Thursday, November 27, 2014

Five Requirements for Healthy Cats

For cat owners, cats are more than just pets. In exchange for a warm place to sleep and a little food, they reward us with frequent entertainment, unconditional love, and teach us how to slow down and be in the moment (especially when they are sitting on our laps!)

"No Ma'am, I don't think this
qualifies as a safe retreat!"
In return, we open up our homes and wallets to provide them the very best life we can.  The American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) lists five basic pillars for a healthy feline environment.  If any of these requirements are missing, it can cause stress and behavioral problems for the feline members of our families. Here is a breakdown of the five requirements:


1.) A Safe Retreat

Cats need to have a retreat where they can go to feel protected, especially if there are dogs, kids, or other cats that might not always be friendly to the kitty.  In general, cats want a safe place with at least 2 ways to exit. Some cats like the safety of height, and prefer a kitty perch on a windowsill or a tall cat tree.  Others prefer a more enclosed area such as under a bed or in a box.  Whatever the choice, try to have as many safe retreats as you have cats in your house.


2.) Separate, individual resources for food and water, litter boxes, sleep and play areas

Anyone who has ever been in a multi-cat household knows how impossible it is to feed kitties in separate bowls. Inevitably one will want to check out the other's dish, and they both end up eating out of each other's bowls.  That's fine, but even kitties that are best friends sometimes need a little space!  The important thing is that there are options, so that each of these environmental resources are available to the kitty when needed.  The general guideline for litter boxes is to have as many boxes as you have cats, plus one.  If one litter box is being used, or perhaps a feeding dish is blocked off for the moment, the cat can find another one if needed.


3.)  Play opportunities

We all love watching cats play, and play is crucial to their health and well-being.   Predatory toys, such as fake furry mice or fishing poles, allow cats to practice their natural hunting skills and also encourage human interaction and bonding.   Puzzle toys can help a cat's mental acuity and require that kitty works harder for its food.  


4.) Consistent, positive human interaction

Each cat is different in how much human interaction they desire, but maintaining a dependable and beneficial presence in a cat's life will always be good for them.  Never force your cat to interact with you-- they will tell you when they have had enough.


5.) Respecting a cat's sense of smell

Felines rely on their exceptional sense of smell, and use it to scent-mark certain areas and things.  If a cat is having trouble adjusting to something new, try not to clean any scent-markings off.  Felines also produce pheromones which help them feel more calm, and many pet stores now sell a plug-in pheromone diffuser that can help cat  households alleviate stress.  Notice whether highly scented products like candles, cleaning products or air fresheners seem to bother your cat.  Finally, cat litters have differing amounts of air fresheners, but a highly scented litter might cause a cat to find other areas to relieve himself.  

Being aware of these requirements allows us to enjoy our pets to the fullest, making their lives and our own happier and more meaningful!

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Interactive Puzzle Toys for Dogs

On a blustery September Sunday afternoon, while others were watching football, I joined six other handlers with their dogs to try out various interactive dog toys.  We had a range of different sizes and breeds of dogs, including Italian greyhounds, Shelties, Giant schnauzers, German shorthaired pointers (GSP), Golden Retrievers, Cairn terriers, and an Afghan hound!  Each handler brought a different toy for everyone to test, and we each brought kibbles or treats for our individual dogs.  I’ll show which toys we tested, and important information we discovered about each one.
PetSafe Rip'n'Tug Lotus Ball
Many owners already had some experience with PetSafe’s Rip’N’Tug Lotus ball. Some owners like to play fetch-- the dog receives a treat from the ball when he/she brings it back to the owner.  Others toss the toy and let their dog rip it open for an instant reward.  Everybody agreed that this is never a toy to leave alone with the dog –it would be destroyed quickly.
The toys that seemed to be easiest for the dogs to figure out were the ones that only need pushing – the Omega Tricky Treat ball, Buster cube, and Hol-ee Treat Ball.  The toys should provide frequent treats initially to keep the dogs motivated, but once the dogs understand the game they can be very persistent in working for even one last piece of kibble.  The concern about these toys was that some of the dogs would pick up and toss the toy (these were the dogs that also liked chewing or mouthing the ball).  
Omega Paw Tricky Treat Ball
The Omega Paw is a softer, plastic ball and adjusts its own payout because as the cookie/kibble inside it gets low, less comes out for the dog.  One drawback is the Omega ball can be chewed through if your dog is not satisfied with just the kibble inside.  One benefit of the Omega ball is that the soft plastic will not scratch up wooden floors or bang up the wall, nor can a dog break it by throwing it down the stairs.  
Buster Cube


Yes, apparently a GSP figured out how to throw the Buster Cube down the stairs to break it open!  One benefit to the Buster cube is that the payout can be adjusted manually and the dog cannot bite through the hard plastic.  Caution: both the Omega Ball and the Buster Cube aren’t supposed to get wet, as mildew will form on the inside and cannot be cleaned.  It was suggested to use only dry cookies/kibble on the inside and a moist towel for cleaning the outside.  
JW Hol-ee Treat Ball

The JW Hol-ee Treat Ball is slightly different because it has a soft, flexible outer shell and a hard plastic inner container where treats can be poured through the screw-on lid.  Treats can be taken out fairly easily if you need to clean the ball, and the soft outer ball means the dog won’t be making as much noise or damaging your floors if they toss it around a little.  Although it is a similar idea as the ones above, a much smaller treat compartment means that you will have to refill it more often.

Trixie Chess
Aikiou Interactive Feeder
The Trixie Chess game and other toys where the cookie was hidden by a slide were much more challenging for dogs that didn’t want to use their paw or wouldn’t bite onto the toy.  The Aikiou feeder looks like a giant dog paw, with a sliding door over two compartments on each toe, and a rotating center door which covers multiple treat areas.  Some of the smaller dogs had trouble with the depth of the compartments, and found the slippery plastic  too difficult for them to get the treats.   The benefit of plastic toy games and containers is that they can easily be washed.  I’m not sure about the Trixie, but the Aikiou toy is dishwasher safe.
Ethical Pet Seek-a-Treat Shuffle Bone Puzzle
Nina Ottosson Dog Tornado
Another variety of slider/compartment toys were wooden toy puzzles like the Ethical Pet Seek-a-Treat Shuffle Bone Puzzle.  Some of the big dogs had difficulty maneuvering the sliders.  They quickly got frustrated and either gave up or tried to chew on the wood.  They are definitely not as easy to clean, and little splits of pressed wood started cracking off almost immediately.  The Nina Ottoson Dog Tornado toy was much easier for dogs to spin for treats, clearly a higher quality of wood, and didn’t end up with any teeth marks on it.
Yuppy Puppy Dog Treat Machine
The Yuppy Puppy Dog Treat machine was the most difficult for all the dogs to understand.  The dog is supposed to press on the end of the bone-shaped lever to produce a payout of treats from the clear dome.  This is a very heavy and sturdy toy, but the Giant schnauzer seemed intent on destroying it and knocking it all over to get at the goodies inside!  We all agreed this particular toy is best taught with shaping and was not going to be learned by the dog alone.  When practicing with this, sometimes the dog could get a huge payout (1/2 cup of kibble-sized treats) and sometimes only one or two kibbles.   
Our suggestion is: whatever toy you are considering, please think about what your dog enjoys best: does your dog prefer using his nose or his paws? Is it a toy where the dog can be let safely alone for a small while?  How much time do you have to teach the toy (some are faster than others)?   Finally, consider your dog’s size relative to the toy --- for instance, some dog’s noses are just not long enough to get to the bottom of the compartments.  
Have you ever bought any interactive toys for your dog? Were there any surprises--- like your dog chewed through it, or it was too difficult for your dog to figure out, or cleaning it was a nightmare? Let me know in the comments below!