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happyhealthycats · 10 hours
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via Animal Emergency Center of Minnesota
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happyhealthycats · 11 days
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Cat House Palooza
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happyhealthycats · 12 days
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Cat House Palooza
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happyhealthycats · 15 days
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[Image Source]
6 Harmful Myths About Cat Behavior That Need to Change
Myth: Cats can’t be trained
Some people think cats are aloof, distant creatures that just do whatever they want. Their behavior can’t change because they’re naughty and there’s no way they can learn to do anything we want them to do. They could never be trained to do cool tricks or useful behaviors like dogs.
Fact: You absolutely can train cats… and it’s fun!
Cats are much more trainable than you’d think they would be. They’re really great at picking up on patterns so they will very quickly learn what gets them something they really want. In fact, you likely have trained your cat to do things you don’t want them to do by accidentally giving them attention. It’s one of the many reasons I don’t recommend using a squirt bottle to try to train your cat: the cat may think the squirt bottle is a fun game or like the attention from you. They may end up doing the behavior you’re trying to stop more. There are better ways that will actually work!
My favorite method of training cats is clicker training, though there are other ways that focus on teaching the cat what you want them to do rather than what you don’t want them to do. These methods, which try to increase wanted behaviors by giving the cats rewards for doing them, are called positive reinforcement based training methods.
Side note: One pet peeve of mine is when people call methods like squirt bottles, remote activated compressed air canisters, or even shock collars “negative reinforcement.” The term “negative reinforcement” actually refers to something that would increase a behavior. What people are talking about is actually positive punishment, meaning something is added and a behavior decreases.
Nerdy aside out of the way, what does training cats look like? Really anything you want it to! Cats can be trained to do almost any behavior they’re physically capable of doing, though more complex behaviors are going to be a bigger challenge. One of my favorite cat trainers is Melissa Millet of the Ultimutts. She trains cats for movies and TV shows. Her cats know how to do all sorts of cool things including riding on a scooter!
Interested in training your cat? A great place to start is the book The Trainable Cat. You can also consider getting a clicker training kit as many have a basic instruction manual on what to do.
[Read Full Article]
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happyhealthycats · 15 days
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Associations between Laser Light Pointer Play and Repetitive Behaviors in Companion Cats: Does Participant Recruitment Method Matter?
One common form of play between companion cat guardians and cats involves the use of laser light pointers (LLPs). Although viewed by many as an enjoyable shared interaction, experts have suggested that it may increase the risk of compulsive behaviors. Our earlier study recruited participants through social media to examine the relationship between LLPs and potential abnormal repetitive behaviors (pARBs). Because of possible biases in this form of recruitment, this study was conducted utilizing Amazon Mechanical Turk. A total of 468 responses (54.5% female, 44.0% male, 1.5% nonbinary) were analyzed. Significant associations between the frequency of LLPs and the occurrence of spins or tail chases, chasing lights or shadows, staring “obsessively” at lights or reflections, and fixating on a specific toy were found. Additional associations for these pARBs included declaw status, cat age, and number of cats in the household. Despite differences in recruitment method, the primary conclusions of the two studies were the same: guardians frequently using LLPs with their cats reported significantly more pARBs. These results suggest that LLPs may be associated with compulsive behaviors in cats.
[Read Full Study (Paywalled)]
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happyhealthycats · 20 days
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Neutering is Not Associated With Early-onset Urethral Obstruction in Cats
Objectives
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the correlation between clinical aspects and urethral lesions with reproductive status and age at neutering in obstructed male cats.
Methods
All cats with compatible signs of urethral obstruction (UO) treated at the Veterinary Hospital of the Federal Rural University of Pernambuco from 2019 to 2021 were divided into three groups according to their reproductive status: intact; prepubertal neutered; and post-pubertal neutered. Cats with compatible signs of UO were selected for further analysis. Age, clinical signs, age at neutering and age of the first obstructive event were documented. Cats with recurrent obstructive urinary signs or urethral trauma that made catheterization impossible were referred for perineal urethrostomy. The morphology of the excised penises was assessed by histopathological analysis.
Results
Of 84 cats with signs of UO included in this study, 28.6% were classified as intact, 28.6% as prepubertal neutered and 42.8% as post-pubertal neutered. Intact cats had a significantly earlier onset of UO compared with prepubertal and post-pubertal neutered cats, as seen by the age at obstruction (3.6 vs 5.7 and 5.5 years, respectively). Similar clinical signs and histopathological lesions were observed in all groups. The main clinical signs observed were stranguria, hematuria and pollakiuria. All cats had some degree of injury in the penile urethra. The most common lesions were hemorrhage, fibrosis and congestion.
Conclusions and Relevance
It appears that intact cats had an earlier onset of UO than neutered cats, regardless of age at neutering. Urethral histopathological lesions and clinical signs were similar in both groups. Pediatric neutering represents a useful tool in the control of abandoned and stray animals and the consequent dissemination of zoonoses, thus having a positive impact on public health.
[Read Full Study]
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happyhealthycats · 30 days
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Source: Fundamentally Feline
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happyhealthycats · 30 days
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happyhealthycats · 2 months
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source: Simakov Veterinary Teleradiology
Genetic Welfare Problems of Companion Animals: Scottish Fold Osteochondrodysplasia
Osteochondrodysplasia is a developmental abnormality that affects cartilage throughout the body. It is this that causes the abnormal ear shape in Scottish fold cats. Its effects in other parts of the body, especially the limb bones, are much more serious, causing severe distortion of limb bone shapes and severe arthritis. The disease can be apparent in animals as young as 7 weeks and persists throughout life. It causes crippling, lameness and serious chronic pain. There is no cure. Cessation of breeding from any cats with folded ears would eliminate this condition very promptly.
Scottish Fold Cats
Scottish Folds are a breed of cat generally known for their folded ears and ‘round’ appearance. The first Scottish Fold cat was born in Scotland in 1961 with a genetic mutation which caused her to have folded ears.
Due to this mutation, Scottish Folds have serious health problems that cause pain and poor welfare. We’d advise against getting a Scottish Fold if you are thinking of getting a cat. Read on to find out more.
Scottish Fold Disease - Osteochondrodysplasia
The Scottish Fold breed of cat has a genetic mutation that affects the development of cartilage. The most obvious outward manifestation of this is making the ear cartilage fold so the ears bend forward, giving the cat its characteristic appearance.
Unfortunately, the genetic defect that causes abnormality of the ear cartilage also causes severe abnormalities of the cartilage of bones – there will be defective bone development and severe bone and cartilage abnormalities in all cats with folded ears. This is known as osteochondrodysplasia – a general term for a disorder of the development of bone and cartilage. These bone and cartilage abnormalities lead to severe and painful arthritis.
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Bone abnormalities in Scottish Fold cats: ‘A’ shows a severely affected cat and ‘B’ a mildly affected cat (photo courtesy of Richard Malik)
Scottish Fold Osteochondrodysplasia
Scottish Fold cats have forward folded ears due to a cartilage abnormality. This breed-defining characteristic itself is benign but the intimately associated ostechondrodysplasia of the limbs can have devastating effects on cartilage and bone development elsewhere.
[Note: This blog does not condone the continued production of a select few breeds (such as the Scottish Fold and its derivatives) due to health issues inherent with the breed-defining trait but this blog does support reputable breeders of other, healthy breeds and those who purchase from them.]
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happyhealthycats · 2 months
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Cat Training: 10 Reasons to Use Reward-based Training and Not Punishment
By Pam Johnson-Bennett
When it comes to correcting unwanted behaviors in your cat, punishment is not an effective nor humane approach. Here are 10 reasons to use positive reward-based methods rather than punishment, to have a better relationship with your feline companion.
Punishment Doesn’t Teach Your Cat Anything Positive
Punishment Means You Don’t Understand What the Cat is Communicating
Punishment Leads to More Behavior Problems
Punishment Destroys the Bond You Share
Understand What Your Cat Needs
Set Your Cat up for Success
Be Consistent
Don’t Underestimate Your Cat’s Intelligence
It’s Never too Late
Professional Help
Read full article for elaboration on each point. I didn’t want this post to be too long.
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happyhealthycats · 2 months
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Everyone else talked about outdoor cats, it's time for me to talk about offleash dogs
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happyhealthycats · 2 months
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I’m mostly good, but sometimes people will accidentally trigger my cat autism and then. and then they suffer.
like last weekend my aunt said she felt bad for cats whose owners didn’t let them freeroam, and I was like HOOOO HOO YOU HAVE ACTIVATED ME, YOU HAVE FALLEN INTO MY TRAP, here look at my phone this is the current state of the anthropogenic mass extinction event, here is its rate in comparison to previous mass extinctions, here is how many birds species have been wiped out by free roaming cats, here is the comparative lifespans of indoor vs outdoor cats, here is my fenced in catio, here are my cat wall shelves, here is my seven foot cat tree that is styled to look like an actual tree, here is my six foot cat tree, here is the special rug by the heating vent for them to sleep on, here is…..wait where are you going, come back……aunt martha………
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happyhealthycats · 2 months
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Simcoe was mad I turned the lights on this morning.
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happyhealthycats · 2 months
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Simcoe was mad I turned the lights on this morning.
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happyhealthycats · 2 months
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Btw I got the kitty (and doggy) deck and I love it.
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happyhealthycats · 2 months
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happyhealthycats · 2 months
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You have probably read the tweet from a pet owner saying her vet told her that “… 90% of owners don’t actually want to be in the room when he injects them so the animal’s last moments are usually them frantically looking around for their owners &tbh that broke me” or another post allegedly written by a vet stating if you leave your pet during euthanasia you are a “coward”.
First of all, I cannot imagine any veterinarian saying any of those things. It is my belief that a lay person wrote those things and simply claimed the vet said them, but I could be wrong. Regardless, those posts are absolutely incorrect and those people should be ashamed of themselves. I also think that number is hugely exaggerated. Maybe 10% of owners don’t want to be present, and you know what, that is ok.
Euthanasia is a very personal thing and people have all kinds of reasons for not wanting to be present. Simply making the decision to have your pet put to sleep shows that you are compassionate and unselfish. Euthanasia is the ultimate act of love for your pet because it is completely about them- the owners get nothing out of it. The owners love their pet so much that they would rather be without them than keep them and have them suffer.
Your pet is not going to look around desperately for you or feel abandoned. Shame on those “vets” for putting out that misinformation and shame on them if they had a scared pet and they did nothing. Your vet can give your pet sedatives and other medications so they are relaxed and comfortable, I have NEVER allowed a pet to be scared or anxious before a euthanasia and the vast majority of vets will not either.
Please do not feel ashamed or upset if you choose not to be with your pet for euthanasia. I promise that the veterinarian and staff will comfort her just like she was their own and make sure she is relaxed and at peace throughout.
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