by Nomi Berger
 
If you approach grooming your cat’s nails with trepidation, hopefully these seven suggestions will help you succeed -- quickly and comfortably.
 
1. Choose your clippers carefully: There are three tools available to you -- tiny scissors with claw-shaped trimming edges, a clipper with a “guillotine” blade that slides across a small hole through which you insert your cat’s claw, and a human fingernail trimmer. Try all three and choose the one that feels most comfortable to you. For best results, always keep the one you select sharp to avoid either crushing your cat’s claw or causing her needless pain.
 
2. Begin slowly: Before your initial attempt at nail trims, begin by accustoming your cat to having her paws handled. Start by petting her, move to stroking her paws, then to gently manipulating her toes as though you were playing “this little piggy went to market”. If she enjoys it, gradually work up to putting gentle pressure on her paw pads to expose her claws. (Since cats have retractile claws, you must gently squeeze each of her toes between your thumb and forefinger to expose each claw). While this may be a slow process, patience is key. The preparatory work you do now will make the actual act of trimming her nails much easier.
 
3. Ask for help: If you’re overly concerned, ask someone to demonstrate the proper technique to you, whether it’s your vet, a groomer or an experienced cat caretaker familiar with your cat. There are also many online resources at your disposal, including a step-by-step guide from Washington State University School of Veterinary Medicine at www.vetmed.wsu.edu/outreach/Pet-Health-Topics/categories/procedures/cats/clipping-your-cat's-claws
 
4. Timing is everything: Select a time when your cat is relaxed. Never attempt to trim her nails just before meals or -- if yours is a multi-cat household – while other cats are hovering nearby.
 
5. Relax: If you approach the procedure in a calm manner, your cat will be more inclined to remain calm as well.
 
6. Reward your cat: Accentuate the paws-itive nature of the experience by rewarding your cat with her favorite treat or a tasty snack, some extra loving or a round of play with her favorite toy. In fact, consider rewarding her after several successfully trimmed nails at first, then taper off as she cooperates more. Never reward her if she runs away or does something you don’t like, such as swat at you. Rewarding her simply reinforces this “bad” behavior.
 
7. One at a time: If your cat starts to squirm after you’ve trimmed only one or two of her nails, stop immediately. Your goal is to make the procedure agreeable not abhorrent.
 
If, however, your cat refuses to cooperate in spite of your best efforts, have her nails trimmed by a groomer or by your vet during her regularly scheduled office visits.

by Nomi Berger
 
Do you live in a multi-cat household? If so, you have probably wondered if your feline friends experience jealousy.
 
Imagine lying peacefully in bed one morning, half-dozing, with one of your two kitties curled up beside you. Imagine your second kitty attempting to join in the “cuddle” only to have your first kitty reach up and smack her hard several times on the head. The implied message: you are HERS at the moment, and she has no intention of sharing you.
 
We as humans would certainly interpret this as jealousy. But do cats get jealous in the same way? According to many animal behaviorists, what WE consider jealousy is known in the feline world as rivalry.
 
Why? Cats are creatures of habit, of predictability, preferring a stable environment with a minimum of changes and challenges. They lay claim to certain places, spaces and toys in their home, and they lay claim to Y-O-U: to your time, your attention and your affection. Short of splitting yourself in two (or three or more equal parts), the result can be kitty cat rivalry.
 
In nature, cats are driven to rival one another for such scarce and highly prized resources as food and clean water. Males will run off other males to keep their resources, including their females and shelter, to themselves. Females keep their domain even smaller while they raise their kittens, and intruders in that space are less than welcome. This isn’t jealousy; it’s a competition for finite resources.
 
While our indoor cats face no such challenges, their instinct to protect their “resources” is deeply ingrained in them and informs how they ultimately behave. Despite their access to a seemingly endless supply of food, water and safe, cozy places to sleep, some cats still find sharing them with others impaws-ible.
 
The easiest way to handle cat-on-cat rivalry in your home is by ensuring there are enough of the essentials to go around, starting with food and fresh water, clean litter boxes and cozy cat beds. If you live in a small apartment with a limited amount of room, add cat trees and shelving to give your kitties more vertical space to roam, along with several snug nooks or cubbies to curl up in.
 
Since you probably top their essential “resources” list, it’s essential that you give each of your cats some quality one-on-one time with you and encourage them to engage in group playtime with one another. Fulfilling their need for attention can be as simple as sitting on the sofa with a cat (or two) on either side of you, petting them, scratching their heads and kissing them – equally! 
 
Whether its name is “jealousy” or “rivalry”, understanding what motivates your cats to behave as they do and what triggers these feelings allows you to hopefully keep them at bay. Avoiding situations that bring out the competitor in them is key to achieving lasting harmony in your multi-cat household – no matter how many possessive pussy cats you have.

by Nomi Berger
 
There are more cats than dogs in American homes and yet they visit a vet far less often than their canine counterparts.
 
Why?
 
Because our prescient pusses can sense what’s coming and both dread and detest the entire process of GETTING to the vet. Some kitties become so stressed that they vomit or defecate out of fear while others morph into hissing, spitting balls of fury.
 
Since annual (twice a year for seniors) wellness exams are essential for monitoring and maintaining your cat’s health, consider the following tips for making the experience as fear free and tear free as paws-ible.
 
1. Bring out your cat’s carrier several days before your scheduled vet appointment so that she can get used to the sight of it. Leave the door open, thereby allowing her to enter it, explore it and exit it at her leisure.
 
2. Place some of your cat’s favorite treats and/or some catnip inside the carrier to encourage her to associate the carrier with a pleasant and positive experience.
 
3. Make the carrier appear less threatening and more inviting by lining it with one of her blankets topped by several of her favorite toys.
 
4. Spray the interior of the carrier with a synthetic feline pheromone product reputed to decrease and even eliminate stress 30 minutes before using it, then gently put your kitty inside and softly close the door.
 
5. Place the carrier in your car and practice making mock trips to the vet by driving around the block. Once ... twice ... Increasing your driving time as long as she seems comfortable, and stopping immediately if she shows any signs of distress. For most cats, the only time they’re crated and inside a car – a frightening experience on its own -- is when they’re going to the vet, setting the stage for a stressful encounter once they arrive. This exercise will hopefully de-sensitize her, preparing her for “the real thing”, while rewarding her with an especially high value treat should help her associate the drive with something pleasurable.
 
6. If none of this helps and your kitty remains stressed both by the drive to the vet and by the visit itself, ask your vet to prescribe a sedative to calm her down for any and all future visits.
 
7. As a last resort, ask if your vet makes house calls. If not, ask for the name of a vet or a clinic that does. For frazzled felines who feel more confident in familiar surroundings, this may be the purr-fect solution.

by Nomi Berger

Does spring announce its arrival by the unusual amount of cat hair covering your home?
 
As your kitty trades her heavy winter coat for a light summer one by shedding – a natural and important process -- she’s helping to remove any dead fur that causes skin irritation. On the other hand, no shedding may be a sign of poor diet or an underlying medical issue, while too much shedding that leads to bald patches or a very thin coat warrants a visit to the vet.
 
Although some breeds shed more -- or less -- than other breeds, their exposure to daylight also plays a part in “signaling” their bodies when it’s time for a seasonal shed. And so, if your cat spends a great deal of time outside in the sunshine or lying in direct sunlight inside, she may be more prone to shedding as the days grow longer.
 
Brushing your cat regularly is the best way to manage any excess hair at the source before it starts wafting through your home in tufts or emanating from kitty herself in the form of hairballs. A good indicator of how often you should brush her is the length and thickness of her coat.
 
If your kitty isn’t used to being brushed or quickly becomes fidgety, it’s important to make the process as stress free as possible for her. Begin with brief sessions and reward her with plenty of praise and high value treats. Once she’s more relaxed, increase the duration of the brushing sessions, and by making it a positive bonding experience between the two of you, she’ll appreciate it even more.
 
Always brush WITH the grain in the natural direction that her fur grows. Brushing out knots and mats can be difficult and some may need to be cut out. If your cat is severely matted, it’s advisable to see a groomer or consult your vet before trying to remove the mats yourself.
 
Longhaired cats are best served by starting with a long, stiff shedding rake or comb that reaches down near the skin and dislodges hair from the undercoat while leaving the outer coat almost entirely unaffected. They should then be brushed at least every two days.
 
For shorthaired cats, begin with a bristle brush. This loosens some of the hair trapped near the skin that causes irritation. Shorthaired cats with a double coat require less brushing than longhaired cats, while those with a single coat need even less. Whatever the length of your cat’s hair, ending each session with a slicker brush (its smaller bristles are ideal for grabbing the hair dislodged by the brushing) is
 
 
another way to keep her coat smooth, shiny and sleek.
 
Lint rollers are also an asset, keeping your clothes as hair free as possible when you leave your home while doing the same for anyone entering your home. Consider those around you who might be allergic to cats, and have a lint roller on hand to remove whatever vestiges of your cat’s hair are clinging to you.
 
To keep your environment as hair free as possible, running an air cleaner, particularly one designed to handle pet hair, can help provided you replace the filters regularly. For carpets, some cat owners use a vacuum while others prefer a rubber broom with squeegee bristles. The bristles help clump the hair together in a ball and seem to work better than vacuuming alone. For tiled or wood floors use a damp mop.
 
If your cat has a favorite spot on the furniture, drape it with an easily washed blanket, and if she sleeps in your bed at night, use a duvet cover that you can remove and wash.
 
Now open your windows and welcome spring!

by Nomi Berger
 
Daylight Saving Time officially begins on March 10th at 2:00 AM.
 
While thankfully close to the official start of spring, many people as well as their pets can find “springing forward” and losing that hour of purr-ecious sleep both disorienting and disturbing.
 
Cats, like all animals, are creatures of habit, and unlike people, they don’t have to check a watch or a clock in order to schedule their day. Blessed with their own internal, biological clock, known as the circadian rhythm, they know exactly when to eat and nap, exercise and sleep.
 
When this rhythm is suddenly disrupted by their owners’ waking up early or returning home from work while they’re still taking their afternoon nap, they can become extremely anxious.
 
Consider three of the ways the start of Daylight Saving Time may affect your own feline friend.
 
Feeding Time: If your cat is used to being fed at the same time every day, when her food unexpectedly arrives before she’s hungry, this early meal might throw off her digestive cycle. She may act out rambunctiously, turn up her nose and stalk off or gulp down her food then meow for more out of habit when her usual feeding time comes around.
 
Medication Time: If your cat is diabetic and receives her medication at a certain time of day, getting it early might be a shock to her system. While an hour usually shouldn’t make much of a difference -- depending on her needs – medicating her early can cause a change in her energy level as her body adjusts to the new insulin schedule. Other medications, such as those for heart failure, can cause problems if they’re administered too early.
 
Together Time: Although many cats are extremely independent and easily able to amuse themselves on their own, others are far more social and rely heavily on more consistent interaction with their owners. If your cat is one of these, used to you both waking up and leaving home at a certain hour, those vital 60 minutes of “lost” together time can cause her undue anxiety.
 
The best way of reducing the negative effects of “springing forward” on your cat is to prepare for the time switch a few weeks early and alter your schedule by a few minutes each day. This gradual change is far less noticeable and far less disruptive than changing everything by an hour all at once.
 
Begin by serving your cat’s meal(s) a few minutes earlier each day. Speak with your vet about the safest way of changing the time(s) she receives any and all of her medications. Leave for work a few minutes earlier each day to acclimate her to your leaving home before the usual time. But most importantly, remain vigilant and be sensitive to any shift in her mood. If she seems anxious or nervous, some extra chin scratches and snuggles may be just what she needs!
 
Tick tock.

by Nomi Berger
 
Problems affecting a cat’s lower urinary tract may prevent the bladder from emptying correctly or may even cause a fatal blockage of the urethra, the tube that connects the bladder to the outside of the cat’s body.
 
All too often, the cause is Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD). Symptoms include frequent or painful urination, bloody urine and frequent licking of the urinary opening. Essential in treating FLUTD is first determining the cause of it, which may include such endocrine diseases as hyperthyroidism and diabetes mellitus as well as bladder stones, urinary tract blockages, infection or cancer. If the cause can’t be determined, the cat is considered to have cystitis (inflammation of the bladder).
 
The causes of FLUTD include: stones, crystals or accumulated debris in the bladder or urethra; a urethral plug (accumulated debris from urine); bladder inflammation or infection; incontinence from excessive water drinking or weak bladder; injury to, or tumor in the urinary tract; stress; spinal cord problems and a congenital abnormality. Rarely seen in cats younger than a year, the average age is typically four years, with males being more prone to urethral blockages due to their narrower urethras.
 
Signs your cat is having problems with his/her urinary tract include: the inability to urinate or passing only a small amount of urine; bloody or cloudy urine; loss of bladder control and/or dribbling urine; increased frequency of urination or visits to the litter box; straining and/or crying out in pain when attempting to pass urine; prolonged squatting in the litter box; fear/avoidance of the litter box and soiling in inappropriate places; constant licking of the urinary opening; a strong odor of ammonia in the urine; lethargy; vomiting; increased water consumption, and a hard, distended abdomen.
 
If your kitty is either straining to urinate or crying out in pain, see your veterinarian immediately. This could be a medical emergency!
 
To diagnose a lower urinary tract problem, your vet should perform a complete physical examination that includes a urinalysis, urine culture and blood work, and if necessary, x-rays and/or an ultrasound.
 
Depending on the ultimate diagnosis, your vet may recommend one or more of the following courses of action: antibiotics or other medications, dietary changes, increase in water intake and urinary acidifiers; aids in expelling any small stones through the urethra; surgery to remove bladder stones or a tumor or to correct a congenital abnormality; a urinary catheter or surgery to remove a urethral blockage in male cats, and fluid therapy.
 
If left untreated, urinary problems can cause a partial or complete obstruction of the urethra. This, in turn, can quickly lead to kidney failure and/or rupture of the bladder, which can prove fatal.
 
 

by Nomi Berger
 
The obvious answer to every cat owner’s question is simple: It’s fun.
 
Not only that, but the higher the places are the better. And yet, as amusing as it may seem – at first – this behavior can be both annoying and dangerous.
 
Extremely adept at using their paws when they play, cats will bat at and paw at some objects and by twisting their paws slightly, hook others and toss them into the air. Exceedingly curious and endlessly attracted to rapid movement, they are expert “fly catchers” and acrobats, even turning somersaults in the air as they try to catch the feather at the end of a fishing-pole toy.
 
From tables and desks to bookshelves and mantles, a cat’s joy at knocking things over may, according to some animal behaviorists, be attributed to several factors, including play-related and exploratory behaviors. Consider this: A cat paws at an object to see if it moves or how it moves and inadvertently knocks it off a desk. Once she sees the object fall, she may be attracted to its speed, the sound it makes hitting the floor or even the attention she receives from her owner.
 
Why the latter? Because whatever hits the floor elicits an immediate response as the owner seeks out the source of the sound. Some clever cats have learned to capture their owner’s attention in precisely this way: the louder the noise, the faster their owner’s response time. For others, simply watching the object fall and chasing after it on the floor is reward enough. But if that object is glass, she can injure her paws when she jumps to the floor and either lands on or walks through the glass shards.
 
To stop this behavior from disrupting your household while keeping your kitty safe, don’t leave any objects light enough to be batted around and knocked over on any surfaces accessible to her. This is especially true of fragile or irreplaceable items. If the problem is limited to a single room, try closing the door and keeping kitty out. If that’s not feasible, one option is to apply double-sided sticky tape to the surface(s) in question. When your cat jumps onto a table, e.g., her paws will stick slightly to the tape and the unpleasant sensation should deter her from jumping onto it again. But the most successful solution lies in your preventing her from jumping onto the table in the first place.
 
What does this entail? If you find your cat on the table, instead of shouting at her or chasing her away, make a noise to get her attention and redirect her to a more appropriate behavior such as chasing after a toy or a laser dot. You can also use clicker training to teach her tricks, thereby keeping her mentally engaged and out of trouble. Another way to redirect your cat’s attention is to give her a “job.” Use multiple puzzle toys and have her “work” for some of her food, while remembering that cats in the wild may spend between 40 and 60 percent of their time actually hunting for food.  
 
If, however, none of these techniques work, speak to your veterinarian who may refer you to an animal behavior specialist.
 

by Nomi Berger
 
While a good deal of time and patience is involved in helping semi-feral cats adjust to domesticity, nothing succeeds more than time and patience, and nothing is a more gratifying experience.
 
Why?
 
Because semi-feral cats who have acclimated well to their new lives are some of the most loving, affectionate and appreciative kitties around.
 
Interested?
 
If so, consider the following five steps to help make your particular “wild child’s” adjustment to indoor living as smooth and swift as paws-ible.
 
1. Prepare a “dedicated” cat room: When you bring your new cat home, ensure her room has such amenities as scratching posts, some toys, food, water and a litter box. Not only should her food bowl and litter box be on opposite sides of the room, it should be quiet and, for the time being, out of bounds for other humans. It should also have some small, safe hiding places, like a cat house or a blanket draped over a chair, but nothing (a bed or sofa) that allows her to hide away from you completely, thereby removing herself from her new environment. Spend time in this room every day to get her accustomed to your presence. Read out loud to her, speak to someone on the phone or simply talk about anything and everything, allowing her to learn the sound of your voice and grow increasingly comfortable with it.
 
2. Win her over with food: Food is key to gaining your new cat’s trust and earning her eventual affection. When you begin, it’s vital to adhere to a regular feeding schedule so that she learns you’re consistently and without fail the sole source of her delicious food supply. Once she’s relaxed enough to eat, start sitting in the room without interfering with either her or the food. This will assure her that she’s safe with you. Special foods such as “chicken in gravy” baby food is also an excellent way to “seduce” her into attempting new things as she acclimatizes herself to her new, domesticated life.
 
3. Avoid direct eye contact: If you find your cat staring at you, do NOT engage. To feral cats, eye contact is considered aggressive. But should you inadvertently find yourself in a “staring contest”, the best thing to do is calmly blink, keeping your eyes closed for a few seconds, and turn your head away. This shows your cat that you hadn’t meant to threaten her, and are taking a submissive role, which, in turn, reinforces her feeling of safety and security.
 
4. Don’t force physical contact: Your cat will come to you once she feels truly safe, something that can be encouraged and enhanced by using that “high value” baby food. Put some on your finger and have her lick it off. This both initiates contact between the two of you and allows her to form a positive association with you. Repeat this over and over until all hesitation on her part ceases. The next step is to try petting her. Start by extending a closed fist while looking away. Allow her to approach you and initiate whatever form of contact feels most comfortable to her.
 
5. Be patient: According to an old axiom, “Patience, persistence and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success.” And so it is when welcoming an outdoor cat into your home and heart. All felines are famously guarded; semi-ferals even more so. And although your kitty’s adaptation to indoor life may take longer than you may want, once you’ve succeeded – as a team -- yours will be a love unlike any other.

by Nomi Berger
 
Walking your indoor cat on a leash not only allows her safe access to the outdoors, but it also provides her with physical exercise and mental stimulation. Whereas some indoor cats much prefer to remain where they are, still others are “hot to trot.”
 
If your indoor cat is curious and confident, enthusiastic and energetic, she may be a purr-ect candidate for a leashed walk. Before you begin, however, make certain that she’s current on all shots, flea and tick treatments. Ensure that she’s micro-chipped and that your contact information is up to date. Buy her a collar with an ID tag that clearly states she’s an indoor cat and that if she gets lost she should be returned home when found.
 
Next comes the harness. A harness is exceptionally secure and will keep your kitty safe and close to you even if she attempts to dart about or, worse, run away. Due to the increased popularity of cats being walked on leashes, there is now an ever-increasing assortment of styles, colors and patterns from which to choose.
 
Even better and, best of all, more comfortable than a harness, is a specially designed walking vest. Durable, adjustable and easy to put on, it’s an especially good choice for regular walkers and/or stronger, more motivated and determined cats.
 
Last but not least is a lightweight cat leash. Avoid both dog leashes and retractable leashes since they’re too heavy for cats. While many cat harnesses already come with a leash, other options are bungee leashes that will give your cat a little more range once you’re outside and at ease.
 
Now begins the process of training your cat. Begin by allowing her to get used to wearing a harness inside – a big step since indoor cats don’t normally wear collars AND harnesses. Start slowly, leaving the harness out on the floor with some treats on it to create a positive association for her and entice her to take the treats while smelling the harness itself.
 
After a few days, put the harness on your cat and promptly provide her with soothing pets and more of those treats. If she’s visibly uncomfortable, however, take the harness off immediately. Then, slowly and patiently, day by day, increase the amount of time she spends in the harness until she no longer minds it. And always remember to highlight the experience by petting her, playing with her, and providing her with treats to ensure that she associates “harness time” with happy times.
 
Once the harness has been well worn in, attach the leash to it and repeat the same process as above. Then as soon as your cat’s comfortable, bring her outside to a safe space -- a patio, deck or any enclosed area where she’s protected from other people and/or other animals. Slowly venture further afield, remembering to continually reward her with loving pets and tasty treats to assure her of the fun that awaits her once she’s well and truly outside. Remember too that any negative experience can set the entire process back, so pay close attention to your surroundings and to any unanticipated threat that may either spook or harm your cat.
 
Cat walks aren’t like dog walks. You will, in all likelihood, stay close to home, and your walk will (unless your kitty is particularly athletic and adventurous) be more of a meander. A chance for your purr-ecious puss to slowly and satisfyingly explore all of the various sights and smells previously unknown to her. A chance for you to watch the world through her eyes while seeing it through your own in an entirely new way. A chance for the two of you to bond more closely and more deeply. What could paws-ibly be better than that?

by Nomi Berger
 
How adept are you at reading your kitty’s signals?
 
Let’s start with her eyes. In a standoff between two opposing cats, the defender’s pupils will be dilated to widen her peripheral vision, giving her an advantage in anticipating an attack. On the other hand, the aggressor’s pupils will narrow to allow her better depth perception -- an advantage in judging where to attack. Aside from indicating fear, a cat’s pupils will also dilate in dim surroundings to allow as much light as possible to enter her eyes.
 
Perhaps the most wonderful signal, most often missed by even the most observant cat owner, is the sweetly seductive slow eye blink. Slow eye blinking is a very powerful and reassuring signal commonly used between cats when they’re sitting or lying in a hunched-up, sphinx-like position. It’s also a technique used by animal behaviorists to relax both house cats and feral cats by allowing them to interpret this human’s signal as: “I’m not a threat to you.” And for cat-crazy cat owners, it’s the ideal way to say, “I love you”, to their own favorite feline(s).
 
A continuous stare, however, has the opposite effect on cats. It’s threatening and unsettling and is used effectively as a way of maintaining their territorial distance. This is why a cat, upon entering a roomful of strangers -- all but one of them committed cat lovers – will approach the “non-cat lover”, the only person not staring at her.
 
Next, consider her ears. Again, in a standoff between two opposing cats, the defender’s ears will lie down flat against her head for protection. The one whose ears are lying flat -- with a twist, so that the tips of the backs of both ears are visible from the front -- is the aggressor. Confident and curious cats’ ears point forward as a way of listening for sounds in front of them. Cats either hunting prey or playing will also keep their ears pointing forward to collect as much auditory information as possible in order to execute a successful “pounce.”
 
Last is her tail. When a cat’s tail is erect along its entire length, it’s a gesture of greeting to another cat or an invitation to a friendly human for some quality “contact” rubbing. When her tail is vertical in the air with the inevitable “question mark”, it indicates that she’s happy and relaxed in her environment. It can also be a silent signal for food. When a seated cat’s tail flicks back and forth, it often shows her irritation and/or insecurity about what’s going to happen next. 
 
A tail held down while her rump is elevated belongs to an aggressive cat standing sideways near another cat. An arched, fluffed-up tail and an arched back (this pose is familiarly called the “Halloween cat”) shows that she’s torn between being aggressive or defensive. A fluffed tail positioned either straight out or straight down indicates she’s chosen to move towards aggression. Ironically, all of these tail positions can be observed when two kittens engage in play fighting.
 
Eyes, ears, tail. Now it’s up to you. M-e-o-w!