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© 2021 MJH Life Sciences™ and dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinary Insights, Medicine, Pet Care. all rights reserved.

Explains the inherent behavior of cats and tips to share with customers to keep them healthy.

What makes cats a healthy pet? Maintaining a healthy weight and exhibiting acceptable behaviors for human caregivers is a good start. The veterinarian must ensure that they communicate clearly with the cat owner on how to keep the cat's physical and behavioral health.

One thing is certain: we have an epidemic. According to the Association for the Prevention of Obesity in Pets (APOP), in the United States, 59.5% of cats are overweight or obese. 1 Our cat's body is overfed, while their predatory soul is starving. Although the debate about what food to feed cats is fierce, the most important health crisis faced by cats has received little attention. The number one cause of death for cats is unwelcome due to behavioral problems. 2

There has been a lot of discussion and research on the effects of diet on the health of cats. Until recently, feeding behavior and its impact on physical and behavioral health has become an area of ​​concern. We now know that "cats are solitary predators who eat small prey. They prefer to eat alone often. Their prey has low caloric density and needs to be killed several times a day (for which they consume a lot of energy) to meet their basic nutritional needs. "3 In short, cats must seek, seek, capture, and kill more meals, small meals and more meals. Eating is a cat’s natural eating behavior.

Outdoor life is undoubtedly dangerous for cats, but it also allows cats to live according to their instincts, such as what to eat and how to eat. When we close and lock the door, the content of the menu and how the service is provided are controlled by humans. In fact, there is evidence that behavioral problems are more common in cats that cannot get outdoors. 3 There is a clear and proven direct link between understanding and satisfying cats’ innate behavioral needs and their physical health. Stress can have physiological consequences. It activates the central pressure response system, 4 has an effect on almost every body system, and plays a role in the most common health problems faced by cats. How to minimize the stress of cats and meet their behavioral needs, especially their eating behavioral needs, is still in its infancy.

This summer, researchers from the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of California, Davis, published a study investigating the possibility of fasting exercises in cats. Contrafreeloading is defined as the animal's preference to work for food when equivalent food is available for free.

The study looked at 17 cats to see if they were more likely to forage from fixed trays with various obstacles, creating a food puzzle, or choose to eat from similar-sized trays without obstacles. To prepare for this study, cats were given 4 to 12 days to adapt to the diet of this food puzzle. During the study, the cat had 30 minutes to eat from the puzzle and the tray in each trial, at which time both were removed and the recording was stopped. There is no mention of whether the test administrator stayed in the room within 30 minutes or whether the cat was left alone. "Compared with puzzles, cats eat more food from free feed trays (t (16)=6.77, P<.001). Cats make more first choices to approach and eat from trays. Activity and reaction There is no relationship between free loading, gender, age or previous food puzzle experience has no effect on anti-free loading.” Investigators speculate that most domestic cats choose to eat from the tray instead of eating from this food puzzle. 15

The question raised in this study is a contraindication for cats. Before drawing conclusions, we must evaluate some of the methods in this study. The foraging of fixed food puzzles was evaluated compared to eating from similarly sized trays. For animals, does the work of obtaining food need to somehow imitate the way animals obtain food in nature? In nature, cats naturally find and obtain food for half of every 24 hours. 3 Finding food is the most time-consuming behavior in the cycle of hunting, catching, playing, and eating. In addition, cats are solitary predators that eat small prey, and they prefer to eat alone often. Their prey has a low calorie density and needs to be killed several times a day (they consume a lot of energy) to meet basic nutritional needs. 16

Separately and occasionally looking for a portion/calorie-controlled small meal, and then the cat must interact with it. This is more than being provided with a fixed puzzle, then fishing out most of the food, and at the same time may be observed to replicate a cat’s in a discrete time of 30 minutes Natural eating behavior.

In addition, cats are slower to adapt to new things than dogs or people. I think that four to twelve days is only a small part of the time it takes for cats to adapt to changes in food patterns-even if this change is more in line with their instincts.

Let us be clear about the problem that this research is trying to solve: Are cats anti-freeloaders? Do they prefer to work for food or to be served? In this study, “Most of the cats in our study did eat some food from the puzzle, but none of the cats ate more food from the puzzle than the tray. Therefore, although we have evidence that there is free When we get food (weak anti-free loading), some of us are willing to work for food, but there is no evidence that cats prefer to work for food."15

So, how does just eating from the puzzle, or rather a series of feeders that feed day and night, affect the behavior of the cat? Their weight? These two pieces of information have the greatest impact on how veterinarians should guide their clients to understand cat feeding health and welfare.

The physical and behavioral manifestations of stress are complementary. The short-term stress of cats has a direct impact on the cat's body. Increased heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure, and body temperature. In the blood test, we see that lymphocytes decrease, neutrophils, monocytes, and blood sugar increase, and blood sugar will soar to a level similar to diabetes. Long-term stress can cause various diseases, behavior problems, urinary system diseases, cardiovascular diseases, endocrine diseases, skin diseases and gastrointestinal diseases. Many cats will experience these combinations in their lifetime. 7 We call it a comorbidity. 6

The good news is that we know the solution to this problem, and it's not difficult. The cat's behavior, social needs and environmental needs are clearly understood and relatively simple to provide.

Solving this problem requires a very important missing component. you. You see, it is much more difficult to educate cat parents than dog parents. Dog parents have many connections with educators, such as veterinarians, trainers, groomers, dog walkers, puppy daycare workers, and friends at dog parks and dog play dates. In fact, half of the number of cats that go to the vet for health check-ups are dogs. 8 It is entirely possible for the cat’s parents to spend a lifetime without interacting with the educator. This is what you need to know.

What is the nature of a cat? When we understand what motivates cats' behavior, we will understand the expectations of cats as human companions and other cats' companions in our homes.

Armed with this information, we can reconsider the criteria for obtaining a minimum satisfactory physical living space in our home. The happiness of all living things begins with basic survival. How do cats survive and stay safe? How do they eat, drink and support themselves? What are the threats to the safety of cats, and how do they protect themselves from these threats through programming? How do cats communicate and interact with the world and each other? This is the basic survival of cats.

Almost everything you need to know about cats comes down to one thing: hunting.

Cats are excellent hunters. they need. A cat needs to hunt, catch, kill and eat 8-12 mice every day to survive. Cats need about 80% of their waking time to complete this task. Nature gives cats a strong natural hunting motivation to ensure that they can survive even with adequate food. 9 A cat’s stomach is only the size of a ping-pong ball, which fits a meal the size of a mouse. 1. Rats do not wait in groups all day long to be eaten. They avoid cats and run around alone, usually at dawn and dusk, the darkness can help protect them. Therefore, cats instinctively hunt at dawn and dusk. They don't rely on vision like you and me. Cats use their sense of smell, hearing, and movement to locate prey.

The feeding behavior of cats also determines the rest of their lives. Rat-sized meals are not enough to share, so cats hunt and eat alone. You will not see a group of domestic cats knocking down a deer together and eating together on the carcass. One cat hunts, kills and eats one mouse at a time.

If there are more cats than food in a place, the cats will starve to death. Eight to twelve mice are many mice every day, so cats are very careful to protect their food sources. result? Cats have a strong sense of territory. If you have to hunt and eat alone, you better be able to rely on yourself to stay safe.

And this is how cats evolved. Cats are lonely survivors. They don't protect each other, they don't protect each other, and they don't expect each other to stay alive. If they are sick, injured or in need, there are no other cats to help them. This is not malicious, vengeful or unkind, it is just the way nature creates them. Therefore, showing that they are sick, injured or in need will not do them any good. Showing this vulnerability will not help, but it is likely to let predators know that they are easy prey.

If there is enough food and safe shelter to meet all their personal needs and group needs, groups of related mothers and kittens may live together. These female cats grew up together, lived together, and smelled alike. They do not accept new cats. 10

If it comes down to a territorial battle between two cats, it is very likely that one or both of the cats will be injured or killed. In the wild, fighting injuries often lead to death. Therefore, nature designs cats to avoid conflicts and even interactions with competitors. Therefore, cats have found a way to communicate with each other without being present.

In order to avoid unnecessary interaction, cats will leave a lot of communication around their territory. Usually a "sign", such as a urine mark or a claw mark on a tree, can be communicated in a variety of ways, including smell, pheromone, and visual cues.

Cats have a keen sense of smell. In addition to smell, cats have a complex chemical information system that uses pheromone. Pheromone is an odorless chemical substance produced by cats’ cheeks, under the chin, the base of the tail, foot pads, and special glands around the anus, genitals, and mammary glands. Cats deposit these messengers when doing things like rubbing their cheeks, urinating/defecating, and scratching things. The cat receiving the information must take the initiative to inhale the air containing the pheromone into the top of the mouth. This behavior is called flehmen and enters the organ called the vomeronasal organ to detect the information. Only another cat can perceive these pheromones, and when they perceive it, the cat receiving it will have a specific innate response.

Cats rely on smell and pheromone. In short, if it smells like me, it is safe. By rubbing and grooming each other's hair, cats deposit their scent and pheromone throughout the home and other cats they choose to live with. Cats also use scents and pheromones to convey fear, danger, and territory without having to be there in person.

Urine and feces contain waste, odor and pheromone information. Sometimes, cats want to convey information through urine and/or feces. We call it urine or stool markers. In most cases, cats only need to eliminate and carefully bury their urine or faeces to avoid revealing their location to competitors or predators. Outside, the cat chooses when and where to urinate and defecate in order to achieve all these goals and ensure its own safety.

Cats are the food of choice for coyotes, foxes, large reptiles, eagles, owls and other birds of prey. In fact, nature makes cats keenly aware that their lives are always in danger. Cats are born to climb to the highest point available and choose a habitat not much larger than their body or squeeze into a small space to stay safe. 11

As lonely survivors, cats are designed not to express their needs and weaknesses. Without information, we assume that cats are indifferent and vengeful little furry villains who are difficult to get along with.

Now that we know what makes a cat a cat, we understand what motivates our cat's behavior. The next step is to use this knowledge to meet their needs in our home. Instead of confronting our cats and forcing them to make do in a world that does not fit their nature, we can work with them so that we can live in happiness. It's easy.

The happiness of all living things begins with basic survival-keeping safe and eating. Cats are hunters and prey. This is the motivation for their behavior. Meeting these needs should be minimal baseline care, rather than being seen as transcending abundance.

In order to feel safe, cats need to know that they have a place to climb and hide, even in a relatively safe place in our house. When cats know that they can choose to escape from any situation by climbing and hiding in the living space, they can relax and are more likely to participate and enjoy the company of humans.

Many cat parents do not know the behavioral needs of their cat. The veterinarian is responsible for educating the cat's parents about the cat's needs and how to meet these needs at home. For example, cat parents should provide their cat with a commercially available cat tree and shelf, or even an old bookcase for climbing. The bed can be a store bought, a cat litter and a cat bed, or a cardboard box with towels in it. When cats choose to rest on a high place or on a comfortable bed, do not disturb them. Parents should let them know that these spaces are truly safe.

Cats are hunters. Finding food, catching food and playing with it are their mental activities and physical exercises. This is why they are sober. We know that their stomachs are only the size of table tennis balls, and they hunt and eat at least 8 to 12 times in a 24 hour period, mainly at dawn and dusk. We know that they are lone survivors, hunting and eating alone. So why do we feed them with bowls and take away the most important activities in their lives? Eliminating this natural behavior will make our cats feel bored, obese and sick.

If they cannot express their hunting instincts, cats may become aggressive or destructive.​​​ 9 Nature tells them to hunt, so they are looking for a way. Even if there is food in the bowl, they usually wake up early in the morning to feed. Cats are programmed to hunt at dawn. If there is no prey, they hunt you and then eat the food in the bowl to gain their hunting interaction.

Despite decades of debate about what cats should eat to stay healthy, our cats are getting fatter. Today, 60% of cats in the United States are overweight and obese. This number is rising every year. 1 Moreover, cats still suffer from lower urinary tract disease. The answers to these uncomfortable and sometimes fatal questions are unlikely to be found in bags, jars, or anything you put in a bowl. Studies have shown that idiopathic urinary system diseases are caused by stress, not food or water intake. During the day and night, you can reduce or solve stress by climbing places, hiding places, and finding a lot of snacks in different places in the surrounding environment.

Pet parents can release 8 to 12 rats in their house every day. But rats also have parasites, you know, they are rats. So what is the answer? Hunting feeders and puzzle feeders. The hunting feeder is a kind of rat. They have a fabric covering for cats to use their teeth and paws, and a plastic inner container to hold food. The top of the mouse is an adjustable opening, so food can be distributed easily or provide more challenges. When you fill and hide at least 3 mice during the day and fill and hide three mice while spending the night around the house, the complete hunting cycle of the cat is complete. A puzzle feeder is a food container that your cat must interact with to get food. They may need to move the flip lid, rotate the container, or reach into the hole to extract the food.

When a cat is exposed to a new feeding solution, they may reject it altogether, which makes pet owners feel frustrated and disappointed when they feel a waste of money. slower. This is not a waste. Remind pet owners that cats are hunters and will also be hunted. Prey species are highly alert to danger and are reluctant to come into contact with new things. We also know that cats communicate through smell and are more likely to interact with things with smell and pheromone. Use this information to educate your pet parents to help their cat feel safe. When they are happy to be petted or having a snack, they can gently wipe the cat's cheeks and face with a towel, and then wipe the towel on the new thing. Pet parents can use new foods and snacks or even catnip to attract cats to overcome their natural reluctance. Moreover, we know that cats are lone hunters. Pet parents should allow their cats time to interact and explore with their new feeding solutions alone. Soon, the bowl will be a thing of the past. 11

Urinating outside the litter box is the most common and least popular behavioral problem for cats. 13 Pet parents mistakenly referred to the entire syndrome of urinating outside the litter box as "urinary tract infection." UTI stands for urinary tract infection: “Urinary tract infection (UTI) refers to the adhesion, proliferation and persistence of infectious agents in the genitourinary system, leading to related inflammatory reactions and clinical symptoms. 1 In most UTIs, bacteria are Infecting creatures." 14

In fact, bacterial UTI is not common in cats, only 1% to 2% of cats have UTI in their lifetime, and it is most common in female cats over 10 years of age. 14 UTI can only be done by culturing a urine sample collected directly from the bladder, and not based on clinical symptoms of urinating or painful urination outside the litter box.

So, what causes the cat to urinate outside the litter box? This list is long and should start with a thorough veterinary examination to rule out diseases, including diabetes, kidney disease, hyperthyroidism, bladder stones, cancer and many other diseases. If the cat is in good health, the next step is to assess the hygiene and placement of the litter box.

Indoors, cats have limited options that can be eliminated. As far as people are concerned, there are two options, in the trash can and outside the trash can. Cats are more likely to use a clean litter box, so educate pet parents to scoop out the litter box at least once a day. Cats need to be able to walk around in their boxes, dig and cover their urine or feces. They need a lot of space to do all this. Cats prefer a box that is 1.5 times the size of a cat and contains about 2 inches of trash. Different cats like different cat litter, and some may only use one specific cat litter. Your cat needs to be able to reach the box, get in and out of it. This may seem obvious, but your cat may have arthritis, making it difficult to climb the basement stairs or get in and out of the box. If all of the pet parents are correct, it may be stress that caused their cat to urinate outside the box.

Let's review it. The natural state of a cat is as a lone hunter. Only when there is sufficient and stable food and shelter, can cats live in the social group of related mothers and their kittens who have grown up together. The cat will establish a territory based on food and shelter, and then protect it. As a conflict avoider, cats use urine markers and paws to convey their territory and try to resolve conflicts without fighting. This is how cats are designed to experience the world. If there are not enough food, water, litter boxes and safe resting places to be distributed in their living spaces, cats cannot avoid avoiding each other to get what they need. This alone will increase the stress level of each cat throughout the day. When direct interaction occurs on shared resources, this level of stress can soar.

Cats are not born to accept strangers' cats into their territory. period. As a lonely survivor, cats do not "need friends" like people do. Humans are social animals, cats are not. We must educate the cat’s parents that it is realistic to expect that resident cats will not accept the new cat in their home. People who need more than one cat should be informed of this risk and encouraged to adopt a sibling cat, a kitten of a similar age, or a pair of cats that live in harmony.

In order to best promote the new cat relationship at home, return to the natural state of cats. If there is sufficient food and a safe shelter, cats are most likely to live with other cats. In order to feel safe at home, each cat needs to climb up in a separate place and hide in the room they spend in. Each cat is a solitary hunter, aiming to hunt and eat alone, and is a person who avoids conflict. A large bowl of cat food in the kitchen not only denies each cat's hunting behavior, but also forces them to share a space to eat. Provide multiple feeding and drinking stations around the house. Even better, use hunting feeders and educational toys at different locations around the house. Through this feeding method, cats can meet their hunting needs, as well as their hunting and eating needs alone. They can interact only when they choose and avoid interacting under pressure.

Cats communicate through smells and pheromones, and feel most comfortable with things that smell like them. Pet parents can use it to help their cat get along. When cats feel happy and safe, parents can wipe a towel on them and repeat with other cats. They can also swap beds between two cats. Pet parents can also buy commercially manufactured cat pheromones and apply them on objects or in the air to convey the message of acceptance and calm between cats.

Many cats in the house need many litter boxes. Cats need to choose a location in the entire living area to find the litter box. The rule is the number of cats in different locations in the house, and then one more cat.

Playing is a great way for pet parents to connect with their cats and provide them with a healthy way to express their hunting instincts. Two five-minute games a day can meet this demand. Here are some tips for your pet parents: grab the cat’s fishing rod toy and get busy. Play with one cat at a time. Use toys to imitate prey. This is harder than it sounds. The prey will not launch itself at the cat. The prey approached a cat and then fled in the air or on the ground in jerky, unpredictable movements. Twitching objects away from the cat will stimulate them to chase and play. Remember the cycle of hunting, catching, playing, and eating? Pet owners can end the game by letting their cat catch the prey, and then give them a treat and the cat will be satisfied.

The cat needs our help. Veterinarians have a unique opportunity to educate new and old cat parents about cat behavioral needs and how this affects their physical and mental health.

Understanding and providing basic survival should be the minimum care standard for all cats, not a few lucky cats. You can help cat parents redefine the reasonable expectations of cats as human companions and other cat companions in our homes. You can help cat parents to reconsider the standard of obtaining a minimally satisfactory physical living space in their home. When the minimum standard of cat care becomes the norm rather than the exception, behaviors that are incompatible with the bond between humans and animals are minimized, abandoning shelters becomes unnecessary, and the terrible fact that euthanasia is the main cause of cat death will become Part of a shameful past.

With this knowledge and the materials provided in this article, you can educate every cat parent who walks into your office. The life of a cat may depend on it.

Basepaws is a leading innovator in the field of pet biotechnology, dedicated to researching and discovering new knowledge to help veterinary professionals provide better care for patients. Basepaws helps veterinary professionals set health and wellness standards and provides the necessary tools to enhance active health interventions and true preventive care. Learn more on www.basepaws.com.

(This article is reproduced with permission from "Cats: In Crisis" originally published by the Professional Guide for Pets. Cats: In Crisis, originally published in the Guild's BARKS (#44), September 2020, pages 12-19, https://issuu .com/petprofessionalguild/docs/bftg_september_2020/12)