CatWise by Pam Johnson-Bennett

Author:Pam Johnson-Bennett
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2016-09-22T13:11:28+00:00

Question:

How can I help my cat, Benny, be more comfortable when I have guests over?

Pam’s Answer:

First, you’ll need to do some preliminary work with Benny. Get a fishing pole–type toy and conduct some interactive play sessions. Do these sessions in various parts of the home, but make sure you do a good number of them in the room where company would normally enter. The more play sessions you do, the more Benny may begin to have positive associations with all rooms in the home.

You’ll need a volunteer for the next part of the training. Ask a friend to visit. The purpose of this visit is to show your cat that a visitor to the home is not a threat in any way. Ask your friend to come in and sit down without making any eye contact with Benny. He also shouldn’t touch or interact with him in any way.

The Scaredy Cat. If your cat runs and hides, casually go to him and conduct a low-intensity play session. Don’t drag him out from under the bed or poke the toy in his direction. If he’s under the bed, just sit on the floor nearby and casually move the toy in an enticing way. The message you want to convey is that everything is fine and there’s no need to be afraid. Your cat may peek out to play, or he may stay hidden. It doesn’t matter. The message will reach him. If he does come out, play with him. If he peeks his head out from under the bed, that’s perfectly fine. If not, don’t worry, because he may make progress in future sessions. Any baby steps should be rewarded. After your brief visit with Benny, go back to your guest.

If your cat ventures out of the bedroom and makes an appearance in the room where your visitor is located, you’re making good progress. Have the interactive toy nearby and conduct a casual little play session. Keep the toy a good distance from the visitor, though, so your cat can stay within his comfort zone.

If you do this exercise a few times a week, Benny may begin to realize that visitors aren’t threatening. Just make sure guests don’t attempt to interact with him or directly make eye contact with him.

The Watch Cat. If Benny takes an aggressive approach with visitors, you can use the same technique. Make sure the visitor makes absolutely no attempt to interact. Conduct a low-intensity play session with the cat or offer treats when he’s in the room with the visitor. You can even feed him a meal while the visitor is there. Just be sure Benny is far enough away so he feels safe and secure.

“Go to Mat.” Target training can be beneficial here, and you can use it to train your cat to go to specific locations. I use a soft place mat as a mobile location that can be put anywhere in a room. Target training can help you create a place that the cat will associate with being calm.

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