Cat Behavior

By Jackson Galaxy In 1995, Dr. Jean Hofve created Spirit Essences, our line of flower essence remedies. Actually, they contain much more than flowers! (See the FAQ at www.spiritessence.com for details.) We want to share how we create our formulas by taking you through the story of Safe Space, the remedy for spraying cats. One of the wonderful aspects of the Spirit Essences remedies is the fact that they're built from real life experiences. I do a behavior consultation, discuss the problem with Dr. Jean, and we create a remedy for ...

By Jackson Galaxy Expecting a baby? Congratulations! In all the anticipation and excitement, don't forget that bringing home baby disrupt in your cat's routine. Without proper preparation, litterbox problems, aggression or other forms of acting out can be an unfortunate result. To a cat, routine is everything. It's hard to predict how a cat might react to the unexpected arrival of a baby, who smells funny, makes a lot of noises, gets lots of attention, and changes the household schedule radically. The cat may also get much less loving attention. ...

By Dr. Jean Hofve Bach Flower Essences were discovered by Dr. Edward Bach, an English physician and homeopath, in the early 1900's. While originally developed for human use, we have found that the Bach Flower remedies work beautifully on animals, too. The remedies work on an energetic level, similar to homeopathy, acupuncture or Reiki. They affect the mental and emotional planes, and are useful for problems originating on these levels. Dr. Bach felt that even physical illness has its roots on the emotional plane, and by treating at this level, ...

By Jackson Galaxy Catnip has a powerful attraction for many cats. They will pounce on it, roll around in it, chew and eat it. Some cats will sit in a big pile of the dried herb and simply drool, eyes glazed over, while others get completely hyper for a while, running laps throughout the house. Because this perennial herb, Nepeta cataria, is considered harmless even when ingested, it is included in an enormous amount of cat toys these days. Cat towers, scratching posts and other habitats come pre-treated with catnip. ...

By Jackson Galaxy There are some cornerstone thoughts to remember, when introducing dogs to cats in a new living arrangement, in order to avoid problems. These revolve around the rather simplistic thought that they are different species. They don't share the same set of body language postures, nor the same social structure. Of course, if either animal was exposed to the other species during their "critical phase" of social development, that may give them an advantage in knowing what to expect from the other. On the other hand, cats will ...

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 ...