Kringle with my library copy of the book This book is filled with great advice, but can’t we close the door on using punishment to train cats? There is helpful advice on “Kitty Feng Shui” or creating the right environment, adding another pet, aggression, litter box issues, scratching, and travel and carrier training. These tips are neatly organized and presented attractively. I didn’t agree with the use of punishment in some situations. That never goes well with cats. Squirting a bottle of water to keep cats off kitchen counters sends the wrong message. I tried that method ages ago, and it only made me and the cat feel bad. I can still see Ginger’s puzzled, unhappy expression, although I aimed the bottle at her face rather than back side as recommended here. Positive reinforcement is the only type of training that works for cats, and it may be the only type that’s really effective with anyone.
“Static mats” are also suggested, delivering a “mild” shock when the cat steps on them, similar to what we’ve all had happen from static electricity in our homes when it’s very dry. But when is it ever right to shock an animal? And how do we know that the shock is experienced as mild to a cat? I’ve shared a spark of static with a cat accidentally and the cat jumped. A YouTube video shows a cat jumping and running away after stepping on one of these mats. Shock mats should go the same way that shock collars should and be banned as cruel. The writer spends a whole chapter advocating that cats should be kept indoors. This is a controversial topic. I agree that it’s safer, but the North American obsession for the practice gets old. Inaccurate information from the Humane Society of the United States is provided to support the position, suggesting that indoor cats can live up to twenty years while outdoor cats seldom live past the age of five. Wrong on both counts: when I took in Missy, she lived to 26, and had been an indoor/outdoor cat all her life until her last year with me. She was a contender for the World’s Oldest Living Cat in the Guinness World Records when she succumbed to kidney failure in 2015. The “short miserable life” often ascribed to outdoor or feral cats is simply untrue, especially when they receive ongoing care by a trap-neuter-return program. Many elderly cats have been reported in those programs. The indoor/outdoor argument is reversed in the U.K., where behaviourists are more concerned about behaviour problems that can arise from cats being confined 24/7. Outdoor cats have always helped with rodent control. It gives joy to see a happy cat strolling or lounging in the neighbourhood. I’m glad to have visitors to my garden, even if I have to scoop occasionally. My cat Kringle has other views, and yowls and puffs up like a Halloween cat if he sees an intruder. But since I blocked the bottom section of the glass door with an opaque screen, visiting cats can stroll past and rub against the catmint plant usually unseen. Since Kringle arrived over five years ago, he has had zero interest in going out, and that’s fine with me. Back to the book, I was surprised to see cats described as nocturnal. I’d read that they are crepuscular, busiest at dawn and dusk, when their glowing eyes do their best work. Curiously, there are references that use either position. One study said the times when cats are most active relates to what goes on in the household. That makes the most sense to me. Cats adapt to their home and family schedules. If I start waking up earlier, you can be sure that my cat is there for breakfast. I was puzzled by a comment about inappropriate elimination: “Marking should never be confused with inappropriate urination, which occurs strictly on the floor” (p. 11). Can’t marking be just as inappropriate and unwanted? I remember watching Kringle in the act of marking the soft side of his own pet bed. I took it as a strong communication that something needed to be addressed. I had two male foster cats in the spare bedroom, gorgeous Norwegian Forest cats named Softpaws and Sweetums. Kringle felt insecure in his territory, even though the cats were separated by a door and walls. VOKRA transferred the two brothers to another foster home. Kringle had arrived first, and took precedence, although I fell in love with the others too. They were eventually adopted by a caring person who accepted that the bonded brothers would not likely become lap cats, but gave joy just as they were. I gave this cat behaviour book four stars out of five. The author writes well, and while I don’t agree with the use of punishment and some minor matters, there is a lot of good content that can help people with problems. But I'm concerned enough not to include it in the cat behaviour resources shared on this site. - Irene Plett Details: Margaret H. Bonham, The Cat Owner’s Problem Solver: How to Manage Common Behavior Problems by Thinking Like Your Cat (2008, TFH Publications, ISBN 9780793806508, 176 pages) Topics: cat behaviour, cat training, punishment, cat age, indoor cats, outdoor cats, feral cats, inappropriate elimination, marking, static mats, shock mats, shock collars
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