Basic Training

Are you planning a road trip? Here’s an even bigger question… are you planning on taking your cat with you? For many cat parents, bringing kitty along on out-of-town trips is sometimes the only option. If that’s the case with you, here are some tips to help make the travel experience safer and a little ...

  I’ve written before about the value of incorporating puzzle feeders (food-dispensing toys) into your cat’s daily life but if you’ve been reluctant to try it or are confused about how to begin, this article will take you through it step-by-step. What’s a Puzzle Feeder? A puzzle feeder is simply a food-dispensing toy. The cat ...

Listen to the audio version of this article It looks innocent enough. It’s a little plastic squirt bottle sitting on the kitchen counter. In that plastic bottle is plain tap water. That little plastic bottle, as innocent as it looks, has become the tool that is destroying the bond you share with your cat. The ...

Playtime is a very important part of your cat’s daily life. No matter how old, your cat benefits from having frequent opportunities to stalk, chase, pounce, and capture. In an outdoor environment a cat would typically engage in about 12-20 hunting attempts. That doesn’t mean he’d successfully capture 20 mice, but he’d give it a ...

This is an exciting time. You’re about to bring home your very first cat. To get started on the right foot, here’s a list of 7 things you should do BEFORE you even bring the cat into the house. You are about to enter into a relationship that will hopefully last for many, many years ...

  I’m obviously not referring to how a human being would say no, but rather, how your cat says it through body language and physical positioning. It’s important for your cat to be able to have the choice to say yes or no in many aspects of his life. It’s about consent, choice and control. ...

  If you’re transitioning an outdoor cat to indoor life, you may be initially concerned with how to train the cat to now start using an indoor litter box. For some cats, the transition to a litter box will be very easy but for others, it may take a little more finesse on your part. ...

  Does your cat dive under the bed whenever the doorbell rings? Or maybe your cat stands her ground and hisses whenever company comes to visit? Maybe you even have a cat who offers a pre-emptive strike and attempts to immediately sink a few teeth into the flesh of anyone who dares enter your home. ...

Being protective of resources is a natural instinct for all animals but it can become an issue when it creates stress, triggers aggression, and impacts the relationship of the companion animals in your home. Resource guarding can be triggered by a concern for the availability of food, favorite resting areas, toys, the litter box, and ...

  Surprisingly, you may be sending a mixed message to your cat when attempting to train or correct behavior issues. We’ve all done it at some point – we’ve unintentionally rewarded the cat for the very behavior we didn’t want displayed. How does this happen? It’s an easy and common mistake. Communication Confusion and Your ...