All about cats!
It is said that you are either a cat person or a dog person. Most people tend to fit into the category of cat people. However, most cat people don’t understand their cats’ behaviors and often relinquish their pet to an animal shelter for problem behaviors such as jumping on the counters and tables, urinating and defecating outside the litterbox and scratch the furniture.
First we must understand that cats are solitary animals. Unlike dogs, the ancestors of domestic cats such as cougars, tigers and panthers, do not live in a group. The only exception is the lion, but you will find that your domestic cat will have more of a tendency to take after the more solitary cats. This means that your cat will not have as much motivation to please you as a pack leader.
The first thing to understanding your cat, is learning to read your cat’s body language.
Your cat is always trying to communicate to you through its gestures and body language, so to know your cat more, you need to know more about the cat’s body language. The sweeping of the tail or rubbing of the cheeks, pricking of the ears or purring under breath - each has a significance of its own. Your cat will often rub its cheeks against you or against the cheeks of another cat. Through this it actually tries to pick up or leave scent markers so that it can again create a future physical contact.
In understanding your cat, there are a few things you need to understand :
Importance of tail movement
The tail is the most important part of your cat’s body to indicate a variety of actions and reactions. The tail often denotes its mood and intention. If your cat is sweeping its tail in broad gestures, then it symbolizes annoyance or impatience at your excessive petting. If you continue to cuddle the cat, it might result in growling softly or giving you a “bat” with its paws. A rapid sweeping of tail back and forth, right from the center shows an extreme agitation in your cat.
If you find your cat turning its body fully sideways and extending its bristled tail upwards, then be sure that your cat is looking for a conflict with the fellow cats. When your cat is busy trapping a prey, you will find it to be more cautious, involved in subtle movements and inflating its tummy while all the time intently aiming at the prey. Often you will find your cat lowering its tail to tuck it between her legs, which show her complete obedience. A raised tail also indicates that your cat wants to be friendly, and a twitching of the tail will confirm its anticipation to be with you after the whole day of outing.
Movement of other body parts
Along with the tail, the cat’s body gestures speak volumes about its mood and behavior. While bent legs denote defending of self, outstretched legs will denote self-confidence and self-assurance.
If the cat’s ears are back and the body low, it will impart its shame or remorse; pricked ears will denote interest in the happenings around it. If you find your cat with the head completely lowered then it will show boredom and sneaking subtly with its head lowered on the ground should make you aware of full-fledged assault on the victim ahead.
Knowledge about these cat behaviors will definitely strengthen the bond between you and your cat.
THE TALE OF THE TAIL.
- When the tail is flying high: "all is terrific."
- When it is at half-mast: "all is not terrific."
- When it is dropped low: "I'm very unhappy."
- When it twitches back and forth: "back off."
- When the tip twitches: "I'm self conscious."
- When it's bushy: "I'm angry!"
TONGUES TALK WHEN CATS GROOM.
- Embarrassment: Rapid, non-stop licking.
- OK: Short staccato licks looking at you.
- Boredom: Constant, deep intense licks.
- Nervousness: Short, shallow licks.
- Affection: The cat licks you. A good time to train.
THE EAR STORY.
- Ears alert/straight up: Ready for fun or affection.
- Ears flat out sideways: "What's up?"
- Ears downward: "I'm defensive. Watch out!"
- Ears down and back: "I'm furious. Watch out!"
LISTEN TO MY PAWS.
- Paw kneading: "I'm content."
- Paw strokes, Paw hugs: "I love you."
- Paw nagging: "Hurry up!"
- Paw blows:" A fight!"
THE EYES SAY IT.
- Eyes wide open and looking at you: "I'm listening."
- Eyes half closed: "I'm sleepy."
- Eye pupils in slits: "I'm feeling alert and confident."
- Bug-eyed: "I'm frightened.".so be careful!
- Blinking and winking: "I'm talking to you, I like you."
- Eyes clouded: "I'm ill." Or, "I'm relaxed."
- Eyes staring: "Stay away." A stare is a challenge.
Advice: Take a few minutes every day to have a conversation with your cat. The sound of your voice will help your cat become responsive and friendly.
Training Your Cat
Imagine that you are scolding your cat for scratching at your new furniture, and Kitty is sitting staring at you. Suddenly you realize how silly you look and how futile your scolding is. So how do you train your cat to respect your home?
All cats can be trained and should have some training from their owners. You sometimes will need to train your cat to use her litter box, sharpen her claws on the scratching post instead of your couch, and to stop negative behavior when you say "no." Cats can also learn to do "tricks," and the mental stimulation of learning is good for them.
Cats learn the same way dogs and people learn; they repeat behaviors that have a pleasurable result. The best way to train your cat is to reward her when she does something right. The reward might be a small piece of a special food, or lots of praise from you in a happy, high-pitched voice.
Training to change negative behaviors requires you to catch your cat "in the act." For example, if your cat uses your stereo speakers as a scratching post, wait until she is about to put claw to fabric, then firmly say "NO." The moment she freezes and turns towards you, switch to the happy voice and praise her. Move towards her to distract her away from the inappropriate object. If she makes any movement towards you praise her even more. Timing and repetition are the keys to success here. You must catch her as she moves to act inappropriately, and praise her the exact moment she stops.
Problem Prevention
If you want to prevent problems from occurring, or reform kitty of his bad habits, the answers are the same. Here's a three point training plan:
1. Stop all reprimands. Concentrate on making your relationship fun, rewarding, playful and interesting. Sometimes this change alone will solve your problem. Cats are known to become overly active and destructive when bored. Daily play sessions and relaxing massages help calm kitty down. Cats that feel neglected will often stop using their litter box. If you schedule regular sessions to give kitty your undivided attention and to play games with him, even litter box problems can disappear almost overnight.
2. The most effective method of cat training is through rewards, so the second step is setting up the cat's environment so he can succeed. This will give you the opportunity to reward and praise him for good behavior.
Let's take a look at litter box training as an example. A cat's physical system is very regular. If you control the input, you are also in control of the output. Kitty should be on a regular feeding schedule so he will have a corresponding regular output schedule. Adjust his feeding time so you can be present when he needs to go. About 15 minutes prior to when you know he will need to go, take him to his litter box room. Because you and kitty are locked in the litter box room, he doesn't have the option of going on the carpet in the hall or on your bed. His only choice is the litter box. When he uses it, praise the daylights out of him! Give him a juicy chunk of salmon or another treat that is reserved for this wonderful performance. Until you're sure that litter box training is successful, don't give him free access to the rest of your home when you know his bladder and bowels are full.
3. The third step is setting up the cat's environment so that his misbehavior is not a rewarding experience. Let's take a look at furniture scratching as an example. While making kitty's scratching post fun, rewarding and exciting, the training process also requires you to make the furniture unattractive as a clawing item. Instead of you telling the cat to avoid the furniture, let the furniture itself tell the cat to stay away. It's up to you to find something your cat does not like. Each cat is different. However, most cats don't like to snag their claws when scratching, so you might try draping some netting or tulle over the furniture. Some cats don't like the feel of aluminum foil or two-sided sticky tape. A mild menthol or citrus scent repels some cats. Once your cat realizes that these places are not fun to scratch or sit on, and she regularly has wonderful times at her scratching post, the problem of inappropriate scratching will disappear.
Maybe you are into training your cat to jump through a hoop; maybe you just want him to stop climbing the drapes. Whatever the case, remember that cats learn best through the use of rewards, praise and positive reinforcement. Set kitty up to succeed. Set yourself up to succeed with your cat. It works. And it's a lot more fun when training succeeds for both of you.
Training Tricks
Training simple tricks can be incorporated into daily playtime. Always keep some cat treats in a pocket during training time. To teach your cat to "shake hands," begin by saying "shake," then touching your hand to the underside of one of her front paws. Praise her for letting you touch there, and give her a treat. Repeat this over and over again. Eventually, you can lay your hand flat on the floor just in front of her paw. Say "shake" and wait. If she even moves her paw towards you praise her and give her a treat. Little by little, she'll catch on that every time she touches your hand with her paw she can get you to give her a treat. Once she willingly touches your hand, you can start to raise your hand off of the floor a little bit at a time. Keep training fun. Stop the session before she loses interest, and always end on a positive note with a reward. Remember that training a cat takes more time than training a dog. You should be patient and consistent.
You can use the same one-small-step-at-a-time technique to teach your cat to walk on a leash. This allows you to take your cat outside for fresh air and sensory stimulation without having to worry about her running off. Purchase a cat harness from a pet supply store. Before you even try putting it on your cat, simply leave it lying by her bed for a day or two. When she is used to seeing and smelling it, loosely put it on her just before her normal mealtime. Hand-feed her food to distract her from the harness and to make wearing it a pleasurable experience. Remove it when the food is gone. After a few days, you can let her wear the harness around the house. Let the leash drag behind, but watch to make sure it doesn't become tangled around furniture. When she seems comfortable with the harness and leash, pick up your end and walk with her, letting her lead the way. Eventually she will walk willingly beside you, and you can both venture outdoors.
Getting Rid of Cat Urine Odors
Many people wonder why cat urine odor is so hard to get rid of. Well, cat urine is composed of five different bacteria strains. Two of the bacteria strains are associated with the cat's marking scent. The other strains are in the cat spray, urine, and uric acid.
The sticky, tacky part of cat urine is urea. Urochrome is the pigment, and then there are the uric acid crystals and salts.
The first two components are not difficult to clean. The uric acid with its crystals and salts are what we continually see and smell, long after we’ve tried to clean the cat urine spot.
The crystals are insoluble, and they bond tightly to any surface they land on. This is why cat urine is immune to common household cleaners. Any type of moisture that gets on the crystals reactivates them. This is why we smell cat urine odor more distinctly when the weather is very humid.
The only way to completely and permanently clean up cat urine odor from any surface in your home is to use an enzyme cleaner. These cleaners are special formulas that actually eat the bacteria and crystals in cat urine.
Common household cleaners don’t contain enzymes. If they do, the enzymes are probably specific to cleaning up blood. Pet odor and stain removers use enzymes that attack and get rid of urine bacteria.
The worst type of cleaner you can use on cat urine odor puddles is any ammonia cleaner! Cat urine contains ammonia. Pour one of these cleaners onto that puddle, and its calling kitty’s name to come over and mark the spot again! If you or someone you know has a cat urine odor problem, this is why it's so difficult to get rid of.
There is a special urine cleaning product that is available in any pet store or even at Wal Mart. These products can range in price from $6.99 to $20.00. There are also different kinds with different smells. It’s your choice!