Behaviour & Training

Cats love sharing your home with you – for them, it’s somewhere familiar and comforting where they can feel safe, secure and relaxed. When you’re moving house with your cat, it’s bound to be disrupting, stressful and disorientating, for both of you! However, there are things you can do to help your cat keep calm during and after the move to help them feel comfortable in their new surroundings. In the build up to the big move, your home will start to feel unsettled for your feline friend; packing boxes, strangers wandering in and out, new scents and the emptying of once-familiar rooms can all add to their anxiety. If your cat is used to staying with some familiar friends of yours or in a cattery, it may be a good idea to have them stay there for a short break to spare them the stress. If you decide on a cattery, book well in advance and make sure all their vaccinations are up to date. If you’d prefer to keep your cat with you during the move, set aside a quiet room in your old house and leave it untouched until the very last minute. Get them accustomed to that room about a week before you move by placing their bed, litter tray, toys, food and water bowls in there. It will soon feel like their home within a home, and allow them a haven away from the hustle and bustle in the rest of the house! "Once you’ve moved home with your cat you need to give them at least a week to get used to their new surroundings before you let them go outdoors."

Our pets are our loyal family members and as such, it’s only natural that we want our children to share a strong bond with them too. Find out how to teach children to care for dogs and cats with our guide. Pets are members of our families, and the bond we share with them is one we also want to nurture in our children. Here are some things you can do now to help strengthen this bond and give your child a sense of purpose by involving them in the care of a family pet. Let Children Play a Part in Pet Training and Games Time at home creates an excellent opportunity to get older kids involved in training family pets. According to Purina behaviorist Dr. Annie Valuska, “This can be a trick, like high-five or roll over, or something you’ve been meaning to work on, like getting your pet used to nail trims, their pet carrier, that new harness, the vacuum cleaner or finally conquering loose-leash walking.” Just as with human friends, playing together brings kids and pets closer. We suggest games to play with your dog or cat, such as hide and seek or the cup game, in which the pet has to find a treat hidden under one of three overturned cups. Empowering kids to lead pets in these games creates an excellent development opportunity for everyone. Once your pet and child figure it out on their own, you will see the ‘Eureka’ moment in action with lots of tail-wagging, jumping around and excitement! Encourage Responsible Treating When it comes to training and play, different pets need different types of encouragement. While treats are usually popular with pets (and kids enjoy giving them) it’s important to teach kids that for pets, too many treats each day can be unhealthy. As an alternative to always handing out treats, encourage your child to discover other things that might motivate your pet; it might be time with a specific toy, or social interaction, such as petting or praise. Give Children a Role in Pet Exercise With families spending their days at home, taking breaks for exercise is essential for everyone’s mental and physical health. This is a great opportunity to let older children take charge of some of the exercise for family pets. This can be as simple as choosing the route for a family walk or run or setting the time when it will take place. If a park is involved, be sure to confirm whether the facility is open.

Although training is more traditionally associated with dogs, you can also teach your cat a few tricks, too! Your moggy can learn to recognise their name and come to you when you call them. To help your pet pick up these skills, it’s important to train your kitten from an early age and as soon as possible. Teaching your kitten social skills Training kittens starts with their social skills – the more they are exposed to at a young age, the less will shock or surprise them as they get older. From almost as soon as they can walk around without mum’s help, kittens will approach new situations with the confidence and curiosity that cats are so famous for! Kittens will be at their least fearful between the ages of 3-7 weeks, so will be more open to and accepting of new experiences and changes in their environment. After this age kittens will become more cautious, so it’s important that your breeder or rescue shelter introduces your pet to as much as possible before you collect them, ideally between 8-13 weeks old (depending on their breed and breeder). Of course, your kitten's emotional development doesn't just stop at 12 weeks old, so you can continue to train your kitten once you’ve got them at home. Try some of these tips to help your kitten develop even further: • Invite a variety of friends to your home to help your kitten get used to all sorts of different people – different ages, genders, heights, hair colour and more! • If you don't have children, invite some along, making sure you let them know to take care around the kitten, especially when they meet them for the first time. • You may know someone with a cat-friendly dog. If so, ask them to bring their pet to meet your kitten. The dogs must be well trained and able to “stay” – even in the excitement of meeting a new friend!

Most cats are home lovers, so travelling anywhere else with them can make them stressed. Some journeys are unavoidable, so when travelling with cats it’s important to know how you can make your feline friend feel comfortable. Most cats are home lovers, so travelling anywhere else with them can make them stressed. When travelling with cats it’s important to know how you can make your feline friend feel comfortable. We’ve put together some cat travel tips to help everything run smoothly. Cat car travel Knowing how to travel with cats in the car is the most useful place to start. If you’re confident and in control, and you understand how to keep your cat calm, the journey can be relatively stress-free for both of you.

Whether you’re a first time cat owner or have a long term feline friend, there will be times where you wish you could know what your cat is thinking. Understanding Cats’ Body Language Sometimes you might wonder about a change in your cat’s behaviour and what that could mean, or would like to know how you can tell if your cat is happy. Although cats might seem hard to read, there are lots of tell-tale signs that will give you an insight into what your companion is thinking, and what kind of mood they’re in! You’ll probably be able to tell some of your cat’s more obvious moods already from their body language, facial expressions, vocalisations and tail movements. But looking out for some other signals, such as the following cat tail signs and body postures, can tell you even more. Cats have a wide range of basic emotions – they feel happy, sad, afraid, relieved and even frustrated, just like us humans! The key to a good relationship with your cat is learning how to recognise these emotions, and respond where needed. Watch this great video guide on cat body language from our friends at Cats Protection, presented by their Cats Behaviour Manager Nicky Trevorrow.

Bring some excitement into your pet’s life with these videos for cats including the all-time favourite mice, birds and squirrels. Don’t be surprised if your cat can’t help but press the subscribe button. No doubt your kitty is delighted to have found a safe and comfortable haven in your home. There is plenty of food, warmth and, fortunately, not a lot of danger lurking around the corner of the living room. But the bliss of a sheltered lifestyle has a downside for your cat – there is just not as much exciting stuff to meow about. Luckily you can recreate the thrill of the outdoors without leaving the couch with a few well-picked videos for cats. All you need is a device connected to the internet and a screen protector to keep it scratch-free in case your cat gets too excited. From mice, squirrels and birds just minding their business in the big outdoors to silly interactive games, we’ve put together a cat filmography that will keep whiskers glued to the screen for hours.

Curling up with your cat as she purrs is a comfort to all pet owners. It’s a sign she’s happy, content and feeling settled on your lap, enjoying lots of fuss and attention – or is it? We all know that cats express their feelings by purring, in the same way that when we’re happy we smile and dogs wag their tails. Purring cats aren’t always happy cats though, and there’s lots of mystery around why they purr and how they make this mystical sound. Previous scientific research has shown that cats don’t just purr when they’re happy but also when they’re distressed or afraid. Purring is a defence mechanism and a way to keep calm in stressful situations. You’ll often hear your cat purring at the vets as she’s being examined, but be careful not to mistake this as a happy sound! It’s more likely that your cat will be purring to calm herself down rather than enjoying the examination.

It’s no secret that cats love to sleep, but owners are often puzzled by this behaviour. How long do cats sleep, and how do you know if your cat is sleeping too much? This article will explain how and why cats love to sleep so much. How long do cats sleep for? On average, cats sleep between 13 and 16 hours in a 24-hour day; that’s roughly twice the amount that their human owners require. Although this does vary depending on age and personality, your cat will certainly spend far more time napping than you. Why do cats sleep so much? Fundamentally, cats are predators, and sleeping is vital to conserve their energy after hunts. Cats are anatomically and physiologically designedto hunt for their food, even if now you provide it for them in a bowl. Wild cats are commonly observed hunting their prey and then sleeping for extended periods of time; this is because hunting demands a huge amount of energy. Domestic cats are no different, and even if they are only hunting their favourite toy or chasing after a mouse, the effect is the same: they employ energy intensive techniques, such as stalking, pouncing, chasing and climbing. Your cat is on alert throughout their ‘hunt’, using high levels of adrenaline and energy to keep their body fuelled. All this means that despite the relatively short period when your cat is active, they use up disproportionately large energy reserves, resulting in the need for a well-deserved cat nap! Why do cats have a cat-nap? Cat sleeping habits aren’t quite like our own. Contrary to popular belief, cats aren’t nocturnal; they are crepuscular, meaning they’re most active around dawn and dusk. This sleeping pattern is due to their hunting instinct, which evolved so that they would be awake when their prey is at its most active. Cat’s eyes are also more adapted to night vision, allowing them to observe movement more clearly in low light. If your cat has been at all active during the night, their depleted energy reserves will mean that they will probably start the day with a nap. Although many cats continue to stay active during the night, many cats sleeping habits have adapted to sleeping during the night, as their owners do. More universal, though, is their choice to wake up at dawn to demand their breakfast!