THE ATTACK OF THE TABLE SHARK

July 28th marks the beginning of Discovery Channel’s Shark Week. We are simultaneously fearful and fascinated with these creatures of the deep. However, what do you do when a four-legged furry friend, known as the table shark, exhibits those same predatory tendencies with your lunch/snack/dinner? To celebrate Shark Week I thought we would share tips to tame your four legged table shark. 

TIPS TO TRAIN THE TOP OFFENDERS

Dogs are the number one culprits of table sharking. When a dog “counter-surfs” and successfully finds and takes food, he learns that searching for food anywhere and everywhere ends in reward. As a result, the reinforced behavior becomes difficult to reverse. However, there are a few things that can be done to combat this behavior. The American Kennel Club offers these tips:

1. Remove the opportunity. If not, even a crumb is left on the countertop, the dog will eventually stop coming, similar to the effect of leaving a bird feeder empty. Eventually, the birds will stop coming.
2. Reward him for resisting. When you see the dog roaming the kitchen, train him to go back to his place and reward him for it.
3. Teach him “leave it.” Whenever you see the dog sniffing for food, use the command “leave it” to train him to back away. 

WHAT ABOUT CATS?

Is there anything more futile than telling a cat what to do? Cats have a reputation for doing things their way and attempting to discipline a cat will more often than not lead to failure and a lousy relationship with the cat. If your cat is climbing on countertops or furniture, you can try a homeopathic solution. Essential oils can work as a great repellant. Here are a few examples that you can try that you will enjoy but your cat will avoid:

• Eucalyptus oils a scent that will keep your cat across the room. The scent is minty with a hint of honey, which humans love, and cats hate.
• Citronella is known for keeping mosquitoes away, but cats also wince at the smell. You will want to keep this off your skin and your cat’s skin; therefore, the best use is a candle on the kitchen countertop.
• Citrus is another effective repellant that people love, and cats do not. Lemon and orange are found in many natural cleaning agents. You can simply use these to clean the kitchen, and your cat will likely avoid that area.

There are also essential oils that can keep a cat in places of which owners approve. Catnip and valerian root are highly attractive to cats. Placing a tiny drop on a cat bed or a scratching post will certainly lure a cat to that area.

STOP THE BEGGING.

Dogs are known for begging for food. They often inch closer and closer, testing the boundaries before they reach for a bite. There are ways to avoid this kind of behavior:

• Ignoring him can be very effective. Don’t make eye contact. Don’t give in even once. If you have fed him in the past, be prepared for an extinction burst, a flurry of activity that happens when behavior no longer gains the rewards it previously did.
• Train your dog to love a nonfood positive reinforcement for behavior. For example, you can use a clicker to treat your dog to associate lying on a mat with getting a treat; thereby isolating treat rewards to a specific area.
• Use baby gates or a food puzzle toy to occupy your dog while you eat. This is an effective method to use while training.

The key to success is finding the right technique for your pet and you. Above are just a few you can try.

To Your Pet’s Good Health,

Dr. Barry

Sources:

https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/training/common-behavior-issues/how-to-prevent-your-dog-from-stealing-food/

https://www.emaxhealth.com/13638/3-essential-oils-keep-cats-furniture-naturally

https://www.petcha.com/stop-dogs-begging-food/

https://www.southbostonanimalhospital.com/blog/how-to-teach-your-dog-to-stop-begging-for-food

The Most Unwanted Gift from Your Cat!

Have you ever been the recipient of an unwanted gift and just thought to yourself...Why on earth would someone think I would want this for a gift? It could have been a toaster, bright lime green pants, a gym membership or a fruit cake.  It could be different things for different people but in the end we all feel the same, we would rather the gift giver had not gifted it.  Cat’s can be the bearers of gifts we don’t want hairballs, dead birds or mice or even their urine.  The last gift may be a surprise to you but in some cases cats spray or urinate inappropriately and they don’t see it as a bad thing. Unfortunately for us, cats do not think their urine smells bad and in their eyes if it makes them feel better so why would it be a bad thing for us. This can make breaking cats of either of these habits difficult.

There is a difference between spraying and inappropriate urination. Although both involve your cat urinating in a displeasing way, spraying usually involves a smaller amount of urine sprayed vertically hitting furntirue or walls. In appropriate urination involves a puddle of  urine on the floor or bedding or carpet and is in place of your cat going to the bathroom in it’s litter box.

Spraying, also referred to as urine marking is a very disturbing thing to discover and this rude awakening usually occurs when you realize that your furniture and walls have been anointed with urine.

Both male and female cats spray, but an unaltered male is usually the culprit. A cat that sprays will still use the litter box so you really don’t suspect that your cat may be spraying  until you smell urine but don’t see any evidence on the floor. You will notice several of these behaviors when your cat is spraying:

• Cat will back up to a vertical surface and be in standing position
• Tail will be held straight up
• Tail may be quivering
• Feet may be treading
• A straight and fine spray of urine will hit the vertical surface between one to two feet from the ground
• Some cats make vocalizations

So Why is your Cat Spraying?

A cat most often may feel the need to spray due to issues involving: 

Territory:

The most common cause of spraying is simply inherent behaviors over territory.

• Usually, when a cat feels it needs to establish its territory, it will rub an object with its chin and tail to deposit pheromones that identify itself, but some cats mark their territory by spraying
• Stress: if your cat feels stress within the boundaries it feels are its territory, your cat may spray to mark their territory. The most important thing to realize is that spraying makes your cat feel better. According to Dr. Cathy Lund of City Kitty, ”That is why stress and anxiety, which bring on insecurity, fear, and timidity, can cause your cat to spray. “What they are doing is trying to feel more secure,” Dr. Lund explains. “So the important concept for cat owners to realize is that their cat doesn’t think their urine smells bad. (Spraying) makes cats feel more content.”
• Changes to or a Crowded Territory: Bringing a new cat into the household may result in either cat spraying out of stress or marking it’s territory. The same is true for any multi cat household. If a cat feels crowded in its environment they may spray which can result in a territory marking competition and cause the other cats to spray. Or if your cat’s routine suddenly changes or if there are changes to your household routine this can cause stress resulting in spraying. For example: visitors especially guest with young children, a new pet/dog, new home, construction or renovation of the home, large gathering of people
• Threats to its territory: An indoor cat that observes an outside animal coming close to its home may spray out of defense. An indoor cat becomes defensive, may run to the door, may hiss or growl, will show intensity while watching the animal they feel is intruding, indoor cat may spray to identify its territory, an outdoor cat may also spray for the same reasons.

Spraying may not be caused by territory: There is a possibility that your cat may be spraying for other reasons:

Possible Medical Issues:

1. Cystitis or urinary or bladder infection
2. Crystals in the urine
3. Bladder stones

• Any other condition that may cause inflammation of the bladder

       Breeding drive

• Most common in unaltered cats, the animals may spray during mating season and during courtship

• Indoor males that catch the scent of a female in heat
• Females in heat that are looking for an out of reach, or outside male

  Litter Box Issues

• This reason is not as common a cause of spraying and more frequently a cause of inappropriate urination outside the litter box. There is a generally accepted rule on how many litter boxes to have in your home. One litter box per cat per level of your home. It is important to keep the litter box clean daily, and to have the right size and shape of litter box. Your cat should be able to jump in and out easily and turn around in the litter box.

Treatment

It is important to note that your first response to your cat spraying or urinating inappropriately should be to take your cat to the veterinarian for a physical exam to rule out any medical issues.

1. Neuter and spay your cats. When not neutered, even the most docile cat will begin to spray eventually. In most cases, if an animal is spayed or neutered before it reaches six months of age, the time when most spraying behavior begins, the operation will usually eliminate this problem.

If your cat is already spayed or neutered they may benefit from:

2.Environment modification by identifying and removing the cause that is eliciting the spraying, for example:

• Preventing the indoor cat from seeing the outdoor animals by:
  • Not feeding the outdoor animal where it can be seen
  • Blocking the view from the window with curtains, blinds, or closing the door
  • Reducing conflict between indoor cats:
    • Separate the animals to different rooms or parts of the home
    • Reduce the number of animals
    • Offer additional territory, such as through multi-tier cat trees
    • Add an additional litter box

          When animal is stressed because of changes to its routine:

• If possible, ahead of time, move cat to a quieter part of the home, one that is away from the work noise or party noise
• Make sure the cat has a place to go where it can get away from a noisy, chasing puppy or young child

3.Application of substances in locations of spraying that repel the cat, for instance:

• Spraying the area with commercial cat repellent
• Mothballs placed in tied cloth bags and left in areas
• Placing an upside-down plastic carpet runner around the area with points up so the cat is uncomfortable walking upon it

4.Cleaning the sprayed area: Scrub the area with an enzymatic deodorizer like, AOE or Urine Away.

Dr. Lund suggests that “Spraying is a complicated problem and requires a multi-pronged solution. She recommends taking “a shotgun approach to solve it,” This means ruling out medical causes, addressing possible harassment from other cats, keeping the litter box pristine, and trying an anti-anxiety medication like Prozac.” In addition to medications like Prozac there are natural remedies such as the Feliway Product Line.

Cats communicate using various methods. Most owners enjoy listening to the chirps and trills of their pet as it sits in the window watching birds. However, when the same pet notices a strange cat on its lawn and expresses its anger by hissing and spraying the window sill, that form of communicating is one that owners don’t want repeated. With some hard detective work on your part, you might be able to problem solve the cause of your cat’s spraying behavior. Working with your vet, you should be able to solve the problem in a way that makes everyone happy.

To Your Pet’s Good Health,

Dr. Barry

Sources:

http://www.petplace.com/article/cats/behavior-training/understanding-your-cat/why-do-cats-spray

https://www.petmd.com/cat/behavior/why-do-cats-spray

Cat Owner’s Home Veterinary Handbook, D. Eldredge, D. Carlson, L. Carlson, J. Giffin, 2008, Wiley Publishing Co.

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