By:  Wendy Mirrotto  

Disclaimer:  Most of the information below is just my opinion.  I have had cats all my life and have “studied” them in my own home for over 30 years.  My favorite pastime has always been observing my cats’ behavior.  I currently have four cats; all with different personalities.  I subscribe to veterinary newsletters and Cat Fancy magazine, and read them thoroughly.  I have purchased several books written by “cat behaviorists” to educate myself even further.  I don’t consider myself an “expert.” I learn something new about cats and their behavior all the time.  Just when you think you have them figured out…they’ll surprise you! 

 

I pray the information below helps the shelter maintain a stress-free environment for the cats.

 

1. Do not raise the volume of your voice when speaking to or near scared cats.  Any cat that is new to the shelter, especially the feral cats, are going to be further traumatized by loud noises, which includes our voices.  Cats are animals that respond to their environment.  If they feel the environment is hostile – they will be hostile, too.
   
    
2. A radio does NOT need to play when everyone leaves.  In fact, Amelia Kinkade, a professional animal communicator from North Hollywood, CA states in Cat Fancy magazine that since cats have cone-shaped ears, their ears are much more sensitive than ours and capture more sound.  A loud noise to us is a booming noise to them.
   
    
3. When working with new or feral cats, always approach the cage slowly and stand sideways.  Your presence is less than ½ than if you faced them head-on.  Thus, you will diminish your size and their stress.
   
    
4. Never make eye contact for longer than 3 seconds with a scared or feral cat.  To them, it is a sign of aggression and their natural instinct is to protect themselves from you.  Approach the cat a soft voice and slow movements (remember to stand sideways), and only glance at them occasionally.  If you make eye contact, slowly close your eyes and open slowly.  When cats who live together do this, it is very soothing to each other.
   
    
5. If a “cat whisperer” is working in the quarantine room, PLEASE do not enter unless absolutely necessary.  If you do need to enter, PLEASE don’t let the door slam.
   
    
6. It is my opinion that you should not throw a blanket over a cat when cleaning the cage.  If you are scared of the cat and nobody else is available to clean the cage, it would be better to leave the pan dirty than to traumatize the cat by throwing a blanket over the top of it.  In an emergency situation (e.g., you need to capture a loose cat), throwing a blanket on top of the cat would be a viable option.  You might argue that covering the eyes of most any animal makes it calmer.  I totally agree.  If you already had the cat in your arms and gently placed your hand over its eyes, or put a towel over its head, that would be acceptable (although my cats don’t even like that!).  However, throwing/tossing a blanket over its eyes is traumatic to the cat.  In the past, there were a few times that a traumatized cat needed to be moved to a different cage.  I gently placed a blanket over the cat that was sitting inside its litter box and was able to move it and its box to a new cage with little to no trauma.  There is an appropriate time to use the blanket, but I don’t think it should be done on a daily basis.
   
    
7. The best way to clean a cage for a stressed cat is to:
   1. Remove the food bowls
   2. Tip the litter pan up and towards the cat and gently slide it out (the cat will now feel very vulnerable and probably hiss or climb the wall of the cage).
   3. Give the cat a minute to calm down.  See #4 for how to behave.  Speak with a “coo” in your voice.
   4. When you feel the cat has relaxed a little, roll the bedding without lifting it up.  The cat will likely step off of it.  If not, take a gloved hand and slowly move it toward the cat – it will move away from you and step off the bedding.
   5. Spray the towel with the cleaning solution (do not spray inside the cage when the cat is in it), and wipe as much as you dare!  You should probably have on leather gloves.
   6. When replacing your items, have them all prepared so that you don’t keep opening/closing the cage door – they’re loud to us; imagine what the cat hears!
   7. Have the blanket folded in the right way so that it fits the cage before you open the door (take a good guess).  Put about ¼ of the blanket in and then slide it back.  If the cat doesn’t move, don’t worry.  Put the litter pan and food back in.  Come back in a few minutes and check to see if the cat climbed into the litter pan.  If it did, you can finish sliding the blanket to the back of the cage.  Use gloves.
      
       
8. Please do not pick up a full grown cat without supporting its hind legs.  You could pull its stomach muscles.  Also, by holding it that way, the organs are stressed.  Always place one hand under the hind legs for support.  If you don’t trust the cat, hold the cat with its face and feet pointing away from you, but still support it from underneath.
   
    
9. Never “punish” a shelter cat.  It’s not the time to “teach them a lesson.”  When they go to their new home, they will likely behave very differently anyway.  However, while they are with us, they should not be disciplined.  They are in a stressful environment that they may take several weeks (or longer) to adjust to.  Physical punishment will only make undesirable behavior worse – guaranteed.  This is true even with your pets at home.  Cats are not likely to respond well to physical discipline – it just makes them madder and less likely to want to spend time with you.