Cat Management Handout Form

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Cat Behavior Management Recommendations

The following are management recommendations for:*

Intercat Aggression Management

Elimination Outside the Box

Urine Marking

Cats Outside the Home

Scratching Inside the Home

Cat Enrichment

Food Puzzles

Interactive Toys

Medication Administration

Recommended Cat Training Professionals

Body Language Resources

Miscellaneous Resources

Books

Cat Carrier Training

Urine Collection

Intercat Aggression Management:

Separate your cats when they can’t be directly monitored by a physical barrier that they cannot get through such as a door or tall gates.

Your cats should not be able to see each other right now.

If you need to break up a fight do so as safely as possible. You can use an empty laundry basket upside down to trap one. Then remove the other one to safety behind a door.

In the future, you will be given instructions as to how to reintroduce them slowly.

Elimination Outside the Box:

Scoop your cat’s box a minimum of once daily. Ideally, it should be scooped every time that you notice that your cat has eliminated in it. Some cats are very fastidious and you need to scoop as they go.

Increase the number of litterboxes in your home to the number of cats in the household, plus one.

Thoroughly clean the areas where your cat has eliminated with an odor eliminator that is specifically designed for pet odors. For example: Zero Odor, Urine Off, Febreze Pet Odor, and Anti-Icky Poo (1-800-745-1671).

Increase the size of your litterboxes to at least 1.5 times the length of your cat, or at least 24” X 36”. Consider a large plastic clothes storage bin if they already have large boxes.

Empty and thoroughly clean the litterbox once monthly (even if you have a liner). Do not use ammonia-based products.

Change the location of your litterboxes to frequented areas. There should be a litterbox available where any cat spends most of its time.

Do not yell at or physically punish your cat. Do not rub your cat’s face in its urine or feces.

Confine your cat in a small space with their litterboxes when a family member cannot directly monitor them.

Cover areas where your cat has eliminated with aluminum foil, carpet runner (“knobby” side up), strongly scented products (e.g., citronella, potpourri, mentholatum), or contact paper (sticky side up).

Once you have determined your cat’s litterbox size, style, and litter preference, place the litterboxes in many different locations around the house as instructed during your appointment.

Change your litterboxes to the uncovered type.

Offer your cat a “buffet” of litter choices by placing identical boxes (in addition to the boxes that your cat already has) filled with different litter next to each other near the spot where the litterbox is now. This will help you determine your cat’s litter preference. Leave the boxes out for 2 weeks. Maintain the same standard of cleanliness that you maintain for all of the boxes. Litter choices include but are not limited to newspaper-based litter, non-clumping litter, cat-attract litter, and scented litter. Your cat’s litter preference will eventually become clear. When it does, continue to use that litter forever.

Neuter/spay your cat.

Take your cat to the box and praise them for elimination, and give a treat within 1 second of finishing.

Place your cat’s food bowl, water bowls, toys, and bedding in the areas that your cat has chosen to eliminate.

Decrease the amount of time that your cat is allowed outside.

Place your cat’s litterbox in the place that they are eliminating most frequently. If they choose to eliminate in the box, leave it there for the next 7 days, then slowly move the box six inches a day to the location of your choosing. If your cat avoids this box and urinates or defecates around it, call us.

Do not interrupt your cat while they are using the litterbox.

Limit the dog’s access to the litterbox.

Purchase litter boxes with low sides that are easier to get into. Here is an example of a low side litter box

Urine Marking:

Spray Feliway® on the areas where your cat has marked. Test it on a small area before spraying it on valuables. Daily application is necessary until the cat exhibits facial rubbing at that location. If your cat does not start facial rubbing, continue the application of Feliway® for one month.

Use a Feliway® diffuser in the rooms that have been most violated by your cat.

Cats Outside the Home:

Do not give your cat to have access to areas that allow them to visualize cats outside of the home.

Repel stray cats by using ultrasonic cat repellents, pour-on repellents, or the Scarecrow Sprinkler. You might also consider catching stray cats in a humane trap for neutering or relinquishment to your local shelter or rescue organization. If the stray cats are owned by neighbors, you may want to talk to them about keeping their cats inside.

Do not feed stray cats around your home.

Scratching Inside the Home:

Place scratching posts in prominent areas so that your cat can use their claws to scratch. Make sure that they are made of a material that they enjoy scratching and in places where they have scratched and bunted previously. Find out what your cat likes, as there are both vertical and horizontal options.

Place facial grooming devices in the areas where your cat has caused damage by scratching.

Purchase a Pavlov’s Cat. This is a scratching post that dispenses food when scratched.

Cat Enrichment:

Distribute your cat’s food around the house by putting it in multiple bowls. You should have at least one bowl per cat in your house.

Enrich your cat’s environment (feral cats spend up to 3-4 hours per day hunting), so that they will be occupied while you are not home. Scatter treats around the house so that your cat can hunt for them.

Schedule playtime for your cat each day. Ideally, these times would be just before they usually get stressed and/or playful. Appropriate toys do not encourage play near or with your hands or feet. Remember to put the toys away when you are done playing for them to retain their value.

Teach your cat some tricks. Trick training is useful for more than just entertaining guests. It allows your cat to use mental energy – which is tiring in itself – and it allows them to have positive and appropriate interactions with you, which they desire.

Rotate your cat’s toys. Give them different toys each day.

Purchase cat videos such as Video Catnip for your cat to watch while you are away from home.

Free-roaming cats utilize all types of vertical and horizontal hiding and resting places. Each cat in your household should have a place in each room for rest or to hide, where they can get away from the family and the other cats in your household. A resting place can be as simple as access to the top of an armoire, the upper shelves on bookcases in closets, entertainment units, refrigerators, cat trees, and condos specifically designed for this purpose. A hiding place can be a paper grocery bag under the couch. Encourage your cat to frequent these places by leaving special food treats, catnip, and novel toys these often.

Add a cat bed or hammock near a window so that your cat can view the outside while you are gone.

Add cat-safe grasses and plants to your home for your cat to eat.

Consider training your cat to a harness and leash so that they can go on walks with you.

Consider constructing an outdoor enclosure for your cat (a catio) to enjoy while you are home.

Increase your cat’s quality time with you by scheduling specific play and training sessions during the day. Train your cat for 1-2 sessions per day lasting 5 minutes per session.

Food Puzzles:

This website is a great resource for homemade and store-bought food puzzle toys: foodpuzzlesforcats.com. You can make food toys by cutting holes into a toilet paper roll, PVC pipe, or paper towel roll. Put treats inside and tape the ends. Food toys you can check out are the check out are the Pipolino, Play-n-Treat ball by Our Pets, the Molecuball/Atomic Treat Ball, Kruuse Buster Cube, Kong Wobbler for Cats and the Play-n-Squeak, and Cattit Senses feeder toy.

Feed your cat 1/4 of their food out of food toys.

Interactive Toys:

Predatory toys you can check out are the Frolicat, Go Cat Da Bird cat toy, Panic Mouse, Trixie Mad Scientist cat toys, Cat Sense IT cat toys and Undercover Mouse.

Provide your cat with many different things to chew on like small rawhides, bully sticks, dried fish, dehydrated meats, and beef jerky. You may have to soak these in a bit of water, chicken broth, or clam juice for 10 minutes first for your cat to enjoy them.

Medication Administration:

We never want you to have to force medications into your cat’s mouth. This is stressful for your cat and may cause them to avoid you or bite you eventually. Find food that we can reliably use to hide their meds. For hiding pills, try all flavors of cat Pill Pockets, moldable meats like pate canned food (different flavors). If you can’t hide the pill or capsule, open the capsule or grind the tablet and mix it with liquid such as tuna juice, clam juice, baby food that doesn’t have garlic or onions, Inaba Churu (different flavors), melted ice cream and yogurt. Plan to give their medications before they eat so that your cat is hungry.

Today we discussed working with a cat training professional remotely to teach your cat to willingly accept medications. See below for trainer details.

Here is a link to a video with ways to teach your cat how to accept medications: https://www.fundamentallyfeline.com/training-your-cat-to-accept-oral-medications/

Recommended Cat Training Professionals:

We are referring you to a cat training professional. Please contact Chirrups and Chatter at https://chirrupsandchatter.com/

We are referring you to a cat training professional. Please contact Terrie Hayward at positiveanimalwellness@gmail.com

Body Language Resources:

ASPCA

Cat Body Language Photos

Humane Society

Ohio State University

Miscellaneous Resources:

This website is a great resource on the needs of indoor cats, and how to identify and reduce stress in their lives: indoorpet.osu.edu/cats

For more information on cat training please refer to “Clicker Training for Cats” available at: clickertraining.com.

Hiding and resting places intended for cats can be purchased at ebay.com, jefferspet.com, petedge.com, therefinedfeline.com, and catsplay.com

Check out the following websites to purchase toys for your cat: entirelypets.com, amazon.com, pipolino.com, and petmate.com

Check out the following websites to purchase cat grooming supplies: petedge.com

Books:

Decoding Your Cat, by the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists

Think Like a Cat, by Pam Johnson-Bennett

Cat Carrier Training:

See the following resources on carrier training to facilitate your cat’s veterinary visits or car rides: Cat Behavior Associates, Cat Pawsitive: Home Edition, How To Get Your Cat Into a Pet Carrier

Urine Collection:

Kit4cat: Purchase a urine collection kit like the Kit4Cat (amazon.com) then collect urine at home and return it to us within 30 days. Bring the sample in right away, or refrigerate it after collection if there is a short delay and when you can return it to us.

Additional recommendations:

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