Tag Archives: feline behavior

Diary of a Cat Care B&B: Kitten Mania!

I tend to think of spring and early summer as kitten time, more than fall. But we’ve had a bunch of kittens make an appearance at the cats-only boarding facility lately. It started when one of our vets — Doctor K. — came back from a weekend trip. While she was hiking with the family, they were approached by a pair of very young kittens. As Doctor K. described it, they came bounding out of a field towards the family! She trapped the kittens and brought them home (much to the disgust of her two adult male cats), then into … Continue reading →

Cats Who Won’t Groom

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We’ve had guests at the cats-only boarding facility who can’t or won’t groom themselves. I started to wonder why. Looks like there are a lot of different reasons why a cat might not groom him or herself. Here are a few: Illness. A cat that doesn’t feel well might stop grooming. Many times, this is the first warning sign an owner will notice when their pet is sick. Maybe you’ll see mats, or just notice that your cat isn’t as clean as usual. It’s not a bad idea to talk to your veterinarian if your cat has stopped grooming. Hormonal … Continue reading →

Diary of a Cat Care B&B: The Worst Yet

Oh, I’m sure there will be many other injuries in my work at the cats only boarding facility, but today I got the worst one yet. It’s a three inch claw mark on the outside of my forearm — almost exactly where my arm hits the edge of the laptop (ow) or rests on the edge of the desk (also ow). I tried to take a picture of it so you could see that I’m not exaggerating… but my camera is out of batteries. Plus, thinking of all the people who were grossed out by Moose’s green barf earlier this … Continue reading →

Territorial Behavior in Cats

Cats are territorial animals — there’s no way around it! In the wild, a cat establishes a territory where she eats and sleeps (a sort of home base) and where she hunts and mates (a home range). The size of a wild cat’s territory is generally determined by the availability of food. When food is plentiful, the cat needs a smaller home range. When food is scarce, the cat needs to range farther. A cat’s territory is marked in several ways. Scratching leaves both visual and scent marks on trees (or furniture). Rubbing also leaves scent marks. Urine spraying and … Continue reading →

Diary of a Cat Care B&B: Apparently I Need Grooming

After my shift at the cats only boarding facility this morning, I decided I was going to spend some time with three of our resident cats. They’re generally happy to see anybody who comes in to clean or fill food and water bowls, but today, they seemed especially lonely. It was the pitiful meows and the weaving between my legs that was my first clue. So once the morning’s work was done, I went and sat down with them for a while. A quick description of each: Ru: a lovely dark grey tortie cat with amazingly dark green eyes. The … Continue reading →

Retraining a Stressed Cat

Sometimes, you can’t take the stress out of a cat’s environment. If seeing other animals outside the window is upsetting your cat, you can close the shades or not allow your cat into rooms with windows facing the street. However, if the stressor is something like a new pet or a new baby, you can’t really remove the source! In cases where you can’t remove the source of the stress, you can try desensitization and counterconditioning. Desensitization is exposing the animal gradually to the source of stress. Start with versions that are so mild that they don’t provoke anxiety — … Continue reading →

Is Your Cat Stressed?

A big change in the routine — like moving, or going away on vacation and boarding your cat — can lead to stress. Even something that seems like a small change — using a new type of litter or switching to a new style of litter box — can lead to stress. Cats handle stress in different ways depending on their personalities. An outgoing, friendly cat may experience phobias or obsessive symptoms when they are stressed. A shy, quiet cat may experience hysterical, antisocial, or self-destructive behavior. In the case of extreme stress, humans and cats may experience similar symptoms … Continue reading →

Why Does My Cat Play in his Water Bowl?

I’ve seen several of our guests at the cats only boarding facility playing in their water bowls. Some cats dunk their feet. Others drown their toys! We have one guest who “digs” at the floor around his bowl while he drinks. It’s all very cute. So why does a cat play with his water? There are lots of different reasons. Moving water is almost always more appealing than still water. Dipping a paw or a toy makes ripples. (You may have noticed that your cat also prefers to drink running water from the kitchen or bathroom sink! Moving water is … Continue reading →

Diary of a Cat Care B&B: The Characters

Proof that I truly am an animal lover: I’ve found something to love about every cat I’ve met so far at work. There are certain personality types I’ve noticed, just in the short time I’ve been working at the cat boarding facility. The Playful Cat: this type of cat will catch you by surprise — usually with a paw to the leg as you pass by. He or she will bat at anything, and may engage in adorable paw wars with the cat in the room above or below. The Cranky Cat: this type of cat wants nothing to do … Continue reading →