Expert: Ali - 9/1/2008

Question
QUESTION: i heard that it would be helpful to my newly adopted kitten (!) if i turned on the radio whenever i'm going to be away for a while. Is this true?

ANSWER: Paul,

Some cats are insecure and require the reassurance of a TV or radio left on for them to listen to. If your new kitten seems anxious about having you leave there are a few tips I would like to pass on. Probably the most important tip I have for you is not to make a production of your comings and goings as this can give an insecure cat the idea that something terrible will happen when you leave or that something bad has happened while you were gone. I have found a DVD series called The Cat Sitter DVD (there are two volumes that I know of) to be very useful in giving anxious or fearful cats a distraction and entertain them while you are out. The Cat Sitter DVDs are specifically designed with the things that cats enjoy most in mind and they run on a loop so that the fun doesn't stop after a short period of time which means that you can set the cats up with a scratch post that has a platform that she can easily sit on or you can pull her favorite chair up closer to the TV and she will be stimulated and enjoy time when you can't be around to play with her. These DVDs can often be found in pet supply stores and range in price from $15-20 CAN. The DVDs are incredibly well done and they have wonderful footage of prey animals ranging from mice, hamsters or gerbils all the way to fish, squirrels, and other small animals. The second volume has a laser bug track which is simply a yellow firefly that flits around the TV screen unpredictably so cats will often enjoy that for short periods of time. There are numerous toys that most cats enjoy which will also help to pass the time when you are away from home. I have even seen small toy balls that you can put treats in and record a short message for your cat that will replay in response to your cat playing with the toy and trying to get the food that's inside out. If you own your own home you can also put up a bird feeder meant for small songbirds and purchase a window perch that attaches to most windows to allow your kitten to watch the birds that will inevitably show up. Your kitten should be fine so long as he is kept entertained and as I am sure that you can tell there are numerous ways to entertain a kitten while you aren't at home. If your kitten is particularly anxious you can try using a homeopathic remedy called Bach's Rescue Remedy which will help to calm and reassure her. I would recommend a dose of about 5 drops per day added to her water after you have cleaned the bowl and added fresh water. For separation anxiety as well as fearful responses and general anxiety I have found that this remedy works well. This remedy is very safe and is used worldwide by some vets and pet owners to help calm their pets and prevent fear based aggression in case of injury. You can generally find Rescue Remedy in health food/natural health stores and it is usually quite reasonably priced.

It is important that you realize that kitten proofing is very important. If you haven't yet kitten proofed you will want to do so prior to going to work. Essentially kitten proofing means that you have removed potentially dangerous objects from your little one's level and done things like tape wires belonging to electronic devices down to the floor and wall so that they aren't so appealing to nosey kitties wanting to play. Be sure that strings, needles, spools of thread, balls of yarn and all such things are put away out of the kitten's reach as these items can cause serious internal damage if swallowed. Human and pet medications, household cleaners and any other chemical agents must be kept away from kittens. Antifreeze is especially dangerous because it is sweet tasting. All in all, kitten proofing is essentially baby proofing, but a bit more thorough.

Be sure that your kitten has scratching posts to use instead of the carpet or furniture in your home. By introducing good quality, sturdy scratch posts and cat trees and keeping the nails properly trimmed you can avoid declawing which can be very painful for the cat. Declawing is actually equivalent to amputating a human finger at the first joint which gives you a general idea of why I typically advise owners to try non surgical techniques to train their kitten. If your kitten has a favorite piece of furniture or you simply want to deter her from sharpening her claws on your furniture at all you can use products like Soft Paws/Claws which are soft rubber caps applied in much the same way as a false fingernail on a person or Sticky Paws which is a medical grade double sided tape that is safe for most surfaces and fabrics. Sticky Paws works because cats are naturally fastidious and they don't like anything that sticks to their paws. Hopefully this answer gives you a few ideas to help make your kitten a healthy, well rounded and properly behaved cat in the future.

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QUESTION: Thanks for all the help! so far i have kept my kitten in a small room with all the nessesities and a few homemade toys so it will get used to my house. But whenever I take him out and bring him into my living room and gets really scared and darts around all over the place. I've noticed him doing this when I placed him down in front of the T.V. he would just stare at the T.V. for a while and then whenever a a loud sound happens he gets really freaked out and hides under things. do you know why he's doing this and how to make him stop? Also, how long does it take for a kitten to get used to a new house?

Sorry for all the questions but I am really excited to finally get a pet and i want to treat him right.

ANSWER: Paul,

Is your kitten walking really low to the ground when you let him loose in the rest of the house? If this is the case he could potentially be a bit on the nervous side which can be fixed by socializing him. Kittens are normally quite playful, they will run, bounce, jump, bat at toys, etc. Your kitten may not be fearful of the other rooms in your home. If your kitten runs around, tail up, occasionally flattens down onto his belly and wiggles his bum he's playing and confident. The idea behind socialization is to get your kitten used to as many things as possible and don't be afraid to have friends over, even those with children (although young children should be properly supervised at all times when interacting with pets). Some kittens take awhile to get used to TV, but using DVDs geared towards cat's interests will certainly be helpful. After all if you are watching action movies with loud noises and sudden bursts of sound then your kitten may be uncomfortable initially. I would recommend that you allow your kitten out of the room for increasing amounts of time because the longer he stays in the room by himself the less social interaction he has which means that he will be improperly socialized and on the fearful side....The trick isn't to isolate a new kitten, you need to expose him to everything you possibly can to ensure that he will be stable in mind and temperament. If you are over protective your kitten will believe that he has a reason to be fearful. Your kitten needs to have more freedom, after you kitten proof the house properly of course. Kitten proofing is best done by getting down on the kitten's level and checking the world out from there, things that seem interesting but could be harmful should be made safe or removed.

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QUESTION: I went to a pet store the other day and saw a harness and leash for a cat. I was wondering if cats like going outside. Also, do you have any favourite treats for a cat? My family gives our kitten Whiskas Temptation every so often. Is this a good type of treat to give him?

Thanks for all your help. Sunny and I appreciates it a lot :)

Answer
Paul,

Some cats will tolerate having a harness on and walking outside on leash. It's very important that you introduce the harness and leash very gradually. Allow Sunny to play with it, give her treats near it. The harness should always have positive things associated with it. Of my three resident cats only my oldest cat enjoys walking on leash. If your kitten panics, don't force the issue, always try to end training sessions on a positive note. Sunny may panic and want nothing to do with wearing a harness or walking on leash, if this is the case don't push it because you can create a very fearful kitten by trying to force them to do what you want them to. If Sunny wants to walk on leash you need to understand that it isn't so much about you walking her as you following her around at the other end of the leash.

I tend to try and feed a variety of treats to my cats. Most cats seem to enjoy pieces of cooked chicken, lamb, turkey or beef. In a perfect world your cat would be able to eat raw meat, unfortunately our world is far from perfect. Cats that are given raw meat can end up with a nasty case of food poisoning. I always recommend that meats are completely cooked prior to offering them to your cat. Meats like bison, venison, duck and other game meats and offer a palatable change from the usual and can be found in most well stocked butcher shops. You can also find dried fish, turkey breast and other dried meats and many cats enjoy that. Some cats like cooked sweet potatoes, thoroughly washed organic lettuce/spinach/greens served raw and the odd bit of cooked salmon, shrimp, trout, etc. There are a number of commercially produced holistic treats that are made from human grade ingredients on the market for cats. It's okay to give your kitten the occasional bit of canned tuna, salmon or sardines is a tasty treat that most cats can appreciate. A tablespoon or so of organic, unsweetened, plain yogurt is a great treat with a purpose, it allows beneficial bacteria that are naturally found in a mammal's digestive tract to remain balanced. A small amount of canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix) helps to keep things moving through the digestive system and some cats really enjoy it. You an also give your kitten a small cube of old cheddar cheese about once a week or so, this will help to make use of the beneficial bacteria in the cheese to break down tartar and plaque that can cause bad breath. Pureed meat based baby food is a hit with most cats, I must admit that cooking your own meat by boiling it, sending it through the food processor with the leftover broth from cooking is substantially cheaper than baby food that is commercially produced and you can freeze the meat puree in ice cube trays that can be emptied once the meat is frozen and stored in a ziploc bag for a nice treat anytime. Be sure to defrost the meat cubes to prevent your kitten from having his tongue stick to his treat. Never give a cat of any age chocolate, onions, garlic and spices as these items can cause cats to become very sick.  Be sure that you understand that a treat is meant to be a small amount of your kitten's daily diet, a tablespoon or so is a good serving. You can also try treats meant to clean tartar off of teeth like Greenies which contains chlorophyll to help fight bad breath.