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The decision to let your cat outdoors should be based on his personality and your ability to care for an outdoor cat. Indoor cats are less likely to contract infectious diseases and suffer traumatic injuries than outdoor cats. Outdoor cats require additional blood testing and vaccinations to protect against feline leukemia and feline immunodeficiency virus. Indoor cats are more likely to become overweight and often get less exercise and stimulation than outdoor cats. The ideal situation is a predominately indoor cat that goes outside periodically, with constant supervision from its owner.
Playing with your cat, especially at an early age, will enhance the bond between you and ensure his physical and behavioral well being for years to come. Playing is just one of the many ways in which cats in a group socialize with each other. Playing is often the only way that our pet cats exercise. Lack of exercise and stimulation often leads to obesity, poor muscle tone and behavioral disorders. You need to "teach" your cat to play properly to prevent injury to you and your family, to establish limits to prevent injury to the house, and to establish a daily routine. Keep your cats toys (balls, catnip mice, flashlights) in one place and choose 2-3 times during the day for a play session and try to play at the same time every day. The object of the play should always be a toy and NOT HUMAN FINGERS, TOES OR CLOTHING. If your cat bites or scratches at you during play, you should use a sharp "No" and stop the game immediately by leaving the cat. This will prevent play aggression by your cat in the future, which can be very dangerous to family members. Once you and your cat begin to play routinely, he may even bring you his toys as a signal that its time for fun.
In numerous studies, declawing has been shown to not cause an increase in behavior or physical problems in cats. The decision to declaw should be based on your cat’s ability to use a scratching post to prevent damage to property and how aggressively he interacts with family members. Scratching is normal behavior that conditions the claws and serves as a territorial mark. Most kittens can be trained to use a scratching post and if nails are trimmed frequently, declawing may not be necessary. If declawing is necessary, our anesthetic program provides the safest and most effective pain relieving drugs available for your cat. Once declawed, it is recommended that the cat be kept entirely indoors.
At the first sign of accidents in the house, you should contact our office to ensure your cat does not have a medical reason for the house soiling. The behavioral reasons for houses soiling are many. There are management changes as well as drug therapies that can be very effective to solve your cat’s problem. Behavioral house soiling problems are often associated with having more than one cat in a house; the chance that one of your cats will marks its territory by spraying urine increases as the number of cats in your house increases.
When house soiling does occur it is important that we address the cleanup in a thorough and appropriate manner. First remove any residual fluid by blotting with a towel. Heavy contamination may require a water extraction cleaning before application. Follow with a thorough cleaning utilizing our preferred enzyme based agent, Anti-Icky Poo. This is the product recommended by the Behavioral Specialists at the Cornell University Veterinary College. We believe that this is the most effective way to eliminate urine and stool odors.
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