Mindofyourcat

Sometimes, even though I am a veterinary behaviorist, I am asked about couples therapy. You are probably familiar with the situation. Two humans meet, marry - and then remember that their respective pets have not been formally introduced. Bad enough when this is cat-meet-cat. But cat-meet-dog can be quite a challenge. …

We try to believe that our cats are free from our idiosyncratic rituals. We like to think that our cats fit into our lives...

Most people who have lived with more than one cat at a time have witnessed a cat fight in one form or another. There...

We humans are often quite offended when our cats mark inside our houses. It is true that some marking behavior can have unpleasant consequences....

I recently received a letter from a concerned cat owner. Her dilemma is a common one: Her beloved eight-year-old cat bites her. This particular cat was adopted at three months of age from a lovely family and has known only gentle handling. The bites are hard - sometimes requiring medical attention - so the situation is very serious. And the owner is distraught, trying to determine where she could have gone wrong. …

Are my cats playing or are they fighting? Are there ways that I can tell? Simple enough, right? In fact, not really; these are...

I recently received a letter questioning why a cat would choose to eliminate on an Oriental carpet. If we cannot understand the exact reasons, well then, can we at least fix this problem? There are many potential reasons for a cat to eliminate on a carpet. As always, a medical diagnosis is needed. But once your cat receives a clean bill of health, one possibility to consider is marking behavior. Check for evidence of social…

Nearly every day, a person asks me whether I think his or her cat might be bored. Just as often, I am asked whether a beloved cat might be better off in a different home. City dwellers wonder whether their cat craves the country life. Working cat owners wonder whether their cat should be sent to live with a retired couple. …

Years ago, it seemed that, unless people planned to let their cats go outside, the cats were likely to be declawed. Thankfully, veterinarians and cat owners alike have learned that indoor cats can live happily ever after with claws intact - and that there is no reason for these clawed cats to inflict damage on people, other pets or furniture.…

Why in the world are there so many types of litter boxes available? Does box style really matter? Most cat owners purchase litter boxes that are inexpensive and readily available. Sometimes, designer litter boxes become attractive options - maybe some people figure, if we have to deal with the mess, at least we should have an aesthetically pleasing container. …

Rescuing stray cats can be simultaneously rewarding and also quite frustrating. It is very tempting to bring roaming felines into our homes. When cats are outside, they may approach us as we bring them food and other offerings. More often, we peek at them from our own hiding places, content to know that we have offered them some comfort. …

Veterinary behaviorists can spend hours watching their subjects. What are the animals doing all this time? Mostly, they are engaging in normal, species-typical behaviors. In fact, it can be quite difficult to identify and manage problem behaviors without understanding which behaviors are truly normal. A question commonly posed to veterinarians and behaviorists is: Doc, is my cat normal? …