Amy Shojai

What Cat Lovers are Asking this Week…

• Q:

  I have a four-month-old kitty and she ignores me constantly. She wasn't ignoring me in the past because I fed her and her brothers and her mom. But now, when I call her or want her attention, she runs away and ignores me. She'll go to my husband or my mom, or just continue playing with her brothers. I pick her up whenever I want, kiss her, and give her hugs. Tell me what am I doing wrong and what should I do, so she will come to me when I call her name. Tell me what to do, I'm desperate!

  A:

  What do you do when she runs away or ignores you? I suspect that you go after her, perhaps chase, and then scoop her up for hugs and kisses? Kittens younger than four months love to cuddle and lap-sit. They tend to be little love bugs. But they grow up and the behavior changes from this baby attitude. By age four months, kittens love active play and they become very good at teaching humans to play these games (and kittens can be sneaky about it, too!). Your kitten probably loves to play keep-away and chase games with you—and has turned you into her favorite playmate! It’s much more fun for her to get you to chase and come after her, than to respond and come when you call for lap snuggles. The kitten may more willingly go to your husband and mom because they don’t indulge in the chase games, and to get their attention, she has to go to them.
  
  I’d suggest you turn the tables on this kitten. Try ignoring her for a change. She may be the type of kitty that would rather control the interaction and approach on her own terms. So sit quietly and don’t call out to her, but then have smelly treats or a favorite feather toy available for when she DOES approach on her own. You’ll need to make being near you the most special place in the world. Get a fishing pole toy with a long ribbon or feather on a string so that she can also play with you but from a distance. Be prepared for her personality to continue to mature and change as she grows up. She may eventually return to enjoying the lap snuggles, but there are no guarantees. Some cats simply enjoy moving around and being athletes too much to sit still.

  show
• Q:

  I have an eleven-month-old cat, Sharee, and I breed Pomeranian dogs as well. Sharee’s best friend is May Bell, a three-month-old pom. May is leaving Saturday to go to her new home. I am very worried how this is going to affect Sharee. The two of them play all of the time. How do I help Sharee through this major loss? I do not want her to go into a depression; she is such an outgoing playful little girl. I would appreciate any advice you can give me.

  A:

  That’s so sweet that the cat and puppy are such good friends. And it’s unfortunate that the two must be separated. I can’t predict how Sharee will react. Some pets surprise us and carry on as if nothing happened, while others do go through a mourning process that takes time to resolve. I’d suggest that you take a hand towel and rub all over May Bell, to infuse the towel with the puppy’s scent. Then leave this scented reminder for Sharee for the first several days after the pup’s departure. If there are toys that the pup routinely played with/scented, those also can be helpful for you to indulge in some interactive games with the cat. Hopefully Sharee will adjust quickly. And how absolutely WONDERFUL that you have a puppy-loving cat in the house to help socialize these lovely dogs to kitties. May Bell will be a much better adjusted dog in her new home, all thanks to her kitty friend. You may wish to send a Sharee-scented object home with May Bell to help the puppy adjust, as well.

  show
• Q:

  Can you tell me why my Abyssinian, Rudy, runs around like crazy; stimulating my other two Aby cats to join him specifically after he finishes his meals? They all eat side by side, sometimes a little competition but nothing aggressive toward each other while eating. But as soon as they are finished, Rudy gets nuts and runs around, slipping and sliding on the wood floors and then the other two chime in. This lasts about ten minutes, then they groom and fall asleep.

  A:

  Wow. This isn’t necessarily a common behavior of cats. However, this high-energy breed can be incredibly active, and cats love routine. I suspect that Rudy may have developed this technique/game accidentally—he felt sooooooooooo good after that great meal and full tummy that he dashed around for joy. Maybe Rudy used this to lure them away from the food bowls and get an extra share. But in any event, the behavior now has become ritualized and the cats may simply go into a sort of automatic behavior after meals because they’ve done it so long.
  
  Bottom line—Rudy gets the “zooms” after meals because it feels so darn good to play. And the other cats join in because Rudy’s fun is contagious, his motion stimulates them to chase, and they don’t want to be left out. I’m delighted to hear that the romp ends with mutual grooming, and then sleeping off the food/play binge. This sounds like a wonderful three-cat relationship.

  show