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Posts Tagged ‘litter box problems’

  1. Stop Cat Spraying!

    January 25, 2013 by Amy Shojai

    This week I’ve got a theme going with poopy puppies last Wednesday and cat litter-ary problems today. And this week two of my cat behavior consults centered on problem toileting behaviors.

    When you live with and love pets, you have to accept that a certain amount of crappiocca comes with the territory. That doesn’t mean you must LIVE with a spraying cat.

    Here’s a few basics and refreshers for savvy cat owners, and maybe new information for first time fanciers. For those of y’all with Christmas kittens, take notes for the future and maybe prevent these problems in your furry wonders!

    • Spraying with urine is a marking behavior and typically is aimed at vertical objects. House soiling is urinating downward over horizontal surfaces. Each can have different causes, so to solve, you must figure out which it is.
    • House soiling very often has to do with 1) health problem, 2) the cat hating the box (for any number of reasons), 3) being prevented from “going” because other cats own the facilities. Cats faithful to the box that suddenly lapse need a vet check asap!
    • Boy kittens reach sexual maturity right around six to nine months, and then start advertising their hunk-icity by spraying urine like it’s kitty cologne. That drives the girl cats wild. Owners, too, but for different reasons.
    • Girl cats may also spray urine to advertise how cute they are to the feline Romeos once they go into heat (estrus) which can happen as early as four to five months!
    • Spay/neuter surgery removes the hormones that prompt as much as 85-90 percent of the spraying.
    • Even “fixed” cats may still spray or soil, especially in multicat households as part of jockeying for social position.
    • Cats use “self scent” (urine, cheek rubs and scratching) to calm themselves down during times of stress. So a cat may “tell off” that stray cat outside stomping on his lawn, or baptize your bed–because it smells like his beloved owner–when you’re gone on vacation.

    This Ask Amy offers a few tips and advice for a spraying feline, but more details are available in the latest books ComPETability: Solving Behavior Problems in Your MultiCAT Household.

    I know a lot of cat-savvy folks read this blog. What are some other reasons cats get creative outside of the box? Please share! (It may turn into another Ask Amy…)

    I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you’d like answered? Do you have a new kitten and need answers? Stay up to date on all the latest just subscribe the blog, “like” me on Facebook, listen to the weekly radio show, check out weekly FREE PUPPY CARE newsletter, and sign up for Pet Peeves newsletter. Stay up to date with the latest book give aways and appearances related to my  THRILLERS WITH BITE!

    Category Ask Amy Videos, Cat Behavior & Care | Tags: ,,,,,, | 9 Comments

  2. Feline Friday: Solving Behavior Problems in Your MultiCat Household

    April 20, 2012 by Amy Shojai

    It’s HERE! The latest Kindle-ized book ComPETability: Solving Behavior Problems in Your MultiCat Household has been released and it’s all about explaining why cats do what they do (aka DRIVE YOU CRAZY) and how you can solve those peevish problems.

    Did you know that the United States is home to 86.4 million owned cats, and 52 percent of owners own more than one cat? That means more furry love for owners, but also can put your cats’ tails in a twist over that (HISSS!) new feline friend. From conflicts over favorite sleep spots to sharing potty facilities, adding new pets rubs fur the wrong way and creates hairy situations for everyone—including you.

    I’ve written this new guide to save owners from hair-pulling angst. It helps explain the kitty aggravation, and how to soothe the growls and turn your household into a peaceable kingdom. You’ll find detailed how-to advice focused on the most common problems found in the multi-cat household. Use these fun techniques to calm fears, explain cat body language, and strengthen the bond you share with your cats. Step by step tips explain how to:

    • Recognize and diffuse cat-to-cat aggression
    • Settle disputes over territory, potty problems and mealtime woes
    • Choose an appropriate furry friend that resident cats welcome with open “paws”
    • Introduce the new arrival (including babies and kids) to the current cats
    • Solve common pet peeves: meowing, clawing, countertop cruising, door dashing and more!
    • Understand weird behaviors: phone attraction, mirror fear, “elevator butt” and toilet pests

    Below I’ve included an excerpt from Chapter 2: How Cats Think and hope you’ll enjoy. If you’re having kitty cat-astrophes or would just like to better understand what’s going on between your cats’ pointy ears, I hope you’ll consider checking out the new book. By the way, the “dog version” should be available sometime next month. :)

    Together with Mom!! (Copr. KrazyBoutCats/Flickr)

    The “Whoops” Effect

    A “whoops” experience can be happy accident or create behavior problems down the road. Kittens and cats continue to learn an incredible amount through observation, even after the prime socialization period ends. A friendly, trusting cat needs only a few positive interactions with a strange person to show positive behavior toward them, and it takes significant negative experiences to override this initial response. On the contrary, a shy cat needs LOTS of positive experiences with a stranger to overcome lack of socialization during the sensitive phase, and will react adversely toward even minor negative encounters.

    In other words, the socialized cat generalizes positive experiences quickly, but the unsocialized cat must learn gradually to trust the individual person or family and does NOT generalize later positive experiences. Instead she expects that one negative experience will apply to all new situations.

    When your current cat(s) know good manners, they serve as wonderful role models to new pets. By observing your interaction with a resident cat that meows at a certain time each day to get fed, Sheba more quickly makes that connection. Think of this as a positive “copycat” behavior. New cats also learn bad habits from a resident feline and vice versa. If you allow Sheba to get away with wild antics, the older cat also may start pushing your buttons. Adult cats learn by watching you, too. After seeing you open a door, they learn to jump up and hang on the door ‘lever’ to open it.

    Cats are experts at getting their way. They are so good at training owners, that we often don’t recognize we are being manipulated. Sheba easily trains you to fill the food bowl when she paw-pats you awake you at 5:30 a.m. It only takes one or two repetitions of this cause-and-effect for cats to remember what works in each situation. If rattling the wooden window blinds makes you let her out the door, she’ll remember and use that ploy again and again. Therefore, pay attention to not only what Sheba does, but your own resulting behavior, to get a clue how she’s training you.

    There are times when our patience runs out, and owners may be tempted to react with anger. To be blunt, corporeal punishment doesn’t work. Hitting, yelling, or using force not only is inhumane, it almost always makes the bad behavior worse. Dr. Lansberg explains that any strong arousal interferes with Sheba’s ability to learn because that portion of the brain must deal with the emotional fallout instead. Instead of thinking, these cats react out of instinct (the fight-or-flight response) and typically either attack, or hide. You’ll teach a lesson you don’t want Sheba to learn—to fear or dislike you.

    *****

    So then–have your cats ever learned a lesson you didn’t expect or appreciate? What did you do? Have your cats taught each other positive behavior or have the juvenile delinquent cats been a bad influence? Please share!

    I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you’d like answered? Do you have a new kitten and need answers? Stay up to date on all the latest just subscribe the blog, “like” me on Facebook, listen to the weekly radio show, check out weekly FREE PUPPY CARE newsletter, and sign up for Pet Peeves newsletter with excerpts from the forthcoming THRILLER, LOST & FOUND, and pet book give-aways!

    Category Cat Behavior & Care | Tags: ,,,,,,,,, | 8 Comments

  3. Feline Friday: Litter Box Problems, Dental Health and Cat Colors

    February 18, 2011 by Amy Shojai

    Teach kittens proper litter-ary manners from the beginning.

    Happy Feline Friday, and fair warning—today’s topics really stink. Probably no other behavior problem raises an owner’s blood pressure like common litter box problems. We often assume kitty knows what to do, and take great offense when they get creative outside the box. Recently I’ve received a couple of reader questions asking about kitty covering behavior.

    Covering poop is a normal cat behavior, right? Not necessarily. Feral cats rarely bury feces, and often leave waste on grassy tussocks that elevate and make it even more prominent. They may cover waste if nearer to home and young kittens. Ferals in managed colonies may be more fastidious. Learn more in this article about why, when and where cats cover poop.

    Do you brush your cat’s teeth? Certainly, the kitty won’t do it! Maybe Fluffy’s tuna-breath rivals rotten eggs. Bad breath makes us keep pets at arms’ length, and when the stink-meter goes up, it’s more than a social faux paws. Join Pet Peeves radio show to learn the hidden dangers of dental problems, some shocking statistics about YOUR pets, and cat-egorically (and dog-gone) amazing medical treatments. February is National pet Dental Health Care Month, and Dr. Brett Beckman, the president of the American Veterinary Dental Society, helps us learn how to clean up our furry act, and keep those teeth pristine and breath fresh in this Pet Peeves radio show.

    Had enough of smelly stuff? Here’s a fresh look—at kitty coat color. A cat’s crowning glory offers more than stunning good lucks. Some experts believe you can predict kitty personality based on coat color! There’s no doubt your special feline friend has a personality unique to her alone. But are there behavior differences between a black cat and an orange kitty? Genetics influences the color, pattern, and length of kitty’s crowning glory. So it follows that the same genes that create coat variations might influence other things as well. This fun article explains how—or if—your cat’s coat color can predict his c’attitudes.

    Purrs and trills,

    amy

    Category Cat Behavior & Care | Tags: ,,,,,,, | No Comments