Cooperation

A problem a friend was having today made me think of a common problem many people have when dealing with behavior problems with any pet, not just felines. The problem of cooperation and blame.

Really? You're going to blame me?

It's easy to blame the cat for the behavior problem. She peed on the carpet. He scratched the couch. She pooped outside the box.

He sacrificed the kids to Satan.

But in almost all cases, the pet does not hold all of the blame. As owners, we also need to cooperate for effective means of changing such behavior. Everyone in the household needs to come up with a plan for modification of bad behavior and stick to it. If everyone isn't on board, those plans won't work.

The cat did you a favor. Those kids were monsters.

The problem for my friend is actually pretty simple to solve. Her cat does what I call "revenge peeing." This means she pees to show her displeasure with whatever situation is going on that she doesn't like.

We really need to talk about the color of this room.

Revenge Peeing isn't always the easiest to solve, but the real problem for my friend isn't that, it's that her other housemates aren't cooperating to solve the problem. Peeing on her items is one problem to solve, but she also pees on her housemate's bed. All they need to do is shut the door when they aren't in the room, but in their minds it's the cat who needs to change, not them.

Just be prepared for the nose under the door.

The cat's problem needs to be solved, no doubt. But part of solving it is to keep a door shut. It'll save the bed from being peed on and a mattress from being ruined. Most times solving behavior problems requires a change on the human's part too. This includes every human in the house, not just the owner.

I'm watching you human.

Part of a behaviorist's job is to come up with a plan for the members of the household to follow to help modify the cat's behavior. Before you give up on solving a problem, it's important to make sure everyone is cooperating to help change bad behavior. If they aren't going to, you might need to consult a human behaviorist.

It's called "kicking them out."

Rebecca is a feline behaviorist with the Finicky Feline in Portland, OR. She can be contacted for all your feline problems at bravemer@gmail.com.

The Slaying of Mr. Turtle

For those who don't know- this is my dog, Merida.

This is Mr. Turtle.

She got this toy today.

These events happened between 4pm and 4:20pm.

The aftermath.

No remorse.

RIP Mr. Turtle.

Kitten Torture

This post is about keeping your already tamed kittens socialized. I call it kitten torture, for reasons you will soon find out. I will likely write a future post about socializing your feral kittens. Please DO NOT use this on your feral kittens. You will lose your lips.

So you've just taken your kittens home to foster for a few weeks, now what? Sadly, you can't just throw them in a room and lock the door like you can children.

"And then, officer, she gave me lukewarm milk with my cookies."

No, your kittens need love and attention so they don't turn into mean snarling feral balls of fur and teeth. My patented method is called (lovingly) Kitten Torture. Basically you want to subject your kitten to all the abusive loving they are going to get upon going to their permanent home. If they can't handle it, you'll need to change what they need in a home. Otherwise, get ready to have fun!

1) OH GOD NO THE KISSING

It'll be a cold day in hell before you find an adopter who does not want to smother their kitten in kisses. Unfortunately the reaction to a pair of gigantic scary lips coming towards your face is usually "Scratch the hell out of it." With some help from you, you can take this reaction down a notch to just resigned acceptance.

Please...call OHS.

2) Hands are not for Hurting

Kittens love to play. I think everyone knows this, right? They will play with literally anything. Toys, food, blankets. Each other. Poop. Hands.

Is that a toy or poop? Better play with it anyway.

I think you know which toy I'm concerned about on this list. That's right: hands. It's important to teach your kittens early on that hands are not toys. Sure, it's cute when they're small and adorable. But imagine ten pounds on that thing and claws three times bigger. Then you're looking at stitches.

What, you never heard of a bro fist?

Normally you want to take your hand away immediately and say "no!" or even yelp at them. Then you replace your hand with a toy. Or hair. Hair is funny if it's long enough. If it's too short you'll lose an eye, though.

Is that an eyeball or a toy? Better play with it anyway.

3) The Belly Blow

Be careful with this one. It's hilarious when done correctly, but you need to prepare. First, cut your kitten's nails. As short as you can without quicking it. Then, make sure your kitten is comfortable being held on his or her back. Some kittens need time to get used to being held like that, some never will like it. Either way if they freak out in the middle of the tummy blow you could end up with a face full of claws. Also, make sure your kitten doesn't bite when surprised or playful. This could also end badly for your face.

Once you're sure you've prepared (and I hold no responsibility if you haven't), take your kitten, stretch them out on their back, and blow on their belly!

I WILL KILL YOU HUMAN

4) Boob Job

No, this isn't as inappropriate as it sounds. Most girls do it naturally anyway. Again, clip those damn nails.

Kitten claws are my mortal enemy.

Young kittens can't control their body temperature, which means they get cold very easily. Usually they use mom's heat to keep warm, but sometimes they don't have mom.

And they have the saddest story ever told.

Women have these wonderful mounds of fat on their chest that are for some reason attractive to men and also serve as awesome heat packs. When I worked at the shelter and we had a cold orphan come in, between the boobs is the first place they went. It took some time to make a bed, set up a heating pad, get them situated and make food. In this time they would fit snugly between my boobs, leaving me hands free to do all that!

There are thousands of inappropriate kitten boob pics out there, but I give you this one,
because this is a blog about kittens, not boobs, you perverts.

So, to recap, kisses are good, hands are not toys, be careful before blowing on the belly, and boobs are warm. Also, poop is a toy. Deal with it.

Thank you to my friend Tara for modeling for these pictures!

The Google Complex

There are four words that people utter in this new modern day and age that no one in any medical community ever wants to hear.

"But the internet says..."

Honest Abe wouldn't lie to you though.

I cannot even count the number of times I've heard this phrase during my time in animal medicine, and every single time, even when it isn't directed at me, I have the same amount of intense hatred for those words.

The main problem is convenience. It's so easy to go to Google and have it tell you what the symptoms of a headache and fever might mean.

Hint: It's cancer.

On the other side, it's just as easy for the internet to make up totally fraudulent claims based on family anecdotes, something their idiot friend said or worse, nothing at all.

In my time in animal medicine I've heard them all:

• Feeding my pet garlic will kill fleas.
• Giving them apple vinegar will cure urinary crystals.
• Pain meds aren't necessary because animals don't feel pain like humans do.
• A broken leg can be "walked off"
• These vitamins and supplements will work better than antibiotics.
• Sour cream is an acceptable substitute for milk for nursing kittens.
• Cats have to give birth once before they are spayed.
• The internet told me only to give this much medication.

And my favorite: My cat is going to kill my unborn baby.

Here's the problem with the internet- any idiot can write anything about anything and make it public. They don't have to cite credible sources, they don't hold any blame if something they write is incorrect, and people lie. Often. On purpose.

Don't look at me like that.

The worst part is, we're all guilty of this. Doctors, assistants, techs, nurses, we've all turned to the internet at one point to tell us the answer. The main difference is (usually) professionals have the education and training to know when something might be valuable information and when it's total bullshit. And when there is a more knowledgeable colleague available, we will turn to them first.

So before you head in with your pet or yourself and seek medical advice, please remember that the people giving you advice have had years of experience in their field, and that person on the internet is probably your neighbor's teenage son.

My cat is bleeding profusely, I should wait and see right?