a house of her own

My name is Cory and I have this frequent impulse to scratch the furniture at the house I live in. My human gets pretty mad at me. She even went so far as to get me my own little house, complete with scratching carpet. Well, that didn’t really work, but I included the picture anyway, ’cause it’s pretty cute..

I still go around the house, but mostly during the night, and visit my old scratching places in “her” house. She is pretty mad at me. Help!

Cory

Dear Cory,

First of all, your human made a conscious decision not to do away with your claws because she feels it is an abhorrent procedure and did not want to put you through that. At the same time, she is probably well aware of the scratching-the-furniture needs cats seem to have. Hence your own little house! I would say that is double lucky. However, things may look different to her now that you have exercised cat ignoring to the nth degree.

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 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. Your human might want to get out the nail clippers. You will be wise to accommodate her. Think of it as bonding time.
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 at How to Do Things. Talk about a happy place and you could put it right next to your own special house – call it the patio furniture if you like!

By your very nature, you are going to get into a scratching frenzy somewhere – you might as well choose to use the help your human offers. 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

Be careful what you wish for

Even though you sit at the window for hours in a day, there are good reasons to stay inside!

Press Release

Philadelphia, PA (August xx, 2010) – This summer has been especially bad for coyote attacks on pets across the country. Scientists believe that certain coyotes may be losing their fear of humans and pets because they are around them so much. Scientists also believe that a bounty of food and no natural predators are potential causes for the increase in attacks. Regardless of the reason for the increase, pet lovers are rightfully worried and are left wondering what to do.

Most recently, 4 cats were killed by coyotes in a quiet Florida neighborhood. Shortly after this attack, 3 cats were taken by coyotes in Massachusetts. Coyotes have recently been spotted roaming New York’s Central Park. A Chihuahua puppy in Colorado was taken by coyotes only to be saved by a neighbor’s pit bull. And who can forget Daisy, Jessica Simpson’s 5 year old maltipoo that was snatched by a coyote right in front of her eyes. The sheer horror of watching your pet hurt or injured is enough to make pet owners want to lock their pets inside forever.

Find helpful information at Kritter Kommunity.

Dear Fisher,

Miles here. I am a long-haired dachshund mixed with black lab. I lived on the streets before I was rescued and I taught myself how to sound like a very big dog when I bark. It could be amusing if I didn’t over do.

I love going to the dog park, but it just takes me back to the day I had to defend myself from wilder, bigger dogs. I don’t bite – I just go up to the other dogs and get in their face and bark very loud at them. Other people say, “Whose dog is that?” and my human would like to say, “I don’t know.” I think I need to change some habits here. Any ideas? I really don’t mean to make her uncomfortable.

Miles

Dear Miles,

No kidding? I would love to hear that deep big dog bark coming from you, but I do understand it could make your human very nervous. Or should I say more than a little embarrassed? One day, one of those big dogs may just decide to let you know that his bite is worse than your bark. No one wants that to happen.

Memories come into play when a new situation reminds you of a past, more serious situation. At one point in your life, you probably had to bark loudly to warn other critters to keep away from some new found food. Your mind jumps back to that situation rather than realizing the dog park pack is just there for simple play time. Your barking is no longer appropriate.

The dog park is full of new stimuli and you might just get over excited. Sometimes a dog just wants to keep others out of his space. That is not unlike the human, who becomes uncomfortable when another human gets in their face to have a conversation. The difference being, humans are more likely to step back from the intruder rather than scream in their face.

You are wise to want to curb your barking tendencies when in a group of other dogs. Some things your human can do to help are:

1. Not shouting at you – you may think she is barking along.
2. Use a command like “stop” or “enough” followed by a treat when you stop.
3. Lead you away from the new pack of friends and return when you are calm. Repeat as needed until you realize you would rather play with others than walk away from them.
4. Check out a neat exercise over at How Stuff Works that involves and empty soda can and some pennies.

I hope some of these tips will work for you so you can continue going to the park. You might also want to think about saving your big dog bark for special situations when it is really needed. If you use proper etiquette on a regular basis, your big dog bark will carry a lot more weight. A major deep “aarf“ coming from you will make everyone want to stop what they are doing a listen to what you have to say.

Your friend,

Fisher

Dear Fisher,

I’m obsessed with lizards. I’m an inside Florida cat, but my human lets me go outside on our deck when the weather is nice. He thinks it is good for me to get some fresh air. Or, maybe to air out. I have to be supervised, of course. I wouldn’t purposefully do anything wrong. You know, a cat is a cat.

Anyway, when I see a lizard, I go nuts! I love to catch it and play for a very short while and then I munch on it. Chomp it right down….Yum. They are a tasty delight, but my human get all weirded out and I don’t understand why. They don’t make me kick or anything, so I think they are a great treat. Do you see a problem with this? Will you please tell him it is fine for me to continue my hunt for these luscious morsels?

Thank you for your time.

Domino

Dear Domino,

You must be very dedicated to getting your own dinner snack – those lizards are fast little critters! But I guess it is the game as much as the meal that entices you so. Your particular Florida snacks are called Green Anole (uh’no-lee) or Cuban Brown Anole, which are becoming more prevalent.

As a rule, they are not harmful. They are a vested part of the Florida lifestyle. But…lizards eat fleas and flies who could have tapeworm or other diseases. Like any other food whether for human ingestion or cat ingestion, there is always a possibility the food is not as fresh and pure as it appears.

These creatures live in the wild and can contract diseases from the insects they eat. For instance, one day you could choose a lizard that happens to harbor salmonella. You then become a victim of the bacterial strain most commonly known as food poisoning. This will likely cure you of your lizard hunger. Your digestive system will let you know. Contact your pet doctor immediately if you have any of these symptoms:

1. Lethargy
2. Increased hunger and thirst
3. Any out-of-the-ordinary behavior

Your human can also take a few steps to help you resist those extra calories: Check the plants on your deck to see if they are harboring colonies of little bugs. Moving the plants out into the yard will entice the lizards to move as well. Or, your human can spray the deck with pet safe bug spray to keep insects off. But I suspect you will be more in favor of getting served a civilized dinner before going outside. That may curb your appetite and reduce your infatuation to play only. Learn more about your prey by visiting FloridaGardener.

I have never been able to get close enough to eat a lizard. I am just wondering – do they taste like chicken?

Your friend,
Fisher