Are you inexperienced with felines, yet considering adding a cat or kitten to your household?
Look over the articles we’ve shared for the last few weeks here. We’ve got advice and encouragement for you! We think adopting a cat or kitten for the first time—for any time—is important business . . . for you and for the feline. We want to help!
I’ve asked on social media for suggestions from cat lover friends, including their answers to the questions that first-time . . . or gazillionth-time . . . adopters often ask. This week, we’ll talk about a critical subject: house training—plus thoughts on new cat foods that claim to reduce allergic reactions in humans. In conclusion, I ask: can cats be trained? The responses may surprise you.
House training—what works?
Cheri Spaulding (Oregon) Make litter boxes. The commercial ones are too small. I bought a large tote and cut (with pruning scissors) an opening for the cat to step into it.
https://youtu.be/n_KBWzHvNn4
Debra Hewson Hunt (Washington) I use a large kennel with the litter box at one end. They’re held, loved, introduced to sounds and sights, but then placed back in the kennel. They catch on fast, then [they are] transferred to the Cat Room.
Sonia Fetherling (Illinois) Try different litters, multiple boxes (best are usually uncovered), ensure litter is deep enough, scoop once or more times daily!
Teri Stripes (Washington) I’ve had a couple of cats who’ve stopped using their litter box (not medically related or [because it was] too dirty, which are common challenges)—they go through a retraining period. Smaller space to roam (one room or large tiered cat kennel) until they become reliable, and I’ve entirely removed the spots they marked. Then I give them more room to roam with time limits, much like house-training a puppy or litter-training a kitten. After we lost our dog, our six-year-old cat suddenly stopped using her litter box. Her best buddy crossed the rainbow bridge days before this behavior cropped up so, best we could figure, she was grieving. After I got married, my eight-year-old cat started pooping on my husband’s side of the bed. In both cases, we were able to correct the problem, but it took months of diligence.
Lisa Elliott Jankanish (Washington) Two years ago, I found Skoon. It is a non-clumping litter that dries up the feces and absorbs the liquid. I believe they also sell disposable boxes. The odor control is the absolute best of anything I have ever used. It is a subscription service. It doesn’t look like other litters. The particles are large. My kitty had no trouble switching.
Steven Cogswell (Colorado) My cat, Jett, has asthma, and the dust of traditional clay litter is an irritant for him, so we switched to a corn-based litter: World’s Best Cat Litter. We use the unscented version because the perfumes in some cat litter are also hard on his lungs. Because of the dogs, I needed a covered litter box, but when I didn’t keep up with the cleaning (which was more often than I like to admit), the cover held in the ammonia, which is also a lung irritant. So we took the plunge and bought the Litter Robot—a covered, automatic litter box. It has been worth the upfront cost. It is an odd shape (sort of like a cement mixer), so I don’t know if it would be great for initial house training, but it only took Jett about half a day to adjust to it.
Lori Leah Monet DVM (Colorado) Fine litter works best. Logically, would you like to sit on pointed rocks when you pee? If I need an attractant, Dr Elsey’s Cat Attract, but usually the [litters] all work equally without. Paper? Really? Holds odors and any newspaper in the floor is fair game later. Pine? Cats hate oily odors. And besides, do cats ____ in the woods? Okay, they do but . . .
Pretty Litter works well . . . kinda expensive. Had one cat that preferred empty, and we tilted [the litter box] so the urine flowed to one end and and could be wiped out. One box per cat plus an extra. Automatic scoop makes my life easier. Mama usually teaches them, so that isn’t a problem. No tops especially with multiple cats because they allow ambush. Old carriers without the tops for older arthritic cats. A new copy of Cat Fancy for those days they need extra time and something to read.
Photo by Mandy Collins
Cat foods claimed to reduce allergic reactions in humans—yes or no?
Ruth L. Heller DVM (Pennsylvania) Theoretically, some food make-ups may reduce the percent of allergen in cat dander. I’m not convinced it does enough to actually affect allergies. Feed your cat what they do well on and what gives them healthy skin. Continue strategies to reduce the amount of dander—i.e., damp-toweling or rinsing cats daily. To be honest, I had a cat I was horribly allergic to. A damp towel rubdown daily and we were fine.
Michel Berner (Wisconsin) I have mild cat allergies and two house cats. I tried the allergy food for four months and noticed that I was less congested in the mornings (one cat likes to sleep above my head). It’s really expensive for the kibble, but the cats really like it.
Summer Storm Kingery DVM (North Carolina) The studies are decent, but it’s going to depend on how sensitive [you are]. It’s improved the lives of some of my patients where the client or a family member wasn’t horrifically allergic, but suffered chronic congestion and eye watering, leading to the cats’ being confined to a room or porch or outside. The allergen-reducing diets have reduced human symptoms enough that cats can humans can share living space.
Julie Ellingson (California) Honestly, I think daily grooming (dampen with a washcloth and use your brush and comb to remove loose hair and dander) has a lot more bang for your buck. “Clean” solves many issues.
Can cats be trained?
Janet Velenovsky (Virginia) I train cats all the time—both my own and my clients’. Marker/reward training, shrimp or chicken or whatever the cat likes as a reward. I don’t use a clicker, not usually. I make a tongue click. I have taught them touch, sit, down, and go to mat as well as stay off the counters.
Kim Campbell Thornton (California) We taught our cats to come when called by whistling whenever we set down their food (the Pavlov method). Very soon they came to that whistle. They taught the following cats and even our first dog.
Kir Carlson (Illinois) I clicker-train my cats and foster cats. I use chicken baby food as a reinforcer. (They get this only for training or taking pills.) I have found clicker training is also helpful in socializing feral kittens. Target training is a great place to start with any animal. For training them to wear a harness, teach them to “target” the harness and shape this behavior until you get them to put their head through and [go to] every step of fitting them to wear one. Wearing a harness feels very unnatural to cats, so reinforce them for just wearing it and keep it short at first with little distraction. Harness training is a process and depends on the socialization of the particular cat in question. Some are more fearful of novel objects and experiences. Be sensitive to their stress signals and keep it positive. If they are too stressed, then go back a step. In this regard, it is similar to training dogs, but cats are often more sensitive than dogs and not as eager to train. Cats were not bred for work or compliance so more patience is needed. If they are not used to being outdoors, trying to put a harness on them and bring them outside can be a very scary and negative experience for them, so best to start slow and positive.
Lynn Honeckman DVM (Florida) My Chantilly cat could do so many of the same tricks my Bailey (sheltie) could do. She joined in many training sessions because she was very easily motivated. She figured that if the dog was getting treats, then she wanted them, too. I used luring and capturing techniques with her and taught her to come to a whistle, sit, sit pretty, spin to left and right, offer paws for nail trims, run through a tunnel, sit on a platform, and jump through a hoop. She loved it all!!!
Curious about cats and wondering where you can meet them?
Ask your local animal shelter what they offer. Many animal shelters have “cat rooms” where visitors can observe and possibly even interact with a social group of adoptable cats in a safe, enclosed environment, supervised by knowledgeable staff and volunteers. Cat cafés have recently become quite popular outreach/adoption centers for humane societies, so check one out for a good cause. Enjoy a latte and a snack while you watch some cats being cats!
