Dear Fisher,

My name is Rasta and I have this frequent impulse to scratch the furniture at the house I live in. My humans get pretty mad at me. They got a new sofa for the guest room and I just couldn’t help digging my claws into the woven stripes. I like the dark blue ones the best because I thought it wouldn’t show up so much. Well, that wasn’t really true.

My humans rarely go into the guest room, so of course, I could get my fix and be free to do my work without them getting mad at me. But then, the dreaded company was going to show up, and that ruined everything. Now I am in trouble. They are pretty mad at me. Help!

Rasta

Dear Rasta,

You are in more luck than you might think. First of all, your humans made a conscious decision not to do away with your claws because they feel it is an abhorrent procedure and did not want to put you through that. At the same time, they were probably well aware of the scratching-the-furniture needs cats seem to have.

However, things may look a little differently to them now that you have exercised your creative side. How nice that you decided on only the dark blue stripes. That does show some sort of consideration for the new sofa and the dreaded guests. In the old day, everyone thought cats were color blind. Later, scientists studying color-blindness in cats found first, that cats are not color blind, and second, cats just do not give a hoot about color. So, I commend you for your rare insight (no pun intended).

Cats scratch for various reasons. Glands between your toes give off a secretion with a distinctive odor to you. You just signed your name to that sofa. Cats are at home just about anywhere once they cordon off their own happy places. It really is a natural response to a new piece of furniture in the house.

Sometimes, cat scratching is just a way to get rid of your old molting claws. This is a grooming decision you might have made for yourself. I do caution you though, that if you make too many like decisions, the kitty toenail clippers will come out to help! It is not such a bad thing once you get used to it. Nail clipping by your humans can go a long way to dissolve the anger over the new fringed furniture. If they decide to make a habit of helping you with your grooming, you will be wise to accommodate them.

On the really upside of all this, you may be the proud owner of a new spectacular scratching station made just for you. Check this out. I found a way for your humans to build you a scratching post to beat all scratching posts. It is made from a 4-foot wooden ladder, wrapped with about 600 feet of ¼ inch un-oiled manila rope. Remember to mention that oiled rope can be toxic to cats. Get a few Berber carpet tiles, round shaped plywood, a staple gun, a few carriage bolts, and a drill. Walla! Get complete directions at CAWS. Talk about a happy place!

Both you and your humans should take a look at the decision not to de-claw and feel good about it. By your very nature, you are going to get into a scratching frenzy somewhere in your house. They will do well to provide you with the place. There is really not much else they can do. Getting mad at you will not help at all. As for punishment, there really is no humane way to punish a cat. They are just being cats and rarely understand what all the fuss is about.

Your friend,

Fisher

published in tbt* Tampa Bay

Dear Fisher,

We are writing to you to see if you can give us an easy way to lose weight so our humans would quit obsessing over it all the time. We are Burt and Tammy and we really don’t do a lot of running type exercises because we have these short little legs and we look silly. We also enjoy eating good food when our humans gave us their leftovers, but then suddenly they decided that we were getting a little on the fat side. So now we have this kind of double whammy where we are expected to eat healthy dog food instead of macaroni and cheese with hamburger thrown in. And, we are expected to go outside and play in the back yard. That does not include a slow walk to the end of the fence and then back again. They want us to run around the entire yard.

Of course we want to please, but we feel we are too old to change our ways. What do you think we can do about this? It is not fun!

Burt and Tammy

Dear Burt and Tammy,

No, it is not fun to go from cheeseburgers to dog food. But, I have to tell you, it sure is better for your health. I am guessing your people have not brought out the new toothbrushes yet? Healthy eating goes a long way toward helping with dental hygiene.

You two will do well to reverse your thought processes. Instead of thinking you are being punished because your humans would like you to do a little exercise, you might want to look forward to the play time as just having fun. If you walk to the end of the yard on occasion, you might want to raise the number of occasions. It isn’t so much that they want you to start lifting weights or jogging down the street past that super-jock dog you know will laugh at you; it is that they are concerned for your health and want you around for a long time. Your humans will do well to offer you praise for your efforts. You might visit www.dogplay.com for fun ideas for you and your humans to get more exercise together.

When you and Tammy are put outside to play in the yard, think of something that is actually fun. Chasing a ball or Frisbee is good sport. Start slowly and then build up to the point where you can play longer with less exhaustion. Do not go straight for the strenuous exercise thinking it will work faster to get you fit. It will wear you out faster and increase the absolute dread of ever exercising again!

There are many maladies that can come from overeating and under exercising pets. You and your humans might want to start out by having a good chat with your vet just to do a check up on the state of your health.

As far as the eating goes, try very hard to eat well, eat less, and eat less more often. That way you have some time in between to digest your food and let some of the calories work for good. It is a change, but you might just find yourselves feeling better and more energetic. Then think about the fun it will be when you do your perky little dog jog past the super-jock dog down the street. Your confidence alone will stop his giggles.

Your friend,

Fisher

published in tbt* Tampa Bay

Dear Fisher,

My name is Tabby and I am a recently rescued kitty. That’s exactly why I have a problem. I live with a family of 2 adult humans, 2 young kids and 1 cat. The cat Tiger was also a rescue kitty, but he seems to have forgotten what that was like. Talk about Lord of the Manor!

I am a male cat, about 2 years younger than Tiger. They suspect he is 5 years old now and has lived with them for 1 year. Tiger acts like he doesn’t want me around at all. He likes to attack me and he doesn’t care if the children are around or not. The adults worry the kids will get caught in the crossfire, and I guess I would be the one to go if anything bad happened to them. I also worry about the kids and about being ousted from a home I could really learn to love. What should I do to help solve this situation?

Tabby

Dear Tabby,

Congratulations on your recent rescue! I would caution you to not try too hard to make everything perfect right from the get go. That is more than your new family should expect and causes a lot of undo stress for you. They must give extra and equal attention to you both. Know that they would not have taken you in if they did not want you. Truth be known, Tiger probably wanted a little brother, too, before he actually got one.

The socialization factor plays a large role depending on the extent of Tiger’s homelessness (and yours). Cats can be pretty territorial and if either of you were kittens when separated from your potential societies, it is tough for you to start sharing time and space with another cat. All involved must accept the fact that you may never be close pals, but if you can reach a “tolerable” relationship, it will benefit your whole household.

If the unexpected attacks continue, one of you should be put in time out for awhile. Then, your humans can gradually re-introduce you to one another very slowly. If you are chosen for the separation, do not despair. Do not feel picked on. Remember the safety of the children is involved and so is the future of your happiness. Think of it as an honor to be chosen the most valuable player in the solution.

Perhaps Tiger will have to take his turn at separation, too. That would be the best way to handle things. Neither of you are really at fault, so you should each take a turn. Only when each of you gives up the need to rule the roost will you be able to co-exist. This can take awhile. It is best for you to remain calm and not display any fear of either Tiger and his attacks, or having to leave the house. Fear makes you look weak, and for now, Tiger is probably playing off that attitude.

Your adult humans must be very careful not to get in the way if you two are involved in a cat fight. Since the little kids are around this display, they must also be instructed to slowly walk away from the melee. There are some other ways to stop your battle, according to information found at the Humane Society your humans might find interesting.

First they could use a small water gun and squirt water at the two of you. Think of this as a way to cool off your tempers. A second try could involve tossing small soft toys at you. If you are very lucky, the toys may also contain some catnip, which can be a great “equalizer” as you may both get very limber and sleepy. Not a bad idea for either of you!

Your friend,
Fisher

published in tbt* Tampa Bay