Yesterday I had a cat behavior consultation that was special and well worth blogging about, with the consent of my client, of course.

My client, M, and her husband live in the hills, overlooking Cupertino. The house is lovely, with large windows that overlooked the Bay Area. The view immediately out of the window is of a deck, trees and panoramas of untouched land. All of this beauty and the house is only about 5 minutes above the city.     

M and her husband initially contacted me about Chloe, their small Abyssinian cat who, for the past few months had been exhibiting aggression without any obvious provocation. Yesterday was no exception. Throughout most of my visit, Chloe was very agitated, growling, jumpy, pupils constricted and eyes fixated on us. The cat had been to the veterinarian, who had ruled out any medical or neurological reasons for the behavior.

The cause of the extreme aggression was a puzzle. In order to come up with good recommendations, it was important that I identify the triggers. M, her husband and I discussed the possibilities. As we chatted, a slight movement outside the window caught my attention. I watched as a self-assured, juvenile male bobcat nonchalantly wandered up to the window, pressed his nose against the glass and fixed a stare on little Chloe that would send shudders through any self-respecting cat. To top it off, the bobcat licked his mouth… you could see him calculating how to make that little Chloe his evening appetizer.

I didn’t have to look any further for what was triggering Chloe’s aggressive behavior.

According to M, the juvenile bobcat had made an appearance a few weeks ago accompanied by a kitten and a female. I wonder if the little family is denning under the deck. They have everything they need to survive. It’s warm, due to radiant heat from the house and it’s protected from the rain and wind. Also, unknowingly, M has been providing the Bobs free meals since she feeds the birds on the deck. The bird feed, falling out of the feeder attracts cute little chipmunks and other rodents, easy meals for a bobcat.

I am puzzled about why bobcats are coming so close to homes. My experience, until recently, has been that they go out of their way to avoid people and stay far away from our homes. This was my second bobcat sighting within the month. A few weeks ago, at another client, a female bobcat paid a visit, basking in the sun by the pool.

Most of you know that I’m big on never letting cats outside. I know it’s a controversial subject, but in addition to healthier cats who live longer, I’ve noticed that people develop stronger bonds with their cats when they are inside 24/7. I think part of this is due to cat parents seeing more of their cat’s personality and individuality.

I am segueing away from the initial reason for this blog entry. Cats can be very happy living indoors 24/7.  All it takes is a little entertainment and enrichment. You can read more about it in USA Today and on page 6D of the printed version of USA Today.

I’m inspired to write a blog about how to properly introduce cats to each other since so many people do the introductions too fast and in a way that results in stress and aggression.

Introductions can be done with a minimum of stress. They need to be done slowly, it can take a month or longer to properly introduce cats to each other. Cats are territorial. It’s too much to ask any cat to accept a stranger into her house without proper introductions. People are the same way. We don’t react well when an uninvited stranger walks into our home. Neither do cats.

The newcomer needs her own room where she can be safe, away from any other animals. This will be her safe room, her sanctuary. It needs to be comfortable for her, with food, water, bed, cat boxes, a window to look out of and toys. The other reason she needs to be confined away from your resident cat is safety. Whenever bringing in a new cat, ALWAYS keep it completely separate from the other animals. There are diseases that can easily be transmitted to your other cats. In fact, I highly recommend keeping water hand cleaner handy. Use it after you interact with the newcomer. Too many diseases are so easily transmittable.

So… to those of you who think it’s an OK thing to put a cat in a carrier in the center of the room so that the cat “safely” meet the other cats… it is not OK, it is not safe. It also very scary for cats to be in a carrier for hours or days and it’s inhumane… I’m segueing again. Sorry…

Back to introducing cats. The goal is to encourage the cats to have positive associations through mutual activities while they are separated from each other. I’m posting some excerpts from a page that I give my clients on how to introduce cats to each other. I’m being slightly lazy because I need to post next about the 35 Bengals in need… now 45…

Judge by the cat’s responses in each phase to determine the length of each of the phases detailed below. There is no typical time frame. Every cat is different. If there is howling or hissing or any other signs of aggression, prolong the phases. Cats should remain separated from each other throughout the introduction process described below:

1. Twice a day: Use two clean socks or rags. Gently pet the new cat’s cheek with one sock, transferring pheromones onto the sock. Repeat, using the second sock on the resident cat’s cheek. Place each sock where the other cat hangs out, but not under their food, near litter boxes or in their sleeping area.

Socks must always be clean.

 2. Continue pheromone exchanges. Also, 2-3 times a day, feed the cats delicious treats or regular meals simultaneously, separated by the closed door. Try feeding close to the closed door. If, at first they either won’t eat or display aggression towards each other, back the food away from the closed door to a comfortable eating distance. When comfortable with the distance, move the feeding stations closer to the door until they are eating next to each other (separated by the closed door) without displaying aggression.

3. Continue the activities in Phase 2.

Twice a day: Continue to pet cheeks with socks. Instead of putting the socks where the other cats sleep, inch socks towards feeding stations. Use clean socks or rags each time.

Twice a day: encourage non-threatening interaction between the cats. Use a toy with something cat-intriguing on both ends. Position the double-ended toy under the door so the cats can play tug of war. Before play sessions spray Feliway spray on the bottom of the door. Don’t leave this toy out if you can’t supervise the play.

4. Continue the activities in Phase 3, separated by the closed door.

Change locations for a few hours every day, putting the resident cat in the newcomer’s room, allowing the newcomer to explore another area of the house.

Twice a day: Continue to pet cheeks with socks. Instead of putting the socks where the other cats sleep, pet their cheeks with the socks that have the other cat’s cheek pheromones on it.

5. Continue the activities in Phase 4, separated by the closed door.

Introduce cats to each other without the benefit of a closed door: Open the door to the confinement room. When door is opened, feed one cat at a distance from the room at the same time the other cat is being fed in the confinement room. The cats should be able to smell and hear each other and if possible, see each other. Gradually increase time the door is open by one second at every feeding time. Supervise! At any sign of aggression, divert the cats attention and close the door.

Watch the body and eye language and the locations the cats choose to occupy. Check for fur rippling, ear positions, fixed stares, pupils dilating, pounce postures, etc. If all OK, gradually extend their times together, supervising them

Once a day: Use clean towels. Pet the resident cat’s back and sides with a towel. Pet the new cat with another towel. Then exchange towels, petting each cat with the other’s towel.

Before I muse about safety in high places, I need to give a lame explanation. I know it’s been forever since I’ve blogged. I’ve been so busy with other projects, including consultations, my columns for Cat Fancy Magazine and catchannel.com and a few others, that I just haven’t been able to sit down and blog. My dad’s sad and awful death has also been on my mind. It’s been an up and down year…

Talking about ups and downs… a recent mishap with one of my cats has inspired me to write about the importance of safety around cat trees and high places. Last month, my 15 year old cat, Maulee had a terrible accident, which resulted in a major laceration, Ms. Maulee loved to sit about 7 feet high in my laundry room. Unfortunately, the pillow she was surveying her world from, shifted under her weight and she fell, causing her major damage. She did not land on her feet. The good news is that after surgery and many hours at the vet clinic, she’s fine.

Her accident has prompted me to talk about safety. Yes, cats do need high places to sit for a variety of reasons. Those high places need to be safe. If you have cat trees, make sure the bases are stable enough that the whole tree can’t topple over. You may need to either add a larger piece of wood on the base, or secure the cat tree to the wall somehow. Also, the shelves should be wide enough to accommodate at least one cat, if not two. Always provide escape hatches, so that a cat can’t be cornered. In other words, have more then one way off and on the top shelf and these shelves or pieces of furniture need to be at different heights.

If shelves are used for vertical territory, make sure they are really securely fastened into the wall. Also, they need to be wide. I like shelves that are at least 10 inches wide, with a lip. Again, there needs to be multiple ways up and down so that a cat can’t feel like she can be ambushed by another cat.

Don’t make my mistake! If there are pillows up high on shelves or high furniture, make sure they are secure so that your cat can’t accidentally knock them off and fall. Velcro might work for this.

I spent about one hour yesterday rearranging the location of one of my cat trees so that my cats didn’t have such a long way to jump off of the top of one of my cat trees. One of my cats had gotten into the uncomfortable habit of jumping from 7 feet down to the floor, instead of using the shelves

I am going to be back on KGO Radio, on the Ronn Owens Show Friday, February 13^that 11:00 AM PT. Anyway… I think I am. Ronn’s web site says he is going to be interviewing Jimmy Carter on “Friday February 12″ at 11:00. I am assuming he meant to write Thursday…  So… with any luck and with a typo correction, I will be giving cat behavior tips, answering questions from the listening audience and having fun talking with Ronn Owens on Friday the 13th. You can hear the interview live either on AM 810, or on the KGO Radio web site by clicking on the listen live button on the right. Since this is a live talk program, please call the program and ask your cat behavior questions.

The call in numbers are listed on the call in number page on the KGO site.

I promise I will write an entry for the blog soon. I have a couple of deadlines that I’m working hard to meet.

Many of you know that I’m dead set against using laser pointers to play with cats. Besides the potential harm from accidentally shining it in a cat’s eyes, laser pointer play is frustrating and unproductive for a cat.  In other words… laser pointers drive cats’ nuts.

Play is an extension of hunting. Play helps cats practice their essential hunting skills. Kittens learn the fine art of hunting through play. Part of the process of play and hunting is the final reward of capturing the prey. The capture is a very important component of play and of the hunt. Cats love the feel of freshly caught prey or a toy under their paws.

Laser pointers can never provide that quintessential feeling of satisfaction that comes with the capture. Instead cats become frustrated and drive themselves crazy trying to catch the elusive laser dot. No matter how hard they try, they will never catch it.

People argue that their cats love chasing the ever-elusive dot. Indeed, cats do love the chase, but the pleasure of the chase is quickly replaced with frustration and anxiety since they can never have the satisfaction of capturing their prey.

Poor Kingsley is facing some challenges right now. Kingsley, a Norwegian Forest Cat was very bonded to Bok Choi, the Bengal who crossed over a few weeks ago. Kingsley and Bok Choi were never more then a few feet away from each other. Where one went, the other followed. These two kitties were in love with each other. I knew that Bok Choi’s passing would have an affect on Kingsley. I just didn’t know how it would affect him.

All of the cats in my household are either Bengals or Savannahs. Kingsley is the only domestic cat without any recent wild blood in him. He doesn’t quite fit in. He’s a very smart boy but he doesn’t always get the joke. Bengals and Savannahs are like finely-tuned, high speed race cars, Norwegian Forest Cats are content to stick to the speed limit.

The Bengals and the Savannah have an established, yet dynamic hierarchy. The colony is established and it works. They are very bonded to each other and hang out with each other. The dynamic social structure they’ve established works very well. When Sudan, the large Savannah, decides he’s unhappy with someone, he simply sits on them. Very easy to do when you are twice the weight and height of everyone else. Kingsley has always mingled with the other cats, but he always preferred to keep company with Bok Choi. When Bok Choi lived with us, it was common to see Kingsley and him in the same room with the rest of the gang, sitting together, but apart from the others.

It’s taken Kingsley a couple of weeks to adjust to life without his buddy. Now he wants to find his place in the existing Cat Club.  Kingsley has never felt he should have second seating. He has always sat at the head of the table. That place is already taken. 

His biggest challenges are at night and before meal times. He first challenged Sudan, the very large Savannah. Sudan demobilized him by sitting on him.  Now he’s chasing two of my Bengal girls. There’s lots of vocalizing and stalking, no injuries except hurt feelings.

I am putting Kingsley on a tight activity schedule. He loves to be groomed, so he’s being groomed everyday on the bed. He loves the bed and is very happy sleeping and snuggling in faux leopard fur covers.  I’m adding another cat tree in the bedroom, one that is easy for him to climb. Doors are also a necessity. When it looks like Kingsley has his panties in a knot, I herd him into his room and close the door.

Poor Kingsley, I hope he finds his place in The Cat Club and that he settles down and stops trying to throw his weight around.

Kingsley

Cats are nature’s masterpiece. They are perfectly designed. They are compact and streamlined hunting machines. Every part of a cat has multiple jobs to perform. From the tips of sensitive whiskers to the bottom of silent paws, every part of a cat multi-tasks. Every part of a cat is perfect.

A cat’s claws and paws are good examples of this. Cats use their claws for many reasons. Defending themselves is one, catching prey is another.  Cats also need to scratch. When cat’s scratch, they are telling the world about themselves, broadcasting information, marking their territory. Cats have scent glands on the bottom of their paw pads that leave vital information about themselves. Additionally they are marking visually.

Cats give themselves manicures when they scratch. When we get manicures and pedicures, we spend lots of money and time in order to have perfectly shaped finger nails and toe nails. Cats have it made. All they have to do to maintain the health of their claws is scratch on a surface that has a certain texture and resistance.

When cats scratch they are stretching. Every morning my cats go to their favorite scratching posts and reach up as high as they can and scratch and stretch. They stretch every muscle with these daily stretches. We can learn a lot about how to properly stretch just by watching our cats scratch and stretch.

Cats do have to scratch. They don’t have to scratch the antique sofa or the Persian rug. They can be taught through methods that include positive reinforcement and modeling to scratch the right cat-centric furniture.  Declawing a cat is not a good solution to stop a cat from scratching furniture. Besides being painful and inhumane, it can lead to other behavior problems such as biting and inappropriate elimination.

I have been getting many questions about cat behavior from readers of my blog. It’s impossible for me to answer all of the questions. But… it just so happens… I am going to be the guest question-answerer on Petfinders Forum, starting the 10th of November through the 16th. So, please do surf on over during that time and ask questions about cat behavior and cat behavior challenges.

Thank you everyone for reading my blog, and thank you for commenting and asking questions. I wish I could answer them all.

Many of the cats that I see are over indulging in the culinary delights that are being offered to them. Lately, it seems that the majority of cats that I visit are more then pleasingly plump. Unfortunately, obesity is a health concern in cats. The Winn Foundation has a very good article on obesity in cats and why obesity puts cats at risk for diabetes, hepatic lipidosis as well as other diseases. One alarming fact in this article is that somewhere between 40-50% of household cats suffer from obesity.

Why do we see more cats now suffering from obesity? What can be done about it? There are few reasons for this obesity trend that we are seeing in our cats. I will focus on one of the causes and a few possible solutions.  

Thankfully, more people now keep their cats in 24/7 (a good thing), but they are failing to provide them adequate exercise and environmental enrichment. This is relatively easy to remedy through a few environmental additions and activities. Before doing any of these, please check with your veterinarian. Your vet may also prescribe a special diet for your porky kitty.

§        Treat balls. Many people free feed their cats, leaving bowls of food out all of the time for the cats. Free feeding and dry food can contribute to a cat’s over-weight challenges. If you must free feed, instead of leaving the food out in bowls, encourage your cat to work for his food. Put his food in treat balls. Treat balls are hard hollow balls with holes in them. You fill them either with dry food or treats. The cat has to work for his food, rolling the treat ball around in order to have access to the food. My favorite treat balls are Play-N-Treat and the Talk to me Treat balls.

§        Tall cat trees. Give your feline friend tall cat trees to climb. They should be at least 6 feet tall and have lots of wide shelves. Make sure the trees are stable and strong. Cats like cat trees that are placed next to secure windows. Putting bird feeders out in the spring or summer will provide endless hours of entertainment.

§        Treasure hunts. Use a small portion of your cat’s regular food and conduct treasure hunts. Hide the food up in the cat trees or on window perches or up on cabinets. The goal is for the cat to work for his food instead of grazing for food in a bowl.

§        Play time. Schedule regular play times with your cats. Use fishing pole toys and other toys that will encourage your cat to move around. Don’t overdo the exercise, gradually increase the time you play with your cat, based on your cat’s health and abilities. You do not want to over extend or compromise the health of the cat. Make sure to talk to your vet about the limits.

§        Interactive toys. TurboScratchers and puzzle boxes are a couple of fun interactive toys that can keep cats occupied for hours. TurboScratchers are round flat objects with a round cardboard scratcher in the middle, surrounded by a channel. In the channel there is a ping pong ball. You can add your cat’s favorite toys in the channel, or the channel can be another place for the treasure hunts. Puzzle boxes are boxes with lots of holes in them. There are already a few toys in the boxes and you can add your cat’s favorites. Additionally,  like the TurboScratcher, puzzle boxes can be used for treasure hunts.

§        Clicker training is always a great tool for encouraging your cat to move around and do various behaviors.

These are just a few suggestions on how to help your cat-friend slim down a little. It’s always a good idea to check with your veterinarian, you want to make sure that whatever weight loss or exercise plan you put your kitty on is safe and healthy.

If you have other ideas for helping cats slim down, please add them in the comments. I would love to see a discussion about this.