Welcome to Benicia Cat Clinic`s Quarterly Newsletter

Welcome to Benicia Cat Clinic’s
Quarterly Newsletter
Have you heard about our Client Referral Program?
If you refer someone to us, and they schedule an appointment, both of
you will receive a $20 credit on your account!
HOW TO KEEP THE “MULTI-CAT” HOUSEHOLD RUNNING SMOOTHLY!
Many of you have multi-cat households. Some of you may be considering getting an additional cat to keep your
lone feline company. In an outdoor environment, cats typically have a territory of between 1600 and 2000
square feet. Asking several cats to inhabit 1 territory (your house) without dispute, can be challenging. Not all
cats are going to necessarily get along with each other.
Here are 10 steps to help you manage the art of the Multi-cat, Indoor Cat Household.
Provide plenty of space.
There are several ways that you can add “space” to your house or apartment.
 You can add vertical “space” by installing perches and/or adding cat trees or cat
condos. The internet is loaded with great ideas for integrating new ideas into your
household.
 You can even expand to the outdoors using special cat fences or enclosures that
attach onto your house, or by enclosing a patio area.
enclosing a patio area.
Don’t expect cats to get along
 Cats are social, but if a cat is raised by itself and then brought into a group, managing the social interaction can be
challenging.
 It’s always easier to bring in younger cats. Also, introducing new cats in pairs, who are similar in age, possibly litter mates,
or two cats who’ve been together for a while. This will reduce the chance that the newcomers will aggravate the
established cats.
 You can expect the occasional hiss, growl or tussle. This is common behavior and part of the normal feline social pattern.
However, if one cat starts to show odd behavior (stalking another cat, or hiding from the other cats) behavior problems
could be brewing.
Provide Food
 Quite contrary to humans, cats eat up to 13 small meals a day. In the wild, they
obtain their food by hunting. It’s possible to incorporate this feeding routine into a
cat household distributing bowls around the house, at various levels that make
the cat jump or climb to reach them.
 You can also provide food puzzle toys that challenge the cat, mentally and
physically, to get their kibble.
 “Free-feeding” can be a concern to cats prone to being overweight, however
research has shown that “meal-fed” cats can be more aggressive and less
cooperative than cats that are “free-fed”. Try to strike a balance; free-feed smaller
amounts of food and use automatic feeders that provide food throughout the day.
Provide Water
By the time cats reach maturity, they require approximately 200 ML of water per day. This is usually acquired from three
different sources:
 Drinking water
 Water in food
 Water from nutrient metabolism of fat and energy
Some cats will drink more if the water dish is separated from the food source.
 Some cats prefer water from a tall container.
 Some cats prefer flowing water (there are many drinking fountains available)
 Some cats like to drink from faucets.
Provide opportunities for play
 We all know that kittens play, but play is an important part of the lives of
adult cats, too.
 Daily interaction with each other and/or their humans, is an important part of
a cat’s socialization.
 Provide your cats with toys that you can use to play with your cats, the cats
can use to play with each other and the cats can use to play on their own.
Provide clean litter boxes
 When cats are in an outdoor environment, they have plenty of room to
eliminate. Often, they will dig down quite deep. This should be taken into account
when providing litter boxes in the home. The standard rule of thumb is 1 litter box
per cat, plus 1 extra box. However, you can consider using less boxes as long as
they are big enough. Under-the-bed storage boxes make very good “super-sized”
litter boxes.
 The boxes should be filled several inches deep with your cats’ preference on litter.
Studies have shown that cats prefer fine particulate litter, but each cat is different
and may prefer something else.
 Boxes should be scooped out at least once a day, more frequently in large cat
households. You should empty them completely, once a week, and wash them
with soap and water.
Provide areas for rest
 It’s been shown, in studies that cats rest about 5½ hours a day and sleep about 9½ hours a
day. Providing places in your house where they can rest peacefully is necessary. You should plan
on accommodating them by age, too.
 Older cats may need an area lower to the ground, or steps, or a ramp to access a bed, couch or
chair.
 Younger cats may like to rest higher up, on a shelf, or at the top of a kitty condo.
 Provide as many places as you can in various parts of the house. These may include kitty beds,
boxes with bedding in them, or cat furniture. There are many options available. An online search
can help.
Provide scratching opportunities
 Did you know that when cats scratch, it’s not just to hone their claws? Cats have scent glands in their paws so that when
they make scratching movements they leave odor cues that other cats can smell. We all know that they will use a chair,
the couch, or the carpet, if they don’t have other “cat designated” scratching options!
 Some cats have a preference of either horizontal or vertical scratching; some cats do both. Make sure you notice and
provide your cats with enough of each.
 You can encourage them to scratch on their surfaces by sprinkling them with dried catnip, or rubbing with fresh. You can
also use cat-nip spray.
 You can discourage them for scratching on the couch, etc. by spraying the surface with Feliway, or applying double stick
tape (such as Sticky Paws).
 If these options don’t work, you can also have nail covers, such as Soft Paws applied to the cat’s nails. Regular (once a
month, or more frequently depending on your cat) nail trimming will also help to set up successful “non-scratching” habits.
Some cats “urine mark”
Urine marking is a normal communication behavior for some cats, but it’s not very desirable for your indoor cats! Spaying and
neutering decreases the incidence of marking by almost 90%. However, spraying is likely to increase in a multi-cat household.
From as little as 25% in a single cat household, to 100% in a household with more than 10 cats.
Expand the indoor space, outside…
Space is essential in a multi-cat household. Consider expanding your cats’
indoor space to a safe area outside. A safe area is one that is specially fenced
for cats and does not allow them to escape, nor unwanted animals to enter.
Fencing options are Purrfect Fence (purrfect-fence.com) and Cat Fence-In
(catfencein.com). These systems are fairly easy to install and can be integrated
with existing fences or be free standing. Outdoor fencing is a good option when
merging groups of cats.
Flea Products!
If you do choose to give your indoor kitty some outdoor living space, you should also look into Flea Preventative. Once “Kitty”
goes out into the wide world, she’s going to bring them back inside with her. Indeed, how many of us are indoor only cat
owners and still have flea problems?
Benicia Cat Clinic carries a variety of Flea Products.
Vectra and Easy Spot are both Over the Counter.
Advantage Multi, Capstar, Comfortis and Revolution can only be dispensed to animals that have been seen by a Veterinarian
as they are FDA governed products and fall under the Prescription laws. But don’t worry! Chances are that, if you are already
using one of these products, your cat has been seen in the last year.
For more information, please call our office — 707-745-2287
Please visit our Website for more information about upcoming specials and more feline health information:
www.BeniciaCatCinic.com