The Cat Behavior Answer Book - Arden Moore [76]
Consider satisfying your cat’s need to experience the outdoors by installing a window enclosure or taking him for walks. Fit him in a harness attached to a leash and let him sniff and scout out what’s happening on your block. Many cats can become accustomed to wearing a leash if you take it slowly and reward them for small steps. (See Walk This Way, page 293, for more on leash training.)
If Morris does escape, please don’t scold him or reprimand him when he returns to the house. You will only confuse him and possibly dampen his desire to come home.
In Search of “Fang” Shui
Q I want to tinker with my interior a bit to better accommodate my four indoor cats, who range in age from two to ten. They all get along, but I suspect they are a bit bored when I’m at work during the day. They sleep a lot and need to exercise more. However, I do not want to spend a lot of money or turn my house into, well, a cathouse! I don’t want to be labeled a crazy cat lady. I also don’t want to turn it into a place that I can’t sell sometime in the future. Any tips on cat design projects?
A Your quartet is quite fortunate to have you in their lives. Don’t worry, you are anything but a crazy cat lady. In fact, you represent two other C words: caring and considerate. You can renovate your place to make it more feline appealing without turning it into a place that would have limited appeal to future buyers.
FELINE FACT
A group of kittens is called a “kindle” and a group of adult cats is called a “clowder.”
If you’re handy with a drill and hammer, you can install a sturdy shelf in a corner for your cats to perch from on high, instead of changing the entire look of the room with a catwalk that runs the entire length of a wall. You can lean a sisal-covered plank up to a bookcase nook or partially wrap a floor to ceiling post in the den or rec room with sisal for your cats so they can act like feline firefighters, scaling up and down the pole.
Even if you’re reluctant to drill holes in your walls, you can make your place look like a fashion showcase while catering to your cat’s needs. Among the new products available for felines and their décor-conscious owners are big, soft pillows, cat condos that match your furniture, designer feeders and water bowls, and litter boxes disguised as houseplant containers.
Finally, you can make use of certain features in your home to hide cat necessities, such as litter boxes. Alice Moon-Fanelli shares an interior design solution she offered to a client whose cat was urinating outside the litter box, including in the fireplace. The client did not want to put a litter box in the living room. Upon further questioning, Dr. Moon-Fanelli learned that the fireplace was not in working order and was never used. So, she suggested that the client place a litter box in the fireplace and cover the opening with a decorative fireplace screen. The cat’s needs were met and no more incidents of inappropriate urination were reported.
This is a start for you to unleash your imagination, not open your pocketbook. You can probably come up with other creative ways to make your interior more feline-friendly to your fabulous foursome.
Abyssinian Introductions
EDNA AND AL HAD EAGERLY AWAITED the arrival of Ruffian, a 16-week-old Abyssinian kitten. Her breeders shipped progress photos, special litter, food treats, and a care manual for this kitten about to join a two-cat household. Knowing acceptance by resident cats might be complicated, I provided a multistep introduction plan.
Edna’s special “prince” was an eight-year-old, neutered Abyssinian male with an only-cat, one-person attitude, and a high energy level. The