Behavior

Not long after you’ve invested in new furniture, your cat picks her favorite spot. And it’s not where she wants to take a nap, either. It’s the place she’s chosen to give herself a pedicure, and soon that beautiful new sofa looks like it’s gone through a shredder. Why Cats Claw. You may notice your cat flexing her nails when she first gets up and stretches or suddenly stop to sink her nails into the wall-to-wall carpeting as she crosses a room. She may scratch at the end of a burst of energy after playing with her favorite toy. Fabrics, carpet, wood, cardboard — anything in your house made of materials your cat can sink her nails into can become a target for her clawing. "Clawing helps them shed the outer layer of their nails," says Katherine Houpt, VMD, PhD, and the James Law professor of Behavior Medicine at Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. In addition to having a practical purpose, clawing serves a more esoteric function. Cats indoors and out leave olfactory and visual signals on the surfaces of whatever material they claw. "Indoors, cats leave the marks on well-traveled areas like doorways or in more obvious locations like the ends of a sofa," says Dr. Houpt.

Vacations are wonderful, but theres nothing like home sweet home. You drive home from the airport, excited at the thought of sleeping in your own bed, and seeing your beloved cat. And she does seem happy to see you, greeting you with enthusiasm and sharing a few cuddles. Then you go off to unpack, and there she goes - right into your suitcase, urinating on top of your folded clothes. To you, it may feel like your cat is angry because you left her - and this is the way shes making her feelings known. But can a cat really hold a grudge? Experts look at it in another way. Cats and Vengeance. Ask many cat companions, and they will say "yes." They swear that cats can and will be vengeful at times. Besides suitcase antics, people point out the times their cats bite them minutes, or even hours, after they did something their cat disliked - such as grooming it. But animal behaviorists disagree.

To you ever wonder if any of the anxiety and tension you sometimes bring home can also affect your pets? These challenging economic times can indirectly be hard on our cats, too. Experts feel that cats will indeed react to changes in the emotional behavior of their owners. So, if we believe that cats can sense our stress - and we certainly are living in an era of increased worry and anxiety - it stands to reason that our cats are experiencing higher levels of stress, as well. At what point are our feline friends exposed to more stress then they can handle?

Outdoor hazards - such as dogs, coyotes, cars, and disease - face cats that are allowed to roam outdoors. Most veterinarians, including those at the Cornell Universitys College of Veterinary Medicine, strongly recommend that cats be kept indoors. But if your cat does travel beyond your front door, its likely to wander onto the property of your neighbors. While some people will welcome feline visitors, others wont. What can you do to honor your cats need to roam - and respect your neighbors rights, too? To choose the best method for dealing with a problem, observe your cats behavior carefully to clarify the issue. For example, one womans cat coexisted peacefully with a backyard bird feeder until it suddenly killed three birds in one week. Upon investigation, she discovered that melting snow had left a depression in the ground. The depression prevented the birds from seeing the cat when it crouched in the hole, making them vulnerable to attack. Once the hole was filled in, the birds were safe again.

Ever feel like you could get lost in your cats eyes? Although we usually associate cats eyes with the color green, they actually come in many colors. They can range from blue to copper, with a variety of blue-green shades in between. (But all kittens are born with blue eyes - the same as human babies.) The color of the iris (the oval area around the pupil) is caused by the pigment melanin, and in cats it ranges from very pale yellow or tan to deep orange or brown. "The eye also derives some pigment from the retina in the back of the eye, causing a blue-grayish color," says Paul Maza, DVM, of the Department of Biomedical Sciences in Cornell Universitys College of Veterinary Medicine. The end result can be compared to putting a sheet of blue-gray glass over the iris, thus resulting in your cats unique eye color. Since a cats eye color depends on several genetic factors, one set of feline parents can produce a wide range of eye colors in their kittens.

Thanks for responding in your February 2009 column to my question about night-time yowling. To answer your question, Decker is just 11 months old. A recent physical exam showed that he is in top form with no health problems. It was interesting to read all of the reasons why older cats may meow at night. Now Ill know what to do if Decker starts yowling at an advanced age, but in the meantime, I am hoping that we can get him to sleep through the night! I would like to take you up on your offer to expand on ways to get younger cats onto a more appropriate daytime/nighttime schedule.

A bored cat is often an unhappy cat. Just like humans, cats need stimulation; when left on their own too long, they can experience loneliness and even depression. An unhappy cat may lose or gain weight, stop grooming itself, or become destructive. And a cat with nothing to do will often sleep the day away instead of getting needed exercise. A Daytime Babysitter. For those of us who must leave our pets alone for long hours while at work or elsewhere, the solution could be just a click away: Turn on the TV and put on a movie designed just for cats. Even a cat whos shown no interest in Brad Pitts charms or Jay Lenos jokes may lose its nonchalance when shown a movie specially produced for cats. The difference lies in the camera work. Cat videos are scaled for feline sensibilities and shot from a cats-eye-viewpoint. The camera focuses on prey just as a cat on the hunts gaze would be, with no superfluous car chases or bubbling fountains to distract attention. Because cat eyes have evolved to perceive movement more acutely than detail, cats usually find the simple moving images on screen captivating.

When Sarah* entered a battered womens shelter in Virginia with her three young children, she was frightened, exhausted and inconsolable. As she tried to flee her abusive husband, he had held the familys cat at knifepoint. She had to make a heart wrenching choice. "When he threatened one of my children, I had to leave [the cat]," Sarah tearfully explained to the shelter staff. "A law enforcement officer was sent to the home immediately," relates Allie Phillips, J.D., director of public policy for American Humane, in Alexandria, VA, who witnessed the event at the shelter. "[The police officer] entered the home and found the husband passed out on the floor. The officer also found the cat, who had given birth to a single kitten." When Sarah was reunited at the shelter with her kitty and newborn kitten, "She broke down crying," says Allie. "She said, Now, I have no reason to go back."

Theres a lighthearted saying that goes something like this: "Dogs come when called. Cats take a message and get back to you." For anyone who has ever shared their home with both canine and feline friends, you know this statement is true! But it doesnt have to be that way. "Your cat is perfectly capable of learning to come when called," says Julia D. Albright, MA, DVM, Resident in Animal Behavior at Cornell Universitys College of Veterinary Medicine. The key, Dr. Albright says, is to use a training method like "clicker training" or "target training" to reward your cat when she performs a certain task. "The clicker [an inexpensive, hand-held device that makes a distinct "clicking" sound] tells a cat what she just did is something her person liked and a treat is coming," says Dr. Albright. "For instance, if you want your cat to touch her nose with her paw, wait until she does it, then immediately "click" and give her a treat." Target training involves using your cats natural curiosity to investigate a "target" such as your finger, a pen or a spoon. When your cat engages in a desired behavior (such as touching her nose or coming up to you), "click" and give a food reward. After several trials, she will begin to associate the act with a reward. You can then begin pairing the action with a command such as "touch" or "come."

Two years ago, Alex McCarthy adopted a lively, affectionate kitten from a shelter in New York City. Alex, her cat Kit and two roommates lived harmoniously in a tiny New York apartment. Then Alex decided to move with Kit to an apartment of her own. "The day the movers came, Kit was terrified," says Alex. Once they were settled in the new apartment, Kit was never the same. She would only allow Alex to go near or touch her. When visitors came, she would run up and sniff them, then hiss. If they attempted to pet her, she would lash out at them with her paws. Sometimes, she even scratched them. Now its people who are terrified of Kit. What happened to the sweet kitten? She may be suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which can occur after a very stressful or frightening event - just as it can with humans.

Lets be honest: Anyone can have a bad day. Maybe the car wouldnt start. Or you forgot to set the alarm and were late for an important meeting. You might have snapped at a loved one who asked a simple question. When bombarded with an unidentified scary sound, a cat may believe that she is under attack. Perhaps your painter needed to power-wash the deck. Maybe something triggered your neighbors alarm system. Nellie, a nervous kitty, could take refuge in the closet. Or, she may instead attempt to learn the source of the scare. She will take a mental snapshot of the scene. Anything in the picture becomes suspect. Her housemate, Sue, seems a likely culprit. Frightened cats are not reasonable, and fear is a powerful trigger for aggression. Without taking time to recall that Sue has always been a friendly companion, Nellie initiates an attack. Naturally, Sue will be caught off guard. She could fight back, or will probably head for cover. As your day improves, you will probably get back on track. The victim of your ill humor - understanding that your behavior was nothing personal - will still treat you kindly. If only our cats could be as understanding. Sadly, a hiss, growl or swat from a trusted feline companion may set off a cycle of aggressive behavior that can take weeks, months or even years to resolve. Sometimes, an inciting event can clearly be identified. Often, folks come home to find that their cats seem to be at war.

It should come as no surprise that Mother Nature is on the verge of taking a permanent sick day. After all, harmful climate changes due to greenhouse gases, air and water pollution, and the destruction of natural habitats are putting our planet and its inhabitants - both two- and four-legged - in peril. Hopefully, many of us have begun to make some changes in our daily lives to help reverse the damage done to, well, everything. But what role can our cats play in being good stewards of our beleaguered planet? There are many practical ways to reduce your felines carbon pawprint, which include switching to a corn or wheat-based cat litter and recycling cat food containers instead of throwing them in the trash. Get a jump start on Earth Day (April 22) by incorporating the following tips into your daily routine. Start out slowly if you wish by trying one or two new tips each week. Encourage your friends, family members and co-workers to join in your quest for a sustainable future. Youll find that its not only fun and easy to "go green," but youll see that you can make a positive and lasting impact on our world, which will please Mother Nature.