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A newsletter dedicated to preserving the human-animal bond through behavior counseling.
July 2008
Volume 1, Issue 3
CATS ARE NOT VEGETARIANS!
Those of you who have cats and plants living harmoniously in your house, kudos to you! Many people, though, have problems keeping their cats out of the household plants. Hopefully, the following will offer some suggestions to help keep your plants from being tormented by those frisky felines.
One of the easiest ways to keep a cat out of a plant is by moving it out of the cat’s reach or in a room the cat is not allowed into. Hanging the plants usually works well.
If
moving the plants is not an option, the main way to keep a cat away from a plant
is by making it less desirable. This is done is by making the plant leaves
taste bad. There are commercial products available called Bitter Apple or
Bitter Orange that can be sprayed onto the plants to make them taste bad. You
can also wet the leaves and sprinkle cayenne pepper on them or use Tabasco
sauce. All of these products do have to be reapplied until the cat gets the
hint that the plant isn’t so tasty to chew on.
For the cats that like to dig or go potty in the soil, larger rough decorative rocks or gravel can be placed on top. This makes the soil inaccessible and less appealing to dig around in. Aluminum foil or wax paper can also be used, but is less pleasing to the human eye. Snappy trainers (looks like a mouse trap) can be used in or around the pots, as well.
Upside down carpet runners, scat mat, or the Ssscat system (motion activated compressed air) are other ways to keep cats from plant areas. A motion activated alarm can be used on larger plants or trees. Cats are usually wise to learn when these systems have been removed or are not working, so use these methods in conjunction with the other techniques described above.
It
may be beneficial to have certain plants growing solely for your cat’s chewing
pleasure. Cat grass, catnip, valerian, and other herbs are a safe alternative.
These plants need to look completely different from the ones you are trying to
keep them from, otherwise they will become confused. There can be some vomiting
noted after a cat ingests plant material. This is generally a normal behavior,
unless the cat is acting abnormal or appears to be distressed.
The following is a small list of toxic plants you want to make sure you keep your cat away from: lilies, marijuana, tulip bulbs, azalea/rhododendron, oleander, castor bean, yew, chrysanthemum, English ivy, peace lily, and avocado. A more complete list can be obtained from the ASPCA Poison Control Center at www.aspca.org.
With a little work and patience, your cat and plants should be able to thrive together.
Is Sparky Scared?
How to Manage Your Dog's Fireworks & Storm Phobias
This is the time of year when many calls come in regarding dogs and their fear of storms and/or fireworks. If you don’t have one of these dogs, count your blessings. For those of you that do, hopefully some of the following suggestions will help your dog at least cope with the anxiety in a better way. With a lot of patience and training your dog’s fear can hopefully be reduced.
The actual definition of a phobia is a persistent and excessive fear of some stimulus that is out of proportion to the threat it may present. With that being said, you and I know that your dog is not going to be hurt from the storms or fireworks, but your dog for some reason has cause to believe otherwise. There is a very broad spectrum to these phobias ranging from mild to extremely severe. In severe cases the dog can actually cause harm and injury to itself.
Being the caring and loving pet owners that we are, these fears start out very mild and we attempt to comfort them through the endeavor. Unfortunately, this effort of trying to comfort them is misinterpreted by the dog as praise, and actually encourages increased anxiety behaviors. Punishment during these periods of time increases the anxiety level as well. It is best to avoid all coddling and punishment while your dog’s anxiety level is increased.
Signs that a dog has or is developing a phobia can include vocalization, destructive and escape behavior, pacing, urination, defecation, withdrawal, hiding, increased salivation, and being in a catatonic state. One or all of these signs may be present. The chances of being able to decrease the fear depend on how long the dog has been suffering from it. The chances are best when a behavior modification program is started as soon as any signs are apparent.
A
behavior modification program has many steps to it. The first is to limit
exposure to any and all of the fearful situations. This is easier to do with
fireworks. Keep your dog away from any situation where fireworks may take place
while retraining your dog. This is harder to do with a storm phobia, since we
can’t control the weather. In this situation, it is recommended to start the
behavior modification program in the winter. In the meantime, steps can be
taken to try and make your dog more comfortable. Your dog must have a safe
place to go, where it can’t hurt itself. Windows should be blocked, white noise
or loud background noises should be played to try and block out the thunder, and
fun toys used only at these times should be used to help offer a distraction for
your dog.
The next step in the program is to have a reward that your dog absolutely loves, and use it only for these training sessions. The reward can be a highly desirable treat of some kind. If your dog is not very food motivated, but loves toys, finding a toy used just for these lessons is an option as well.
Teaching your dog to settle or relax on command is the next critical step. It is best to have a designated area with a bed or mat for your dog to feel relaxed and calm. This bed can then be transported to other places if necessary during times of travel.
The fourth step is the actual desensitization period. A CD with the sound of fireworks or thunderstorms is played at a very low volume. You want the volume to be just below where your dog doesn’t exhibit any signs of fear. If your dog starts getting anxious, the volume is too loud. It is best to play the CD for three to five minutes, multiple times throughout the day, instead of doing 1 long session. While the CD is playing it is necessary to have your dog settle at the mat, and this is also the time you should be rewarding the calm behavior with whatever treat or toy you have chosen for these training exercises. The volume and distance to the sounds is very gradually increased. If your dog starts showing signs of anxiety, you went too fast with increasing the volume and must go back to a lower level.
Sometimes drugs need to be used to help the animal through training sessions. An appointment would need to be set up with your veterinarian for a work up and to discuss if medications will be useful for your dog’s situation.
Some other things that may be tried to help reduce anxiety include anxiety wraps and Dog Appeasing Pheromone (D.A.P.). D.A.P. comes in a spray, diffuser, and collar. Many owners have a lot of success with this product, while others do not.
Thunderstorm
and firework phobias are very difficult to modify. Even with all of the
training listed above, it is difficult to recreate naturally occurring stimuli.
Lightning, rain, skies, and barometric pressure are all factors for storm
phobias that can making retraining difficult. Camera flashes are one way to
simulate lightning.
Unfortunately there is no miracle treatment for these phobias, and they will probably not go away. The goal for the training program is to help make your dog more comfortable and you less frustrated during these extremely anxious times. Consulting your veterinarian prior to beginning a program is ideal to make sure you get started on the right foot.
In the future, prevention is always key. This is done with tons of positive exposure to everything and anything your dog may be exposed to throughout its life.
Pet Peeves Periodical is written by Amanda Henry, CVT.
E-mail: amandacvt@centurytel.net
RESOURCES
Overall, Karen L. Clinical Behavioral Medicine for Small Animals. Mosby, Inc, 1997
Landsberg, G., W. Hunthausen, and L. Ackerman. Handbook of Behavior Problems of the Dog and Cat. 2nd ed. Elsevier Science Limited, 2003
Horwitz, Debra F. and Jacqueline C. Neilson. Blackwell’s Five Minute Veterinary Consult Canine & Feline Behavior. Blackwell Publishing, 2007
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