Does your cat show signs of stress, such as peeing outside the box, when you travel, even though they love the pet sitter? Do they take days to recover from vet visits, changes in routine, or even new furniture? Does every little thing seem to set them off, leaving you feeling sad for them or frustrated with their behavior? Your cat may lack resilience. What is Resilience and Why Does it Need a Rainbow? Resilience is the ability of an individual to resist and bounce back from the negative effects of stress. Because stress can be a leading factor in both behavioral and physical concerns in ..read more

Leaving a beloved pet home while you travel can be a source of stress for many people. It can also be a very stressful experience for the pet. In the post Jessica Dwyer Bartlett, a professional pet sitter and cat behavior consultant, adds her insights on setting your cat and your pet sitter up for success.  Pet Sitter vs Giant Bowl of Food Because cats generally have all their needs met in the home, it can seem easy to just set them up with enough food for the weekend and go. However, doing this can have safety and well-being implications.  Health and Safety Signs of illness may ..read more

One of the two most common reasons cat guardians come to me for behavior consultation is conflict between cats in the home (the other reason is litter box avoidance). A situation where cat-cat conflict can develop is when a new, young cat comes into a home with a resident, older cat. These “May-December” (younger-older) relationships can be rocky for many reasons, but there are things guardians can do to help.   Note: For the purpose of this article, I will use “older cat” to describe an adult or senior resident cat and “younger cat” to refer to a kitten or young adult who is new ..read more

Not the Right Fit  Cats are living beings with their own personalities, needs, and wants. That means they will each have their own unique requirements of a home. Some need peace and quiet, others lots of play and engagement. They may be happiest with a feline (or canine) friend or prefer to have only human companions.  There are many things we can do to help a cat be more comfortable in a home and to improve their behavior (including troubleshooting a behavior change plan and considering behavioral medications). However, we can’t change everything and there may be situations where ..read more

It’s a commonly held belief that cats just can’t be trained like dogs can. Cats are independent and stubborn and there’s just no way they’d “give in” to what we humans want them to do. Right? Wrong! Cats absolutely can be trained if you understand them.  Don’t believe me? Read on to see if I can change your mind. Cats Can Learn, So They Can Be Taught Training is just teaching. You can teach anything that can learn. So, to be trainable, your cat just needs the ability to learn. Good news! Basic survival requires the ability to learn – to learn how to find food, water, and mates and ..read more

UPDATED: May 2022 – This post was originally written in 2019. Since then, I’ve had the pleasure of helping many families introduce or reintroduce their cats. I’ve also continued my education on the topic of cat social behavior. This post has been updated to reflect some changes in my thinking on the topic.  Although generally thought of as solitary animals, cats can certainly enjoy the company of other cats. The key is having appropriate expectations and creating the right first impression.  Considerations for New Roommates You may not have a choice about the cats you are tryin ..read more

Does your cat continue to do the same unwanted behavior, even with repeated attempts to train them to do something different? Feel stuck in a loop you can’t seem to change? You might be experiencing a behavior chain! Your Cat is Training You! A behavior chain is a sequence of behaviors that leads to reinforcement (getting something your cat wants). The first behavior triggers the next, which leads to the next, and so on, until there’s something desirable or rewarding. This is true for all species and isn’t always a bad thing, but can cause trouble if you accidentally create chains that in ..read more

Cats are lovable in so many ways, but they can also annoy us, damage things, and leave a trail of chaos in their wake! If you find yourself constantly saying “no” to your cat, it can get exhausting. Turn things around by saying “yes” instead, and see how this may be even more effective. Why Create a “Yes” For Every “No”? Many of the behaviors we struggle with in our pet cats are completely normal, natural behaviors for them. It isn’t fair, and may not be possible, to completely eliminate them. Trying to chase unwanted behavior around with punishment is frustrating and difficult to do effe ..read more

The past few months have brought me many cat guardians looking for help with annoying or aggressive behaviors. There are many reasons for these behaviors, but typically one of my first recommendations is around increased play. Behavior problems in cats can often be tied to boredom or lack of outlets for necessary behaviors. The next problem becomes: how to provide enough play, while still having a life beyond your cat. Play is the Way Cats need play and mental stimulation. Their deep-down feline nature is as a hunter and play fills that role for the house cat. Without it, they can become b ..read more