Tag: play

Cat Care

How to Choose the Right Cat Tree

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Meredith Hemphill

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Encyclopaedia Felidae now has a Patreon! Go to www.patreon.com/EncyclopaediaFelidae if you want to help support this content!

Store full of cat trees
Photo by Petrebels on Unsplash

The holidays have arrived. If you buy holiday gifts for your pets, and you have a cat, well, you already know they can be hard to shop for. A nice cat tree would make a good gift, surely, but there are so many to choose from! They can be expensive, too. No one wants to break the bank for a fancy cat tree only for their cat to ignore it in favor of the box it came in. How can you know you’re getting a cat tree that your cat will love? There are few guarantees in life, but a few simple tips can help you make sure the cat tree you’re buying is a castle worthy of your home’s furry royalty–as soon as they finish checking out the box.

Step One: Observe and Measure

Cat trees do a few things for cats. They satisfy their natural instincts to climb, hide, and scratch [1, 3-5]. These are all necessary behaviors for cats, and cat trees provide a safe and non-destructive outlet for them. Every cat has their individual preferences, however. Some careful observation now can save you a lot of wasted time and expense on a cat tree they won’t use later.

Climbing

Most cats love to go up high, but there are some that don’t care for it or aren’t able to do so easily. My family once had a cat that hated to be in high places and refused to use any cat furniture except a low pedestal. Older or disabled cats may struggle to climb even if they want to [1, 4]. Smaller, simpler trees or ones with ramps may suit cats such as these [1, 4]. A small cat tree may be best for a small kitten with rudimentary climbing skills, too [4].

Hiding

Does your cat spend a lot of time sequestered in enclosed spaces? Are they a shy kitty? If so, they would probably prefer a cat tree that includes a cubbyhole for them to hide in [1]. Whether your cat would prefer an enclosed place to sleep or an open platform, think about the kind of materials they like to sleep on. Most cat trees are carpeted, but some have faux-fur platforms or are just solid wood [4].

Scratching

Finally, what kind of scratcher is your cat? Do they prefer to scratch horizontal surfaces like the carpet or vertical ones like the sofa? Which materials appeal to them–fabrics, cardboard, wood? Most cat trees have scratching posts wrapped in sisal rope, a rough plant material that nearly every cat loves to dig their claws into. It’s important that your tree has surfaces your cat will want to scratch [3]. Moreover, those surfaces need to be long enough for your cat to stretch out on [4, 5]. This is more difficult to accomplish than you might think, especially for cats that like to scratch vertically. A lot of cat trees do not have a post tall enough. Look at your cat when they stretch out, measure them if you can, and then look for a cat tree that will accommodate that stretch.

Don’t forget to take the measurements of your home into account, too! Where are you going to put the cat tree? If you plan to get a large one, make sure it will fit somewhere.

Step Two: What Makes a Quality Cat Tree

Ginger tabby kitten on cat tree
Photo by Petrebels on Unsplash

Once you have an idea what your cat needs from their cat tree, it’s time to start shopping. There are some characteristics any good cat tree needs to have.

  1. Enough perches for all the cats in your home to have their space. A good rule of thumb is twice as many perches as cats. Of course, if you have ten cats, one tree isn’t going to provide that. [1, 4]
  2. Stability. If the tree wobbles, leans, or even falls oven when your cat uses it, they’ll learn not to use it anymore. Cats won’t go easy on their furniture, so make sure it’ll hold up to a flying leap. A good cat tree should have a wide, solid base and be heavy enough to withstand all kinds of cat antics without falling. Top-heavy cat trees are no-go unless you have a plan to affix them to the walls for support. [3-5]
  3. Durability. If it feels like it’s made of cardboard, you won’t really be saving money with that cheaper price tag because you will have to replace it in no time. [4]

Many cat trees also include hanging toys. These are great additions, as they encourage your cat to explore a new tree and can keep them entertained for a long time after [1, 4]. They do get pulled off eventually, but you can always staple a new toy on in the same place [4].

Step Three: Introducing the Cat Tree

Some cats will take to a new cat tree immediately, probably “helping” you assemble it as well. Others will be more cautious of this new item in their territory and may need you to convince them that it’s safe to interact with. If that turns out to be the case with your cat, there are several things you can do. First, make sure the cat tree is in a place where your cat feels comfortable. Good locations for cat furniture include social centers of the home like the family room or near a window your cat likes to look out [1, 5].

If your cat seems to be wary of the tree no matter where you put it, all is not lost. For cats that like catnip, the herb can serve as a great way to entice your furry friend to check out the cat tree. Just sprinkle some catnip around the base and on the tree and let kitty go wild [3]!

For kittens or cats that don’t care for catnip, play or treats may do the trick better. Try using a wand toy to draw them up onto the cat tree, or at least get their paws onto it at first [3, 5]. Maybe leave a trail of treats up the tree. Of course, make sure to praise your cat for showing interest in it [3, 5]. If you did your homework well and got them the perfect tree, they’ll realize they love it in no time.

Fun Fact: The First Cat Tree

It used to be very unusual for people to keep cats indoors, but as that become more common, the problems of cats scratching furniture and climbing where they shouldn’t became apparent. Frank L. Crow set out to solve the woes of indoor cats and their humans alike, and in 1968 he patented the first cat tree. It consisted of a series of flat perches mounted on a floor-to-ceiling tension pole with a base. Removable carpeted covers were wrapped around the perches. It was simple, but quite customizable, and worn-out perches and carpeting were easy to replace. It had a very small footprint, too. As someone living in a one-bedroom apartment, I wish this was still on the market. [2]

Works Cited

  1. Benjamin, K. (2020, May 21). Everything you need to know about cat trees. Catster. https://www.catster.com/home-design/everything-you-need-to-know-about-cat-trees
  2. Crow, F. L. (1968). Cat tree (U.S. Patent No. 3,479,990). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patents.google.com/patent/US3479990A/
  3. Galaxy, J. & Hofve, J. (n.d.). How to stop your cats from scratching furniture. Jackson Galaxy. https://www.jacksongalaxy.com/blog/how-to-stop-your-cats-from-scratching-furniture/
  4. Jason C. (n.d.). How to choose a cat tree. Purrfect Kitty Cat. https://www.purrfectkittycat.com/articles/how-to-choose-a-cat-tree
  5. Moore, A. (2001). Kitten owner’s manual. Storey Publishing: North Adams, MA.

Published December 20, 2021

Updated August 14, 2022

Behavior, Science

Why are cats crazy for catnip?

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Meredith Hemphill

mehshadoweye

Encyclopaedia Felidae now has a Patreon! Go to www.patreon.com/EncyclopaediaFelidae if you want to help support this content!

Catnip flowers
Photo by S W Yang from FreeImages

A catnipped cat is a sight to behold. They lick and chew the wondrous herb, rub their faces in it, and roll around on the ground. Sometimes they drool or run screaming through the house. Some cats, on the other hand, don’t seem to care for catnip at all. Cats are truly a never-ending source of entertainment and mystery. Scientists of many stripes have been investigating the relationship between cats and catnip since at least the 1960s, so many questions have been answered, although some still remain.

Catnip, also called catmint or catwort, usually refers to the species Nepeta cataria, but can include any of the 250 or so species in the genus Nepeta. Cats react to quite a few of these species, not only Nepeta cataria, the most well-known catnip. Catnips are members of the mint family. Most of the species are perennials. They have opposite leaves, grey-green foliage, and small flowers in a variety of colors. N. cataria has pink or white flowers. Catnip is aromatic even to humans, smelling minty and perhaps lemony. It is the scent of catnip that attracts felines to the plant so strongly.

Not all cats care for catnip, but it does seem to be the case that all species of cats have the catnip reaction, or at least a lot of them. Wild cats large and small have been observed reacting to catnip in the same way that domestic cats do, although just like housecats, not all of their wild brethren are fond of the stuff, either. The chemical in catnip that causes this more-or-less universal reaction is nepetalactone, a volatile oil produced in glands on the underside of the leaves (1). Nepetalactone repels insects, so it is thought that the plant produces the oil in order to repel herbivorous bugs (2), but the chemical appears to mimic a natural cat pheremone. At least, that’s the theory, given that the behaviors exhibited during the catnip reaction bear a striking resemblance to some of those of a she-cat in heat (3).

Wild cats big and small playing with catnip

When a cat inhales nepetalactone, the volatile oil binds sensory receptors which trigger neurons in the olfactory bulb of the brain (4). These neurons, in turn, relate the message to brain regions that cause an emotional and sexual response to the stimulus (4). Catnip is sometimes called an “euphoriant” for cats, although in truth we can only guess at what they are feeling.

Inhaling the scent of catnip is usually stimulating while eating catnip mellows cats out, although individual cats can react to catnip differently. Some may even become aggressive toward other cats or people, so keep an eye on kitty until you know how they are going to behave under the influence, so to speak. The entire reaction lasts about ten minutes, after which the cat cannot react again for up to two hours. Catnip is considered non-addictive and safe. Too much catnip at once can cause a cat to get sick, like anything else. You might want to store your catnip well out of reach if you buy a large amount. Nepetalactone loses potency over time, so it’s a good idea to keep dried catnip in the freezer to avoid this anyway.

Ginger tabby in catnip plant
Image by CatCrazy from Pixabay

What about cats who are indifferent to catnip? There are two possible reasons. First, kittens, with possibly some rare exceptions, do not react to catnip and may even avoid it (5). Cats begin to experience the excitement of catnip around six months of age, when they reach sexual maturity. Interestingly, this occurs even when cats are spayed or neutered (5). But some cats never do become interested in the herb, and this is due to genetics. There is a dominant allele which confers the catnip reaction on cats who inherit at least one copy of it at that gene (5). Anywhere from 20-50% of cats are estimated not to react to catnip and therefore to have two recessive alleles for that trait. What that means for their biology otherwise is hard to say, as the reason for cats reacting as they do remains a matter of speculation.

If you have a cat that likes catnip, you might consider growing a pot of it yourself. Mint species tend to be sprawling and invasive–catnip has already become weedy and invasive outside its native Eurasia and Africa–so I would recommend confining it to a pot. But then you would always have fresh catnip available for your kitty and, for that matter, yourself. Catnip has been used medicinally for hundreds if not thousands of years. In addition to its repute as a natural bug repellent (albeit only for a few hours at a time), it has a mild sedative effect on the human brain similar to chamomile. Herbal teas of catnip may be good for anxiety or insomnia, or just good for relaxing after a hard day.

Native Americans once used catnip to treat infant colic, and the herb is reputed to be good for migraines, digestive complaints, and as a paste for arthritis (4). I cannot personally vouch for these healing properties, but I can say that I kill every plant I try to grow, and even I managed to grow a nice, healthy catnip plant for several months, which is probably a record for me. The cats loved the fresh catnip, but I did have to move the plant outside to prevent them from just munching the whole thing to the dirt. At least I knew they liked it.

Fun fact: other plants, such as valerian and silver vine, affect cats the same way as catnip!

Catnip bubbles!

Works Cited

  1. John Innes Centre. (2018, December 11). How catnip makes the chemical that causes cats to go crazy. ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/12/181211103125.htm
  2. Eisner, T. (1964). Catnip: Its raison d’être. Science, 146(3649), 1318-1320. DOI: 10.1126/science.146.3649.1318
  3. Palen, G.F. and Goddard, G.V. (1966). Catnip and oestrous behaviour in the cat. Animal Behaviour, 14(2-3), 372-377. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0003-3472(66)80100-8
  4. Turner, R. (2007, May 29). How does catnip work its magic on cats? Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/experts-how-does-catnip-work-on-cats/
  5. Todd, N.B. (1962). Inheritance of the catnip response in domestic cats. Journal of Heredity, 53(2), 54-56. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.jhered.a107121

Published April 17, 2020

Updated January 30, 2021

Behavior

Why do cats knock things over?

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Meredith Hemphill

mehshadoweye

Encyclopaedia Felidae now has a Patreon! Go to www.patreon.com/EncyclopaediaFelidae if you want to help support this content!

My Joon-bug is fondest of pens, pencils, plushies, and paper cups. Any small object will do, however. Anyone with a cat is surely familiar with the behavior: a few pokes with the paw at first, and then a firm swipe to knock the object to the floor. Sometimes they skip the first step if they’re really into it. It’s kind of funny, but it’s also really annoying. It may even be dangerous depending upon what kitty decides to send plummeting to the ground. Why do they do this? Why must all of our pens forever be under the sofa? How did Joon even get a tissue box under there?

Let us commiserate with our fellow cat lovers, and also laugh at them.

No one will ever know what happened to that poor tissue box, but it is possible to understand why our cats drive us crazy by knocking all of our stuff onto the floor. No, it’s not because they’re assholes. There are several factors that may play into the behavior. As is the case with almost every feline action, their hunting instincts are likely involved. Cats in the wild would spent most of their time hunting, and they are exquisitely designed in mind and body for this vital task. They know that their toys, or the other things they choose to make into toys, aren’t actually prey. That doesn’t stop them from treating the objects as such.

Cats are known to toy with their prey, and they exhibit the same behavior when nudging a small object. Dr. H. Ellen Whiteley explains, “Your cat’s instincts tell her that paperweight or knickknack could turn out to be a mouse. Her poking paw would send it scurrying, giving her a good game (and possibly a good lunch)” (1). And in fact, it sort of does if they knock it off the edge of a surface. The object falls to the ground, giving them something to watch and maybe something to chase if it rolls. As hunters, cats are fascinated by movement, so the satisfaction of watching the thing fall may be reason enough to push things over.

Cats are clearly excellent at finding ways to entertain themselves, if they can turn a paperweight on your desk into a game. This is often cited as a key to why cats are doing so in the first place. There is a lack of other fun things to do, so they make something up. A bored cat quickly becomes a troublesome cat. Jackson Galaxy, cat behaviorist and all-around cool guy, said, “Think about a toddler who has been given crayons, but no paper. Hello, bedroom wall mural! Ask yourself, ‘Do we have enough cat toys?’ If the answer is yes, would he still rather bat a cup off the table? If so, it’s time to get new toys!” (2).

Along the same lines, we know that cats are good at training their people. The first time or two that your cat knocked something off your desk or bookshelf, maybe it was just for fun. But then you immediately came running to see what fell, and your cat had a brilliant realization. Cats quickly figure out what actions get our attention, and they don’t always care if the attention is good or bad. Knocking something over gets your attention quickly, and that reinforces the behavior because it’s working as intended. Of course, if you hear a glass object fall and shatter, you can’t just ignore that, so what can you do if this is a problem with your cat?

Solutions

Ideally, remove all things that a cat might knock over from a surface that they could push it off of. For most of us, that is never going to happen, so at least move anything fragile away from the reach of your cat. If you have a lot of fragile collectibles, it’s probably worth it to invest in a glass-front case. If it’s just a few knickknacks, you may just need to get creative in finding somewhere your cat can’t go. I know, there aren’t many of those places. Small, inexpensive, wall-mounted display shelves (like these https://www.amazon.com//dp/B06ZYH411W) might be an option if you put them in just the right place. I’ve used them before with success. Items may be secured in their current location with museum putty if there is nowhere you can move them to.

Fragile items pose a danger to your cat, as the debris from breakage could hurt a cat who steps on it. We also tend to put more value on our fragile items. Make sure to secure any medicine containers as well, so there is no risk of any pills falling out of one that is knocked over.

Gray cat on kitchen counter
Recipe for disaster – Photo by Phuong Tran on Unsplash

Once any risk to your cat or your breakables has been eliminated, there is the matter of trying to curb the behavior. As Jackson Galaxy suggested, more toys, new toys, or different kinds of toys may help. Individual cats prefer different kinds of play, so even if your cat has lots of toys and you’ve just bought new ones, they may not be the kind of toy that appeals to your cat. Frustrating, I know, but on the bright side you can always donate any toys your cat doesn’t like to an animal shelter or similar organization. Additionally, playing with your cat yourself is more stimulating than leaving your cat to make their own fun and can help prevent all kinds of problem behaviors.

Sometimes cats try to get our attention because they want something specific–more water, food, a litter box cleaning. If you check these things whenever your cat starts knocking things over and making a fuss, you might find that they are trying to tell you something. Of course, some cats will beg for food at any and all times of day, so this may not be a feasible fix.

There are ways to prevent cats from jumping on certain surfaces altogether, if you prefer that approach. Double-sided tape and aluminum foil are textures that most cats don’t like. Affixing either of those to the table, desk, etc. might discourage your cat from going up there. If you have a cat like Joon who will eat tape and aluminum foil, there are also devices you can purchase which are motion sensitive and release a puff of air when the cat jumps or walks into its range of view. They will puff at you, too, so be prepared to spook yourself several times before you get the hang of it.

While you try to deter your cat, be sure to always provide an alternative that they should engage in. For example, if you choose not to allow your cat on the desk, put a cat tree nearby. If you see your cat fixating on an object like they might be about to send it flying, don’t yell. Break out the wand toy and distract your cat with something positive and more fun. If you have tried everything, provided plenty of stimulation, and your cat is still knocking things over, they are probably just doing it for attention. All you can do is ignore the behavior so they learn that they won’t receive that attention anymore. It may take a while, but they will get the message.

Works Cited

  1. Whiteley, H.E. (2006). How to solve cat behavior problems. HowStuffWorks.com. https://animals.howstuffworks.com/pets/how-to-solve-cat-behavior-problems.htm
  2. Nguygen, V. (2014, May 11). Why do cats knock things over?! My Cat From Hell’s Jackson Galaxy answers 10 feline questions. Parade. https://parade.com/288613/viannguyen/why-do-cats-knock-things-over-my-cat-from-hells-jackson-galaxy-answers-10-feline-questions/

Published April 3, 2020

Updated March 7, 2021

Behavior

Why Do Cats Love Boxes?

mehshadoweye

Meredith Hemphill

mehshadoweye

Encyclopaedia Felidae now has a Patreon! Go to www.patreon.com/EncyclopaediaFelidae if you want to help support this content!

You finish opening that new package from Amazon and plop the box on the floor. Immediately, your cat appears as if summoned by the presence of cardboard in its domain. She delicately sniffs the box, prowls all around it to examine every inch, and then springs over the edge and lands inside. An hour later you walk by and can just see her eyes and ears peeking over the top at you. Claw marks on the outside edges indicate that she’s been hard at work showing that box who’s boss. You chuckle and wonder for the millionth time why your silly cat is so enamored of the simple cardboard box.

Sound familiar? Who has a giant cat that insists on squeezing into shoeboxes or has bought their cat a super-deluxe-mega-awesome cat tree only for kitty to spend the next week in the box it came in? Most humans lose interest in playing with cardboard boxes after about the age of eight, but cats seem to have an undying fascination with the things–sleeping in them, jumping in and out of them, ripping them to pieces. Why is that? Why do cats love boxes?

No One Will Find Me Here…

Tabby cat in cardboard box
“If I fits, I sits.” Photo by Brent Jones on Unsplash

As is often the case with cats, there isn’t a simple answer, but it largely has to do with boxes being a confined space. Cats are both ambush predators and prey for larger animals, so they are very keen on hiding places from which to pounce on their prey and avoid being hunted themselves. Anyone who has been swatted at or pounced upon by a cat hiding in a box knows that boxes serve the purpose well. Cats may also want to hide from their problems. Cats are only somewhat social and as such don’t have instinctive conflict-resolution skills. They mostly just hide and hope the conflict goes away. #Relatable

Some cats like to hide more than others, but as a rule cats need hiding places to make them feel safe and relieve anxiety. Studies with shelter cats have found that providing hiding boxes decreases their stress levels [1, 2]. Even in a low-stress environment, everybody needs somewhere to decompress now and again. For a cat, that might be a good box.

The Wonders of Cardboard

There are other reasons cats love boxes, particularly of the cardboard variety. One you may have noticed yourself is that cardboard has a texture many cats enjoy sinking their claws into. Some enjoy chewing and generally mauling it as well. My cat Joon is quite fond of eating it. She’s not allowed to play in cardboard boxes anymore. For most cats it’s a very safe pastime, however. Just make sure there aren’t any staples or other things on the box they shouldn’t get in their mouths!

Tabby cat in cauldron
Joon in a “box” she’s allowed to play with.

Cardboard is also a great insulator, and small spaces are great places for cats to curl up and be warm and cozy. A National Research Council study from 2006 found that the thermoneutral zone for cats, the range of temperatures in which they are comfortable and don’t need to expend energy to warm or cool themselves, is 86 to 97 degrees Fahrenheit (30 to 36 degrees Celsius) [3]. Most of us don’t keep our houses that warm, so housecats seek out warmth wherever they can. Cardboard boxes hold in their body heat when they snuggle down in them, so they make great places to play and sleep. You know, the things cats do best.

If you’re frustrated that your cat doesn’t like all the fancy toys you’ve bought them as much as they like shoving their entire body in an empty tissue box, keep in mind that it’s really the fault of the boxes for making such a perfect kitty cave. And you might be able to save a lot of money on cat accessories if you embrace your cat’s love of boxes.

Works Cited

  1. Kry, K & Casey, R. (2007). The effect of hiding enrichment on stress levels and behaviour of domestic cats (Felis sylvestris catus) in a shelter setting and the implications for adoption potential. Animal Welfare, 16(3), 375-383.
  2. Vinke, CM, Godijn, LM, & van der Leij, WJR. (2014). Will a hiding box provide stress reduction for shelter cats? Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 160, 86-93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2014.09.002
  3. National Research Council. (2006). Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats. National Academy Press.

Published December 23, 2019

Updated June 20, 2022