The Cat Behavior Answer Book - Arden Moore [44]
A pinch or two of fresh or dried catnip is enough to bring out the wild antics in your cat. It is interesting to note that this psychosexual response cannot be triggered again for at least another hour after being exposed to catnip. For some reason, cats need some time between servings of catnip to reset their senses. Offer your cats some catnip about 20 minutes before bedtime. The herb should stimulate them to do enough exercise to become tired enough to sleep through the night.
I recommend that you treat your cat to toys filled with organic catnip, the highest quality of this feline-favorite herb. Store loose catnip in an airtight, dry container out of direct sunlight. Do not keep catnip in the refrigerator because the cold and damp will weaken the herb’s potency.
You might try making a cup of fresh steeped catnip tea for yourself. For humans, catnip works as a sedative, not a stimulant, making it a perfect choice to help us fall into dreamland.
HONEYSUCKLE, ANYONE?
If your cat is not a fan of catnip, then try giving him toys filled with honeysuckle sawdust or a chunk of honeysuckle wood. You can find them in pet supply stores and online. The Lonicera tartarica species of the honeysuckle shrub elicits a similar though less intense reaction than catnip. You must moisten the honeysuckle to activate its odor.
Do not let your cat chew on raw honeysuckle wood or berries, however, and be aware that some varieties of honeysuckle are toxic.
Here’s an interesting tidbit to share with your feline-loving friends: Scientists report that about 30 percent of all cats (the ones who show no reaction to catnip) respond to the honeysuckle aroma.
Game of Cat and Computer Mouse
Q I work from home and love having my cat, Spam, in the home office with me. He usually sleeps on a cat bed on the corner of my desk. I spend a lot of time at the computer and sometimes Spam insists on walking on my keyboard or standing between me and the computer monitor. It’s annoying to have to keep moving him. I also worry that he might step on the wrong key and I will lose data on my computer. I don’t want to shut him out of the office. Any suggestions?
A Computers and cats don’t mix. A cat walking and sitting on the keyboard, perching on the monitor, and rubbing against computer towers can shut down applications, delete files, type gibberish into word documents, or cause hard drives to crash. I too enjoy having my cats nearby while I work at the computer. One of my cats frequently positioned herself between my computer monitor and me until I realized that she was broadcasting a need for my attention. So, I put a cat bed on a spare office chair and rolled it next to my chair. Contented, she no longer tries to tap dance on my keyboard while I’m tapping on the keys.
Keeping cats off keyboards is trickier than keeping them off counters. Spam already has his own spot of real estate on your desk, so your job is to teach him that he is not allowed in your work area. You cannot risk squirting him with water because you don’t want to damage your expensive equipment. When he climbs on your keyboard, pick him up and put him on the floor. You might have to do this repeatedly at first, but he should eventually figure out that the computer is off-limits.
Play a different game of cat and mouse by tossing a toy mouse across the room as a diversion from your keyboard. You can also engage your cat in some fun play for 10 to 15 minutes before you start work on the computer so he will be more likely to catnap. Also, make sure he has eaten before you settle down to your tasks, so he isn’t pestering you for a snack. Sometimes just picking up your cat and cuddling him for a few minutes will satisfy his need for attention and he will wander