Our cat, Trevor, likes to get in our bookshelf and take naps. He doesn't get on the top shelf, but on the one below it where there aren't many books. He knocked off a couple of collectible figurines so I moved them all and now there's nothing for him to break. But my husband doesn't like Trevor up there. I say it's no big deal. Cats like to get up high and cats will be cats. At least he doesn't get on the kitchen counters. Any ideas?
Since cats first came into houses, people have been faced with trying to keep them from being, as you say, cats. Seeking out high places is a natural part of a cat's behavior. But knowing that doesn't help when a cat is knocking over fragile collectibles, shedding on shelves and tracking kitty litter on kitchen counters.
Feline behaviorists have developed several strategies for conditioning cats to avoid specific areas and direct them to the places acceptable to their owners. They suggest making a surface unappealing by rolling out aluminum foil or covering the area with sticky tape. Another tactic involves teaching a cat to respond to a verbal cue to get down from a counter or bookshelf. They also advise creating alternate perches.
Deterrents and training tactics require a cat to adjust to a human environment, while offering alternate perches is a way of creating a more "natural" habitat for the cat, veterinarian Nicholas Dodman says in an article in the June issue of Catnip. Dodman, a professor of animal behavior at Tufts University's School of Veterinary Medicine, believes that cat owners need to take the high road by creating cat-friendly environments.
Cats are born to climb, Dodman says. Domestic cats are descendants of tree-dwelling cats, so they have a biological need to find high places. Outdoor cats hide in trees to get away from predators as well as watch for prey. Indoor cats may not need to hide from predators, but they still possess a natural affinity for elevation. Yelling at them and otherwise trying to fight a cat's inclination to climb can result in an anxious, neurotic pet, Dodman says.
That doesn't mean owners have to give up on discouraging a cat from counter-surfing in the kitchen, but that they might have more success if the cat has alternate vertical spaces. Those include window seats, carpeted cat towers with several levels or even building wall shelves and ledges specifically for cats to climb. Dodman says his cats like to jump from a balcony to a high shelf where they can look down on his television.
Since Trevor has staked out a bookshelf as his perch of choice, you might designate it as his place exclusively. You've already removed breakable items and could follow up by taking away any books remaining on the shelf and replacing them with a mat for Trevor.
If you decide you don't want Trevor on the bookshelf, make it unappealing or block his access. But offer him another perch. Position a cat tree next to the shelf, spritz it with catnip spray and invite Trevor to get on it. When he does, praise him and offer him a treat.
If you'd like more ideas on creating vertical territory for Trevor, check out tinyurl.com/pr6gw7y, a Pinterest board filled with photos of cat trees, window seats, built-in climbing walls and such.
To take this all one step further, you could engage Trevor in clicker training to teach him a command for getting off a surface and going to a targeted perch or position. Clicker training involves a small device that makes a "click" as a reinforcer and cue. Naughty No More, a book by cat behavior consultant Marilyn Krieger, covers the technique in detail. She offers clear, simple instructions on teaching a cat how to get off of a surface on command. She also explains how you can clicker-train a cat to sit on cue and amaze your friends.
Family on 07/16/2014