We have a treat for you today – full of zero-calorie goodness!
It’s a bunch of sweet and juicy questions with real, chewy answers from Jackson Galaxy, author of the forthcoming CAT DADDY: What the World’s Most Incorrigible Cat Taught Me About Life, Love, and Coming Clean (May 10, 2012).
Questions like:
- How does one train a cat?
- What’s the most surprising thing you learned at animal shelters?
- What’s you goal in writing CAT DADDY?
The book hits shelves at your local and online bookstores this Thursday, May 10.
For every copy of CAT DADDY pre-ordered before May 10, Tarcher/Penguin will donate $1.00 to the cause of saving homeless cats. To make your preorder count, simply e-mail your receipt (or a photo/scan of your receipt) to: CatDaddyBook@gmail.com.
Preorder at:
Barnes & Noble
IndieBound (to order from an independent bookseller)
Amazon
Books-a-Million
Charities that benefit:
Best Friends Animal Society
Stray Cat Alliance
Neighborhood Cats
Let’s get right to it.
First question! Go!
What was your primary goal in writing CAT DADDY, and what do you hope readers will take away from the read?
My primary goal was to keep a promise to my cat friend that I would tell his story. In turn, what I hope the reader will get out of this is a better understanding of how your cat sees the world—and if you don’t have a cat, to become fascinated enough by them to adopt one!
What were a few of the more surprising things you learned while working in an animal shelter?
The amount of commitment and genuine love that a staff can bring to every animal they come in contact with, regardless of the thousands they see every year. And the poop. I was constantly surprised by the incredible amount of poop I cleaned up every day!
How did your experience at the animal shelter shape your outlook/career?
My career wouldn’t have happened without the shelter. Learning how to affect behaviors “in the trenches” both by conventional means and by thinking outside the box were not luxuries. Thinking on your feet becomes second nature when life depends on it. In a larger sense, working in an animal shelter grounded me in the current reality of animal overpopulation and convinced me simultaneously of the promise of a no-kill country. We can achieve, in my lifetime, a world where homeless animals do not have to die- needlessly. I just want to be part of that solution.
Your experience with Benny, the original “cat from hell,” has done a lot to build your cat mojo skills. What are the primary lessons that Benny taught you during your journey together?
Patience. I am not a patient person; I can’t even make egg salad. But in order to build a life with Benny, I had to take the long view and not define success minute by minute, but year by year. Life would only get better according to his rules, not mine. For instance, me saying “this is how it’s going to be” would always end up being fruitless and horribly frustrating. And finally, Benny taught me the beauty of living a process-oriented life, appreciating every moment while simultaneously letting go of expectations. To sum up, impatience, frustration, expectations and unlearning everything you know can actually be an incredible experience when attached to someone you love.
At one point, you say that Benny took an immediate dislike to your girlfriend of the time and walloped her across the head. Have you found that cats have an innate sense about people?
Hell yes! If your cat doesn’t like someone, take it seriously and move on. Forget about them not liking the person; they can truly sense when someone is “off.” Heed their advice!
In the book, it feels at times like Benny’s behavior issues are linked to (and maybe stem from) your own. Do you find that this is often the case with cats – that their behavior problems are often the result of their owners or environment?
Cats are not just mirrors, they are sponges. Anything you put out comes back at you in spades. In my case, the rigid world view that I decided to adopt became Benny’s reality. I couldn’t ask him to change his habits without accepting and embracing the same myself. Take, for example, Benny going on hunger strikes when his bowl was moved a foot to the left. I, at the time, was living a life completely devoted to finding, buying and using various substances. If somebody were to say to me, your life would be much better on the other side of a change, I would have told them to take a hike. I then come home and ask Benny to meet a similar challenge, and of course, he’ll tell me to take a hike.
How does one train a cat? Can all cats be trained to walk on a leash?
The principles of operant conditioning like positive reinforcement apply to all sentient beings. These training techniques have worked on birds, chickens, gophers, dolphins, killer whales and yes, 3 year old children. Most cats can be taught most anything. The question is, should they? If your cat is afraid of the outside, shows no interest, why do it other than to satisfy you? I believe that all trainable activities should only be considered if they will enrich the already present inclinations of your cat. I don’t believe in training cats to jump through hoops, ride a bicycle or pee on a toilet. Clearly I would not subject a cat to walking on a leash that just didn’t want to.
What’s easier – dealing with out-of-control cats or their owners?
Dealing with cats, because they lack the ability to reason away; defend themselves; to fight to the end for a belief system, for no other reason than to keep their ego intact.
…hope you enjoyed that sit-down with Jackson. Don’t forget: he’s doing a book tour so you can sit down with him up close and personal. Check this post for all the book tour dates and details.
We regret that Jackson does not answer questions posted in the comments. This is due to his demanding schedule and the high volume of requests he receives. But most importantly, since he has not met your cat, it would be contrary to his approach for him to give specific personalized advice for your specific situation. That being said, general questions and issues are addressed throughout this blog, in his book CAT DADDY and of course, the show My Cat From Hell.
I have had a male bengal cat for 4 years now. Winslow has become aggressive towards the other cats and is now peeing and or marking in my house. I love my cat but can’t continue letting him do this. Can’t put him out as he has no claws. Yes he was neutered when he was a kitten so don’t understand why he is doing this. We feed all the cats Blue Buffalo so I don’t think it is food related. We have had him to the vet and he was put on an medication for UTI but has finished it and the problem still persists. Can anyone help with this issue as we are thinking of putting him down because I don’t want to give him away and he end up being thrown outside with no defense.
Dara killing him should NEVER be an option, or throwing him outside which he’s never experienced before and cannot defend himself w/o claws. He should be taken to the vet for a recheck to make sure he no longer has a UTI. After my cat finished her meds her UTI returned which happens alot. Jackson’s shows are very informative on this subject. Go to animal planet’s website and see if you can view past episodes. Every cat made a dramatic turnaround!
A big clue to your problem is that you have other cats!! Cats — especially male cats — mark their territory, so it sounds like your Bengal feels threatened by the presence of the others, as if his environment is out of control and he doesn’t have an area to call his own. The fact that he’s declawed makes this feeling all the worse, because he can’t defend himself normally and so he compensates by being aggressive (i.e. the best defense is a good offense). One of Jackson Galaxy’s TV episodes dealt with this peeing issue. One thing you’ll have to do is to clean the pee-marked areas with enzymatic cleaners, perhaps more than once, to truly eliminate the pheromones so the cat won’t go back to those areas and re-mark them. Jackson also recommended cat trees, to give the cat some high, secure places to which to retreat from the other cats and feel safe. If all else fails and you must give your cat away, I would recommend that he go to a house where he will be the only cat, or to a no-kill shelter. There are many no-kill shelters that screen applicants beforehand to be sure they aren’t the type to “throw a cat outside” if there’s a problem. But please, PLEASE, don’t put your Bengal down just because YOU haven’t made the necessary changes to your home environment that would make him feel secure enough to stop marking it!
Don’t be crazy- you want to KILL a cat because he peed? Seriously? Let’s just skip that for now, because I honestly have no polite response to that. The reason your cat is acting out, is because he a) still has a UTI, even though the meds ran out (some cats may be predisposed to UTI problems, and need to be fed a special food- a ‘prescription’ diet)– so take him to the vet again for a re-check. OR, b) your cat is acting out of stress. Changes in the household are the biggest stressors: new furniture, new work hours, new cats, new people? Did you move the litterbox? are the other cats punking him, when he goes near the litterbox? Try to fix what you did; AND reassure your cat with extra love and attention. You can try putting a piece of jade on his collar, to help him calm down. Also, DEFINITELY use a Feliway diffuser, with the ‘friendly cat’ pheromone. It is amazing, how well that works!!
Finally, if for some reason you have decided that you need to give up this cat, put him up for adoption through craigslist, petfinder.com or your local paper. In a calmer environment, he will do much better.
Winslow was the last cat brought into the house and he is the one that punks all the other cats. The litter box has been in the same place as it was when he came home and the food I feed is Blue Buffalo. He is not just going in one place he has peed on my counter tops. I clean everything with an enzymatic cleaner. Putting Winslow down is my very last option, the only other thing is my concern with giving him away and what kind of person he would end up with.
Dora, it’s clear that you care about Winslow, or you wouldn’t have written to this site asking for help with his behavior issues. But it’s disturbing that you consider euthanasia an “option” at all. If you give him to a no-kill shelter, the kind of person he would end up with is a person who would NOT consider euthanasia an “option” for solving the behavior problem. I doubt that you could find a reputable veterinarian who would put down a healthy cat anyway. So, if you must remove Winslow from your home, take him to a reputable no-kill shelter. But remember that you brought him into a home that already has other cats, which obviously is a stressful change from whatever his previous environment was, and you can’t expect him to just blend in as you might expect a human to do. You need to listen to what Winslow is trying to tell you about how unhappy he is, and you need to change your home environment to make him feel that it’s his home too.
Maddie & Roo,
He has been with us for 4 years and he was brought in as a kitten and all the other cats were here already. This behavior just started to happen out of the blue. Now ,any ideas how to deal with this?
Hi again, Dara:
I’m glad that you are giving more information about your situation. It provides clues that might help readers understand the whole picture and what might have led to Winslow’s current behavior. Please tell us more: what are the ages and genders of the other three cats? Are they also Bengals, or other breeds? Has any cat besides Winslow had a recent change in his/her health? Remember that Jackson says sudden changes in a cat’s behavior don’t just happen “out of the blue”; there are reasons for the changes, and we humans have to be responsive to those reasons. Since Winslow’s behavior-change happened recently, something in or around your home environment must have happened recently — something that stressed him out. It could have been a traumatic (to him) event, or some change in the home (new person? person no longer there? renovation or room-painting? noisy street-paving outside?) that triggered his new aggression. Whatever it was, there are ways of dealing with the behavior and modifying it.
Since you asked, here are some ideas:
1. Purebred cat breeds such as Bengals have behaviors that are specific to the breed, so consult some Bengal breeders about Winslow’s problem. They may have some suggestions about what to do. If you bought Winslow from a breeder, try talking to that breeder first. (If you decide ultimately that Winslow has to go, the breeder may be willing to take him back.)
2. Follow the advice others here have given you about the UTI. Consult your veterinarian, or seek a second opinion from a different vet. Perhaps a different cat food with a UTI-preventive formula is in order, or perhaps a completely different diet. Maybe a holistic approach will work, as one respondent suggested. if you can find a Natural Medicine Chinese vet. It could be that your cat has developed a food allergy, just as humans do, that is affecting his behavior so look into that possibility.
3. What about the health of your other cats? Has there been a change in one or more of them? Winslow could be responding to the change in the smell of a sick cat in his home (even if you or your vet haven’t detected the illness yet) or to the smell of a medication another cat is taking (and eliminating into the litter boxes). If so, perhaps your vet could use another medication that wouldn’t bother Winslow… or perhaps the sick cat would have to be isolated from the others during the medication process.
4. What about the health of the humans in the house? Any changes, new medications, etc., there? Winslow may be trying to tell you something about yourself! Could be time to get a check-up.
5. Watch Jackson Galaxy’s shows, read his book, etc., and follow his advice about making changes to your home environment in order to modify Winslow’s behavior. Playing with Winslow (the way Jackson recommends) to work off his energy, creating ways for the cats to traverse rooms off-the-floor, and even putting up a gate between rooms are just some of the methods covered in the TV shows… and of course there are many more. You could try those Spirit Essences products — supposedly they “can help solve many behavioral problems… such as jealousy or aggression”. Perhaps Jackson’s new book has additional tips.
6. If there are outdoor cats (strays or neighbors’ cats) hanging around your home, this could be upsetting Winslow and he could be taking out his frustration on your other cats and on your house. You may need to clean the spray of other cats from the outside areas of your home. Try some repellent plants, environment-friendly sprays, etc., and if these are ineffective you may need to contact local animal-control authorities about this problem.
7. Lastly, let me repeat my suggestion that, if all else fails and you feel you must give Winslow away, you give him to a no-kill shelter that screens potential adoptees to make sure they will give an adopted pet a true FOREVER home.
How many litter boxes do you have? And is Winslow peeing and spraying?
Here’s another idea, Dara, if you haven’t checked this out already: One of the “My Cat from Hell” episodes dealt with a Bengal cat who was aggressive toward other cats in his household. His name is “City the Kitty” so view his story and see what Jackson did to help. Also see this web page to look up the Spirit Essences that Jackson used on City the Kitty and his housemate during their therapy: http://jacksongalaxy.com/2012/01/17/spirit-essences-report-city-the-kitty-mad-max/
Dara, I have the same situation at my home, 3 males and 1 pee’s. After many trips to the vet for UTI”S…, I took him to a (yes, I actually did) Natural Medicine Chinese Vet. 2hrs drive from home. (when I was ready to loose it and put him down, a friend told me about the natural vet). Saw a huge dif. in 1 week and in 3 had a whole new cat!!! the cat pee’s now only when the neighbors (6 outside) cats are too close to the house and in my windows…he (cal) feels threatened. Now I have 4 litter boxes for 3 cats, feed only canned food for moisture, use detract for cats along the outside of my house and deck, and put 2 on diets (they were 21 and 22 lbs now are both 12 lbs, get fed 2x day with -believe it or not a vegetable snack) and keep my kitchen spotless and all bagged or packaged food in tupperware (cal thinks he’s starving and eats everything possible – LOL he now snacks on: cooked green beans, beets, nuts, pumpkin, among other crazy things -nothing is safe with him) – check out a natural vet (I had been spending a fortune on “medicated cat food” and just needed to clean up their liver function and canned grain free food =much cheaper!) He has had no uti’s since seeing the new vet (over 1 yr) PS I also use a calming homeopathic tincture in his food in the spring and fall due to his hormones changing at this time (yes, all are fixed- but apparently still have highs and lows in hormones – I use as needed) hope this helps – it may sound like a lot, but I got used to it and it’s all routine now. good luck!
Ok, you have multiple cats. But it sounds like you only have ONE litter box. That is just outrageous! The best rule of thumb is to have +1 litter box to the number of cats you have. So, I have 3 cats; therefore, I should have 4 litter boxes. Additionally, you HAVE to clean the litter box regularly. It really needs to be done daily. I would almost guarantee cleaning the the litter more often and increasing the number of boxes in your home would essentially eliminate his inappropriate urinating.
Thanks for the insight. I am learning so much about my cats world so mission accomplished Cat Daddy. I wish I could train him to like his leash but he is just not interested so I will give it up.
I made the terrible mistake of having him declawed, front claws and I sooooooo regret it and am so sorry
Sammy! I did not understand what a major thing that was. Never get your cats declawed people! It is amputating their fingers!
I wanted to pre-order the book, but the only way to do so is with credit- or debitcard. Both cards I don’t have! Is it possible to get the book with a paypal-account somewhere??? Anyone??
Dara, I’m not nearly an expert on this, but have you taken him back to the vet? I know that a human’s UTI can cause discomfort even after the medication has finished and it could be that he’s reacting to that. There is also the possibility that there is a new stress or something that has changed in your household–a death, maybe, someone moving in or out, or something that has seriously disrupted his “normal” routine. I’ve also had problems myself when a new animal/pet is added to the household, and disrupts the usual territorial markings of the previous animals. Have you changed litters recently, or moved his litter box? I don’t know if your cats are like mine, but we have two boxes in the house, one with clumping litter and one with pine litter, and if we change brands they don’t care, but you have to keep the same type in the same box or else there’s little puddles of displeasure. I’m sure you’ve probably already thought of all those, but that’s the only things I can think to offer right now. :/
Usually we cats get it right when it comes to judging humans… except for the Cat Before Me – she was a groupie and was all over any random rocker my human knew, no matter how sleazy. In fact, the boyfriend my human had at the time, Harlot practically adopted as her second human, and he was the worst kind of junkie thief! (He has since recovered, but it took him years after they split up.) So yeah, there’s always the exception that proves the rule.
Jackson, love your show, love your advice. I need some right now. We have an outside cat and an inside cat. No problem with them. Problem: outdoor male tom cat spraying on our house. I use anti-icky poo and he just keeps coming. How can I deter this? Help. Help. Help. Thanks Jackson and will b getting ur books too. Susan
Check out the picture I posted of Winslow on Jackson’s Facebook page.
I have looked everywhere for an opportunity to ask a question, as the web sites indicate, but cannot find it. I am finding it an adjustment as it is to have a cat with occasional aggression w/petting (we can do the same thing several times and suddenly it’s all wrong that one time) – twice she has run across the room to bite at me from her sitting position and no previous interaction. Yet she’s extremely close to me like a mother and is typically loving…underfoot, playful, loves to climb up on my chest near my face asking to be petted, nuzzling her nose in my face. I’ve had several cats in my lifetime and never dealt with either aggression or hours-long “complaining”.
Despite being spayed, her worst behavior is daily yowling, “moaning”, “complaining”, goes on for hours unless she’s in constant play (though often doesn’t seem to know how to entertain herself during these periods). When she’s viewing any activity outside, when she sits at a door (“I want out”), when she goes into the kitchen (she’s been fed, watered, etc), sometimes just walks up to a bare wall and yowls. Walks around in what looks like moping or she’s looking for someone/something. The vet is trying her on low dose anti-depressant but I don’t see any change. This seems to ease up as the day goes on and often (not always) clears up by late afternoon and evening. The noise is like a crying baby all day and sometimes just so irritating she has to be isolated to calm down (and the humans as well). She has toys, places to climb, we play laser and feather toys. She used to love the plastic spoon and stuffed groundhog hanging from chairs but now only interested occasionally. Loves the nylon fabric tube though, when she’s “riled”. We love her but her “Mr Hyde” is making it difficult and have considered if she’d be happier someplace else where she can be outside or has an additional cat. I’ve not seen this addressed in any of Jackson’s advice.
Did you say she was spayed because if not that can be an issue and maybe she is lonely for a pal. Maybe another cat. You may want to try a collar that has a built in stress releavers in it.
Hi, Linda. Here are some guesses about what might be behind your kitty’s behavior:
You say “we love her” which makes it sound like there are multiple humans in your household… are there? Maybe your girl-kitty notices that one or more of the humans is absent during the day (at work? at school?) and is crying for his/her return. The aggression could be due to her frustration at the human’s absence, and perhaps she’s misdirecting “blame” (or a cat’s version of “blame”) on you for not making that human appear when she demands it!
Before she was spayed, had she ever had kittens? If so, were they taken away from her? Could be that she is searching for them.
Did her behavior begin recently, after you’ve been living in your home with her for years, or did it begin when you moved with her into a new residence? If the latter, perhaps the previous homeowner had a cat that marked the walls and the residue was not properly cleaned with enzymatic solution. Your cat could be smelling the previous cat’s odor even if you can’t detect it. This might be the reason she’s yowling at the walls.
Are there stray tomcats hanging around outside your house? if they are spraying and marking your house, it could be exciting and aggravating your female.
Check out Jackson Galaxy’s video clip at this website on the subject of petting your cat. I followed his tips and this has helped immensely to calm my own aggressive cat (Roo, who is male).
My own female cat, Maddie, is very “talkative” and demanding, too! When she yells at me to open a window for her, sometimes I just have to tell her “no” (when it’s raining and windy, for instance).
Consult your vet again and make sure your kitty doesn’t have a UTI, a kdney problem, or some other as-yet-undetected health concern. My girl-cat Maddie recently developed an abcessed anal gland (common in dogs but rare in cats) that caused her to become aggressive when I tried to pet her hindquarters and to actually scream when i tried to pick her up — because she was in a LOT of pain! I didn’t realize the cause of the problem until the abcess ruptured through her skin and began to drain. This may not be your kitty’s specific condition, but I give this example to show that there may be a physical reason (one that your vet may not have considered because of its rarity) for your kitty’s behavior.
One of the “My Cat from Hell” TV episodes dealt with an aggressive cat that had an old injury that was aggravating her as she grew older and more arthritic. One of the ways they treated that cat was with acupuncture, along with altering the way in which her humans petted her (to avoid touching the painful area of her body). Might your cat have an old injury — a bone break or severe bite wound — that could be causing new pain as she ages?
Thanks for the replies. Yes, I saw the aggressive cat episode. Sophie was only 3 months old when I got her from “Last Chance” rescue. When I said “we”, I meant a temporary house guest. But my son will be coming home from the army soon. I am worried if he will be able to tolerate this behavior with his experiences. She now 8 mos. She was the only kitten that was alone in a crate, as she had just been spayed. She appeared sweet and independent (not upset over being by herself). Her life experience before that time is unknown to me. She’s been checked out by a vet and found to have no known issues, unless I’m willing to run a battery of expensive tests. Someone suggested she may be what is called a “colony” cat who craves the company of other cats. I can’t deal w/2 cats. My townhouse is too small and Sophie’s already cost me quite a bit. She had an episode of really bad constipation at about 5 months and took about a week of medical care, xrays, etc, to get her back on track. She was miserable. We still don’t know the cause. No troubles since. I’ve tried holding her when she’s so vocal to soothe her but she jumps away. “They” say to ignore and not give attention when they do this but that did not work at all. I’ve tried the animal pheromones collar but saw no change, as well as w/the low dose anti-depressant the vet subscribed. As I sit here tying, I have to say I’m amazed that for the first time ever, she is looking outside calmly and quietly w/o any of the loud gurgling sounds that usually fill the room. Could I be hopeful that she may “outgrow” some of this? As for the aggression, days could go by and then it come out of nowhere. I know to pet her face, chin, and neck as her preferences but she’s been known to attack from across the room at least twice. She doesn’t really bite down hard…I sometimes wonder if she just gets a wild urge to play rough like her instincts to capture prey …but she has hurt us a few times if we jerk away or she claws. All comments and suggestions are appreciated. Thanks again.
my roommate brought this little teeny black cat home in early august. my first thought was “is this baby even weaned yet?” NO!!! she wasn’t, BUT the owner of the mommy put them out in his yard to fend for themselves(mommy included) and she had disappeared (the mommy cat not the jerk who put them out). soooooo my roommate and his friends being the ppl they are each took a kitten home (3 altogether) needless to say there were endless eyedrop feedings, litterbox training,social interactings(2 dogs 1 conure(bird) and night feedings. My own children are grown-ups, my grandchildren are having children now, so i haven’t done this in YEARS!!!! now the problem, SHE IS EVIL!!!! we had her spayed and chipped at about 6 months old, i thought that would help. it hasn’t, she bites my arm like i’m some sort of a dogbone she jumps in my face and grabs hold. every morning between 4:30 and 5am she bites my feet or ear to let me know she wants to eat.i am TIRED of it. i’ve bought her toys, she has a spot to sit and watch the squirrels and birds from my room into the yard, I”M the one that feeds her, changes her litter box ,brushes her and TRIES to keep her entertained and she kills me. my roommate on the other hand she sleeps in the crook of his arm at night,lovingly puts her paw on his face as if to say”i love you” and when he says NO she backs off. not me it just makes her more determined to rip my eye out.What am i doing wrong? this isn’t my first cat,i’ve had MANY through the years. My last cat passed away last year after being with me for more than 16 years. i’m at my wits end, any tips? by the way, when she first came to us i was watching hell’s kitchen with chef gorden ramsay so i thought it would be cute to name her ramsay after him. i didn’t realize naming a kitten after someone would make them act like that person. HELP!!!!!
im just writing i guess for a little advice i have a cat he is my baby my world he is 1 year and 2 months i got him when he was 4 weeks old so…i really feel we have a special bond… its just he is the most snuggly thing he greets me at the door and jumps on me when i get home snuggles his head in my neck and just almost over bearingly always wants to be on me (i love it) but thats 80% of the time and then 20% he might just bite me out of nowhere… he also scratches the doorway to my bathroom bad…like shredded and he has posts and all the toys he could want because i dont have kids just him i play with him for hours ..but i rent an apartment and if my landlady saw how he has destroyed the doorway i know she would make me leave… he also eats any flowers or plants i get…if i take him to the vet or any place but here he hisses and hates everybody (but when people come over he rubs on them and loves them quite a friendly cat ..the best! but only here in his comfort zone and only 80% of the time cuz he turns on anybody…. and i cant take him 2 even get his nails cut but i really need too! but i just do the important stuff because i dont want to cause him any suffering….when he got fixed the vet said he was a bad cat …but only if she saw him at home
she wouldnt say that ) because when im sad or upset he does anything to help and beleive me he can tell from his behavior when im sick or sad hes there you know..and he is so smart very fast learner i can teach him almost anything on his terms of corse.. cuz hes a cat…
I got my kitty from the animal shelter when she was 8 weeks old. She is the sweetest cutest kitty ever and she was already spayed. She has become the best kitty we have ever owned and she loves everyone and everyone just adores her. When she was a year old i had her declawed. She was 2 in April. About 6 months ago we noticed something strange about her behavior when she would look out of the window at night, if she would see a stray cat out in the yard or street or neighbors yard, she would go into some kind of a trance, and eventually would turn her aggression onto whoever was the closest to her which usually was me and she would attack me. Im not talking about little aggression, she would actually attack me and growl and bite and hiss untill i could get her to stop which usually i had a water bottle to spray at her nearby. I read on the spca website there is something called redirected aggression in cats, but my problem is how do i get her to stop. We had a visitor over about a month ago who brought their small kitten and Lilly did the same thing, she went into a trance when the kitten got close to her and then she ran, but ended up attacking me for that. Things are getting worse, my hubby was laying on the couch the other night and Lilly was looking out the window, and turned and ran over to my husband and bit him hard in the arm. My husband had a fit. She did it to me once while i was sitting on the computer minding my own business she came flying across the room and bit me in the shoulder and then stood there hissing at me. We now close-pin the curtains shut at nights. Last week, i fell asleep on the couch and at 4 oclock in the am i woke cause i heard a commotion. She had pulled off the closepins, and was looking out the window hissing, so i got up quickly but not quick enough , got the water bottle but she attacked me from behind and got me good on the back of the legg with all 4 teeth and it hurt. I squirted her but she continued to attack me and got me again on my heel. I ran in the bedroom and got my husband and he came out but by that time Lilly had calmed herself a little. The bite marks were bad this time. Lucky for me i was on an anti-biotic for a sinus infection at the time. So, last night she started it all again and tried to attack both me and my husband when she saw something out in the yard. So, now we have to keep her in the spare bedroom at nights, that will be out new ritual put her in there before it gets dark at nights. I dont know what else to do wondered if anyone else has ever heard of this or has the same problem. If you saw my cat you would never believe what i am saying about her, no one believes me. Scary. I need help, and my vet tells me just put her in another room. Well, she used to sleep with me at nights and i enjoyed that. Now i cant do it anymore
I got this cat about 4 weeks ago, she is really sweet. The previous pet owner told me she needed alot of love and I was thinking ok I can do that! Well, I noticed that she followed me everywhere even in the bathroom. She purrs alot asking for attention and pet. Each time I would pet her but then it started to get real annoying because it seems like she would want me to stop everything what I was doing, including eating to pet her. Then to top it off sometimes she would bite me when I do pet her. I started to think this cat is insecure about something. I can pet her all day and it’s still not enough. I am her 3rd home, the first home they didn’t feed her and then the second home had other cats etc. I really need help on how to get her to stop this constant following and begging for pets. I know some people think this is real cute and special but for me I have to be honest it is annoying and I need help. I bought her toys, cat poles, I play with her everyday but it’s still not enough (can’t afford another cat), I started to ignore her, I started to firmly telling her no and she seems to act more indepently but then she goes right back to the meowing/begging. It’s to the point where if she doesn’t stop I am thinking of returning her. If someone has any suggestions I would be so happy
I have 2 cats. One who is older had diarrhea for years but the vet kept on saying that she has no IBD. She’s been peeing and pooping outside the litter. She does however use the litter box but never covers it. So for her is using the litter once and it has to be cleaned right away otherwise, she will just poop on the floor. We have 3 litter boxes and she still does it. Sometimes, my other cat would be the one covering her poop. We also tried to get the automatic one but she is scared and didnt want to go inside the litter at all. However, finally 2 months ago, we found a vet that could cure her, apparently, she has bacterias in her intestines, so the vet gives her tylosin pills. She is lot better and I see a lot of improvements but her stool is still smooth compare to normal stool. We are going to see for the next 2 weeks otherwise, she will be up for surgery for biopsy. The issue is because she had on & off diarrhea for almost 3/4 years and couldnt control her bladder, she got used to poop and pee everywhere. Now that she’s better, it seems like she lost the normal and standard mother nature behavior as to use the litter box. I used SSSCAT in some places to scare her so she would go to the litter box but it doesnt work all the times. Sometimes, It would just scare her from one place and go to another area to poop. The question is how can we train a cat to use litter box at old age (she is 9 yrs old)?
Second issue is since she’s feeling better, she is more active and gain lot of weight (She used to not have the appetite to eat). We are very happy to see the positive improvements but she is been waking us up every day for the past 3 weeks around 3am. At first we thought she wanted food, which she would eat when we fed her but once done, she would meow as loud as she can to wake us up and this time not for food but for I dont know what she wants. I pet her, play with her but most of the times shesould just sit in the corner and watching me laying down in the living room (moving out from my bed). My other healthy cat, doesnt do that and doesnt have that behaviour. It’s been hard on us specially we have to work in the morning. W also have automatic laser toy and put out catnips on the floor but, she just wants us to wake up. When we close the door, she would then scratch our door but we still can hear her meowing. Jakson, you must guess my 2nd question., would be: how can we make her sleep at night and stop bothering our sleep. I saw one episode where you advised to play with them in the afternoon so they get tired at night. We did that but in the afternoon, when she feels sleepy she would just disregard the toy and stop playing with us.
I would appreciate advise and tips towards solving my adorable cat’s behavior. Thank you
I have a 6 year old cat that i have had since he was 8 weeks old (i adopted him from our vets office- he was with his litter mates). He has been neutered and he is front declawed (those happened at the same time when he was the appropriate age to be neutered -sorry i don’t remember the age exactly but he was still a kitten). He is a large Tuxedo looking cat who now weights close to 22lbs. He is fed taste of the wild dry food. For 4 years he was the best cat ever, he came into a home were we had a golden retriever and those two were inseparable. They wrestled and rolled all over. At some point we had to start locking our bedroom door though because he figured out how to open them, due to his size he just stood up and opened the door like we do. We had to start doing this because he was very noisy at night and wanted to jump on me and my husband in the middle of the night.. 22 lbs is nothing to joke about when it wakes you from a deep sleep. In the morning when we would open our door he started peeing on our dog (on our bed), he peed on me in our bed, we cleaned things appropriately. It wouldn’t happen every day just once in a blue moon. Then about a year and a half ago he started peeing on the dogs bed. I bought a new one… he peed on that. At this point I was pregnant, we took him to the vet he had a UTI we did several weeks of antibiotics and visits to the vet until it was gone…. he was still peeing, so we tried crating him for a few weeks, didn’t work, got felaway diffuser – worked initially then stopped working. So he is a basement cat, for the 1st few months he did really well seemed to really like having that area to himself. Fastforward, baby is born and now boxes are being put in the basement with baby’s smell on them. He has started peeing on things again.. 1) a box of parts that had been in the basement for a year not associated with the baby, 2) the pedal to my sewing machine 3) a plastic mat 4) the baby swing etc. he does not have a UTI and it seems like we’ve tried everything I am getting very very desperate here.. since hes been in the basement we have replaced all of out furniture he comes up for supervised visits only then back downstairs.. please what-else can we try
why did you declaw him? dosent that seem mean to him?
how do i get my older cat to be less shy?
anyone?really need help. his sis died when they were kittens and im scared he will die just like her. she died a few days after she started to get to know me ;(
Jackson, we recently bought some land in the country and are planning on building a cabin on it to spend weekends. We have two indoor cats that we would like to take with us. Do you think this is feasible for them. We don’t want to traumatize them but would like to take them.
I have a male six year old Bengal cat. I have had Tigger since he was a kitten and from the beginning he will do number two on my bed, the sofa, or carpet. I have a 16 year old Siamese as well, no problems with this cat. I have tried everything to stop this behavior and I don’t know what else I can do and hope someone can help.
I have 6 litter boxes for two cats, I have tried cleaning then with an antibacterial wipe in the spot where tigger urinates or does number two, I have also tried not cleaning so often and clean box weekly and replacing box every few months. I have an automatic litter aid as well.
Tigger will wait for me to come home and meow and run upstairs where the litter boxes are and want me to be there while he goes. I have trained him to go number two by snapping my fingers and telling him to get in his box, which he does.
He will sometimes go number two in his box sometimes not and I find it on the carpet in the litter box room.
I have noticed at times his stool is a little loose and I wonder if he has pain when he goes and perhaps this could be reason for going outside the box. The vet has checked him and found nothing wrong.
I have had to put plastic on my bed and sofa when I am not home because I know he will go there if I don’t.
Any suggestions from anyone. It would be nice to not have to worry if he will use his box or not.
Hello all. I have a question to ask. My cat Oliver is 5 Months old. I know he is still a kitten, but I cant stop him from biting. His teeth are razor sharp and I am covered with bite marks from where he made me bleed. He bites and holds on. I cant get him to stop. How can I help him and me?
Need help! Adopted 2 cats 3 years ago…feral brother & sister (male a tabby & female a tortie). They pretty much destroyed our furniture, despite numerous scratching posts & perches. Anyway, one of them, I believe the male but have never actually witnessed, likes to go into our closets & pee on stuff. If he gets a chance to go into the basement, he pees on our couches & the Playstation bag used for transport to other locations. If you leave a duffel bag on the floor, he pees in it. Awhile back, some plastic bags were left in the laundry tub to be used for litterbox clean out…he pees on them. Most recently, at our cottage, we left them while we were out of town, WITH A DAILY CHECK ON & FEED CAT SITTER, and our beloved, comfy couches were peed on. Most of these incidents seem to be my husband’s items or possessions or things he uses or likes, although one of my purses was ruined when left unsecured last summer. I am at my wits end & despite all of my good intentions toward rehabilitating this pair, I don’t know what to do. Any solutions before my husband (who has been very patient) makes me kick them to the curb?
KD please consider a variety of possible reasons: 1. UTI infection – can be life threatening; check with doctor, 2. territorial issues – check Jackson’s sight for lots of help on that, 3. change in food?, 4. changes in the environment?, 5. not having a “place” to call his own? This sight of Jackson’s has lot of help for that. Also LittleBigCat.com in the “articles library” section has really good info in there. Don’t give up; THE PROBLEM CAN BE FIXED!!
I am a first time cat owner and need to know how does a person know what size litter box to get, my cat has grown to about 20 lbs and is long also. He is 6 yrs old and it just seems the regular size boxes I get seem awfully small yet I don’t know how to handle this. I haven’t been able to find much information on this, hope you can help.
go to your local pet store.they will able to explain how big of a litter box to buy,good luck!