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Cat Advice (Emotional): Purina® Cat Chow® Mentor Amy Shojai
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Cat Advice (Emotional): Purina® Cat Chow® Mentor Amy Shojai
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I have a cat six months old that I adopted when he was two-and-a-half months old. He was...
It?s not unusual for cats to be standoffish around strangers. If he was dumped, I suspect that he did not receive much affection or attention prior to you adopting him. Kittens that are not adequately socialized during their very early weeks of life may never feel comfortable around strangers.
It may help him to ?practice? having friendly strangers visit. If you have somebody in mind to serve as a pet sitter, enlist his/her aid and stage some visits. If he likes a particular treat or toy, have the person drop these treats when they arrive, or sit quietly (on the floor!) and offer to play with a long-distance toy like a fishing pole lure or flashlight beam. Make the sessions short. Do this two or three times a week and over a period of time, the kitty should become more willing to interact at least with this one person. In the best cases, the cat then ?generalizes? the situation--sort of assuming, ?if this stranger feeds me/plays with me/isn?t scary, then OTHER strangers also will feed/play and not be scary.? Good luck!
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I adopted two seven-month-old "sisters" from the shelter three months ago. While they are...
No, it does not necessarily mean they?ve been abused. My cat Seren is now eleven years old and she has always objected to being held or picked up. Some cats just want to be in control! Over the years she has mellowed somewhat and I can now pick her up for -- oh, maybe 90-seconds or so -- before she wants down.
Do they have a special treat or toy that they adore? Have something they like available, so that when you pick them up or handle them, they get the treat IMMEDIATELY afterwards. You might also try rubbing your hands in catnip first, letting them smell, and then handling them. The key is very short (30-second) sessions and then a prompt reward. Once they discover they get something good out of being handled, they may adjust their objections!
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Ten years ago I adopted a male kitten with a feral background. He was adopted into a...
Wow, it appears you?ve tried a great deal of things with this boy. You don?t mention how many litter boxes you have and I would suggest that you add another one and have at least two. Some cats prefer having a facility for urine and a different one for feces. There?s also a product called ?Cat Attract? that can be added to your regular litter box substrate that works wonders with some cats.
This time of the year often prompts more spraying behavior simply because other cats outside that he hears and smells could be romancing each other. Does he have window-access where perhaps he sees other cats trespassing in his yard? If he doesn?t see them, that sometimes can help cut down on the spraying.
One of the best things to do is make sure you?re cleaning up all of his targets so no lingering aroma draws him back to re-baptize the spot. Invest in a black light (pet product stores will have these). Turn out the lights, and shine the light on the furniture or other areas he?s sprayed, and the urine will glow so you know where to clean. Use a product that actually neutralizes and eliminates the entire odor. It can?t just smell clean to YOU, it has to be cat-nose-proof. I have an article called ?Out Darn Spot!? at my website http://www.shojai.com/articles-index.html that lists several good products and how they work.
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I just adopted a male cat who only likes female people. Every time he sees or hears a...
Very likely, your cat grew up around women and girls, and had great experiences with them. Men have lower voices, walk with heavier footsteps, smell and move differently, and--possibly--the cat had a bad experience with one man and now ?generalizes? that experience and expects the worst of all males.
You may never get him to fully accept all males, but certainly can work toward him feeling more comfortable around a few if they visit repeatedly. Some of the tips mentioned in the answer to the first question apply here. The males who visit you should practice using their ?inside polite? voice, and try to walk more softly. They can have treats to drop for him to find--even if he won?t pick them up until after they leave, he?ll figure out that it came from them. Ask them to not stare at the cat, as this can be quite challenging and off-putting to a shy feline. If you have a male visitor for more than a day, ask him to fill the food bowl, and then walk away (ignore the cat). When the kitty knows the food comes from the male, he may be more willing to trust. Good luck!
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I have a male cat named Elmo. I have had him since he was a baby and he is now three...
Oh dear. It seems we have a theme going on this week?s questions. As mentioned before, cats can very often assume that one bad experience will be repeated. So when your boyfriend used the carpet cleaner night after night, and the cat was frightened by the noise, he simply ?assumed? it was the boyfriend?s presence that brought that scary thing. So now just the man?s presence (even without the noisy cleaner) has become the ?scary thing? and the cat hides.
It will take time for the cat to get over this opinion. Have your boyfriend be the one to feed the cat, if possible. Otherwise, he should ignore the cat, not look at him, and give kitty as much space and time as possible. Let the cat make the first paw-step to return to the former relationship.
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