"Pet Tails": a book with answers?

One of the neatest things I got this year for Christmas, or possibly in some time, was a book called "What is my cat thinking? - The essential guide to understanding pet behavior". (It was written by someone named Gwen Bailey). My mom got me this book knowing that it would suit me well and interest me - and it has.

Going through the book I've found a LOT of similarities between things that were explained or described in the book that I could relate very well with my own cats. If for nothing else other than things that I've come to know of my cats and learn about them...and then to read in a book that perhaps its true.

One portion explained that cats will go where they find great food. A photograph was included of a cat eating out of a dish and practically had its face burried deep in the bowl! How much is that like my own cats? Very much so! When it comes to food, my cats certainly have their favorites. They've had the same brand of dry cat food for several years, but whenever I've tried to feed them something differently - either because they ran out of the regular stuff and the store didn't have any more of it, or perhaps I was given some by the animal shelter after an excess of donations - they would kinda, sorta eat the 'other stuff' but they wouldn't be gourging themselves crazy on it. Full dishes would not only last all day but may still be partially full by the next morning. As soon as I got some of their regular stuff, however, they'd dig themselves right into it and eat like there was no tomorrow. They DO know when their dishes get empty. They DO know that I know where I keep the food. They DO know that if they harass me early in the morning while I am still in bed that I will know what they want. And...don't even get me started on the ham issue!

The greeting topic is also something I related with. Often I will come home and as soon as I step through the door I'll either get cats looking my way or some times even have them attack me at the doorway as a sort of welcoming party. But one of the more unique aspects is the greeting they will give visitors. Sylvester, the more socialable of my cats when it's just me at home, will typically run and hide and only check someone out from a far distance. Athena, who used to be quite shy, will now make herself known and will look for attention. Tabby will come out and see who's here so that a visitor will know she's there, before wandering off to find a quiet place to sleep. Whiskers will come check out a visitor to meet them, but prefers to do what Tabby does afterward and will go off to sleep himself. The cat with the least amount of energy these days, Porkey, seems to find a renewed source of enthusiasm and will be out looking for attention and affection with Athena as though it's a contest. The photos of cats interacting with each other in different social situations were also familiar looking - the "I'll get you" behavior as two cats tussle around on the floor, the single paw batting as a sign that one cat wants another to "go away", and the curious nose-to-nose sniffing greeting to see if they are knowing of another cat - were all exhibits of things my own cats do.

The territory section was quite unique to read. My cats each tend to have their own "spots" within the apartment itself. Athena tends to enjoy one particular end of the couch, as well as the pillow area on the bed. Sylvester likes to lay on top of the cat stand when it's open, as well as an overturned cat carrier I keep in the bathroom for just such a purpose; complete with a blanket for comfort. Porkey enjoys the couch as well as the lower level platform of the jungle gym, and also near the foot end of the bed. Tabby really enjoys the top level of the jungle gym (when Sylvester is not there), and any other place where I may be. Whiskers has a fascination for sleeping on the toilet seat as he finds the soft blue seat to be .... comfy? The cats aren't quite "territorial" persay about one of the other cats being in their 'zone' but I do have a feeling that they are disappointed and perhaps aggervated when they find another one in their spot.

My cats are now indoors cats but they have been outside before. All except for Athena, that is. One page I found in the book showed how one owner was allowing its cat to get outside on a harness. Been there, done that, tried that, failed at that. At my previous residence I attempted one time to get my cats to enjoy being on a harness while allow them the ability to actually get outside. Of course that presented many a challenge. Most of the time instead of walking around they opted to almost slink around on their stomachs as though they were crawling. They wanted to go in one direction, while perhaps I wanted to go in another. They had no interest in going back inside at any point, so when it came time for that I had to literally pick them up to take them in. Which eventually is what led to the end of the whole cat-on-a-leash experiment. One cat....whose name shall go unknown except to say that his name begins with the letter "P"...decided that he wanted to run off in a different direction and didn't enjoy the tight line of the leash I was controling him on. What happens when the unstoppable force meets the immovable object? The object wins out. In this case, the force of Porkey... I mean...that unnamed cat...was stronger than the leash-to-strap clip. Snap, break, I'm free! I had to chase him down to get him to go back inside but that was the last I ever attempted to use a leash for them knowing that eventually it would not hold.

The book explained that when cats sit in the window looking outside they are remembering what it is like to be outside. That when they see a bird outside they will sometimes chatter their teeth. Living in town we no longer see many birds where we live, but I always enjoyed it when we lived in the country that sitting in the window Sylvester would often chirping-like sounds in the form of soft meows as though he were talking back to the birds. I could always tell that he wishes he were outside hoping to go hunt them down.

One photo page that I disagreed with in the book which, not at fault of the author by any means, but toward the owner in the photograph. It displayed three photos: one of the woman encouraging the cat to get up on the counter, holding a dish in view of the cat, and then finally allowing the cat to eat the food out of the dish. What part of that bothers me? That the owner was encouraging the cat to get up on the counter. Hey, to each their own and owners can raise their pets/cats differently. But I am not sure that I know of anyone who would appreciate their cat being up on the counter. Do I want my cats walking around on the counter where during the day otherwise I prepare my own food? No! Luckily my cats have never had that tendency and it's certainly not something I encourage.

Litter boxes near food dishes? Uh, no. Like many owners, I do not keep my litter boxes for my cats in the vicinity of their food and water dishes. Like people....would you want to prepare your food for a meal on a counter right next to the toilet? That's why civilization has created the idea of the "kitchen" and "bathroom" as separate rooms. In some cases this can't be helped, such as at an animal shelter where the litter box and food/water dishes are within the confines of the cage. But when the cat is at home and you put its food dish very close to the litter box where it does it's business....that obviously is going to create a confusing situation. As much as I can, I try to have my own cats' facilities located on opposite ends of the room as much as possible.

Thankfully my cats no longer have a nice wooden frame of a window to scratch at, but they still do enjoy scratching the end edges of the couch. I suppose its fine ... for now... as the couch in the apartment isn't in the best of shape in the first place. But should I be able to buy a new couch or better condition one in the future - or perhaps even a recliner? I hope they stop feeling the need to scratch up our furniture we have. I understand the need for scratching, but....do they realize that instead of scratching at my couch they can scratch as a nice, catnip-scented cardboard scratcher located in the bathroom? Hey, that's much funner!

One of the more disturbing photos in the book was what....well, quite honestly it appeared to be two cats humping. Mating. Having sex. Whatever. It was in the section of the book on 'courtship' ... It was included with a section of text about the male cat withdrawing and causing a discomfort to the female cat after the act....

Cats can be trained to learn about being rewarded for behavior for something. The most recent example of this that I could think of was after Whiskers' butt surgery a few months back. Part of the treatment at home came with doing the twice-daily butt baths and the twice-daily antibiotic. At first he had no idea what to think about the butt baths. But he came to not mind them because he learned that after the butt bath, I'd sit him down on top of the toilet seat cover and then give him some treats. (Unknowingly of course that contained within the treats was the pill he was supposed to be taking.)

Probably the most entertaining portion of the book concerned "staring". Too many things I could get into about my own cats and this, so I'll just reference the passage straight from the book:

"Even cats that know their owners well don't appreciate being stared at. Although they get used to our eye contact when they live with us, a full-on stare can make them feel uneasy, and they will usually turn their faces away to relieve the tension. Another way to make themselves feel better is to close their eyes. If they feel uncomfortable but not threatened enough to run away, closing their eyes lets them think that 'if I can't see you, you can't see me.'" (page 87)


Check it out:
"What Is My Cat Thinking?" by Gwen Bailey
(note: all the cat pictures featured in this blog are of my own cats)