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"Real Cats, Real Stories" from Purina Cat Chow
Cat Advice (Emotional): Purina® Cat Chow® Mentor Amy Shojai
published
Mon, 05 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT
| We have a tomcat that we found as a stray kitten eight years ago. His behavior is fine, except he is obsessed with eating. We have to feed him separate from the other three cats. He eats his food quickly, and then claws at the door to get to the other cat's food. When we open the door, he bolts out and licks their plates. We have to lock him up when we eat, or he jumps on the table. He turns over trashcans in the house to eat the scraps. More than once he has eaten plastic wrap that has wrapped meat. We leave dry food out for him all day, so it’s not like he is deprived of food. He is not overweight from all his eating. Other than the general obnoxiousness of his behavior, we are afraid that he will eat something that will harm him. Why does he do this, and how do we stop him? |
| This is not an unusual behavior for a cat that lived as a stray for a period of time. Some of these fellows never seem to lose the idea that food might not be there tomorrow. However, just to be safe, please schedule a veterinary exam to rule out the possibility of hyperthyroidism, a common issue with cats his age. The condition pumps the cat’s metabolism into overdrive, so they feel hungry all the time but don’t gain weight. It’s easily treated and that may calm down his crazy appetite.
That said, it appears you’ve got a good handle on managing this furry foible by feeding the crew separately. Yes, eating plastic wrap is NOT in the acceptable feline food pyramid, so care must be taken. I don’t know that you can stop him, but you can continue to manage the behavior. I like using puzzle toys to keep these cats busy “hunting” their food. So rather than simply filling the bowl with dry food, I’d suggest you purchase perhaps half a dozen of these toys, and fill them with his daily dry food ration. Show him how they work the first few times (he’ll have to move them and shake out the food). After that, hide the food-filled toys around the house. He’ll keep busy hunting and foraging, and feel sooooooooo successful and proud! |
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| My cat Trout, who is four years old and neutered, seems to be part beaver or hamster. He chews on everything and has been doing this for his whole life (I found him when he was about ten weeks old). It doesn't matter what it is--plastic, newspaper, wood, metal, etc. In fact, over the summer he chewed through the electrical cord to a floor fan and received a minor shock along with some small blisters on his tongue. I thought for sure that this would cure him but unfortunately it hasn't. I don't believe it has to do with separation anxiety as he does this whether I'm at home or not. I've tried covers on cords (he just chews the cover) and bitter apple type products (these have no effect on him). Is there anything else I can do? |
| Trout, I love the name! The chewing certainly can be a problem, and even a danger with the electrical cords. There are a couple of things you can try.
For some cats, offering them increased fiber in the diet can prove helpful. Try offering one of the commercial hairball formulation products and/or provide some treats of canned pumpkin which many cats relish.
Another option might be to purchase some of the very pungent Toy-dog-size rawhide chews. Offer to him and see if the flavor/scent might be more appealing than gnawing plastic. Alternatively, pet products companies now offer sterilized real bones that might be appropriate. You’ll want something that he can’t break off pieces and swallow, which can cause all sorts of other problems.
With these kitties, you really must manage the environment and kitty proof the house. Invest in some knee pads and crawl around the house on all fours to get a cats-eye-view of potential targets. Remove illegal targets cover them, or doctor them with off-putting substances. Bitter apple may work for dogs but in my experience, cats could care less about taste. A bad smell usually works better at making the targets unattractive. Try painting a bit of Vicks menthol or a citrus spray on these objects to see if the aroma keeps him off. |
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| I have two male cats. They are brothers. They are about six months old. One of them, Simba, hates me! I am the one that feeds, waters and changes their litter box but he won't let me near him. If I do manage to get a chance to pick him up and hold him, he spends the whole time howling and trying to push away from me. I don't understand. He loves my daughter and will even let my three-year-old son pick him up and play with him. Anytime I touch him, he immediately has to go clean himself, all the while giving me dirty kitty looks. I have a lot of cats in my lifetime and they have all loved me. I don't know what I did to make this cat hate me so much. It almost hurts my feelings. Is there anything I can do? Is my cat afraid of me? |
| Dear me, those kitties sure know how to get under our skin! I doubt that Simba hates you, he just wants to pick and choose when to interact. It’s likely that he recognizes the kids are…well, they’re kids, so he’s more tolerant of them. They’re also closer to the floor than you are. He may not feel comfortable being lifted too high off the ground. Sitting on the floor with him might make a big difference.
Also, if you’ve not had a great deal of contact with him (because he pushes you away), then you don’t smell enough like Simba. Kitties identify their friends and family by their shared scent. In fact, you may wear some sort of deodorant, cologne or hairspray that really irks him. Since he loves your daughter, you might try wearing some of her hand lotion and seeing if that helps.
Meanwhile, try to avoid forcing attentions on Simba. Start ignoring him and it’s quite likely as soon as you do, he’ll be the one to start asking you for attention. |
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| In your personal opinion, how good is a cat's memory? I have three very intelligent cats and I was just wondering. |
| Well, it depends on the cat. Most have a very good memory. For instance, kittens that experience positive interactions with people and other animals remember that the rest of their lives. And a cat that has one really awful experience with, say, a strange teenager who visits the house—he may thereafter be very upset around any other teenager he meets. It’s quite important to pay attention to the lessons we teach our kittens because they often remember things we could never imagine! |
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| Am I the problem? We have three cats: one adult neutered male and two male litter mates that are just over a year old. One is such a bully! We had him neutered, but he still stalks and fights with his brother. He tries to do this with the older male, but the older one simply won’t let him (swats at him, in no uncertain terms). Our bully is actually a very sweet cat, very lovable, smart and funny. Our victim is also a very lovable cat, but he is terrified of his brother and hides under furniture in the basement to get away from his brother. He also growls now as soon as the bully enters the room. We tried to be impartial and just let this animal kingdom figure out their roles, but the fights escalated and usually occur when we aren't home, with the bully getting his butt kicked by the victim (the bully is much smaller). And STILL the victim ends up in the basement, under furniture, not eating for days. My husband thinks that the main territory they are fighting over is me. I am the cuddler of the family and when they want to nap and be affectionate, they all come to me. There is usually one cat in the bed with us, on my side. The victim will make suckling noises while he kneads on me. I try to make sure all three cats get lots of attention, but I'm wondering if I'm making it worse by doing so. Is there any hope to make our victim less scared, our bully less threatening and our home peaceful? |
| Yes, absolutely, there’s hope! These kitties sound like lovely individuals, but too often, there’s an “odd cat out” that gets picked on. It probably would have been better had you interceded earlier—they’ve had time to practice this behavior for some time. That means it will take an equal (and very likely much longer) period of time to calm things down. I tell you this so you won’t become impatient, but just give things time.
Picked on cats act like victims, almost as if they have a “kick me” sign taped to their furry back. That invites the bully to keep on browbeating them. So you need to not only cool the bully-cat’s jets, but also boost the confidence of your victim.
Also, understand that cats do not care about democracy. By supporting (petting, taking up for, giving special attention to) the victim cat, it encourages the bully to keep on trying to put him in his place. It can be more helpful to actually support the bully cat—that is, feed him first, give him attention first, and play with him first. Give the victim cat all your love and attention, but privately, out of the sight of the bully. That way the bully has no reason to keep “teaching him a lesson.”
Here are some other things you can do. Create a “safe room” for a cat that includes a litter box, food and water bowls, scratching post and toys. Whenever you leave the house, put the “bully” inside this room. Since most fights take place when you’re away, this will immediately cut down on the agitation in the house. And once the picked-on cat realizes he doesn’t have to hide when you’re gone, his confidence should get a boost, and gives him a vacation from looking over his shoulders.
When you’re home, supervise the cats. If you see the bully cat staring or stalking, interrupt the behavior by shaking a can of pennies or tossing a soft toy across his line of vision. You want to avoid them making aggressive contact, and reduce the growling/hissing practice. Keep a heavy towel handy to toss over the top of the bully if the distraction techniques fail, so he has something else to think about--and the victim has a chance to get away.
Also, add some second-story territory in the form of cat trees so there’s less for the cats to argue about in the rest of the house. Create what’s called a “house of plenty” with so many toys, resting spots, tunnels, feeding stations and litter boxes and good cat ‘stuff’ around that the cats don’t need to argue over ownership. You’ll find many more tips on managing the problems in the book PETiQuette: Solving Behavior Problems in Your Multipet Household. |
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