Jackson gets to tell one of his own cat stories in this great article on the New York Times blog.
Check it out here.
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.
There is no doubt that cats and dogs have exquisite homing senses. The hypothesis that they read the stars (“feel” the stars in the daytime?) , is not without some merit.
And, that it varies within each animal; well, do you know people who are natural navigators, have a feel for where they are and never get lost (well, outside of learning a new route?) And know people who can’t drive anywhere, even with a GPS.
We, who have lost touch with our inner navigators, make compass’s with tiny bits of metal to always show (our eyes) true north. There are people who can always tell true north, day or night, indoors or out. Why is it so fantastic ” a phenomenon ” that animals (mostly) retain this sense of direction, and can act on it?
Two years ago we brought home a pit bull from a shelter which was 1/2 drive a way. We learned he had been found tied up to the post office doors, in our town, 6 mos previously. The first few weeks we were careful not to let him out without a leash, because he would take off for the east, turn north at the corner and would have to be nicely called and cajoled to return (he is fast- maybe part greyhound). This year, we discovered where his previous home was : 1 1/2 blocks east and 6 blocks north.
How did he know this?
The Times article talks about sense of smell. There is a burger king 2 blocks north; he can probably smell it right now, with the winter windows shut, as he lounges on the couch with the cats…..How about we go beyond naming the Individual senses (as the docs with the MRI’s are now confirming), and ponder the brain and body as one huge sensory organ?
Love this story. Who says cats are not loyal like dogs?
Fantastic story! Oh the secret rite of cats, they were put on this earth to keep us humans forever mystified.
Well after 2, 1/2 months of not hearing from You,
I am still wondering About a Question I asked 8 months ago,
I have 2 cats and 1 was a rescue, Anyway ,
It seems that they do Not get along very well, after following the Steps You have previously outlined , in the introduction of Pets, Ie , Separation with Screen and semi open Doors ECT, well that was 1 year ago, since Both are female and Spayed, I would have thought that @ some point they would accept each other, as we Love them both Equally, I am Looking for a way to get them to Be more comfortable with us and each other
I have that as a new problem, and have had it in the past with it only getting marginally better. Each cat, whether higher up in status, or not, has to learn their place. They may never really “like” each other, but merely know how to avoid close contact. Getting as many cats to play together at one time helps. But, as I said, just like people, cats can have an “opinion” of another cat that will never change. They are, afterall, extremely intelligent creatures. Isn’t that why we love them, so?!
“Due to his demanding schedule and the high volume of requests he receives, Jackson is not able to answer questions posted in the comments. However, we will continue providing valuable information to help you and your cats.”
As Smiling Mermaid said, sometimes cats just do not get along. This can be a dominance thing or other such issues. Cats have a fairly unique social system. Typically, with pack animals (like most dogs), once a member is accepted into the pack, it is generally accepted by all in the pack. However, with cats, each one tends to form its own social circle.