to “correct” this behavior, it will only make it worse.

The first thing a pet owner must do is schedule a visit with your veterinarian. Excessive licking can be due to allergies, including food allergies. Other causes are boredom, stress, pain and diseases.

Try to recall if anything in the pet’s environment brought about the excessive licking. Changes are especially suspect, did you move, change the pet’s food, bed, alter the environment such as adding or taking away furniture, someone in the family moving in or out, a new pet, neighbor or any other change that the pet is aware of. Even a family member changing jobs, or a family crisis can affect a pet.

The easiest way to correct excessive licking is to give the pet an alternative activity. If the pet is a dog, give the dog a chew toy when he starts to lick. Praise the dog for chewing the toy. If the pet is a cat offer a toy for the cat to play with and interact with the cat. Be sure to give the pet a good rubdown or petting when they stop licking. If the pet tries to lick family members gently say “no” and give them something to chew or an activity.

If the excessive licking was due to a change in the home environment it may take a few weeks for the pet to adjust to the change. If the behavior does not stop or if it increases, it is best to consult with a certified canine or feline behavior consultant. You can find one at www.iaabc.org  With time and patience, excessive licking can often be cured.