Feline Friendly Advice
Cats are a law onto themselves as any cat owner will soon find out. They set the time and place they would like a fuss or stroke (usually at the most inconvenient time!), they can be fussy what bowls they like for their food and what food goes in said bowls, where their litter trays are placed, which bed to sleep in for that particular period of time of the day and so on.
With a bit of planning and placing their resources in the right place we can make a much more cat friendly house for our feline counterparts. Below is a list of tips and tricks that can help towards this goal.
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The first important rule is how many! Generally "one resource per cat plus one extra for choice." Cats are not known for having a gregarious nature and therefore need to have the ability to get to a resources easily without having to share. What can appear to owners as 'queuing' or 'waiting their turn', is actually a subtle stress response in the cat who is not able to immediately access resources due to a more confident or territorial cat in the household. Not having enough essential resources can cause significant stress in cats.
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Space resources out all around the house.
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Cats prefer their water bowl to be away from their food bowl and are much more likely to drink more if they are separate. The same applies to feeding enrichments items, such as puzzle feeders which encourage cats to use their brains to 'hunt' for their food.
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Place food and water bowls away from the wall so that cats have the choice to view the room and not worry about anything sneaking up behind them.
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Here is a list of links from ISFM (International Society of Feline Medicine) regarding various aspects of your cats requirements and behaviours.
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Approaching a cat - Youtube video
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How to touch and stroke a cat - Youtube video
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Things to avoid when handling a cat - Youtube video
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Handling your cat for grooming - Youtube video
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Handling Kittens - Youtube video
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