1. If the stray cat in question eventually comes up to you and lets you handle it (without fleeing for the woods the first moment it feels your fingertip), it’s NOT feral. It’s either lost, dumped or abandoned. Check with your local shelter and neighbors to see if you can trace its owner. You may also be able to borrow a trap/cage from the shelter, if you ask.

2. BE CONSISTENT: Cats in the wild usually return to a steady food source, unless they’re being bullied away by another animal. Even then, they may try to wait until the bully isn’t around. Put the food out at a regular time, and the cat will soon expect you.

3. DON’T TRY to pat the cat while it’s eating right away. If it’s feral, it won’t let you. Wait a period to establish some kind of bond between you and the cat, even if it won’t permit pats.

4. HOWEVER, If the cat is clearly INJURED, SICK or otherwise needs immediate medical attention, trying to trap it right away is okay. Put the smelliest, tastiest treats you can think of in a cage trap to lure it. If you’re successful, it will be a tradeoff – the animal may be extremely frightened, but it will get the aid it needs as soon as possible.

5. DON’T be surprised, if your cats are watching this whole thing from the window with interest. They may decide to snub you when you go back in from jealousy, so beware.

6. If the cat is female, she may surprise you by bringing her kittens along one day. Mother cats vary greatly in how protective they are of their offspring. Some may permit you to handle them; others may respond by moving them to a more private location. Trying to catch both mom and kittens often presents a dilemma.

7. TALK to the cat while it eats, so that it gets used to the sound of your voice. Even if it won’t let you touch it, it will at least start to recognize you as familiar.

8. DON’T STARE directly at the cat while it’s around. This will make it uneasy, as a direct stare means possible threat of attack by a predator. Be sure to blink periodically if you do watch the cat (and it knows you’re watching it).

9. BE PREPARED to be unsuccessful, at least at the start. You may wind up catching other animals (possums, etc.) in the trap. (Also, be sure you’re up-to-date on your rabies shots in case of bites.) DO KNOW, however, that in the end, when you’re successful, it will make all the other trouble worthwhile.

10. MOST IMPORANT: BE PATIENT. Many cats have experienced trauma, especially those who have been tossed out of their homes and forced to fend for themselves. If you’d been in the same situation, you probably wouldn’t be feeling too trusting either. Don’t expect overnight rapport.

* Also remember that the cat’s personality may do a 180 degree turn once it has been captured and cared for. A cat who is docile while being treated may become feisty when it starts to heal. A cat who fights and struggles during the whole capture – transfer – process may become calm and friendly as time progresses.

You won’t know until you try it.

He was rescued on the way to the vet where his owner was going to have him euthanized. He had been extensively abused by a person who disliked cats. Unsurprisingly, he was aggressive and unpleasant to shelter volunteers who worked with him. Some cats who have been abused in their former homes, do come around and form bonds with those who are patient. Some even show a great deal of affection to just about everyone whom they meet, but some do not. In the case of this cat, whatever he had suffered, had been enough to make him permanently wary of people.

Unfortunately, even people who are willing to consider adopting adult cats prefer ones who are friendly. Very few (and who can blame them) want a cat that might hurt their family or visitors. So last year he began taking Prozac, which was a controversial antidepressant in the nineties. Other antidepressants were approved, but at least for awhile, that was the most famous.

In humans, a four to six week period may elapse before the new medication begins to have the desired effect, i.e. “kick in.” After that, the doctor may try a new medication, add a second, or increase the dose of the current one to see if that will work.

Even after several months, I didn’t see much of a change in this cat. He did form a good relationship with one of the volunteers, but I would put that down more to her effort, than the meds. Now my ego can certainly accept that a particular cat, for whatever reasons, just doesn’t care for me too much, but with most of the other people who worked around him, he stayed moody and continued to display aggression in the form of biting, growling and scratching.

I was willing to try different approaches to befriending this cat, but I eventually ran out of ideas. Even the most timid cat doesn’t seem to mind if you stay a short distance away and speak to them calmly (though you may not be able to get any closer), but doing that only seemed to upset this cat.

What did seem to work was changing the scenery. He was moved into a new cat room, which has more sun and as of this writing, only two other cats in it. One is loose, the other is in the cage next to him, but neither seem to bother him at all. While there is still a bit of growling some days, it is noticeably decreased and seems (to me) nothing short of a miracle.

I have a problem that I hope you can help me with. My human gets up way too late in the mornings. Let me explain.

Usually, my human gets up at what I refer to as “sort of early, though not early enough” and gives me my breakfast. But a couple of days in a row, she sleeps in, and I don’t like this one bit. She says that the least I can do is let her snooze for an extra hour. She says she “works hard all week and deserves a reward.”

Now I have no idea what that means, but I don’t think much of it. She has tried getting up at the usual hour, giving me my breakfast, and going back to bed, but I’m not happy with that. I think she should get up with me and stay up. What do you think?
Annoyed

Dear Annoyed:

If you don’t want to return to bed, that’s fine, but do let your human sleep – if only for a little while. If she dozes past an acceptable time, then feel free to start voicing your displeasure. Good luck!

Every now and then, you see a male cat who looks like he’s been storing nuts in his cheeks for the winter. This is because he’s mature and un-neutered, or has been neutered after he became mature. In my experience, this isn’t true of all of them, but there are plenty who fit this description.

Pronounced jowls are a secondary sex characteristic. If a male cat is neutered when he’s a kitten, he won’t have a chance to develop them. A mature intact male, however, will. Even after being neutered, the jowls will remain.

An altered male with these jowls can look rather adorable, and if he’s neutered, he’s more likely not to spray your home and other less adorable traits of his un-neutered counterparts.

Many cats have sensitive tails, and it pays to avoid touching them near there. However, I’ve known cats who don’t mind draping their tails over my arm or other nearby body part. It’s as if their tail’s a coat or a purse they’ve decided to park there and forget. Of course, this is an explanation from the human’s point of view.

One of the cats at my local shelter likes to drape her tail over my arm while she eats. I have the feeling it would be considered rude to remove it until she’s ready, but I sort of feel like a coat rack. But it could also be interpreted as a friendly gesture. I’ve seen feral cats who are extremely close walk side by side with their tails draped over each other. Maybe this is the feline version of walking arm and arm with someone. These are ferals who have been altered, so likely this is friendship, not romance.

Should my cat take a psychiatric medication originally intended for humans, such as Prozac or other similar drugs?

Well, let’s see.

First, I should state that I’m not a medical professional nor am I a vet.
These are opinions of a layperson only. Please read accordingly.

So what’s up with my cat?

Common “crazy” behaviors that may puzzle their owners

* Midnight energy attacks

* The cat suddenly starts dashing around the house for no apparent reason.

* Sudden outbursts of hostility either toward another cat or person

* The cat goes from enjoying attention to biting, scratching, hissing, etc. with no apparent reason.

* Or the cat suddenly attacks another cat, which hasn’t provoked it

* General moodiness: Some breeds or color patterns may be more “moody” than others. Calicos and tortoiseshells, which are almost always female, are known for having “feistier” personalities (though of course, there are exceptions).

* The cat seems grumpy or “down.”
Cats can indeed get depressed. If they have recently lost a close companion, they may “mope,” refuse to eat, and even lose their fur from stress.

Why this may be occurring

It’s a natural “cat” behavior. In the case of the midnight energy bursts, cats sleep a lot during the day, so it’s not surprising that they may feel friskier at night.

Hormones may be driving the behavior. In other words, the cat may benefit from being spayed or neutered.

There may have been recent losses/or additions to the household.

Another animal may be coming into the yard and “invading” your pet’s territory.

The cat could have something physically wrong with it.

And sometimes, the cause may be impossible to figure out.

Bipolar:

Is a psychiatric condition that involves disturbances of mood and impaired judgement. People tend to “cycle” between periods of high activity where they feel confident and may take unsafe risks, and depression, where they “crash” and feel worthless.

This is a broad definition – there are different types of bipolar, depending on how long an episode lasts.

To my knowledge, there is no blood test that can pinpoint whether or not one is bipolar. It is commonly diagnosed by the doctor asking a series of questions and matching the answers to a psychiatric manual called the DSM. Doctors may also ask the patient questions to see if mood disorders run in the family.

After narrowing down the types of symptoms and their duration, a diagnosis is made and medication prescribed.

Bipolar disorder is considered largely hereditary. Unipolar depression is much less so.

About Prozac as a solution to your cat’s bipolar diagnosis

Doctors usually don’t consider it enough in itself to treat someone with bipolar. It can actually make things worse, if it helps trigger a manic episode. The patient feels a lot better, but then winds up “crashing” again.

It generally gives the user energy (again, there are exceptions). People have even been said to feel “better than well” on it. Monkeys who were given the drug in preliminary studies, apparently achieved a more dominant status in their peer group. So it seems an odd drug of choice if you’re trying to calm an anxious cat or want it to be less aggressive around your other pets.

Some drugs, if given in high enough doses, have pretty much the same effect on everyone. Most of us would calm down if administered a strong enough sedative. It’s not proof in itself that we have an anxiety disorder.

Why diagnosing a cat as bipolar is problematic

* Cats can’t talk (duh). Moreover, to state the obvious, cats cannot use words to clarify their thoughts about their behavior. They can’t tell us about their past traumas, it’s a bonus if we happen to know if something scared them when they were younger.

* If feline biploarity is as hereditary as it is in humans, most owners do not have any information about the cat’s parents, much less its extended family.

* Even in humans, a physical problem could be overlooked or have symptoms that mimic a psychiatric condition.

* Humans taking mood stabilizers for bipolar, need monitoring by a doctor. Those taking meds such as lithium should have blood tests.

* Even in humans, figuring out if the problem is getting better due to the meds or from other factors, can be tough.

It’s possible that cats can be bipolar – but again, it is a tricky diagnosis in humans, much less felines. It can take years before a person receives the correct diagnosis and the right treatment. So I’d be wary of anyone who diagnoses a cat as having a serious mental illness on the basis of behaviors its owner finds baffling or unpleasant.

Usually, it’s from someone who’s just met the cat. This doesn’t make a great deal of sense to me, but it happens all the time.

Sometimes the cat is meowing. This could mean it either wants attention, is hungry, or is trying to greet the person. It could mean it’s upset because it was just abandoned at the shelter by its former owner. It could have a health problem that hasn’t been discovered yet. It could want to play with the cat in the next cage. It could mean quite a few things, most of which have nothing to do with hate.

Sometimes the cat is just sitting in its cage watching the person. This could mean it’s tired or hasn’t made up its mind about whether it wants attention. Again, the possibility that the cat is displaying hatred is remote. Chances are, the cat has yet to make up its mind how it feels about you, or it could be getting ready to nap. Cats like to take awhile to weigh their options.

What about if the cat is hissing or growling? That’s a sign that it’s scared. It might have to do with you, or it might be just general unhappiness and fear. That’s when you should step away and not try to engage the cat. It’s in a bad mood, again probably having nothing to do with you.

Some cats don’t like people in general. This could be because they were a former feral, or were abused. Some are extremely timid and can’t handle a lot of disruption in their routine. If this is the case, the cat will act this way with all strangers, not just you in particular. It’s not something you should take personally.

When you encounter a cat, it will be giving you signals as to how it feels about its current environment, and it’s up to you to figure out them correctly. If you come away believing the cat dislikes you, when you’ve done nothing invasive, you’re probably wrong. It may not like the way you smell or the pitch of your voice, but to translate that into “hate” is foolish.

Take a moment and consider things from the cat’s perspective. How friendly and receptive would you be feeling if you’d just lost your home and family, and had to live in a strange place with lots of noise, new odors and people? Not to mention which, you’re not allowed to leave at any time, and you have no idea what’s happened to your former family.

People find all kinds of reasons to “hate” someone on the first meeting. Animals usually don’t.

Do you think this is a good plan? In my experience, most humans are friendly and think kittens are the cutest things ever. Meeting new humans is a great chance to have my head scratched and my tummy displayed and admired. Also, I really love turkey and want to be out and about when it’s being served. So how about it?
New-to-Thanksgiving

Dear New:
I’ve experienced many holidays, so let me give you my opinion. People who visit at Thanksgiving are usually related somehow to your humans, and so you should be on your best behavior. Some may not be used to friendly felines, and some (I’m sad to say) may be scared or hostile toward cats in general. So use caution when approaching a strange human. It only takes one misunderstanding before you get banished to a distant corner of the house. Your family loves you, but they will be stressed because of the holiday, and they may find it easier to shut you away, then educate their guests on how to properly treat a cat.

Typically, the guests will have lots of strange and interesting smelling outer fur, which they may leave in a heap in a room somewhere, so you can investigate and even curl up there for a nap. This is a prime snuggle spot. Or you can wait until the guests are watching TV or sitting and chatting, to casually stroll in and display yourself. However, prepare to be ignored, simply because there’s so much commotion. (Hint: Visiting kids are a good bet when looking for attention. They might not have cats at home, so they will be intrigued by you.)

For the turkey itself, it pays to be cautious and sly if you want to swipe a few bits. It’s a good idea to wait until after the guests have eaten and then lurk around in the kitchen afterward. Things will be hectic, as everyone will be cleaning up, and you are likely to score some tidbits then.

Best of luck.
Tabby

The Interloper is being kept in the guest room, and I can’t get in to see him at all! So far, all I can see is his sneaky little paw swiping around beneath the door frame. Since he has been here a few days, I think he is a New Addition. This state of affairs is totally unacceptable. What is the best way to let my family know that he is not welcome in the least?
Green-Eyed Tuxie

Dear Green-Eyed:
I expect your family is keeping you from him, so he can settle in. Of course, we both know that the moment, he is released, the fur will start to fly. Obviously, neither of you is going to be best friends from the start.

However, after a period of tussling, you may find that the New Addition is not so bad. He may be properly cowed by your innate superiority and not want to fight. But he could also turn out to be a gigantic Attention Hog and want your humans for himself only. This will naturally create more friction.

You’ll have a tough job teaching this new cat who is boss. However, I know you’re up to the task. Your humans may think you are being “mean” to the new cat, but ignore them. It’s important that you establish that you are numero uno. Once that has been taken care of, you may occasionally have to put the New Addition in his place, but it should get easier to keep him in line. You may even discover that he isn’t at all bad to snuggle up with on a chilly night. OK, that’s a stretch, but you never know.

Best of luck.

Tabby

I’ve seen articles on grieving, which always struck me as kind of strange. Does it really help to know that your feelings are “normal”? Well, maybe. But to me, going through the “stages” of grief doesn’t make them hurt any less.

Zoe came into my life rather abruptly – she was ejected from a car as a kitten. I never learned the names of the people who did this. although I can think of several things I’d like to say to them, if I ever get the chance. She wasn’t just dumped – like a piece of garbage – she had been starved, as well. Since she couldn’t talk (that is, speak English), I was left to fill in the blanks of her history as best I could.

The vet cautioned me not to get my hopes up, but fortunately, she made a full recovery and joined my two cats as part of our family.

This upset the Head Cat, who may have feared that she was going to be replaced. Because Zoe wanted to be in my lap every second, her irritation was understandable. It took her a long time for her to forgive me for bringing in an interloper. (I think because Zoe was a kitten, she was mature enough not to take her feelings out on her.)

The male cat did not appear to mind, losing interest after he had sniffed her butt for a few minutes. Had she been male, though, there might have been more friction.

Once healthy, Zoe enjoyed the same treats the other two did: sunning herself on the screened-in porch in warm weather; bird watching (including the wild turkeys who wandered into our yard in fall); and “helping” me do such chores as folding laundry and making the bed.

She also developed a taste for “people food,” which I did not set out to foster. I’ve seen the effect that giving your pet things like bacon and eggs, cheesecake and candy does, and I definitely did not want Zoe to develop a weight problem.

However, she was sly, and often, I would forget about her habit (it appeared and reappeared seemingly at random), and would return to my snack to see her sampling it.

For some reason, she was fond of the flavor chocolate mint. She also liked my homemade ice cream, and the white chocolate truffle flavor from our local Coldstone Creamery. When I tried to give her a little of the store bought generic vanilla brand, she scorned it. For a former stray, she had gourmet tastes. My other cats never tried sampling candy, much less ice cream or coffee, regardless of where it was left out.

She also liked coffee, including Starbucks’ caramel mochachinos and vanilla lattes. I wasn’t thrilled about this (she first figured out that she liked coffee by licking the lid of my takeout cup), but I gave her a small bit now and then. And I understood better why some people give their pets lots of people food.

Now that she’s gone, I find myself still using her name. I also keep setting out a bowl for her when I serve my cats canned food. I know that this is “normal” or at least part of the way I grieve because I’ve gone through it before.

To be honest, Zoe could be a pain at times, such as when she’d jump up to investigate the candles I burned on 9-11, or when she’d try to nap on top of my tax forms in April. But all memories of her, I will cherish.

RIP: Zoe: May 2001-Nov. 2010