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

01/03/2025

Shelters and breed-specific rescues are The ports of call when you're wanting to add a new furr to your family. But be aware that idiotic mistakes, purposeful or not, can still be made anywhere. Ex: a recent client was 'sold' --by a mid-Atlantic maaaajor organization yet--a wee kitten who was not only UNspayed, but was offered b/c 'she was spreading an infection'. (They magnanimously spayed her later.) Missy's behavior has seemed, thus far, to be that of one frightened feral, to boot.

However major, national, huge or tiny a rescue/shelter is, make bullet points for questions to ask:
How long she's been at the shelter, what's known about her background--how found or brought in, or...? Feral? Stray? Homed? (If known.) Why was she given up? (You should hear some of the excuses--but still...) What's she like with other cats? People? Has she been exposed to them? How has she been housed? Medical issues? What kind of behavior's been noted by several of the staff/volunteers? How much interaction/socialization has she had when in the shelter? What was her living situation beforehand, if known? Her diet? Ensure you're able to spend as much time as you need with her, before deciding. And learn about the shelter, itself: How much info have your received? Is the place clean and organized? Do the people Care? Are you able to view the place, not jut the kit? What's the place's return rate? Do the staff seem to have a sense of the kit's behavior? Are there communal rooms? Are they asking questions of you and your home? Do they seem to be knowledgeable? What HAS Noodles been tested for? Why or why not? Will they offer it?
And you: are you going for the same color as your last cat? Hmmm...

26/02/2025

Not again. Marketers aim their pet food at apparently guilt-ridden humans to an often idiotic degree. (Take 'human-grade' cat food, for example. Nuts.) Take the 'gluten-free' cat food wave. No. Nonono. Gluten-free diets are not necessarily healthier--not at all for cats or dogs. The protein in corn gluten doesn’t cause GI problems, even in celiacs (which only 1% of humans in N America and EUROPE.) have, and nothing at all reported in cats. It's very rarely seen in dogs, btw.

Gluten’s actually high-quality protein, concentrated from grain after starch has been extracted. Corn gluten meal--very digestible-- contains 60-70% protein, and gives essential amino acids forming crucial building blocks for that protein.

Takeaway: don't fall for it if you see it written on your cat food cans or bags or pouches.

25/02/2025

Because—as mentioned often, just because it’s so important—there’s nothing like familiarity to bust stress, and there’s nothing as familiar to a catto as her own smell, before bringing in a tower/perch/tree (or cloth toy or blanket or anything cats use), I have a Zipbag with pieces of catsmell-soaked scraps of cotton or linen, and I rub that tower all over. By the time it comes inside, it already smells like the kids, so they’re far more likely to zoom right over and snuggle in.

22/02/2025

WHY am I reading that if Noodles has a favorite stuffie, carried around and soggy from nuzzling, to discourage him from it? He gets comfort and reassurance when he licks and rubs against a particular shape (and yes, color) which is also repeatedly soaked with his scent. Again: there’s nothing like familiarity to bust stress, and there’s nothing as familiar as one’s own scent. Fur, fuzz, an interesting texture. Grooming, sucking, whatever reminds them of happy early times with mom. We find that happens more when kids have been weaned at an early age—or perhaps taken/lost from her too early in life.
Sometimes plastic's fun, both the smooth slick texture and taste…we all know kits who find plastic bags of great interest.
Now, does Noodles swallow or just chew? If you're pulling out a strip of plastic with ‘W H O L E F O ...' or some identifiable brand from their re**um, or find white plastic bag pieces in the litter, that’s pica, something for the vet to explore. Investigate the difference; is it a toy Noodles is possessive of and tactile and mouthy about? Or household things you’d rather they not have in their mouths?
Again, unlike what some argue, mouthing a toy isn’t harmful, physically or emotionally. In my experience, I’ve found cats who not only have been bereft of mom too soon, but have previously given birth to be more likely to lick and carry and nuzz. (My verb for ‘nuzzle’.) No problem, there. Some people still have a stuffed rabbit or bear from their childhood plonked on their beds, after all…

18/02/2025

A quickie from today's news: 'Two cats in different households in Ore., were euthanized after contracting avian influenza infections and falling severely ill. Both cats had eaten raw food from Wild Coast Raw... "Raw food still is always going to be a risk, not just for this virus, but any pathogen that can pass through that meat, that product, into the animals," said Oregon State Veterinarian Ryan Scholz.'

18/02/2025

Yes, there are times when I need to clean up someone else’s mess. A so-called cat behaviorist, P, recently advised my client introducing a new cat to her resident one to keep them separated—always behind closed doors, except for having them meet for a couple of 15 minute periods during the day. ‘See what happens’!
Huh?
Poor K, after one year of choreography that'd surpass Bob Fosse, still has two cats who don’t know each other, hate what they do see, tossed together at whim.. after a year's worth being ‘imprinted’ with only negative response from the other, which makes more to undo.
NO. The point of a slow intro is to graaaaaadually let the kids get to know each other, through feeding, playing, treating—gradually! Through smell, sound, then sight, then…a weeee bit at a time, so each cat learns the body language of the other, learns the other is not a threat, that the underlying theme, ‘Good things happen in each other’s presence’ is allowed to be experienced.
Slowly.
Of course, some people get lucky if their two cats got along at the get go. Lucky indeed. But hardly a good option to risk. As with previous advice K got--worse than nothing.

15/02/2025

I’m no vet, but I mention a newish (as of July 2023) feline urine test, produced by IDEXX (only?) which picks up the most minute kidney injury—when there are no other signs in regular urinalyses and complete chem panels. Even when asymptomatic, no blip in Noodles’ kidney function whatsoever. (It assesses renal injury, not function.) I mention this b/c my 10-year-old Izzy's recent semi-annual had excellent readings—-until the Cystatin B test. (Average number .99 or lower. Izzy’s was 474.) We’re investigating, obviously, but the result had vets’ tongues wagging (so to speak). I’d like to suggest, unless your vet thinks otherwise, that it be included in Noodles’ blood tests—again, even (especially) if there are no signs whatsoever of kidney issues. (Discernible symptoms: increased thirst, urination, sleeping, listlessness, decreased appetite, barfing, weight loss, hiding, irritability, confusion, pacing, restlessness, and losing interest in activities they used to like; in advanced stages, even bad breath and mouth ulcers.)

12/02/2025

Cats have their own eating patterns, especially when they're 'domesticated' indoor kids, as food is served to them at certain times of the day. Cats respond to structure. Yet another reason for serving (ohh, yes we do) them four or five times daily (and, when possible, pick bowl up after 10-15 minutes, except the last bowl before you retire) : you can see how much is left in the bowl each time you remove it; for example, perhaps morning's bowl is completely polished clean, while the 10 or 11:00 feeding there's something left. Adjusting what you feed, and when, means your cat’s appetite is served more efficiently—and you’ve a little food, perhaps refreshed with water or a spoonful of low-sodium chicken broth—for next time..

10/02/2025

Some cats prefer two boxes, fairly close to each other, to elimination in--one for stool, one for urine,and never the twain meet. The general theory: why not? A cat doesn't urinate and defecate in the same place, after all. And they are two different bodily functions, even though we humans can have some urine output along w/ the f***s. Some cats. see if yours may be one of them, if you find there can be ...issues.

07/02/2025

When my client asked why her furr was dropping his toys in the water bowl, I was ready with the primary answer: cats enjoy the fun of it, watching the flickering ripples of the water. Looking at other answers I've seen, though, am skeptical. 'Cats may see the toy as prey, (true) so " feel the need to drown them...like wild cats might subdue its catch.' Not convinced. There aren't the accompanying actions in the 'drowning', and although cats share much with their wild kin I've not seen that particular instinct show up, (looking particularly at ferals.) Another theory: Noodles sees both her food and water bowls as safe spots, so will stow them in there. Also not convinced. After doing that once or twice, cats obviously know when their toys are wet, which they hate. They wouldn't have that instinct, or else would have learned not to do that. I've never seen cats do that in the wild. Theory three: Noodles is trying to get your attention. Have again, not seen that.
Thoughts, experiences, readers?

A shortie: sometimes clients’ kids are chewing cords—TV, desktops, lamps, you name it. (It’s important to recognize if N...
05/02/2025

A shortie: sometimes clients’ kids are chewing cords—TV, desktops, lamps, you name it. (It’s important to recognize if Noodles is actually eating it—which could be a sign of pica—or just chewing.)
‘CritterCord’ may be useful. A client delighted with it sent info to me: it’s a 10 foot long thin plastic tube. More, it has citrus smell in it. There’s also a thinner one for computer wires and phone chargers.

03/02/2025

Cat owner? Gleam in the adperson's eye. The latest cat product, Pacagen, is marketed to 'remove 98% of active cat allergens'. Spray for areas where Noodles hangs: sofas, carpets, chairs, beds... Ingredients: Sodium chloride (Salt. Too much toxic to cats. However, saline can decrease allergens in your nose.) Glycine. (Soybean. Suppresses inflammation. Helps mammals, including us, tolerate allergens.) Sodium benzoate. (A salt, w/ the same toxicity rate--moderate-- as table salt. Low amounts no problem.) Silica. Sand. (Not toxic, but Could cause temporary gastro issues like appetite loss, barfing, diarrhea b/c silica's an irritant. That’s why I hate silica litter—cats groom themselves, and I’m not finding a study discussing long-term ingestion.) Potassium sorbate. (Preservative). Leucine. (An amino acid in a cat’s complete diet.) Lavender scent (hope it's synthetic, as many cats hate, can’t tolerate nor digest it) and morning glory smells (can, when eaten, cause barfing). And ‘WhiskerBlock Alpha. (Unsure of that one; it’s described as ‘binding’ these ingredients.)

Has it worked for you? Do tell.

01/02/2025

How delicate, actually. When cats eliminate outside, be it urine or f***s, they don't dig so much as scrape. (You see them clawing over food they don't want, not bury it, dog-style.) No anthropological dig, here; nobody's scooping up a skull with a mewed 'Alas, poor Yorick, I knew him…’ A cat's waste, like his spray, is an important messaging method to others. This is one reason why filling the letterbox with more than two or three (max) inches is not only a squander of the stuff, but harder on Noodles. She’s only digging then because she’s looking for a clean place to go; f***s and urine can sink to the bottom, and a cat hateshateshates feeling UGH under her tender beans, and clogging between her toes’ sensitive skin. Scoop more often, use less litter.(If you see TV ads with boxes filled to the top, believe me, they’re just trying to sell you.)

29/01/2025

When a client like my most recent one, Anne, has been told by others, including her vet, ‘All cats can get along', do I just sigh--or throttle the advice givers' throats?
It’s not true, alas.
Isn’t any relationship something of a gamble, after all?
Although we can aim for at least easy toleration, sometimes the furrs in question have such different reactions w/ each other from such different temperaments and backgrounds, (How were they gotten? Or raised, if you know? Socialized? What's their natural personality? What do They like? Need?) the issue becomes "You love having these furrs, separated or drugged, but are THEY happy? Can you provide the best, healthiest life for each cat in your house? If everyone's unhappy, it's time to remember that it's the cats' wellbeing, their happiness that's most important, not your pleasure. And if you end up giving one of the kids up to a situation where they’ll thrive, then any guilt is not appropriate—albeit understandable—you’ve done a wonderful thing, ensuring Noodles is not only loved, but in a compassionate, warm, healthy environment. Cats aren’t furry accessories nor mere units of pleasure, but living, thinking, feeling beings.

28/01/2025

Mixed reviews from clients about Feliway diffusers, made to calm cats’ anxiety. True: sometimes it doesn’t work, and we still don’t know quite why, just as we don’t know why about a third of our cats don’t respond to catnip. I’ve also been told that diffusers don’t work as well when in a cold room. Whenever Ceva (Feliway mfg) have sent reps to conferences in the past, I’ve begged them to make a collar. ‘Good idea!’—but then nothing. They now have one, and it doesn’t make sense to me: it's ‘made of TPE’, or thermoplastic elastomer, ‘a soft, rubbery plastic that's flexible, durable, hypoallergenic and recyclable.’ My problem: it’s not porous. I’m told Feliway stuff is ‘diffused’ in that nonporous material. Includes camomile and lavender, two ingredients which I’ve found don’t make much difference to a cat’s state of mind. (If you disagree, let me know.) If the collar’s snug and there are small fissures, scabs or scratches on the neck, I don’t like the idea of the stuff getting into the bloodstream. I’ve seen cats’ sores get irritated, not only from being rubbed but possibly the stuff getting in.
Problem, too, with plug-ins: open a window, door, flip on a ceiling fan, and it wafts away.
May I suggest another way? Less expensive, more efficient and the owner learns sooner if it works or not. If Noodles doesn’t wear a collar, try now. (Buy a thin light one, and get her used to it a little at a time. If she truly gets stressed, then no, it’s not worth it. But give it a few days.) Buy a fabric or felt one, and Lightly spray it with Feliway, let dry for 20 minutes, then slip it over Her Maj’s head. (You’ll know if you’ve sprayed too much, as Noodles will start lip-licking. Let the collar air out for a while.)

24/01/2025

II. Those night cries. You Are leaving out wet food overnight, yes? No? Heavens. No wonder she’s protesting. An empty stomach can make her protest at night. Although I strongly recommend feeding Noodles four or five times a day (timed auto-feeders, if you must, for some of the time), picking up the bowls after 15 minutes each time, leave that last bowl or food puzzle down overnight--or leave the refrig door open...!
Attention-seeking: Some cats cry at night to get their owner's attention. They may want to play, snuggle, or simply want affection.
While I’ve read that a dirty litterbox can be the reason, I admit that I’ve never had this particular issue be the case of nocturnal crying. But consider it.
Outside cats? You can distinguish the difference between wailing from frustration and unhappiness. Not so much sounding poignant, more outraged, in this case. (Blocking off windows won't do it, as cats can both hear and even smell interlopers. Motion sensor sprinkler attachments do wonders.)
Does she ask for affection before you turn in? Never ignore that important need. Ever. I’ve known a few kids who, once they’re given that security, can then relax for the night. Like some of us humans, after all. No, that’s not anthropomorphism, that’s…a reality for so many living things.) A play session mixed with praise and affection before bed.

Note, though: unless you’re absolutely positive you know why she’s wailing or making noises, then common advice I've read: ‘ignore them’ is decidedly Wrong! Much better to find out why she’s acting up, feeling her repose disturbed. Noodles rarrrrely makes ‘night calls’ without reason reason.

23/01/2025

I. When Noodles howls at night, it's both irritating and heartbreaking. We know elderly cats can show this symptom of ageing, but not all cats suffer from cog. dysfunction—in this case, a kind of confusion as to their own whereabouts, and that security coming from it. Don't assume. (Vet! And nightlights!) Understand other reasons. (Assuming the furrs are fixed—let’s eliminate mating sounds.) .and yes, a vet check first, as that crying may indicate a medical problem, such as kidney, hypertension, thyroid issues, more. (There could be other symptoms noted during the day.)
Note when this crying begins; we know cats are crepuscular (being active at dusk and dawn), not nocturnal. He may be itching for activity. Is she generally bored? In both cases, more day-and-night stimulation, please! (Interactive play, w/ rotating toys, games w/ catnip-scented bubbles, catnip-marinated pompoms in boxes, food puzzles, outside viewing from tall towers or stick-on-hammocks, say) A good play session before retiring helps.
If you let Noodles outside (in a safe catio) during the day, and it’s not available at night, she might be resentful at the confinement. Installing a cat flap that opens to Noodles' chip at all hours.
More...

20/01/2025

Tricky thing, anthropomorphism. Distinguish that from intuition--it's worth the attempt. Learn to know your cat's 'look' as well as you know your child’s. Bear with me: it’s not in any behavior book. We’ve learned that cats can have as many as 300 expressions, and we know the recently-established ‘Pain Grimace Scale’. (Google it.) But Noodles is still expert at hiding sickness and pain. Become familiar with her general appearance. Attitude. Walk. Breathing. Patterns of living. Expression in the eyes: lids, pupils. The coat, the ears’ positions. The more you learn them, the more you can intuit when something’s ‘off’. You’re neither a helicopter parent nor pest. If something seems not quiiiite right, act on it. (And if your vet’s unsympathetic, find another one.) This is especially true, I think, of the aging cat. (It’s paid off w/ my 18-year-old calico; it was a look in the eye.) Please take the time.

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'Cats... don't appear generally to offer gestures to other cats to resolve intercat tensions.' says AAFP intercat guidelines. I can't agree. I knew the tough relationship between both cats here; Grace's slow blink to Lottie was a deliberate, mollifying, appeasement signal. After a couple of times, it indeed worked. Have your cats had their mollifying ways? What were they?

You heard it here, first, respected readers. Ellis pointed out in her isfm lecture that there hadn't been enough study on the 'slow blink'--she's right. We correctly surmise that it's a gesture of friendliness, of trust. (Some people call it a 'cat kiss'.) However, although I've not submitted my findings to a scientific, peer-reviewed journal, through my own studies and experiences over the years, I've discovered that it is also a gesture of mollification. Given a potentially threatening situation betw/ 2 cats, a 'slow blink' can express' I'm not a threat', thereby defusing the possible threat, but Without giving up status. If you hear it from anywhere else—it’s cat-eat-ccat, out there—you know where they got it!

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