The Cat Behavior Answer Book - Arden Moore [31]
Most cats will not tolerate being dressed up or pushed in baby strollers, but there are always exceptions. If your new cat doesn’t enjoy this sort of attention, your children need to know that there are other ways to play with their pet. Explain that they should never wrestle roughly with a cat or encourage a cat to swat and bite their fingers. Instead, have them use fishing pole–type cat toys or toss toy mice for the cat to chase and pounce.
Finally, show them the right way to pet a cat and how to brush and comb the coat. Cats usually prefer to be stroked from head to tail, not patted on the head. Gently running a damp hand against the direction of the coat, however, removes dead hair and is a good way to pet and groom at the same time. These activities will help to strengthen the friendship between your children and their new pal.
Dealing with a Frisky Fido
Q Our three-year-old cats, Kate and Allie, have very different personalities. Kate is outgoing, friendly, and good-natured. Allie is timid, a bit high-strung, and affectionate with us but not with our guests. Recently, we adopted a Labrador puppy named Marley. He is about five months old and extremely interested in the cats. He watches them all the time and wants to chase them. Kate stands her ground and swats Marley on the nose. He immediately retreats. Allie, however, runs and hides when Marley approaches. How can I get Allie to stand up for herself and fight back?
A Cats, like people, have many different personalities. Clearly, Kate and Allie have different attitudes toward playful puppies. Kate projects confidence and is actually teaching Marley about what Aretha sings about: r-e-s-p-e-c-t. Kate is also teaching Marley some manners with a little tough love. Just make sure to trim her nails regularly because you don’t want her to injure Marley with a sharp swat.
Unfortunately, those lessons are being contradicted by Allie’s actions. As a result, you might have one confused pup. Allie lacks Kate’s feeling of security and views this huge canine beast as a threat. Rather than stand paw to paw with him, she takes the fright-and-flee option and tries to disappear. It is not Allie’s nature to stand and hold her ground.
The best time to introduce cats and dogs are when they are young. The first two or three months of life is the prime socialization period, a key time for cats and dogs to cultivate friendships. But it’s not too late to work on Marley’s cat-greeting skills and bolster Allie’s self-confidence.
Let’s start with Marley. Labs tend to be fun loving and eager to please, so you have that working in your favor. Your mission is to teach Marley two important obedience commands, down and stay, so that he remains in place even when Allie enters the room. To set him up for success, attach a long leash or clothesline to his collar to control his movement inside your home when you are around to supervise. Hold the other end or tie it to a heavy piece of furniture that can handle the muscle of a lunging Lab. When you are not home, keep Marley in a crate or in an area separated from the cats.
Keep a bag of treats handy. When Marley eyes Allie, redirect his attention by showing him a treat. Calmly instruct him to sit or down or stay. Do not yell because you will only heighten his excitement and Allie’s fearfulness. If Marley ignores the commands and the treat and starts to chase Allie, step on the line to stop him. When Marley consistently demonstrates that he won’t chase Allie, let him move around the house with his leash dragging behind him. If he starts to chase Allie, step on the line.
As for Allie, make sure that she has stress-free escape routes and dog-free zones. Clear out under your bed and provide a tall cat tree or wide sturdy shelves for her to perch on out of Marley’s reach. If possible, install baby gates in doorways of rooms where you keep your cats’ food and water bowls and litter boxes.
Let Allie run to her safe spot when she feels threatened. Do not