Grass - The Best Way to Unwind

Pepper is talking a lot more these days, even waiting for me at the front door when I am gone. Her behavior is becoming more social and trusting of me, knowing I won't allow her to he harmed is helping her open up a lot more.

She seems to have grown bored of the hallway, but still won't trust the elevator. I may have to carry her into the elevator some day, with the leash and harness on. Perhaps when she sees it's harmless she may accept the beep and mechanical noises without fear.

Her new grass garden was ready this morning, she loves it. Pepper constantly thanks me for it, meowing and head bumping then jumping up to her garden and nomming on the grass. It has four types of grass in it, and a large, heavy, wooden pot.

I had bought a small "refill" and used a container to grow it when I first brought her home, she loved it enough that I figured the larger one was worth the investment. It offers her comfort when I am not around.

This morning she was extremely hyper and affectionate, calling out to me every once in a while. Her voice was gritty the first month because of URI, but now it's clear, even kitten like.

Pepper purrs the instant I pick her up now as well. It's odd though, she does not like the lap yet, but loves to be carried around. I think she is still associating the lap with medicine and nail clipping. So I am putting her on my lap, not letting her get off until she purrs, she is starting to relax.

This leads me to also believe that most of the people she has known well have pushed her off their lap when she wanted affection. Her reaction is one of fear, not distaste. So I say to anyone adopting a cat or kitten, let them on your lap. They will stop kneading if you simply let them know it hurts by stopping petting them.

They do not learn to not knead with claws if you just push them off your lap, instead they just learn that the lap is bad. Read further back in this blog for more detailed explanation on how to teach a cat well.

Happiness is a Best Friend

Pepper loves chasing a laser light, some cats don't. A neighbor told me how his cat, Ollie, chased the laser until he figured out where it was from. The reason for this is the curiosity, for some they chase it to try to catch and study it, for others it's a toy. Pepper not only knows that I control it, she also knows what makes the little red dot.

She chases it purely for the fun, and if it vanishes when she still wants to chase it, she looks at me, then the pointer, then me again. It is her method of asking for more play time, and she knows I will almost always keep playing until she's bored. For Ollie it was more about not knowing what it was that made it fun.

I have been encouraging Pepper to be curious now, even helping her discover new things. She has learned to recognize what doors open in which ways, and what the handles look like and how they function. She will sit in front of a door she wants me to open, watch me open and close it over and over, then walk to a different door and do the same thing.

I had no idea what she wanted the first few times she sat in front of a door, but when she started exploring the hallway outside the apartment J soon figured it out. She explored the rooms I could gain access to, like laundry and trash bin, but was always more interested in the doors. It's not just doors, faucets and light switches too.

The one thing that seems to really interest her is the closet door, a double sliding door where they overlap in the center. She understands how they open on each side, sometimes she explores inside a little bit, but then she stands in the middle as if expecting it to open in the middle as well. Lately she shows less interest, perhaps she figured out it won't open like that.

She is learning which doors I can open, yet often gets persistent about doors I can't open, looking at me with that "come on, just do it" expression. It is so nice to see her curiosity blooming now, as it seems to overpower her fears. She is still very cautious of new animals, especially hairless apes.

I bought a deluxe grass garden for her too, I used a refill in a small container to see if she liked it. The grass seems to calm her when she's agitated and she enjoys rubbing her face in it and chewing on the individual blades. When she gets use to walking with me, she will love one of our local parks, for now I will keep her supply of live grass steady.

Her health is also improving. The Humane Society takes great care of the animals, but many become depressed or heart broken about being discarded. Pepper was a bit depressed, and she didn't do much, and ate only the food that the shelter gave me for the first couple of weeks. Now, with her playing and exploring more, and her mood improved a lot, she is looking much more fit.

Pepper's claws are powerful, she is shredding the cardboard scratching thing I got her, it is the only thing she uses her claws on. Seriously, I have never seen a cat this frightened of using their claws. She worries I'll punish her for kneading on her bed, won't use her claws to hold on when frightened, and never claws the carpet. I am worried that she won't use her claws to even defend herself.

I bought her some fancy, all white, porcelain dishes, she did not like the plastic bowls I got her originally. The new bowls only cost $1.50 each at Daiso, but they are fancy dishes, and she does prefer them. She use to take the food out of the plastic dishes before eating it, and would not drink water from plastic dishes at all.

One problem is that Pepper is a stoner cat, she loves her catnip and gets lazy when she sniffs it. At first I didn't notice a change, between getting sick from the stress of moving in and her being depressed there was almost no difference. Now that she is acting more alive and happy, it's pretty clear that the catnip makes her really relaxed.

How to Teach a Cat to Walk on the Leash in a City

Taking photos with a tablet PC is harder than it looks. But Pepper does stay still enough most of the time. Once I get the dongle in the mail I should get more photos of her playing and exploring, and some video. Anyhow, onto today's topic!

The first step, one that is easier for dogs, is trust. The cat must trust you enough, they need to understand that when you tell them to do something, or not to do something, it is for their best interest only. This does require a bit of spoiling them, but for most cat friendly humans this is what we do anyway.

To know when they are ready watch for a few behaviors. The first is that they will start to walk with you through the house or apartment, matching your pace and darting ahead less often unless they know where you are going. This is the most prominent behavior to look for, it's a sign that they know you well enough to understand your intentions.

Another behavior is the lap time. When they try to cuddle on your lap at every opportunity they are showing trust, they know they are very safe. Not all cats like laps though, body heat can make them feel too hot or they just can't get comfortable. Instead they will often lay right up against you if there is room, the contact is the real sign to look for.

There are many other behaviors that are less common, some very rare, you will have to know your cat well to spot them so I will not cover them here. Once these behaviors become so regular that you expect them, your cat is ready for the lessons.

The trick is not to train them, but to teach. As with all animals, you must be patient and allow them to move at their own pace. Never punish, but reward good behavior. For cats the ignoring technique is pretty effective at getting them to learn a particular behavior is bad. I will detail this technique a bit more in another blog as it is not useful here.

So, you put the harness on them, you can be firm but always be gentle, if they squirm too much then set the harness out so they can look at it and wait for another day. Laying the harness in the open and encouraging them to sniff, even play with, it will help them figure out that it's harmless. Once the harness is on them, they will most likely resent it at first.

This is typical, just watch closely and make sure they don't hurt themselves trying to get it off. Perseverance is your best friend here. You may need to repeat this many times, leaving it on them for short times until they finally stop panicking. Not all cats will do this though, many just get angry at you for putting it on them.

The anger response is easier to overcome, but takes a but longer. They think it's a trap or cage of some sort, so you have to let them be angry for a while until they realize they are not bound by the harness itself. Once they get use to it they will begin to act like it's not even there, though they may still squirm a little when you put it on.

The harness is the hardest part, if they are not use to it, the harness will make them uncomfortable for a long time. On the bright side, once they get their first trip outside they forget all about it.

So onto the leash part, this is easiest for calm cats. For playful cats they will try to play with the leash once it's attached. Let them. Attach the leash while inside, let go of the handle and allow the cat to claw and play with the leash. You have to watch them closely when this is happening or they could catch it on something and get hurt.

Caution is all you need for the playful cat to get bored. The calm cat will, worst case, get angry for a short time and likely not walk right away. This is okay, because your first few minutes outside you want to carry them only a few feet away and reassure them with lots of pets. The playful one will most likely be ready when the door opens.

For the cautiously curious, or angry cat, carrying them until they calm down will do wonders. This is one of the reasons they have to trust that you will protect them. If you feel they are not yet ready, take them back inside and remove the leash, then try again another day. Treats are important at this stage, make sure you have them ready for key events, like when you remove the leash after returning home.

So now your cat is outside, on the leash, probably looking at you and wondering what's next. Start walking, but don't force them. If they choose to go somewhere that's safe, let them lead. The only time you should take command for now is when you need to protect them. They have to know that the leash is freedom, not a cage, or they will never want to go for more walks.

Try to talk to them a lot, using the same words and tones for certain events and actions will help them better understand your needs and wishes. This sounds like common sense to cat friends, but it is easy to get shy when in public. Don't worry, everyone talks to other animals all the time, and everyone talks to themselves more often than that.

Never yank, pull, or drag. If you must, pick them up. They may dig their claws into you, but that's something we accept when we decide to include a feline companion into our lives. You should be use to the claws by now anyway. If there is a strange animal and your cat or the other animal seems nervous, pick them up right away, do not wait for the reaction because if they pull the leash tight too quickly it can still hurt them, and they will no longer want to go on walks.

Some words of advice on all walks. Do not allow them to get into any trash, try to call them away from it, or stand fast and not allow them close enough. If they choose to walk away from it after that, give them a treat. If they don't walk away from it when they can't get closer, pick them up and carry them away but offer no treat. They will eventually figure out that it's for their own safety.

If they can't bury their feces, like dog walkers, you do have to clean it up. So bring small plastic baggies just in case. Sandwich bags work well in a pinch. Reward them after they do go to the bathroom, it seems odd but it will reduce any stress they may feel about doing it someplace unfamiliar so they will be more likely to warn you instead of waiting until they can't hold it.

Be aware of your surroundings at all times. This is particularly important in places with lots of people. Other people may not be watching their step, and if they step on your cat it cab do serious damage to them. Try to avoid large crowds, or carry your cat through them. It is also good to avoid construction sites as much as possible, the machines will always hurt their senses, even as far away as a full city block. Carry them in parking garages or areas where cars can drive until they understand the walking zones and crossing lights well enough to avoid the cars without nudging.

Just remember, the leash is not for you, it's so your feline friend has a chance to see, hear, and smell new things. So allow them to explore when it's possible and safe, taking them to parks is a better idea. But walking them to and from the park will also help them better understand the leash and harness' purpose. If a park with grass is nearby, they love grass, bring a toy too and they will wear themselves, and you, out.

I hope this helps some people who have considered this for their feline friends. Remember, they are your best friends for life if you treat them well.