Bring your cat happiness with a catnip kicker

Michael a minute or so after she sniffed the catnip-stuffed toy in my bag. At almost 17 years old she doesn't play quite as much as she used to, so it was a delight to see her enjoy this.

Is your cat a “catnip responder”? Various sources estimate that around 70 per cent of cats are susceptible to the heady effects of a volatile oil found in catnip (Nepeta cataria), a cheap-as-chips, relatively boring looking plant available at most nurseries. Cats that are affected will enthusiastically sniff the plant, rub themselves on it, roll around, drool, and be otherwise playful. Usually the effect lasts a few minutes, after which they are seemingly immune, but the process can start again a bit later.

We can’t ask the cats themselves, but it seems to bring them a little happiness. Last week, one of my lovely clients made a catnip kicker. Sue makes them for her cats, so I asked if she’d share her methods.

Sue’s Catnip Kickers

I created a pattern of a snake and cut it out on a sheet of cardboard (cereal box works well).

Trace the pattern onto your scrap fabric.

With right sides of fabric together sew around the edge, don't forget to leave a gap mid-way as you need to flip it right inside out.

You can add a tongue by sewing in a small piece of ribbon with a V cut at the top.

Eyes can be added by drawing on with a sharpie pen, make them look evil, it is a snake! [Ed: I’ve met some lovely snakes though!]

Once you have sewn your snake, flip it inside out so the pretty fabric is now on the outside.

Now stuff your snake with filling and your dried catnip.

Generously place some catnip in the tail, some midway and some in the head.

It’s almost done, now simply hand sew the opening closed.

You can buy catnip plants from Bunnings, it grows quickly in spring so you will soon be cutting and drying it.

Cut it, put an elastic band around the stem to hold all together and hang in a dry sunny spot, takes up to 2 weeks to dry.

Once dried, crunch it up with your hands and store in a container.

Home grown catnip is far stronger than you can buy anywhere else so be prepared for your cats to go crazy.

You can also make catnip mats, and catnip sausages (below).

You do not need a lot of skill to make the catnip snakes. 

Thanks Sue! As you can see, Mike adores it.

Mike continuing to enjoy the experience.

Redirected aggression in cats

Hero gets a bit frustrated when he sees another cat through the window. 

Last night I was the victim of an attack, from a household member. I woke in the wee hours to hear that gut-churning sound of territorial felines trying to out-yowl each other. It’s not the first time.

We have a new cat in the hood, and he pops over the fence at night and looks through the windows, in the menacing Cape Fear kind of way. The first indication this was happening was an unburied cat stool, just outside the window. It’s the carnivore equivalent of throwing down the gauntlet.

Of course, since this has been happening, Hero has set up camp near said windows, so he can be ready for his Mexican stand-off. Both cats (already fluffy) huff and puff and grow enormous.

Last night Hero was letting out a particularly guttural cry, and looked about three times his normal size when I raced out and found him at the window, the visitor on the other side. But Hero hadn’t heard me over the yowling, so turned suddenly and bit me. Hard. He quickly realised I wasn’t the intended victim, jumped on the table, de-fluffed, and head-butted me.

Redirected aggression is common in cats and is a common topic of discussion on feline forums. Cats can get carried away with their emotions sometimes, particularly when an enemy is on the other side of a barrier. The victim may be another animal or even a human.

In a blog post on this topic, behaviour consultant Ingrid Johnson explains that “then every time they see the ‘victim cat’ the aggressor remembers that state of heightened arousal and attacks again all the while leaving the victim extremely confused and fearful. Sometimes this can be fleeting but in more cases than not the aggressor cat continues to attack the victim during almost every interaction they encounter.” (You can read the full blog post here). 

Yes.

Years ago, Michael and her former catmate Lil were observing a cat walking down the street and both growling, but they couldn’t get outside to defend their territories. Then before I knew it, Mike, whose yowling had reached a crescendo, turned and in her excitement biffed Lil one, and it was on. For the next WEEK it was like they were suddenly strangers to one another. I invested in pheromones, cat grass, cat nip, any form of distraction I could think of, and separated them. They settled down, thank goodness. I was a wreck. Feline politics are stressful for everyone, and male feline stress is even more worrisome as male cats stress out and then get urinary tract disorders which can be potentially life-threatening. I digress.

The thing is, in many cases people don’t realise their cat is redirecting aggression because they don’t witness the visitor – they just see the cat getting worked up for apparently no reason and feel incredibly hurt (physically and emotionally) if they are attacked in the process. Its particularly worrying if cats continue to behave this way, and may require consultation with a veterinary behaviourist (see this excellent post by icatcare on feline aggression). 

Fortunately, it was clear in this situation what was going on.

What to do? I think diplomacy works best. I went to the new cat’s house (he was very sweet and greeted me at the door, figure-eighting me and being thoroughly delightful) and had a chat with the neighbours about it. We’re working on some strategies including cat curfews. Of course Hero was well and truly breakfasted and tucked back into bed while this meeting was held. Don't you wish sometimes your cat knew just how much you did for him or her? I'm limping around the neighbourhood trying to minimise his stress, and he's in bed where I'd really like to be!

Meantime, have you ever wondered why cats don’t wear shoes? Veterinary specialists Richard Malik and Andrea Harvey tackled this curly question in The Conversation. I love the Wolverine analogy.

Book review: The Trainable Cat. Plus that Downward Dog video and dogs day out.

Hero and I will be trying out the key skills in this book.

“[Vet] visits are essential for keeping your cat in tip-top health, but your cat cannot know this, and you cannot afford to simply take the attitude that what happens at the vet’s stays at the vet’s. You may be able to forget the struggle your cat put up while being examined, your vet may be able to dismiss it as one of the expected hazards of the job, but your cat will not forget so easily.” (Bradshaw and Ellis, 2016:225).

Some wise words from my new favourite book. One of the most offensive things I do on a daily basis, in fact multiple times per day – at least from the point of view of my feline patients – is to remove them from the cat carrier to examine them. Some cats will walk out voluntarily, and proceedings are ALWAYS better. 

They have a sense of control. But those that don’t resort to all sorts of behaviours which make this a struggle – adopting the “starfish” position. Digging in. Curling up and becoming heavier than titanium.

If you lived with a cat, plan on living with a cat, know someone who lives with a cat, or don’t live with a cat but you’re interested in animal cognition and learning, you will love The Trainable Cat: How To MakeLife Happier for You and Your Cat by John Bradshaw and Sarah Ellis.

Hero has the crazy ears in this photo because he was about to chew on the book.

This book is not a book about training your cat to do stunts or tricks. Rather it recognises that we expect cats to adapt to our world, even when it goes against their natures. They do a pretty good job, but sometimes it overwhelms them.

It may shock readers to learn that, “lacking the necessary brain structures, cats must logically perceive their relationships with their owners (and with each other) in a far simpler way that we conceive of our relationships with them” (p14). That does not mean they’re not intelligent – it means we have to learn how cats learn. (And yes, it’s also unlikely that cats can be devious, spiteful or scheming – a myth that unfortunately is associated with very unhelpful punishment of cats – the authors explain why this inevitably fails to change their behaviour).

The book opens with a discussion of feline evolution and ethology. How do they live in the wild and what are their natural behaviours?

It provides a core set of key stills, all outlined in one chapter, that can be used to help cats cope with a range of challenging yet common situations (outlined in the other chapters): adapting to an indoor lifestyle, dealing with being touched, going to the vet. And the carrier. As far as I am concerned these authors have nailed it: there is an entire chapter on how to get your cat in (and out) of the cat carrier. There is even a beautiful flow chart.

If every cat owner read this book and applied these principles, the welfare of their cats would be excellent – and the bond between cats and owners would be stronger – to the benefit of both parties. This weekend, I'm making Hero a toolbox, and investing in a more suitable carrier.

Meantime, on an anthropomorphic note, check out this video, “Downward Dog”. As one of my colleagues said, they weren’t 100 per cent sure about it – but it says a lot about human behaviour. Its 11 minutes so you’ll need a cup of tea. We’d love to hear your thoughts.

Finally, if you’re in Sydney this weekend with a canine friend or two, the Pawfect Day Out will be held at the Vic on the Park on Sunday from 2-5pm. More info here. 

What do cats like scratching the most?

Hero rubs his face all over his catnip-infused corrugated-cardboard furniture-sparing scratching station. Adjacent to his scratchy mat. Life is good.

Horizontal, vertical, multi-levelled, tall or short: what kind of scratching post do cats prefer?

Our friends at Companion Animal Psychology have shared the news here.

The key conclusion?

“The ideal scratching post to recommend to a cat owner to help prevent inappropriate scratching is one that includes rope as a substrate, is upright vertical, 3 ft or higher, has two or more levels and a base width of between 1 and 3 ft.” 

BUT…remember among felines there is individual variation. For example, in our house, such scratching posts are ignored. Especially if they were expensive (there seems to be a rule with cats whereby their enthusiasm for something you buy for them is inversely proportional to what you paid for it). Corrugated cardboard is all the rage here, and there needs to be a lot of it (it’s also cheap which confirms the aforementioned feline-onomics rule).

Mike and Hero are also big time horizontal scratchers, so they dig shag pile rugs, scratchy doormats and carpet. Because Michael is older and has a touch of arthritis, her claws are particularly long and she gets them caught in things. I trim them regularly.

I would also add that I am fairly realistic when it comes to the furniture. I don’t take the risk – I use throw rugs and doonas to protect furniture from claws, paws and little tiny hairs that I seem to find everywhere anyway (which is why I need this book).