ComPETability: Solving Behavior Problems In Your Multi-Cat Household Read online

  ComPETability: Solving Behavior Problems

  In Your Multi-CAT Household

  By AMY SHOJAI, CABC

  Contents

  PART ONE: UNDERSTANDING COMPETABILITY

  Chapter 1: THE JOYS OF MULTIPLE CATS

  Chapter 2: HOW CATS THINK

  Chapter 3. PAWSITIVE PURRSUASION

  PART TWO: COMMON PROBLEMS AND PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS

  Chapter 4: CAT-EGORICAL AGGRESSION

  Chapter 5: TOILET TECHNIQUES

  Chapter 6: UPSET KITTY FEELINGS

  Chapter 7. SUPPERTIME

  Chapter 8: CAT TO CAT INTRODUCTIONS

  Chapter 9: CAT-TO-DOG INTRODUCTIONS

  PART THREE, “COMMON MULTIPET FRUSTRATIONS

  Chapter 10. PET PEEVES

  APPENDIX: EXPERT SOURCES

  APPENDIX: ANIMAL BEHAVIOR SOURCES

  APPENDIX: FURTHER READING FROM AMY SHOJAI

  AFTERWORD

  Author Biography

  PART ONE: UNDERSTANDING COMPETABILITY

  Chapter 1: THE JOYS OF MULTIPLE CATS

  People love cats, and pets love us back. This treasured relationship has developed over many thousands of years, and continues to evolve today. Felines reflect the best parts of human nature: honesty, confidence, loving personalities, with an unbridled passion for life.

  According to the American Pet Products Association 2011-2012 National Pet Owners Survey:

  · Approximately 86.4 million owned cats are in the United States

  · Thirty-three percent of U.S. households own at least one cat

  · Fifty-two percent of owners own more than one cat

  · On average, owners have two cats (2.2)

  · More female cats are owned (80 percent) than male cats (65 percent)

  · Twenty-one percent of owned cats were adopted from an animal shelter

  For many of us, pets are furry family members, surrogate children, purring confidants, and a nonjudgmental support system that buoys our spirits. What a gift that they also return our love!

  If a single cat provides these benefits, two or more multiplies the pleasure. Sharing your home with more than one fur-kid offers the best of all possible worlds, allowing you and your family to experience the myriad personalities cats represent. Having more than a single cat means more work, but the benefits are worth it.

  Young pets clown and play, prompting our forgiving laughter even when they make mistakes. Who could resist the kitten snoozing amidst the unrolled flourish of toilet paper? Adult cats know when we’ve had a hard day at work, and silently commiserate with welcome lap snuggle, lick away tears, or transform frustration to fun with a spontaneous game of ankle tagged pets represent milestones in human lives, because they stood by your side through the good, the bad, and the challenging, a constant reminder of love and support. When you have a couple of cats you increase the potential to have a purrfect pet partnership for every situation.

  Cats come in an amazing array of looks and personalities so you can always find the right match when adding a new kid to your family. Many pets develop strong, loving relationships with each other. A confident pet can help bring a shy one out of her shell, while high energy youngsters give stuck-in-the-mud older animals a fun kick in the tail.

  Sharing your home with a clowder of cats means all the humans in the house have a good chance of finding their ‘heart cat’ able to share not only love, but even special interests. For instance, artistic owners relish the introspection and inspiration of a furry muse. A variety of people-pet activities are available such as feline agility that increases the pleasure for both you and your pets. Refer to the Appendix for a list of some of these resources.

  THE PET GENERATION

  There are several reasons for the current surge in multiple pet families. You may be “adopted” by a stray mother cat with a litter on the way, and end up keeping some or all of the offspring. But most likely, the makeup of your human family evolves, prompting change in the pet count.

  Blended families combine pets from both households when couples re-marry—his cats and her kittens. A newly divorced adult child may return home and bring her feline friend to join your existing pet family. Situations in which a single adult family member or friend becomes ill or dies may leave you to care for the pets. More and more, owners unexpectedly find themselves unprepared to face these situations, since they never anticipated having to deal with interspecies or multiple pet relationships.

  Today, equal-opportunity pet lovers don’t want to settle for one or the other—they enjoy the unique qualities of cats and dogs and share their homes with both. Dogs encourage social contact and interaction. Walking a dog guarantees meeting the neighbors and other dog lovers, and you get exercise along the way. Interacting with dogs is a pleasant and painless way to increase human exercise and promote our own health. You can find out more specifics on integrating dogs and cats, or dog-to-dog issues, in the books ComPETability: Solving Behavior Problems In Your CAT-DOG Household, and ComPETability: Solving Behavior Problems In Your Multi-DOG Household.

  Cats seem to fulfill a more spiritual need, and appeal to our introspective side. Because they do not require outdoor exercise or bathroom breaks, cats may be more convenient for less active people or those who must spend long periods of time away from home. Felines may not be able to jog with an owner, but they promote emotional health benefits as well as dogs do.

  Modern pet owners recognize that cats have social and emotional needs, and try to satisfy them. People facing career demands that keep them apart from their pet for long work hours may try to balance the animal’s increased alone time by matchmaking him with a furry companion. In one American Animal Hospital Association survey, 44 percent of pet owners acquired a pet simply to keep another pet company.

  NOBODY’S PERFECT

  More pets double the fun, but also increase the potential for problems, today more than ever before. Historically, owners living in rural communities enjoyed feline companionship with few conflicts, since cats spent a large percentage of their time in the back yard, the barn or the field. That dynamic changed when pets moved into the family room, and were asked to co-exist.

  It would be ideal if all our cats loved each other at first sight, played nicely together, and read our minds so they never made behavior mistakes. The truth is all owners of multiple pets will be faced with minor-to-major behavior problems. If you’re experiencing problems, you are not alone!

  When we welcome a cat into our lives and homes, we must accept that they are individuals with very different needs and desires. Just as human siblings don’t always agree, a few squabbles are inevitable. But that does not mean owners or pets must accept rude behavior, irritating or dangerous antics, or constant warfare.

  The right pet matchmaking choices must be considered to keep the fur from flying. While we love having more than one pet, the potential for conflict increases when multiple animals share the same house or apartment, the same rooms—sometimes the same bed—as human family members. Conflict upsets the pets’ physical and emotional health, creates stressful or dangerous behavior problems, and damages the loving bond with owners.

  WHAT’S IN THE BOOK

  You’re reading this book because you already know how much fun multiples can be, but you anticipate or are already challenged with behavior issues inherent to loving more than one pet. “ComPETability” provides expert behavior and care information for cohabiting cats and offers the tools needed to make educated matchmaking pet choices, prevent potential problems, and offer solutions when troubles occur.

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sp; You won’t find the answer to every behavior question here, though. While much of the information in this book translates to single pet homes, and you’ll sometimes be asked to train pets one at a time, the focus is on behavior problems and solutions of multiples. I’ve included the most common behavior challenges that directly impact the other cats living in the house.

  For example, you won’t find direct advice about WHAT to feed your cats, but instead I’ve provided tips on HOW to manage dinnertime so all the cats munch from the correct bowl and don’t interfere with each other’s nutrition. Rather than a section on housetraining your new kitten, discover practical tips for fixing bathroom problems that are prompted by the presence of other cats.

  The majority of the book deals exclusively with how cats interact and impact each, and ways to manage this to fix or prevent behavior problems. Expanded information is included in aggression and introduction sections, though, since these dangerous behaviors not only affect the other animals but also the owners who must manage the problem. The stress of living in a multiple cat home can increase aggression toward humans in the house or even strangers who visit. Helping your cats accept human family members, children, babies and friends is a vital part of a happy blended pet family.

  The book offers three sections of information. Part One, “Understanding Competability” consists of three overview chapters. The one you’re reading outlines the general scope of the book and introduces you to the joys of a multiple cat home. The next chapters cover cat-specific details, and a chapter offering background on behavior modification and training techniques. These opening chapters also discuss how cats learn, feline communication and social structure.

  Part Two, “Common Problems and Practical Solutions” addresses the specifics of aggression, bathroom challenges, emotional issues, feeding concerns, and introductions in multi-cat households. Each of these chapters discusses the most common behavior problems you’ll face with each situation, and include practical solutions. Suggestions from a variety of expert sources offer choices so you can decide which tips work best for your individual situation.

  Part Three, “Common Multipet Frustrations,” explains some of the weird and wonderful cat foibles—why cats follow humans to the toilet—as well as the top behavior complaints of pet owners. You’ll learn tips for dealing with scratching and countertop cruising, for example. Throughout the book, several running sidebars point out information of special interest. Calming Signals offer the best bet tip from experts; Comfort Zone suggests helpful pet products; and Vet Alert! warns you about situations that need expert help.

  Part Four, “Appendixes” lists the expert sources who provided information presented in this book. I’ve also animal behavior professionals for one-on-one help with your cat behavioral issues. I’ve also provided a “Further Information” section with activities and other resources that may prove helpful.

  RISKY BUSINESS

  Your cats’ behavior problems can certainly be a challenge for you to deal with, but all too often they can lead to cats losing their lives. Shelters overflow with cats relinquished by owners fed up with what often is a “fixable” problem. Most of these fur-kids never get a second chance and end up losing their lives. This book can help you resolve a large percentage of behaviors and preserve the loving bond you share with your pets. Advice must be interpreted correctly, though. For instance, it can be difficult to figure out which cat baptized the drapes so you can apply those recommendations to the right feline.

  Certain kinds of aggression have far reaching consequences, and prove challenging to even the most savvy professional. Aggression not only puts Sheba’s life on the line, it risks other cats, dogs, and people and becomes a liability issue for you. Because of the smaller size, cat bites cause fewer reported injuries than bites from dogs but still can cause severe injury and dangerous infection. Anytime your pet has caused wounds in another pet or person that require medical care, you will need help beyond the scope of this book. Refer to the Appendix for how to find animal behavior consultants for help.

  If you diligently follow the tips outlined in ComPETability but see no progress—or you feel so frustrated that you want to scream at your pet—yell for a professional instead. Individual people and pets absorb information in different ways and speeds, and a demonstration by a veterinary behaviorist or using a behavior modification program under the direction of an expert consultant may help you better understand the tips in this book, save your sanity, and preserve the love you share with your special cats.

  USING THIS BOOK

  It’s not always easy to find the best way to present information so that it’s understandable, accessible, and covers all the bases. A challenge with this three-book ComPETability series has been presenting parallel advice for both dog-to-dog and dog-to-cat issues and I’ve tried to avoid repetition as much as possible when it applies to both. Also, if you’re like me, it offends you to have a pet referred to as “it,” yet it can be awkward to say “he/she” over and over. For convenience’s sake, the books typically refer to dogs as “he” and cats as “she” (but advice applies to both genders unless otherwise stated), and uses the generic pet names “Rex” for dogs and “Sheba” for cats.

  The P.E.T. Test

  Throughout the book you’ll find references to the P.E.T. Test, an acronym designed to help you figure out the “why” behind a problem behavior. I’ve used this in many of my articles and books because it’s an easy way to figure out what’s going on. The acronym stands for Physical Health, Emotional Well-Being, and Traits Of Instinct. Only by knowing what triggers a “bad” behavior can you devise a plan to address the situation.

  PHYSICAL HEALTH: Sick cats tell you they feel awful by behaving badly. Pain of any kind can make cats lash out, and cats suffering from hyperthyroidism typically display aggression or hyperactivity. Older pets can develop kidney failure that prompts indoor accidents when the cat can’t reach her litter box. Any sudden change in behavior should be a wakeup call to get your pet checked by the veterinarian to rule out a physical health cause. A complete evaluation with blood tests and metabolic screening may be necessary to find subtle problems causing a change in personality or behavior, but when you can identify and treat these illnesses, the behavior problem usually goes away.

  EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING: It’s impossible to separate emotions from the physical realm. The stress of a new dog coming into Sheba’s home can make her scratch-mark the sofa to feel more secure. Your old cat’s fear of the new rambunctious kitten or a visiting toddler prompts hit-and-miss litter box lapses. Upset feelings can prompt overeating, or snubbing dinner. Negative emotions not only make cats unhappy, they also make cats succumb to illness more easily and take longer to recover. Unhappiness makes them more reactive to the other animals in the home, which can cause a cascade effect that sends your whole furry family into a meltdown. When your veterinarian has ruled out a physical problem, an emotional issue may have prompted the bad behavior.

  TRAITS OF INSTINCT: Cats are born with certain inherent tendencies that make them behave in proscribed ways. Cats scratch the furniture to mark territory, and avoid a litter box that’s not up to cleanliness standards. They don’t act out to be “bad” or get back at you for some imagined slight—they can’t help themselves and are doing what comes naturally. You can’t change instinct but you can help your cats learn to redirect these behaviors into more acceptable actions—scratching a post instead of the sofa.

  The L.E.A.S.H. Technique

  An important part of living with more than one cat is to understand the dynamics of interactions to increase the odds for success. Proper introductions are the single most important step you can take, to ensure your pets will get along or even become fast friends. Depending on their age, breed, and history, cats want different things, and the chapters on cat-to-cat introductions detail step by step tips for various scenarios.

  Before those whisker-to-whisker meetings, though, take some time to consider what your resid
ent cats would like. After all, Sheba is already an important part of your family and just because YOU have fallen in love with a furry waif at the shelter doesn’t mean your long time furry loves will welcome him with open paws.

  If you want to adopt a particular cat breed, invest in a feline encyclopedia for an overview of their various care needs and personalities. Then visit at least one (more is better!) cat show. Speak frankly with the breeders and exhibitors and ask for guidance choosing the best fit for your furry family.

  The better the match, the smoother introductions go and the sooner you’ll build a peaceable kingdom between all the pets in your home. Use the L.E.A.S.H. Technique to help make informed decisions about matchmaking the new pet to your existing clowder. The acronym stands for five considerations when choosing your new pet friend, and can also be used to evaluate current resident pets. It stands for Lineage, Environment, Age, Sexual Status, and Health.

  LINEAGE: Lineage influences pedigreed cats more than the random bred beauties. Cat breeds have less variation in size, looks and personality than do dogs, but some are known to be more vocal (Siamese), sedate (Persian), or active (Somali). An acrobat cat may pester your resident geriatric feline half to death, while a twenty-pound Maine Coon could injury a tiny puppy. A larger, mature cat also may be better able to hold her own against a toddler or a dog, and it’s not unusual for a feline to rule in a doggy home. At least one study documented that kittens sired by “friendly” fathers would be more likely to inherit a “friendly” gene. When a kitten’s father willingly interacts with you, chances are his offspring also will be more confident.

  ENVIRONMENT: Environment influences both the way introductions should be made, and how well the cats get along once in the home. How would you feel if a stranger moved into your one-bedroom apartment and demanded to share your bed, food, toilet and time with loved ones? Why are we surprised many cats object?