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Cat-to-Cat Introductions

Updated 7/10/24 Cats are a lot like people. Some will form close bonds of friendship, while others just never seem to get along. Here's how to maximize the chance of a good relationship between resident cats and newcomers. Many people think that the way to introduce a newly adopted cat to a resident one is just to open the carrying case and “let them work it out.” From the cats’ perspective, that’s a very bad idea. Cats are extremely territorial. Their sense of well-being and safety relies on a stable ...

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Please Don’t Give Pets as Gifts

Updated 12/14/24 This is Brody, who is a very good dog. Giving is a wonderful thing, and we all have good intentions when shopping for our loved ones. You've seen the videos of a child opening a beautiful box with an adorable kitten inside, or of covering their eyes and leading them into a room where a puppy wearing a big bow is waiting. We have these joyful images lingering from our own childhood, as well as from social media, TV, and movies. A pet may feel like ...

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Litterbox Secrets

By Jackson Galaxy The most common problem we deal with is inconsistent use of the litterbox. Often, by the time clients call, they are "at the end of their rope," which translates to "show me progress or else..." where the "or else" is not a happy ending for the cat. Much of the frustration experienced by our clients is the result of anthropomorphizing (that is, assigning human emotional values to a cat's behavior) the offending events. The guardian interprets the behavior using their own frame of reference. For instance, she ...

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Redirected Aggression: A Case Study

By Jackson Galaxy From The Galaxy Files – "Trouble In Paradise" When I received the phone call for assistance, the voice on the other end was not just frustrated, as I am accustomed to hearing. She was utterly bewildered, and on the verge of tears. Diane had shared her country home with littermates Cherokee (female) and Mallo (male) for their entire seven years. They were beautiful Himalayan mixes, and in the pictures she E-mailed all one could pick out was four eyes, and an entanglement of fur on the couch, ...

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Before You Get a Kitten…

Photo: Pieter Lanser Kittens have a way of turning up when you least expect them! If a kitten has appeared in your life, or if you’re getting the urge to add a new feline family member (not forgetting that there are millions of wonderful, healthy adult cats waiting for a home like yours!), you'll definitely want to consider these important issues: Cost Sure, a kitten may be "free" in terms of spending money to acquire it, but many people don't understand the real money costs associated with a new ...

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Base Camp — How to Prepare for your New Cat

By Jackson Galaxy and Jean Hofve, DVM Congratulations on giving a homeless animal a new life in your home! You can bet on one thing; the cat you just adopted is in the midst of having her world turned upside down. Routine is a vital aspect of cat life; it's key in how cats define territory. Things must look the same, smell the same, and so on in order for confidence in the territory to remain high. Now imagine the life your new companion was leading before he came to ...

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Aggression in Cats

Brothers having a slight disagreement Aggression in cats is not uncommon, but it's unusual for it to be serious enough for people to seek professional help. Just a decade ago, however, a study from Cornell University noted an upward trend in people-directed aggression. Those researchers thought it may be attributable to an increasing tendency to keep cats inside the home (and thus interacting more with people). Other possible explanations: cats are actually getting more aggressive (a bad thing), or people are becoming more aware that feline behavior problems are amenable to treatment (a ...

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It’s Adopt-a-Cat Month!

June is Adopt-a-Cat month! It's also the start of kitten season, when tens of thousands of unintended and unwanted kittens will be dumped at shelters. People think, "Oh, kittens are so cute, they'll be adopted." But the sad truth is that there just aren't enough homes available, and shelters everywhere will euthanize litter after litter of sweet, friendly, adorable kittens for the next 6 months or more. The good news is that sharing your home, life, and love with one or more feline friends has many benefits for you, as ...

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