Cats and Inappropiate Behavior

This time of year our rescue would love to announce, nay, shout from the rooftops, that adoptions are going great and our intake numbers are decreasing. Would that not make a wonderful holiday sentiment? To have irrefutable proof that people are opening up their hearts and homes to new forever family members.

Alas, that is not the case this year. Our adoptions are far being exceeded by the number of cats that we are intaking. Most of the cats we are intaking have been dumped at area shelters due to behavior problems. We are seeing an increase in straight to our rescue owner releases as well. Why? Because people are not taking the time to ask themselves a few simple questions to aid in behavioral difficulties.

I will even make it easier- I will supply the questions... how about that? Imagine, if more people, gracious, even if just ten per cent of people who turned out and/or away their cats during this time of the year, then rescues could have the space to intake in lost or abandoned cats, not just oh, my parents did not want me anymore cats.

By simply answering some of these questions, you could be helping to save your cat's life. After all, not every rescue, can take in every cat. Furthermore, armed with these questions, you could share this knowledge with others.

The first question really consists of several- what is the age, sex, clawed or declawed, spayed or neutered information about the cat. What is the personality of the cat? How does the cat get along with other family members and/or new people that come over? The first question should be basic fact gathering.

After the first fact gathering information has been provided and processed, the second step or line of questioning is to define the problem. What specifically is the problem? How long has the owner had the cat? For how long has this cat been exhibiting this problem? When and where does the inappropriate behavior take place?

The next cluster of questions to ask is more investigative. Under what circumstances, what type of situation do or does the behavior happen? Are there other people or animals around? What is going on in the home prior to each episode of inappropriate behavior? How often does the cat exhibit the behavior? Can you identify a pattern to the behavior such as every time Tomcat comes home, Cattina goes straight to the curtains and sprays? Ask yourself why? Does Tomcat only spray when the vacuum is being used? How much and what type of attention does the cat receive from you, other household members, to include other pets? Please do not just say- that is it- Tomcat stays, Cattina, you are gone.

Now that you have asked yourself basic, definitive and investigative questions regarding the behavior, it is time to ask yourself the treatment options/questions.

What treatment methods have been tried? Is everyone in the home on board with attempting treatment? Is treatment being sought or is punishment being doled out?

Have you taken the cat to a veterinarian? Have tests been done?

Armed with the answers to some or all of these questions can allow for the inappropriate behavior to be nipped in the bud. Or at least corrected. Maybe Cattina does not like Tomcat's smell... maybe Tomcat is scared of the vacuum. Maybe Tom and/or Cat have a urinary tract illness that can be cleared up with antibiotics. Once options are tried, and you find that the situation still has yet to be resolved to your satisfaction, consider contacting an animal behaviorist for further advice.

Please do not just dump the cat to be someone else's problem. Do your due diligence as a pet owner first.