Herding Cats At Home - September 2004

A: You say you "have the means to check" for urine infections. Does this mean you have taken Cassey to the veterinarian for a complete checkup since she started peeing on the rug? I ask because there are several medical conditions that only a veterinarian can detect and treat. If Cassey's veterinarian has determined that she has no medical reason for her behavior changes, you need to do a bit of detective work. But if you have not taken Cassey to the vet, please do that first, as soon as possible.

Besides urinary tract infections (UTI's) and other medical causes, environmental factors such as stress, or a territorial conflict (as perceived by the cat) can cause "outside the box thinking." Is it possible that Cassey might be reacting to the presence of another cat outdoors? This can often upset an indoor cat (who can't get at the "intruder" to chase him or her away) and who then reacts by more aggressive marking of his or her own territory. If you think this might be the case, close blinds or drapes, and keep windows closed so that Cassey can neither see noir smell outside cats so readily.

Another possibility is that Cassey had a single accident on the rug originally, and that the scent of her urine is still there, signaling to her that the spot is an "OK to go" spot. If your clean-up regimen did not include a complete and thorough cleaning AND deodorizing of the soiled area(s) (including the rug itself, the back side of the rug, the padding underneath, and possibly the floor beneath that) with an enzyme-based product, or a product that removes the urine's pheromones, then Cassey can still smell it, even if you can't. If this is the case, a single accident or mistake (perhaps she was over-excited by something) can turn into an ingrained bad habit.

Your first priority is to definitively rule out medical causes for Cassey's behavior. Only a veterinarian can do this. There's no quick "do-it-yourself" way to detect UTI's and other medical problems that can cause this behavior.

If Cassey gets a clean bill of health, you need to: 1) break her from the habit of peeing on the rug; and 2) clean and deodorize the rug (including underneath) thoroughly. I suggest you consult my book, "The HSUS Complete Guide to Cat Care" (now available in paperback) and read the sections on urine cleanup and on "cage confinement," the best way I've found to break a cat's bad litter box habits.

A: Here are some tips for Ariel, and other "food gulpers" who eat too much, too fast, and then regurgitate their food:

1. Serve meals on a wide dinner plate. Spread food out in a very thin layer so Ariel can't gulp whole mouthfuls at once.

2. If she gulps too much dry food at once and regurgitates it minutes later, put out only a handful of kibble at a time.

3. Or… switch to a dry food with larger chunks or different shapes and sizes -- anything to slow her down. Kibble in small, smooth uniform chunks is all too easy for cats to gulp faster than their systems can handle.

4. Or… mix some canned food in with the kibble, or add some water to it.

5. Or… serve small amounts of kibble in multiple small bowls, perhaps even in separate rooms.

The idea is to make Ariel work harder for her food, so she slows down a bit.

You could also take a large serving tray (like a cafeteria tray) and "hide" Ariel's food on it. Get some small plastic containers (like flowerpots, dessert bowls, etc.), and hide a spoonful of wet food, or a few kibbles, underneath each one, spread out around the tray. Leave some containers with no food underneath. Ariel will have to "hunt" for several small amounts of food -- which will slow down her eating as well as engage her attention away from her gulp-and-run habits.

If necessary, feed her in a separate room from your non-gulping cat, especially at first, and especially if the presence of the other cat seems to be making her nervous at mealtimes. (Ariel may feel a strong sense of competition, even if the other cat isn’t stealing her food.) But you could feed both of them in this same way, as many cats seem to really enjoy the challenge of this "hunt for dinner."

If Ariel had a deprived early life, or never got her share of food when she was a kitten (which can happen in ferals or shelter kittens), she may be afraid that there won’t be enough food if she doesn’t grab her share first and fast. Even if her companion cat isn’t stealing Ariel's food, this kind of fearful habit may have become ingrained. You need to do everything possible to convince Ariel that there will always be plenty of food (and other resources) for her. One way to do this is to make mealtime a kind of game -- not a life-or-death competition. Hiding food on a tray, as I've described, helps to do this. Be sure that she still gets plenty of food -- just in smaller increments.

Another way to help Ariel associate eating with pleasure and fun instead of fear and gulping is to hide some of those dental treats around the house for her to find at random times. That way, each treat she finds becomes a pleasant surprise -- and just for her! I've found that the best food to use for treats is Hill's "TD," sold by veterinarians. It’s a complete, balanced food that cleans cats' teeth like nothing else I've found. Cats love the largish, crunchy nuggets, and they don’t have to know it’s good for them!