Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. Get Reacquainted with Your Feline Einstein
Body and Posture
Ears
Eyes
Whiskers
Nose
Mouth
Tongue
Tail
Vocalization
Pay Attention to What Your Cat Is Saying
2. Real Estate Reality Check
Is Your Cat’s Environment Part of the Problem?
Indoor/Outdoor
Vertical Thinking
Hideaways and Tunnels
Scratching and Climbing
The Litter Box Environment
The Feeding Station
Bedtime
Feline Home Makeover: Operation Enrichment
Climbing and perching
Stimulation
Safety
Familiarity
3. Serious Fun
Play Therapy
Obesity
How to Use Play Therapy to Your Advantage
Interactive Play
Choosing Interactive Toys
Interactive Play Therapy Techniques
Play Therapy Schedule
Interactive Play Sessions for Multiple Cats
Interactive Play Therapy for Retraining
Solo Play
Catnip
Clicker Training
Clicker Training in a Multicat Home
Beyond Basic Training
4. Retraining Old Habits and More Serious Problems You Thought You Had to Live With
Retrain with the Right Starting from Scratch Attitude
Rebuilding Trust
Correcting Those Little Annoying Problems
Counter hopping
Door dashing
Plant nibbling
Curtain climbing
Computer crashing, cat-style
Interior decorating with toilet paper
Toilet water fascination
Faucet fixation
Nightly noises and crack-of-dawn wake-ups
Oliver Twist syndrome
Correcting More Serious Problems
Boredom
Depression
The grieving cat
The fearful cat
Fear of people
Separation anxiety
Compulsive Behaviors
Psychogenic alopecia
Compulsive licking
Wool sucking, chewing, and pica behavior
Feline hyperesthesia
Medicating a Cat Who Doesn’t Want to Be Medicated
Know your options
Pilling
Administering liquid medication
Applying ointment or cream
Eye medication
Ear medication
5. Tired of Those Out-of-Box Experiences?
Retraining to the Litter Box
Reevaluate the Current Setup
What we assume cats want
What your cat really wants you to know
Why problems occur
Spraying and indiscriminate urination
Back to the Box
Products you’ll need
Spraying
Retraining a sprayer
Indiscriminate urination
Retraining an indiscriminater
Location strategies
Turf claims and overcrowding
Other deposits that occur outside the box
Toilet training cautions
6. Tattered and Shredded
Retraining Inappropriate Scratching
The Need to Scratch
Declawing
Nail Caps
Refresher Course on Scratching
Rethink the Current Scratching Post Setup
The Retraining Process: Operation Velvet Paws
Furniture armor: Set the stage for retraining
The right post
The right location
Retraining
Bonus retraining tips
7. Mealtime
I Want What I Want When I Want It!
Maybe the Bowl Is the Problem and Not the Food
The Bottomless Bowl: Pros and Cons of Free-Feeding
Pros and Cons of Scheduled Feeding
Finicky Eating Syndrome and Fixed Food Preference
Retraining the Finicky Eater
Bowl Bullies
Cats on Different Diets
Tubby Tabbies: Safe Mealtime Retraining
Stick to the Plan
8. Spits and Spats
Aggression, Biting, and Fighting
The Biter
Aggression
Fear aggression
Petting-induced aggression
Redirected aggression
Pain-induced aggression
Territorial aggression
Play aggression
Predatory aggression
Intercat aggression
Status-related aggression
Maternal aggression
Idiopathic aggression
The Starting from Scratch Reintroduction Technique
Other Uses and Variations on the Reintroduction Technique
When Professional Help Is Needed
Psychopharmacological Intervention
9. Why Can’t We All Just Get Along?
Your Cat and Other Family Members
Is Your Cat Meant to Be the Only Cat in the Home?
Dislike or Fear of the New Cat in the Home
Starting from scratch with a proper introduction
Dog Panic
Birds, Hamsters, and Other Small Pets
When the New Baby Creates Kitty Crisis
If the baby isn’t home yet
After the bundle of joy arrives
Kids and Cats
Fixing Blended-Family Cat-astrophes
The Cat-Avoiding Spouse
The Spouse-Avoiding Cat
10. Travel Retraining
On the Road with Your Own Mr. or Miss Grumpypaws
Look at Travel from Your Cat’s Point of View
Retrain Your Cat to the Carrier
The starting from scratch retraining process
The emergency technique for getting a carrier-hating cat into the carrier
Long-Distance Car Travel
Air Travel
Home Alone Kitty: Retraining the Cat Who Hates Pet Sitters
Boarding Woes
How to Reduce Anxiety for Veterinarian Visits
Leash Training an Adult Cat
Moving to a New Home
Start early
Moving day
The new home
11. Cat Versus Brush
Groom Your Cat and Live to Talk About It
Look at Your Current Grooming Technique from Kitty’s Point of View
How the Grooming Session Should Be Viewed by Kitty and the Cat Owner
The Retraining Process
Time for Tools
Brushing and Combing
Nail Trimming
Ear Cleaning
Teeth Cleaning
Bathing
Hairballs
12. Looking Ahead
Senior Cat Behavior
Behavior and Physical Changes
Make Adjustments as Needed
The Litter Box
Feline Cognitive Disorder
Other Companion Animals in the Home
Show Patience and Tolerance
Enjoy This Time Together
Appendix
Index