Keko: Needs Lots of Challenge and Enrichment to Manage Litterbox Problems.High Maitenance But Worth It!

Keko is a Bengal cat who pees outside the litterbox when things get to be too much for her. Her problem started with peeing on the mattress (November 2010) , then transformed to peeing just outside her litterbox. The next month she consulted me about waking her purrsons up very early in the morning.  All appeared well until July 2012 when major changes in household routine led to her peeing in many places. She was in good health (no urinary tract infection). Being a Bengal, she has lots of energy and needs lots of stimulation and physical activity. And so she needed a richer and more challenging environment, to reduce her anxiety and give her brain and body a continual workout. She implemented a number of my suggestions and updated me the following year, saying all was going well. In her own words: I'm high maintenance but I'm worth it!

Cat Stalks Humans: Tux's Trials

Dear Greyce,

I am a handsome black and white neutered male cat - a teenager really at 1.75 years old. I am curious, active and aloof, meaning that I'm not very cuddly though I prefurr to be around my purrsons whenever they are home and I do follow them from room to room. I'm left alone during the day and mostly sleep then.

The problem isn't with me, it's with Them and most particularly with Herself. For example, she was watching TV and I came up behind her, put my paws on either side of her head and bit it. No blood just a nip. But I was confined to my kennel!

After a time, I was let out and she picked me up (!) and so I bit her arm several times. How was I to know she was about to feed me dinner?

There has been a least one other incident. And now, since I'm stalking Her even more frequently, she says she is creeped out when she sits on the couch and I come around and stare her down very intently. According to her, I don't give any warning before I do the pounce-and-bite routine.

Now I've always been a bit on the nippy side but the last few months this has escalated. Sometimes I just sit very alert, not moving, but crouched low with my back arched. What gives with that?

And just in case you need to know, I live in a one-bedroom condo that has a kitchen, living room and dining room (all open into each other), an office, and a bedroom and bathroom. I'm not allowed in the bedroom when Themselves are sleeping. Ditto the bathroom. Other than that I have free rein.

I have a cat tree the overlooks the living room and a fair number of toys: a stuffed hippo, wiggly worm, small balls, twist ties/ribbons, mouse on a string. Themselves also use a laser pointer and finger gloves when they play with me - about 15 minutes a day. Though they do admit to lapses.

What's a guy to do Greyce?

Yours,
Tuxedo

Cat Boredom Busters: Book on Toys & Environmental Enrichment

Wake Up Fellow Felines!

Time to get up from your nap and drop the following book on your purrsons lap: Nikki Moustaki's, Boredom Busters for Cats: 40 Whisker-Twitching Games and Adventures. (Bowtie Press, 2010).

You can probably get it from your local library or bookstore (or even over the Net).

It is a small book, filled with easy-to-read sections of great tips, and lots of photos of our magnificent species.

If this doesn't convince your purrson to get you a decent variety of toys and some valued cat furnishings, nothing will!

I give it 4 paws up!

Greyce

An Indoor Cat’s Guide to Winter: Tips for Play, Tips for Digestive Matters, and Tips for Handling Your Fur

Hello Everyone,

It’s time for some tips on weathering the winter - 9 in total, one for each of our lives
- 3 tips about toys and playtime,
- 3 tips for deal with digestive issues, and
- 3 tips for handling your fur.

Bully Cat Jack: Suzi' Series 4

Dear Greyce, You know I don’t like Jack. He beats me up and I am afraid of him. I would like him to leave. But I would like him to be placed in a good home. So I need to tell you more about his problems.

I think you might have the impression that Rijko and Jack are littermates or that they came to our home together. They are NOT littermates. Rijko came to our home first (and stayed in the guest room) and Jack joined about a month later (and stayed in the bathroom). Jack was so scared that he did not leave his cat carrier for two months! Then Herself decided he needed to join the rest of us or he would never be socialized. But unfortunately, that just added to my troubles with another bully on the loose.

Even though he has coordination difficulties because of cerebellar hypoplasia, he can climb to the sofa, the chairs and the bed. He cannot climb to the top of the kitchen cupboards (which is one of the reasons I feel safe there).

I think that Jack believes he is playing games but his games are very rough. He just rushes at his target and then he and his play buddy become a furious ball. For example, sometimes Rijko and he stand one against the other, stare and make male sounds, and their tails start to swish back and forth; next thing you know they have formed a ball and are rolling around on the floor together.

When no one plays with Jack, he roams the room making horrible sounds as if he is calling someone. Does this mean he is musical?

Herself assures me that Jack will be leaving but she has a dilemma. Since he attacks/plays rough with Rijko, should they be adopted out together? Or should Jack go by himself? Rijko is friendly and gets along with everyone. Jack is not well-accepted by cats but if he is adopted as an only-cat, will he be lonely?

And by the way, Jack loves to play with anything that is small and can roll.

Oliver's Twists

Dear Greyce, As you can see from my photo I'm an adorable one-year-old Holstein cat and I am VERY spunky. I share my home with four humans and there is usually someone around to keep me company, except at night when I sleep in the basement on my fuzzy blanket on the couch. Everyone tries to take time to play with me and I usually have two play sessions a day (5 to 10 minutes) at morning and at night. I have a variety of toys - fishing pole type (which bore me), mice toys (who cares), balls ( I am SO over them), laser pointer, and the like. What rings my chimes are pipe cleaners tied in a knotted circle (to keep the pointed ends from poking me); I like to hide them under furniture and then seek them out at another time. I even put them in my food and water bowls.


As you can guess, I'm an energetic guy who needs a lot of action. Sometimes when my purrson walks into a room, I will stalk her and then leap out and bite her hard in the legs. Sometimes if she reaches out to me, I bite and don't let go; instead I wrap my body around her arms and bite down hard. Needless to say, she is concerned; so this is a problem for both of us and I'd like your help.

Just in case it is relevant, you need to know the following:


First, I like to bite other things too: wooden things especially the legs of chairs, as well as plastic and rubber (corners of laptops, corners of laundry baskets and rubber slippers). I can't resist rubber slippers. And none of the deterrent sprays (smelly or bitter) can stop me.


Second I stay indoors. There are a lot of wandering cats in my neighbourhood and they even come into my backyard, so my folks don't want cat fights. Besides I get to focussed on whatever it is I am chasing that I don't notice what is happening around me; and that can be dangerous. I am fearless and approach anything I am afraid of; even loud noises don't bother me much. But I am also clumsy - bumping my head when chasing a toy or miscalculating my step and having quite a fall.


And third, like Elvis, I shake - even when I am calm and usually when I am falling asleep or already asleep. I look like I'm shivering. I am completely aware and responsive when I'm shaking, so I don't think I'm having seizures. (At least that is what my vet thinks.)


To be honest Greyce, the biggest issue is my biting my folks. The rest they can live with. What do you advise?

Only On My Terms - The Aloof Cat and The Cuddly Human

Dear Greyce, I am a four-year old, female tabby and have been adopted by a purrson about two months ago. My home is quite fine except for one thing: My purrson is a cuddler and I am not! My prefurrence is to keep to myself and seek attention on my own terms. My purrson, however, has always had cuddly pets and expects me to submit to all sorts of handling. Case in point: I will let her pet me but she overdoes it and I have to snap at her or run away. Even worse, she took me to the vet for nail clipping and the fur really flew! Greyce, I like my new home - even my new purrson, but her habits are getting me down. What do you advise? An Anonymous Tabby

Stimulating Ideas

Well Minoose, I've finally had a chance to continue our discussion of toys, etc. for the active cat in a single-cat household. Readers might remember that Minoose is a very indulged cat whose energy level gets a bit much a time for his purrson -- especially since she is a dog-convert and was quite surprised at how active a young cat could be.