the very stressed cat SDL

Question 1

what is periuria

Answer 1

urinating outside their litter tray or in unusual places

Question 2

body position of cat spraying

Answer 2

Cat spraying on a vertical surface. Tail lifted up, small amount of urine deposited on the surface.

Question 3

what are the 5 pillars of a healthy environment in cats

Answer 3

• provide a safe space
• provide multiple and separated key environmental reaources: food, water, toileting areas, scratching areas, play areas and resting or sleeping areas
• provide opportunity for play and predatory behaviour
• provide posivite consitent and predicatble human-cat social interaction
• provide and environment that respects the importance of the cats sense of smell

Question 4

Offer 4-5 ‘tips’ on how the owner can make the environment less stressful for a cat.

Answer 4

• distribute resources
• moving food and water stations away from windows and doors
• restrict core territory size (reduce amount of area cat must defend)
• separate social groups
• pheremone spray

Question 5

how can you tell if cats get along

Answer 5

This can be achieved by observation: which cats spend time together, grooming each other, sleeping in close proximity or touching, playing together and greeting each other nose to nose? Conversely, which cats show active aggression towards each other, which cats leave the room when another enters and which cat stares at others? The easiest way to do this is to write the names of the cats in the household and show colour-coded arrows from one cat’s name to the other in the direction that accurately describes the behaviour observed, eg, cat A grooms cat B therefore an arrow indicating social, friendly behaviour points from A towards B on the diagram. Once all the interaction observed has been shown on the diagram then it should be possible to establish which cats group together and which work alone.

Question 6

outline suggestions for best litter tray management

Answer 6

• liter box per cat plus one
• seperate litter stations - multi level homes should have at least one box per level
• avoid placing food and water close to the litter box
• box should be 1.5 times the length of the cat from nose to base of tail - bigger the better
• cats are divided in their preference of open or closed boxes, and they like them best clean - opening should be easy access
• In most cases, the litter should consist
  of a fine, sand-like, non-scented, clumping
  material to a depth of at least 1.25 inches (3 cm). Avoid liners, slotted grills or deodorizing powders. For preference evaluation, provide multiple boxes with different litters and variable litter depths
  clean at minimum once daily and wash box every 1-4 weeks and dont use strong chemicals to do so (soap and hot water only)

Question 6

why is urinary obstruction more concerning in male cats

Answer 6

male urethra is more narrow