Some Cats Have Trouble Knowing How Much is Too Much

A cat who doesn't have the benefits of a mother early on in life can often develop a few behavioral issues. Teaching a motherless cat not to play too rough can be a long process. Mother cats and feline siblings basically tell kittens when they go too far. Mothers usually bop them, and siblings often return the attack. This is fine if you're a cat, but when you're a gigantic, all-powerful human, any kind of forceful physical response can induce fear. Cats should never be struck in any way. Even playful strikes will either convey aggression or an invitation to play rough.

Never push them away. This is a sign to the kitten that you're inviting rough play. Instead, just walk away. Leaving him alone in the room is the best option, though I realize this presents a problem if you're in bed. Still, these are things than can be reinforced throughout the day. You have to look for the warning signs of aggressive play and redirect it at all times. Every slip up when you or a family member think the kitten’s attacks are cute, is a step backwards in their training. When you see them "stalking" your feet or sneaking up on you, simply redirect the behavior with a toy they like.

In addition, I encourage you not to ever use your hands or feet as a toy for any cat. Always direct them toward a toy that they can eagerly sink their teeth and claws into without hurting anyone.

One other thing that might help is the development of a bedtime routine. If you want to go to bed at 11PM, have a vigorous play session with your cat around 10PM each night. Really get them going and let them exercise their hunting instincts. When they’re done playing, feed them their evening meal or a snack. Then it's time for bed and the cat should groom and then go to sleep. They may get up again during the night, but the more you repeat this schedule, the better they’ll be at following it.

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Author: Tom Kirby, UW-AAB - cat behaviorist

I’m certified in applied animal behavior and have years of experience solving the specific problems faced by cat caregivers like you every day.

I’m here to help you and your feline friends live happier, healthier lives together.

CLICK HERE to get help with your cat today!

How to Help a Cat with Shelter Fatigue

Most shelters are awful places for cats to be. They get locked in a tiny box with lots of scary sounds and bad smells that keep them from ever feeling safe. But what if a cat becomes accustomed to life in the shelter?

The first thing to do is relax. If you're stressed by the situation, your cat will certainly pick up on your feelings and react accordingly. At this point, it's best to treat them as if they were a feral cat. Let them set the pace for your interaction and they’ll come out of their shell gradually over time. 

There are a couple of things you can do to help them along. In a shelter environment, most cats put up a number of defenses to protect themselves. One of these is the need to retreat and hide in a safe place with close walls. Give them their own little spot where you never interact with him. It can be a small cat cube or just a box with some holes cut in it. You might just crack a closet door so he can go in and out. But whatever you do, when he's there, you should never try to touch him or move him. He needs his safe hidey hole in order to gain the confidence to come out. Just knowing that he can retreat there can make a big difference for him.

Be careful to only use closed hands when offering contact to a shy cat. To a human, a fist means the threat of violence, but to a cat, it looks more like a paw. An open hand looks more like an attacking claw and is much more threatening to a cat. Add to that the fact that cats are often handled a lot at shelters, and you end up with a cat who may actually have developed a fear of grabby human hands.

One exercise that I've found to be very effective is to sit on the floor of the room where the cat is and read quietly to them. Let them get used to your voice and your presence while you're focused on reading. Don't look at them or reach out to them, even if they initiate contact. This is how cats in the wild indicate their trustworthiness. It may take many sessions, but the cat should eventually reach out to you. 

It will usually be two steps forward and one step back for cats like this until they finally overcome their psychological hurdles. In order for you to be successful, you need to detach yourself from any particular outcome. If you're disappointed at their reaction, they will sense that. Try and be positive and take it as it comes. 

I encourage you to try and be nonchalant about the situation when the cat’s hiding. Just go about your business and try your best to be optimistic, especially when you're around them. Believe me when I say that they’ll pick up on that. These things often require a lot of time--sometimes a year or more for significant progress. Relax and enjoy the time spent with your feline friend. With a lot of patience and a relaxed attitude, you can work wonders with them.

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Author: Tom Kirby, UW-AAB - cat behaviorist

I’m certified in applied animal behavior and have years of experience solving the specific problems faced by cat caregivers like you every day.

I’m here to help you and your feline friends live happier, healthier lives together.

CLICK HERE to get help with your cat today!

How to Help a Cat who's Frightened by Everyday Sounds

We sometimes forget that our homes are unfamiliar places to a newly adopted cat. There are new sights, sounds, and smells that may overwhelm some kitties. Cats simply aren't prepared for a lot of the human things they experience in a new home. The more tentative a cat is to begin with, the more sensitive they are to unexpected sounds, sights, and smells. Sounds such as the ones HVAC systems make are sporadic and unpredictable, making them even more difficult to adapt to, but most cats will eventually come to accept them.

In most cases, it just takes time for a cat to become accustomed to the strange sounds. As they hear them more and more frequently, they slowly come to realize that nothing bad happens to them after they hear it. This is a process known as desensitization. There are a couple of things you can do to help speed along this process.

First, you need to remain calm when the cat reacts to the sound. Nothing will reassure them more than your own casual acceptance of this noise. Don't even react to their reaction. Don't chase after them or even frown. If you choose to do anything, an offhanded statement of "It's okay - you're safe" will be enough. Then go back to whatever you were doing and allow the cat the time they need to feel safe again. They have the hard work of realizing there's nothing to be afraid of. You need to allow them the time and space to do it. Just make sure you aren't adding to their stress. Give them an enclosed space in a place where they feel safe. That can be a place they retreat to and where you never encroach upon them - not even to pull them out to go to the vet. They need to feel that they have a place where nothing can touch them, not even you. Then let them come out on theirown.

If they hear a terrifying noise and they choose not to run away, or even not to run so far, reward them. One or two treats will help them to feel better about their courageous decision to face their fear. 

Given enough time, the cat will probably learn to be less afraid of the sound, to the point where they no longer even notice it.

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Author: Tom Kirby, UW-AAB - cat behaviorist

I’m certified in applied animal behavior and have years of experience solving the specific problems faced by cat caregivers like you every day.

I’m here to help you and your feline friends live happier, healthier lives together.

CLICK HERE to get help with your cat today!

What to do if Your Cat's Afraid of the Vet

It's not uncommon for cats to dislike a trip to the veterinarian's office. In fact, it's so common that some cat caregivers give up on checkups altogether. All cats should see a veterinarian at least once a year. Senior kitties need biannual checkups. But what if your feline friend is so terrified by the vet that they go into fight or flight mode?

It's important for all of us with feline friends to understand just how terrifying a general veterinarian's office can be for them. With their heightened senses of hearing and smell, they can perceive all manner of things - even other animals' illnesses and, sadly, even their deaths. Add to that a bunch of strange humans, barking dogs, blaring TVs in waiting rooms, etc. and it can be a genuine nightmare for a cat.

You’ve probably tried to approach this from the perspective of trying to associate good things with the vet trip. That's always the best place to start, but as you know, it doesn't always work. The vet's office is just too scary for a handful of treats to overcome. The same goes for various nerve-calming solutions. They're like an umbrella in a hurricane.

While they do work, I generally advise against the use of sedatives unless it's a last resort. You just never know how a cat's body will react to a particular sedative if they've never had it administered before. If the cat has a heart murmur or similar condition, sedatives can create more problems than they solve.

My best advice is not the easiest, but I feel it's the best choice if you can manage it. I suggest you find a mobile veterinarian who makes house calls. Cats derive more comfort from their home territory than they do from treats, other friendly cats, or even us humans. Treating a cat on their home turf could be just the thing they need. It also ensures that you have the full attention of the vet for the duration of your appointment.

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Author: Tom Kirby, UW-AAB - cat behaviorist

I’m certified in applied animal behavior and have years of experience solving the specific problems faced by cat caregivers like you every day.

I’m here to help you and your feline friends live happier, healthier lives together.

CLICK HERE to get help with your cat today!

Should You Give Your Cat a Bath?

Cats are usually meticulously clean. In fact, their saliva contains lysozyme, lactoferrin and nitric oxide that act as inhibitors to bacterial growth. It’s still fairly common for cat caregivers to think that their feline friends might need a bath. This is especially true when the cat has long hair.

I recommend that cats not be bathed at all. Cats do a very good job of cleaning themselves. Even long-haired cats can handle the task with great aplomb. The only time a cat should need a bath is if they've gotten into something terrible that we don't want them licking off or if they are very old and no longer have the flexibility to reach every spot on their bodies. In the course of a normal day to day life, cats should be fully capable of bathing themselves.

The following video was posted by a very caring lady who helps her elderly cat get clean. If you must bathe your cat, this is the way I recommend you do it:

My second concern is for the health of the cat. If their coat is in much need of maintenance, the problem may not be one of cleaning but rather one of nutrition. The better the nourishment a cat receives, the healthier, shinier, and cleaner their coat will be without intervention from us humans. I recommend you feed the best food you can afford.

One thing you can do to see immediate results is to brush and "furminate" your cat every day. I even do this to my short haired cats, and I’ve seen a great increase in the luster of their coats. Begin with a short brushing session with a soft brush, followed by a few minutes with a furminator-style cutting brush. This "brush" has hard metal teeth, so you have to be very gentle with it so as not to hurt your feline friends. If they dislike the grooming, don’t force them. Get their cooperation by offering treats. Make the initial sessions very short and pepper each session with lots of treats. This works best with one person treating and the other brushing. Slowly lengthen the sessions little by little. Don't worry about their belly, though, as contact there is often a trigger for an attack, and the cat won't appreciate it. 

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the harm that bathing a cat could do to your relationship with them. Cats don't look at us as their masters. They see us as equals and we should give them the same latitude to make their own choices when we can. Grooming behaviors are a complex part of the feline world and cats like feeling self-sufficient when it comes to these sorts of chores. They use these times to mingle our scents with their own in order to create a communal scent that means "home" to them. Using a smelly product that washes all that away can be very stressful to a cat. It's very important that cats be allowed to tend to her own bathing needs when they can.

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Author: Tom Kirby, UW-AAB - cat behaviorist

I’m certified in applied animal behavior and have years of experience solving the specific problems faced by cat caregivers like you every day.

I’m here to help you and your feline friends live happier, healthier lives together.

CLICK HERE to get help with your cat today!