The Way of Cats

Drawing out scaredy cats is a process where we make a space for the cat that they are too timid to make for themselves. If a cat has been traumatized by ill treatment, or is simply shy and overwhelmed by all the recent changes in their life, we must “turn down the volume” for them so they have a chance to calm down and think.

This will give them more confidence, and they will venture out more and more.

more cat pictures

The first step in a calmer space is to use signals the cat can understand even if they are under stress. Fleeing is the panic mode setting in, and the cat should not be thwarted in seeking hiding places, or dislodged from them if possible.

Rescue Remedy, (see below,) found in health food stores, is a safe, natural calmer that you can put in their water. A Feliway, (see below,) dispenser is like cat pheromones; undetectable to humans, but broadcasts calming messages to the cat. The cat has to calm down before they can think clearly enough to properly interpret our overtures. A perfectly sweet gesture can be misunderstood by a cat who fears the worst, and panicked cats always fear the worst.

We can quicken the process by making our presence reassuring. Before we leave for work, make a fuss about calling them, and leave treats or a toy somewhere, so they can find them and think nicely of us.

Go into rooms where we know they are hiding, and talk softly to them and about them. Get down on the floor when we do this, if possible, or sit in a chair. When they do see us, we will have a lower, less threatening profile. They want to study us, so make it easy for them.

Even if they aren’t there, make a few minutes of playtime. Rattle some toys around, talk about what fun we’d be having… if only they were here.

Be patient with every sighting. Enjoy every second more they accept our presence and find something to enjoy in it. As the process goes further, it will pick up speed.

Some scaredy cats find the wide open spaces of their new home a bit intimidating. Whether they have spent a long time in a shelter cage, or were trying to survive on the street by hiding, many scaredy cats are used to small spaces where at least they knew what was around them and could see it coming.

Help them reorient themselves by giving them their own spaces to hide in. Cat tunnels, a box with a blanket in it, or other spaces that we give to them can coax them out from under the bed. If we have a serious case, we can give then their own room, or even a dog crate, where they have quick access to their litter box, water, and food. This might be what they used to. Even though it is not the ideal we would like for them, we must be patient and let them grow into it. Litter box issues are solved if we give them such easy access, and not making them negotiate territory they are still not sure of.

When we are home, we can feed them special treats, which will help create a bond. This is not being cruel. This is helping the cat feel secure.

There’s one more thing you can do. All cats love to hear their origin stories. We can’t tell the stories without putting love in our voice. Make a bedtime ritual to where ever they are at bedtime, of telling how we got them, and how glad we are.

That might be the first thing they come out to hear.

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I got a tip from a reader about this new way to help cats.

It’s called Freekibblekat. You might have already been noticing the badge in the sidebar. Answer a cat trivia question, and the sponsors will donate cat food to cats in shelters.

Try it!

This site was started by a 12 year old girl in Bend, Oregon. There’s one for dogs, too!

CORRECTION:

An alert reader tipped me off, the Click to Feed program at the Animal Rescue Site is back up! Honest to goodness, it wasn’t there for a couple of days, and I’d read somewhere they were in difficulties. But whatever they were, it’s BACK. The badge is back on this blog, in the sidebar. Please, visit!

So bookmark this site, make it your default for your browser, or click when you visit The Way of Cats.

Tell a friend about it by using this handy graphic:

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Cats are hunters. Their original environment had little vegetation and lots of small animals. Thus, cats are almost solely dependent on meat, and its main components, protein and fat, for what their body needs. Feeding the cat their environmentally proper diet is also known as “Catkins.”

more cat pictures

When I became aware of how cats must have eaten in the wild, I started reading the labels for the food I’d been feeding my cats. I was truly astonished at how many ingredients were grain based, and how low down the list I had to go before the meat products appeared. It’s not like the label makes it easy. Pet food regulations do not allow the word carbohydrate on the label. What the hey!

To get the carb content, pet parents have to take a calculator to that information on the label: 100- (protein+fat+moisture+ash+fiber) = carb content. Those bags I was buying at the supermarket were not much more than enriched, meat frosted, breakfast cereal.

In fact, that’s exactly what it is.

Just as the food industry wanted us humans to eat more convenient, processed foods, the growing number of dogs and cats in urban areas created the same potential market. Thus the pet food industry sprang into action to lecture us about not feeding people food to our pets, and instead buying their product.

Just like with people, the cheapest source of food is grains. Cats, in particular, do not see the appeal of grains. A pioneer father never came back in the cabin to exclaim, “That mountain lion’s gotten into the wheat field again!”

We might get sticker shock comparing the prices of the better food to what we get at the grocery store. But with the high quality food from specialty pet stores or feed stores, we are getting what we pay for. It’s not as expensive as it might seem. My cats ate less of the nutrient dense, better food. I wasn’t going out and having to get it as often.

So when we go searching for better foods, don’t go by reputation or marketing. Go by what the calculator tells us. The less carbohydrates in the food, the more protein and fat we are actually buying. That’s what we should be paying for, since cats need the protein and fat.

The rest will only make them sick.

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More than half of all cat owners have more than one cat. I think there are many factors that contribute to multiple cat popularity. But there are also some serious considerations that have to enter the equation.

more cat pictures

The most cats I’ve ever had at one time is fifteen, and I regularly averaged ten. But this was not a hoarding situation, where mentally disturbed people accumulate cats with no regard for their well-being. This was simply the natural consequence of my love of cats, having enough room to care for them properly, and also having other people in the house who helped with their care and attention needs. Cats were often rotated out to new homes, and, unfortunately, there were plenty of new cats who needed homes.

This last is a huge factor in how many cats a person winds up with. It’s hard to turn around and not discover a heartbreaking situation that an animal lover is moved to alleviate. Kind hearts lead to full houses.

There are many wonderful reasons to have more than one cat. Once we are already serving food, refreshing water bowls, and scooping litter, adding another cat to the routine does not double our workload, but only increases it by a small increment.

Multiple cats enjoy each other’s company, prevents loneliness and anxieties, and eases our training. We communicate with the cats on the level of the cat who is best at it, since they can easily convey our wishes to the other cats. I find cat interaction to be one of the most fascinating and amusing aspects of cat enjoyment.

So the question of “How many are too many?” has to vary for each person. For people unable or unwilling to commit to a cat’s considerable needs for attention and affection, one is too many. For those who enjoy cats, they can have as many as their resources would allow.

Cats are self-maintaining, have few material needs, and spend two thirds of their life sleeping. This means multiple cats are not nearly as demanding as the uninformed might think. The important part, aside from physical needs, is making sure each cat is getting as much attention as they want.

For some cats, who are cat-oriented and have plenty of recreation opportunities, a daily petting session would suffice. Other cats, who thrive on human interaction and want a close relationship, would need a fairly constant stream of communication and exchange.

In human relationships, it is rare for one person to meet all of another person’s needs. This is also true for cats. A person’s present, only cat, might not be as interested in the kinds of interaction their human wants and needs. They can be slow to trust because of past trauma, low key by nature of their personality, or simply not around as much as the human would like. They could be a reserved cat, and their person wants more cuddling. They could be a high-energy cat, and their person needs a break. This is the cat gap, and there is only one solution: more cats!

If we take care to meet each cat’s needs, (Puffy needs support and understanding, Mr. Bond needs intense interaction and puzzles to solve, RJ needs a lot of affection and attention,) and we are able and willing to commit the proper resources to take care of their health, there isn’t any reason for us to hesitate about adding another cat, if we want one.

The least important factor should be worries about what people might say, or if we are perceived as “that crazy cat person.” Other people are not living our lives, despite any eagerness they might have to tell us how to do so. Have we ever noticed how quickly Other People will announce our likes and desires as somehow off-norm? Is there any sensible reason why we should care?

The world would be a very dull place if each of us were just like everyone else. We should devote considerable time and effort into discovering who we really are, and just what makes us happy and fulfilled. Other people collect non-living things like coins or rocks or celebrity autographs. What’s wrong with a collection of living things, which are capable of returning our attention and devotion?

I don’t see any reason to hesitate about increasing the amount of love in the world. It’s that simple.

How many are too many? It’s easy to tell. If we are making our present cats happy, but don’t think we have the time or room to add one, that one would be too many.

But if we want another cat, that’s probably a sign we can handle another cat. Choose carefully, or at least introduce properly, and we will be expanding our cat civilization. We will have more of something we already like.

I don’t see anything wrong with that.

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There’s more ways to care for our cat with The Way of Cats than the article you are reading now. See all of my posts on CAT CARE.