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| Photo: Dmitry Nesterov / Shutterstock |
Cats are wonderful creatures. When nosotros sympathize them, nosotros tin utilization that information to brand them happier. Here are 5 things to do for your truthful cat today – together with a bonus ane to travel on over time.
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This page contains affiliate links.
1. Make fourth dimension to play with your cat
11% of cats have got no toys, according to ane written report (Howell et al 2016).
But the average truthful cat has vii toys, together with toy mice are the most popular. (Strickler together with Shull 2014)
Even if your truthful cat has lots of toys of their own, they even thence similar it when their human plays with them. 64% of the owners inwards Strickler together with Shull’s written report played with their truthful cat twice a day, but playtime typically lasted 5 or 10 minutes. Amongst people who played with their truthful cat for at to the lowest degree 5 minutes instead of exactly 1 minute, at that topographic point were fewer behaviour problems.
But your truthful cat would likely similar an fifty-fifty longer play time.
Have you lot ever felt that when you lot are moving a toy for your cat, they appear to live hunting it? This is because play satisfies the cat’s predatory instincts.
John Bradshaw PhD, writer of Cat Sense together with other best-selling books on pets, enrichment people render for their cats (Alho et al 2016).
Food puzzle toys tin assist to resolve feline behaviour problems because they render environmental enrichment that tin trim stress together with brand the truthful cat to a greater extent than active. (Dantas et al 2016)
Food toys are groovy for cats because they brand them travel for their nutrient – completing some other purpose of the predatory sequence.
3. Make certain your truthful cat has overnice hiding places
As good every bit thinking almost cats evolving every bit lonely hunters of prey, nosotros have got to think that cats themselves are prey animals. Which agency cats similar places they tin enshroud together with experience safe.
This is specially of import if you lot have got a fearful truthful cat – the sort that runs to enshroud when people come upwards over to the house.
But all cats require places to hide. In fact, a recent written report of shelter cats’ utilization of a hiding box together with a split perch flora the hiding box was much preferred, thence much thence that it may live considered a basic require for cats (Ellis et al 2017b).
The sort of hiding house that cats prefer is cat-sized, secluded, together with often high upwards from the ground. It’s a house inwards which they tin experience safe.
Examples of prophylactic hiding places include a cardboard box (e.g. a regular cardboard box laying on its side, or a box specially designed for cats), a perch with a lip or a box to pop off inwards on a truthful cat tree, a truthful cat cube or cocoon (many types are available commercially), the truthful cat carrier (if the truthful cat likes it), a infinite on a shelf, or inwards a closet or wardrobe where the truthful cat has access.
So do a quick survey of the places that are available to your truthful cat every bit hiding places. Are they inwards busy parts of the solid or does the truthful cat also have got hiding places inwards quieter rooms? Are they truthful cat sized, or are they a flake also big? If your truthful cat has exterior access, do they also have got prophylactic hiding places inwards your yard or garden?
You tin brand existing hiding places to a greater extent than comfortable past times adding a fleecy blanket or towel for the truthful cat to curl upwards on.
And if you lot think your truthful cat mightiness non have got plenty spaces, meet almost providing some extra ones. It may live every bit elementary every bit giving them a cardboard box together with putting it on its side, or putting it upside downwards with a hole cutting out for them to pop off inwards together with out.
4. Use scents every bit enrichment
Did you lot know that your truthful cat has an amazing nose, together with on top of that they also have got a vomeronasal organ that detects pheromones – chemic signals that have got important to cats? This agency that scent is far to a greater extent than of import inwards your cat’s life than you lot realize.
When your truthful cat rubs its caput on you lot or the furniture, it is leaving pheromones behind. You may fifty-fifty notice a picayune dark-brown grade on the wall where your truthful cat rubs often. Don’t build clean it up! Or at to the lowest degree don’t build clean all of them upwards at once. Those familiar chemic signals that the truthful cat is depositing assist them to experience prophylactic together with secure.
Everyone is familiar with catnip toys, but at that topographic point are other scents that many cats similar too, thence you lot could endeavor valerian, silvery vine or honeysuckle together with meet if your truthful cat responds to those. Almost all cats volition visibly answer to at to the lowest degree ane of these scents.
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| Photo: Dmitry Nesterov / Shutterstock |
You tin divulge valerian inwards some truthful cat toys, silvery vine is available every bit a stick or powder, together with honeysuckle every bit blocks of woods of diverse sizes. They may non live inwards your local pet store, thence you lot may have got to await for them online.
You tin purchase catnip that is mixed with other scents such every bit lavender, thence if your truthful cat likes catnip this is some other way to render unlike scents every bit enrichment.
In fact a recent written report flora that although solely some cats answer to catnip past times rolling around, other cats do respond, exactly inwards a passive way such every bit beingness inwards a Sphinx seat or beingness less active together with miaowing less (Espin-Iturbe et al 2017).
Another way to render scent every bit enrichment if you lot have got an indoor truthful cat is to opened upwards the window for them to allow them odour the air from outside. Obviously, do this inwards a prophylactic way thence they can’t escape – together with think that screens are non necessarily cat-safe. But you lot solely require to opened upwards the window a chink to allow the exterior smells in.
5. Clean the litter tray
Did you lot notice how I saved the most glamorous ane til last?!!
I know what you're thinking. The other 4 are all fun, together with this one... non thence much.
But the litter tray is a serious affair for cats. Many house-soiling issues are due to problems with the litter tray (but if your truthful cat of a abrupt starts making a mess inwards the house, it’s of import to meet a vet inwards example a medical number is the cause). It’s an of import number because inappropriate toileting behaviour is a mutual argue for cats to live surrendered to animate beingness shelters.
26% of pet truthful cat owners build clean their litter box in ane lawsuit a day, but 11% solely build clean it in ane lawsuit a calendar week together with 5% less oftentimes than that (Howell et al 2016). So at that topographic point is plenty of orbit for improvement alongside the average truthful cat owner. And it actually doesn't accept long.
Cats prefer a build clean litter box. It’s non thence much the odour they object to, but the presence of urine or faeces that is visually unappealing together with physically inwards the way (Ellis et al 2017).
Cats volition typically even thence utilization a litter box they are non really happy with, but signs they are non thence keen on it include beingness hesitant to pop off inwards it, going inwards together with thence out of it, keeping a manus out of it piece they eliminate, together with spending a long fourth dimension over elimination (McGowan et al 2017). This written report also flora that cats may concur their urine if they are non happy with their litter box, making them vulnerable to urinary tract infections.
So you lot should scoop your litter tray every day, but preferably twice a day, together with build clean the litter tray thoroughly in ane lawsuit a week.
6. Bonus: Teach your truthful cat to similar their carrier
This is a bonus item because it is non something you lot tin attain inwards a day, specially if your truthful cat is already scared of their carrier. Which they mightiness live if it solely ever predicts visits to the vet.
But ane thing you lot tin do today is acquire the carrier out, have got a await at it together with meet if it’s suitable, exit it out somewhere thence it becomes a normal thing – together with brand a programme to instruct your truthful cat to similar it. This is thence of import because training a truthful cat to utilization their carrier makes vet visits less stressful.
The best sort of carrier is ane that is secure but where the top one-half tin live detached from the bottom half. This agency that at the vet, you lot tin exactly take the top together with the vet tin examine the truthful cat inwards the bottom of the carrier. Some cats volition experience safer similar this than if they have got to come upwards completely out of the carrier. (See to a greater extent than tips inwards 8 ways to assist your truthful cat pop off to the vet).
If the carrier ever agency an unpleasant trip to the vet, you lot can’t actually blame a truthful cat for non liking it. So you lot require to intermission that association. If your truthful cat is terrified of the carrier you lot already have, you lot mightiness divulge it best to outset afresh with a novel carrier.
Put a overnice fleecy blanket or towel inwards the bottom thence it is overnice together with cosy. And thence exit it somewhere inwards the solid where it volition pop off a familiar thing. You mightiness require to prop the door opened upwards thence it can’t accidentally closed behind the truthful cat when they pop off in.
You tin exit treats within it to encourage your truthful cat to pop off in. But for many cats fifty-fifty this volition live also scary, thence you lot may have got to outset past times leaving treats inwards the full general vicinity of the carrier. Once the truthful cat is relaxed together with comfortable collecting those treats, you lot tin position treats a flake closer, until eventually the truthful cat volition approach the carrier.
This is a irksome process. For a amount explanation of how to instruct your truthful cat to similar their carrier, I recommend interview with doctor Sarah Ellis for to a greater extent than tips on grooming your cat).
Summary of tips for your cat
So at that topographic point you lot have got it – 5 things to do for your truthful cat today, together with a 6th ane to travel on over time. Play with your cat, utilization nutrient toys, render prophylactic hiding places, utilization scent every bit enrichment, together with think to scoop the litter tray! Then outset thinking almost how to instruct your truthful cat to similar their carrier.
These tips volition render enrichment for your cat, assist your truthful cat live to a greater extent than active together with assist them to experience prophylactic together with secure.
Of course, every truthful cat is an private together with has their ain preferences every bit all truthful cat lovers know well. In the comments, allow me know which are your cat’s favourite toys, together with where is your cat’s favourite hiding place?
To acquire to a greater extent than almost how scientific discipline tin assist you lot have got a happier truthful cat or dog, subscribe to .
Zazie Todd, PhD, is the writer of Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy
. She is the founder of the pop weblog , where she writes almost everything from grooming methods to the human-canine relationship. She also writes a column for Psychology Today together with has received the prestigious Captain Haggerty Award for Best Training Article inwards 2017. Todd lives inwards Maple Ridge, BC, with her husband, ane dog, together with 2 cats.Useful links:
- Check out what the Animal Book Club is reading this month
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- Support me on Ko-fi
- Visit my Amazon store
References
Alho, A. M., Pontes, J., & Pomba, C. (2016). Guardians' Knowledge together with Husbandry Practices of Feline Environmental Enrichment. Journal of applied animate beingness welfare science, 19(2), 115-125. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10888705.2015.1117976Bol, S., Caspers, J., Buckingham, L., Anderson-Shelton, G. D., Ridgway, C., Buffington, C. T., ... & Bunnik, E. M. (2017). Responsiveness of cats (Felidae) to silvery vine (Actinidia polygama), Tatarian honeysuckle (Lonicera tatarica), valerian (Valeriana officinalis) together with catnip (Nepeta cataria). BMC veterinarian research, 13(1), 70. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-017-0987-6
Ellis, J. J., McGowan, R. T. S., & Martin, F. (2017). Does previous utilization acquit on litter box appeal inwards multi-cat households?. Behavioural Processes. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2017.02.008
Ellis, J. J., Stryhn, H., Spears, J., & Cockram, M. S. (2017b). Environmental enrichment choices of shelter cats. Behavioural Processes. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2017.03.023
Espín-Iturbe, L. T., Yañez, B. A. L., García, A. C., Canseco-Sedano, R., Vázquez-Hernández, M., & Coria-Avila, G. A. (2017). Active together with passive responses to catnip (Nepeta cataria) are affected past times age, sexual practice together with early on gonadectomy inwards virile someone together with woman someone cats. Behavioural Processes, 142, 110-115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2017.06.008
Howell, T. J., Mornement, K., & Bennett, P. C. (2016). Pet truthful cat management practices amid a representative sample of owners inwards Victoria, Australia. Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications together with Research, 11, 42-49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jveb.2015.10.006McGowan, R. T., Ellis, J. J., Bensky, M. K., & Martin, F. (2017). The ins together with outs of the litter box: H5N1 detailed ethogram of truthful cat elimination deportment inwards 2 contrasting environments. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2017.05.009
Strickler, B. L., & Shull, E. A. (2014). An possessor survey of toys, activities, together with deportment problems inwards indoor cats. Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications together with Research, 9(5), 207-214. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jveb.2014.06.005
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