A perch and a place to hide

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Your new cat needs a place to call her own. When I started searching for ideas for cat beds, one of the google listings was called ‘Cat beds you’ll love’. But let’s concentrate on beds that kitty will love.

Some cats are perfectly content with a slightly raised, soft, open place to sleep — like a spot on our beds. To her, this space is safe, peaceful and has the scent of her favorite folks.

Others will find themselves a spot that seems more cozy and protected.

And there are cats who simply LOVE boxes (have you met Maru?)

In general, kitty would love to have her choice of resting places. Cats like to be able to climb and sit somewhere high to observe the world from a safe distance, especially if your world includes dogs. Something like a cushion at the top of the stairs or on a cupboard can be a great perch. Also, many scratching posts including perch or house features.

It’s also a good idea to make sure kitty has a hideaway. This should be a protected, hidden space where kitty is left alone. Often she will find a padded corner of a closet or space under a bed. Mojo likes to burrow under the covers on the bed, and Ruby prefers a pile of teenager laundry on the heated floor in the bathroom.

Where are your cat’s favorite hideaways?

Dennis, my first neuter

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Dear Dennis,

You were trouble from the start. So much cattitude in such a small package. And then that package grew, and grew.

Cats reach sexual maturity between 4 and 10 months of age, and you were a precocious fellow. By the time you were five months old, the odour of your urine had started to change. I was a veterinary student at the time, and I knew that we needed to get you neutered sooner rather than later. Waiting too long can lead to problems with marking or aggressive behaviour.

We had moved far away from the wonderful veterinary team who looked after Max as a young fellow, but my husband happened to play hockey at the university with lots of qualified veterinarians. One of our friends invited me to work with him to neuter you.

Despite protests to the contrary, neutering is a straightforward surgical procedure, technically speaking. And at the time, I was a third year veterinary student taking part in anesthesia and surgery labs. I had all the knowledge, but I still needed to develop my skills.

It was a leap for me, but I took up our friend on his generous offer. At the time everything was new for me. Injections, preparing the skin for surgery, sterile technique, not to mention the surgery itself. But with some patience on the part of our friend, some first-time jitters for me and a short sleep for you, we got the job done.

When veterinarians are training, there is great concern about the animals that act as our teachers. Students and staff are working hard to minimize any pain or discomfort to live animals by using artificial models before they touch a living animal. There has to be a balance, because who wants their own pet to be the ‘first’ for a new vet?

I’m glad to see how much these training methods have evolved since I was in veterinary school. Hopefully this progress will continue to improve the training new veterinarians receive.

I was lucky to have a friend with the patience and generosity to sit beside me and teach me step-by-step how to neuter you, Dennis. I was fortunate to have a healthy kitten and the training to perform the surgery safely and without pain. That day, I learned valuable skills that have served me well ever since.

And your urine stopped stinking.

The sand matters

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What to put in the litter box?

Well, anywhere they sell cat litter, there will be LOTS of choice. Most of those choices and buzzwords are meant to appeal to you.

So, what appeals to a cat when it comes to litter?

She will probably be most attracted to: sandy texture, no odour, low dust clumping litter.

Especially if you have an enclosed box, dust and odour can be very irritating to a cat’s respiratory system. Sometimes it doesn’t say on the package whether it’s scented — ask me how I know that ;). If it’s in a tub with a screw-on lid, you can check right in the store. If not, look for the word ‘unscented’.

Clumping litter is easier to keep clean, and you don’t need to change out the litter as often.

If you are changing litter products, it’s best to do it slowly — adding a little of the new litter at a time. If you’re testing out a litter that is very different from your current product, then adding a new litter box beside the current one with the new litter allows kitty to check it out and let you know how she feels. This is better than risking a total litter box strike because she refuses to use it.

Scooping daily is recommended.

Dennis the Menace

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Dear Dennis,

When you came home with me from the barn you didn’t have a name. But you soon earned one.

One day shortly after ‘kitten’ arrived at home with me, we were out, shopping or walking or something. I don’t really remember where we went. I do remember walking into the living area of our little one bedroom apartment in student housing.

There you were, across the room, clinging to the top of the curtains over the patio door. There was a moment of silence. Do we run, do we yell, do we just close the door and walk away?

In almost no time, the curtain rod tore off the wall and down you tumbled in a tangle of fabric.

You were fine.

And that’s how you earned your name: Dennis the Menace.

As a family with one income, paying for veterinary school, we didn’t have a lot of extras, but my husband made sure to mark a few special days each year. One was our anniversary. On that evening, he arrived home with a lovely bunch of grocery store flowers that I proudly arranged in a vase we’d received as a wedding gift.

The next morning, there was a horrendous crash. You were still on the table with a leaf in your mouth when we ran into the room to see a smashed vase, water everywhere and shredded flower petals strewn across the table.

And the name stuck.

The big box full of sand

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Choosing a litter box for your new kitten requires more thought than you’d think.

How big? Litter boxes should be about 1 and 1/2 times the length of the full-grown cat. They need room to dig, turn around, eliminate and then cover it. If the litter box is too small, then you might see a cat with all four feet planted in the sand peeing over the side. This kitty thinks he’s being clean, but you won’t.

Covered? Better not, but I know there are other considerations here. Some cats will accept a covered litter box. And it might be better in your household, especially if you have to make sure a dog isn’t snacking from the litter box, or if you have multiple cats and some who might ambush someone using the box. Often, a hardware store storage tote with a hole cut into the side can work, it’s larger, and with clear sides, it can help cats to feel less confined than in a litter box.

How many? In general, you should have one litter box for each cat, plus one. This is to prevent the situation where a timid cat won’t go past a bully on the way to the bathroom. This is also why you should put the litter boxes in different areas of the house, out of sight from one another.

Next week, how to choose when you’re looking at a wall of litter choices. (Yes, most of the differences are meant to appeal to you, not your new kitty).

Dennis: Barn Cat

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Dear Dennis,

You were a barn kitten: born in a stable to a dam who had given birth to over two hundred kittens previously. That’s the story they told us where I worked one summer as a horse show venue groundskeeper.

At the time I was in veterinary school. I heartily disapproved of keeping a cat into her teens, allowing her to have multiple litters of kittens each year and bragging about her fertility. I didn’t know enough to make sure she was healthy and safe yet, and I certainly didn’t have any say over how she lived. But I had enough sense to worry about her. I also had enough sense to keep my unwanted and possibly unpopular opinions to myself.

When the kitten watch of summer 1996 was over, she had given birth to three kittens, two females and you. I used to sneak into the tack room during lunch break and spend time watching these tiny things as they went from sightless, almost motionless, mewling little bundles of fur to three mobile, curious, boisterous little beasts.

The females looked more like your mother, with beautiful tabby coloring. You were black and white, well, it was tack-room-dust tan at that time. And you were a scrawny thing with a bottle-brush tail and a thin hair coat.

When you were about six weeks old, the old gal had had enough of this new batch of kittens and started heading out, probably looking for a new boyfriend. The pretty kittens, your siblings, had already been spoken for and they went home in new carriers.

And there was just you, alone for the first time. When we went to say goodbye at the end of the day you squalled and darted out into the aisle of the barn. Until then, you’d lived inside the tack room with food, water and company close at hand.

I couldn’t resist. I packed you into the car on my lap and you squawked the whole way home. My bewildered husband hadn’t learned yet that many of our pets would arrive with no notice at the end of a work day, but he took it with good grace.

Max wasn’t thrilled, but you couldn’t climb or jump, so he was able to observe you while staying safely out of reach.

Gosh, you were so cute. And such a handful.

Listen carefully with your eyes

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We know a lot about cat body language. By paying close attention to their eyes, the position of their ears, their posture and how they carry their tail, you can tell how that feline is feeling.

The website of Dr. Sophia Yin, a veterinary behaviour specialist, has some great tools and information, especially about feline anxiety. If we can start to see the stress developing by reading body language, then we can change our approach in the clinic to make things less stressful for kitty.

If you prefer more explanations, the Veterinary Behaviorists have a great primer here.

Over the past few years, we’ve made some changes in the clinic to earn ‘Feline Friendly’ certification from the American Association of Feline Practitioners and we’re thrilled to be working on expanding our cat-friendly services.

Water for cats

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Kittens need water. Simple, really. But cats can be finicky.

Cats usually prefer fresh water, and they can be picky about taste. Some prefer tap water, some like filtered or cool water.

If your kitten is eating canned food as part of his diet, then he will need much less water. Up to two-thirds of his daily water needs are in the moisture in a canned diet.

The water should be provided in a clean container. Glass, ceramic or metal are better choices to prevent odour or taste build-up on the bowl. Some cats do not like to share a bowl with a dog and his doggy drool. Wash the bowl at least twice a week, to prevent build-up of that slimy stuff (biofilm) on the bowl.

Cats prefer a low-sided bowl with water almost to the top. Like their wild friend in the photo above, they would prefer to keep their whiskers out of a bowl, and to lap the liquid up while keeping a sharp eye out for friends and foes. They don’t actually put their face, or their whole tongue into the liquid.

Researchers at MIT actually looked at the physics of cats drinking. How cool is this?

Now, some cats prefer a dripping tap, but make sure this is something that you can provide on a regular basis. Or, you can use the tap as a way to play, instead of a continuous source of water.