Author: catangel

QUESTION: I have three cats who do not get along as well as I’d like. I had always hoped for a harmonious group, but there is definite tension among them which sometimes erupts in hisses, spats, and chases. The oldest, Cleo, is quite the diva, and does not want to be bothered. She hisses at any cat who gets in her personal space, and her overreaction spurs on the youngest, Spanky, who loves to ambush and chase the other two. He’s just rambunctious and doesn’t mean any harm, but he terrorizes the middle kitty Lola who is something of a “fraidy cat.” She sometimes doesn’t use the litterbox, and I think it might be connected to her nervousness around Spanky. How do I improve the relationship among the cats and create a peaceful, safe environment for myself and my cats? I love them all and do not want to part with any of them.

ANSWER: Visitors to our shelter and multi-cat foster homes are often amazed at the number of kitties who live together harmoniously. Baskets and beds by the windows frequently contain multiple cats curled up together, and mealtimes reveal dozens of cats, each going to his or her own bowl, with no arguments or competition. The question often asked of our caretakers is “How can so many cats get along together in ONE ROOM, when my couple of cats at home can’t coexist peacefully in an ENTIRE HOUSE? Well, the answer lies in our “P-A-L-S” Principles.

The “P” stands for “PLENTY,” plenty of everything that’s important to cats -litterboxes, beds, sunny window seats, toy mice, water bowls, etc. Abundance eliminates competition over scarce resources. The size of your home does not matter as much as the availability of the things cats need and want.

An examination of the conflicts and problems in a feline family will almost always reveal where there is a lack of abundance. In your household, for instance, there is a definite need for more litterboxes in several different locations. Lola is telling you, by her behavior, that she is not always comfortable using the litter box when Spanky is in the vicinity. Very likely he has ambushed her while she was in or leaving the litterbox, and now she is avoiding it rather than risk being jumped. By the way, covered litterboxes should be outlawed in any home where there are inter-cat tensions resulting in litterbox lapses! (See “Ask Angel” article on litterbox problems on our website).

“Plenty of play” is another element you should add to your cats’ daily routine. Spanky’s behavior is indicative of a young cat whose need to play is so great that he is desperately trying to engage any available kitties, whether they’re interested or not! Now, out of boredom and excess energy, he’s made a game out of their resistance. If you don’t have a laser light toy, you need to run, not walk to your nearest Petsmart and get one! These inexpensive gadgets can wear out even the most high-energy kitty in one or two 10 minute sessions per day!

An even better solution, believe it or not, is to adopt another young male as a playmate for Spanky. The last thing most people with inter-cat problems are looking to do is add another cat to the mix, but it almost always works beautifully. The rambunctious kitty has a willing and able buddy that is available for wrestling, chasing, and ambush games, and the pressure is off the older party poopers.

The “A” of P-A-L-S stands for “ALTITUDE.” Have you ever noticed that the top of the refrigerator is a popular spot for cats? The reason is its altitude. The fastest, easiest way to make less-social or timid cats more secure is to offer them plenty of high places on which to perch. From a cat’s point of view, height is safety, security, power, and, yes, just plain fun! Visit our “Sweet Kitty Suite” room at the shelter and you’ll find the cat-walk, high placed shelves, and tall cat trees filled with serene kitties! For the most part, these are the more timid or aloof cats. When something happens that upsets them or they just want to be alone, they literally “run for the hills!” A cat tree is a great investment for any multi-cat home. Store-bought or hand-made, they offer lots of natural refuge and are worth every penny in terms of peace and harmony in a fur-filled family.

The “L” of P-A-L-S stands for “LOVE,” “TOUGH LOVE”, that is. Although cats are not pack animals in the traditional sense, they do look to their favorite people as the hub of the family wheel. If their most significant person cuddles and coddles them when they’re behaving badly, you’re encouraging more of the same. If, for example, Cleo hisses at and bops the other cats when she’s on your lap and wants you all to herself, you should quietly stand up and end her monopoly on your time and attention. You can reward her with treats at future sessions if she tolerates the presence of the others. Most cats are bright enough to realize that every time they behave badly, something unpleasant happens and every time they behave well, something GOOD happens!

If Spanky is about to pounce on one of the females, make a distracting noise to interrupt the behavior. If he persists, use a squirt bottle. If he jumps on one of them, give him a 15 minute TIME-OUT in a cat carrier. By the time you let him out of the carrier, he’ll have forgotten what he was up to, and the other kitty will have found a safe haven.

These “Tough Love” strategies should be carried out calmly and confidently. No yelling, screaming, or roughness. They will not make your cats hate you. Cats thrive on consistency and respect consequences that are predictable. The more you discourage bad behavior and reward compatibility, the better your cats will get along.

The “S” of P-A-L-S stands for “SOLITUDE.” Sometimes the only solution to a situation where one cat has grown to dislike or fear another is to offer her a room of her own for all or part of the day. It’s a very effective solution that many cat owners fight “tooth and nail,” excuse the cat metaphor. The idea of closing off a beloved kitty in a separate room is an option that some owners won’t even consider. Look at it this way. If a senior citizen were surrounded by high-energy toddlers all day, don’t you think she’d appreciate some peace and quiet in a secluded spot for a while? That’s how your oldest kitty Cleo may feel. If an elementary school child were being harassed by the school bully during recess, wouldn’t he jump at the chance to enjoy the play yard at a different time? That’s how Lola may feel! Giving the cats a break from each other while you are at work or during the night is an easy and effective answer that often results in more peaceful interactions when the kitties ARE all together.

At Cat Angel Network, large cages outfitted with perches and cozy beds are used to give cats an opportunity to get to know each other gradually and safely. Cats who are having disagreements can be separated and reintroduced. One lady who was having trouble with her kitties was reluctantly talked into borrowing a cage to help restore peace. A few weeks later she said she was returning the cage. It worked so well she was buying one of her own! Her pestered kitty loved it, and even after being released, was going into her “private apartment” on her own!

So give our P-A-L-S Principles a shot in your home. You have nothing to lose (except some hisses and growls), and so much to gain. Watching mistrust s-l-o-w-l-y turn into tolerance and eventually even friendship is one of the most rewarding and beautiful experiences you will ever know. It is well worth the effort!

QUESTION: I would like to adopt a kitten in the near future but am wondering what to do about the feeding situation. I presently have two adult cats who are eating a special low-calorie food, and I know kittens need a kitten chow which is high in proteins (and calories!). How do I prevent my adult cats from getting into the kitten’s food? The vet has already told me that my cats are overweight, and I am concerned that they might put on even more unhealthy pounds once the kitten is here. Any tips on how to manage the food setup so all the kitties reach and maintain a healthy weight? I notice most of the cats at your shelter seem to be so slim and trim.

ANSWER: Thanks for the compliment! We shelter kitties have to maintain our gorgeous figures for a very important reason — we want to get adopted! And the truth is, overweight cats are often passed over at adoption time in favor of cats that present a younger, healthier appearance. That motivates us to cooperate with the feeding system followed here at the shelter. Our friends, the volunteers, are really MORE concerned with our health and well-being than anything else, and they know that overweight kitties experience a lot of problems: illnesses like diabetes and fatty liver disease, a reluctance to jump and play and get proper exercise, and also the embarrassing problem of difficulty cleaning the “backside area” the way a normal cat can. This results in unsightly matted hair and “stinky stuff” clinging to our fur. And when we cats can’t keep ourselves immaculately clean, THIS ANNOYS US!

So here’s the feeding system followed for all of us C.A.N. cats: First, and most importantly, we are fed a MEASURED amount of a high quality dry food: a quarter cup, twice a day. NO FREE FEEDING! NO SELF FEEDERS! Cats were never meant to be grazers. In the wild we catch a mouse, and then our body fasts until we catch again. Grazing on food all day long is not natural or healthy for predators like cats and is the NUMBER ONE reason cats become overweight or obese.

Secondly, our cat carriers are left out at all times with cozy mats in them. At feeding time they are used to insure that each kitty gets the food that is best for his or her individual needs and that no “Greedy Gus” steals someone else’s portion. When the volunteer comes into the room with the tray of plates, she calls out, “Suppertime!” and, believe it or not, each of us runs to our very own carrier to eat! Visitors are amazed, since many think it’s impossible to train a cat to voluntarily go into a carrier. NOT SO — we LOVE our carriers and never run and hide when we see one like so many other kitties who only see their carriers when they have to go to the vet’s office. This is the way you would be able to feed your adult cats their special food while allowing the kitten to have her high protein/high calorie kitten chow. Kittens under 10 months old can be fed more than twice a day. Three or four feedings a day will help to meet your kitten’s high nutritional needs because of her rapid growth and high energy output. She should be weaned down to two meals a day between 10 and 12 months of age unless your vet feels she is a skinny Minnie.

The cats who come to the shelter already overweight are very gradually tapered down to the quarter cup portion. It is EXTREMELY dangerous to drastically reduce an obese cat’s food intake too quickly! We kitties can develop a potentially fatal condition known as fatty liver disease so SLOW is the way to GO!

I’m so glad your vet gave you a “Head’s Up” alert about your adult cats’ weight issues. A normal female cat weighs eight to ten pounds and a male should weigh ten to twelve pounds. So often people don’t acknowledge that their beloved kitty is overweight, preferring to describe him as “big-boned” or “fluffy.” If your kitty does not have a visible waist when viewed from above or his belly hangs close to the floor, making his legs look short, you’ve got a FAT CAT! And, as Dr. Fel(ine) McPaw always says, “You can’t fix what you don’t acknowledge!”

Reducing a special pet’s food and treats can be very difficult for an owner that equates food with love. BUT FOOD IS NOT THE ONLY WAY TO SHOW LOVE TO US KITTIES! How about spending 10 extra minutes playing with your cats every night? If you haven’t treated your kitties to a Laser Light or interactive dangly toy like the CAT DANCER, you’re all missing a lot of fun and laughs! If a kitty doesn’t show an immediate  interest in toys, keep at it! Some of us who are “out of shape” can take  a while to be tempted out of the recliner! Brushing and kitty massages are additional ways to say “I love you.” A bird or squirrel feeder placed near a favorite window perch can be another way to add spark to our lives without adding pounds. And, of course, you’ve already figured out the best way to get sedate adult cats to run and chase and play like youngsters again — ADD A NEW KITTEN!

QUESTION: Several strays appeared in my yard this winter, and I didn’t have the heart to see them go hungry so I started feeding them. Now my neighbor is complaining to me that “my cats” are in his yard, fighting and mating at night, and he expresses concern that they will reproduce and have the neighborhood crawling with cats. He blames me for the cats hanging around, saying if I wouldn’t feed them, they would go away and the problem would be solved. They’re not really my cats, but I feel that I’m being made the scapegoat for the situation just for showing compassion. Help! What should I do that would be the right thing for both the cats and the neighborhood? This is getting extremely stressful!!

ANSWER: We cats do seem to “know” the right house to go to when we’re looking for a kind stranger to offer a meal! Luckily, there are many people like you whose compassionate natures will not allow them to turn away from any living creature in need. Being kind is ALWAYS the right thing to do! And being kind, in this case, means following BOTH parts of the GOLDEN RULE of feeding those cute strays (I WAS one, long ago):

“FEEDING A STRAY? NEUTER OR SPAY!”

Now, most people who hear this say, “What? I’m fond of these cats, but
getting them spayed and neutered sounds overwhelming! I can’t pick any of them up, and even if I could catch them, isn’t it expensive to have them neutered? Is this really necessary for ME to do?”

Well, as a kitty myself, I would say that making the effort to get some help in neutering these cats is the most compassionate thing you could ever do for their future well-being. As you’ve noticed in your neighborhood, one or two stray cats can “fly below the radar” for a while, but once that number starts increasing, people who don’t love cats as you do start complaining and making calls to places to “take them away.” And, believe me, Animal Control agencies, etc., are not finding homes or relocating wild (feral) cats. They are doing something else, something that I don’t like to mention or even THINK about. Sometimes neighbors take matters into their own hands, and then things get REALLY mean and ugly for us cats.

So it’s up to people like you to take the step of calling a group like Cat Angel Network to learn about the widely used and effective program called T-N-R (Trap-Neuter-Return). It involves borrowing a humane trap and learning the simple steps to using it to catch each stray. Information about “Low Cost / No Cost” Spaying and Neutering services is provided so arrangements can be made to halt the population growth, PRONTO! People who have completed a T-N-R program often say that it was a much easier process than they ever expected!

Recently, a lady called CAN for advice on the six strays in her backyard (a mother cat and her five half-grown kittens). Within the space of a little more than two weeks, she trapped all six and had them neutered and vaccinated! Four of the six cats turned out to be females. Without the dedication of this one animal lover, this spring there would have been 12- 24 kittens born to those four females (usual litter size is three to six kittens)! In another six months, THOSE kittens would have been old enough to reproduce. Eighteen to thirty cats would have been loose in her neighborhood and, with about half being females, the population of cats would have exploded. And with that explosion would have come a lot of pain and suffering for those unwanted strays.

This cat heroine single-handedly made a HUGE difference to the kitties in the scope of her sight. So often people feel overwhelmed and wish they could do something to help when they hear of the plight of the millions of unwanted cats that are killed every year. Well, this lady did SOMETHING.

I hope that you and all the other caringpeople who fill up food bowls “for the strays” will follow this lady’s example. One backyard at a time, this will make a better world for us cats.

Now, before I close this plea for neutering, I have a confession to make. My name being “Angel,” I cannot tell a lie—I wasn’t ALWAYS in favor of neutering. As a young stud-muffin male, I was living a rough-and-tumble lifestyle of wandering in search of girlfriends and fighting other males for the privilege of loving and leaving them. It was an exciting life, but all the battle-scars were taking a toll on my handsome good looks. Now, if I do say so myself, I’m sleek and shiny, and my formerly thin, raggedy looking body has never looked better. And the guys I fought with? They’re my buddies now – we can’t, for the life of us, remember what we used to fight about!

So, neutering? This DOESN’T annoy us! It makes us purrrrrr…..

QUESTION: I recently adopted a mother cat and her four-month-old kitten. They are both scratching the furniture and the kitten is climbing up everything! Why do cats do this, and what can I do about it?

ANSWER: Glad you asked! We kitties want you to know that we NEED to scratch! When we wake up from a nap, the first thing we do is look for a tall, sturdy, rough-textured spot on which to stretch up to our full height, extend our claws and have a wonderful stretch and scratch. Wow, that feels good! When our outside kitty friends need to scratch, there are LOTS of great places all around – trees!

At the shelter, we cats find plenty of tree substitutes. We have tall cat trees and scratching posts, all nice and sturdy with a rough surface of wood, bark, or sisal rope (my personal favorite) to scratch on. People often donate items to the shelter that their cats don’t use—carpeted cat condos, scratch pads that hang from a door knob, and especially short little carpeted kitten posts. When we try to lean up against these, they move, wobble, and sometimes even fall over. This annoys us! They call these scratching posts? Shame, shame…

It sounds like your kitties looked for their tree substitute and found the only thing meeting their requirements were (1) tall, (2) sturdy, and (3) rough-textured, i.e., your furniture. Since most cats are angels like me, they don’t deliberately want to cause damage. They would be more than happy to use SOMETHING OF THEIR OWN that is even more to their liking than upholstered furniture, which is a bit too soft for our taste. The secret is to isolate your kitties in a small room with their new post (Cat Angel Network sells a GREAT one for $35).

The room should have nothing else a cat would be tempted to scratch (a bathroom is ideal), and the post should be LOADED WITH CATNIP! Have a ten minute play session at the post every day, using a fishing pole type toy to get your cats to touch the surface of the post. We big guys are attracted to the catnip while the little kittens like the play method (I myself liked to climb up the post after the “Cat Dancer” toy in my younger days).

After you’ve seen both your cats use the post several times over 2-3 days, move the post to a room where your cats had been scratching before, covering the previously scratched areas temporarily with a sheet or double stick tape (sold as a product called “Sticky Paws”). You can remove the sheet or tape after they are consistently using the post in its new spot.

As far as your four-month-old is concerned, kittens climb a lot. At that age we are too little to jump where we want to go, so we tend to climb up furniture or even our owners’ pant legs! “This, too, shall pass.” Starting around six months of age, kittens begin to be big enough to JUMP to their desired locations and the climbing behavior gradually disappears. Get your kitten and his mom used to nail clipping as soon as possible. This prevents climbing damage and minimizes discomfort caused by overgrown nails. Our cat-loving friends at Cat Angel Network are experts at nail clipping and offer their services FREE at the Pottstown and Downingtown PetSmart stores on weekends.

I am told that I live up to my name of “Angel” during my monthly manicure sessions, and I’m sure your kitties will learn to enjoy it, too!

QUESTION: I would love to have another cat, both for myself and as a friend for my five year old cat Cleo. How should I introduce a new cat into my household to make it as easy and pleasant as possible?

ANSWER: Good Question! We kitties at the shelter have learned a thing or two about getting along with others! New cats come in all the time, and our friends, the CAN volunteers, are always very considerate about the feelings of us “old-timers” when they do kitty introductions. Cats LOVE familiarity and routine so our human friends know that the best way to get us to accept a new bunkmate is to go SLOWLY and CAREFULLY.

On DAY ONE, the new kitty is whisked into a sheet-covered cage (in your home you can use a  separate small room, like a bathroom). This way, we can SMELL that there’s a new cat in our territory, but we don’t have to see or interact with him yet. The volunteers treat us to a lot of the things we like such as special goodies, interactive toys, brushing, etc. Pretty soon we begin thinking, “Ever since we started noticing that strange new cat smell, our lives have been GREAT!” Positive associations work wonders with us cats! At your home be sure to spend lots of quality time with Cleo doing all HER favorite things while the new cat is in the bathroom. In addition, you can rub the new cat down with a small towel and put this towel under Cleo’s food bowl (if extra-special suppers begin to appear in that food bowl, so much the better)! Likewise, rub Cleo down with a towel and put that under the NEW kitty’s food bowl. That way, when they eventually meet and sniff each other, the smell will be familiar and have a positive association.

Starting on DAY TWO, the sheet is gradually moved to the side of the cage so the new cat can begin to see how handsome I am (just kidding). When we resident cats begin to visit near the new cat’s cage, and the newcomer is relaxed about it, the volunteers give the new cat some supervised visits outside the cage. At your house, you will know it’s “THE DAY” to introduce the cats when the new cat has been eating, drinking, using the litterbox and scratching post consistently, and seems calm and affectionate with you. Attempts to get out the bathroom door when you are leaving after a visit are also a sign that new kitty is ready! Then put kitty in a cat carrier and set it down nonchalantly in the kitchen, family room, etc. Bring out the interactive toys and treats and engage Cleo in a play session about ten feet away from the carrier. Move the play session closer and closer to new kitty’s carrier until you have Cleo playing a few feet from her future friend. At this point the cats tend to be more focused on each other than on the toys. Hissing is a very mild kitty reaction that means “I don’t know you well enough yet—back off!”

Growling is a sign that a cat is feeling a bit threatened. Wait until you see that both cats are relatively calm and curious before opening up the carrier door. You may need to wait until another day to try again if one or both cats seem stressed. After you’ve opened the carrier door, supervise the introduction, distracting the cats with food, toys, etc. if there are some anxious moments. Resist the temptation to interfere too much. You don’t want a chase scene or one kitty backed into a corner, but a puffed tail or hissing are normal aspects of the meeting and greeting ritual. Put new kitty in his/her own room after the initial meeting. Continue these meeting “dates” every day until the cats are comfortable around each other.

Do NOT despair if your cat Cleo acts upset with you or changes her behavior toward you during the first few weeks of cat introductions! We cats are REALLY good at pouting and acting offended when our owners try to introduce change. We can try to lay a guilt trip on you for daring to share our piece of kitty heaven, i.e. your home, with another cat. Hang in there and relax, knowing that things almost always go back to normal and then get better and better within three weeks.

Sometimes the new kitty gets SO comfortable with his new home that he begins to slowly “take over” the resident kitty’s favorite bed, window seat, toys, and EVEN OUR FAVORITE PERSON’S LAP! This annoys us!

Watch for signs of competition or jealousy and make sure you supply extra beds, toys, litterboxes, etc., so that everyone feels there is plenty for all and there’s no need to compete over limited resources. If Cleo has special times with you, make sure that these continue. New kitties understand “First Kitty Rights” and will not be offended if they get shooed away from first kitty’s favorite spot on the bed.

Within a few short weeks, your Cleo will begin to know and feel comfortable with her new friend’s habits. That’s when you can start to record those “Kodak Moments” – the first time you catch them playing together, eating next to each other, and even curled up together in the same bed!

Friendship… it’s a beautiful thing!

QUESTION: My cat doesn’t always use her litter box. Why?

ANSWER: Glad you asked! We kitties want you to know that when one of us has an “accident,” there’s always, always, ALWAYS a reason. Our species is programmed to “go” in loose material so something has to be very wrong for us to go against this instinct. Sometimes it has to do with the box and litter itself. In the wild, cats always choose a fresh, clean new area for potty purposes. At the shelter we have a choice of several litter boxes in scattered locations. Then if one is “occupied” or if “Bully Billy” is blocking the way, we have an alternative. The litter boxes are BIG, clear, 58-quart plastic storage containers filled with about 2 inches of UNSCENTED litter. We don’t like using the brand that’s on sale after we’ve gotten used to our favorite litter. Our personal staff, i.e., the volunteers, keeps the boxes nice and clean by ALWAYS scooping twice a day. Sometimes they even try to scoop while we’re still in there. This annoys us!

If all is well with our boxes, the two other reasons that cause us to go against our instincts are PAIN and STRESS/FEAR. PAIN is caused by urinary crystals that form in the urine and REALLY hurt when we go. Some kitties start avoiding the box because they feel pain when they urinate in there. TAKE YOUR KITTY TO HER VET FRIEND IMMEDIATELY!

STRESS is caused by change or turmoil in the house (new person or baby,
moving, fighting, divorce, etc.). We cats are VERY sensitive creatures and, although we may not always show our feelings on the outside, sometimes we are really upset and stressed inside. FEAR is caused by aggressive pets, loud noises, rough kids, etc., that make us afraid to go to or into our box. This is why some kitties don’t like a COVERED litter box. There’s only one way in and one way out. TRAPPED WITH NO ESCAPE ROUTE!

The good news is that there IS an effective way to get us back in harmony with our natural instincts. The bad news is that you are going to have to show some TOUGH LOVE in retraining kitty to the box by confining her to a bathroom or dog cage for three weeks, minimum. This is a case of, “It’s going to be a lot harder on you than on me,” because most owners do not like the idea of confining their beloved pet to a bathroom or dog cage for THREE FULL WEEKS to get her back to good habits. Bad habits take time to form, and it takes time to get back to “the box and ONLY the box. Naturally, any problems with the litter (sometimes a kitty has a preference for a different kind of litter), number of boxes, health, or stressful/fearful situations must be addressed before we are given gradual freedom outside the bathroom or cage. Actually, being confined should NOT be viewed as a punishment for us. It is actually the most loving gesture an owner can make to a treasured pet, the opportunity to keep what is most important to a cat, her home and family.