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Have plenty of fresh water available for your companion animals. Cool the water down with an ice cube. Add water to canned food to help keep them hydrated. Place water bowls in the shade for outside animals. Fill a 1-2 liter bottle with water, freeze it and put it accessible areas to help keep them cool. […]

07.27.14  Animals and children should never be left alone in cars. Temperatures inside cars quickly escalate and can have deadly consequences.

Litter box info-graphic Litter box issues are the number one reasons people seek me out for a cat behavior consultation. Because of that, I created this info-graphic. Hopefully it will help stop litter box problems before they begin. You are welcome to use and distribute it as is, without alteration.

Let’s Get Vertical! Cats need vertical territory. The term “vertical territory” is a catchall phrase that describes the high places cats climb and jump up too. It takes many forms—commercial and homemade. You do not have to go in debt in order to give your cats high places to hang out. You can make your […]

Although, I cherish all of my cats, there is one who stands out. I am not sure why that happens. Maulee was my heart cat. Maulee was my first Bengal. In 2001, we drove into a remote area in Oregon to adopt her. She was seven years old at the time. The woman who owned […]

The stage was set and it was time to start the cat introductions-- introducing Pillow to Sudan, through a combination of clicker training, management and environmental changes. Since Sudan does not like other cats, except the ones he grew up with, the introductions between the two cats needed to be slow and gradual. The good news […]

Pillow, an older cat is adjusting to his new home and life. He's the cat I inherited when my mom died recently. To help make the adjustment as stress-free as possible for him, I brought home the beds and blankets he favored at my mom’s house. Pillow is ignoring them, preferring to shoehorn himself in […]

Guess who this is! This is a caricature of yours truly and I love it! I’ve been writing two articles a month for Catster (Ask the Behaviorist) since February. Starting with my May 23rd article, this is my new visual identity in Catster. The artist is the talented Nigel Sussman. Although, I think he did […]

05.26.13 Encourage the shy cat to overcome shyness by ensuring that fun, positive things always happen when you are around him. Armed with treats the cat adores, give him a small treat whenever you see him. Instead of free-feeding, feed multiple meals a day.

05.19.13 Don’t approach, corner or force attention on shy cats. Instead, encourage them to socialize with you. Sit or crouch a distance from the cat and invite her to come to you by extending one finger towards the cat at her nose level. If she feels secure, she will approach your finger, touch it with […]