Lifestyle

Most of us recognize obvious signs of stress and anxiety in our cats - taking up residence under the bed being high on the list - but we may not be aware of more subtle signs, such as lowering the head and eyes, lifting a paw and staring at middle distance. These are among nearly 40 behaviors that may require intervention, according to the American Animal Hospital Associations 2015 Canine and Feline Behavior Management Guidelines, published this past summer. Behavioral problems affect more dogs and cats than any other medical condition and are one of the most common causes of euthanasia, relinquishment or abandonment of pets, the association says, adding that their management is essential in veterinary practice. It urges a culture of kindness that avoids the use of forced restraint.

Your curious, agile cat effortlessly leaps and lands on the top of the refrigerator, deftly missing your glass serving bowl. Your first instinct may be to scold him, grab his front legs and oust him off the refrigerator. Such a response could bring you face to face with an angry, frightened cat who may lash out or bite you during the tussle. In your attempt to shoo your cat, he could also lose his balance, falling hard on the floor and injuring himself.

Niagara County SPCA in upstate New York calls itself the little shelter that could. It has a small staff of 19, a surgical trailer for sterilizations and a big population problem. Despite working with rescue groups and community cat caretakers, Executive Director Amy Lewis told WGRZ-TV in Buffalo that the city has 60,000 stray and feral cats compared to 50,000 people. As long as theyre not spayed or neutered, the number of homeless cats will keep increasing, she says. A lot of people dont spay and neuter - theres not low-cost, accessible spay-neuter programs for them. We do have one at the shelter, but we dont have the resources to accommodate large numbers of animals. The no-kill shelter sterilizes 40 to 50 cats a week but needs an in-house surgical suite to do more. Its board hopes to expand the facility or build a new one.

I am a breeder of Turkish Angoras, and recently Im seeing references stating that the incidence of deafness in white cats is 80 percent. This is much higher than the approximately 30 percent that we have seen in our breeding population. Can you shed some light on this discrepancy?

The Louisiana SPCA has found a novel solution to overpopulation at its New Orleans shelter. It sends dogs and cats to partner shelters miles away, where they can often be more quickly adopted. Its service is part of a small but growing trend in U.S. shelters and rescue organizations to save animals lives and find them forever homes.

I recently adopted a beautiful kitty named Annie, and she has won my heart. Unfortunately after bringing Annie home, I discovered that she had some real neurological issues. She rocks back and forth and falls constantly when moving from room to room. Her veterinarian says that she has idiopathic [undetermined origin] vestibular syndrome. I do not think that she is going to get any better. Can you shed some light on this condition?

I recently fostered a rescue dog I was told had eaten the feces of a feral cat while being housed in another foster home. This cat subsequently had his stool tested, and it came back positive for toxoplasma gondii. The dog unfortunately defecated in my car while I was transporting him and I am concerned that I may have been exposed to toxoplasma while cleaning up the mess in my car. Do I need to worry about this?

Animal shelters in the U.S. take in 3.4 million cats annually and euthanize 1.3 million of them. Two shelter medicine programs have set out to save many of those lives with the launch of the Million Cat Challenge.The Koret Shelter Medicine Program at UC Davis, Maddies Shelter Medicine Program at the University of Florida and hundreds of animal shelters throughout North America want to challenge animal control facilities and private shelters to reduce euthanasia.

Thinking outside the box has become a clich, but its still a praiseworthy trait. When your cat eliminates outside the litter box, however, its a problem. House soiling - urination or defecation any place other than in a litter box - is a major reason that owners surrender their cats to shelters. Cats dont avoid the box because theyre being spiteful. Theyre raising an alarm. Cats who eliminate outside the litter box are communicating to their owners that something is wrong, either with a specific aspect of their box, their health or relationship with another member of the household - feline or human, says Pamela Perry, DVM, Ph.D., a lecturer in animal behavior at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. It is the most commonly reported feline behavior complaint to veterinary behaviorists.

You open the door for an unexpected visitor and your cat flees. Its frustrating for you, potentially dangerous for your escape artist - and a possible sign that its time to add stimulation to his daily life.Cats adopted from a shelter may have been free roaming, with wide territories to explore, play and hide in. Now theyre confined at home to keep them safe from speeding cars and potential fights with stray cats and wildlife that can maim or kill, says Tracy Kroll, DVM, an animal behaviorist in Fair Lawn, N.J.

Of all the animals in shelters, young kittens are usually the most at risk. Theyre fragile, prone to infectious illnesses and have special care needs. While some are placed in foster homes to be hand-raised until they are old enough for adoption, many shelters euthanize them as soon as they are brought in because they dont have the infrastructure or staff to care for them.

Once physical and medical causes are ruled out, you may wish to consider some behavioral techniques to curb your cats excessive meowing. First, its important to determine the cause: