2000 Words on How to Raise a Zelda

A friend recently asked for advice about raising her new kitty. Here's what I had to say.

Animal handling:

I wish we'd started touching her paws, teeth, belly, and inside her ears from day one. Zelda has a lot of problems with her ears and it's a complicated job with two of us handling her to clean them out.  She also doesn't really let us brush her teeth (I put toothpaste on a piece of gauze and let her lick it, but it doesn't scrub).  She's now 8 and her teeth show it.  She has long fur and won't let us touch her belly. She does a good job grooming it right now, but as she gets older, it might be a problem. We've never actually trimmed her nails and the vet has mentioned it is not great for her. If we'd been better about touching her feet when she was a baby, maybe we'd be able to do this for her.

I also pick Zelda up once or twice every day. This has proven useful twice when we lived in apartments and fire alarms went off and I was able to scoop her up and put her in her kennel (more on that later) with little fuss on her part. It's also useful for when people who don't like cats stop by or a repairman comes in and I can just scoop her up and put her in the bathroom.  She doesn't love to be picked up, but she doesn't fight it.  There are videos online about how to properly pick up a cat. You basically want them laying across your arm as if your arm were a tree limb so they feel like there's something underneath their torso and they don't freak out.

Feeding:

Keep a regular schedule.  We feed her between 6:30 - 7:30 every morning and about 6:00 every evening. She knows this and doesn't really bother us about food much outside of that window.  We don't treat outside of her mealtimes.  Change water at least twice a day. Zelda's water is in the bathroom by the sink and I basically just change her water every time I wash my hands, so it gets changed more often than that. Cats get dehydrated easily and fresh water helps keep them drinking. Many of my friends have fountains for their cats and it has really helped a couple who had senior kitties who weren't getting enough water.  

We keep her food and water separate. She has water in the bathroom and food in the kitchen.  Ted read somewhere that cats don't like their food and water together because cats in the wild would kill and eat and then go wash off in water. I don't know if this is true or just something the Internet said, but it's also less messy this way because the food doesn't get in the water.

We just use a high quality kibble and cut the recommendation on the bag by about a quarter to keep Zelda from being overweight. The cat food companies are trying to sell you food - not keep your cat healthy.

You should wash the food and water bowls every day. I'll confess that we don't do this because I'm too lazy and Zelda has a case of kitty acne because of my laziness. I'd recommend having two sets of ceramic bowls and when one set isn't being used, it can be in the wash.

Counters/tables/stovetop:

You should try squirting the cat with water if he jumps someplace he shouldn't. This doesn't work for Zelda (she'd be wet all the time if she could), but it's worked for a number of other (normal) cats I know.  You can also try putting aluminum foil or something else relatively loud and crinkly on the areas where you don't want the cat to be.  Again, Zelda doesn't care about foil, but some cats hate it.

If that doesn't work, the thing we did is a bit mean, but has been super effective. We bought some old-fashioned wooden mousetraps from Farm and Fleet. We put the traps upside down on the counter/table with a sheet of paper over it and left it overnight. As soon as the cat jumps on the paper, the trap will go off (it's upside down, so it won't hurt the cat) and make a loud noise that is super scary for cats and humans alike. We have repeated this mousetrap trick every time we've moved (three times) and it's been effective. One mousetrap goes off and the cat doesn't go on those surfaces - at least not in front of us. No guarantees what she does when we leave the house.

Our cat is currently showing some regression (she has jumped on the stove TWICE in the last week - this is dangerous and scary!) because we have recently adopted a dog. We're doing the mousetrap thing overnight this week to reinforce that we are not messing around and that we expect her to maintain good behavior.

Scratching/biting people:

Zelda was a holy terror from about six months to two years old. She bit me frequently.  She was a farm cat and I think she was removed from her mother a bit too early and she never learned how to play bite - it was always really deep and it hurt.  She'd basically sneak up on me when I was sitting in a chair or hanging out on the couch and bite me before I realized she was there. I'm pretty sure the biting was her way of saying that she wanted to play, so here's how we dealt with this (really terrible) behavior. First, she had on a collar with bells. I bought a collar and the pet store and then sewed on extra bells. She could not sneak up on me again. Then, if she did approach me when I was in a chair or on the couch, either Ted or I would play with her for 5-10 minutes.  This extra attention was bad for our work productivity at home, but was great for her in terms of getting her extra energy out.

Playing:
Speaking of playing, cats have different play styles. Some cats will energetically run around and chase. Some cats (including ours) are more interested in hunting play. They stalk. We have those toys with long handles and feathers on the end and we drag the feathers on the ground s.l.o.w.l.y and let her stalk them.  Some cats like puzzle toys. It might take some trial and error for you figure out what your cat likes. It also might change as your cat gets older.

 Scratching post usage:

We made one big mistake with Zelda which was allowing her to scratch an old recliner when we first got her. We knew the recliner was on its last legs and didn't care if it got destroyed, but it sent a mixed message to her that it was okay to scratch furniture. If I could do it again, I'd just not allow any scratching of the furniture at all.

1) Try the water bottle thing if your cat hates water.

2) There's a bitter apple spray/citrus spray that doesn't hurt your furniture/carpet, but many cats don't like. Again, Zelda doesn't react to citrus at all (I've seen cats run out of the room when you're peeling an orange - Z just sniffs at it), so this didn't work for us.

3) Put double-sided tape on the furniture/carpet that the cat is scratching at. The cats don't like the sticky on their paws. Zelda has long fur between her pads and the tape would stick to the fur and pull at her fur. She did not and does not like this.  

4) Put a scratching post next to/on top of the place where the cat is scratching.  Not all cats know automatically how to use a scratching post. We had to show Zelda how to do it. This involved us showing her with our own hands and taking her legs and showing her how to stretch on the scratching post. Also, Zelda only likes round scratching posts. We have a rectangular-shaped one and she only very rarely uses it, but we've replaced round ones about a million times. Some cats like cardboard. Some like sisal. You might have to experiment with what type of post your cat likes.

#1 and #2 are the easiest and you should definitely do those if they work for you. We used a combo of #3 and #4. She scratched our couch - we put double-sided tape where she was scratching and then a scratching post next to the couch. She was scratching carpet by the sliding doors - we put double-sided tape along the door and a scratching post on top of the corner where she was mostly scratching.  This took a lot of time and patience, but after she turned 3 or so, we rarely if ever see her scratching furniture.  (She still will go after our rugs on occasion, but a stern voice usually gets her to stop now.)

Hiding places:

Wild cats are either den creatures or tree dwellers. Domesticated cats generally have traits from both. That means that you should have high places for them to go (we have an 8-foot cat tree that we got when she was 4 or 5 and she LOVES it and I wish we'd gotten it for her earlier) and places for them to hide. Many cats hide under beds, but our cat isn't allowed upstairs where the bedrooms are, so we have provided her with lots of dens - basically one in every room she can be in. She has a closet she can hide in. We leave her kennel out (it is always in our dining room) with a piece of fleece I got on clearance and she naps in there a lot. This means she likes her kennel and doesn't freak out when I put her in it (to travel, go to the vet, or leave the apartment in a fire alarm). We bought a tunnel for her that is behind our couch. It's like this one, but without any toys.

(Note: We have also recently adopted a dog and these dens have been a lifesaver for Zelda. The dog can't get her there and she knows it. If there's a dog in your future, these dens are an extra good idea.)

Toys:

You have to experiment. Some cats like balls, some like cat dancers, some like mice, some like pop can tabs.  Zelda doesn't react to catnip, although some cats do.  Don't go too crazy, though, because he's mostly likely going to play with that Amazon box or piece of paper you accidentally dropped the most. Definitely rotate the toys every so often. We generally rotate every Sunday night.  Our cat likes Chinese finger traps and these strange mouse toys with feathers as tails and realistic feeling rib cages. Your cat will almost certainly prefer something else.

Be careful of things that kitty can swallow.  Be really careful of letting him play with strings. I know that a cat with a piece of yarn or shoelace is a stereotype, but if the cat swallows a piece, it can wrap around in his intestines/block his gastrointestinal tract and be a very expensive surgery at best and death at worst.

Litter box:

Zelda has always used her litter box, so if you're having trouble with the box, I don't know what to tell you.

I scoop her litter every night and clean her box every six to eight weeks with soapy hot water.  I use a clumping litter.  I'm sorry I'm not more helpful with this.

If your cat's bathroom habits change suddenly, take him to the vet ASAP. Boy kitties are especially prone to UTIs and it can be dangerous for kitties, although it's treatable.  

Vet:

Have a vet. Keep your kitty's vaccinations up to date.  Take your kitty every year for a well kitty check, even if he doesn't need shots that year. Your vet will do an exam and may notice some things that you don't notice.  Zelda has a slight heart murmur that we're keeping an eye (ear?) on and we found that at a well kitty check.  The vet will also weigh your kitty, so you'll know if they start to put on the pound(s). Obesity is a problem for pets, just like humans, but it's easy for us humans to deal with it because we're the ones who feed them!