Basic Training

  Halloween is getting close and I always have such mixed emotions about the day. I love dressing up in costumes with my kids and spending the evening trick-or-treating. The part of Halloween that deeply disturbs me though has to do with the way cats are portrayed on decorations, pumpkins, and other items related to ...

  Ok, this is definitely not a fun subject to discuss but if you have a cat who drinks out of the toilet, it’s something you want dealt with quickly and effectively. So why do some pets actually prefer drinking from the toilet instead of their own water bowls? For some, the cooler temperature of ...

I began doing cat behavior consulting in 1982. Back then, it was very common to hear people referring to one myth or the other about cats. Many people were resigned to living with a cat who had behavior problems. Many didn’t feel it was worth putting much time and effort into it because everyone knew ...

My office receives a large number of requests concerning cat behavior problems and it’s alarming to me whenever I hear people refer to their cats as spiteful, or they’re sure a beloved cat’s motivation behind a particular behavior is anger or revenge. Really? Do you believe your cat is capable of plotting a behavior as ...

  A question I am often asked is “when will I know if I have too many cats?” People are usually looking for me to give a definite number such as 5, 10, or maybe 15. The truth is, for some people, two cats are too many based on things very specific to their particular ...

    Listen to the audio version of this article Does this describe your home? You get up out of bed and start walking to the bathroom, only to have your ankles become the target of a cat attack. Does your cat hide under the bed until the moment when she sees your bare feet ...

  To some people, cats may all appear to be the same compared to the vast differences in dogs when it comes to size, shape and looks. The truth is that cats, although they all tend to fall within a smaller range when it comes to weight and size, can be very different, not only ...

  Listen to the audio version of this article I’m getting more and more calls from cat parents who are confused about why they’re getting bitten when petting their cats. Things start out just fine and then suddenly, without warning, the cat turns around and lashes out with teeth or claws. In many cases, the ...

  Early Learning When kittens are with their littermates they learn how to engage in social play. This is the time when each kitten learns how to use an inhibited bite so as not to cause injury. A kitten who bites too hard is either reprimanded by the queen or gets a very negative reaction ...

  Sometimes the reason a cat continues to display unwanted behavior is because we unknowingly actually reinforce it. Of course, we’re not doing it deliberately but the bottom line is the cat receives a message that says keep doing what you’re doing. These mistakes we make are actually very common and even the most experienced ...