Ask Uncle Herman

Dear Uncle Herman,

Just wanted to share something with your readers that my humans did for me. They got me a pet water fountain to drink from! The water is cool, clean, and always flowing– just the way I like it. Maybe you can get other humans to spoil their kids with one too!

Signed: Happy Kidneys, Spring, AR

Dear Kidneys,

Yes, those water fountains are great, aren't they! Most of the styles come with filters in them to remove chemicals and particles from the water, thus providing us with great tasting water. In addition, the free-flowing fountains entice us to drink more which is very healthy for us felines since we notoriously don't drink enough water. Thanks so much for the tip– hopefully more cat-loving humans will join the fountain bandwagon!

Uncle Herman, RHT

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Dear Uncle Herman,

I am curious about the outside world. I am considering spending some time outside, but don’t know what to expect as I have always stayed inside. What are the pros and cons of inside vs. outside living?

Signed: Curious, Adventure, CA

Dear Adventurous,

There are many things to be aware of if you go outside. You will be exposed to fleas, ticks, and intestinal parasites, and there are cars, wildlife, and dogs to avoid. You run the risk of getting lost or picked up by the pound, and there are other cats out there who will want to hurt you by fighting and could pass on the deadly viruses that cause feline leukemia and feline AIDS. It’s not all bad though, there are critters to chase and adventures to be had outside, just make sure your humans take you to the vet for flea prevention and current vaccines; and a microchip is a good idea to keep you from being homeless!

Uncle Herman, RHT

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Dear Uncle Herman,

I tried my best to write this from my cat's perspective per the sample on the website but apparently I just don't have the creativity at the moment, sorry. I was passed your information from my mom who comes to your vet and I have actually had my cat there before for a procedure. Love the vet and the people there so I am hoping you can help.

Milo is now 1 year 2 months old and we love her to death. Always wants to be next to us and involved in everything. Sadly not a cuddler as she wants everything on her terms but we can deal with that. Just not sure what to do about her bad habits and hoping you might be able to give some direction. She is not the biggest fan of being held or curled up with you and will typically squirm to get away or just get up and leave, I have taken that for her personality and just how she is but the other details are causing some headache. You will be petting her and everything is great, then all of a sudden she lashes out and starts biting my hand or my girlfriend's hand. Unfortunately with her being older it is really starting to hurt especially since she bites down and then keeps biting. We pull our hand away but then she either jumps for it or if you bring you hand around her anytime soon she will go after it again. Also, if there is a cup/glass anywhere in the place, she will run over and knock it over. Seems to have no interest in what's inside the cup, just wants to knock it over. We have tried to stop keeping so many cups out but it can get quite annoying having to always watch this because once you take your eye off of it for a second it's knocked over and created a huge mess. even if you hold the cup she is very persistent and will either wait for you to put it down or walk over to you and push with her entire weight on the edge of the cup to try and knock it over. What is her fascination with this? Lastly, she will wake us up at 5 or 6 am some days by knocking around items on the dresser that she knows makes noise and she knows she is not supposed to do. We get up and she jumps down from the dresser as she knows she is not supposed to be doing that but once we are back in bed she goes back to it. Then we lock her out of the bedroom to try and get some sleep but she meows at the door after 10 minutes so loud it is impossible to sleep through until you let her back in where she will either calm down or make more noise.

Just looking for some advice on these issues since we are not sure what to do and nobody seems to be able to help us yet. We have heard that maybe a second cat would help and we have looked into adopting one from a rescue if that is the direction we go. Unfortunately we could not get a second one when we got her because of monetary reasons but we could handle it now. If a second cat would help then we would get a second without a doubt. Would love to have a second cat since we love our first and it would be even better if we could luck into a cuddly cat as that would be a dream. Would it be better to get another kitten or a cat around Milo's age? Not sure which would work best for her as she is obviously my first concern being my current cat.

Any advice you could give would be unbelievably greatly appreciated. Feel free to contact me anytime and in any manner, I will just be happy to be getting help to make our current cat's life better as well as the possible second one. If we do get a second one we will be sure to bring it out to say hello.

Thank you in advance for all of your help. If we did not live in Dunwoody you would be our permanent vet for sure, just a long way to drive all of the time.

Hope you have a wonderful day and thank you again. Really wish I could have written this to you in a letter from the cat but was not sure how to phrase all that for it to work.

Best regards,
Ben Wilson

Dear Mr. Wilson,

Thanks so much for your inquiry, I hope I will be able to help your situation. Milo sounds like a real character with lots of personality- we need to channel that feisty behavior! She is quite young, so some of the behaviors you are describing are normal young cat antics.

Let's start with the hand biting while petting. Many of us cats have limited touch thresholds and cannot tolerate alot of stroking without getting irritated. I personally can't seem to get enough loving from my humans, but Milo may be one of these 'touch-me-nots'. I would recommend letting Milo decide how much contact she wants by just sitting by you or hanging out in your presence. Acknowledge her presence with a verbal cue and/or a single pet, but then avoid further handling unless she initiates it. If she bites, don't use physical discipline (ie spanking, tapping on the head, etc) that just makes us mad at your hands- use a verbal cue such as a sharp "NO". Also, remember never to use your hands for any type of play behavior because we cant tell if you are playing or petting. She may also have a strong prey-drive, so be sure to play with toys that satisfy that aspect of her feline nature- when I was young, I enjoyed balls that move quickly over the floor like ping pong balls and a laser pointer. You can also try toys that hide under a blanket that 'peek' out and tease her.

Though as a rule we cats avoid water like the plague, we do seem to be drawn to cups and glasses of it- especially when we're young. This is probably due to the fact that we like water off of surfaces, and fresh or flowing water. There are several pet fountains on the market that I love to drink from- not only is the water great tasting because it's filtered by the unit, but the constant flow entices me to drink more (very healthy) and is downright fun! Be sure to keep it clean (my humans run it thru the dishwasher) and filled so that it flows well- you may find that Milo's fascination with your water diminishes if she has a water fountain of her own. in the meantime, I'd use a sealed travel mug to avoid spills.

Oh, the knock-everything-off-the-dresser game!! What fun- the cool human stuff makes noise, it crashes to the floor, the humans wake up (and sometimes feed me)- awesome! To stop this, Milo mainly needs to just grow up as most adults get over this game pretty quick. Until the game loses it's appeal, a spray bottle of water set on 'stream' works well. Keep it by your bed and when she starts acting up, you can just spray it at her from your bed- after a couple of hits, she'll run if you even show her the sprayer, and you don't even have to get out of bed! As far as locking her out of the room- don't you know that nothing makes us more curious than a closed door? My friend Simon illustrates this point well:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rb8aOzy9t4
If water doesn't stop her, this will:
http://www.amazon.com/Contech-StayAway-Motion-Activated-Pet-Deterrent/dp/B000DZFFN4/ref=pd_sim_k_3

The best solution for all of these problems may be another cat. We are very playful creatures with lots of energy to expend, so a playmate would be a great idea! Just as with humans, not all cats get along, so the tricky part will be to find just the right friend for Milo- not just any pet will do. Another young adult or kitten with a history of peaceful interaction with other cats is a good idea, as is one of the opposite gender with a laid-back personality. Gwinnett Humane Society and the Society of Humane Friends both do a great job preparing cats and kittens for new homes- this includes personality evaluations, health screens, etc. Perhaps you have an organization in your area that will work with you to find the perfect match!

Hope this advice helps- Good luck!
Uncle Herman, RHT

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Dear Uncle Herman,

For the last few weeks, I have been really uncomfortable when using the litterbox– namely when I urinate. I am ashamed to admit that I sometimes urinate on the carpet or on my peoples’ clothing, just because it’s hurts so darn bad I can’t always make it to the box. As a result of my transgressions, my owners are now really mad at me! How do I let them know I am not being bad, I just am not feeling well?
Signed OUCH! in Agony, WI

Dear OUCH!

I am sorry to hear about your plight. Pain when you urinate can be caused by a number of conditions– bladder infection, inflammation, and bladder crystals or stones. It sounds like you are giving your people the appropriate signals, so hopefully they will make an appointment for you to see the vet so you can get some much-needed relief!
Uncle Herman, RHT

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Uncle Herman is a Registered Hug Therapist and an expert in cat-human relations. He has many years of experience molding humans to be proper cat guardians. When he is not giving therapeutic hugs, Herman enjoys eating, napping, sleeping, dozing, and talking to his toys.