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Cats + Behavior & Training

  • There are numerous products on the market that have been designed to promote appropriate behaviour in pets.

  • Cats and dogs are attracted to the sweet taste of ethylene glycol. Many will voluntarily drink antifreeze if it is spilled or leaks on to garage floors or driveways and are more than ready to lick the product from contaminated paws and coats.

  • It is not unusual for behaviour problems to develop in older pets. Many of the problems have similar causes to those in younger pets.

  • Over 90% of infected wounds in cats result from cat bites sustained during a cat fight. An abscess is a pocket of pus usually under the skin causing a swelling, fever and discomfort.

  • All cats have a large number of bacteria, such as Pasteurella multocida, in their mouths which can be transmitted to the bite wound. An infected bite wound can become red, swollen and painful with a risk of spread of infection elsewhere in the body.

  • Losing weight is often a difficult process and animals, like people, often take weeks or months to shed those unwanted pounds.

  • There are many reasons, why an animal may do the same thing again and again. It may be a response to something specific which triggers the behaviour.

  • Punishment is the application of a stimulus that decreases the chance that a behaviour will be repeated. It should coincide with the undesirable behaviour, and must be unpleasant enough to deter the cat from repeating that behaviour.

  • During exploration and play, kittens (and some adult cats), will chew on a variety of objects. Not only can this lead to damage or destruction of the owner's possessions, but some chewing can be dangerous to the cat.

  • Some cats are active at night or awake very early in the morning. Since many owners are out at work or school during the day the cat may spend the daytime hours in rest and relaxation, especially if it is the only pet in the household.