The Cat Behavior Answer Book - Arden Moore [83]
Just because Polly is your one and only pet doesn’t mean she has to be lonely or bored. Make sure you play with her each day and talk with her. Keep her indoor life enriched and exciting by swapping out her cat toys. You can provide Polly with puzzle or track toys, play animal videos on your television, and offer her climbing trees and/or an enclosed outdoor observation area. Two favorite ideas of mine are positioning a bird feeder outside within full view of a window your cat can see out of and adding a fish tank to your house. Just be kind to those fish by making sure the aquarium is fitted with a cat-proof lid.
Medically and emotionally, there are some pluses to having a one-cat household. You are able to spot health problems sooner. You tend to notice changes in your cat’s eating or litter box habits more quickly than your friends who have two or more cats. Noticing early warning signs can increase your chances for successful diagnosis and treatment.
FELINE FACT
The first cat show in the United States was held in 1895 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Poof! Disappearing Cat!
Q Recently, my neighbor’s Japanese Bobtail became lost when a repairman left the back door open. We organized a neighborhood search for Jinx, and fortunately, we found him the next day hiding in shrubbery about three houses away. As an owner of two indoor cats, I worry about what would happen if they should suddenly find themselves outside. Why would contented indoor cats want to venture outside on their own? What tips can you offer for doing a thorough job of looking for them?
You’re in good company. All of us with indoor cats feel a bit nervous when we think about the possibility of our pampered pets facing the dangers of the outside world. As a young adult, I had a cat named Samantha who loved to hang out in my front yard with a light-
A weight chain attached to her collar. I always supervised her, but one time I dashed inside to answer the phone and when I came out five minutes later, she was gone! All that remained was her collar still attached to the chain. I called and searched for days but didn’t spot her for nearly two months, when she appeared on my neighbor’s porch. She needed veterinary care because she was dehydrated, but she survived and I felt fortunate to have her back.
Even contented feline homebodies possess natural hunting instincts and curiosity. The sights, sounds, and smells of the outdoors can prove to be far more alluring than simply sunning on the sofa. Cats think in the present. A door opens and the cat slips out. He doesn’t make contingency plans for what happens if forgets his way home. But we can better the chances of finding our cats if we recognize typical lost-cat behaviors.
Most indoor cats who slip out a door do not venture very far. Indoor cats tend to hide rather than flee because hiding is an instinctive response. That said, they can be darn good at hiding and extremely challenging to coax out of hard-to-reach spots.
Know your cat’s personality. That’s important because it will aid in finding him. You may be interested to learn that cats fall into four general personality types. Let me share with you the best game plan for finding each of these types.
XENOPHOBIC CATS are scared of anything new or the unknown. They tend to dash and hide when guests come into your home and refuse to resurface until hours after the guests depart. If they find themselves outside, these cats tend to freeze out of fear and do not go far. If you have such a cat who gets lost, the best plan is to set a baited humane trap near your home. Place a dish of tuna inside to lure your cat into the trap.
CAUTIOUS CATS initially disappear when guests come to your home, but then slowly enter the room to check out the newcomers. If your cat fits this description, then conduct a thorough search of surrounding homes and set baited humane traps in your neighbors’