Happy Pets

Changing a kitten’s diet to that of an adult cat, or changing an adult’s from what it has had before to something more convenient — introducing canned or other proprietary foods, for example — is not ‘training’ as such, but still requires a disciplined approach on your part. Provided you are sure you are offering suitable food, and there are no digestive problems that may make a cat refuse it, change will be largely a matter of persistence on your part. Except with very young kittens, it will not hurt a cat occasionally to go without a meal, so if perfectly good food is refused do not offer an alternative. Puss may prefer smoked salmon, but has to learn that it is no longer on the menu. Remove the food if it begins to get dirty or dried out, but offer more of the same at the next mealtime. The cat may still turn up its nose — probably by scratching around as though the food were in the litter tray, a very clear sign of what it thinks — but it is quite likely to creep back for a snack when you are not looking.

Even the most pampered cat can be taught to eat what is offered if you are sufficiently firm. This will make life easier for you and especially so for your bank manager. The difficulty comes with an older cat that has been fed a very particular diet and looks with horror at your bowl of proprietary titbits. The best way of breaking this impasse is to introduce new foodstuffs gradually by mixing them a little at a time with the established diet, in the hope that kitty will not catch on and eventually may even come to like your new provisions. This rather underhand tactic usually works but be prepared for the occasional set-back: even humans can spot frozen cod masquerading as a fresh trout.

Changes from fresh foods to canned, or from canned to dry or semi-moist preparations, should always be made gradually so the cat’s digestion can adapt to the new diet. Do not withhold alternatives in these cases: it is not fair on the cat, which does not want a rumbling stomach any more than you do.

Cat-flaps

Some cats have to go out from time to time, and most others would certainly like to. In the absence of a butler, there are two ways to deal with this. The first is to train the cat to come and go at regular times and then open the door whenever it calls (naturally, you hope these times will be of your own choosing. Some hope!). The second is to install the cat’s own door, small enough to let it through but not a burglar — and much safer than leaving a window open.

Cat doors usually have a swinging panel to seal the opening and hence are known as ‘cat-flaps’. Free-swinging ones tend to let in draughts and so are made with one flap inside another; one swings outwards and one inwards. They are usually fitted with some sort of catch or bolt so they can be locked closed if a female is in season or if for some other reason you want to restrict the cat’s movements. A cat-flap can be set into a hole in the wall, in a door panel or even into a pane of glass in the window — but always be sure that it is far enough away from locks and catches to discourage a long-armed burglar from reaching through.

To train a cat to use a flap, wedge it open (the flap, not the cat) for a period and show the cat the opening. To get the cat used to the arrangement, put it outside and then call it back indoors for meals so that it has to jump through the opening to get at its food. Next, try doing this with the flap down, and if the cat does not immediately try to push it open, show it how easy this is to do. Most cats will learn quite rapidly — and by now they will probably be hungry, too.

Many cat-flaps, however, suffer from an irritating drawback: other cats may learn to use them as well, whether your cat’s guests or intruders. An ‘entire’ (unneutered) tom, for example, is likely to leave a visiting card, more probably a series of them, to remind you of its call for many days afterwards. The answer is to give your cat its own key. One type of cat- flap uses a battery-operated electromagnet, activated by a small magnet on the cat‘s collar, to open or lock the flap. Provided every cat in the neighbourhood does not have this luxury the device works well, and if you have several cats in the household then all can have their personal magnet. Unfortunately, since magnets have only two poles, only two types of key are possible — and a neighbouring cat with a magnet of the same polarity as yours will find that its key fits your lock; just hope this is not a smelly and delinquent torn.

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This entry was posted on Monday, May 19th, 2008 at 3:59 am and is filed under Cats, Collars, Foods, Kittens. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.