Category Archives: Pet Care Tips

Cat behavior: Love Hurts! When your cat says “FANGS for the new home!”

We’ve all seen examples of the “perfect” cat, who will curl up with you on the couch and let you pet and brush him for hours, and who sleeps peacefully at the foot of your bed all night long.

In reality, cats are individuals just like their humans, and they have their own ideas about… well, just about everything!

One of our fabulous recent cat adopters has a question about their new family member’s “biting” behavior:

“…how can we keep her from biting when she gets overly excited. At night when we are sleeping she will jump up and bite our hands to wake us up to pet her, or if she’s sitting by us and we are petting her, she gets so excited that she will randomly attack our hand… why does she do this and how can we make her stop?”

There are two separate issues at play (no pun intended). First, the waking up for play and attention:

Although we all try to get our cats to adjust to the human sleep schedule, in nature, cats are nocturnal. Many cats adopted from shelters have embraced their nocturnal nature by the time they find a forever home, and it can take some time and discipline to get them to accept the humans’ idea of sleep time.

The most important thing in this situation is to not reward the cat’s unwanted nighttime behavior by giving them what they want. At the cat’s first attempt to wake you, say “No!” and push the cat gently away, then tuck those arms under the covers so she can’t continue to nip at your hands.

The next “escalation” of nighttime training can be the addition of a spray bottle of water within easy reach of the bed – this works best if there are two people, so that the one who is not being approached to play can squirt kitty “out of nowhere” so she doesn’t associate the squirting with a person but with her own behavior. You want her to learn “when I wake up my person, it rains on me” rather than “my person is a mean old water monster”! Some people have success with this method but choose to replace the squirt bottle with a burst of compressed air. Whichever deterrent you prefer, it is important to use it only while the cat is actively nipping or pawing to wake you up; you don’t want to teach the cat to avoid the bed, just to avoid the unwanted behavior.

If in-bed deterrents aren’t appealing to you, or don’t work, the final suggestion is to remove the cat from the bedroom the first time she wakes you. Just calmly say “No” as you pick kitty up and place her outside the bedroom door, which you then close. The first nights you try this, you may be subjected to meowing, pawing at the door, and rattling of the doorknob… earplugs can work wonders.

Cats are more trainable than many people think – they are usually quite smart, and will make the connection between “I nip my sleeping person’s hand” and “I am – spritzed, or puffed, or evicted” fairly quickly. The key is consistency – NEVER reward unwanted behavior by giving the cat what they want (which is generally attention), and ALWAYS use the same techniques to deflect or deter the unwanted nighttime wake-up call.

Now, on to the second issue – biting during petting or grooming sessions:

This sort of biting is generally called “overstimulation biting” and occurs when the cat’s humans don’t understand or pay attention to the cat’s body language. In simplistic terms, think of petting or grooming as an activity that fills up the cat’s affection cup. Once the cup is full, the cat becomes annoyed at the extra affection spilling out over the top, and begins to say “enough already” by some or all of these signals: flattened ears, swishing tail, twitching back, narrowed eyes, dilated pupils. Once you see any of those signs, it’s time to calmly disengage from petting or grooming, to give kitty time to absorb the affection stored in the cup.

The most common areas of the cat that lead to overstimulation are the back/tail and the belly; they usually will tolerate more petting around the head and neck, and chin scritches are welcome too.

If you want to increase your individual cat’s tolerance so you can have longer petting or grooming sessions, it can be done with some patience and dedication.

First, you need to find out how long on average you can pet your cat before she starts showing any signs of overstimulation. Let’s say she makes it for 3 minutes before that first tail twitch starts. Now that you know she has a 3-minute tolerance, spend several days petting her for only 2.5 minutes, so your petting sessions always end with her happy and content.

After several days of successful petting sessions, you can gradually increase the length of time for the sessions – add 20 or 30 seconds each day or two so she learns to tolerate gradually longer sessions. If she does get overstimulated and bite, say “No bite!” and gently remove your hand and end the petting session; go back to the shorter length for a few more days before gradually increasing the time again.

There are also cats who are simply “love nippers” – they really can’t help it, they want to gently grab a little bit of their favorite human between their teeth, without any overstimulation issues at all. While it seems a bit weird, love nips are actually a great compliment – your kitty adores you! Just use the training tips to let her know humans don’t like bites, and she’ll get the hint.

Here is my cat, George, letting me know it’s time to STOP:

George's lightning-fast overstimulation response

George says "stop petting me. NOW!"

Bringing Home Your New Cat

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Welcome home

One key to making successful shelter cat placements is managing the expectations of their new people. Here is some information, gleaned from various websites and the personal experiences of our adopters and volunteers, which we like to share with each cat adopter before the day they bring their new family member home. Have other ideas to help make the transition easier? Send us a comment below! You can never have too much good advice.

Welcome home!

Finding the cat of your dreams may have been easy, but fitting a new feline friend into your household usually requires a little patience and time.

To make your cat’s transition as comfortable as possible, we recommend placing her in a quiet, closed-in area such as a bedroom or a small room away from the main foot traffic and other pets, providing food, water, and a litterbox. Let your new pet get used to that one area for the first few days, sniffing your belongings and finding hiding places. Make frequent visits to play with, feed, pet, and interact with your new cat. Then you can begin slowly introducing her to the rest of your house, including the other pets. We recommend keeping cats indoors at all times for their health and safety, and that of the birds and other outdoor animals, BUT if you decide you want your cat to be an indoor/outdoor cat, do NOT let her go outside for at least two weeks after bringing her home, and then begin with short, supervised visits to the yard, so your cat can get her bearings and recognize her home turf. Always put a collar with ID information on a cat who goes outside.

Cat Buddies

INTRODUCING A NEW CAT TO A RESIDENT CAT

Your resident cat will sense this “intruder” in his home; be sure to spend extra time with your resident cat, to help relieve anxiety and tension. Place your resident cat’s food dish near the door to the room where the new cat is confined. Gradually move the confined cat’s food closer to the inside of the door. Feed them at the same time so they are separated by only the closed door. Some growling and hissing is to be expected – this is NORMAL and does not mean the cats will never tolerate each other!

When neither cat growls, hisses, or spits, you are ready to move on to the next step: confine your resident cat, with its own food, water, and litter box, to a location with which he is comfortable. Allow the new cat to explore your home for brief periods, accompanying it to give it the comfort of your presence as it explores. Then return the new cat to her “safe room” and let your resident cat out of its room.

It is a good idea to rub each cat with a cloth to transfer its scent to the cloth, then place the cloth with the other cat so they can get used to each other’s scents.

After several days of this, you may be ready to let both cats roam in your house for the first time; try to plan this for mealtime. Feed the cats in each other’s presence, placing their food dishes a comfortable distance apart. Some hissing and hesitation are to be expected; hopefully the food will distract them from each other. Wait only a few minutes after eating to return the new cat to its “safe room.” If either cat is too disturbed to eat in the other’s presence, return the new cat to its “safe room” and try again the next day. You can gradually move their food dishes closer to each other; allow the cats to spend progressively longer periods together after they have eaten. It is advisable to maintain one litter box for each cat, although when they have accepted each other, each cat will likely use both boxes. Be patient; most cats learn to accept each other over time.

Some anxiety in the resident cat can be alleviated by ignoring the new cat in the resident cat’s presence, and referring to the new cat as “resident-cat’s-name’s friend, new-cat’s-name” (example: “This is Sneakers’ friend Pumpkin, Sneakers will love to play with Pumpkin…”). Sounds weird, but it works!

Cat + Dog

INTRODUCING A NEW CAT TO A RESIDENT DOG

Be sure the dog is restrained on a firmly held short leash and the cat is free to escape; do not allow the cat to come within the dog’s biting range. if your dog guards its food, the cat may risk injury if it approaches the dog’s food, and it may be necessary to move the dog’s food or confine the cat. If the dog acts aggressively toward the cat, use corrective behavior techniques with the dog. Dogs can usually be trained to ignore, or even play with, cats.

COMMON ISSUES WITH A NEW CAT OR KITTEN

My kitten doesn’t use his litterbox!

Sometimes cats and kittens are a bit overwhelmed when going to their new home; if they are allowed to roam in too large a space, they may take some time to learn where the litterbox is, and this can lead to accidents. If you confine your new cat to one room at first, you can then gradually move his litterbox out of that room and into your preferred location, by moving it a few feet per day. The cat will most likely follow the box! If you witness your kitten missing the box, you can place the kitten into the box and move its paw in a scratching motion – this helps the kitten associate the box with a place it can bury its waste.

My cat uses his litterbox, but sometimes she prefers to use my houseplants!

Fresh dirt can be irresistible to some cats looking for a burial spot; to discourage this behavior, cover the soil surface with pinecones – big and spiny are best.

My cat has runny stools!

This is an extremely common situation for cats and kittens moving to a new home; cats have very sensitive digestive systems, and just the stress of a big change can be enough to bring on diarrhea. Changes in diet that occur in a new home can also contribute to this problem. It will usually clear up on its own in a few days; be sure the cat has enough water and easy access to the litterbox. If the problem persists or worsens, consult your veterinarian – although shelters do their best to prevent and eradicate diseases among cats, there are a number of minor things that can cause diarrhea; most are easily treated once identified by a stool sample.

My kitten is sneezing and has runny eyes and nose!

One of the most common ailments to strike cats and kittens right after moving to a new home is the upper respiratory infection, or URI. Again, stress is the culprit; kittens that showed no symptoms prior to being placed in the carrier for transport, can begin showing symptoms in a matter of hours after arriving in the vast, scary, unknown world of your house. Usually, the kitten’s immune system will fight off the URI in just a few days without any veterinary intervention. The closest human example is the common cold; when we are stressed, we are more susceptible to infection by the virus, but generally fight it off quickly with just a bit of chicken soup. (Yes, go ahead and give chicken soup to the kitten if it makes you feel better). If your kitten is not listless or dehydrated, and not running a very high fever, there really won’t be much else you can do to help them get over the “cold” besides cuddling and petting them (OK, OK, and chicken soup). If, however, your kitten’s nose or eyes begin secreting yellowish or greenish mucous, or the third eyelid begins showing prominently, or your kitten is extremely listless, he may be suffering from a secondary bacterial infection – those CAN be treated with a course of easily administered antibiotics, so definitely take him to see the doctor, and “supercharge” that chicken soup.

My kitten is shredding my couch!

Inappropriate scratching CAN be cured. The first thing is to provide several appropriate scratching places so your kitten can choose the material it likes; sisal posts, corrugated cardboard pads, even logs have been used with success. Then, to discourage the unwanted scratching, wrap the chosen item in tape, sticky side out – cats DESPISE this feeling on their paws.

My cat won’t come out from under the bed!

She is undoubtedly frightened and disoriented by being in a new place; use this room as her “safe room” for the first few days, and go in and talk quietly to her, read her a book, play music for her – but DON’T force her to come out. She wants to be friends – she’s just not sure what to expect. Take your time and show her you’re not a big, scary monster, and that she now belongs with you – no more cages or uncertainty! Cats can be a challenge, but a little patience works wonders.

Here’s a good article on cat communication: http://www.wikihow.com/Communicate-with-Your-Cat

Image Credits:
Cat Buddies: Copyright © 2003 Kim Gillen, available under CC-BY-SA 3.0 Unported.
Cat + Dog: Copyright © 2010 Sean Gillen, available under CC-BY-SA 3.0 Unported.

Bringing Home Your New Dog

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Yay, a new toy!

One key to making successful shelter dog placements is managing the expectations of their new people. Here is some information, gleaned from various websites and the personal experiences of our adopters and volunteers, which we like to share with each dog adopter before the day they bring their new family member home. Have other ideas to help make the transition easier? Send us a comment below! You can never have too much good advice.

Welcome home!

Finding the dog of your dreams may have been easy, but fitting a new canine friend into your household usually requires a little patience and time.

To make your dog’s transition as comfortable as possible, we recommend keeping your new dog on a leash or at your side at first. Show him where his water and food dish are kept. Show him where he is to sleep. When he is indoors be sure to keep him confined or with you, taking him outdoors at frequent intervals to relieve himself. Take him to the same spot each time and praise him heartily when he goes. Until he learns this new routine he will have to be watched closely. If there is an accident in the house please do not assume he is not housebroken. He must get accustomed to his new home and his new routines. However, if you catch him in the act of eliminating in the house, loudly say “NO!” and take him outside immediately. NEVER hit your dog if an accident occurs. Praise, not punishment, is the key to a well behaved pet.

The first couple of weeks you and your pet are “getting to know one another”; he doesn’t know why he has come to your home, nor what is expected of him. Please be patient with him and anticipate problems before they occur. Don’t leave tempting shoes, clothing, or children’s toys within reach of your dog.

When he’s first settling in, your dog may experience shyness, anxiety, restlessness, excitement, crying or barking. He may exhibit excessive water drinking, frequent urination, or diarrhea. His appetite may not be good. It is best to continue feeding the food your dog is used to from the shelter, and to slowly mix that food in with the food you and your veterinarian have chosen for your dog’s new regular diet. Until your dog is settled, try to give bits of his regular kibble as treats, rather than introducing new forms of treats that may upset your dog’s digestive system; new treats may be added slowly after the dog has settled into his new routine in your home. If your dog exhibits any medical symptoms that last more than a few days, take him to your veterinarian for evaluation.

Your new dog must learn a whole set of new rules. Be patient and be consistent. If you want him off the furniture, don’t allow him to sit on the couch “sometimes”. Don’t allow him to do something one time and forbid it another. There are numerous resources for training tips and methods, online and at your library. If you have access to obedience classes, they can be a great way to bond with your new dog and teach him what you want him to do – dogs just want to please you!

Meeting the Big Dog

INTRODUCING A NEW DOG TO A RESIDENT DOG

Introduce the dogs in a neutral location so that your resident dog is less likely to view the newcomer as a territorial intruder. Each dog should be handled by a separate person. With both dogs on a leash, take them to an area with which neither is familiar, such as a park or a neighbor’s yard. From the first meeting, you want both dogs to expect “good things” to happen when they’re in each other’s presence. Let them sniff each other, which is normal canine greeting behavior. As they do, talk to them in a happy, friendly tone of voice – never use a threatening tone of voice. Don’t allow them to investigate and sniff each other for a prolonged time, as this may escalate to an aggressive response. After a short time, get both dogs’ attention, and give each dog a treat in return for obeying a simple command, such as “sit” or “stay.” Take the dogs for a walk and let them sniff and investigate each other at intervals. Continue with the “happy talk,” food rewards and simple commands. Watch carefully for body postures that indicate an aggressive response, including hair standing up on the other dog’s back, teeth-baring, deep growls, a stiff legged gait or a prolonged stare. If you see such postures, interrupt the interaction immediately by calmly and positively getting each dog interested in something else.

Puppies usually pester adult dogs unmercifully. Before the age of four months, puppies may not recognize subtle body postures from adult dogs signaling that they’ve had enough. Well-socialized adult dogs with good temperaments may set limits with puppies with a growl or snarl. These behaviors are normal and should be allowed. Adult dogs that aren’t well-socialized, or that have a history of fighting with other dogs, may attempt to set limits with more aggressive behaviors, such as biting, which could harm the puppy. For this reason, a puppy shouldn’t be left alone with an adult dog until you’re confident the puppy isn’t in any danger. Be sure to give the adult dog some quiet time away from the puppy, and perhaps, some individual attention as described above. (Humane Society of the United States, 2009)

Fast Friends

INTRODUCING A NEW DOG TO A RESIDENT CAT
Be sure the dog is restrained on a firmly held short leash and the cat is free to escape; do not allow the cat to come within the dog’s biting range. If your dog guards its food, the cat may risk injury if it approaches the dog’s food, and it may be necessary to move the dog’s food or confine the cat. If the dog acts aggressively toward the cat, use corrective behavior techniques with the dog. Dogs can usually be trained to ignore, or even play with, cats. When you leave the house, separate the animals in physically, securely separated areas. Give each access to water, a bed or other suitable resting place, and some toys. Be sure the cat has access to a litter box. For the cat’s safety, make sure the cat has escape routes to get away from the dog. For example, a cat door leading to another room in the house and ledges on which he can easily jump. Always provide places where each animal can retreat for safety and privacy, a spot that is his or hers alone. A cat can use the top of the refrigerator; a dog can use a crate. (Fry, 2005)

HOUSETRAINING TIPS:

Consistency is the key. One well-received training method involves three different types of confinement.

1. When you will be at home, keep the puppy on a leash at your side at all times. Take him outside each hour, to your chosen “bathroom” area, and stay there for 5-10 minutes. If your pup goes, praise him enthusiastically and reward him with a treat. If he doesn’t go, just bring him back inside and keep him on the leash next to you; repeat the process in another hour.

2. When you will be away for short periods (1-2 hours for very young pups, 3-6 hours for older pups), confine the pup to his comfy crate with his favorite cuddly toy and a treat; make the crate a fun place for him, but make sure it isn’t large enough for him to choose one corner as his bathroom! He needs just enough room to stand up, turn around, lie down, and have small food & water dishes available. He will try VERY VERY HARD to not soil his crate if it is his “bedroom” and “kitchen” and doesn’t have room to be the “bathroom” too. Be sure to let the pup outside immediately when you return, and praise him and reward him when he goes (particularly if he tries to make it all the way to the designated spot in the yard).

3. When you must be away for a longer period, it is unrealistic to expect a young pup to “hold it” for 5, 8, or 10 hours. Instead, you must find a place where the pup can be confined to a cleanable area; many people use exercise pens on a bathroom, laundry room, kitchen or garage floor. Inside the pen, place newspapers across most of the floor space; put the puppy’s crate inside the pen, propped open, with a comfort toy and a treat, and put food and water dishes close to the crate; you have now created the bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom areas for the pup. As your pup gets better at this, gradually reduce the amount of floor that is covered in newspaper… your pup will eventually become so good at going only on the paper, that you can leave just one width of newspaper down and the pup will go there every time. (NOTE: adult dogs trained in this method can reliably be expected to seek out any newspaper they can find if they are left at home alone for a little too long; this can save your slippers in the long run).

If this method doesn’t work for you, there are many websites and books dedicated to different training methods – keep trying until you find one that works for you AND your new companion! Here’s a great web article: http://www.wikihow.com/Communicate-With-Your-Dog

Enjoy your new friend – here’s hoping you have many happy years to enjoy each other!

Bibliography

Animal Match Rescue Team, Initials. (2011, May 15). Tips on adopting a dog. Retrieved from http://www.amrt.net/adoptdog.html
Fry, J. (2005, September 25). Bringing a dog into a cat’s home. Retrieved from http://en.allexperts.com/q/Ask-Veterinarian-700/Bringing-dog-cat-home.htm
Humane Society of the United States, The. (2009, November 3). Introducing a dog to other pets. Retrieved from http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/dogs/tips/introducing_new_dog.html

Single Kitten Syndrome – yoo haz it?

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Crazy Kitteh

Kittens are like hyper-wound balls of energy, and work off their energy best when having another animal to play with. Two kittens around the same age do well together because they are both at the same stage of development, and both want to POUNCE and TUSSLE and ROLL and RACE AROUND.

In the absence of a second kitten, one kitten will turn their attentions either to another animal in the house – and hopefully that animal will enjoy the activity – OR in the absence of a responsive animal, will turn their attentions to their people and surroundings.

When I was 8 I begged and begged my parents for this one fabulous kitten… they relented, and I had my first Maine Coon, wow! He was an awesome cat and lived for 24 years, BUT his kittenhood in a home with no other kittens to wrestle with and pounce on was a HOLY TERROR!

He would race down the hall, up one side of the living room drapes, tear across to the other side, then slide down with his claws SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEing through the drape material. Then it was off for a bounce and a flying squirrel leap onto the wall, with a slow slide through the wallpaper with the claws. Then three sideways leaps and a POUNCE and CHOMP on whatever ankle happened to be walking past. You get the idea.

We found out later from our vet that he was suffering from “single kitten syndrome” – he needed to work out his kitten energies on a member of his own species rather than on anyone stumbling to the bathroom at 2:00 a.m. Just something to consider, and maybe talk it over with your vet.

Can’t help it, you only get to have one kitten? You can help simulate a kitten buddy by putting a plush toy on the end of a sturdy stick, and using it to “wrestle” with your kitten. Another plush toy in kitty’s favorite sleeping spot can substitute for a cuddle buddy. Finally, playing with wand-style toys encourages your kitten to run and leap and work off some of that endless kitten energy.

One important tip: do NOT use a hand or foot to wrestle with your kitten. Sure, it’s adorable when your little 2-pound fluff-ball is ferociously attacking your fist – everyone laughs! Fast forward a couple of years, and you now have a beefy 16-pound kitty, who learned that attacking your body parts is both fun and acceptable. Not laughing now, are you? Ow.

Here is some additional information from PAWS Chicago; they feel more strongly about the issue than we at Forget Me Not do, and we trust you to decide what is best for you and your family.

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Forget Me Not Shelter Blog

The official volunteer-driven blog of the Forget Me Not Shelter.