Dear Fisher,
I’m a 10 year old tabby. I was a feral kitten before I was rescued and I have a hard time dealing with change. I live with a loving female human and a cat named Scarlett. Six weeks ago my human started putting stuff in boxes. Last week I was put in the cage and moved. We were put into a room with big fluffy pillows, food, water, litter box, toys and recently worn T-shirts that smelled like our human. When all the moving people were gone, our human opened the door to let us out. I’ve ventured out a few times but when I see Scarlett it’s like I don’t know who she is and I hiss and growl. Yesterday we got in quite the fight.
I had displaced aggression disorder many years ago and had to take pills and be in a separate part of the apartment for several months, I don’t want to have to do that again. What should my human do to help me?
Desi ‘perately’ Seeking Soothing
Dear Desi,
Wow! Your human made wonderful moving plans for you and Scarlett. It seems she thought of everything to ensure your comfort and peace of mind. I love the smelly t-shirt idea and if nothing else works, that one is usually a winner. But, as luck would have it, your “other” personality has come out in large order. Once the tiger is unleashed, it takes some time to get it back in the box. That is not by any means to infer you are a cornflake.
Your reference to starting out life in a feral cat environment as well as you bout of displacement aggression indicates that you are having some flashbacks. Stress and fear have now come into play and you will do well to catch up with the present and concentrate on the good life you enjoyed in your recent past. It is true, however, that those first eight weeks of kitten life form intricate personality traits that sometimes hide away and come out when major changes take place. Aggression and avoidance (hiding) are traits established when you were first presented to the world and you are calling them back to help you deal with the stress of a new home.
Some ideas for your human include:
• Talk in a soft, higher pitched voice than normal. “Stroking” you with her voice is very soothing and healing.
• Gentle grooming and massage, along with interactive play a couple of times a day can go far to alleviate stress
• Holding you closely while touring around the new house will help you get more comfortable with the new environment, and if you behave, presentation of some yummy treats will reinforce your decision
• If you continue to blame Scarlett for your predicament, your human might want to visit Cats International for tips on introducing (or re-introducing) cats to each other.
Your human has indeed been a loving caretaker and you will soon realize she has no plans to change.
Your friend,
Fisher
Dear Fisher,
This is me acting like a jungle kitty. I love to climb in trees but I never leave my yard. The other day, I was lurking from the branches and I heard a lot of commotion coming from the yard next door. My human heard it, too, and ran down to help.
Turns out my skittish neighbor cat that rarely gets to go outside escaped from his house, got scared when a car drove by, panicked and ended up in a high tree. It took two days to get him down. What would you suggest to get the situation corrected quicker?
Arielle
Dear Arielle,
Oh dear, that is an event when one of us is up a tree without a parachute. There are two things going against popular opinion here. First is, firefighters will come to the rescue – not so. They are no longer first responders to such emergencies. That is not to say they are not wonderful compassionate human beings, because they are. It is just against company policy. There are still some who will come to help, especially if you live in a small town.
Secondly, the theory that cats always land on their feet, therefore avoiding serious injury, is not true. Cats have always known this. When they are afraid, they tend to dig their claws into whatever they can and hang on for dear life. If their human were to pull them off the tree limb, the human arm would become the object of safety, often causing profuse bleeding. Obviously sending up a helium filled balloon to transfer the cat down would not work either.
A cat’s claws are designed to climb up but not down. If the human rushes to the garage to get the ladder which will likely be too short anyway he may just drive the cat further up the tree. Cats are very resourceful and given time, space and dignity, they can master just about any situation.
Cats also know that the higher up they are, the harder they are going to fall. The overriding issue here is fear. That is how the cat got up the tree in the first place, and fear of falling might keep him there. It will be very helpful if the collection of people gathered on the ground remain calm. Or just go away. The commotion of people and other animals milling about down below can be scary, if not totally embarrassing.
What should your people do and who are they going to call?
1. Do not panic.
2. Have a plan before you need it. Visit Cat in a Tree Rescue for a list of rescue sources in your area. Call early to put them on notice in case you need their services later.
3. Place a bowl of water and some food at the bottom of the tree.
4. Pull up a lawn chair, make yourself comfortable, and read a good book.
And one other thing: do not even try “Here kitty, kitty.” The cat is already embarrassed and scared, but he is not stupid. Kitty can SEE “here” from “there”. Give him a chance to work things out on his own.
Your friend,
Fisher
Dear Fisher,
I’ll get straight to my issue. I am so sick of hearing, “Chuck you are shedding so much!” That’s always followed by the “I thought short hair cats would shed less than long hair cats, and you shed twice as much as Angel.”
Well there you have it. We have a Chuck and an Angel. So who do you suppose the sweet one who never gets into trouble is? Angel is my long-haired housemate who joined us a few years ago. Somehow her shedding isn’t as abundant as mine. I don’t think I can do anything about my shedding, but if you have any answers, I’d sure love to hear them. Thanks!
Chuck
Dear Chuck,
The age-old question of who sheds the most – long-hair cats or short-hair cats has never been resolved. We are all so individual and there are several factors involved in the why and how much a cat will shed. For example, as you grow older, you naturally tend to shed more. As cats age, their skin becomes drier and sometimes even scaly. Your fur may not be as shiny and may even tend to fall out in bunches. Baldness may become more prominent, especially on your belly. Your humans can make a quick check of your skin. If any of these symptoms seem extreme, you must seek the advice of your veterinarian. It could be normal aging, but there could be an underlying problem.
Your humans are likely not mad at you and knew that shedding fur is normal for any cat when they invited you into their home. Change comes to all living beings as they age – even them. As you grow old together, they may be getting a little more irritable and you may be getting a little more prone to sloughing off dead fur. Also with age comes diminished eye sight. For you, not so bad, but for your humans who do not readily see the extra amounts of cat hair floating around, finding a few pieces in their half-eaten bowl of ice cream could lead to a scolding.
There are no procedures to totally eliminate shedding, but there are some simple routines that can help. You need to keep grooming daily in order to help your situation. If you have slacked off, you need to get back on schedule. Your humans, of course, can lend a hand so you will all live happily every after. Here are some tips:
- • Do not give you too many baths. Good news for you! You could become more anxious every time you hear a faucet drip, hence more hair falling out.
• Do not feed cats table scraps. Bad news for you. Eating table scraps can push the limits of a cat’s digestive system which can lead to unhealthy skin – and more shedding.
• Brush your pets regularly (learn more about brushes and combs from
Healthy Pets.)
I would like to leave this thought for both you and your humans: Shedding is a result of your having dead hair in you furry coat. It needs to either fall out in the ice cream bowl or all over the chair, or combed out with much civility. You of course can remove the dead hair with your very spiky tongue, but that leads us to another issue. It is called hairballs. We can discuss that at a later time. Not before my lunch.
Your friend,
Fisher
Dear Fisher,
I am just tired and I feel like an old dog. Pretty soon it’s going to be hot out there and my boy always wants to play like it’s no big deal. I AM older, and I really enjoy a lot of resting around the air conditioned house. But, you know, I sure don’t want to disappoint the lad. He’s still young and full of energy and I am his best friend in the world. Got any ideas?
Sugar
Dear Sugar,
You may be a little on the older side, but certainly wiser for asking. You are right to get rest and not overdo in the heat of summer. My advice is to get up a little earlier each day – before the sun is bearing down and the humidity curls your hair even more.
If your boy is a slow starter, you will have to work on that. Egg him on and do your puppy-hearted best to get him moving with you. A small boy who loves his dog is just as eager to please as you are. He just isn’t aware that too much play can be harmful to you.
- • Always know where your next gulps of water are just in case…and never go romping out in the heat just after a meal. Stay off hot sidewalks if you are a city guy, and if you have your own yard, play in the grass, preferably under a big shade tree. Hopefully that will give you enough room for the morning exercises.
• Don’t go to the beach – no shade trees there!
• As soon as you feel yourself overheating or dehydrating, grab your comb and coax the boy into the house for some quiet grooming time. It is great bonding and by now, he is probably a little tired himself.
• You might want to get a serious haircut if your coat is thick, but never get it shaved down to the skin, lest you want to join the rest of the sunburn crowd.
• Keep your walks to a minimum during the high heat parts of the day and do not stand around on hot asphalt. That can heat up your body very fast and your sensitive paw pads could burn.
• By all means, stay alert for signs of overheating, which can include excessive panting and drooling, mild weakness and elevated body temperature. Sound serious? It is if left unattended, so keep a check on your activities.
Repeat in the evening as the breezes come up and the sun goes down. Stay safe and happy! Go to ASPCA online for more hot weather tips.
Your friend,
Fisher
Dear Fisher,
Hot weather is coming soon and I have a great back yard with a patio and swimming pool. My humans have it covered with screen that they call a bird cage. I think that’s pretty funny because it keeps the birds out and the cat (me) in. I love to stay out there when the weather is nice, but in the summer it gets pretty hot. How do I know when to yowl at the door before I get overheated?
Plato
Dear Plato,
Precaution is a key issue here. Your people need to know that even though you might choose to sleep all day inside the house in a nice warm sun spot, you are protected from direct sun. It is much different if you are outside for long periods of time with the sun beating down on your favorite nap spot on the patio. A good rule of paw is in a quote from Charles J. Brady, “The real measure of a day’s heat is the length of a sleeping cat.”
Stretching your body as you nap helps you cool off. It is true. Should you get trapped in the “cage” while everyone else is inside with the air conditioning, you need to get pretty creative with keeping your cool. A word of caution: stay out of the pool. A word of precaution: your people should install some sort of ramp in case you wander in for a quick swim and suddenly remember you do not know how to dog paddle!
Heat can cause serious harm to all critters. We all know animals should never have to stay in a hot car. Unfortunately, we still hear horror stories. Some of us know that cats can get sunburn because they do not have enough color pigment to protect their skin. A little sunscreen on the tips of the ears and on the nose will help if you really must be out there.
It is very important to monitor your reactions to the heat. Cats exhibit many of the same symptoms as dogs – or for that matter, humans, when they are over exposed to the heat and sun. Panting, anxiety, increased heartbeat and lethargy are some of the early signs of heat stroke. Often cats will drink less rather than more water. You must drink. Order up a water-on-the-rocks pronto if you start to get overheated. And, of course, get inside!
A few good safety tips for your people from Pets America include:
- • Get to know your pets normal pulse, breathing patterns, etc – it helps you recognize pending emergency situations
• Keep animals out of direct sunlight during the heat of the day – if you are uncomfortable, your pet is uncomfortable
• Know the signs of heat stroke and immediately wrap your cat with cool towels and offer an ice cube to lick for re-hydration
• Test the heat radiating from the sidewalk or street on your own two bare feet
Hot summer is not the time to play “where on earth is the cat?” You know you can disappear in front of your humans and it is a good sport for you – sometimes. If your fun and games cause you to spend a hot day in the bird cage, you are not going to get the last laugh.
Your friend,
Fisher
published in tbt Tampa Bay Out There weekend edition
