COSMO and JENNY

Just before Valentine’s Day this year my heart was broken when I realized after 19 years it was time to put my sweet girl Rita to rest. My other kitty, a spunky 6 year old named Jenny, seemed like she could use an active playmate.. but I knew from previous introductions she probably wouldn’t welcome a new kitty with ‘open arms’. In fact, Catherine was the one to help me 5 years ago when I brought Jenny home and I had issues with her relentlessly attacking poor old Rita. With guidance from Catherine I was able to quickly teach Jenny it wasn’t rewarding to attack Rita. After that they lived mostly in harmony for the rest of Rita’s days.

In March I decided to adopt a 6 month old kitten named Cosmo. He was extremely shy and fearful with me, but he was described as being submissive and very fond of other kitties so I hoped it would be a good match for Jenny. I tried to do all the right things when I first brought him home, had him in a separate room, let him meet Jenny under the door, then moved to face to face introductions. All of these went well until Cosmo tried to venture outside his room- Jenny would attack him, then he would be scared and run, then Jenny would want to attack him even more!

I quickly decided it was time to call on Catherine’s services again. She once again laid out the problem for me and described how a kitty mind works- somehow we needed to boost Cosmo’s confidence, and at the same time curb Jenny’s tendency to attack. She gave me some ideas for how to execute my plan and was always available for email or phone consults as needed. Once again things quickly got better- Cosmo gained confidence and started to explore the rest of the house… and Jenny got used to seeing him around the house. Before too long I was comfortable enough leaving them alone together while I was out.

We next turned to a new problem- confident Cosmo now was now showing his true colors as a full blown teenager. He wasn’t really being destructive, but he would get into everything- toilet bowls, plants, dishes in the sink, you name it! I began to spend tons of time trying to entertain and play with him to keep him out of trouble.

Catherine again was there with helpful suggestions- one of which was to setup a large outdoor enclosure for the cats to play in during the day. I somewhat reluctantly went with this idea and for very modest cost I put together a basic 10 foot x 10 foot enclosure with wire mesh over the top. Then I started to get into it and decided to include a live tree inside and also to connect it to the house via a window cat flap. It took them only a couple days to figure out the flap, and from then it very quickly became a hit!! They can climb the tree, sharpen their claws on a log, hide in the plants, sit on the grass in the sun, watch the birds and the squirrels, … and come and go as they please…they absolutely love it! What a wonderful thing for a cat to be able to enjoy the outdoors but still be safe from predators, cars, etc. And best of all mommy is free from trying to entertain kitty- nature does it for me!

Thank you to Catherine for helping me and my kitties once again!! ...........

Alison

FROM CRAWMER'S ANIMAL TRAINING..........

AN OUTDOOR PEN IS A GREAT ADDITION TO ANY CAT OWNER'S HOME

Cats are unsafe when turned out onto the street! A well built run extending from a house window gives cats a completely safe environment. Nothing can get them and the experience of being outside is wonderful for both pet and person.

Look at this incredible set up that Alison provides for her now very happy and very secure kitties!