My sister’s Golden Retriever solicits belly rubs by plopping down in front of me and rolling onto her back. She stays in this position for as long as I oblige her. A few cats have exposed their bellies in front of me, but not quite like the dogs I’ve known. When cats roll onto their backs, that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re soliciting a tummy rub. So why do they do this?

Why Do Cats Roll On Their Backs But Won’t Let You Touch Them?

1. A sign of trust

If you ask feline behaviorists why cats roll over and expose their bellies, they will likely answer that it’s a sign of trust. Indeed, it is. But is it also an invitation to rub their bellies? If your cat exposes her tummy to you it means she trusts you, but that doesn’t mean she wants her belly rubbed. You may have noticed that one or two tummy rubs will get her to quickly turn back around.

Not all cats roll onto their backs and expose their tummies. That’s because most cats feel vulnerable in this position. They might do it for a few seconds, allowing you a few pets to their undersides, then they quickly right themselves.

My cat Sophie has never rolled onto her back in front of me or my husband, even though she begs us to brush her multiple times each day. Sometimes she so enjoys the brushing that she falls onto her side and lets us brush her exposed side. Sophie will sit next to us while we’re reading or watching TV, but she hides whenever anyone comes to the door. My husband and I seem to be the only people she trusts.

Our other cat, Maddie, greets everyone who comes to our home and is a confident, friendly cat. But even she doesn’t roll onto her back. Like her littermate Sophie, she will lie on her side and let us pet or brush her exposed side. When she’s had enough on one side, she often turns over and lets us stroke the other side. Even my most outgoing cats have never solicited tummy rubs like my sister’s Golden Retriever.

2. Preferred petting zones

Cats are protective of their bellies for good reason. First of all, their vital organs are located there. Second, they’re more vulnerable in this position. They can still scratch and bite, but with much more difficulty. They can’t run or jump from this position, which is their first instinct in their flight-or-fight response.

Rolling onto their backs is the exact opposite stance from their defensive posture. Rising on all fours with their backs raised, tail erect and fur standing on end is a stance cats adopt when they are afraid and want to scare off any potential threats.

Cats are more likely to lie on their side and let you stroke their exposed side. They also are more likely to stick out their chins, because they love to have their cheeks and chins rubbed. Many cats will stick up their behinds, because they love to have the base of their tail scratched. But in my experience, few cats will lie on their back, and those who do turn back around in seconds if you try to rub their belly.

What rolling behavior is really about

Rolling appears to be a behavior cats do for other cats in specific circumstances. At least, that’s what a 1994 study showed and subsequent studies confirmed. Hilary N. Feldman of Cambridge University’s Sub-Department of Animal Behaviour authored the study, “Domestic Cats and Passive Submission,” which was published in the journal Animal Behaviour. She studied reproductively intact cats from two semi-feral cat colonies in a large outdoor enclosure and collected data over 18 months.

At the time of her study, researchers attributed rolling behaviors to a defensive response in cats before an attack or counterattack. But Hilary concluded that rolling has several social functions in cats.

She described a “cat rolling onto its back, with forepaws held cocked, often with the legs splayed and abdomen exposed.” The posture reminded her of dog-like behavior, and she noted that the position was held for several minutes. In 79% of rolling behaviors, the stance was taken in front of another cat. The rolling cat often approached the other cat rapidly and then rolled, leading the researcher to believe this was an initiated interaction, not a response to a preceding behavior. Interestingly, the cats did not vocalize when rolling.

Hilary observed that females rolled while in heat in front of adult male cats, but 61% of the rolling behaviors were males rolling in front of other males. In almost every instance, younger males rolled in front of older males, but the older males either ignored or tolerated the younger cats’ presence, leading the researcher to believe that rolling behaviors may be an act of passive submission to prevent acts of overt aggression.

Hilary concluded that female cats rolled to demonstrate a readiness to mate, because this behavior occurred when they were showing other signs of estrus. Males rolled as a sign of subordinate behavior to prevent a conflict.

Know your cat

Cats transfer many of their cat-to-cat behaviors to their human family. Like humans, they have various ways of giving and receiving affection, showing trust and keeping peace.

Some cats sit on laps. Many give their people head bumps. Some prefer to sit next to their favorite people, while others like to vocalize and solicit petting or brushing. Some might flop onto their backs and allow a belly rub, but look for clues that your cat is uncomfortable. It may take time to understand their cues, but when we do, we should respect them.

If your cat rolls on his back and allows a belly rub, watch out for these cues that your cat is uncomfortable and stop immediately:

• quickly rolls back around
• shoots you a shocked look
• swats your hand
• scratches your hand
• bites your hand

The post Why Do Cats Roll Over Onto Their Backs But Don’t Let You Touch Their Tummies? by Susan Logan McCracken appeared first on Catster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren't considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Catster.com.

Although I’ve had indoor-only cats for my entire adult life, I grew up with several outdoor cats who earned their weight in paper currency as “working” cats on my parents’ farm. Although these cats were friendly toward humans, I think they would have climbed the curtains if we tried to keep them indoors. But they were sure great at their jobs: catching mice, rats and moles in particular that shredded my parents’ lawn.

Our tuxedo cat, Miss Kitty, would wait patiently for a mole to come out of its hole beneath the grass, then she would grab it and bring it to my parents, who praised her for her work. I remember during a garage sale, Miss Kitty brought one of her “gifts” and dropped it right in front of one of our customer’s feet. You can imagine the alarm that the shopper expressed. I can’t remember anything more, but I’m guessing she never returned to any of our garage sales!

Love Language

Giving gifts is considered to be one of humans’ love languages, a concept made popular by Gary Chapman’s best-selling book The 5 Love Languages. Do cats have love languages and could gift giving be one of them?

Miss Kitty did receive a lot of praise from my parents whenever she brought her prey to them, and I guess you could surmise that she felt the love and repeated the behavior.

I consulted with board-certified feline veterinarian Gary D. Norsworthy, who owns the Alamo Feline Health Center in San Antonio and has more than 40 years experience practicing veterinary medicine.

“The older I get the more I am convinced that genetics is a major player in personality traits,” Dr. Norsworthy says. “I believe this is one example of that.”

Dr. Norsworthy recounted the story of one of his patients, Ret, who brought home tree bark, a deflated soccer ball and a horse’s bridle. Ret’s retrieving behavior began when he was 6 months old and his humans, a sweet senior couple, gave him treats every time he brought them one of his treasures.

Dr. Norsworthy refers to cats who engage in this behavior as retrieving cats. “These cats are not trained; they come by it naturally. Their unusual behavior may be increased with rewards, but retrieving cats are often driven to make their owners happy with or without rewards. If you have one of these unique cats, enjoy their special talent.”

Hunting Instinct

All cat species are carnivores and have an instinct to hunt. Among lions, the lionesses hunt for food and bring it to the cubs as a team, while male lions protect the pride. Other feline species are solitary hunters, but the females still share the food with their offspring and teach them to hunt.

Female domestic cats also hunt and bring dead or injured prey home to their offspring to teach them how to hunt. One theory is that spayed females, as they do not have offspring, bring their prey to their humans instead. In other words, they consider their humans as family.

You might inadvertently reward this behavior without realizing it. If you jump, scamper trying to catch the thing, then give your cat a treat, you just rewarded the behavior.

If your cat plops a toy or other object in front of you, he is most likely looking for some playtime. That is a good time to indulge your cat’s need to play. Cats are hardwired to play and might engage in destructive behaviors or have health problems if they don’t get enough playtime.

Curbing Predation

If you’re concerned about your cats bringing prey animals into your home, here’s how to get them to stop.

1. Keep your cats indoors. Studies show that indoor-only cats live longer.
2. Provide regular playtime. They need the stimulation and exercise.
3. Use food or treat dispensing puzzle toys to simulate hunting followed by eating.
4. Feed a high-meat protein diet. Cats need animal protein to thrive.

In a recent study, researchers from the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom found that people who provided their cats with a high-meat protein, grain-free diet and introduced five to 10 minutes of play with prey-simulating toys each day experienced a 25% to 36% decrease in the numbers of animals the cats captured and brought home.

The researchers concluded that nutrition and playtime were so successful in curbing feline predation that these noninvasive, positive methods worked better than impeding their hunting abilities by such measures as adding bells to their collars, which they wrote had no discernible effect. The study, “Provision of High Meat Content Food and Object Play Reduce Predation of Wild Animals by Domestic Cats Felis catus,” was published on Feb. 11, 2021, in Current Biology.

No matter their reason for bringing you gifts, your cats see you as family as much as you see them as family. And like you, their basic needs for a healthy life include proper nutrition and exercise.

Featured Image Credit: ©SikorskiFotografie | Getty Images

The post Why Do Cats Bring You “Gifts”? by Susan Logan McCracken appeared first on Catster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren't considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Catster.com.

You might be wondering, “why does my cat sit on me?” Downtime would not be the same for me without a purring cat on my lap. One of the greatest joys of living with cats is when one of them chooses to lounge on top of me. This special bonding time is good for me, as it lowers my blood pressure, and is good for my cat, as it meets some of her needs. Not all cats sit on their humans, though, and some become lap cats later in life. Although some breeds like the Ragdoll are known to be lap cats, it still depends on the cat, and only time with that individual will tell.

All cats are individuals and it depends on the individual cat, says Marilyn Krieger, Certified Cat Behavior Consultant (CCBC), based in Redwood City, California, and author of Naughty No More! In general, cats seek out a few basic needs when they sit on a human’s lap. There are other factors that play into cats sitting on you, like your clothes. Let’s look at some answers to “Why do cats sit on you?” here.

The 6 Reasons Your Cat Sits On You

1. Because you’re warm!

Cats like warmth, and people’s laps are generally warm, Marilyn says.

2. They crave connection.

Cats gravitate toward people they like, and they seek connection with their favorite people, Marilyn adds. Sometimes they’re seeking petting, because people often pet the cat on their lap. Petting resembles their mom’s grooming, so most cats love receiving petting from their favorite people. Some cats also knead while they sit on someone’s lap. When they’re kneading, they’re simulating their neo-natal days when they did that to their mothers to stimulate milk flow. “It can be a self-comforting behavior, as can purring,” Marilyn says.

3. It makes them feel safe!

One of the answers to “Why do cats sit on you?” is that some cats feel safer when they’re on their favorite person’s lap, Marilyn says.

4. Smell plays into it.

If you have a bathrobe that smells like you, your cat might sit on it whether you’re wearing it or not, Marilyn says. And if you’ve been to an animal shelter, your cat might detect a lot of other animal scents on you and avoid you. Don’t take it personally.

5. Your clothes matter!

Marilyn, who has three lap cats, noticed that her cats won’t sit on her when she’s wearing a plastic raincoat. My husband, Mark, noticed that when he wears his soft bathrobe, our cat Maddie, who usually sits on me, will sit on him instead.

I discovered the difference texture can make when a feral cat I helped take care of for about a year finally came and sat on my lap when I was wearing a soft fleece jacket. The first time I tried to pet her, she scratched me. But eventually, she let me pet her. Then she started sitting next to me on a picnic table bench and gradually started letting me pet her while sitting next to me. Then on a cold day, she rubbed up against my fleece jacket and, to my astonishment, climbed onto my lap.

Cats want to be comfortable and warm, Marilyn said when I told her this story, “and she trusted you.”

6. To show trust.

“They really do have to trust you to sit on your lap,” Marilyn says. She stresses the importance of not making a cat sit on your lap and giving the cat the option to leave. “When you give them that choice of sitting on your lap or not and leaving when they want to, they become more trusting of you.”

• Related Read:Fun Reasons for Cat Kneading

Featured Image Credit: evrymmnt, Shutterstock

The post Why Do Cats Sit On You? 6 Common Reasons by Susan Logan McCracken appeared first on Catster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren't considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Catster.com.

Cat colors, patterns and fur length are a cat’s calling card. We include these characteristics when referring to specific types of felines. For example, we would call fictional cat Garfield a red tabby Exotic Shorthair.

Note the color, pattern, breed and coat length in the name. The cat fancy — or the community of feline enthusiasts, cat show judges, breed registries, breeders and others who study and adore felines — gave us these designations to make it easier to identify cats.

This may seem hard to believe, but cat colors basically include black, red, white or some combination, dilution or mixture of these. It almost doesn’t seem fair when birds get 15 vivid colors like pink, green, blue, yellow and purple.

“Birds derive their brilliant coloring because of the chemical structure of their feathers and amino acid modifiers, which is different from that of cat coat textures where pigmentation is based on melanin types,” says Joan Miller, the Cat Fanciers’ Association’s outreach and education chair and renowned cat expert.

What Coat Colors Can Cats Have?

Basically, when it comes to cat colors, cats are black unless they have inherited the sex-linked orange masking gene, in which case, they are red, Miller explains. By red, we mean what is commonly called orange.

“The hundreds of colors and patterns displayed in domestic cat coats come about because of modifying factors that include both genes and polygenes, which change these basic two colors,” she says, giving an example of the dilute gene, which changes cat colors from black to blue (commonly called gray) and red to cream.

Polygenes, genes that require multiple others of their kind for their effects to be observable, then determine whether the coat color tone will be a dark steel gray-blue or a pale powder blue, she explains. These inherited polygenes are controlled through selective breeding in pedigreed breeds. If you’ve studied cats for very long, you probably know that calico and tortoiseshell cats — those with both black and red coat colors — are female. That’s because the orange gene is carried on the sex-linked X chromosome. Because males are XY with only one X chromosome, they can only be black or red (or the variations of each due to modifying factors).

Since females are XX, they can be both black and red. “This is how we obtain the flashy tortoiseshell-colored females, who have black coats with splashes of red. If the dilute factor is inherited, the female cat will be a blue-cream. Should a cat also inherit the piebald white spotting factor, then this female can be a tortie and white bicolor, or calico tricolor cat with large black and red areas on a white coat,” Miller says. Piebalds are spots or patches that are absent of pigmentation, or white.

Read more about cat color and genetics on Paws and Effect >>

The tabby pattern

When it comes to cat colors and coat patterns, here’s a mind-blowing fact: All cats are tabbies. “Whether they show their tabby pattern or not depends on whether the cat has inherited the dominant agouti gene or the recessive non-agouti solid color gene,” she explains. “However, even solid-colored red cats will show tabby pattern because the sex-linked chromosome is not affected by the non-agouti gene. Solid-color kittens will sometimes show their underlying tabby pattern when young before their kitten coat sheds and the adult coat grows in. Also, when an adult cat with a solid coat lies in bright sunlight their underlying tabby pattern can often be faintly seen.” The tabby pattern includes the characteristic “M” marking on their foreheads and four basic types:

• Classic tabbies, also called blotched tabbies, have a combination of stripes, swirls, blotches and what looks like a bull’s-eye on the sides of their bodies.
• Ticked tabbies have banding on each hair shaft with a lighter color at the base, which creates an iridescent speckled appearance but without stripes on the body. Abyssinians and Somalis are these types of tabbies.
• Mackerel tabbies have vertical continuous stripes on both sides of their bodies and a dark spine line extending from shoulders to tail.
• Spotted tabbies are just that. The size of the spots and the spacing between them vary. Ocicats have large thumbprint spots, Egyptian Maus have high-contrast, randomly placed spots of varied shapes and sizes, and Bengals have rosette spotting, according to Miller, “but random-bred cats will often have broken mackerel or classic striping giving a spotted appearance.”
• There’s also a pattern called patched tabby. These are female cats with any of the four tabby patterns but that also show additional red-colored patches due to their inherited sex-linked orange gene, Miller explains.

The pointed pattern

Here’s another cool point about cat colors: The point-restricted pattern gene gives Siamese and related breeds their pointed pattern, or a light-colored body with darker colors at the extremities. The gene must be carried in both the male and female for any of the kittens to be pointed.

“The gene is temperature sensitive, causing color to be restricted to the cooler extremities of the body — the face, ears, legs, tail and testicles,” Miller explains. “It is part of the albino series and modifies the color tone so that black appears dark seal brown on a light fawn-colored body. The genetic mutation, chocolate color, and its dilute version, lilac, also were seen in the early Siamese cats.” Tonkinese cats, which are a mix of Siamese and Burmese, have a more subtle point contrast called mink coloring.

Siamese cats were named after the ancient kingdom of Siam, where they originated. “These cats were a sensation when first imported to England in the mid-1800s,” Miller says. “When the Siamese first came to America in the early 1900s, they quickly became popular as pets, leading to the spread of the recessive point-restricted pattern throughout the country. It is still hidden in the genotype of many random-bred cats and surfaces in litters when both the sire and dam are carriers of the gene.”

Shading patterns

Another thing to consider when we’re talking cat colors? Shading, which is characterized by color at the tips of the hair with a pure white undercoat. Three types of shaded cats include: chinchilla, shaded and smoke, each distinguished by the extent of the shading on individual hairs.

In chinchillas, only the very tip of the guard hair, or outer coat, is colored. With the shaded pattern, a quarter of the guard hair farthest from the cat’s body exhibits the color. In the smoke pattern, half of the guard hair farthest from the cat’s body displays the color. When a smoke-patterned cat is still, the coat pattern may appear solid, but when the cat is moving or you pet him, you can see the white undercoat.

Bicolors and tricolors

With cat colors, people love to talk about bicolored cats, which are white and any other color. The cat can have a little spotting, even only one patch of white, or can be mostly white with a little bit of the other color. The colored area in bicolored cats can also feature any of the tabby patterns.

“The bicolor and tricolor patterns are created by the incomplete dominant piebald white-spotting gene,” Miller says. “Polygenes help determine the amount of white in the cat’s coat. Black bicolored cats with only a small amount of white, such as a ‘bib,’ white paws and perhaps a white facial ‘blaze’ are the ‘tuxedo’ cats. The other extreme is an almost entirely white body with color only on the tail and perhaps a spot or two on the head or body. This is called the ‘Van’ pattern referring to the cats found in the Lake Van area of Turkey centuries ago.”

Calicos are white females with large solid areas of black and red patches as well as other colors like blues and creams thrown in. They can have a little bit of white, a lot of white or anything in between.

Tortoiseshells, or torties, are referred to as particolored in the cat fancy. Like calicos, these cats are female, except they’re black with random patches of red. The black and red can also be the dilute blue and cream. A dilute tortie is a blue female with patches of solid cream or chocolate with red or lilac with cream. The patches on the tortoiseshell can also be tabby patterned.

Cat colors chart:

Cat colors and cat personalities

The University of California, Davis, surveyed 1,200 cat guardians in 2015 and published the results in the Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science. The respondents were asked to choose a color category that best represented their cat and to answer questions about cat colors and their cats’ behaviors. The results seemed to confirm a reputation that calicos and torties are feisty and unpredictable.

In another survey, researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, and California State University, East Bay, asked 189 cat guardians to assign the terms – active, aloof, bold, calm, friendly, intolerant, shy, stubborn, tolerant and trainable — to five different cat colors — red, tricolored, white, black and bicolored. The results showed that respondents were more likely to attribute friendliness to orange cats, intolerance to tricolored cats and aloofness to white cats.

Keep in mind that these were surveys of human perceptions, not scientific studies that controlled for other possible personality influencers, such as gender and coat length. Calicos and torties are female, which might play a greater role in personality than coat color. Longhaired cats are generally believed to be docile, while shorthaired cats are purported to be energetic.

I have two red tabby domestic longhaired cats who came from the same litter. Some of my friends can’t tell them apart, and one cat could work as a stunt double for the other. But when it comes to personalities, the two couldn’t be more opposite. One greets everyone who comes to our house; the other has enough love only for me and my husband.

More studies are needed before we can conclude that cat colors influence personality. 

Cat eye colors

Another cool point to consider when it comes to cat colors — cat eye colors. All kittens are born with blue eyes. At about 6 to 8 weeks of age, “their potential final eye color begins to become apparent,” Miller says. “Full brilliance is not achieved until a cat reaches maturity.” Full maturity can take one to two years, depending on the cat breed. “There are only three basic eye colors,” Miller says. “However, eye color of domestic cats is striking and greatly varied. Interestingly, the brilliant copper eye color of a Persian, the deep gold eyes of an Abyssinian or Bombay and the emerald green eyes of a Russian Blue are all derived from the same gene. It is through years of selective breeding that this extreme eye color spectrum has been perfected in the breeds. Random-bred cats usually have greenish gold or hazel eye color; however, a colony of free-roaming cats resulting from natural-line breeding will often develop golden or lemon-yellow eye color.”

Some cat eye colors are linked to coat colors or patterns. For example, white cats can have blue, yellow, gold or odd eyes. “Any cats that have inherited the piebald-spotting factor can have odd-eye color — one blue eye and one golden, yellow or greenish eye,” Miller says. Cats with the point-restricted color pattern, like the Siamese, have blue eyes because of a gene that is linked to albinism. Tonkinese often have aqua eyes. “Tonkinese showing the deeper Burmese coat colors (sable, blue, champagne or platinum) will have gold or green eye color,” Miller says.

• Read Next: 8 Interesting Facts About the Cat Nose and the Cat Sense of Smell

Featured Image Credit: KristiBlokhin, Shutterstock

The post Cat Colors: Facts Behind Coat Types & Patterns by Susan Logan McCracken appeared first on Catster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren't considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Catster.com.

You may have seen your cat sleeping on top of your shoes or rolling around on your smelly gym clothes. Maybe you were grossed out, laughed out loud or both. What is it with cats and smelly things?

Cats aren’t the only animals attracted to smelly things. To animals, the sense of smell is extremely important because they use it to communicate with other animals and learn about their environment. Animals rely on their olfactory sense the way we rely on our eyesight. A human’s visual cortex is the dominant part of the brain, while animals with a strong sense of smell have a dominant olfactory cortex.

The 4 Reasons Cats Like Stinky Things

1. A cat’s sense of smell

The number of olfactory receptors within the nasal passages indicates the strength of an individual’s sense of smell, according to a study published in the Indian Journal of Veterinary Science. With approximately 100 million olfactory receptors in the nasal cavity, a cat’s sense of smell is around 20 times stronger than a human’s with only 5 million.

As if that isn’t enough, cats have scent glands on their cheeks, around their mouths, under their chins and on their foreheads just below their ears. What humans lack in their sense of smell, they make up for in eyesight, as a human’s is about 10 times better than a cat’s, even though cats do see better in dimmer light.

Related: 8 Interesting Facts About the Cat Nose and the Cat Sense of Smell

2. The vomeronasal organ

Cats and other animals have an extra olfactory organ in the roof of their mouth called the vomeronasal (or Jacobson’s) organ. When a cat engages this organ, she might stick her tongue out, open her mouth wide and wrinkle her muzzle. This is also called gaping, sneering, snake mouth or the Flehmen response. Big cats, dogs and horses do this as well.

The vomeronasal organ is an extra sensory olfactory organ that allows cats to get a better whiff of something. You might think of it as what a magnifying glass is for our eyesight, the vomeronasal organ is for a cat’s sense of smell. Cats will use it if they smell something they have never smelled before and want to more accurately identify it.

3. A form of identification

Cats identify things through their sense of smell. Cats recognize people by their scent and their voices, according to a study published in the journal Animal Cognition. Cats greet each other by touching noses. They also greet people by sniffing them and rubbing their scent on them to mark them as safe for future reference.

You may have noticed that sometimes cats will sniff another cat’s butt. They do that because the odor emitted by cats’ anal sacs is unique to each individual cat and is another form of establishing the other cat’s identity.

4. Scents of comfort

Cats are comforted by the scent of their favorite people. In fact, if you are leaving for a vacation or even work for just the day, leave your worn bathrobe out. You may find your cat sleeping on it when you get home, as a cat with separation anxiety can be comforted by your scent.

The inside of your shoes contain high concentrations of your sweat and scent. Stinky shoes also contain bacteria that are attracted to the warm, moist environment. The bottoms of your shoes tell a story of their own to a curious cat. Cats can pick up the scents of grass, dirt, parking lots, other floors you’ve walked on, and the scents of other humans and animals who were there before you. Sweaty gym clothes also appeal to bacteria and curious cats. Apocrine sweat glands, which are located in the armpits and groin areas, produce particularly potent odors that come from fats and proteins that bacteria can easily break down. That and your scent in high concentrations may explain why cats are interested in your smelly gym clothes.

Perhaps our cats simply want to be immersed in our scent. Take it as a huge compliment.

Top photograph: zsv3207 | Getty Images

Read Next: 5 Weird Smells My Cats Are Crazy About

The post Why Do Cats Like Smelly Stuff? Facts & FAQ by Susan Logan McCracken appeared first on Catster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren't considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Catster.com.

When we were newly married, my husband Mark bought a shoebox-size basket to store our mail and reduce clutter on our kitchen table. To his surprise, our red tabby Madison climbed inside, sat down and claimed the basket as her own. She filled the basket perfectly — like it was custom-made for her. Having shared most of my life with cats, it didn’t surprise me one bit. But you should have seen the look of shock on Mark’s face. He grew up with dogs.

“That can’t be comfortable,” he said, so he got some dish towels to line the basket after she vacated it. A few days later, he came home with soft padding to line the basket. Yes, I married a good man. To this day, that is Maddie’s basket, while our mail is still scattered on the table.

If you’ve lived with cats for a long time, you’ve undoubtedly observed them squeezing into tight places. The internet is littered with entertaining videos of cats climbing into small spaces. In fact a series of memes on the subject, titled “If I fits, I sits,” has become a catch phrase and search term for cat video fans looking to laugh at these feline antics.
Some of those spaces may appear too tight for cats, but they can still maneuver their way into them. Along with their many other talents, cats are contortionists and disappearance artists, which makes them experts at hiding.

Why cats like tight spaces

So why do they do that? A tight enclosure that has a top, bottom, four sides and a place to look out meets a cat’s specific needs. Here’s why.

It makes them feel warm. Cats seek shelter from the rain, wind and cold. Just like a glove or sweater for humans, a snug spot contains body heat. Since cats like to feel cozy, a box that surrounds them tightly on all sides provides warmth.

It provides a sense of security. Cats also seek shelter from predators. Having something to their back keeps anyone from sneaking up from behind.

“Cats like to position themselves so they can see out of the opening,” says Marilyn Krieger, certified cat behaviorist and owner of The Cat Coach and Urban Edge Wildlife based in Redwood City, California. “They feel safe and hidden from potential threats, while at the same time they can see possible predators and other threats. Their heads are facing out, so it can be easier for them to fight if they need to.”

A common hiding spot for cats is underneath a bed. That space is “fairly tight and low, but from there they can see out and feel secure,” Marilyn says.

Provide your feline friends with safe spaces to squeeze into. Kitty condos, carriers, baskets, boxes, anything that’s the size of a shoebox or larger, can satisfy your cat’s needs. Some cat trees combine high perches with enclosed spaces, which appeal to a cat’s need for height and an enclosed space.

They can be incognito while observing prey. Cats can stalk prey from an enclosed space and will position themselves to cover their crouched bodies before they pounce. They also position themselves so they can see and observe their prey.

Marilyn encourages her cats’ natural instincts by simulating their hunt for food in the wild. “We want cats to exercise and work for their food, so I’ll do treasure hunts,” Marilyn says. She puts pieces of food and treats like freeze-dried chicken in their high, enclosed spaces as well as in boxes and paper bags that have their handles removed.

How cats squeeze into snug spots

Now that you know why they do it, how do they do it? Cats have a couple of anatomical advantages that allow them to squeeze into tight spaces.

A flexible collarbone, shoulders and spine: Cats can squeeze under anything the height of their head because they have a flexible collarbone, shoulders and spine. That means that if they can get their head and neck through, the body will follow — that is, as long as there is enough room on the other side of the opening for a cat’s body.

Whiskers: Cats use their whiskers to determine the width of a space. Unless the cat is overweight, he can fit through any space as wide as his whiskers, again, as long as there is enough space on the other side. If there isn’t enough space on the other side, cats can get stuck.

In her behavioral practice, Marilyn hasn’t witnessed too many cats getting stuck, unless there is some mechanical reason, like a closing door or drawer that traps them.

“Cats’ whiskers each have a set of nerve endings and blood supply that helps them gauge space and distance,” Marilyn says. “Cats also have whiskers on their legs and forehead, that are also highly sensitive and, like the whiskers on their faces, aid in gauging space.”

How to keep your cat safe

Make sure your cats can get out of whatever they get into. If your cats can’t get into and out of the space on their own, block the entrances. Take time to know your cats’ hiding places, so you can find them if you ever have to evacuate your home.

Maddie’s basket still sits atop our kitchen table, and we have yet to find something as fitting for our stacks of mail.

The post Why Do Cats Like Squeezing into Tight Spaces? by Susan Logan McCracken appeared first on Catster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren't considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Catster.com.

Cats are inquisitive and curious for good reason. As prey animals and predators in nature, their survival depends on knowing everything and everyone in their territory. They explore and test everything that is new to them. They specifically need to know: What is this? Is this edible? Will this eat me? Understanding our cats’ need to know the answers to these questions will help us prepare to meet their needs during times of change, like the holidays when our homes and routines are rearranged.

What is this?

During the holidays, so much is new: the tree, the decorations, the lights, the ornaments, the presents, not to mention all the new holiday smells of pine, pumpkin spice and holiday-scented candles. The smells must be overwhelming for a cat, who has a much stronger sense of smell than we do. Your cats, who identify people and objects by smell, will have to sniff everything.

To make this less overwhelming for your cat, start decorating early and only bring out a few decorations at a time. Let the cat sniff them, and give her time to explore and adjust to them. Give your cats treats and special rewards to positively reinforce that all is calm and all is bright in their territory.

Is this edible?

Traditional Christmas ornaments are about the size of cats’ prey, so you can’t blame them when they bat them around and give them a taste test. This can be annoying if they break an heirloom ornament that has been in your family for generations. This also can be extremely dangerous for your cats if they eat something that punctures an internal organ or causes an intestinal blockage. Cats may also attempt to drink water from a live holiday tree.

Atlanta-based feline behaviorist and owner of Fundamentally Feline, Ingrid Johnson, doesn’t worry as much about cats eating human foods as she does foreign objects over the holidays.

“Foods are more of a dog concern,” she says. You still wouldn’t want your cats eating things like onions and gravies, but with cats, you have to watch out for them playing with and ingesting holiday decorations, she says.

Ingrid warns about curling ribbon on presents under the tree, the tinsel and anything else that can be gnawed off and chewed. “That nylon curling ribbon is some dangerous stuff for cats,” she says. Ingrid has witnessed the dangers holiday decorations like ribbon and tinsel pose to cats for more than 20 years as a veterinary technician.

You can use fishing line or a thin, undetectable cord to secure the Christmas tree to the wall, so if the cats climb the tree, they won’t pull it over, Ingrid says. And keep ornaments and tinsel out of your cat’s reach.

“I use soft and non-sentimental ornaments toward the bottom,” Ingrid says. “The more fragile, sentimental ornaments go up high,” adding that some people make ornaments out of felt. “Of course, cat-safe ornaments are best for the whole tree, if your cat is one to climb the holiday tree.”

You can also use chew deterrents like bitter apple on the bottom of the tree and on other objects to discourage cats from going near them.

Ingrid decided to forgo the holiday tree altogether in her home, which she shares with seven cats, a Great Pyrenees dog and a husband. “I put festive bowls filled with garland beads, small Christmas balls in different parts of the house with no plants, leaves, ribbons and nothing ingestible but still festive,” she says.

Will this eat me?

My husband and I use a fiber optic tree that lights up and turns, which in itself deters my cats from jumping on it. Cats’ survival instinct compels them to learn whether anything or anyone in their territory is safe. You might see them paw at anything new, then jump away. Cats tend to be afraid of or at least have a healthy respect for anything that is the size of their natural predators and moves, like a vacuum cleaner or a revolving Christmas tree.

Humans are also the size of cats’ predators. When new people show up at your home, some cats will not stick around to find out if they’re facing a predator and may run and hide. When they do venture out of their safe space, they approach everything new in their territory at first with caution, because they need to know if it’s safe. Once they have established that something or someone is safe, they mark the person or object with their facial pheromones. It’s the highest compliment!

Holidays are a time when people your cats do not know are visiting from out of town which represents a thread in your cat’s mind. Provide your cats with a safe room filled with their favorite things, litter box, food and water, so they feel secure and don’t dart out the front door when guests are coming and going.

The break in routine

For cats, who like routine and consistency, holidays can be stressful. “The holiday parties, houseguests, moving furniture around to accommodate the tree,” Ingrid says. All of these can stress out your cat, and stress can lead to pancreatitis, which she sees in cats around holiday time.

“It’s important to maintain consistency in routine in the change and day-to-day disruption with the holidays,” Ingrid says. Consistent mealtimes, playtimes and enrichment are all vital to continue throughout the holiday season.

One enrichment tip Ingrid suggests is bringing in snow from outside on a cookie sheet so they can lick at it and smack at it with their paws and experience the season. “In times of stress, you can ramp up the indoor fun,” she says.

It’s likely that your cats have their favorite toys. Bring them out even if it’s only for a few minutes each day to maintain some of the familiarity they crave in their world.

Avoid lilies year-round

Poinsettias get a bad rap, but lilies should come with a tag, says feline behaviorist and veterinary technician Ingrid Johnson, owner of Fundamentally Feline based in Atlanta. “Just one bite of a lily can be fatal for a cat,” she says. 
“I only had one patient live who has eaten a lily in 20 years, and that patient lived with chronic kidney disease for the rest of his life. If you have cats, don’t have lilies.”

As for poinsettias, the ASPCA reports these clinical signs: “Irritating to the mouth and stomach, sometimes causing vomiting, but generally over-rated in toxicity.”

Read Next: Tips for Reducing Your Cat’s Holiday Stress

Feature Image Credit: Anna Mente, Shutterstock

The post Why Do Cats Love Holiday Decorations So Much? Risks & Precautions by Susan Logan McCracken appeared first on Catster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren't considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Catster.com.

Cats have many ways of communicating. Some of these ways, like meowing, are more understandable for humans than others. Urine spraying, on the other hand, not only proves much more challenging for humans to comprehend but is also much less pleasant.

Let’s face it: Humans and cats see urine very differently. Sadly, that misunderstanding lands many cats in shelters where they may never get adopted. So it’s important to understand the ways cats communicate with it.

Spraying to attract a mate

Intact male cats spray to attract a female and to deter other males from their territory. Intact female cats spray to announce when they are in heat. The urine cats spray to attract a mate contains pheromones, making the odor much more pungent. Neutering males and spaying females eliminates this reason for spraying.

Spraying to mark territory

Spraying communicates another message. Other cats clearly understand the message when they wander into another cat’s territory that they either need to move on or prepare to fight.

“Spraying is driven by territoriality,” says Gary Norsworthy, DVM, a board-certified feline specialist at the Alamo Feline Health Center in San Antonio, Texas. If cats think another cat is encroaching on their territory, they will often respond by spraying “as a means of telling the other cat that this is my house.”

Resolving this issue involves identifying the source of your cat’s feelings of encroachment, whether it’s a new pet in the household or a neighborhood cat roaming your yard. You may need to separate household pets and gradually reintroduce them. For neighborhood cats, place cat-safe deterrents in your yard and temporarily block your cat’s view of the area. A pheromone spray can help calm your cat in both circumstances.

Inappropriate elimination

“Inappropriate elimination may have a root cause that creates pain when urinating or defecating,” Dr. Norsworthy says. Conditions that can cause a cat to urinate or defecate outside the litter box include a bladder infection, bladder stones, constipation, and anal sac abscess or impaction.

Some diseases, such as diabetes and kidney disease, cause a significant increase in urine production or diarrhea, Dr. Norsworthy says. An ingrown toenail can cause pain in the litter box when litter gets into the open wound and, as a result, the cat may associate the pain with the litter box.

“Arthritis of the spine, hips or knees can make positioning to urinate or defecate painful, and the cat may associate that with the litter box,” he says. “Cats with almost any debilitating disease that causes weakness may result in the cat urinating or defecating where they are rather than expending the energy to walk across the house — or up or down stairs — to get to the litter box.”

Dr. Norsworthy recommends first having your veterinarian look for issues that cause pain associated with urination or defecation. “This begins with a thorough physical examination plus urinalysis, urine culture, X-ray and ultrasound study. Have tests done that reflect disease, such as a blood glucose determination and kidney function tests. A comprehensive blood panel with urinalysis and culture may reveal serious underlying disease.”

When it’s the litter box

If your cat is healthy but urinating outside the litter box, a dirty litter box or too many cats per litter box might be the problem. A litter with an adverse smell or texture can also repel a cat, Dr. Norsworthy says. He recommends providing at least one litter box per two cats and to clean each litter box at least once per day. Interestingly, he says that cats often see two litter boxes in the same room as just one. “Be sure the cat likes the type and brand of cat litter you are using,” he says, adding that cats usually prefer clumping litter.

If the cat is healthy and the litter box is clean and you have enough of them, look at emotional stressors that may precipitate peeing outside the litter box, such as “living with an aggressor cat, a new person in the household, someone moving out of the household, new carpet, furniture or drapes,” he says.

No matter what causes your cat to spray or urinate outside the litter box, clean the area and remove the odor. Anything that smells like urine to a cat identifies it as the cat’s bathroom, and he or she will continue to pee there. Look for enzymatic cleaners that remove odor as well as the stain.

Dr. Norsworthy advises prompt action when a cat starts to miss the litter box. “Duration is a major factor in reversing inappropriate elimination. I am successful about 90% of the time if I get to work with the problem in the first 30 days. If it has been occurring over six months, it is unlikely that I will reverse it.”

Spraying vs inappropriate elimination

Understanding the difference between the two helps you determine if your cat marked his territory because he felt threatened by another cat or simply couldn’t make it to the litter box because of a health reason.

“Spraying is defined as directing the cat’s urine in a horizontal direction,” Dr. Norsworthy says. This could be against any vertical surface like a wall, door or a window. “Inappropriate elimination means the cat urinates or defecates anywhere except the litter box, but it is on a horizontal surface.”

Examples include a floor, couch, bed, chair or tabletop. A home that is overcrowded with cats can prompt more urine marking behaviors as well as inappropriate elimination.

“Overcrowding is the No. 1 cause that results in inappropriate elimination,” says Dr. Norsworthy, who recommends no more than four cats per 2,000 square feet of living space. He estimates that every household cat increases the likelihood of inappropriate elimination by 10%. “If you have 10 cats, there is a 100% chance it will happen.” In overcrowded households, he recommends rehoming cats that do not get along with the others.

________

REMOVING THE STINK AND STAINS

Pee happens, and the aftermath isn’t much fun to deal with. Here are a few tips to help you get the job done.

• Before you start cleaning, remove as much of the urine as possible by absorbing it with paper towels or an old rag. Letting a stain sit will make the cleanup more difficult, and a sitting stain is an invitation for the cat to come back and re-mark the spot.
• Can you smell the urine but can’t actually find it? Black lights, which are available at pet stores and online, can help you easily spot those sneaky stains.
• Use an enzymatic cleaner. Uric acid is what causes that stink, and an enzymatic cleaner breaks down the uric acid and removes the smell. And if the smell is gone, your cat won’t be tempted to mark that spot again.

Read Next: Explaining Cat Behavior Problems — and How to Handle Them

The post Why Do Cats Spray Urine? by Susan Logan McCracken appeared first on Catster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren't considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Catster.com.

Kittens make us smile and laugh. They make us say, “Awww!” But these babies have distinct needs and attributes. If you thought you knew kittens, you may have to think again! We’ll guide you through 22 amazing kitten facts to help you give them their best life.

The 22 Kitten Facts

1. Kittens are fragile.

Newborn kittens are completely helpless and totally dependent on their mothers for nourishment, warmth and elimination. If they’re orphaned, they need 24/7 care from a kind human.

They need to stay warm and eat every couple of hours around the clock. They even need help pottying. From birth to about 5 weeks old, kittens rely on their mothers to stimulate their anogenital region so they can urinate and defecate.

A foster parent can help with that by taking a warm, wet cotton ball and gently rubbing the kittens’ anogenital region. Without this help, they could die.

2. They’re impressionable.

During kittens’ first 12 weeks, they learn who’s safe and trustworthy, what’s good to eat and where the bathroom is. To become socialized and friendly toward people, this is the time for loving human hands to hold them, pet them, feed them and, once they start playing, have fun with them.

3. It’s important for kittens to spend time with other cats.

For about the first 12 weeks, kittens become socialized toward other cats. They learn appropriate respect toward adult cats from their mothers and how to get along with their peers from their littermates. They learn things like where they stand in a hierarchy, to respect other cats’ territory and how to fight fair.

4. Kittens are born with blue eyes.

One of the most interesting kitten facts? Their eyes open with a bluish hue at about 2 weeks of age, and some breeds — like Siamese, Tonkinese and Ragdoll — keep their blue eye color. You might see a range of colors during the kitten’s first year before her eyes change into their permanent color.

5.  They have a far superior sense of smell to ours.

Cats are equipped with an extra organ involved in their sense of smell. Located at the roof of their mouths, the vomeronasal organ enables cats to heighten the power of their sense of smell.

By 4 weeks of age, this organ is fully developed. Kittens rely on their smelling acuity to find Mom because their sense of sight and hearing are not yet fully developed.

6. Their sense of hearing is one of the best on the planet.

Cats have among the best hearing of all land animals. They are born deaf, but when their amazing sense of hearing is fully developed by 4 weeks of age, they can hear 65,000 cycles per second (or hertz), whereas we can only hear 20,000.

7. They see things differently.

Kittens are born blind and don’t even open their eyes for their first week or two after birth. While their eyesight is undeveloped, they are adept at using their whiskers and sense of smell to get around. Fully developed by 5 weeks of age, their eyesight is different from ours.

As nocturnal hunters, cats distinguish movement and perceive depth better than we can and see in light six times dimmer than we can. Yet they lack the ability to see the full spectrum of colors we see.

8. Feed kittens a growth diet.

Another takeaway from these kitten facts — once the weaning process begins at about 5 weeks of age, kittens can eat wet or dry food. They might need to transition during this time with a mix of kitten formula and solid food.

Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning they get their nutrients from meat. Choose a kitten food that is a growth formula for about the first year.

9. They’re not finicky eaters — yet.

This is the time to give them a variety of kitten food so they don’t become picky eaters. If you ever have to switch their diets for health reasons, you want them to have an adaptable palate.

10. Kittens are actually easy to potty train.

Just plop them into a litter box, and they’re trained. It’s instinctual for cats to bury their waste in sand-like substrate. Many kittens will learn to use the litter box just by watching their mothers use it.

11. Keep the litter box clean.

Scoop the litter box at least once a day. If your kitten isn’t using it, experiment with litters until you find one she likes. Kittens usually prefer something soft and sand-like. If she eats the litter, use an edible formula like corn or wheat.

12. Kittens love to knead.

Kittens knead when they nurse to stimulate milk flow, but they still knead into adulthood. When a cat kneads you, she’s seeking comfort and chose you as a mother figure to provide it.

13. Give kittens a smaller litter box.

Provide one with low sides so they can get in and out of it on their own. As they grow, get them a litter box that is one-and-a-half times their length.

14. They’re easy to groom at this age.

Handle their paws and open their mouths to look at their teeth. This will make nail trimming, pilling and toothbrushing when they are adults easier.

15. Fleas are especially dangerous to kittens.

Fleas can cause tapeworm and a host of diseases. In kittens, these parasites can cause anemia, which can be fatal. Improper use of flea-control products is also dangerous and sometimes fatal.

Follow packaging directions on any topical treatments. Use a flea comb, bathe your kitten, and wash bedding. Vacuum around the house to battle an infestation. Involve your veterinarian for guidance.

16. Save them from themselves.

Curious kittens will explore anything they can get into. Look around your house for anything that can cause harm.

17. Teach your kitten appropriate scratching behaviors.

Get them acclimated to proper scratching surfaces like sisal and corrugated cardboard. It feels good and will make them less inclined to scratch your furniture.

18. They need to play politely.

Redirect aggressive play with your hands or feet toward a toy, so they don’t get into the habit of biting and scratching people.

19. Create a safe room for your kitten.

Before bringing kitten home, prepare a safe, enclosed space equipped with food and water dishes, litter box, scratching post and bed. Let her stay in this room before opening up the rest of the house to her. A big, unexplored house can be overwhelming, and she’ll feel more comfortable getting to know a small space first.

20. Keep up with those vet appointments.

Take your kitten to the vet for vaccinations, deworming and a health check. Talk to your vet about any issues, such as any cold-like symptoms and the best age to spay/neuter. Your kitten’s first wellness check is essential.

21. Kittens can become parents.

Kittens can be spayed as early as 8 weeks, and they can go into heat and become pregnant by 5 months, so don’t procrastinate. Spaying/neutering will prevent unpleasant behaviors associated with a heat cycle, like urine marking and howling.

22. They’re not kittens for long.

Kittens grow through infancy, childhood, adolescence and into young adulthood in the first two years. By the age of 2, their eye color, coat color, pattern and length, and personality will be well-established.

Thumbnail: Photography by ©Wildroze | Getty Images.

Read more kitten facts on Catster.com:

• What to Know About Kitten Behaviors
• Kittens Meowing — How and Why Baby Cats Meow
• Can Kittens Drink Cow’s Milk?

The post 22 Surprising Facts About Kittens by Susan Logan McCracken appeared first on Catster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren't considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Catster.com.

As obligate carnivores, cats metabolize and utilize animal products more effectively than plant products. This makes them much more sensitive than humans or dogs to herbs. That doesn’t mean they can’t benefit from the medicinal use of herbs, but we need to be cautious when it comes to herbs for cats.

Using herbs for cats

“With cats, I always use the idea that less is more,” says Maria Williams, DVM, owner of Compassionate Care Holistic Veterinary Services in San Antonio. “Cats have a unique system of metabolizing drugs and even herbs, so we always dilute herbs out for safe use. We always have to remember that anything we put on a cat can and will be ingested if they can get to it.”

In her 27 years as a veterinarian, Dr. Williams has seen plenty of well-meaning people apply herbal flea products that were ingested, and the cats developed severe skin irritations at the application site or ended up in the emergency room with vomiting and diarrhea. “Please make sure anything you put on a cat has a well-established history of safe use,” she says.

Treat herbs for cats with the same caution you use with all medications, because overdosing, adverse reactions and negative herb-drug interactions can occur. That said, in small doses, all of these herbs can be used in cats to help them with specific issues, says Dr. Williams, who has practiced holistic veterinary medicine for more than 20 years and holds certifications in acupuncture and chiropractic medicine.

“I use a huge array of herbs in my practice, both Western and Chinese herbal formulas tailored to specific needs of the individual animal that is presented,” she says. “There are many herbal formulas that are safe for cats. I always ask clients to look for formulas that specifically list cats on the label and tell you exactly what is in the bottle.”

Stress-relieving catnip

Catnip (Nepeta cataria) is a perennial herb from the mint family that contains nepetalactone, a pungent-smelling chemical that attracts about two thirds of adult cats.

This attractant makes it a popular additive to toys, scratchers, trees and other items people want their cats to be interested in. Cats lured by catnip will lick it, sniff it, kick it, roll on it and play like they’re under its influence anywhere from five to 15 minutes until it wears off.

Aside from enhancing their playtime and making us laugh, catnip also has a calming effect on cats. That’s why it’s one of Dr. Williams’ favorite herbs to recommend to her clients to use at home.

“We know stress-caused illness is a huge problem in cats, and anything that lowers anxiety will enhance their lives,” she says.

Stress is a real mental and physical health concern for cats and their people. Stress produces cortisol, a hormone that empowers the fight-or-flight response, which we all need in an emergency or life-threatening situation. But constant stress and the excessive release of cortisol can cause numerous health problems, including a compromised immune system.

The calming herbs help cats relax and allow them to enjoy their surroundings, as well as help keep their immune system strong naturally, Dr. Williams says. If your cat doesn’t react to catnip, other calming herbs may help.

Skin-soothing daisies

Chamomile is an aromatic plant from the daisy family that is often used in herbal teas for humans. Many people drink this before bedtime as a sleep aid. Chamomile also calms cats.

In addition, the herb also can calm digestive upsets. “Chamomile made into a tea can be given to cats with stomach issues,” Dr. Williams says. “It helps soothe the stomach.”

Calendula is the genus of several marigold species, perennial plants also in the daisy family used to treat skin issues.

“Calendula flowers can be made into a tea, and this can be put onto cats with raw, irritated skin,” Dr. Williams says. However, she cautions: “Use only the flowers, as there have been reports of the leaves and stems containing toxic constituents.”

Echinacea is another genus in the daisy family used to boost immunity in people and pets. You’ll see this ingredient in cough lozenges and teas. Veterinary herbalists also use Echinacea and the other daisy-derived herbs to soothe skin conditions, including itching.

Herbs for cats with medicinal roots

Licorice is the root of a perennial herb widely used in Traditional Chinese Medicine and as a flavoring in teas and candy because of its sweetness. “Licorice root acts as an herbal steroid, as it contains natural steroids,” Dr. Williams says. “A capsule of pure licorice root can be opened and made into a tea with 2 cups of water. You can give a few drops to cats with allergies and skin issues.” However, she cautions: “Please do not use licorice root if your cat has high blood pressure or has electrolyte disturbances.”

The natural anti-inflammatory properties of licorice root can also soothe arthritis pain, digestive upset and respiratory inflammation due to colds or allergies.

Goldenseal is a woodland plant from the buttercup family. The name probably stems from its bright yellow root, which is used in herbal medicine as a wound disinfectant. “This acts as an herbal antibiotic,” Dr. Williams says.

Valerian is a perennial herb, the root of which is used by humans as a sleep aid. This herb is also used to calm cats, but in some felines valerian has the opposite effect and acts as a stimulant. If that’s the case with your cat, you can use it as an alternative to catnip to entice sedentary or overweight cats to play.

Top 5 cautions to take with herbs for cats

1. Treat them with the same caution as you would with any medication. The liver filters out toxins from drugs and herbs, and this vital organ does not know the difference. Herbs can mix with drugs and cause overdosing or negative interactions. Cats’ livers do not process plant compounds the way human livers do, making cats more susceptible to toxic effects.
2. Talk to your veterinarian before giving your cat any substance, including herbs and supplements. Your vet can ensure they will mix well with any medications your cat might be taking to avoid overdoses and negative reactions. Your vet also knows your cat’s condition and can advise you to avoid certain herbs that might make it worse. For example, licorice root can elevate blood pressure, so cats who already have hypertension should avoid it.
3. Only use substances labeled for cats. Just because a product has been proven safe for a dog doesn’t mean it is safe for a cat.
4. Follow the label instructions, including weight requirements, dosing and frequency. Pay attention to warnings about not exceeding certain amounts within a 24-hour period.
5. Avoid products containing essential oils or alcohol. These are not safe for cats.

The bottom line on herbs for cats

Make sure your veterinarian is aware of all herbs and supplements used in your cat’s care or see a holistic veterinarian for advice.

Tell us: What do you think about herbs for cats? Do you use any herbs for your cats?

Read more about herbs for cats on Catster.com:

• 5 Totally Legal and Safe Ways to Get Your Cat Stoned
• Let’s Talk Non-Toxic Plants for Cats — What Plants Can Your Cat Eat?
• Safe Plants for Cats: What to Have in Your Garden

Feature Image Credit: Pixabay

The post Herbs for Cats That Improve Health & Feline Friendly by Susan Logan McCracken appeared first on Catster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren't considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Catster.com.