The Cat-Human Bond

Posted on September 6, 2020July 3, 2021 by felinepurrspective_u3q4o6

The Cat-Human Bond

Cats and humans started their relationship 10,000 years ago. It was a symbiotic relationship – the cats ate the mice that fed on the grain and, consequently, the farmers were able to keep more of their grain. The relationship has changed over the years – we no longer need the cat’s mousing abilities but value their independence, and cleanliness; they also fulfill a social need for many, a chance to care for another creature. The cat receives food, shelter, and social interaction.

How Cats See Us

When we adopt a cat, we take over the role of the mother cat, particularly for kittens. We provide food, comfort and security. Cats, who have been house-raised and are well socialized with humans, seek out and enjoy human company.

Cats that are not particularly well socialized with humans view us as a valued resource – a source of food and care. These cats may think of us big, clumsy cats and rub against our legs, and sniff our hands. These cats are not inclined to solicit attention unless they want something. What Makes a Friendly Cat? A Good Pet Cat?

The Tale of Gus…

Gus was trapped when he was about 2 years old. He had become a neighborhood nuisance, prowling around and fighting with other cats. After being neutered and undergoing 6 months of drug therapy (for agression and anxiety) and training, he became tolerant of humans and now lives in a multi-cat home. His behavior contrasts with his housemates, 3 house raised-cats. He does not engage in “snuggling” or sitting with humans; he rubs up against our legs and monitors our activity with regard to feeding times and walks. A human is a big, clumsy cat that provides food and shelter, not a surrogate mother for Gus, a tamed, previously free-roaming cat.

The Cat-Human Bond: How We see Cats

Cat are not little people in fur suits. It is easy to treat them this way and attribute human motivations to the things they do. We cannot totally understand why cats do things – we see their behavior through the lens of our human experiences. To successfully understand and interact with cats, we must empathize not anthropomorphize.

The Cat-Human Bond – Empathy vs Anthropomorphism

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.
Empathy can help us understand why cats do what they do.

Anthropomorphism is attributing human characteristics to animals or objects. The famous meme of Grumpy Cat attributed a sour disposition to a cat afflicted with feline dwarfism. She looked as if she were scowling, and therefore “grumpy”, to humans. Per her owners, she was a friendly cat who liked to be held and snuggled.

Empathy

I had a bad tooth and it was painful – maybe my cat’s bad tooth hurts too.
If I were small and a giant scooped me up without warning, I would be frightened. Maybe I should greet my cat before picking her up.

Anthropomorphism

My cat pees on my clothes just to be mean.
I did not feed my cat on time so he punished me by scratching the carpet.

When we anthropomorphize our cats, we are expecting a human response from them. Cats are designed to hunt and eat mice, mate and raise kittens – they are not capable of understanding human ideas of right and wrong. If your cat pees on clothing you left on the floor, she may have a bladder irritation, she may like the soft texture of the cloth on her paws, or another cat is blocking her access to the litter box. She is not trying to be “mean” or spiteful. What does my cat feel?

Your cat may be tuned in to feeding time but he can’t read the clock. Scratching is a normal behavior for him – it feels good and he is marking his territory. He is not able to connect scratching the carpet with your displeasure.

Don’t expect human responses from your cat. Instead, try to put yourself in her paws and view the world from the Feline Purrspective!

Socialization in Cats – How Much is Enough?

Posted on August 21, 2020January 14, 2021 by felinepurrspective_u3q4o6

Socialization in Cats – How Much is Enough?

Socialization in cats continues until they are 3-4 years old. However, they learn best when they are younger, ideally at 2-7 weeks of age.

How much socialization does a cat need?

Early Adoption…

A kitten’s instruction in the language of Cat begins with his mother, aunts, and litter mates in the cat colony. Once weaned, he continues his studies with other juveniles and adults in the colony. When we adopt a kitten at 8 weeks or so, we interrupt socialization in cats.

If the kitten joins a home with friendly, well-socialized cats, she will be able to learn the nuances of cat social behavior. She should thrive and prosper.

Adoption into a household of where the cats are not socialized or where our kitten is an only cat may result in a confused and fearful kitten.

Orphan Kittens…

These are kittens where the mother cat is absent due to death or abandoning her kittens. Kindly human volunteers will undertake the raising of these kittens by hand, bottle feeding them, cleaning them, weaning them, providing play and social opportunity.

Without interaction with other cats, an orphan kitten will grow up like a “feral child” and may never be able to respond to social cues from other cats. Aggression towards humans is common among hand-reared kittens.

The Tarzan syndrome
Tarzan, a fictional character from the Edgar Rice Burroughs novels, is a human child raised by apes after the deaths of his parents when he is an infant. He miraculously learns to speak and briefly joins society as a young adult.

Accounts of “feral children “are not science fiction like Tarzan. These children are often fighting and competing for food with the animals they join. The outcome of these cases depends on when (at what age) the children are abandoned to survive on their own and when they are brought back to society. Many of these feral children may not ever be able to speak and socialize normally with other people

Keep hand reared kittens with their litter mates for socialization. The kittens can learn from each – if one kitten bites another, he will get bitten back. He will learn boundaries this way.
If you are planning on an early adoption (kitten is less than 6 months old), consider adopting two kittens, preferably members of the same litter or kittens of a similar age.
It can be risky to introduce small kittens (less than 16 weeks) to adult cats. Adult cats who have no experience of kittens will not know how to deal with them.

If you opt to introduce kittens to older cats, SUPERVISE AT ALL TIMES. Make sure your older cat is vaccinated for upper respiratory diseases and feline leukemia (if he goes outdoors). Gradual introduction is still recommended. A pair of kittens may still be your best bet in this situation and give you time to introduce all the cats at their own pace.

Not enough socialization…

After the euthanasia of their male cat, owners of a female cat decided to adopt a new cat. They were smitten by two 10 month old male cats they found at a rescue for dogs. The two cats were litter mates and had been at the rescue since birth.

During several months of keeping the young cats separate from the older female cat, gradual introductions, pheromone therapy and time-sharing, the larger of the two young cats repeatedly attacked the female cat.

What happened?

The young cats were not able to read the social cues (body language, olfactory cues) of the older cat. Their time at the dog rescue did not include socialization with cats other than their litter mates.
The larger male kitten was fascinated with the older cat but also fearful of her. He attacked what scared him.

A Happy Ending

The “aggressive” cat has since been re-homed as single cat to another household. He is affectionate to his human family and doing well. The remaining male cat has started to bond with the older female.

The Cat Friendly Home: Maintain the Colony Scent

Posted on August 8, 2020January 14, 2021 by felinepurrspective_u3q4o6

The Cat Friendly Home: Maintain the Colony Scent

Odors not only tell cats about their world ; they also carry messages from other cats.

Free-roaming cats live in colonies if there is enough food in the neighborhood. Each colony has its own signature scent. Members of the colony identify each other by this scent. This colony scent also marks the core territory of the colony, where the members feel safe, can eat, rest and play.

Our homes are our cat’s territory; we are members of our cat’s colony. Our homes have the colony scent that makes our cats feel safe and secure.

How do we maintain the colony scent in our homes?

Marley marks the corner wall at the top of the stairs.

Cats deposit pheromones and signature scents using glands on their faces. You may see your cat rubbing the corner of a wall or furniture; you may also see him rub the same place again later the next day – he is marking the area as safe and familiar.

Pheromones and communication

Placing scratching posts around your home at windows, doors, and near where your kitty sleeps also provides boundary marking. Glands in kitty’s feet release pheromones and odors when she scratches which are deposited on the scratching posts.

Scratching Basics

Litter boxes are also part of the kitty network – urine and feces can carry messages and identify individual cats within the house.

Litter Box Basics

Disturbances in the Scent…

Cleaners

Avoid using strong smelling disinfectant or scented cleaners.
Some of the disinfectant cleaners linger on surfaces for a long time after you have used them for cleaning. Cats can be notorious counter surfers and they lick their paws.
Also avoid cleaners with essential oils – most essential oils are toxic to cats.
Visit the Environmental Working Group site to learn more about the cleaners you’re using.

Environmental Working Group

“Whisker Walls”

It is best to leave those “whisker walls” where the kitties rub their cheeks untouched for as long as you can. If they are just too unsightly, try unscented castile soap (made out of plant sources) followed with a rinse. After cleaning, spray with Feliway Classic (Comfort Zone Calming)

Litter Boxes

Cleaning the litter tray can be done with mild cleaners, for example, dishwashing soap. If you do use bleach, make sure to dilute it and rinse the tray thoroughly. The CDC recommends diluting 1/3 cup unscented household bleach with 1 gallon of water for cleaning surfaces.

Avoid cleaning all the litter boxes at once – stagger the cleanings. Scooping daily if you use clumping litter, will allow you to empty and clean the litter box ever 2-4 weeks.

Hydrogen peroxide (3%) has good disinfecting properties and breaks down into just oxygen and water.

Start with a box that has had all solid waste and old litter removed.
Spray a fine coating of hydrogen peroxide on the inside of the box. Allow it to sit for 15 minutes.
Scrub the inside thoroughly. Completely rinse the hydrogen peroxide out and dry the litter box before replacing the litter.

The Bark Space

Veterinary visits and hospitalization

When your cat goes to the vet, make sure that some of her familiar bedding goes with her for reassurance. If you have other cats, take along some other bedding the other cats sleep on in a plastic bag for the trip home. Ask that it be put in your cat’s carrier before picking her up. This helps maintain the colony scent when your cat is on her way home.

My youngest cat formerly was a street cat. He will be aggressive with the older cats returning from a day at the vet if we do not include some of his bedding for his roommate to come home with. I also make sure that the Feliway multi-cat diffusers are working in the common areas.

Managing new smells at the front door…

Place footwear and shopping bags at the door when you return home – allow the cats to examine these items before moving them further into the house
Wash your hands before greeting your cat or cats
Change your clothing if you have been in contact with strange cats and dogs

Pheromones help maintain the colony scent…

Feliway Classic (ComfortZone Calming) diffusers help the cats feel safe in their sleeping and litter areas
Multicat diffusers keep harmony in the common areas.
Wipe down new items with a cloth sprayed with the Classic or Calming pheromone.

The Cat Friendly Home: Predictable and Positive Interactions Between Cats and Humans

Posted on August 2, 2020July 3, 2021 by felinepurrspective_u3q4o6

The Cat Friendly Home: Predictable and Positive Interactions Between Cats and Humans

What is the predictable and positive way to greet a cat?

What makes cat-human interactions predictable and positive?

Greet your cat in his language…

When there is sufficient food in an area, free-roaming cats will often live in colonies. Cat colonies are groups of related cats. The core of the colony is the mother cat, her kittens, her sisters and their kittens.

Each cat colony has a scent…

Cats live in a landscape of odors – their sense of smell is 1000 x more sensitive than ours and they communicate by scent. The cat colony has its own scent – each member has this scent.

Scent identifies members…

Colony members often greet each other by touching noses, confirming the “colony” scent.

They also groom each other (allo-grooming) mostly on the head and rub against each other (allo-rubbing). All of these actions exchange scent, confirming the “colony odor” and membership in the colony.

You are part of your cat’s “colony” and share the “colony” scent, marking you as a colony member. You also have your “signature scent”, that identifies you as an individual to your cat. Greet your cat by letting her smell you and confirm that you belong to the colony.

Your cat may be a highly skilled hunter but he is also a small animal who is prey for larger carnivores such as dogs and coyotes. We are much larger than he is and don’t want to scare him and make him feel like prey. If you get on your cat’s level, you will seem smaller and not as threatening.

Meet and Greet – A Predictable and Positive Hello

Athena accepts a greeting by rubbing her face against my hand

Get on your cat’s level by bending down or by interacting with her on a higher surface. Extend a hand or a finger and allow her to smell you.

If she wishes to continue the interaction, she will rub against your hand (allo-rub).
Handle your cat on her head at first. This mimics the “allo-grooming” of friendly cats, where they groom each others’ heads.
A friendly or bonded kitty may allow her back to be stroked after accepting a head rub – like the “allo-rubbing” of colony cats.
Your colony membership is up to date!

If you cat does not lean into your hand or rub your hand on greeting, save the petting session for later – like us, there are times your cat does not want to be touched.

Other Predictable and Positive Interactions between cats and humans…

grooming, treat time or play time – Make this POSITIVE – choose something your cat enjoys
have a session the same time each day, say, after dinner or before bedtime
cats are in tune to the household rituals that mark the passing of the day more than the time on the clock.
this “schedule” allows you to communicate with your cat. He will be looking for the clues that tell him that treat time is around the corner – he may show up and solicit the interaction with a chirrup or meow.

Athena sniffs her comb prior to being groomed.

Have more than one cat? Make sure each kitty gets some premium time!

These activities will strengthen the owner-pet bond. This time can also be used to train behaviors that are beneficial to both owner and cat – for example, conditioning your cat to accept kibble in treats to reduce stress when she needs oral medication.

Do you ever wonder why cats like us?

People are the ultimate resource – we provide food, shelter, play and safety.
To our cats , we may seem to be large, clumsy and somewhat unpredictable cats.
Let’s eliminate the unpredictability by greeting our cats in their language and providing positive interactions that they can predict.

Cats Playing with Other Cats

Posted on July 26, 2020 by felinepurrspective_u3q4o6

Cats will play with toys on their own and often enjoy an interactive session of play with their owners. You may also see cats playing with other cats.

“Play fighting” is a way for kittens to hone their fighting and hunting skills. This social play peaks around 3 to 4 months of age, although adult cats will still “play fight”. Both feral and pet cats may “play fight” with other cats they are bonded with or familiar with. It is fun to watch two familiar cats wrestling, chasing, and pouncing on each other.

Cats Playing with Other Cats

claws are sheathed
chirrups and trills or no vocalizing
no hissing or growling
cats will take turns chasing and being chased
cats will roll onto their backs
body language is relaxed – ears are forward

If your cats are inclined to play with each other, cardboard boxes, cat tunnels, furniture can be places for one cat to hide and pounce on one another.

If play gets out of hand…

Kittens and young cats often don’t seem to know when enough’s enough. Sometimes things get out of hand.

What may not be play…

one cat exclusively chases another
one cat blocks the other from going through a hall or door
one cat backs another into a corner
Gus and Marley tolerate each other with the occasional spat.

What to watch for:

Be alert to direct stares between cats at “play”
Body language: ears flattened or out to the side, fur on end, lip licking
Body posture: aggressor may have an arched back, hair on end, slowly advance on the “victim”
“victim”: feet under the body, may slowly move away from the “attacking” cat
hissing or growling

Watch this short video of two cats who tolerate each other but are not affiliated.

You may want to manually advance the video to catch the action. Gus (grey cat) and Marley have a brief spat that could be mistaken for play.

The two cats look to the side, then look directly at each other, then look to the side again. Their ears go out to the side, Gus lashes out. He and Marley exchange punches, then Gus retreats and hisses. We need to monitor this duo and ensure that conflict does not increase.

What you can do…

DO intercept a hostile stare or distract the aggressive cat with a wand toy or laser pointer.
DO have a sturdy piece of cardboard and a towel in a convenient place to help separate fighting cats
DO herd the cats away from each other with a sheet of cardboard into separate rooms.
DO isolate cats if necessary and allow them to “cool down”; reintroduce them slowly when they are calmer

Have a sturdy pair of leather work gloves to use with a towel as a last resort -better to herd the cats away from each other with a sheet of cardboard than try to pick them up
SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION IF BIT! Cat bites easily become infected
Consult your veterinary professional if fighting is frequent and injury to humans or other pets occurs

The Cat Friendly Home: Hunting in the Home

Posted on July 19, 2020August 8, 2020 by felinepurrspective_u3q4o6

The domestic cat is hard wired to hunt. He is good at detecting fast motion – cats’ eyes construct around 60 visual images per second, which is 2x as fast as our human brains. He is ideally suited to detect the quick, rapid motions of the mice and other small creatures that he hunts. Hunting is part of who he is.

When the kittens are about 3-4 weeks old, the mother cat starts to bring back dead, injured or fatigued prey to allow the kittens to practice their hunting skills. Mother Cat will intervene if the kittens lose control of the live prey, otherwise she watches as they develop their hunting skills.

It’s important that we offer our cats an opportunity to engage in predatory (hunting) behavior. How do cats hunt in the wild?

Your cat scans the landscape.
She sees something moving, and goes over to that spot.
She hears and smells MOUSE!
She stalks her prey
The mouse scurries away – she chases and pounces!
Success! She catches and eats her prize.

We are not going to release live mice into our homes deliberately, so what can we do to allow hunting in the home?

Object (Toys) Play

Playtime or hunting in the home can be interactive or it can be playing alone.

Interactive games – with us

Zelda plays with a toy mouse on a fishing pole toy.

Go Fish – fishing pole or wand toys
Chasing string
Catch the red dot – laser pointers
Treat toss – toss treats and let your cat go get them.

Start with short, fast motions to get your cat’s attention, then move to longer runs.

Put all fishing poles, strings and other interactive toys out of kitty’s reach when the play session is done

Playing on their own

Marley works the Poker Box, a food puzzle.

Catnip mice
Food puzzles
Boxes
Play Tunnels

A play tunnel for children fits large cats !

How Does Your Cat Feel when Hunting?

Human hunters report feelings of exhilaration while on the “chase”, satisfaction when capturing their quarry and frustration when they miss.
Your cat shares these emotions. Avoid toys that present frustration – they may not be popular for long.

A Frustrating Toy

The mouse squeaks as the cage rolls along but the mouse does not come out!

I bought a toy with a mouse in a ball-shaped cage. The mouse would squeak as the ball rolled. Marley spent an hour trying to paw the mouse out of the cage without success and then left the toy alone – he had better things to do!

If the mouse in the cage had been a removable food puzzle, Marley would have had the satisfaction of “catching” the mouse and getting a treat.

Avoiding Frustration

The laser guides Gus to a treat at the end of the play session.

Try to end play sessions on a positive note. Play should be challenging but not impossible to catch the prize! If the task is too hard, cats, like people, will give up. For example, when using laser pointers, end the session with some “targeting” – direct your cat with the light to treats you have hidden around the play area.

Interactive Playtime – Communicating with your cat

Daily interactive play time is best
Short, intense play sessions of 5- 10 minutes often are enough
It is best if these are at the same time every day, say after dinner. This way, your cat knows what is going to happen – the routine is a way for you to communicate with him.

Keeping the hunt alive with “self play” toys

Rotate toys every 1-2 weeks
“Marinate” toys not in use in a box with catnip
Store the week’s toys in a box with an opening so your cat can choose the toys she wants

Cats can also engage in hunting behavior through play with other cats. Our next blog post will look into “social play among cats”.

The Cat Friendly Home: Guiding Your Cat’s Scratching Behavior

Posted on July 10, 2020August 8, 2020 by felinepurrspective_u3q4o6

The Cat Friendly Home: Guiding Your Cat’s Scratching Behavior

You know that scratching is a normal cat behavior – but does she have to scratch the new sofa you spent hundreds of dollars on? Should you have her declawed?

Sharing Your Home with a Clawed Cat…

Synthetic feline pheromones can be purchased from pet stores.

To guide your cat’s scratching behavior, we have to communicate with him and let him know where to scratch.

Cats communicate in a large part by smell ( A Cat’s world: Smell) Pheromones are chemicals that convey messages between members of the same species – they are detected by smell. There are several feline pheromones that have been synthesized and are commercially available.

We can use facial pheromones and interdigital pheromones to guide your cat’s scratching behavior.

Getting the message across..

Feliway Classic tells your cat that this is familiar territory and there is no need to mark it – DON’T SCRATCH HERE
Feliscratch gives an olfactory as well as visual message (scratch marks) that says – SCRATCH HERE

The Plan…

Place a scratching post near the area that is being scratched.
Apply Feliscratch to the scratching post
Using Feliway Classic (or Comfort Zone Calming) spray, spray the areas where scratching is not desired. You may wish to spray a towel or throw and place this on or near the scratched area.
You will need to apply these daily for at least a week. After a week you can apply as needed.

Facial Pheromones

This pheromone is released when your cat rubs his cheeks against things, say the corner wall. He is marking the area as a safe place.

Feliway Classic and ComfortZone Calming come in diffusers and spray.

Appeasing Pheromones

There are synthetic versions of the pheromones released by the nursing mother cat. This pheromone assures the kittens, blind at first and unable to move fast, of their mother’s presence. It helps the litter mates to bond together. This has practical uses – it helps keep the kittens together if Mom needs to go hunt.

Feliway Multicat and ComfortZone Multicat control come in diffusers.

Interdigital Pheromone

This pheromone is released by glands in your cat’s paws when he scratches. It helps mark boundaries and, combined with your cat’s signature scent, lets other cats know “Mr. Fuzzy was here at noon”

Feliscratch comes in a box of pipettes. The liquid in the pipettes is applied to a scratching post to encourage your cat to scratch.

Spray the scratched area with Feliway/ComfortZone

Apply Feliscratch to the scratcher you have chosen to be near the scratched place.

Marley checks out the “Feliscratched” scratcher.

During the Training period, you may wish to have nail caps (Soft Paws) applied to your cat’s claws. These are soft plastic caps that are glued onto your cat’s nails.

Applied every 4-6 weeks
Use permanent adhesive
But…some cats just don’t like them and chew them off!

Nail Trims for the Comfort and Safety of You and Your Cat…

Trim the end of the claw. Avoid clipping the pink area.

Start nail trimming early in life
Use positive reinforcement: treats, play, grooming, head rubs
Trim every 4-6 weeks
When trimming some cats, trim 1-2 nails at a time and do the trim over a week
As cats get older, their nails may get thicker and their joints stiffer, so they don’t groom as much. The nails can grow into the paw pad. Nail trims can improve these cats’ quality of life!

Declawing – an amputation

The Details of Declawing

Removal of the last bone of the cat’s toe
There are “good” and “bad” declaws: “good” declaws disarticulate the last (3rd) joint
Risk of lameness and behavior problems due to nerve damage
Weight is no longer supported by the junction of the 2nd and 3rd bones – it is supported by the end of the second bone which is painful.

What’s inside your cat’s toes – claw is sheathed when cat is relaxed. He must extend his claws to use them.

In a declaw surgery, the bone with the nail bed is removed.

A Final Word…

Guiding your cat’s scratching behavior can be a rewarding experience – after all, YOU are communicating with ANOTHER species!

Offer a variety of scratching stations located in strategic places:
Near doors and windows
Where the people hang out
Near the litter box
Near the sleeping area