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Cat care
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Solve
cat behavioral problems, learn Cat Behavioral Training. Click image
to view Complete Cat Training Guide |
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Aggression is an inherent aspect of your cat's predatory nature:
behaviours like stalking, chasing, leaping, pouncing, swatting, and
biting are all common displays, and are always a major component of
any play session.
Usually, this doesn't constitute a problem: it's just how cats play,
and catering to your cat's predatory whims can be pretty fun!
But when your cat becomes play aggressive, things can get very
uncomfortable, very quickly: faced with a cat that doesn't
understand that such play is painful and even dangerous for her
owner, playtimes with your cat can become a trial rather than a
pleasure.
This problem is the number-one most common form of aggression that
cats display towards humans. It happens when a bored, under
exercised, and lonely cat becomes overstimulated during play ' and
typical play-time mock aggression becomes the real deal.
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How do cats normally play?
Cats play in two ways: social (or interactive) play, which is
directed towards other cats and humans; and solitary play, which is
directed towards objects like balled up paper, mobile cat toys, and
paper bags.
Play aggression is often present in either of these two modes of
play, but it only becomes an issue when people are involved.
What causes play aggression?
Play aggression happens when your cat has an excess of unused energy
' usually from a lack of exercise and owner interaction ' and, as a
result, becomes too rambunctious and vigorous during a play session.
Because all cat play is based around the predatory feline nature, an
overstimulated cat vents this excess through an intensification of
her normal predatory play: so, instead of swatting at you with claws
sheathed, she extends them; instead of mouthing your hand, she gives
it a sharp bite.
Unfortunately, the problem is usually self-replicating. The cat is
play-aggressive because she's not getting enough stimulating,
interactive play time; but because she demonstrates this behaviour
whenever she gets played with, her owner plays with her less ' which
results in more play aggression ' which results in even less play '
and so on.
How can I tell when my cat's about to become aggressive?
You can often tell when the play's getting a bit out of control by
paying attention to your cat's body language and expression.
Normal, non-aggressive feline play behaviour includes the 'play
face', with a half-open mouth and heavily lidded eyes; the sideways
hop (often with arched back); and a lightly switching tail (it's
going from side to side, but slowly and gently.)
When your cat's getting too revved-up, her body language will alter
dramatically. Her ears will go back, her tail will start lashing
violently from side to side, and her pupils will enlarge. Her
movements will also become significantly more vigorous and
energetic: there'll be increased speed and force to her playing.
What should I do when I sense things are getting out of control?
If you think your cat's getting overexcited, the best thing you can
do is to stand up and walk away ' before she actually starts to
display aggression! You can resume play as soon as she's calmed down
a bit; the idea is to intervene before she has the chance to vent
her energy on you.
If it's too late for this and she's already started to bite or
scratch at you, don't reward her with attention
At
this point, she will most likely try to initiate play with you
again. When she does, don't respond ' play initiation is dominant
behaviour, and if you accede to her demands, it'll teach her that
bothering you for attention results in her getting her own way.
If she's particularly persistent, or the aggression is becoming hard
to deal with, you can isolate her in a room by herself until she's
calm (which can take anywhere from five to twenty minutes.)
Main do's and don'ts for play aggression:
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Remember, your cat isn't really trying to 'attack' you ' her
intentions are purely playful. She just has to learn that
aggressive behaviour isn't going to result in a rewarding play
session for her. In order for her to learn this, you need to be
consistent with your reactions: so don't reward her with
attention sometimes, and ignore her at other times. She'll get
confused, and won't learn to curb her aggressive behaviour.
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Don't ever use physical punishment to correct play aggression.
There are two reasons for this: one, if you actually hurt your
cat, this will result in increased aggression on her behalf; and
two, even if it doesn't hurt, it's still going to scare her,
which results in owner-avoidance and a general deterioration of
your relationship.
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Since play aggression is almost always due to boredom and an
excess of energy, the best thing you can do is to provide lots
of opportunities for stimulating interactive play with your cat.
Try to make it aerobic exercise: get her running around, chasing
things, climbing, pouncing, and so on.
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Make sure the play is on your terms. Don't allow your cat to
initiate play ' this is habit-forming, and teaches her that you
can be manipulated.
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If you find it difficult to make the time to play with your cat,
scheduling in a couple of set ten-minute playtimes each day
might help. Paying attention to your cat's circadian rhythms
(watching to see when she's the most active) is a good idea as
well: play with her when she's wide-awake and raring to go.
She'll get more out of it.
What toys should I use?
Cats are predators. Their play is instinctively based around
behaviours that will increase their ability to hunt.
Because of this, cats prefer toys that resemble prey ' that is,
small, mobile objects that move.
Try things like ping-pong balls, crumpled-up paper, cardboard boxes,
paper bags, dangling ropes affixed to the ceiling or doorways,
scratching posts, and skeins of yarn for solitary play; and fake
mice, cat dancers (like a mobile which you dangle and jerk around
for your cat to play with), wands, and anything that rolls which you
can toss for her for interactive play.
If she likes to climb and explore, you can also try creating an
obstacle course for her to enjoy: rig up some branches, pillars,
shelves, perches, and climbing ramps etc for her to clamber around
on. Most cats enjoy being up high anyway, so this should go down a
treat. You can also try hiding some small, tasty treats in various
places to encourage her to get climbing.
For a really detailed look at how to deal with your cat's behaviour
problems, take a look at Complete Cat Training. It's a cutting-edge
cat training manual that's focused on training your cat and changing
her behaviour for the better.
For professional tips on transforming your cat's behaviour problems
(as well as teaching her some pretty neat tricks, from sit and stay
to roll over, play dead, and fetch!) Complete Cat Training comes
very highly recommended.
Article by KINGDOM OF PETS |
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Understand cat behavior, cat play aggression and cat aggressive
heavior, learn Cat Behavioral Training. Click image to view Complete
Cat Training Guide |
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What is urine marking?
Urine marking '
sometimes called spraying ' is when your cat deposits small amounts
of urine (usually on vertical surfaces) as a kind of message tag to
announce his presence.
Although this issue involves inappropriate urination inside the
house, marking isn't actually a housetraining problem: it's a
deliberate expression of territoriality, which is a completely
different thing.
Why do cats mark?
There are a number of reasons why cats mark: |
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Territoriality: the cat is letting other cats know that the
marked area is 'his' territory
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To communicate sexual availability
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Out of stress or anxiety
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A change of location: some cats will begin to mark when their
owners move house
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If a new animal or human is introduced to the house
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Because of overcrowding (too many other cats in the house)
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The cat is receiving less attention than normal
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A significant change in lifestyle or routine (for example, the
owner gets a full-time job; someone moves out of home; the house
is renovated)
Which cats are more likely to mark?
All cats mark - and unfortunately, there's no way of predicting in
advance which cats are going to become sprayers!
However, some cats are more likely to mark than others. From most
likely to least likely, these are:
If
you have an intact male cat, urine marking is practically to be
expected. The urine of a tomcat has that characteristically strong,
catty odour, and is very recognizable (and offensive) to humans:
neutering your male cat will remove this odour and will also reduce
the likelihood of recurrent marking.
Although neutering is strongly recommended in the treatment of
feline marking, it's not necessarily guaranteed to work:
approximately 10% of neutered males and 5% of neutered females keep
right on doing it.
How can I get my cat to stop marking?
Although there's no hard-and-fast, guaranteed 'cure' for this
undesirable behaviour, there are a number of steps that you can take
which are likely to either significantly reduce, or stop entirely,
your cat's marking.
Listed below are some of the most effective options:
There are a huge number of reasons why your cat is choosing to
urinate outside the litter box: he may be marking, or there may be a
medical cause for the behaviour. Before you can decide on
appropriate treatment, you need to rule out health-related causes
for the inappropriate elimination.
Take him to the vet for a urinalysis (a complete analysis of his
urine) and an overall check-up, to make sure that there are no
medical reasons for his behaviour.
Neuter your cat immediately. This is the single most effective thing
you can do to stop your cat's spraying, and if you hope to get any
control at all over the issue, it's pretty much mandatory.
Statistics show that a whopping 87% of all cats stop marking when
they're altered - of this number, 78% cease marking immediately, and
9% stop within three months.
Behaviour modification is a tried and true method of controlling
your cat's spraying, although it will require a considerable
investment of time and effort on your behalf. You'll need to
supervise your cat closely, paying attention to where and when he
marks. The use of behavioural-modification tools like water pistols
and shake cans (a tin can with ten pennies or a handful of pebbles
inside ' when shaken, it makes a loud, scary noise) speeds the
process up considerably: when you catch him marking, startle him out
of continuing by either spraying him with the water pistol or
shaking the can vigorously.
'Redesignating' the areas which he tends to mark in can also help:
cats don't like to spray in areas where they eat, sleep, and play.
If he marks in particular places around the home (as opposed to
indiscriminately), put his food bowls next to the spot, play with
him there, and put his bed there.
Treatment for marking is based around removing your cat's motivation
to mark in the first place. The most common reasons for marking is
territoriality: he could be feeling threatened by the presence of
strange cats around the house, or he could be experiencing some
conflict with another cat(s) in the house. So, to control his
marking behaviour, you need to minimize his need to act in a
defensive, territorial way.
You can do this by minimizing his exposure to the strange cats, and
by resolving any conflict in the home.
For strange cats:
Keep him inside the house, and restrict his access to windows: shut
the doors to high-risk rooms, block out his view by installing
shields across the sills (these are made of translucent plastic, and
can be bought from home-improvement and DIY stores), and if you have
a cat-flap, make sure it's permanently closed (both to prevent your
cat from going outside, and to prevent other cats from coming in.)
For problems inside the home:
If the problem's based around a situation in the home (perhaps he's
feeling overcrowded, perhaps there are conflict issues with one or
more other cats), you'll need to pay attention to how your cats are
interacting, and then separate the cats that have issues with each
other.
Keep them in separate rooms, with separate litter boxes and food
bowls. This doesn't have to be a permanent thing ' once the
spraying's stopped, give them at least another week of separation
(just to be on the safe side) and then you can gradually reintroduce
them by way of mutually-enjoyable events like mealtimes and
playtimes.)
Make
it really easy for your cat to urinate appropriately. Make sure that
there are enough litter boxes in the house: there should be at least
one more than the total number of cats. If you have a multi-storey
house, make sure there's at least one box per storey (more, if you
have more cats), and see that they're all cleaned regularly.
For a really detailed look at how to deal with your cat's behaviour
problems, take a look at Complete Cat Training. It's a cutting-edge
cat training manual that's focused on training your cat and changing
her behaviour for the better.
For professional tips on transforming your cat's behaviour problems
(as well as teaching her some pretty neat tricks, from sit and stay
to roll over, play dead, and fetch!) Complete Cat Training comes
very highly recommended.
Article by KINGDOM OF PETS |
|
Complete Cat Training
is the next step in cat behavior training. Join Paula Robb as
she shares cat training secrets on everything from basic toilet
training to all sorts of fun tricks. No matter how much your cat
scratches, hisses or sprays, Paula will teach you what to do to
stop any behavioral problem in its tracks.
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Last Modified 14th February 2010.
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