Redirected Aggression in Cats
Redirection of aggression is a phenomenon that isn’t often recognized by pet owners, but can be a significant cause of aggression problems.
It occurs when an animal becomes aggressively motivated but is blocked from actually aggressing against the initial target. That aggressive motivation is then expressed to another individual who wasn’t a part of the original encounter, that is, an “innocent by-stander.”
Cat Agility Trials
A while ago attended our first cat show and cat agility trial.
What an experience! Agility for cats is a relatively new activity but it is catching on in the U.S. and other countries. There is an organization devoted to the sport called the International Cat Agility Tournaments (www.CatAgility.com)
Night Time Catn’ Around
Last time we talked about insomnia in cats, where our kitties seem to be getting too little sleep and talked about a couple of conditions that need the attention of a veterinarian. There are other problems that may not need the help of a veterinarian.
Even More Sleep Problems in Cats? Who Knew?
In previous blogs we talked about the typical sleep patterns of cats, some of the things that can influence how much a cat sleeps and one sleep problem that cats sometimes have – hypersomnia or too much sleep. We also talked about some things to do if you suspect that your cat is sleeping too much. Another sleep problem that happens in cats and people, but is more rare in cats, is narcolepsy.
Cat Nappers with Sleep Problems?
When we think about animals that might have sleep problems, our first thought is not about cats. After all, it seems that most of their lives is spent sleeping. How could cats have problems sleeping? Well, in fact, some cats do have problems sleeping.
Sleep Is a Really Interesting Behavior. Zzzzz. (No, really it is!)
When you think about the really interesting things that cats do, you probably don’t have sleep on your list. After all, sleep is really the lack of behavior, and how boring is that? Actually, sleep is a behavior and even though there’s little movement, some really important things are going on during sleep including physical recovery and important memory processes.
How Do Cats Choose a “Pee” Place?
We heard recently about a cat that was urinating in several rooms of the house in the middle of the floor. The episodes are reported to be quite random (we don’t have sufficient information from the questioner to know whether this is true or not). The question put to us was why this was happening. Someone had read somewhere that cats don’t usually choose the middle of the room unless they are ill or in distress.
How We Helped Buffett Adjust to His Stairs
When our cat Buffett was about 14 years old, he became quite stiff in his back legs and was having more and more difficulty jumping up onto a bar chair and from there onto the counter where his food and water were located. We often lifted him up onto the counter, but finally decided Buffett needed a pet-stair to make things easier.
Do You Have a “Scaredy Cat”?
Cats have a reputation of being secretive, aloof creatures. While there may be some truth in this description, it’s also true that many cats are not well socialized. What we mean by this is that during their sensitive period for socialization (which research tells us is between the ages of 2-7 weeks) too many young cats are not exposed to a variety of people, unfamiliar places, and other animals, so as adults they can be calm and friendly in a variety of situations and when confronted with unfamiliar circumstances.
The Cat’s Meow
Cats communicate vocally with people quite differently than dogs do. There is no mistake that yowling, growling, hissing, and spitting occur when cats are threatening or aggressive. Cats don’t make these sounds when they want something from us or are being friendly. In contrast, dogs can bark in both friendly and threatening interactions, although the barks may sound quite different depending on the context.
The most common vocalization cats direct to people is the meow.