We all know that there have been many trends to eat healthier, exercise more, to put less chemicals on ourselves, and less artificial ingredients into our bodies. As wonderful as that is for us humans, there is a downside when we try to do the same for our pets, especially cats. Did you know that a lot of the all-natural ingredients out there can actually be harmful and potentially deadly for our feline friends? Essential Oils Many of us like to relax with essential oils, such as lavender, and some of us like to use them for cleaning, such as lemon oil. Unfortunately, these oils are marketed a ..read more

We are all fully aware that our cats love routine, especially when it involves mealtime. But, have you given any thought to how you feed your cat? Not what you feed him, but how? Do you feed him twice a day? Do you just place his food in a bowl and walk away? Do you feed your cats next to each other, if you have a multi-cat household? What if I told you that the way that you feed your cat could impact his health, happiness, and wellbeing? With a few simple changes to your cat’s mealtime routine, you could provide him with mental and physical stimulation and possibly decrease his stress or anxi ..read more

As a Certified Cat Behavior Consultant, I am hired to help owners with their cats behavioral problems, such as inappropriate behaviors, human-directed aggression, and inter-cat aggression within the household. But, what if I told you that I could help you train your cat to take medicine easily, how to perform simple grooming on your cat at home, or make veterinarian appointments easier for the both of you? What is Cooperative Care? Cooperative Care is when I help you train your cat to willingly and happily participate in husbandry procedures or handling techniques in the comfort of your home ..read more

We all have had our cats try to climb up on the counters, scale the walls to get to a shelf, or even jump from a chair to land on top of the book case. But have you ever asked yourself why your cat wants to be high up off the ground? What is the #1 Reason Cats Need Vertical Space? Cats tend to feel safe and secure when they are able to survey their environment. In the wild, a cat would perch on a tree limb to look out into his territory to either search for prey or to be on the lookout for danger. Indoor cats still have those instincts, and tend to want to find the highest resting spot possibl ..read more

Holiday decorations are a big part of the season’s celebrations in many households. But those decorations can often cause problems with our pets. Let’s take a look at how we can manage three common holiday items while keeping our cats safe.  Trees Christmas trees can be excellent playgrounds for cats. From your cat’s perspective, trees are new and exciting. Not only are there new smells to investigate and fun toys (i.e. ornaments) to play with, a tree also provides safe spots to hide and be off the ground. But we usually don’t want our cats in the tree. Aside from causing mayhem and damag ..read more

What is a pattern game? Pattern games are one of the most versatile tools you can use to manage your cat’s behavior. They were originally developed by Leslie McDevitt as part of her Control Unleashed training program for reactive and fearful dogs. Luckily for us, patterns are universal and can apply to any animal, including our cats! Animal brains are designed to look for patterns so they can anticipate what will happen in their environment. Your cat already knows some patterns, like the sound of a can opening predicting mealtime. We can also teach our cats new patterns by using pattern games ..read more

Cats are living longer and longer these days, thanks to better nutrition and vet care. My oldest cat lived to be 27 years old (although that is not the norm). Generally cats are considered seniors at around age 11, turning into “super seniors” by age 15. While you may always see your cat as the spunky kitten you remember when you first met, there is no doubt that cats change with age and need certain considerations to help them age gracefully.  Medical Care Senior cats need to visit their veterinarian more often than younger, healthy cats, especially if they have one or more of the common ..read more

Every cat needs to play. Playing helps satisfy instinctual behavior like hunting, mentally and physically stimulates a cat, and helps expend excess energy that could otherwise turn destructive. It helps with brain development, helps them learn how to respond to novel things, builds social skills, and builds confidence.  If you’re like a lot of cat guardians that I talk to, you’re probably thinking that all sounds great, but your cat seems to have a problem with play. Let’s take a look at the most common barriers to cat play and see how we can solve them. “My cat has dozens of toys and he ..read more

It is common for a cat to need medication for a variety of reasons from anxiety to arthritis. But it turns out we’re not very good at administering these meds. A survey of 2,507 cat owners found common challenges with medicating cats.  51% reported that medicating their cat(s) had changed their relationship with them. 77% reported that their cat(s) had tried to bite or scratch them while medicating. 46% were worried that they would hurt their cat while administering meds. From damaged relationships to scratches and physical injury, it’s clear that we need a better way. Hiding ..read more

Conflict between cats is the most common issue people come to me with. While aggression can happen for different reasons, the best way to manage it is to prevent aggression from starting in the first place. That starts with properly introducing your cats to each other.  Tossing new cats together is a common mistake that often ends in disaster. When presented with a totally unfamiliar animal with new scents and unpredictable behavior, fear may kick in and the cats will enter “fight or flight” mode. In fact, feral cats will often attack unfamiliar cats on sight, so it makes sense that ..read more