| Cat Fears |
| Dear Deborah: I have two one-year old neutered male cats. I have a cat door and cats from the neighbourhood are coming into my home, stealing my cats' food and spraying. When I leave for work I either lock my cats inside like prisoners or I come home to cats, cats and more cats. What should I do? Cats, Cats, Cats! |
| Dear
Cats, Cats, Cats!: Your cats are too young and possibly too weak to protect their turf from tougher cat neighbours. You can hope that they get bigger and tougher, but chances are there will always be a local unneutered cat bullying them. To solve your problem, get a dog. Teach your dog good manners with your own cats by controlling him and praising him for gentle behavior. Teach your dog to chase strange cats out of your house and yard. (Your dog will love this job.) If you can't get a dog, invite one over for frequent visits and hope the neighbours are watching. |
| Dear Deborah: Lucy, our two-year old, female, spayed tabby is a shy, timid, happy cat. When we turn on the tap, our sweet pussycat freaks out and streaks across our small apartment with a strange look on her face. We all run for cover Why does she behave this way and how can we get her to calm down? I love Lucy |
| Dear I
love Lucy: Lucy is afraid of water. Chances are something terrible happened in her past. Perhaps she was once almost drowned or maybe, when she was a very small kitten, someone sprayed her with a powerful hose. It's hard to say at this point. She will always hold a memory of that experience but she can learn to overcome her fear. Use a towel to wrap her feet and claws, swathing her like a baby so that only her head peeks out. Then take her into the bathroom, close the door and cuddle her each day for 15 minutes. Give her the kind of perks she loves the most. When she is eager for your bathroom cuddles, and relaxed, repeat the same steps and, about 10 minutes into your bathroom cuddles, turn the tap on so it drips lightly. Keep it on for a minute then turn it off. Spend a few more minutes cuddling and then leave. Practice until Lucy is completely calm and gradually increase both the time the water is running and the power of the water. Scale back to less time and less water if she starts to become afraid. By wrapping your cats legs and paws, you will take the struggle out of teaching this lesson. It is essential that you and your cat keep calm when you are working to overcome her fears. The mood must be peaceful and positive. Your cat will come to understand through experience that there is nothing to fear from the taps in your house. |
| For more tips, get Deborah's
book, Good Dog! from your local book store. Deborah also writes for the Family Dog Magazine. Available at Save-On Foods, London Drugs, and in Free boxes everywhere. Send your pet questions to: Fax 604- 732-2088 |