Starting From Scratch by Johnson-Bennett, Pam -- Read -- Imperial Library of Trantor

Index

Cover Copyright Contents 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

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 Correcting More Serious Problems Compulsive Behaviors Medicating a Cat Who Doesn’t Want to Be Medicated

5. Tired of Those Out-of-Box Experiences?

Retraining to the Litter Box Reevaluate the Current Setup Back to the Box

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

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 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 Dog Panic Birds, Hamsters, and Other Small Pets When the New Baby Creates Kitty Crisis 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 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

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