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The Game Changing Cat Wall

10/30/2018

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A Fix for the Fur-Siblings

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While I lazed around after a horrible root canal two weekends ago, my incredible husband was busy building a cat wall in our bedroom as part of my continuing efforts to change the dynamic between ShiShi and Haku.  Since we first introduced four month old ShiShi to ten month old Haku, sibling rivalry has been the name of Haku's game.  ShiShi, on the other paw, always seems to tread extra carefully around him - just in case something set him off and he chased her screeching under the armoire.  Again. 
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My goal with this cat wall was to create enough variety of prime viewing/napping spots in my bedroom that Haku would stop his efforts to claim ShiShi's new sliding door perch, and hopefully finally let her be in our bedroom again in peace. (Non-climbing Haku had actually started making  the tall climb up to her new window hammock perch that I put together a few weeks ago, just so he could claim it.  Unreal! )
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The Cat Wall Solution

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It's not the most gorgeous decoration that has ever graced my bedroom, but shelf brackets plus an old kennel sling and a scratching post that has been very popular with both ShiShi and Haku have helped to turn our boring wall into a kitty palace.  Especially when coupled together with the sisel rope covered tree branch/hammock perch that I put together on our sliding door for ShiShi.   By this time I had become very picky about what I thought the cat's needs might be  -  I wanted to create an ease of climbing (for Haku), a comfortable variety of napping spots so that they wouldn't be fought over, all the while keeping the profile narrow so that we human's would still have use of our room.

Happy cats decorate my bedroom best of all!  I love my cat's company, and was sad when they first started carving our house into separate territories a few months ago.  And the improved situation between our cats is much better than I even imagined.

What we ended up with after a long day of drilling holes in the wall and cutting boards to fit has worked beyond my wildest dreams.  Haku is quite comfortable with the short climb to get to his new favorite cushy window perch, and ShiShi seems to have no problem with simply choosing another spot if he is busy claiming wherever she last slept (common territorial behavior for Haku). 

The reason that I say things are improved beyond my wildest dreams, though, is that the change in both cats' behavior over these last few weeks since that cat wall was built has been nothing short of remarkable.  With Haku's eating spot already moved to another room a while back, and with the addition of several prime new napping/perching spots in the bedroom, ShiShi's level of confidence around Haku has somehow soared.  And in wonderful synchronicity, he seems to be feeling less of his usual need to dominate her at the same time.

ShiShi is also obviously feeling extra loved and secure, because she has begun asking for cuddles much, much more frequently.  And over the last week especially, I've seen her frisking and chasing Haku when she wants to play!  The tables are dramatically turned there, because chase-time up until now has meant Haku chasing poor ShiShi until she was yowling for help from underneath the most convenient hiding spot.  Needless to say, Haku seems a bit befuddled by ShiShi chasing him instead and the invitations to play, but he's also still his same happy-go-lucky, cuddlebear self.  Just definitely less troublesome in his behavior with ShiShi. 

And in case anyone is wondering, ShiShi and Haku can still be found together like the Wonder Twins whenever there is any kind of mischief to get into!  If anything, it happens more than ever now.


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Cat Territory Thoughts

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1.  Cat psyches are easily as complex as humans' are, and full of surprises.  I'm starting to think that I could write a life-long theses on the subject!

2.  Cat behaviors, even those rooted in years-long relationships, really can be changed.  I never, ever imagined that the bedroom alterations we have made would give ShiShi the confidence to become Haku's playmate rather than continuing as the subject of his occasional aggression and constant plays for dominance.

3.  I had wondered for a long while if part of Haku's behavior was an instinctual need to worry at a pack member who wasn't behaving confidently.  Since Haku actually seems to be happier now too, I'm thinking that was definitely true.  Boosting ShiShi's confidence has definitely been a plus for both cats.

4.  I spent days looking online at different cat trees and cat wall configurations before I finally decided that we should just build our own.  I love that it doesn't have a big footprint, and plan to modify it over time to look a little more natural and tree-like.  Designing my own wall allowed me to both stay in budget and adapt it as closely as I could guess to my own cats' needs.  And - total success!

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Escape Artist ShiShi

10/17/2018

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Determined Escape Kitty

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It turns out that I have been nurturing a Houdini-inspired escape artist in my house, and her name is ShiShi.  I adore my dear cat with all my heart, but she has given our family several nasty panic attacks in recent weeks especially.  All but one resolved within a few minutes, but Tuesday night's ordeal will be living in our memories for a long time.  

Miss ShiShi has become frighteningly adept at hiding by the very edge of the front door (usually after dark) and then sneaking out in the shadows as we open the door to come inside.  She also keeps a close eye out for new openings in the aging screen that cages in our screened patio, and has snuck out while chasing lizards several times.

On Tuesday night she was missing for a horrific and terrifying 45 minutes before we finally located her - spotted mid-pounce on a lizard (of course!)  I'm all about learning from experiences like this to mitigate or prevent them in the future, and there are definitely a few improvements that we will be making in our cat security measures from now on.

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Blessings of Harness Training

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I honestly believe that there is a good chance that we might not have found ShiShi this time if she hadn't had so much prior harness training around the perimeter of our house.   This belief stems partly from our own experiences with our last cat, Max.  Also, very sadly, from the many 'lost indoor cat' notices that I see posted throughout the year on lampposts, at the vet's office, and at the cat rescue I volunteer at.

When we moved to our current house with Max, we almost lost him just a week later.  He managed to slip outside and, even though we went looking very quickly, he had already roamed five houses up the street and was hiding in bushes, a silent shadow when we called to him from only a few feet away.  To this day, I bless my oldest son's profound determination and intuition in finding Max that night.  It almost didn't happen.

Max was already 12 years old at the time, and I wasn't even aware of harness training for cats.  (If only I had been...)  After that horrible night, we did our best to give him very short (minutes!) of supervised mini-escapes around our back yard/ sides of the house so that he would know where he was if he ever got out on his own again.  It appeared to work - when he broke through porch screens chasing a lizard, we found him waiting to be let in through the door.

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Escapee Training Thoughts

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Many (if not most) cats will have the tendency to slip outside to explore if the opportunity presents itself.  Even cats who have never been outside in their lives.  Even cats who are spoiled crazy and adore their humans.  Even older cats who have never tried to before.  It can be a heartbreaking experience for everyone involved, and I encourage all cat parents to take whatever steps will best help them to prevent this tragedy, or at least help it to resolve well.

1.  I'm extra grateful  for all the on-leash time that I have spent with both cats - roaming around our yard, exploring the perimeter of our house, and checking out the nearby neighborhood.  It it allowed ShiShi to know where she was when she escaped.  She didn't panic and run, didn't get lost, and was extremely comfortable when I went to pick her up (despite being mid-pounce on a lizard!)

2.  We are planning on moving at some point in the next few years.  Moves can be extra crazy busy times, but I'll prioritize getting both cats outside to become familiar with their nearby surroundings as soon as possible after the move.

3.  I'm a big believer in the radio frequency trackers (Loc8tor/TabCat brand) that both ShiShi and Haku wear on their collars.  My cats have always attempted sneaking out (since far before I started harness training them).  We have a large and busy household that makes said sneaking all too easy, especially if someone is coming inside holding packages or in the evening when lighting is dim.  I'll sure be better about keeping the batteries in all trackers fresh from now on - putting it on the calendar for a weekly check.  We could have avoided the panic if only the tracker had been working properly.

4.  We used to have a baby gate in front of our front door, just for preventing cat escapes.  It's a pain and awkward with visitors, and I grew complacent when ShiShi and Haku no longer seemed to be trying to slip through the front door.  A new gate is being installed this week, because that is what will work best for our particular situation, and I won't be taking that gate down again!


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Changing Cat Behaviors

10/11/2018

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Territorial Fur Siblings

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Things got a little dicey around here with the kitties recently.  Haku (who has always been the dominant one) suddenly began doing his best to keep ShiShi away from my bedroom - a most unhappy turn of events.  It took several weeks for me to catch on to what was happening too - partly because a first his behaviors mostly looked kind of cute on the surface, but they weren't cute at all once my cat-besotted eyes opened to the problem. 

To be fair, Haku's behavior really did resemble the whisker kisses that those two have always given each other when they've been apart.  But, this time it actually was Haku laying his 'big boss cat' scent on her head by licking her whenever possible, irritating her into moving along if she was sitting or laying down, and finally chasing her to the other end of the house whenever he could instigate it.   He also began guarding the bedroom door, and would instantly lay claim to any spot in the room where she had happened to sit.  

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The Fighting Fix

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Needless to say, once I figured this all out I was NOT happy - but I also wasn't sure what needed to be done.  It took some 'think-like-a-cat' time before it all came together in my head.  Or, in this case, think-like-Haku time.  And what does that cat care most about (besides cuddles?!) FOOD!

Both kitties have always been fed (twice a day, raw diet) in my bedroom - it was easiest to feed them there for various reasons.  Only now the always-insecure Haku was guarding the source of all his favorite foods, and making ShiShi completely depressed and anxious in the process.  Not to mention ruining my evening quiet time with both of them.  I crossed my fingers that changing the food dynamic would change the behavior.

So, I instituted Plan Bring ShiShi Back to the Bedroom- a double-pronged attack on the behavioral issues at play.  First, I moved the cat tree that Haku is always served his meals on into my dining room - instantly taking away his biggest reason to guard the bedroom.  Then I worked on creating a space near my bed that ShiShi would love, but feel 100% safe from her pain in the fluff-butt brother.  Since Haku is hampered at climbing and jumping by his club foot, I made a window perch that can only be accessed by climbing a rope-covered log.  Then I sprinkled it generously with catnip and treats to let ShiShi know that it was now her own special spot.

And... The Plan worked!  Haku only rarely guards my bedroom now, ShiShi adores her Haku-free view at the window seat, and I have a two-cat bedroom again.  Amazingly, moving Haku's food station also seems to have changed the cat dynamic overall - *gasp* ShiShi's been scaling his cat tree to check out his food while he eats, and Haku is instigating chases around the house much less frequently.

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Dorothy's Pawsitive Training

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If you're wondering if all these positive reinforcement/fix the cat surroundings ideas could work on cats other than ShiShi and Haku?  The answer is definitely yes!

Environmental Change Win:  When  cutie pie Dorothy was first rescued from the streets, she would sometimes do her business on the lid of the litterbox. Her mom tried filling the litter higher, lower, scooping it out  twice a day, once a day...  You get the idea! Eventually though, after some great advice at the pet store, she bought a bigger litterbox with a wider mouth and hasn't  had to deal with sticky smelly messes ever since.  Dorothy was just communicating a problem, and her mom did a fantastic job listening.

Positive Reinforcement BONUS - And here's another great story that her mom sent:  I’m a first time cat owner and at first was very skittish about petting or holding my kitten because she would bite or scratch me whenever I attempted to touch her. After reading a few cat training articles on lovecatbox.com, I started to offer her treats whenever I want to reinforce a positive behavior and this is working! Thank you!

If you want to know more about Dorothy and her story, you can check out her special post on her mom's blog at https://moggyacademy.com/dorothy/ or find her on Instagram @thedorothydiaries ❤

Training Tips

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The success that I had with ShiShi and Haku's territorial problems, and the great results that Dorothy's owner had with her, are completely repeatable with other cats.  It all comes down to positive reinforcement of good behavior, and being willing to make changes in environment or people habits when a cat starts exhibiting 'bad' behavior.  Normally, that behavior just means that the cat is stressed in one way or another, and is acting in the best way it knows to relieve the stress.

1.  Try to 'think like a cat' - try to figure out, if you were that cat, what could possibly make you act in the way that they are.  Or, if you have kids, maybe try thinking like a toddler, or a teen!

2.  Be willing to make changes yourself too.   Most cats really are pretty flexible, but if your furry friend is sending you an unhappy message, chances are that there is a good reason for it and a physical change on your part may be needed to get the behavior change that you are looking for.

3.  Positive reinforcement every time!  Whenever your kitty actually does something that you wanted heap on the praise, and don't be afraid to pull out the treats.



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    Welcome!!

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    We're so glad to see you here! Haku and ShiShi love sharing snippets of their lives with you on Instagram, but this is where you can find the real shenanigans! (And all the training that happens
    'Behind the Scenes') ~ Love ShiShi, Haku and Mira💖

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