Tabbytudes - Cat Behavior Column (Part 3)
by Amy Shojai
Other letters this month have to do with making vacation plans for outdoor cats, early morning demands, diarrhea/constipation concerns, and cat introduction problems. Whew! That's quite a range of topics.
It's always tough to know what to do when we must be away from home for any length of time. Cats usually prefer to stay in familiar territory, so sending them to a boarding facility (or finding a good one that doesn't unduly stress them) can be tough. Hiring a pet sitter is my preferred choice for indoor cats. When the felines are primarily outside critters, though, the issue becomes more complicated. When the cats are closely bonded to a particular place-say the garden area of your home; when good cattery alternatives are not available; and when a reliable "cat feeder" can visit twice a day or more; my inclination would be for the cats to stay in their garden. If possible, ask the cat feeder to start coming a week early for several introductory visits, and hopefully the cats will be willing to get their snuggle "fixes" from him or her. Cats do jump fences, but there is a product that can help keep them confined, called "Cat Fence-In Systems." This is netting that attaches to existing barriers-it has a money-back guarantee. Visit www.catfencein.com for more information.
Early morning meow-demands to "feed me" or otherwise wait on Her Highness are quite common. Every time an owner gives in and rolls out of bed at five a.m. to cater to the little dickens, you teach Kitty that you'll give in-eventually. About the only way to extinguish this behavior is to totally ignore the demands. That's very hard to do when she's pawing your face, or yelling for you to lift her into the litter box-and you must clean up the mess. One way to handle this is to close demanding cats in a room by themselves for the night, with a door between you and their meow-demands. Tough kitty love can work, but it takes time and patience.
On the cat introduction front, it's never too late to start over from scratch, particularly when aggression develops. Separate the kitties, confining the "new" one in a room and act like this is the first time they've been introduced. You can try the perfume trick again. When the aggression takes place primarily when you are present, the older cat is likely defending her territory-you-from the younger. It may salve the older cat's feelings if you simply ignore the younger kitty when they're both in the room together. Reinforce the status of the older cat-feed her first, pet her first, and try giving the younger cat attention when the older cat is otherwise engaged.
For diarrhea questions, veterinarians are the best people to ask. However, a very smelly diarrhea with blood is often typical of infection with giardia, a very tiny parasite that can be hard to diagnose and is contracted from infected water or soil sources. It can also take a long time to successfully treat. A drug called Flagyl (metronidazole) kills the parasite, and keeping cats away from outside infected sources prevents them being re-infected. Special foods may help relieve the symptoms (dry foods are perfectly fine!) but as long as the bugs are there, you'll fight symptoms. Extra fiber can help both diarrhea and constipation, so a "hairball formula" diet, or adding canned pumpkin or plain Metamucil to regular food, should help either problem.
TabbyTip of the Month:
Cats raised by people from tiny kittens may not have been taught how to properly inhibit their bite and claws. Mom-cat and siblings are the best teachers and will tell the delinquent kitten that biting HURTS and to knock it off! People who raise these babies need to also find a way to tell Junior when she's exceeded proper limits. Using a loud, percussive HISSSSSSS works well to interrupt hand biting or other objectionable kitten antics. For older cats, a SCREAM also can work well. When cats insist on gnawing, try panting your hands with Bitter Apple or a citrus-scented hand cream.
Click here to go to the beginning of the Amy Shojai's Tabbytudes cat behavior column for June!
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