Behavior

Several years ago I came home to my first apartment and was greeted by my best friend, grinning from ear to ear. "Theres a surprise in your bathroom!" she exclaimed. That surprise turned out to be an adorable stray kitty from her hometown. "Nana" soon revealed herself to be an amazingly adaptive cat that was happy just basking in our love and attention, but the road to domestic bliss was certainly not without its bumps. In hindsight, there were several steps we could have taken to make the transition a bit smoother. In fact, there are several potential problems when bringing an outdoor cat (e.g. a neighborhood stray or barn cat) indoors to live; however, if a new owner anticipates these problems - and addresses them accordingly - they can be greatly minimized.

Imagine a cat that goes into its carrier on command, sits calmly while its claws are clipped, lies down for grooming and knows a few tricks. And while youre dreaming of the perfect feline, add this idea to your fantasy: The cat takes pills easily and actually uses the scratching post - and not the back of your couch. Wake up! It was a nice dream, wasnt it? Actually, this image of a feline housepet may not be so far-fetched - particularly if cat owners take advantage of a new training concept called "kitty kindergarten." The program is very similar in purpose to "puppy preschool" in that its main focus is to save pet lives by educating owners - and having some fun along the way.

Recently, a woman asked for advice in a chat room for pet enthusiasts. She explained that her outdoor cat would go off for days, sometimes a week at a time. Naturally, she would worry about him. Then, just as mysteriously as he had left, he would show up again at her door and make himself at home as if he had never left. One day during one of her cats absences, the woman went to visit a neighbor down the street. As the neighbor asked her in for a cup of coffee, the woman shouted, "Theres my cat!" Indeed, there was her cat lounging on her neighbors couch.

Rushed to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital at Kansas State University, the year-old cat had been coughing, vomiting and suffering abdominal pain. When all was said and done (yes, she survived, thanks to surgery) the cat was the subject of a report, "Diagnostic imaging for linear foreign bodies in cats," in the journal, Veterinary Medicine (Vol. 102, Issue 8). The cats owners got lots of pictures - from imaging techniques that included survey radiography, compression radiography, ultrasonography and positive contrast upper GI radiography. And veterinary science learned which techniques work best: compression radiography (something like a mammogram of the abdomen) and ultrasound.

It seems that nearly every week, a concerned cat person asks me that question. It could be that one cat in the household has recently passed away. Sometimes, a person has a bit more love to give, and just wants to share her home with more than one cat. And most often, people who work long hours hope that by adopting another cat, the original cat wont need to spend those hours alone. Unfortunately, there is no simple answer to that seemingly simple question. For years, we described cats as asocial. They hunt alone, so it was assumed that they lived alone and wanted to keep it that way. Research has revealed that, indeed, some cats are not very social. They are loners and do not choose to spend their time in the company of others.

Dear Elizabeth, I cant help feeling envious of the absolutely beautiful photos that have been taken of you. You are clearly a stunning cat of exquisite beauty, but I wonder how the photographers at the Feline Health Center have been able to capture your soul in their photos. I would dearly love to have some similar photos of my equally beautiful cats, but all I get are fuzzy, out-of-focus shots of their tails as they flee the room, or photos where their eyes are red and they look devilish. Do you have any tips that you could share?

Who doesnt love a kitten? They're so soft when we just need something to touch. They're so funny to watch after a hard day at the office. They're so easy to entertain when we want to relax. Whenever we adopt a kitten, we can expect to be the recipients of small "mistakes." There may be an attention-seeking swat that tears our pantyhose. Or a scratch when the toy moves out of reach faster than our arm does. Maybe even a nip when we attempt to play cat and mouse using our hands as the target.

Rubber gloves, stethoscopes, needles, white coats …… the mere thought of going to the doctor or dentist can send shivers up the spine of many patients. Our feline friends are no different. Luckily, cats dont consult a calendar in the days or weeks before a trip to the veterinarian, so they are spared a lot of needless time worrying beforehand. But make no mistake about it: Your cat will know somethings up the minute she sees the cat carrier in your hand.

Bandit sits on a white plastic grocery sack (with the handles slit so she doesnt become trapped). Sitting on a sack is her persons cue that Bandit wants to play a game. Growltigger sits on papers in front of the computer screen whenever his owner is trying to type. Ziba jumps on newspapers spread out on the dining room table when someone is reading them there. Thomas Mountain Lion climbs on bags of recycled paper that make crunching noises when he moves around on them. Place a throw rug on the floor, even if its on top of wall-to-wall carpet, and Migraine will sit on it. Place a folded fuzzy blanket at the end of the bed, and Merry stretches out on it. Stacks of books, stacks of clean clothes, stacks of reports from your tenth grade history class - set them on the floor, and your cat is likely to perch on them.

You walk into a room and see a little wet spot on the floor, far from any sink or faucet. Or perhaps you find a more solid surprise. Who was responsible for this deposit? If you have ever lived with more than one pet at a time, then you have surely been in this position. Your assignment: to solve The Mystery of the Puddle. Was it the dog? Was it the cat? And if you live in a multicat household, which cat did the deed?

It all started innocently enough, when he started feeding the strays in the neighborhood and took in a pregnant cat, which soon gave birth to six kittens. Then the neighbors started coming to him with stray kittens they found. He meant to find them all homes of their own, but good homes were hard to find. Now, he has so many cats that he cant afford to have them neutered (which means the population has been growing astronomically). Theyre not receiving any medical care, so some of them are sick, and its all he can do just to feed them each day. The neighbors are trying to have him evicted and I cant say I blame them. I dont know how to help him, but I do know something needs to be done!

Cats are born with a chasing and hunting instinct, but not necessarily the skill to go along with it. The mother cat teaches her kittens to kill and eat prey. (Indoor cats may chase and kill mice, but rarely eat them.) The lessons start when the kittens are about four weeks old. The mother cat begins by bringing home dead mice or other prey and eating them in front of the kittens. The kittens soon catch on and join in. Next, the mother cat brings home dead mice and the kittens eat on their own.