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Feline Facts!


KITTY-CAT OLYMPICS
More ideas to make your cat's life (and consequently, your life) more fun:
* Get a feline companion for your cat -- one with a compatible personality
and a similar activity level.
* Schedule at least one 15-minute interactive play session with your cat
and a fishing pole-type toy each day.
* Install a window perch with a view of the birdfeeder.
* Provide a goldfish bowl or an aquarium to watch when the birds are not
at the feeder.
* Drop a couple of Ping-Pong balls in the bathtub (feline racquetball).
* Slide milk bottle rings or ice cubes across the kitchen floor (feline
ice hockey).
* Stuff cotton socks of varying sizes with cotton balls and catnip.
* Set out something new to explore from time to time like a cardboard box
or a paper grocery bag (without handles).
* Flash a beam of light on the walls and floor of a dimly lit room -- use
a flashlight or a laser pointer (DO NOT point laser beam into the eyes).
* Provide your feline with some cat furniture -- something great to climb,
perch on, and to scratch.
* Get a video made for cats or a wildlife show featuring birds.
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And now for today's tip...
ADDING ANOTHER CAT?
Planning to add a cat to your household?  The introduction process is all-
important.  First impressions can be lasting impressions for felines.  In
the wild, cats take great care to prevent chance encounters with other cats
through scent-marking behaviors.  By "reading" the marked areas, cats can
tell who was there last and at what time he visited the spot.  The territory
can then be used by different cats at different times of the day--the feline
version of time-sharing. In order to get your cat used to the idea of sharing
the home turf with another feline, a gradual introduction is essential.  More
about introductions tomorrow...
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ADDING ANOTHER CAT II
Time and patience are the keys to successfully introducing a new cat into
the household.  The new cat should have a room of his own for a few days.
Exchange the new cat's bedding with that of the resident cat so that they
can become acquainted with each other through the all-important sense of
smell before they have the opportunity to see each other.  Next rotate
rooms.  Let the new cat explore the rest of the house while the resident
cat spends some time in the new cat's room.  When they are relaxed about
this step, crack the door of the new cat's room and let them see each other,
but not be able to push the door open.  Give the cats treats on both sides
of the door.  Two small toys joined with a several inches of string and
slipped under the door will encourage parallel play.  When the cats are
calm in each other's presence, it is time to let the new cat out for a few
minutes.  The length of the visits can be increased gradually each day.
This process may take a few days or a few months depending on the
personalities of the cats.
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CHOOSING THE RIGHT CAT FOR YOUR FAMILY--PART 4
If you already have a resident cat it is important to take this cat's
personality and activity level into consideration before selecting a feline
companion.  If you are too casual about this important decision, your
house may become a war zone.  Keep the following guidelines in mind when
selecting your next family member.  Remember that they are only guidelines
and that there are occasional exceptions to the rule.
*  If you have an adult female who has been an "only" cat for some time,
it is best to get a younger female.  Males, even friendly ones, can over-
power and frighten females.  Male kittens, while more easily dominated by
the female, still grow up to be rambunctious teenagers that engage in a
style of play that involves pounce and wrestle (not a female's idea of fun).
*  If a young active male is your family pet, he would really enjoy having
a male buddy who shares his enthusiasm for vigorous play.
*  A laid-back, older (neutered) male cat may enjoy "mothering" a kitten--
male or female.  They usually make better mother substitutes than spayed
females.  Females, in general, are less accepting of newcomers.
*  Males tend to bond with each other unless both have dominant personalities.
(A dominant cat engages in a lot of rubbing--scent marking--behavior, likes
to rest in high places (for surveillance purposes) and in doorways (to control
the entrance to certain rooms), and shows little or no fear.  Never try to
combine two dominant personalities--they will be in constant competition.
Whatever the combination, a slow, systematic introduction process will help
to ensure that the resident cat and the newcomer will eventually share the
house amicably.
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THE SENSE OF SMELL
The cat's sense of smell, not vision, is its primary resource for
identifying the individuals and objects in its environment.  The cat's
visual acuity is 10 times less than that of humans.  However, they have 200
million odor-sensitive cells in their noses compared to only 5 million for
humans.
Cats live in a sensory world completely apart from ours. The sense
of smell plays a very insignificant role in human relationships and in our
response to our environment, while for cats, it is all-important and may
result in some puzzling and disturbing behaviors.  Consider the following:
1.  The owner puts a scented litter in the litterbox--the cat refuses to
use it.  (Perfume is actually a repellent for cats.)
2.  The owner comes home after visiting a friend and petting her friendly,
lap-sitting cat--she is greeted with hisses and growls from her own cat.
3.  A new piece of furniture is moved into the house.  The unfamiliar scent
is upsetting to the cat and impels it to mark it with its own signature scent.
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