Cat Behavior And Training
How do I interpret my cat's body language?
Have you ever been at a place where not a word is spoken and yet you know exactly what that person is saying to you? Well, when it comes to cats and their body language, the good news is, they're quite candid. You'll never see them faking out an emotion with you. I like to say that cats put the "C" in candid, the "A" in attitude, the "T" in tenacious, and the "S" in so what! When you're looking at a cat's body language you have to look at the whole body. Make sure that the cat's eyes are relaxed. If they do little soft winks, that's a hello. A cat who's tail is lazily up but twitters at the very top, that means I love you, you rock my world! A cat's tail that's sideways or swishing really fast means they're either feeling threatened or they're ready to jump on something. Pay attention to the eyes, if they're wide and dilated, and it's not the dark, they might be scared or they might be aggressive. So there are many things in a cats body language that you can look to, but the one guarantee is, they're always candid and consistent in their body language.
Do cats "talk," or communicate through sound?
We all know that cats are pretty quiet for the most part, but they can be quiet chatters, and when they make noises they make them with a purpose. If any of you have ever heard a cat when they see a bird outside they make that “AaaAaaAaa” noise, it sounds really hilarious to us, this cackle is actually a cat's way of trying desperately to convince that bird that they're actually a bird and to come over and say hi. Fortunately most birds are pretty smart, they have bird brains, and they know it's just a cat faking them out. The other thing though, cats make different meow sounds. A little kitten will make a “mew mew” when they're very hungry, or need attention, but some cats will make a “Raaaawl” noise like that when they're in pain, so you really need to listen to the vocals of your cats as well as their body language, because they're telling you something.
Can I teach my cat "tricks"?
When it comes to tricks, I'm sorry, Rover, move over. Cats can be quite the tricksters. The difference is you've got to motivate it. You've got to motivate them. You've got to convince them: "What's in it for me?" I mean, you can't heave a bunch of treats to a cat and expect them to keep doing feline agility in the house or rolling over and playing dead or giving you a paw. Cats don't need a lot of treats, little bits, but I can tell you from my own that I have cats that can walk on leashes, come to whistles, leap up on counters, give me a shake, roll over, sit, stay. I mean, they can do it all, and they can do it with such class and dignity that they can put some dogs to shame.
How do I teach my outdoor cat to be an indoor cat?
Sometimes we find that we need to move our outdoor cats indoors for their own safety. We always worry, "Oh my gosh, they're going to hate it! They're going to rebel, they're going to always be banging at the door." But, you can actually introduce indoor living to your outdoor cat in a good way. One way is to make that indoor home such a cool place to be that they're like, "Outdoors? Please! This place is rockin', it's like Disneyworld for cats!" You can do that by having a lot of interactive toys in the house, they make these cat activity places where cats can go in and pop in and out of other places. Hide food in the house and make your cat hunt for the food, this mimics what they were doing outside to begin with. You can do many, many things to make that outdoor cat feel like they really belong indoors.
How do I housebreak my cat?
Unlike puppies for some blessing kittens seem to know how to use litter boxes. For the most part. So you know have litter box will uses seems to be the kitten motto. There are those occasions where a little kitten or a new cat you've adopted seem to have a need for you to be their litter box tutor; and when those happen you need to be really patient. You need to first assess the situation. What's the real lowdown here on this litter? Be honest are you really being a good dobe in cleaning out that litter box everyday. Because an overfilled litter box to a cat is like disgusting- "see ya I'm going to go find a nice clean area like that rug over there". You need to make sure you're keeping the litter boxes clean. Secondly, sometimes there bathroom mishaps because there's a medical reason. Your cat suddenly has, maybe a feline lower urinary tract disease, and can't help it. So you need to rule that out with your veterinarian. Third there may be something happening in the household or outside taht makes that cat feel threatened or scarred. Maybe there's a bully cat outside going "nana nanana" outside and you cat feel like she got to protect her turf and she's starting to spray outside her box. There's many many reason why cats do not use the littter box.
How do I get my cat to stop spraying the house?
One of the most dreaded fears you may ever have when it comes to having a cat is if they suddenly start spraying and marking your house and bypassing the litterbox. What I can tell you is this: sadly, the number one reason that cats are surrendered to shelters, is because of their bathroom habits. But, fortunately, there is help that you can give. There are many things. They have pheremone sprays out there that are actually calming to a cat. Sometimes cats spray and mark not because of a medical problem, but because they feel threatened, or they're anxious, or they have some kind of a behavior or emotional issue. You need to work with your behaviorist and your veterinarian on this. But when you pinpoint the cause, if it is behavior, they actually make some anti-anxiety medications for your cats that can help them be less fearful. You also need to make sure that you are using the right litter and the litterbox is in the right location. Sometimes a cat won't use the litterbox because you put it next to a noisy appliance like a dishwasher. Or in a high traffic area where everbody runs around. Just like us, you know, when your in the bathroom, a cat wants a little privacy, please. If you have a dog in the house and the dog is just kind of waiting for the cat to use the litterbox so he can just pounce on him and playing with him, then the cat is going to be apt to go somewhere else. There are many, many reasons why a cat will start missing the litterbox, and you need to play a little feline detective.
How do I prevent my cat from scratching the furniture and people?
Boy, cats have claws and they know how to use them, and they need them. That said, you like your furniture, you spent a lot of money on it, you might still be making payments on it, and the last thing you want to hear is that (sound of cat scratching) noise, and you see this cat putting their whole body and muscle into your couch with their claws. Well here's the answer. You've got to give your cat their own furniture. You don't have to make it some hideous thing that stands out like a sore thumb. Believe it or not, pets are such a big industry these days, you can actually have some pretty nice fancy scratching post and cat trees for your cat that just blend in to your furniture. Second, get the almighty cat nip in use. You put a little put a little cat nip on that scratching post or scratching tree, it's going to be so more beckoning to that cat than your couch that's got like the smell of stale potatoe chips or something on it. Cat nip is a powerful, powerful tool for you to use. So, put it on the things that you want your cat to scratch. A cat's got to scratch, just make it something that they think is nicer and better than your old couch.
Is it a good idea to get my cat's claws removed?
You know, years ago it was just routine. When you went in to have your cat spayed or neutured or their vaccinations, the vet declawed your cat. We didn't think anything about it. Well, here's the reality now. We do know. It hurts them. It actually removes some of their bones in their paws, and it can cause behavior problems. You know, it's like removing your finger nails. For some cats, you know, they react very negatively to that. That said, you feel like you're in a quandary, because your cat wants to scratch, and you're doing your best, but they seem to pick your couch, so what do you do? There are alternatives. If you keep your cat's nails regularly clipped, and by taking the tips off of them, that goes a long way. Secondly, you can work with your veterinarian, or your groomer, and get kind of these things that are like fake nails, that you can put on your cat's nails that takes away any kind of sharpness. But if you do that route, you've got to make sure that you replace those fake nails on a regular basis. Because, just like our finger nails, the cat's nails are going to be growing inside those nail caps. And so you need to make sure that you regularly change them. And thirdly, you've got to show ways that your cat can scratch appropriately, by giving them scratching posts and scratching trees, and other things, to be able to work out that need to kneed, and the need to claw.
How do I prevent my cat from acting aggressively?
There's a lot of ways to keep your cat from being mean to you, to your family, to other people in the household. You don't want a cat that's a cat bully, if you will. One thing is, sometimes, people love their cat, and they keep petting the cat and petting and petting and the cats like that's enough and reacts the only way he knows and that's like back off. Other times, cats, unlike dogs, cats are just masters at masking pain. When they don't feel well or they've got an injury, it's their genetic make up, if you will, to kind of hide the pain because in the wild they were both predator and prey, the last thing they want to do is make a predator know that they're weak. So, you may be touching a sore spot that your cat has and is just reacting to the pain. The other thing you need to do is to limit the amount of time you're petting the cat. Watch the cat's body language, when the cat has started to tense the muscles, and the eyes get dilated, stop the petting. Just walk away. Stop it earlier than later and there's less of a chance of that cat just going out and being aggressive towards you. Finally, some cats might need to be on some kind of a behavior medication temporarily with your vet, this sort of tones down that bullying. But, you know you can have a calm cat, just work with your vet.
