The Cat Behavior Answer Book - Arden Moore [90]
If you decide to board Bonnie and Clyde, look for cat-only kennels, especially if your cats have not had a lot of whisker-to-whisker time with dogs. A feline environment will be more soothing to your cats, without all that barking, whining, and howling. It’s important that you visit the places before booking, rather than relying on ads or information collected over the phone from the kennel staff.
When you visit, pay attention to how the staff interact with their feline guests. You definitely want “cat people” who will cuddle and call your cats by their names. Ask what the ratio of staff to cats is, if the place is staffed 24 hours a day, and if there is a veterinarian on call to handle medical emergencies. The kennel should be clean, and you should not detect any odors. Take a careful look at the feline guests and determine if they look content or act edgy or scared. And don’t forget to arrange for Bonnie and Clyde to share a run. Since they are close companions, staying together will help ease the distress of being away from home.
Since your trip won’t occur for several months, I encourage you to take a test run by booking Bonnie and Clyde for a night or two at a kennel. If they appear totally stressed out when you pick them up, that’s a sign that the kennel life, even at a fancy feline resort, is not for them.
FELINE FACT
Puss reigns as the Methuselah of felines. This British cat died in 1939 at the grand old age of 36.
So, what’s my vote? That’s a tough call. Try the boarding for a couple of days, wait a week or so, and then the next time you plan to see your folks for a weekend, leave Bonnie and Clyde with a pet sitter and see how they do. You should be able to tell from their behavior which option makes the most sense for your duo. With names like Bonnie and Clyde, you want to keep them happy!
A CAT’S AGE IN HUMAN YEARS
Figuring out your feline’s age can be a frustrating exercise. The myth of “one cat year equals seven human years” is just that — a myth. Cats reach senior status by the age of 7 and are considered geriatric by the age of 12.
While there is no reliable scientific method for converting your cat’s age into human years, experts report that a 1-year-old cat is roughly equal to a 15-year-old person. The following chart gives you an idea of your cat’s age in people years.
PROFESSIONAL CONSULTANTS
ALICE MOON-FANELLI is a certified applied animal behaviorist and clinical assistant professor at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, North Grafton, MA. She works in the Animal Behavior Center, which offers a remote consultation service (www.tufts.edu/vet/petfax). She received her doctorate and master’s degrees in etiology and canine behavior genetics from the University of Connecticut. An expert on cat, dog, and wolf behavior, Dr. Moon-Fanelli is a regular contributor to Catnip and Your Dog magazines.
JOAN MILLER is an all-breed judge and legislative coordinator of the Cat Fanciers’ Association, the world’s largest registry of pedigreed cats. A breeder of cats for more than two decades, she is considered one of the world’s top authorities on the history, genetic makeup, and personality traits of the various feline breeds. She is former president of the Winn-Feline Foundation, a nonprofit group that awards grants for feline research. She lives in San Diego. To learn more about CFA, please visit their Web site: www.cfainc.org.
ARNOLD PLOTNICK is board-certified by both the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine and the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners. One of a handful of board-certified cat specialists in the United States, Dr. Plotnick operates a cats-only practice called the Manhattan Cat Specialists in