Q: A friend of mine said I should have one litterbox for every cat in the house. Is this right?
A: One of the biggest issues we see at the shelter for people surrendering cats is litterbox issues – mostly that their cat doesn’t use the litterbox. Cats are incredibly picky, and if you think about it, rightly so. If we equate the litterbox for a cat with a bathroom for us, we can see how they can be a little fussy.
Not to be particularly vivid or gross, but if you walk into the bathroom and your roommate left a mess in the toilet, you’re probably not going to be too eager to avail yourself. Having one litterbox per cat will help cut down on one of your felines walking into someone else’s mess in the litterbox. It’s especially critical with multiple cat households.
Some experts even believe the rule should be one litterbox per cat plus one extra. So if you have six cats in your house, you should technically have seven litterboxes. It may seem excessive, especially to those who have multiple cats and have no litterbox issues, but if it could keep your cats from going outside the litterbox, it might be a good solution.
As I understand it, cats want to go to the bathroom where no other animal has, unlike a dog who will go to the bathroom in the same spot over and over again. Many times a picky cat just needs more options for the bathroom in order to become a well-behaved member of the family.
Q: I’ve been working on being the alpha with my dog, but I’m wondering, is it okay to let him on the bed or on the couch with me? We love to snuggle. What about when I’m on the couch and he stands up and looks me in the eye?
A: If you want to be the alpha, the answer to the bed and couch question is no. In order to understand this, we have to think from the dog’s perspective and the alpha-beta roles. The leader of the pack is always in front, sleeps and rests in the most comfortable spot in the house, goes through the door first and eats first.
This is tough for a lot of animal-lovers because we want to snuggle, but even lying on the floor and playing with your pup is not alpha behavior. We shouldn’t even hug our dogs because a dominant dog will see that as a challenge. Your dog should heel beside you on the leash and should leave the door after you, not before.
It’s even suggested that when you feed your dog, you eat a snack or something first and make it look like you got it from his bowl, because this will show you as the leader. And your dog should earn what you give him – tell him to sit for meals and treats.
As for looking you in the eye, any time your boy does that if you want to establish yourself as the alpha, you must make sure he looks away first. It can be difficult to truly establish yourself as the leader, but it is important to do so to ensure that your pup listens to you. Good luck.
Ask the Shelter is a weekly feature aimed at pet education. If you have a question, contact Jennifer Vanderau, publications and promotions consultant for the Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter, at cvascomm@cvas-pets.org or 263-5791.
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