Mistake
1: Impulse adoption instead
of careful selection
Because
of their big hearts, many people
take in strays, or other cats
that no one wants. Sometimes a
stray turns out to be the best
cat imaginable. In other cases,
there is a reason other humans
choose to not share a space
with this cat.
Every
person is allowed to carefully
CHOOSE a cat at some point in
their life.
|
Inappropriate elimination is
the number one behavior
complaint for cats following
by cat aggression as number
two. |
Mistake
2: Delaying neutering
These
days spaying and neutering of
both puppies and kittens can
be done safely when the pet is only a few
months old. Delaying this procedure
results in unwanted reproduction
in females and male objectionable
behaviors like roaming and fighting.
For both genders, roaming results
in exposure to parasites and
other diseases.
Mistake
3: Not completely following
the veterinarian's advice.
Veterinarians
typically recommend a physical
exam for every pet with check-ups
annually or more after
that. Pets can't complain
about physical discomfort like
children do, so it is MORE important
to get these exams done. There
is an increasing realization
that a physical exam alone may
not be enough. Many
veterinarians now routinely
collect blood, urine and a stool
sample at the routine exam. This
"window inside the body" can
find problems early before
the damage is done, making
them easier to resolve. If all
is normal, you now have baseline
values that can be very helpful
down the road.
Mistake
4: Skip diagnostic
procedures and treat only symptoms
"to save money."
Between
exams, many people notice symptoms
but delay going in, hoping the
problem will correct itself. If
in doubt, here are two simple
rules: take the pet in if 1)
a new symptom continues longer
than 24 hours, or 2) you can
recognize a progressive worsening
of signs in less than 24 hours.
Skipping
a diagnosis obviously makes
it less likely to get a complete
cure. In addition, what is saved
at initial testing is lost by
increased number of visits trying
and different medications. It is
usually necessary to come back
and do the testing later anyway but now the previous symptomatic
treatments have clouded the
diagnosis, making everything
more difficult. The bottom line
is - if you don't trust
the person, change vets but
once you have someone you trust,
follow his or her recommendations.
Mistake
5: Overfeeding "In the
name of love."
Overfeeding
creates obesity, dental disease,
spoiled appetite, and begging.
Overfeeding is offering even
tastier foods to encourage eating
(resulting in finicky cats).
Mistake
6: Unclean litterbox
Not
cleaning the litterbox frequently
enough (for indoor cats) often
leads to inappropriate and
misdirected elimination. Not
offering multiple types of litter
and box size and locations
often results
in house soiling.
Mistake
7: Physical punishment
Physically
punishing any feline act (verbal
scolding or booby trapping is
ok) tends to make it worse! Allowing the cat up on the
counters some times, then punishing
other times confuses the cat
and harms the relationship.
Mistake
8: Creating an aggressive cat
Playing
slap-boxing games frequently
results in cat aggressive
toward people. Because of their
genetics, some cats participate
or tolerate these adolescent
human games, and still don't
become aggressive. Another way
to create an aggressive cat
is to physically punish the
cat, creating defensive aggression.
Ironically, some beloved cats
become so spoiled, they turn
pushy and attack
their owners. In this
situation, the cat has taken
over control of the
situation.
Mistake
9: Insufficient grooming
A
basic part of the social system
for felines is grooming
themselves and others. Some cats
have been bred for unnaturally
long full coats. These require either
daily grooming or periodic
total body clips. An important
tip when grooming is to not
"pull" out mats.
Instead, put your fingers between
the mat and skin and cut it
out. Then gently tease out the
remaining tangle. Another tip is to
alternate the brush and hand.
If you are doing it right, the
cat will be purring and seeking
more.
Mistake
9: Declawing
Declawing
without first providing a scratching
post and training
is ignorant and cruel. We have
to realize that all animals
have natural instincts that
require a suitable outlet.
If all else fails, declawing
is preferable to surrender to
a shelter or euthanasia.
Mistake
10: Lack of sufficient exercise
Not
giving sufficient exercise
(string chasing, toy chasing,
etc.) for
indoor cats goes along
with most Americans who don't
get enough exercise themselves.
A simple rule of thumb is try
to engage cats in
enough interactive exercise
to cause the cat to pant
or quit.
