All posts by Dr. Marty Becker

Let your indoor cat ‘hunt’ for her food

Fear Free, ,

As we raise our little indoor kitty, Talley, we’re constantly working to make sure she has plenty of opportunities to climb, perch up high, run, play, jump, and have the experiences that are the genetic legacy of the cat. One of our favorite tools is using food puzzles and games to feed her (and all our pets!), helping create the excitement and mental challenge of the hunting experience.

Thanks to veterinarian Dr. Liz Bales, there’s a new food toy that recreates that hunt experience better than any food puzzle or game I’ve ever tried. It’s called the Indoor Hunting Feeder, and it’s from Doc & Phoebe’s.

Here’s how Dr. Bales describes it:

Cats are born hunters. In nature, cats spend 80% of their waking hours hunting for food. Nature made a cat’s stomach the size of a ping-pong ball – the size of a mouse. Cats are programmed to hunt, catch and play with at least 5 small meals a day. Hunting is your cat’s natural, physical and mental exercise. Bowl feeding is overfeeding your cat’s body, while leaving its predatory soul starved.

The indoor hunting feeder replicates your cat’s natural feeding behavior. You fill and hide all 5 mice once a day. Now your cat gets to recreate the seeking circuit. Your cat will hunt, catch and play with it’s “prey” before eating an appropriate amount of food at least 5 times a day, just like nature intended.

Veterinary science has long known that cats need to hunt for their food for their physical and mental health. Bowl feeding is making our cats bored, stressed and sick. These bowl-created problems are making our cats act out – with scarf and barf, urinating outside of the litter box, aggressive and destructive behavior and even waking us up at night to be fed.

As a veterinarian, it makes me sad to see so many bored, under-exercised, over-fed cats — way too many of whom I’d describe as “purring, fur-covered sofa cushions.” On Friday, Feb. 2, 2018, for just 24 hours, you can turn that around by taking advantage of a 20 percent discount on the feeder. You have to be signed up for my Fear Free Happy Homes program (it’s free!) to unlock the deal.

Find out more and sign up here — and tell your cat-owning friends and family!

Indoor cat hunting feeder

A Bengal kitten hiding under a yellow towel

What to do when storms send your cat running for shelter

Fear Free, Pet Connection, , ,

Normally when I’m asked about storm phobias, the pet in question is a dog. But cats suffer fear of storms, too. I teamed up with my daughter, trainer Mikkel Becker, to respond to this reader with a terrified kitty.

Q: I have an 11-year-old female domestic shorthair cat. In the past year, she has started behaving strangely when it storms. Instead of wanting to stay indoors when it begins to rain heavily with high wind, lightning and thunder, she yowls desperately and scratches at the door to get out. She won’t let up until I let her out, and she disappears until the storm is over.

A: Like dogs, cats can develop storm phobias, but we usually don’t notice it as much because cats tend to just hide under the bed when they are scared. And storm phobias can build up over time. Your cat may always have been afraid during storms, but her fear has now built up to the point that she is desperate to escape the frightening conditions. It may also be that sometime during the past year, something occurred during a storm that frightened her, and now she wants to make sure whatever it was doesn’t happen again. She may also have a hidey-hole outdoors where she feels safe.

You can try several things to help your cat relax and stay indoors the next time there’s a storm. Prepare a small, dark, cozy place where she can retreat, such as a closet or guest bath. Spray a synthetic feline pheromone in the area to help attract and comfort your cat.

The snug fit of a Thundershirt can give a comforting hug. The gentle pressure relieves anxiety in some pets. Pay attention to weather reports so you can put it on well before a storm hits.

Relaxing music composed especially for cats may help. An internet search will lead you to “calming,” “relaxing” or “sleep” music for cats.

Finally, you can ask your veterinarian about medications you can give when you know a storm is coming. That may help your cat relax enough to stay indoors.

Read more, including how to help your dogs and cats get along, in this week’s Pet Connection!

A survey about how you feed your cat

Veterinary Medicine,

How do you feed your cat? Dr. Tony Buffington, my good friend, Fear Free colleague, and clinical professor at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, is asking for your help in responding to a short online survey about how you feed your cat.

The surevey should take only around ten minutes, and will help us learn more about how people feed their cats (and you might learn about new ways to feed your cat!). The results of this study may be published as part of our efforts to improve the health and welfare of cats.

If you have a cat, please take the survey now! And share it with your cat-owning friends and family, too.

Thank you, friends!

Are essential oils really dangerous to pets?

Pet Connection, Veterinary Medicine

Stories of pets harmed by essential oils are making the rounds on social media right now. Is it hype, or is it true? Here’s what I told a reader who wrote with that question.

Q: Someone told me that the essential oils I use in our home could be harmful to my pets. Do I need to be concerned, and what should I do if my pets come in contact with them?

A: Essential oils are everywhere, it seems, used to scent homes in the form of liquid potpourri and in homemade cleaning solutions and remedies. Pets can experience chemical burns or other toxic effects if they lick up spilled oils or if the oils are applied to their skin.

Among the essential oils that are toxic to pets are cinnamon, citrus, lemon, pennyroyal, peppermint, pine, sweet birch, tea tree, thyme, wintergreen and ylang ylang. Never apply any concentrated essential oil to a pet’s skin.

Exposure to even a small amount can cause problems such as difficulty breathing or walking, drooling, lethargy, muscle tremors, pawing at the mouth or face, vomiting, or redness or burns at the affected area.

Any time your pet has a reaction to something applied to the skin, whether it’s an essential oil, a hormone cream or a spot treatment, immediate decontamination is important. If you can’t get your pet to a veterinarian right away, gently shampoo with a mild product and rinse frequently and thoroughly to get rid of the substance. If the substance is oily, you may need to use a shampoo or detergent that contains a degreaser, such as a mild dishwashing soap. Pets with long coats may need to be shaved for quick, effective removal of the substance from their fur.

Afterward, take your pet to the veterinarian to make sure he doesn’t have any ill effects from the substance. Pets whose skin is exposed to a large amount of a toxic substance may need sedation or anesthesia to have the product removed, followed by supportive care and pain medication.

Read more, including tips for helping your pet learn to love the vet, in this week’s Pet Connection.

How to find a feline-friendly vet

Fear Free, Pet Connection, Veterinary Medicine

What would you do if you moved far away and had to find a new veterinarian for your pets? That was the question posed to me by a reader. Here are my tips.

Q: We have moved cross-country and need to find a veterinarian for our two cats. Do you have any tips for us?

A: I like your priorities. Finding a great veterinarian should be at the top of the to-do list for any pet person who’s new in town.

You can use a number of filters to narrow the search for your cats’ veterinarian. The one that’s nearest and dearest to my heart is Fear Free certification. Veterinarians with Fear Free credentials know how to approach and interact with cats in a manner that caters to their needs for security, gentle handling and a calm environment. Practice visits, treats and pheromones are among the techniques used to give cats a fabulous experience they won’t mind repeating throughout life.

I also asked a couple of my cat-expert colleagues to weigh in with their advice. Jane Brunt, DVM, executive director of the CATalyst Council and past president of the American Association of Feline Practitioners, suggests searching online for veterinarians in your own zip code so your cat doesn’t have to travel far to get to the clinic. She also suggests looking for a Cat Friendly Practice designation accreditation by the AAFP. Ask pet-owning family or friends for recommendations. Call a practice to make an appointment for a tour. How the receptionist handles your call is a good clue as to how well the practice is run.

Winn Feline Foundation Executive Director Vicki Thayer, DVM, a specialist in feline veterinary care, says veterinarians and staff should exhibit a love and understanding of cats in the way the waiting room and exam rooms are set up with cat behavior in mind. They should handle cats calmly, slowly and quietly and offer helpful advice on getting the cat to — and into — the hospital with minimal anxiety.

Read more, including exciting news about developments in the treatment of degenerative myelopathy in dogs, in this week’s Pet Connection.