#sometimes your a chew toy for your husbands enrichment

[mangyraccooon]

“Who’s the mutt now?”

[ssteezyy]

Ask the Cat Behaviorist with Mikel Delgado: Why Does My Cat Chew on His Bowl, Why Does My Cat Slap the Other Cats, and More

I’m sad to announce that this will be Mikel’s last column. Mikel’s consulting practice and her work as researcher at the Veterinary School at UC Davis are taking up more and more of her time, which, even though it’s a loss for us, is not only a good thing for Mikel, but also for all the cats who will be helped as a result of her work. But don’t worry, the “Ask the Cat Behaviorist” column will continue, and will be taken over by Dr. Marci Koski of Feline Behavior Solutions starting in November.  Look for an introduction of Marci later and information on where to leave your questions for Marci later this month.

Mikel is a Certified Cat Behavior Consultant at Feline Minds, offering on-site consultations for cat guardians, shelters, and pet-related businesses in the San Francisco Bay Area, and remote consultations around the world. She obtained her PhD in Psychology at UC Berkeley, where she studied animal behavior and human-pet relationships. Mikel is co-author of Jackson Galaxy’s newest book, Total Cat Mojo: The Ultimate Guide to Life with Your Cat.

A message from Mikel to our readers

To the wonderful readers of the Conscious Cat:

I’ve had the pleasure of answering your behavior questions here for the past 18 months or so, and it’s been great to be a part of the Conscious Cat community! As my consulting practice and my work as a researcher at the Veterinary School at UC Davis have been keeping me extra busy, I’ve had to cut back on other things, and this will be my last column here, at least for now. However, if you have behavior questions, do NOT despair! You will be left in the very capable hands of Dr. Marci Koski, a colleague and fellow certified cat behavior consultant. She’s wonderful and I look forward to reading her column! Thank you for your questions and comments, and keep the faith in your kitties!

Best, Mikel

Cat chews side of his food bowl

Hi I have a 1 year old sphynx cat. For some reason he keeps biting the side of his food bowl when he’s trying to eat. Constantly chewing on the side of his bowl. I’ve read that cats usually eat from the center of their bowls because their whiskers will hit the sides of the bowl and cause discomfort. However, he does not have whiskers(stubs) because of his breed. Any suggestions on why he’s doing this? Thank you for your time – Tonia

Hi Tonia!

Well I could come up with a few hypotheses about the WHY – some teenage cats experience “juvenile gingivitis” which can lead them to seek relief by chewing on non-food items, so it might be worth having your vet check his gums. Other cats chew on things because they are bored. But since your kitty ONLY does this during his meals, it suggests that he either can’t distinguish the bowl from the food or that something about the bowl is getting in his way. Although he doesn’t have long whiskers, there could be something visually that is bothering him?

More important than the WHY to me, is – can we stop this behavior by changing his food dish? I’d start with trying something more shallow or even a different material – if his bowl is plastic, try ceramic or stainless steel, etc. And hey, why not skip the bowl altogether and feed him from food puzzles instead? That’s my favorite type of food dish – none at all!

Older cat slaps younger cat

I sent a question months ago about my two cats getting along (quick context: me and my boyfriend moved in together and his 2 year old female cat and my 1 year old female cat couldn’t get along AT ALL; we keep them in separate spaces of the apartment for MONTHS until recently, when they started to “coexist”).

My situation now is as follows: even then they coexist, and the older cat isn’t aggressive with the younger cat anymore, sometimes they’re both chilling in peace (sleeping in our bed, for example), and the older cat out of the blue comes for the younger cat and slap her in the face/body, but just one time. She does this quickly and then leaves, after just one slap, so I assume she’s not looking for a fight. Still, the younger cat freaks out and gets very scared.

Do you have recommendations of how we can manage her slapping behavior? They can coexist now without wanting to kill each other, which is a MAJOR improvement, but it is exhausting being aware of what the cats are doing all the time because we don’t want that the slap turns into a fight, obviously. Also the older cat is much bigger than the younger, and we don’t want any accidents.

We’ve tried to speak in a severe tone when the older cat is approaching the younger, when we can tell that she’s up to no good, and that sometimes works and the older cat gives up her desires of slapping the other cat, but still, we want a more long term solution to our problem. – Fran

Fran, I’m pleased to hear that your cats can co-exist in the same space, and I understand that the slapping behavior can be frustrating. One thing I always recommend is taking a cold, hard look at the resources you have available for your cats (such as multiple litter boxes, scratching posts, and feeding stations) and make sure you have enough options for them to be in the same room without having to share (such as when they are both on your bed – that might be too close for comfort).

Increasing vertical space via cat furniture and shelves can really go a long way toward allowing cats to be in the same space, yet be far enough apart that it’s just not worth it to get up and smack the other one in the face. High spaces, windows, and warmth tend to be primo territory, so make sure you have plenty of options in the rooms they want to spent time in (usually the same rooms we are in). Heated beds are a great way to “coax” cats to hang out in particular locations. For example, a heated bed on an elevated shelf in your bedroom might encourage one cat to sleep there when the other is on the bed.

When you can see the older cat is “up to no good,” rather than get punitive, can you distract her? Try making a noise that might break her focus on the younger cat, such as dropping a book or rattling a soda can with some pennies inside. You could also try tossing a small toy, such as a mouse or crinkle ball away from the younger cat, to draw the older cat’s attention away.

Territorial urine and stool marking

We have two indoor Siberian/Maine Coon mix female cats that we adopted as kittens, Vanya and Valentine, that are now 10 years old; we also have a semi-feral, Jack, who resides on our deck. No behavior problems until about 3 years ago when Vanya developed a urinary tract infection; she was treated for that and a while after became very territorial: she would leave “poopers” by the doors going outside, which I could deal with but then began urinating outside of the cat boxes (we do have 3 boxes); vet checked her again for urinary infections, negative on that, said her problems were behavioral, so we did the feliway plug ins to calm her, gave her vet prescribed Solliquin. She hisses at our other cat, also when people other than my husband and I try to pet her. I tried isolating Vanya to a room overnight with the urinating behavior providing a litter box, water, favorite toys and bed as she seemed to be doing the urinating outside the box at night. This worked for a while, then started up again when I let her roam at night, and she even urinated in the room while having freedom to be anywhere in the house at night. I have had carpets ruined from her urinating behavior and am at my wits end as to how to deal with this. I love her dearly, she will be very good for a while, sometimes even several months, then bad behavior again. We do live where there is wildlife outdoors and have wondered if the behavior is triggered by animals that may be around at night, so close blinds where I have them to prevent her seeing out but of course, am sure that she may hear and sense when they may be close to the house. Help!!!! Also should say that Vanya is very attached to me, follows me around house whenever I am here. – Suzanne Doin

Suzanne, I’m sorry to hear that you’ve had challenges with Vanya’s behavior. It does sounds like she has been cleared for medical issues, but it also sounds like there are a few stressors in her environment: it sounds like she and Valentine are not best of friends, and that sometimes she is forced to interact with strangers when she would rather not. Animals outdoors can definitely be an additional source of stress.

So you’ve tried Solliquin and Feliway, so now what?

Well, I first like to try to address stressors by improving the environment. I think you would benefit from a session with a qualified consultant who can help you improve Vanya and Valentine’s relationship, but remember the most important thing for cats: choices over resources. You have three litter boxes, which is great. Make sure they are in separate areas of the house. The same goes for scratching posts, food dishes, and cat beds: multiple options, spread out in the house!

It’s possible that the litter box itself is a source of stress, so you’ll want to ensure you are using an acceptable litter, and that the boxes are large, open, in safe locations (not too far out of the way) and are scooped daily.

You can help Vanya be less stressed by providing more routine, exercise and enrichment for her – such as vertical space, food puzzles, bird feeders to watch, and the like. And don’t forget the interactive play!! Getting her chasing a cat dancer toy will help build her confidence and help her feel more relaxed.

The research on Feliway is mixed, and there are no properly controlled studies of Solliquin (where some animals receive a placebo, unbeknownst to the owner) to determine its efficacy in addressing stress-related urination issues. It is possible that you may need something “stronger” to fix this problem, so it’s worth a discussion with your veterinarian or a veterinary behaviorist, about whether anti-anxiety medication would be appropriate!

New cat is not leaving safe room

Hi, I recently adopted a girl rescue cat aged 7, she is so soft and gentle and loving. I already have 3 rescue cats 2 boys aged 6 and 4 and a petite girl aged 5 and a half To begin with I kept the new kitty separate and did slow introductions which went very well, yes there was the odd hiss from mainly my boy cats but I was very happy with their progress. The new kitty is not the fighting type and will stand up for herself if needed but just backs away. My 3 previous cats come into the living room supervised where new kitty stays, but I am a bit concerned that the new cat hides and doesn’t explore other parts of the home, I think she isn’t confident enough from the other 3 Yes she seems happy in the living room but this is not suitable long term, I realize it is only early days but how can I help so that we don’t go backwards in our progress? I realize that there will be bumps and they won’t always see eye to eye but would welcome any advice. Thank you, Dianne

Hi Dianne,

If I understand you correctly, the main concern is that the new cat is not spending much time out of her safe room. Have you tried gradually giving her access to other areas of the house where the other cats are confined, so she can explore freely? Even if the cats seem to get along okay, for some cats, being in “enemy turf” with the enemy present is a double threat! Most cats need time to adjust to new spaces, but it helps if they can do so at their own pace, without an audience. So I would start by confining your other cats in a different room, and then allow the new kitty to come out of the living room on her own. Don’t force the issue by picking her up and plunking her down in another room – that will just reinforce her fear of this new space. Think of it like getting dropped off in the downtown of an unfamiliar city without a map! And there are irritated locals pushing you out of their way while you try to get your bearings! Wouldn’t it be easier to explore your neighborhood first, slowly, perhaps checking out that coffee shop or book store then going back to the safety of your home? Just like that, you want your new kitty to always have the option to return to her safe room when she gets overwhelmed. You can use treats or toys to lure her out of the room, but let her call the shots when it comes to her exploration schedule! Over time, she will get more comfortable with the other cats AND other areas of the home, learning where the safe spots are. But you can help her by letting her explore privately.

The post Ask the Cat Behaviorist with Mikel Delgado: Why Does My Cat Chew on His Bowl, Why Does My Cat Slap the Other Cats, and More appeared first on The Conscious Cat.

[windycityparrot]

So a pair of senior lovebirds decide to...........

I'm working on the rest of the joke. Aging birds do have unique needs that must be addressed - and are below You may have noticed the live help tab at the bottom of the site coming on now and then: Here’s a “fly on the wall” look l Chatting with Guest (Egypt) You: hello how can I help? Visitor: I brought 2 Indian parrots 6 months old yesterday. Visitor: Yesterday they were nice but today they tend to bite so hard You: Birds use their best to communicate - unless you had them surgically sexed or DNA tested you will not know the sex until about 18 months when a male ringneck's ring will come in feather by feather : My first guess is that day one they were a little off balance by the new surroundings but the birds have bonded and you are a threat to their relationship thus the bite I would encourage you to work with birds individually using training clicker training let me grab a couple of videos for you You: clicker training  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUaVdivyDsQ You: stick training  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOvXt3IFnp8 You: can i answer any other questions? Visitor: No thanks You: have a remarkable day Speaking of ringnecks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coVhwOC7_GI Joy M replied: True! The people toys or food are always best. Whenever I give Bird a blackberry or chunk of sweet potato or something, I carry it over to his cage on my plate so he thinks he's getting some of my food. Sometimes when my Goffin is unsure about a new toy, I'll put it in my mouth like I'm chewing it and let him steal it while I "try" to get it back. He'll run back to his playing spot and play with it. What was minutes ago scary becomes his treasured loot Feb 14, 10:50am Joy Years ago my Indian Ringneck Sunshine found that if he stepped on one of the buttons on the phone that he would get a dial tone and then a recorded operator message saying to hang up and try again, well he LOVED that and it became his. It became rough after awhile as in doing that, the phone then would go dead and we would miss calls and he started to bite of you got near it. We tried covering the phone but that didn't fool him. I eventually had to move the phone across the room out of sight and replaced it with a toy phone. The toy phone did not interest him, but the problem went away. Another time the same bird decided that the FAX machine was his too and bit anyone trying to get their FAX. He would stuff his toy into the feed and get it jammed too. Eventually a hunk of cardboard wedged to hide it helped. They just want to play with our toys. It would be easier to just taker out all the electrical parts from an old remote or cell phone and let them have the shell. LOL. I'll bet that would be a big hit! Feb 13, 4:23pm correct - we are looking into a couple of bird safe cellphones - no electronics, glass or batteries something a toddler would be safe with Yes, we have a lot of discussions about, "don't bite that. It's not yours." He can see it so how can it not be his? that's really cool thank you - he bites phone because he wants to play with your toys:-) Feb 9, 10:55am Active Here you go. Couldn't get an action shot of him doing his over the shoulder trick because he either had his butt pointed at me or was distracted by the phone and stopped what he was doing to check it out. He bites phones. ☹ Active I got a bottle of assorted buttons at the fabric store. My Goffin loves them as foot toys. He plays with them with his tongue, does over the back tricks, and on ones with big holes, he pulls my shirt through the holes as far as he can get it. Fun! sounds fun Joy - would love to see some pics

From Beth W I have two love birds that are approaching 20 years of age and was wondering if there are special nutrition or habitat changes I should make for them. They are both male peach faced love birds, one is a year older than the other. The older bird is having problems with his balance occasionally. Falls off perches, Last year the vet did some blood work and said the only issue was high testosterone and gave him 4 hormone shots. Really didn't seem to help. Their main food is Harrisons High Potency Fine pellets and millet on occasion as a treat. I have a couple of platform perches and the rest a booda rope perches. Hi Beth In terms of nutrition, your birds are on a high-quality pelleted diet  It's working so  let's not fix what’s not broken. If you're not doing so already it may be fun to offer some foraging/enrichment opportunities like putting the pellets or fun treats like sunflowers seeds) in the bottom of a small box and covering it with tissue paper balls, vine balls, drinking straws and the like When a bird is falling off of perches, we begin to introduce more platforms (what you have done) but I would also begin to lower everything in the cage so that we can help prevent injuries from potential higher falls falls. This ladder may be a nice addition In terms of habitat changes we've always advocated to take everything out of the bird's cage and move it around at least once a month in order to keep them mentally challenged and stimulated. I'm a little concerned about the high testosterone and the four hormone shots. I'd be interested to find out what exactly the substance injected into your birds was. If your male is not expressing aggression what would the purpose of the shots be? I'm guessing they were not cheap? Java Wood BIrd Play Stand for a Cockatiel Looking at AE Java Wood Small 500S tabletop play stand to encourage my cockatiel to not be a velcro bird when she's out with me. Would this one be a good fit? Hesitant to purchase this one without knowing what the actual stand looks like. Appreciate any advice. Dear Wanita A&E does have pictures of the exact stand found here. It’s too labor intense to keep inventory synchronized with them but if you see a particular jave bird play stand you like we could verify it’s stock status and place a hold on it for you As far as the cockatiel staying on the stand or any stand, that is between you and your bird. Is the tiel clipped? If so, then it should be more likely to stay seated on a stand than if it is fully flighted as a flighted bird can just turn around and fly away without giving the new stand a chance. We find it is important to have a stand in every room that the birds goes into with or without you. (Although we never allow a bird to fly into another room if we are not following it and will go retrieve it). When you carry in the bird and set it on a chair or something and they chew it up, whose fault is it? It is not the birds, as you put it there. Even though our bird may be flighted, by having its own stand or spare cage, etc that is theirs, they are more likely to land there then on something else once they realize it is theirs. When i would walk into another room with the bird on my shoulder i would feel the bird leaning once they see their stand because they know that is where they are going. They can play there without being told not to do something. You may need to bribe the bird into using the stand at first. I find tying a piece of spray millet to it helps a lot. Mitchr & Catherine, Thank you so much for your reply and advice. I think I will go ahead and order the play stand and be surprised! Emma is our first bird, we got her for my husband when I took a job with long hours. Well, you know how it goes, she likes my husband but she prefers me. She's a sweetheart and we've bonded well. She's pretty good at getting me to do what she wants to do, but we've worked out a routine that we're both comfortable with. Her wings aren't clipped currently but generally I have them clipped once a year when she gets hormonal and a bit bossy. Her cage is in an area off the kitchen. The problem we encountered in the first year or two was whenever she was out with us and something spooked her to fly, she would just take off and crash into a large window. Spent thousands of dollars in window coverings, but have more glass up high that we can't cover. We have a lot of open space and lots of glass. We had a couple of scary visits to the avian vet so I am hesitant to leave her out of her cage in that area. What works now is to carry her on my arm from her cage to a smaller room with a door, and she's quite comfortable there. She could benefit from another play area in that room, right now I'm her play gym. Love your blog and website. You guys always have such great info. Wanita L Your zygodactyl footnote https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALiZGtQsMXU Click to Post

[ssteezyy]

Ask the Cat Behaviorist: Mikel Delgado Answers Questions About Cats Who Wake Up their Guardians, Aggressive Cats, Cats Who Bury Their Food, and More

Welcome to our regular “Ask the Cat Behaviorist with Mikel Delgado” segment. Once a month, we’ll post a reminder for you to post your questions for Mikel. She’ll answer as many of them as she can each time, and I’ll publish her answers in a subsequent post.

Mikel is a Certified Cat Behavior Consultant at Feline Minds, offering on-site consultations for cat guardians, shelters, and pet-related businesses in the San Francisco Bay Area, and remote consultations around the world. She obtained her PhD in Psychology at UC Berkeley, where she studied animal behavior and human-pet relationships. Mikel is co-author of Jackson Galaxy’s forthcoming book, Total Cat Mojo: The Ultimate Guide to Life with Your Cat.

Cat buries her food dish after eating

Hi! Multi-cat household and one of our four kitties relentless buries her food dish when she is done eating. She will bury anything nearby (toys, blanket edges, etc.) into the dish, making a big mess. And this is not like a few paw swipes at it and she moves on – she will go on for a while at different angles and bury, bury, bury. Even when we try to stop her (redirect her attention or shake the spray bottle), she continues or stops only momentarily and goes back to it like she is in some kind of OCD brain lock.

Why would a cat do this? The other cats have learned this behavior from her now and will take a few swipes to bury their dishes too, though with much less fervor.

She is a 10 year old calico who was found as a kitten with her litter on a farm with no momma cat and we adopted both her and her sister. They are both very sweet and this one is especially cuddly.

Could it be some kind of protection thing from an unsafe kittenhood? (Nicole Hatton)

Nicole, Such an interesting question! This is one of those cat behaviors that we don’t have a solid agreed-upon reason for. There are a few different theories about why cats do this – some think the cat is saving their food for later, others think they are hiding a scent that might attract predators or other animals. Whatever it is, this is probably a behavior that helped cats survive throughout their evolutionary history, even if it doesn’t serve much of a function now (and as you have described, can be messy and annoying!).

Anytime I have a cat who is “obsessed” with something, I think about how we can give that cat other things to do – and of course my favorite things would be to add more interactive play – particularly before her meals, to see if that helps her settle afterward. You could try feeding several smaller meals per day so there are no leftovers for her to bury. I’d also recommend trying food puzzles with her! There are many options available that can work with both wet and dry food. See foodpuzzlesforcats.com for ways to get started!

Cat attacks tip of his tail

My cat keeps attacking the tip of his tail (Elaine Hughes)

Elaine, Tail-attacking can have a few different presentations. In some cases, it’s just a very young playful cat who needs more interactive play and enrichment to keep him busy. But with some cats, it can be quite serious. The cat might seem obsessed with or upset by his tail – you might even hear some growling. Some cats will even start to injure their tail. This tail obsession can be caused by pain or a condition called feline hyperesthesia syndrome (FHS) – a condition that unfortunately is not well understood. We think it’s a neurological condition, but often it is a diagnosis of exclusion – meaning other things are ruled out, and what we are left with is FHS. I would start with a vet visit to see if any other causes can be ruled out. The treatment for FHS often includes medication, but other stress-reducing interventions, such as increased exercise and enrichment, and providing your cat with as much routine as possible, can help.

Cat stopped using the litter box

One of my furbabies has suddenly stopped using the litter box and I don’t know why (Tracy Bayne)

Tracy, There are several reasons that cats can stop using the litter box, so I’d need a lot more information to offer you a useful modification plan. The first step would be making sure your cat gets a clean bill of health from your veterinarian, especially if they are older and more prone to illnesses such as diabetes or kidney disease which can impact litter box behavior.

The second thing I would recommend is taking a long, hard look at the litter box and make sure it suits your cat’s needs, not just yours. Do you have enough boxes for the number of cats you have? Are they large and open and not all clustered in one location in your house? Is there a box on every floor of your home and are they easy for your cat to access? Do you use a soft, clumping, unscented litter? Do you clean them regularly?

The third step is making sure your cat is living a relatively stress-free, enriched life. Play, routine and other forms of environmental stimulation are important to cats. If there is tension in any cat relationships (or with anyone else in the home) – you’ll want to resolve that – possibly with an experienced and qualified cat behavior consultant.

Cat with PICA

I had a cat with PICA. Of course back then we didn’t know anything about it. But she liked fibers and buttons. She would pull blankets and rugs apart to eat. One time I took some clothes to a consignment store and was called to pick up the damaged things. It turns out as she hid in her favorite sleeping spot in the closet, she was chewing on the bottoms of my clothes. She pulled strings out, ate beading and buttons. Luckily she never had any blockages. (Janine)

Janine, Thank you for sharing your experience. It points out the importance of knowing your cat’s favorite spots and habits! Many people don’t realize that their cat chews on non-food items until they become sick and have an x-ray! I’m so glad your cat never had a blockage!

Hyperthyroid cat won’t eat

My cat is hyperthyroidism and recently high blood pressure when I try all the pres, freeze dried whipped, mouse high end foods she won’t eat them. She loves her fancy feast. Teega is 6lbs a tiny 14 yr old feral runt.. can anybody talk to her. Thanks LISA

Hi Lisa, I don’t “talk to cats” in the sense I am not an animal communicator. I believe in taking a behaviorally-based approach to behavior issues. That said, I’m not sure that Teega has a behavior issue. It sounds like you need to work with your veterinarian to make sure her treatment is working for her. Perhaps an appetite stimulant would help; what many people think is just “snubbing” food can be signs of nausea or digestive upset that can be managed with medications. When cats are older and have medical issues, I also think you should feed them…pretty much whatever brand of cat food they like, as long as your vet says it is okay!

Demanding, destructive, aggressive cat

My cat is bad with me, my husband and our home. He demands affection (he rubs against us, a lot), but when we pet him he bites eventually. We tried to teach him to stay away from places (like the table) using water on a spray bottle, but he broke the bottle, two of them! We tried to use the tape method to keep him away from stuff, but then again, played with the tape and ignored it. If we try to keep him away from places like the bed or a window, he quickly goes back to THAT place and looks at us, like challenging us.

He bites randomly, scratches drawing blood, I’ve had bruises from his bites. He also tries to destroy everything, he makes glasses fall, scratches the sofa and curtains (they are ruined now), the bed, my plushies, but he also has some toys: a scratching post, catnip figure, balls, a thing with balls that move; his cat litter is the best quality I could find where I live, gets cleaned every day, the house also is very clean, he has two beds, a fountain with running water, and the best quality food I can afford. But for the sake of me, I can’t get him to be calm. He suddenly runs around the entire apartment, with his eyes dilated, his claws at its maximum, I just want him to be at peace with us, and play with us, and not bite all the time. He’s around 10 months old, he’s adopted and we have around 3 months with him. Will this stop? Should I do something different?

We also started to get him into his cage to eat or do stuff that provoke him. Please, help! (Elia)

Hi Elia, It sounds like you have a teenager! Just like the human kind, teenage cats are notorious for their button-pushing, high energy, attention seeking behaviors. I see this often in my consulting practice! Sometimes the best solution is a kitty companion of a similar temperament, but that isn’t possible for everyone. But in most cases, rather than being “twice the work” – it ends up being much less work than dealing with a singleton who is bored!

What your kitty likely needs is more exercise and mental simulation. I would start with two or three intense play session a day, where you use different interactive toys to get him stalking, running, chasing and pouncing! Try toys like a feather wand, cat dancer, or any other toy with a string or wire that YOU move like prey to get him engaged. After play, try a meal or snack to help him calm down. He might also benefit from food puzzles to get him working for his food! Also, it’s important not to use your hands as toys, because that sends mixed messages to your cat – sometimes hands are for gentle things, and sometimes they are for biting and scratching. So no rough housing please!

You didn’t mention any vertical space in your home, but you need multiple cat condos or shelves, and they should be placed in areas where they serve a purpose, such as giving him a view of a bird feeder or the outside world. Regarding the petting, with young cats, they can go from relaxed to wound up in a flash, and even when they are soliciting attention, they may suddenly reach a threshold for petting tolerance and bite. The best way to prevent this type of biting is to again, tire him out with as much exercise as you can provide, and then be careful to limit the petting. Always stop before he gets irritated, so he is left wanting more, not less attention. If you watch carefully, you may notice some subtle signals that he is getting overstimulated – such as ear movements or muscle tightening. Those are your cues that it’s time to stop petting – NOW!

When he broke your spray bottle, he was sending you a message: this type of punishment is useless! I spend a lot of time convincing my clients that the spray bottle isn’t going to get them what they want. Some cats don’t mind the water, but what often happens is that it just breaks the bond between you and your cat and potentially makes your cat even more wary of you.

Instead, I like to focus on clicker training and positive reinforcement to tell him what behaviors you DO LIKE, instead of focusing on “NO!” and “get down from there.” A “NO!” isn’t helpful, because it doesn’t tell your cat what to do instead…but if you clicker train him to sit, or go to a mat, or roll over, you are telling him what you like, and what will get him the rewards he wants, such as attention.

For counter surfing, you can use a better type of “remote punishment” – meaning the punishment is not associated with you. Double sided carpet tape can be sturdier than commercial products designed to deter cats. The motion-sensitive air cans are also effective for keeping cats off counters.

High energy kitten causes trouble

KITTEN TROUBLE!!!! I found a stray kitten on our doorstep about four months ago and he won’t stop being just downright naughty. He flings dirt out of pots so we spray this cat deterrent thing and he doesn’t care much. He attacks our other three cats (I know we shouldn’t have that many but we do have a large house) so we play with him and play with him but it’s never enough and it’s causing a lot of stress so we had to go to squirt bottle. He knocks everything over and he’s obsessed with going into any open door such as cabinets and the front door. He wakes up my father who works hard nights with his meowing and stampeding across the halls like a bat outta hell. He’s not afraid of anything but car rides and he’s causing lots of stress. So what should we do? I understand he has a lot of energy but I don’t want to throw him back out on the street. Please help. I bet it isn’t the easiest life for him either. (Leah Bonetti)

Leah, Thank you for taking in a homeless kitten!! (see my response above to Elia about having a teenager!). He does sound a little bored (which may have more to do with his personality than what you’re providing – some cats just NEED way more play and stimulation than others).

Just like with Elia’s kitty, I would recommend focusing on positive reinforcement, and remote punishment for the naughty behaviors. For the dirt-digging, cover the dirt with large rocks to take away that temptation. Childproof your cabinets to prevent him from opening them.

As far as his relations with your other cats, he might need an age-appropriate playmate, playtime with you, or some solo time to prevent him from driving your other cats nuts. Try to bring him together with the other cats when he’s had playtime, followed by a hefty meal, to help him settle down and be more calm.

The kitten might also benefit from food puzzles and automatic toys. He needs plenty to keep him busy. I’m not usually a huge fan of the automatic toys, and they certainly can’t replace interactive play with you, but they can supplement it. The Hexbug Nano is my favorite, but there are plenty of options out there these days.

Finally, consider how you can add some vertical space and other enrichment, such as a bird feeder that attaches to a window, to entice him to look out the window and get some mental stimulation while learning to sit back and relax a little!

Also, I don’t think four cats is too many ! It all depends on what you can provide for them, and how well they get along!

Cat wakes guardians up at night

Every night around 1 am and again at 5 am our cat comes into the bedroom and knocks things down and scratches at the furniture, keeping us awake. She’s done this once in a while ever since we adopted her, but it’s been about a month now that she’s been doing it every single night. We spray her with water which makes her run away but she comes right back a minute later. We have an automatic feeder that now has been set to feed her at 1 and 5 am, but she eats and then comes right back to doing it. (It didn’t start out feeding her at those times so I know it’s not positive reinforcement causing the problem.) We also play with her at least 30 minutes every evening (we play until she’s tired) with a fishing pole toy. We can’t shut her out of the bedroom because it’s where we keep her litterbox, and if we put the litterbox somewhere else and close the door she’ll scratch at the door all night which our downstairs neighbors can hear and they already hate us. I’m honestly out of ideas and am desperate for a solution. I’m so tired of losing sleep. Please help! (Caroline)

Caroline, Your complaint is a common one, in fact, I’m pretty sure I’ve answered it in a previous column! I’ve already commented this time around on how I feel about the water bottle. I’m not a fan.

Cats wake their humans up during the night because they get something out of it!! Solving this problem usually requires a two-pronged approach: changing the cats routine so they are up more during the day and sleeping more at night, and then changing YOUR behavior so your cat does not get attention for her middle of the night antics.

To get your cat on your schedule requires more mental stimulation and activity during the day. The fishing pole toy in the evening is good – but you have to consider the rest of the day when she is probably asleep (no doubt exhausted from her nighttime antics!). Try food puzzles to get her working for ALL of her food. Vertical space near a window will allow her to people- or bird-watch during the day. If you’re not feeding your kitty on a schedule, I recommend switching to scheduled feeding, or at least withdrawing some of her food in the later part of the day, so you can put down a final meal at your bed time. I know you mentioned that even with the automatic feeder she is still waking you up, but the goal is to get her to settle at night. Another great way to get cats to settle is a heated cat bed that you only turn on at night.

Now comes the tough part. We know that more than food is motivating this. That means the attention you give her – even if to you it seems “negative” – is reinforcing the behavior. You have to completely ignore her nighttime behavior. COMPLETELY. If you break down after 2 hours or 2 days, you will have taught her that if she tries long and hard enough she will break you down (and yes, she will probably try even harder to get you up before she gives up).

I’m not opposed to giving her a room of her own at night for a few weeks to break the habit. If that is what it takes to stop you from waking up and responding to her nighttime activity, then that is a much better short-term solution that can lead to long-term behavior change. A piece of cardboard with double-sided carpet tape attached to the door as well as on the floor by the door is one way to stop cats from scratching on the door.

Sleep is really important to me so I completely empathize with your situation. Unfortunately, this is one behavior problem that requires as much human behavior change as kitty behavior change! The good news, is that if you stick with the program, she will stop keeping you awake!

The post Ask the Cat Behaviorist: Mikel Delgado Answers Questions About Cats Who Wake Up their Guardians, Aggressive Cats, Cats Who Bury Their Food, and More appeared first on The Conscious Cat.