Why Cats Do Weird Things: Pawing Around Water

We know why cats play with their water: they paw it and lick it from their paws, to try to make their water ripple and thus seem fresher. Cats love fresh water. But I’ve noticed Cole sometimes do something a bit stranger than that: he paws around his water bowl. He doesn’t actually dip his paws in, but he scratches at the floor around the water bowl. Why is he doing that? There isn’t a clear answer as to why; a lot of cat behavior is mysterious to us. But there are a few educated guesses out there. The first is … Continue reading →

Why Pets Do Weird Things: Licking

Why do our pets lick us? We think we know some of the reasons: affection, we have something tasty on our skin. But there are additional reasons why they might lick us. Let’s look at them. One of the first things a mother dog does for her puppies is to lick them: it helps stimulate their senses. Doing so means comfort for dogs, so when they lick you they might be trying to pass those feelings onto you. It’s basically social bonding. Licking can also symbolize submission. In the wild subordinate dogs lick their alphas, so if a dog is … Continue reading →

Diagnosing Litter Box Problems

They don’t always use the box right… I’ve been noticing a disturbing pattern with the litter box lately. One of the cats, I’m not sure which, has taken to peeing on the edges of the inside of the box, splattering its sides. When I did my monthly cleaning of the area yesterday I noticed additional pee on the litter mat in between the two boxes. Unfortunately there are several reasons why either of my cats might be doing this. The first reason might be because one of them has a urinary tract infection. It’s more common for cats with UTI’s … Continue reading →

Dogs and Guilt: A Case Study

I recently read a study, I don’t remember where now, that claimed to definitively prove that dogs don’t feel any guilt. Researchers left a variety of dogs alone in a room (one dog per room) with some treats. All the dogs were scolded when the humans came back, whether or not they actually got into the treats. Each dog reacted to the admonishment, no matter what it had done. In fact the innocent dogs, the ones that had left the treats alone, acted even more ashamed of the supposed crime than the guilty ones. The researchers concluded that dogs aren’t … Continue reading →

How Daylight Savings Affects Animals

If you’re eating early, why can’t I? This coming weekend is unpopular for many people across the country: spring daylight savings time. We’re about to lose an hour of sleep, though at least we have Sunday to recover (my condolences to anyone who does have to get up early for any reason). For most of us that lack of sleep just makes us grumpy during the day; unless we have our whole lives scheduled down to the exact hour or minute, it doesn’t have much impact. Our pets, however, might feel the daylight savings shift more strongly than us. Pay … Continue reading →

Cats Causing Countertop Carnage

While on the phone with my grandmother the other week she commented, “your critters sure are giving you a lot of trouble.” It’s true; first it was Chrestomanci, and now it’s Cole. While Chrestomanci wants to eat everyone else’s food in addition to his own, Cole won’t stop going up on the counter. I know he’s always been interested, and on occasion I would have to chase him off the counter or the tabletop, but recently he’s either started doing it a lot more or been more brazen about it. Now he’s even encouraged Chrestomanci to make the occasional countertop … Continue reading →

Canine Aggression Linked to Leash Walking

Dog aggression is both dangerous and frustrating. It can sometimes be hard to determine why a dog suddenly starts being aggressive, and what to do to curb that behavior. MSN Today has an intriguing story on a new report that suggests one possible cause behind dog-on-dog aggression: dog walking. At first I’m sure that assertion made as little sense to you as it did to me: in my experience dogs that never get exercise are much more likely to be aggressive, because all of that energy has to go somewhere. How can dog walking possibly be a cause for aggression? … Continue reading →

Preparing Your Pup for Back to School

For most of us, the last thing on our minds during the busy back to school season is the family dog. As it turns out, Fido might need you to prepare him or her for the change as well. Unless everyone was out of the home all day during the summer, just like during the school year, your dog’s gotten extra summertime company. Thus it might experience some separation anxiety when everyone goes back to their school year schedules. Pet site ZooToo has some tips for how to gage if your dog will have separation anxiety problems during the school … Continue reading →

Aggression in Multiple Dog Households

Here at the pets blog we’ve published many articles on dog aggression. It seems like one can never have too much advice on how to handle it; anyone who’s seen dogs fighting, and not in the playful way, knows how upsetting it can be. Today I’m going to focus on how to handle aggression between dogs in a multiple canine living situation. If you’ve already one dog and you want more, you need to be ready for the possibility of the rare or occasional spat between them. If at all possible, introduce the dogs before adopting your second, to make … Continue reading →

Introducing Pets to Newborns, Pt. 3

Today I conclude my examination of how to introduce a household’s pets to newborns. On Monday I looked at how expectant parents can prepare their pets for the infant’s arrival; today I’ll outline the steps you can take after the baby is born. When it’s about time to bring the baby home from the hospital, first take something with the newborn’s scent on it, like a burping cloth, back to the house. This is most effective for dogs but can also help cats with the adjustment. Pets will then find the baby’s scent familiar once the infant itself arrives. You … Continue reading →