Cat Care Information

Please note: These are basic training techniques designed to help you improve your relationship with your companion animal. If inappropriate behavior persists, we recommend that you consult a trainer or behaviorist, as most behavioral problems can be rectified. It is important to catch problems early because the more the animal repeats the negative behavior the longer it will take to correct it.

Our Behavior & Training department has also implemented a Help Hotline, so if you need help with your animal, call 202-375-7744.

Transitioning a new cat to your home
Introducing another cat into your household
Litter Boxes
Inappropriate Elimination (House-soiling)
Enhancing the home environment for your indoor cat
Declawing - It’s inhumane!

Transitioning a new cat to your home

Congratulations! You have just acquired/adopted your new feline friend. Now what?

Make sure that you have purchased all of your cat’s essentials before you bring her home. It is not a good idea to have your new cat in the car (without a cat carrier) while you stop at different stores to purchase supplies. Most cats are not comfortable traveling and after the trip to her new forever home, she may not be in the mood for playing or cuddling right away. Give your cat a chance to settle down and settle in.

The transition to her new home should be as comfortable as possible. Choose a very quiet, stress-free, closed-in area - perhaps a small room with provisions (litter box, water and food dish) - to put her in when she first comes home. When entering the room, sit on the floor and call her name in a soft, calm voice (tone of voice is important) so that she becomes familiar with your voice and responds positively when you call. Some cats are comfortable in the new home within a few hours, others may require a few days. Some cats may even require a longer stay in a quiet protected room. Keeping your cat in this quiet environment is essential. She needs to investigate every object and space within the room and collect all the new smells, sights and sounds.

Once she becomes comfortable in her new space, she will decide that it’s safe to venture out. Hiding and crouching are normal responses for most adult cats when exposed to a new environment. Your new cat may not eat or drink water. Don’t panic if she has not touched her food or water dish during the first day at her new home. She has been bombarded with information and is still trying to sort things out. She is not making a conscious effort to fast. For this transition period you might buy a can of aromatic (strong fishy smells are best) canned cat food she can’t resist. Before doing this, make sure your cat is not on a special diet. If your new kitty has not consumed food or water by the third day, you should call your veterinarian ASAP. You should also find out what food she was eating in her previous environment.

Introducing another cat into your household

The manner in which your new cat is introduced into the household can set the tone for how the resident cat responds to his new companion.

Allow your new cat time to adjust to his new home. Don’t immediately force him into a meeting with your resident cat.

Keep the new cat in one room for a couple of days and let him explore the rest of the house when the resident cat is kept in a different room. Some cats bond easily, some take more time.

Don’t be discouraged if they need some time to get used to each other. They may never become good friends, however, they may not be able to tolerate each other if they are introduced too soon.

When you have decided that the time is right for them to meet, do so, then separate them again for a couple of days. After the first introduction, keep reintroducing them to one another. If you have more than one cat, try to introduce them separately. Never leave them unsupervised until you are sure they are comfortable with each other. If a fight breaks out, exercise caution when breaking it up. Use an item, like a broom, to gently separate them.

Allow the cats to smell each other’s scents, either from a piece of bedding or a towel that has been rubbed on the cat. Leave these items around so that the cats can investigate. They should be in an area that is familiar to both cats, with one cat in a carrier. Allow them to sniff each other.

If everything seems to be going well, at the next meeting you will not need the carrier. However, if it doesn’t go well, put the other cat in the carrier at the next meeting and start again.

Make sure that each cat has his/her own litter box, food and water bowls in separate locations. As each cat becomes more used to the other, you can move these items closer together. Eventually, you may be able to combine them.

Litter Boxes

Types of litter

Cats are very choosy about what type of litter they are given. Sometimes you might need to try different types of litter to see what your cat(s) prefers.

Regular clay litter is probably the one most frequently used in many households because it is low in cost. This type of litter has to be changed regularly because the urine odor builds up within a day, permeating the household with a strong ammonia-like smell, which quickly becomes intolerable to both humans and cats.

Scoopable Litter has become very popular. It comes in both scented and non-scented forms. It is more expensive than regular clay litter. However, it is very popular because once waste products (feces and urine) are deposited, it forms a solid clump for easy removal. At WARL, we particularly do not like this type of cat litter because some cats, when covering their waste, step on urine, which sticks to their paws and causes slight abrasions to the bottom of their footpads. When the cat licks her paws to clean them, she ingests some of the particles.

Recommendations: There are numerous types of cat litter available in stores. The average shopper can become overwhelmed with so many varieties - all of which claim to accommodate your cat’s needs. We recommend that cat guardians use at least 98% dust-free cat litter, and change and/or scoop it on a daily basis. Ultimately, through trial and error, you should find the litter that is best for your cat and your household.

Litter Box Types

Always purchase the biggest litter box available, ensuring your cat can fit safely inside with room to move. If the litter box is too small, it’s possible your cat will miss the box, causing urine and feces to fall outside. If this happens, you can purchase a large plastic storage box and cut an opening for your cat to enter and still maintain privacy.

Covered litter boxes were designed for human convenience. They keep most of the litter inside and it also keeps the odor concentrated, thus intensifying the smell. We all know cats have a keen sense of smell and entering this covered box may discourage your cat from using it more than once or twice. Also some cats are a little suspicious of entering this rooftop cavity and will approach the litter box with caution. However, you may find that your cat accepts a covered litter box and likes the privacy. Always remember to do what works best for your cat and your household.

Automatic litter boxes were also designed for human convenience. These boxes come with a sensor, indicating whether or not your cat has left the box. After a few minutes or so the cleaning process begins. Some cats are not affected by the noise but some cats become wary if they are still in the area when this process begins and may never approach the box again.

Location of Litter Box

It is extremely important to remember that cats, like humans, enjoy privacy. Where you place the litter box can mean the difference between use and non-use, which results in inappropriate elimination in places throughout the home. The environment for the litter box should be stress-free, traffic-free (away from doors) and devoid of any sudden or loud noises. Also, do not move the litter box to a different location after you have cleaned it. It could become confusing to your cat and she might use the area where her litter box once existed.

If you have several cats, it is essential that you have multiple litter boxes. We also recommend this even if you only have one cat in your home. Some cats use one litter box for urinating and another for defecating. If your cat uses one litter box for defecating and you find that he urinates outside of the litter box, you might try setting up another box beside the first one so that your cat has the option of using one for each.

Never place the litter box near your cat’s food, bed or water dishes. Cats generally do not like eliminating near their food or water dishes. This can cause your cat to eliminate elsewhere in the home.

Inappropriate Elimination (House-soiling)

Inappropriate elimination is a very important issue that should be addressed immediately.

As with any problem that you are having with your cat, the first step should be a visit to your veterinarian so that he/she may rule out any medical concerns. Remember, as much as we may think we know our animals, there are certain medical conditions that we cannot detect without the assistance of our vets. After your vet has ruled out any medical problems, the behavior can be addressed.

Inappropriate elimination may be due to the litter that you are using. Many cat litters are scented, which can cause adverse reactions in cats. Some scented litters might be overwhelming, overpowering and just downright repelling to your cat’s sense of smell. Oftentimes, litter boxes are not cleaned and changed on a consistent basis. Cats prefer that their litter box be relatively clean before they step inside to relieve themselves.

Changes in a cat’s environment can trigger trauma and anxiety. This may happen if new people move into the home, a new baby is added to the household, or a human companion dies or is gone for a long time. Anxiety can also result from a new pet, loss of a pet, moving to a new home, or even new carpet or furniture. Your cat may even sense an unaltered cat in season, wandering throughout the neighborhood. These environment stresses could change your cat’s behavior.

Enhancing the home environment for your indoor cat

Here are a number of things you can do to keep your indoor-only kitty happy and healthy:

• Provide window perches.
• Make sure you have enough scratching posts around the house.
• When using Catnip toys, be sure to remove the toy when your cat is finished playing.
• Introduce another kitty (compatible, of course).
• Spend more time interacting with your kitty.
• Provide your kitty with a carpeted condo gym where your kitty can climb, sharpen his claws and find a safe place for napping!

Provide as much of a safe entertainment as you can while you are away during the day. Oftentimes, we rely on our cats to entertain themselves and in many cases they will do just that. However, if they have not seen us all day, they may want our undivided attention. We should always set aside daily quality time to talk and interact with our little companions. Because we are their guardians, cats depend on us in a very special way.

Please contact Marq at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) for more ways to enhance your cat’s life.

Declawing

PLEASE DO NOT CONSIDER IT. IT IS NOT A HUMANE PROCEDURE. Declawing is a very radical and inhumane surgical procedure that has, unfortunately, become a routine general practice among many veterinarians. There are ethical and moral issues surrounding the issue of having cats declawed. We will spare you the grim details of how this form of mutilation is performed and explain alternative steps that can be taken. It is important to understand why cats scratch before you take steps to control or redirect it. For them it is an instinctual form of communication. Before adopting a cat, be certain that you are willing to accept that your new cat may scratch things around your home. It is common for people to surrender cats to shelters because they scratched the furniture.

Cats scratch for the following reasons:

• To mark territory
• To visually announce to the other cats in the home (if any) of his presence
• To remove the old sheath (the older outer layer) of the nail
• To keep the nails retracted and to allow them to stretch tendons and muscles in their toes

Provide your cat with a scratching post in a prominent area of the home, preferably close to where your cat sleeps, so that it is there when he wakes up. Be sure the post has a wide, sturdy base and is heavy enough for your cat to grab and scratch without having it topple over. Scratching materials that hang from doorknobs, attach to walls or lie flat on the floor can be purchased from local pet stores at a reasonable cost. Sometimes a little catnip can be sprinkled on these scratching surfaces, enticing your cat to use them frequently. Never punish your cat (by hitting or chasing) for scratching inappropriate objects like furniture. This only builds stress and creates a fearful cat who may eventually become socially withdrawn or aggressive toward you.