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• Scratching Behavior in Cats: Various Approaches

  A cat’s claws are an integral part of their anatomy. Scratching behaviors are normal and serve many purposes, yet cats can cause damage and injury with their claws. By gaining an understanding of the reason that your cat uses her claws, you can provide her with alternative outlets and prevent her from causing damage to your property.

• Successful Toothbrushing: Training for Happy Dental Care

  Many pets are sensitive to being restrained for grooming. With slow progress and positive rewards, your pet can learn to accept or even enjoy having their teeth cleaned.

• Take Him or Leave Him: Where Your Pet Should Stay When You Are Away

  When leaving home for vacations, pet owners are confronted with the problem of what to do with their pets. Should they take them along or leave them at home? Reviewing a summary of boarding options and travel guidelines will make the decision easier while safeguarding the well-being of your pet and providing your own peace of mind.

• Testing for Weight Loss in Cats

  Weight loss in cats can be caused by many conditions including inadequate intake to meet energy requirements, poor quality nutrition, and many different medical conditions. Testing for weight loss starts with a thorough history and physical exam. If the cause of weight loss is not clear, then screening tests including a CBC, biochemistry, T4 testing, urinalysis, and fecal tests are performed to further investigate. Based on the results of these tests, more specific diagnostic tests such as imaging, bile acids, or ACTH stimulation may be needed to determine the reason for the weight loss.

• The Cat’s Meow! Caterwauling in Cats

  Caterwauling is cat vocalization that sounds like a combination of a yowl, a howl, and a whine. This disturbing noise may result from medical problems, physical needs, hormonal stimulations, or emotional insecurities. The response to caterwauling should focus on addressing the cat's circumstances and filling their needs.

• Treating Aggression Towards Other Household Cats

  It can take a week to a year to introduce or reintroduce cats—you cannot rush the process. The cats must remain separated unless supervised. If there is steady progress but still specific contexts in which aggression continues, you likely need to consult a behavior professional who can recommend other strategies. Alternatively, the cats may need always to be supervised or separated to prevent conflict at high-risk times.  

• Using Food and Treats for Training Cats

  Treats are a wonderful way to provide positive reinforcement to your cat during a training session. Choose low-calorie foods such as green beans, zucchini squash, and watermelon. Avoid foods that are potentially harmful, such as chocolate, garlic, onions, raisins, grapes, macadamia nuts, and products that have xylitol. Limit high-calorie treats and keep treats within 10% of your cat's daily calorie intake. Keeping training sessions short and engaging while providing appropriate foods as treats can be a wonderful way to strengthen the human-animal bond.

• Why Cats Lick Their Privates

  Cats will always lick, but it is sometimes embarrassing when they lick their private parts. Licking after eliminating is normal; however, if your cat licks more frequently, or you notice other signs such as discharge; swollen or red penis, vulva, or anus; pustules; discoloration of the skin; or if your cat strains to urinate, see your veterinarian for help. Appropriate medical therapy can reduce your cat's discomfort.

• Why Cats Sniff Rear Ends

  A cat’s ability to smell is far more advanced than ours. The Jacobson’s organ, located inside the nasal cavity, opens into the roof of the mouth behind the upper incisors and serves as a secondary olfactory system designed for chemical communication related to mating. Cats use their keen sense of smell, along with a visual assessment, to provide vital information about a new feline acquaintance. The way cats sniff rear ends can establish which of two cats is dominant and set the foundation of their relationship.

• Why Cats Turn Around Before Lying Down

  Turning around before bedtime has its origin mostly in evolutionary history where cat ancestors were practicing these habits for health or protection. These innate habits remain in their genetic code to this day but if your cat is seeming to be doing it excessively, it could be a sign of underlying medical problems, such as arthritis of neurological disorders. Contact your veterinarian if your cat appears to have difficulty settling down.