With vacation season upon us, I have recently been asked how to travel with a cat on a long car ride.

I have added the links to these products for your convenience:

Feliway Spray

You can spray this on the crate door and a blanket in the crate 30- 60 minutes before travel.This is a synthetic version of the CHEEK pheromone which is made by a cats gland under the whiskers, isolated in the center of the cheek below the eye toward the ear.

Cat Nip Pellets 

85% of cats respond to these pellets. These cat nip pellets are inexpensive at $5 and can be kept in the freezer in a sealed container for a very long time.They have a strong scent of cat nip and are both calming and distracting for cats.

Composure Chews

If you want to try these for your cat you must start them at least 2 weeks before travel. These chews increase mood stabilizing neurotransmitters in the brain. Dogs and cats can chew these.

Cat Nip Extract

Will outlast fresh or dried catnip. Keep in the fridge.

Rescue Remedy

This can be used by cats and dogs. You can put the liquid drops in water or food.

Kitty would prefer to stay home rather than travel with you? No problem!

Schedule a petsitter now for your upcoming vacation. Call 724-515-7790 or email info@myauntpenny.com

Lets talk about how to calm down our scaredy cats.

Locations

First try to figure out where the cat likes to hang out. There is where you want to start the calming and bonding actions so your cat starts off as comfortable as possible and learns that human attention is something she may want to open up to!

Ways to touch your scared cat

• Use your voice to pet them. Use a soothing warm gentle voice or even sing to them or hum. You do not need to get close to the cat.
• Use a long handled soft bristle brush to reach out to stroke them. This can remind them of their mothers rough tongue and help soothe them too. Brush under the chin and cheeks and on the shoulders and chest. Always go in the direction of the hair.
• Touch sessions should last under five minutes. Try very small increments to start with and work up to where your cat is enjoying this

Expectations

• Don’t expect purring right away. This will take time.
• You do not need to try to fix the cats phobia of people. Just learn ways to make them more comfortable

Dogs and cats have one special thing in common… their noses! They love to investigate their world through their sense of smell.

So today we will talk about how to prepare the meeting before we put the animals together.

What you need:

• Tube socks
• Your hand
• Baby gates

Use the baby gates to keep the dog and cat separate until they are ready to meet. Or keep the cat in a separate room with a  closed door.

Take a tube sock and place your hand in it. Then rub it all over the cats face especially the cheeks and around the mouth. Do the same for the dog and his face with a different sock.

Then take the dog sock and place it somewhere the cat likes (maybe under the food bowl or on the window perch). Take the cat sock and put it under the dog food bowl or in his bed.

Note the reactions. If the cat wants no part of the sock he will not want  any part of the dog either. If the cat is lashing its tail as it smells the sock then you need to keep putting dog socks in his area until he calms down enough to meet the dog.

If the dog is barking or whining over the cat socks then you need to keep putting freshly scented cat socks in his area until he calms down too. They can meet once they are adjusted to the scented socks. This can be quick or can take weeks.

Litter boxes  and what you put in or around them could be why your cat is or is not using it.

Location location location.... privacy please ! Most cats don’t want to be in the way of human traffic when nature calls. They also don’t want to go down in the basement where the fur parents might not clean their box as much as they would like it cleaned.Watch putting your cats box next to the washing machine etc as a noise may startle them and they will refuse to go there again.Don’t place boxes next to each-other as most cats like to have their OWN area. Placing a box on different levels of the house is preferable after all we like several rest rooms too right?

Litter-? Cats prefer FINE GRAINED litter that has a soft feel. Clumping litters are usually preferred over clay litters.Most cats like  1.5 inches-2 inches  of litter in the box. Cats prefer UNSCENTED litter.

Liners? Some cats will scratch at the liners but if you clip the liner down this should stop and your clean up will be easier.

Which box? Make sure kittens and elderly cats  can get in the box. Alot of cats do not like covers as they like to monitor their surroundings when they eliminate,or they may not like the dark .

How many boxes? At a minimum there should be one PER CAT.

Maintenance? clean daily.The litter should be replaced when it fails to look dry and clean. There should be NO ODOR and No feces or urine on the box.

If you really want an easy maintenence litter box try the Littermaid self scooping litter box 1-800-826-7206.

I hope your have a PURRRFECT  potty experience 🙂

Aunt Penny

An easy way to give a cat a pill is to crush it into a small amount of meat flavored baby food ( Gerber Turkey or Chicken)

Most cats can’t resist this and will gobble it right up You will need  to  ask your vet first if the pill can be crushed.

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Watch for more Cat Tips on Thursdays!

Have a PURRR-Fect day!

Aunt Penny

www.myauntpenny.com