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 Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 9:06 am
Tips For Training Your Kitty.
l Intro and Guidelines l Helpful Tips and Tricks l Links to other Helpful Pages l
.::Welcome::.
I'm staring this page to help Cat owners deal with Cat related issues. Such as:
Behavioral issues, Litterbox issues etc... This page, if successful will be user run,
so if someone suggests a remedy to a problem be advised that that remedy might
not work for everyone. Advice given here should never ever be taken as a substitute
for the advice of a trained veterinarian. I will also scan the posts in this forum and put
the answers to certain questions here on this one page for easier access to the
information you guys need.
Some guidelines to follow: DO post your problem or issue here. I and hopefully others will try to help as best we can. DO post a solution to another person's problem if it has worked for you in the past. DO post linkes to other pages that are helpful in resolving cat issues. DON'T judge anyone here. God knows I'm very willful, dramatic and outspoken myself about
certain issues, Probably more than anyone else in this forum I anger easily, but it is not my
intention that this page become a debate page. I mean it to be something like an encyclopedia
where you can look information up and get help without harassment for the benefit of the kitty.
So I will hold my tongue on certain issues and I expect everyone will do the same.
***Please keep posting advice here, even if no one has that particular problem. I will constantly
be checking the posts and putting the advice in the proper section.***
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Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 9:07 am
House SoilingQ: Why is my cat is doing his business all over the house? and what can I do about it?
A: First off, is this a problem that just happened suddenly? Was the cat using it fine before?
If so, you might want to take him to the vet to see if he has a urinary tract infection.
A: Have you changed his litter brand recently? If so change it back a.s.a.p
A: Do you have multiple cats using one litter box? If so get another litterbox.
A: If you just got a new type of litter box with maybe let's say a lid on it, try removing the lid.
A: Are the litterboxes clean? You should clean them everyday. Can you imagine going to the
bathroom when the toilet has not been flushed in a week.
A: He may be marking his territory if you just introduced a new cat into the house. Or if a new
neighbourhood cat comes crawling up to the house window. Scratching Issues/biting issuesQ: My cat keeps scratching the furniture? What can I do?
A: Get a scratching post. To make the scratching post more attractive to kitty, rub some catnip
on it. If catnip doesn't work, feed your kitty near the scratching post.
A: Cats hate the smell of anything citrus, spray your furniture with a lemony or orangy spray to
repel them.
A: Cover the area of furniture where they scratch with double-sided tape, bubble wrap or tin foil.
A: Clip the cat's nails.
A: Get Claw caps. (Claw caps are small plastic caps held on with glue that cover your kitty's
claw. The ones I've used in the past have small rounded plastic balls on the tips. It will take
a little time for kitty to get used to them as they feel unnatural to them, but they are an excellent
and effective alternative to declawing surgery.)
Q: My cat keeps scratching me? What can I do?
A: Let's not forget cat's are predators and they have the instinct and reflexes to match.
They jump from behind a door and scratch your ankle in a playful manor that may
result in a painful scratch. So to reduce these little accidents, get your kitty a
scratching post and a lot of fun toys to play with. Also, clip their nails or get claw caps.
A: Cats also scratch you if they get annoyed with you. The key word is annoyed with
YOU. It means your doing something to her that annoys her. If they have been petted
enough they will let you know by swatting at you with her claws, It's just their way of
telling you to back off. They really don't mean to hurt you, it's just in the wild they use
their claws even with members of their own family to get the message of "leave me
alone" across. Some cats are more moody than others. My advice is to just let them be.
Come back later when they are in a better mood.
Q: My cat chews on my shoes, laces slippers, phone cords... etc. How do I stop her?
A: Cat's chew for many reasons, They may have been weened to early, vitamin deficiency,
teething in kittens or dental problems in adult cats.
Dental problems should be checked on by a vet. also if vitamin deficiency is suspected, get
vitamin suppliments from the vet or a better brand of food. If it's another non-medical reason
like being weened too early than you can cover electrical cords and phone cords. Or use
sprays such as Cayenne pepper spray, Orange oil spray, Bitter apple spray etc.
Or just remove the object and/or substitute it with some thing else like cat n**.
A: If they are chewing something that smells like you it means that they where weened to
early from their Mama and they need love and protection from you. If you love them enough
and make them feel secure this behavior will go away on it's own once they mature.
If they on the other hand are chewing themselves and I don't mean the 2-3 second chew
that they do when they are grooming themselves to dislodge a partical in their fur.
I mean constant chewing that goes on for a while than there is something really wrong
and you should take him to the vet.
Q: My cat always bites me or other people. How can I discourage this?
A: Cats usually use biting as a last resort when someone is annoying them, (and I stress the
words "last resort") for example: If you are petting your cat and he suddenly bites you, than
you have missed all of his signals to leave him alone, like his tail thumping and lashing, skin
rippleing, growling, he stopped purring, ears flicking etc... the list goes on. You see he has given
you may signs to leave him alone, but you missed them all so his last resort is to use deadly force.
A: Other reasons cats bite is to play especially if they are kittens, your fingers in a cats eye's
represent prey. Try this at home and you'll see what I mean. First off make sure that he's not biting
you because he's annoyed with you. Make sure he's in a playful mood or else you'll end up with a
killer bite. Quickley move you hand from side to side and wiggle your fingers across the floor, couch,
bed or wherever he is. He will pounce on your hand biting your fingers. DO NOT pull your hand away
when he does this, it will cause him to bite down harder because he thinks his prey is not dead
yet and getting away. Let your hand go limp when he nips at you, and he will let it go or start
licking it instead. He does this because now he thinks the prey is dead and there's no need to sink
your teeth into something if it's already dead, unless of course you forgot to feed him, Then he may
decide to take a chunk out of you. If that happens then just distract him with your other hand while
you remove yourself from the play. Anlina First, are all the cats spayed or neutered? Intact cats are more likely to be territorial and aggressive. Also, make sure that the cats have their own litterboxes and their own dishes and separate areas to eat, so that there is less reason to get territorial. Give them their own space - keep the cats in separate rooms if need be, and let them out for supervised introductions. I haven't tried any of these myself, as my girls get along just fine, but here's a few things you might try: Feliway http://www.feliway.uk.com/It's a synthetic cat facial pheromone that is supposed to provide a calming and destressing effect. It helps with inappropriate urine marking, stress and aggression. Flower essencesJust a couple of random pages: http://www.catfaeries.com/essences.htmlhttp://www.rainbowcrystal.com/bach/floweran.htmlThey're supposed to provide a calming effect that restores emotional balance. There's difference essences for different situations. Clicker traininghttp://www.clickertraining.com/Clicker training can be effective in resolving a wide range of undesirable behaviour and can help calm down cats that are aggressive. By marking and rewarding good behaviour the cat learns what is desirable and undesirable behaviours are reduced because they are not rewarding. Anti-anxiety medicationIf there is a very high level of stress in the household and they're not integrating you might consider talking to your vet about getting some anti-anxiety medications for the cats. Your vet would be the best to advise you on what would be most appropriate.
A: Mainly Stress, sometimes depression. Normal grooming is very pleasant for the cat. So when
they are stressed or depressed they tend to excessively groom themselves to get more of that
"good feeling". Usually it's a life event like a new baby, new cat in the house, your away from home
a lot, moving etc... if they have bald patches on them than it is a serious problem, talk to your vet
about medications for depression or anxiety.
A: Stress is the main factor for excessive grooming but let's not forget it could also be skin irritations,
allergies, ringworm or parasites such as fleas and mites. All of which your vet can help you with.
Multi-cat households Temily_Emily Multiple Cats Tip. It's recommended that you have one litter box per cat, plus one. Ex: 2 cats = 3 litter boxes. Ex: 4 cats = 5 litter boxes. Some cats are fussy about sharing a litter box and this can lead to them finding "alternate" bathroom solutions. With multiple litter boxes the fussy cat can then avoid the box frequented by the other cat. However it is possible to have multiple cats and one litter box. One litter box works for me because my two cats grew up sharing a litter box and they have never had any "accidents".
Temily_Emily's tip reminded me of this problem I myself had. I was going to college so I was living at home with my mother to help pay for school money was tight and both of us had to live in a bachelor apartment for at least one year. bachelor pads are very small only one room. And we had 2 cats there was no room for multiple litter boxes. So the vet recommended one giant litterbox. If you take this option though the litterbox must be cleaned multiple times during the day not just once a day. Cat allergies (humans allergic to cats)Cat allergies (cats allergic to...)Excessive Meowing and other attention seeking behavior. Shy catsFiniky eatersOverweight cats
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Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 9:08 am
Links to Other pages of interest:
Behavior and Training Guides
http://animals.howstuffworks.com/pets/how-to-solve-cat-behavior-problems.htm
http://cats.about.com/od/behaviortraining/Feline_Behavior_Issues_and_Training.htm
http://maxshouse.com/behavior__training.htm
Declawing Alternatives
http://www.stickypaws.com/
http://www.softpaws.com/
Declawing resources - information about declawing & consequences
http://www.de-clawing.com/
http://declaw.lisaviolet.com/
http://www.declawing.com/
http://community-2.webtv.net/zuzu22/STOPDECLAWCOM/
http://www.pawproject.com/html/faqs.asp
http://www.petstation.com/declaw.html
http://www.declaw.org/
http://www.sniksnak.com/cathealth/declaw.html
http://www.declaw.com/
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Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 9:11 am
wahmbulance This page is still under construction. Please help me fill it with good advice. Post your problem or a solution to a problem you may have encountered. wahmbulance
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Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 9:20 am
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Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 9:21 am
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Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 6:45 pm
Multiple Cats Tip.
It's recommended that you have one litter box per cat, plus one.
Ex: 2 cats = 3 litter boxes.
Ex: 4 cats = 5 litter boxes.
Some cats are fussy about sharing a litter box and this can lead to them finding "alternate" bathroom solutions. With multiple litter boxes the fussy cat can then avoid the box frequented by the other cat.
However it is possible to have multiple cats and one litter box.
One litter box works for me because my two cats grew up sharing a litter box and they have never had any "accidents".
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Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2008 4:44 am
Thank you, That's a great tip. Which reminds me of one of my own. heart
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