Cattitude Feline Behavior Counseling

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Cattitude Feline Behavior Counseling Over 45 years' experience cat behavior (academic, clinical & shelter), excluding university ethology courses, research

01/07/2025

When the Ruhr U. in Germany (Current Biology 6/25) study demonstrated that cats tend to sleep on their left side, I was curious: why that was even a topic of research? And it wasn't direct observation of 100s of cats, but several hundred You Tube vids. Hm.
But 'researchers see this bias as an evolutionary advantage because it favors hunting and escape behavior after waking up.'

How do we know this? Their research says cats sleep 'in elevated place where their predator can only access them from below.' No. In my experience with thousands of ferals, strays and everything inbetween, I've not found that the case whatsoever.
Never mind.
Back to 'How do they...?'
Apparently, cats sleeping on their left side observe their environment when they awaken 'with their left visual field, processed in the brain's right hemisphere, which specializes in spatial awareness, threat-processing and coordination of rapid escape movements.’ If Noodles then wakes, ‘visual info about predators or prey goes directly to the right hemisphere of the brain, which is best in processing them. Sleeping on the left side can therefore be a survival strategy,’ the researchers conclude.
Okay.

27/06/2025

Stock up. Maybe?
Many of us assume a lot of canned cat food here’s… made here.
Noop. Thailand’s now the biggest overseas supplier of pet food to the US—over one-third of all imported cat and dog goodies.

However, new punishing tariffs levied there will badly affect supply chain & worldwide trade. Trump’s hit them with 36% tax—before, it was zero. (73% on corn imported from the US, included in many pet foods). If no better deal’s reached, many Thai manufacturers will stop supplying the US.

The pet food industry grew quickly during the first Trump reign, when companies wanted to move operations away from China. Pet food spending zoomed during COVID, so they flocked to Thailand to meet demand.
Purina, Mars Petcare, ( IAMS, Pedigree), Bluefalo Petcare, other major brands depend on Thai manufacturing & research/devt facilities, now. And cans? Aluminum we buy for those is second hand from Mexico & Canada. (New tariffs on aluminum further inflates the cost of making those, as well.)

No crystal ball, alas...but something to think about the next time you order.

25/06/2025

Wrestling with Noodles and her meds (and Pill Pockets, perhaps) can try the patience and bloodflow of anyone. A couple of suggestions: if you get the stuff in powder form, taste it. (I taste everything med I give my cats. Natch, their taste buds are far more sensitive, but you'll have a clue. If your nose wrinkles, not to mention catto giving you a 'You and whose army?' look, try putting it into an empty gel cap, smeared with tuna oil or push-up treat paste. Also, while everyone advises to give a treat afterward (my kids won't hang around to get it, but dash away with resentful noises), I suggest beforehand, as well. Treating both before and after helps ensure easy passage through her system. In addition, separate the meds from their regular mealtime, so Noodles doesn't link eating with lousy events. (like getting meds.) Lastly, if you can get the med compounded, double the chicken or fish flavor--even triple it. And be sure to ask for 'anti-bitter'; apparently all the pomegranite and maple and other sweet tastes somewhat neutralize the bitter. Double that, as well.

23/06/2025

Anxious? Even fearful? Join us, won't you? Apparently pets are doing just that. According to a pet insurance company (that alone may skew the stats a wee bit, but still...): a sharp increase in stress-related health claims among cats within the past half-dozen years. Actually, 93% across the country. Now, why LA, WA, NC, DC SC NEV and NY are spiking over 100% (LA 150%), specifically? Dunno. Cat breeds especially affected? Siamese, Bengal, Siberian, Ragdoll, Maine C**n.
Look for excessive grooming, vocalizing, hiding, fidgeting, appetite changes and soiling outside the box. Even being more needy, or overexcited.
Yes, talk w/ your vet. But very constructive steps you can take--and should be expected, in general--are regular daily doses of interactive play, stimulating toys and food puzzles, quiet, affectionate time (if Noodles wants it) w/ the humans, ensuring there are quiet safe places to rest, restore and observe, and no changes, if pos, to her routine. You know cats despise disruption.

(Maybe ask whom they voted for.)

21/06/2025

UP! For single- or multi-cat home. Get the kids UP, out of each other's faces, add more territory, sunshine, views. Safety, stimulation, provide crucial environmental control (see who's doing what to whom, when, where, and probably why.) Shelves. Sucker hammocks onto windows. Place furniture so Noodles can leap from sofa top to dresser, say--in front of windows. Swingy bird feeders outside. Especially Tall cat towers, at least 6' high. With well-staggered levels, not those practically on top of one another so the cat has to do anatomical origami to get up there. (Which they won't bother doing. Whoever designed the cheapy ones at -co, -smart, etc. do not know cats--platforms are practically stacked on top of one another, with those useless ladders and bells.) Google 'local cat furniture'--they tend to last longer, are less expensive, often, and you're supporting a local biz. AND better made: the mass-produced ones from the Far East tend to use thin glued-on fleece that a couple of clawings can rip, too much of that and not enough sisal rope on the verticals, and badly designed levels. You can work with locals: get a hidey-hole, use carpet offcuts instead of fleece, have rims on top platforms (cats like to feel protected), and a wide sturdy base--one wobble and you know the cats will boycott.

And tip: rub every inch of the tower w/ rags scented with the cat's own smell, so when you drag it in, it already smells familiar.

18/06/2025

Dif'rent strokes Dept: We humans tend to pet and pat cats w/ longer strokes, along backs, shoulders, whatever part we can reach (we know not tails, legs, stomachs, I hope, unless They tell you it's good) in addition to head. Mama cat uses short, sliiightly rough (to kit's hair-buffered skin) brief licks. If you can observe the difs--worth doing.

I've found that w/ ferals, When/if it's finally possible to at least stroke them once or twice before they flinch or scamper, it maters whether I touch them the way we humans tend to--or the way their mama licks.
If you experiment like this, have you noticed any difference in acceptance, or timing of purring, closing eyes, leaning in their body for more physical affection, or other signs they like what you're doing? ( That huuuge human hand looming over their heads can scare, so start w/ cheek, perhaps, lower side of ear, or chin, not forehead.)
My feral are more accepting of me sooner w/ mama’s strokes.

In a shelter, a long wood stick with serrated edges, scraping along Noodles' back while she huddles terrified at the cage back, may not be as effective as a smaller, that-cat-scented cloth-covered flexible one, w/ human further way from cage, slowly, gently sliding it in cage entrance gradually, until it's in front of the cat, not touching her, then a little closer each time... then with mama's strokes...
Sometimes remembering how Mama did it works better.

16/06/2025

A little like us humans: the older Noodles gets, the more likely he is to ...constipate. He's also more likely to be dehydrated--remember, if the vet doesn't gently scruff Noodles to see how quickly the fur falls back into shape, you should, sometimes. (It's also age related, so a 'tented' back-of-the-neck fold doesn't snap back quite as quickly as it would on a kit.)
All the more reason to not only forego the kibble (or at least gradually fork more water into it), but add water to the wet food. ('Extra gravy' means the manufacturers are charging you for thickeners and a lot more water, less meat.)
In addition, talk with your vet about possibly adding more fiber to catto's meals. That may not mean supplements, nor expensive 'special' catfood— those marketed for 'indoor cats and hairball control’ are often not only chunked up with fiber, but other plant ingredients Noodles doesn’t necessarily need.
Then keep an eye on Noodles' f***s. Stool should be moist when emerging, and more like a segmented sausage, not dried Tootsie Rolls miniatures.

13/06/2025

Still! So many loving owners—or those out of the house so much, (or …others) are feeding their cats twice a day.
Where did we get that idea?
No cats would eat twice or even three times day if they could possibly help it.
Think: outside, cats hunt 15-20+ times a day. Survivors, remember? At least 75% of their awake time is spent looking for food. When they catch something—usually, that bird or insect or rat’s faster—and they scrape away what they don’t want, there isn’t much left. So their speedy metabolism’s nourished by many small infusions of caloric energy. Mealettes. It's the way their physiology works.
You should be feeding Noodles five or six times daily.
Why else? Not only is it closer to the way they naturally eat, but it’s a lot healthier, and provides more badly-needed stimulation for her. Substitute food puzzles for some of this meals.
She’ll also be a Lot happier.
You'll notice that, which also means less undesireable behavior, b/c cats are stressed more when they're hungry. Big-time.

Don’t grimace.
If you’re out working or playing, this is where auto feeders can help. They’re more sophisticated, these days; many designed for dry food are fine for wet stuff. Some are timed, with different compartments. Some even a place for a dry ice sachet, so our darlings won’t have older wet food—which, as we all know, they won’t eat, anyway.
If they’re expensive, try eBay, or a thrift shop. (You’d be surprised.)
Otherwise, put the bowls or, better, food puzzles down yourself, b/c that act is truly bonding.

Humans shouldn’t be eating twice a day. Neither should dogs. Nor so many species, if they had their say.
Why should Noodles?

11/06/2025

According to a Tokyo U of Agriculture study, 'domestic cats can tell the difference between the scent of a familiar person and that of a stranger. [30 cats] show a clear preference for the unknown...spent more time sniffing the odors of strangers than the scent of their owners or the blank control.'
Each given 3 tubes of scent--owner's, stranger's, clean. Result: they spent 4.8 secs sniffing the stranger’s odor—2 x as long as on their owner’s scent (2.4 secs) and the blank swab (1.9 secs).

Wait, please. Since when does exploration indicate partiality?

'the team stopped short of concluding that cats can identify specific people as their owner.'
What? We Know, through past research, not to mention experience, that they do, indeed.
They do acknowledge that cats sniff a strange smell for longer. (Don't say it.)
Flawed study, certainly; the owners were present at the testing!
This study is part of a growing body of research suggesting that cats are attuned to human cues. Previous work has shown that cats recognize their owner’s voice...adjust behavior in response to emotional (!) odors.
You think?
We know cats 'adjust' their response to any odors, and context. Their sense of smell, far more acute than their sight, say, has ensured their enormous ability to survive.
'research on feline social cognition lags behind that of dogs.'
This sort of repetitive, unenlightening and weak kind of research does not illuminate.
But the testing also showed “The left nostril is used for familiar odors, the right nostril for new and alarming odors,” study author Uchiyama explained to The NY Times. “It is likely that the right brain is preferred for processing emotionally alarming odors.”

I feel much more enlightened.

(This isn't about bashing trial parameters, so much as your ability to quantify experience--unlaced w/ sentiment--proves valuable, as well. Don't dismiss it.)

09/06/2025

...and two more. 'Cats who appear to be fighting have a broken relationship'. Wait: 'appear'? If that's saying many people can't tell the dif betw/ play-fighting and real 'rip yer head off' tussling, two important signs: 1. is the activity mutual? Or is one the put-upon real sufferer? Does second cat come back for more? Is the 'victimization' on both sides, w/ both willing to continue the game? Cats are hardwired not to confront, unless they have to; in a fight, eventually one throws a submissive posture (showing stomach, lowering posture with tail tucked down, say, eyes averted) and the other stops, victim s l o w l y walks away, so as to not encourage the prey-chase reflex in the other...drop mic. 2. is there vocalizing? In play, it's not snarling, hissing, growling.

IF Cornell means that the relationship isn't broken If both cats are fighting like hell--wrong. BUT. Doesn't mean it can't be fixed.
(Sigh.)

06/06/2025

And more! What worries me? These two myths are from Cornell, (mentioned in their latest newsletter)supposed to have one of the best behavior depts in the country.
Ho, I say. To wit: 'Cats' social organization is based on hierarchy & dominance'. A myth? Not really. BUT the difference betw/ a dog's and a cat's system? Dogs' tend to be fixed; it changes thru a member being disabled, elderly, absent or ill. Cats' hierarchy exists, but is fluid. An example I've mentioned before: Izzy's queen of the bed, but Bouvier saunters around like the proverbial 400 lb gorilla: anywhere she wants, she rules house and food. Has anyone running a multi-cat home not seen examples of this kind of thing? A second boo-boo: 'Cats get lonely and need a companion'. No myth, guys. Distinguish from the cat who's known close relationships with cats before--and for one reason or another, don't have that now. ..and one who hasn't known other siblings or any degree of bonding. Or haven’t known socialization. Or were abused by other cats.Some cats are Not meant to be the only one.
Nerts.
Can you think of any others?

04/06/2025

Another myth, fresh off this morning's chat with a client. She's doing a proper slow intro, and read countless times that cat #1 should not go into cat #2's room, b/c it has the smell of 'the enemy', but stick to the rest of the house when she isn't being stuck in her own room.
More than rubbish! Follow that advice and you thwart some of the reason for the slow intro to begin with. 1st: the whole house is everyone's territory, even if it's a gradual process. You Want each 'side' to get familiar w/ the other cat's smell. Both cats 'own' the home. It's also natural, important behavior for one cat to immediate mark/pee in the other cat's litter box. 'I'm here!' Secondly, do you think that's the only room at home that smells like cat #2? Thirdly, if you keep each cat in only one room (vs rest of house), then she sees it as her 'safe spot', and becomes even more territorial and possessive of it, which can help defeat the purpose of the intro process.

I have to wonder where this stuff originates from. Craigslist?

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