WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.200 --> 00:00:03.279 Oh hey, it's the pumpkin on your porch that is 2 00:00:03.359 --> 00:00:07.000 happy to coexist with your twinkly holiday lights. Ali ward 3 00:00:07.360 --> 00:00:11.640 back with a perfect episode of smologies. Oh man, cat 4 00:00:11.679 --> 00:00:15.679 puns already started. Good luck with this, so smologies what 5 00:00:16.000 --> 00:00:19.640 is that? So we just launched these Smologies episodes that 6 00:00:19.719 --> 00:00:23.519 boil down some of our favorite ologies classics, condensing them 7 00:00:23.760 --> 00:00:26.480 to around twenty minutes, and of course we nerf some 8 00:00:26.600 --> 00:00:29.679 of the edges to make them g rated and classroom friendly, 9 00:00:29.879 --> 00:00:33.039 perfect for schools and car rides or walks with your 10 00:00:33.079 --> 00:00:37.200 grandpa or dog or cat. Apparently we don't judge here, 11 00:00:37.399 --> 00:00:39.240 but if you're looking for the full length and full 12 00:00:39.280 --> 00:00:42.359 strength with deeper info and more swear words, there's a 13 00:00:42.399 --> 00:00:45.240 link to the original Pilinology episode. It is not safe 14 00:00:45.280 --> 00:00:47.880 for kids, but it is linked in the show nuts below. Okay, 15 00:00:48.000 --> 00:00:52.079 but smologies, yes, this one is kid safe. Felinology here 16 00:00:52.159 --> 00:00:55.479 we go. It comes from the Latin for cat felis, 17 00:00:55.840 --> 00:00:58.560 and I started to go down this whole rabbit hole. 18 00:00:58.920 --> 00:01:04.719 I guess catacom really whether or not felicity like felis 19 00:01:04.760 --> 00:01:07.760 and happiness and feline if they shared an etymology? And 20 00:01:08.000 --> 00:01:12.159 guess what from what? I found they don't at all, 21 00:01:12.400 --> 00:01:14.519 but now you don't have to google it. So anyway, 22 00:01:14.599 --> 00:01:19.400 felis for cat different background than felix for happy. So 23 00:01:19.840 --> 00:01:23.200 today's ologist is a cat behavior expert who received her 24 00:01:23.200 --> 00:01:26.879 PhD and psychology with an emphasis in animal behavior and 25 00:01:26.959 --> 00:01:31.040 cognition from the University of California at Berkeley. Then after 26 00:01:31.120 --> 00:01:34.439 her post doc work in animal behavior at UC Davis, 27 00:01:34.599 --> 00:01:38.359 she went on to become a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist 28 00:01:38.680 --> 00:01:42.359 from the Animal Behavior Society and a Certified Cat Behavior 29 00:01:42.400 --> 00:01:46.599 Consultant from the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants and 30 00:01:46.959 --> 00:01:49.920 an affiliate member of the American Veterinary Society of Animal 31 00:01:49.920 --> 00:01:52.959 Behavior and if that's not enough, If that's not enough, 32 00:01:53.000 --> 00:01:57.159 cat cred. She's also the resident feline behavior expert for 33 00:01:57.280 --> 00:02:01.719 both the apps Rover and Smalls. She even wrote the 34 00:02:01.760 --> 00:02:06.120 book on cats. She co authored Total Cat Mojo, The 35 00:02:06.280 --> 00:02:09.039 Ultimate Guide to Live With Your Cat with your other 36 00:02:09.039 --> 00:02:12.680 favorite cat expert, Jackson Galaxy. So in this episode we 37 00:02:12.800 --> 00:02:16.319 cover a lot of ground including why cats love boxes, 38 00:02:16.800 --> 00:02:19.919 why they make biscuits, why they grace us with the 39 00:02:20.000 --> 00:02:24.919 hum of their happy purring, also proper litter hygiene, how 40 00:02:24.919 --> 00:02:28.240 to tell if your cat is felis or not so 41 00:02:28.360 --> 00:02:29.840 felis and bummed out? 42 00:02:30.080 --> 00:02:30.960 And how much. 43 00:02:30.840 --> 00:02:34.039 Eye contact you should make with your kiddie, also pray 44 00:02:34.120 --> 00:02:37.639 versus predator instincts and how to up your game when 45 00:02:37.680 --> 00:02:39.840 playing with your cats, and so much more. Oh and 46 00:02:39.879 --> 00:02:42.039 something else I learned during this episode. A group of 47 00:02:42.120 --> 00:02:45.439 cats can be referred to as a clouder or better yet, 48 00:02:45.840 --> 00:02:50.000 a glaring who knew fur real though I just assumed 49 00:02:50.000 --> 00:02:53.240 that they ran impacts either way, more information to win 50 00:02:53.319 --> 00:02:57.000 friends and influence people. So please give a pawesome welcome 51 00:02:57.439 --> 00:03:01.039 and listen up right now to cat. You're a specialist 52 00:03:01.360 --> 00:03:23.599 and philinologist doctor Michael delgadology. 53 00:03:17.280 --> 00:03:20.000 Sology. 54 00:03:23.000 --> 00:03:25.400 To start off our discussion, I wanted to know about 55 00:03:25.400 --> 00:03:29.240 the reputation of cats being solo creatures. Are they too 56 00:03:29.240 --> 00:03:32.000 cool for friends? Is this true for cats in the wild? 57 00:03:32.159 --> 00:03:33.080 Where does it come from? 58 00:03:33.400 --> 00:03:33.479 So? 59 00:03:33.599 --> 00:03:36.639 Are cats more of a lone wolf than wolves? So? 60 00:03:36.800 --> 00:03:40.639 I think cats kind of have this reputation for being solitary, 61 00:03:40.919 --> 00:03:44.840 And what they are is they're solitary hunters, so they 62 00:03:44.879 --> 00:03:47.639 don't need other animals to survive, right. They hunt very 63 00:03:47.639 --> 00:03:49.560 small prey that they can catch on their own, and 64 00:03:49.560 --> 00:03:52.840 they don't share it. Which is different from larger animals 65 00:03:52.840 --> 00:03:55.960 that hunt and capture large animals. And so I think 66 00:03:56.039 --> 00:03:59.199 because of that, cat's got this reputation for being asocial 67 00:03:59.240 --> 00:04:02.039 where they don't need anybody, and we know that their 68 00:04:02.039 --> 00:04:04.960 social lives are definitely more complicated than that. Cats will 69 00:04:05.000 --> 00:04:08.919 form what we call preferred associates where they have certain 70 00:04:08.960 --> 00:04:11.319 cats that they like to hang out with, and some 71 00:04:11.360 --> 00:04:15.400 signs of them being friends would be they groom each other, 72 00:04:16.199 --> 00:04:19.439 they sleep together, like touching, or what we call pillowing 73 00:04:19.439 --> 00:04:22.160 where they're actually using another cat as a pillow. You 74 00:04:22.240 --> 00:04:25.360 might see playful behavior, and in general, you know that 75 00:04:25.439 --> 00:04:27.839 you don't see a lot of science of antagonism, although 76 00:04:27.839 --> 00:04:29.879 I'd say, just like you know, we don't get along 77 00:04:29.920 --> 00:04:31.560 with our siblings one hundred percent of the time, you 78 00:04:31.639 --> 00:04:34.639 might see the occasional tip. So they have clicks they do, 79 00:04:34.759 --> 00:04:36.959 and you'll see if you have a group of cats 80 00:04:37.000 --> 00:04:39.079 that you you know, say, if you live with five cats, 81 00:04:39.120 --> 00:04:40.959 you might have two cats that get along with each 82 00:04:41.040 --> 00:04:42.879 other and not with anyone else, and the other three 83 00:04:42.920 --> 00:04:46.000 cats could be composed of, you know, one cat who 84 00:04:46.000 --> 00:04:48.639 doesn't get along with anybody and another pair who get along, 85 00:04:48.839 --> 00:04:51.279 or maybe there's one cat who gets along with everybody, 86 00:04:51.360 --> 00:04:53.519 But the rest of the cats don't really like each other, 87 00:04:53.560 --> 00:04:55.600 so it can be very complicated. What we do see 88 00:04:55.639 --> 00:04:57.959 is that cat groups are most successful when they have 89 00:04:58.079 --> 00:05:03.680 enough resources. So you'll see colonies that exist because there's 90 00:05:03.720 --> 00:05:06.879 either plenty of prey around or there's human supplied food, 91 00:05:06.920 --> 00:05:08.959 So there has to be enough to go around basically 92 00:05:08.959 --> 00:05:11.000 for them to tolerate each other and then have the 93 00:05:11.040 --> 00:05:14.199 opportunity to become friends. But yeah, if you don't have 94 00:05:14.560 --> 00:05:17.959 enough resources, either in your home or outside, or there's 95 00:05:17.959 --> 00:05:20.839 too much competition they have to do too much sharing 96 00:05:20.879 --> 00:05:24.639 of those resources, then they tend to either have antagonistic 97 00:05:24.639 --> 00:05:26.399 interactions or they'll just avoid each other. 98 00:05:26.800 --> 00:05:28.959 Well, that makes sense. We all have friends that we 99 00:05:29.040 --> 00:05:32.000 like to hang out with more than others, but are 100 00:05:32.040 --> 00:05:35.199 we friends with our cats? Do our cats love us 101 00:05:35.279 --> 00:05:37.279 as much as we love them or do they just 102 00:05:37.439 --> 00:05:41.040 like the shelter and the chopped up fish pudding that 103 00:05:41.120 --> 00:05:41.800 we provide. 104 00:05:41.839 --> 00:05:45.240 So we know that cats are really territorial and so 105 00:05:45.360 --> 00:05:48.279 what's more important to them than anything is the familiarity 106 00:05:48.319 --> 00:05:51.519 of where they live. So even before they'll form attachments 107 00:05:51.519 --> 00:05:53.639 with people, they need to feel comfortable in their space 108 00:05:54.120 --> 00:05:56.480 and it's almost like we're part of the territory, especially 109 00:05:56.519 --> 00:05:59.000 because most cats live inside and so this is where 110 00:05:59.040 --> 00:06:01.560 they live, right, and we're just part of their space. 111 00:06:02.519 --> 00:06:04.920 So it's not like we're separate from it. We're part 112 00:06:04.959 --> 00:06:07.639 of it. And that's what their primary attachment is as 113 00:06:07.680 --> 00:06:08.560 to their territory. 114 00:06:08.600 --> 00:06:11.319 And I do have a question about how they are 115 00:06:11.399 --> 00:06:13.560 able to land so well, did you ever have to 116 00:06:13.600 --> 00:06:15.279 study their landing capabilities? 117 00:06:15.399 --> 00:06:19.560 No, but you know they do. You have this amazing well, 118 00:06:19.600 --> 00:06:23.040 an amazingly flexible body. Basically they have no collarbone. 119 00:06:23.199 --> 00:06:27.000 Well they have collarbones or clavicles, but they aren't attached 120 00:06:27.040 --> 00:06:30.959 to other bones like other animals or ours. Okay, well, why. 121 00:06:30.839 --> 00:06:33.000 That allows them to like if their head can get through, 122 00:06:33.000 --> 00:06:35.000 if their faces through, like under a door, they can 123 00:06:35.079 --> 00:06:37.360 just squeeze right through, which is why you shouldn't leave 124 00:06:37.399 --> 00:06:39.759 your window open just an inch thinking your cat won't 125 00:06:39.759 --> 00:06:42.959 get out. Wow, So they have, you know, this amazing 126 00:06:43.560 --> 00:06:45.600 sense of balance. I mean, you know they have to 127 00:06:45.759 --> 00:06:48.519 catch trees, they have to be able to calculate distance 128 00:06:48.560 --> 00:06:50.800 when they hunt, and be able to pounce right where 129 00:06:50.800 --> 00:06:52.839 they think they are. They have that amazing tail that 130 00:06:52.959 --> 00:06:55.800 helps them right themselves. So a tail is a good 131 00:06:55.959 --> 00:06:58.800 way to orient your body like. It's kind of a 132 00:06:58.879 --> 00:07:03.120 control to allow you to write yourself. What's interesting is 133 00:07:03.160 --> 00:07:06.000 that there's something called high rise syndrome where cats who 134 00:07:06.040 --> 00:07:10.519 fall from a higher distance often experience fewer injuries than 135 00:07:10.519 --> 00:07:12.720 cats that fall from a shorter distance. 136 00:07:12.360 --> 00:07:17.360 So they have time in the air to go who yeah, okay, okay, 137 00:07:17.360 --> 00:07:18.199 this is what's happening. 138 00:07:18.240 --> 00:07:20.519 Yeah, probably not a lot of time, but enough. 139 00:07:21.439 --> 00:07:24.480 Yeah, and now you have a cat. Let's say someone 140 00:07:24.519 --> 00:07:26.560 has a cat, right, how do they know if their 141 00:07:26.560 --> 00:07:31.399 cat is happy, is sad, is bummed out? Needs something? 142 00:07:31.680 --> 00:07:34.560 What body language markers are so important to know if 143 00:07:34.600 --> 00:07:35.160 you have a cat. 144 00:07:35.360 --> 00:07:39.560 Yeah, so first of all, is your cat doing the basics? 145 00:07:40.079 --> 00:07:45.079 Are they eating, using the litter box? And are they, 146 00:07:45.240 --> 00:07:47.600 you know, using their space. So a cat who's spending 147 00:07:47.639 --> 00:07:50.879 all their time under your bed probably not happy. A 148 00:07:50.920 --> 00:07:54.839 cat who is freely walking through the space probably more relaxed. 149 00:07:55.000 --> 00:07:58.079 Specific body language we're interested in. So for cats, when 150 00:07:58.079 --> 00:08:00.360 they're feeling friendly, they'll do what we call the tail 151 00:08:00.399 --> 00:08:03.560 up gesture. So this is a friendly greeting and the 152 00:08:03.600 --> 00:08:06.319 tail is completely up. Maybe less like question mark, but 153 00:08:06.360 --> 00:08:08.439 that is something you'll see cats when they approach either 154 00:08:08.439 --> 00:08:11.519 a friendly human or a friendly other cat, they will 155 00:08:11.560 --> 00:08:15.079 be exhibiting that body language. You can also see when 156 00:08:15.160 --> 00:08:18.000 they're laying down, they should be either on their side 157 00:08:18.079 --> 00:08:21.399 sometimes like or pause tucked, which tells you they're not 158 00:08:21.920 --> 00:08:25.399 kind of gearing to run away. Cat who is feeling 159 00:08:25.480 --> 00:08:28.040 defensive or unsure is going to be kind of crouched 160 00:08:28.519 --> 00:08:31.480 in a tense position where they could easily just take 161 00:08:31.519 --> 00:08:33.840 off if they needed to, as opposed to I'm laying 162 00:08:33.879 --> 00:08:38.200 down and just kind of melting in the sun over here. Therefore, 163 00:08:38.360 --> 00:08:41.080 I'm not feeling any threat. And there are more subtle things, 164 00:08:41.159 --> 00:08:45.559 like you know, are the pupils relaxed and somewhat dilated? 165 00:08:45.600 --> 00:08:47.639 I mean, of course according to the lightning in the room, 166 00:08:48.159 --> 00:08:51.840 are the ears up? Ears up? Is more relaxed, can 167 00:08:51.879 --> 00:08:54.440 be alert as well, but you know, certainly flattened ears 168 00:08:54.440 --> 00:08:57.120 are a sign of a cat who's making themselves smaller. 169 00:08:57.480 --> 00:09:00.879 So yeah, you'll see things that cats when they're fearful, 170 00:09:01.240 --> 00:09:04.279 aside from hiding, would be like tucking their tail, putting 171 00:09:04.320 --> 00:09:07.000 their ears back, hunching, so they're trying to again make 172 00:09:07.000 --> 00:09:10.200 themselves seem smaller. A cat who is on the offensive 173 00:09:10.279 --> 00:09:12.080 might be trying to make themselves look bigger. So that's 174 00:09:12.159 --> 00:09:15.679 kind of the classic Halloween pose. They're kind of puffed up, 175 00:09:15.720 --> 00:09:18.480 and you'll see that more reserved for fighting with other animals, 176 00:09:18.519 --> 00:09:22.480 where they're trying to bluff like I'm big and scary. 177 00:09:22.600 --> 00:09:26.320 You shouldn't fight with me. Because for cats in a home, 178 00:09:26.399 --> 00:09:29.480 it's really more about, like I said, using the space 179 00:09:30.840 --> 00:09:33.919 doing their normal kitty things. I mean, purring's great. Eye 180 00:09:33.960 --> 00:09:37.120 blinking is a sign of relaxation and a sign of trust. 181 00:09:37.159 --> 00:09:39.679 So we know that staring is threatening to most animals, 182 00:09:39.679 --> 00:09:41.440 So you shouldn't stare at your cat. 183 00:09:41.639 --> 00:09:44.759 Oh really, don't make loving eye contact with your cat 184 00:09:44.759 --> 00:09:45.320 for too long. 185 00:09:45.960 --> 00:09:48.720 Eye contacts fine, but make it soft and blink your 186 00:09:48.720 --> 00:09:51.360 eyes a lot as opposed to hard stare. Like a 187 00:09:51.480 --> 00:09:54.240 hard stare is what is threatening for them, and you'll 188 00:09:54.240 --> 00:09:56.639 see cats that don't get along. We'll avoid direct eye 189 00:09:56.639 --> 00:10:01.360 contact or the one cat will be staring you down 190 00:10:01.639 --> 00:10:04.039 or staring the other cat down like I've got my 191 00:10:04.080 --> 00:10:04.679 eyes on you. 192 00:10:04.919 --> 00:10:06.240 Oh wow, I didn't know that. 193 00:10:06.480 --> 00:10:09.240 Yeah, so eye contact is very important. Cats may be 194 00:10:09.320 --> 00:10:12.639 fearful of particular people in the house, so like toddlers, 195 00:10:12.679 --> 00:10:15.240 can be difficult for cats, to cope with. But it 196 00:10:15.279 --> 00:10:17.600 really depends on the context and the cat's ability to 197 00:10:18.200 --> 00:10:21.320 escape and deal with the stressor in their environment. So 198 00:10:21.360 --> 00:10:23.960 a cat who has a cat tree or a shelving 199 00:10:24.639 --> 00:10:27.159 and can get up high away from a dog or 200 00:10:27.240 --> 00:10:29.120 a toddler is going to be able to cope with 201 00:10:29.120 --> 00:10:31.360 that situation much better than a cat who doesn't have 202 00:10:31.440 --> 00:10:33.000 those escape routes. 203 00:10:33.039 --> 00:10:35.159 So, if you're listening to this in a traffic jam 204 00:10:35.320 --> 00:10:38.159 in a parking lot doing some last minute holiday shopping, 205 00:10:38.399 --> 00:10:42.039 just know, cats, just like us, could get stressed out, 206 00:10:42.320 --> 00:10:45.840 and they also want to beam themselves somewhere pretty to 207 00:10:46.000 --> 00:10:48.559 chill out for a bit, Like a cat tree or 208 00:10:48.600 --> 00:10:52.320 a shelf is their version of Tahiti or a spa day. Now, 209 00:10:52.399 --> 00:10:55.000 let's say you want to get close to a kiddy. 210 00:10:55.279 --> 00:10:58.519 Doctor Delgado has some advice. What do you do when 211 00:10:58.559 --> 00:11:00.399 you walk into someone's house house cat? How can you 212 00:11:00.440 --> 00:11:02.799 make the cat dig you? It's better to get low, 213 00:11:03.320 --> 00:11:04.559 not look at it. What should you do? 214 00:11:05.080 --> 00:11:07.759 You should ghost them? Really? 215 00:11:08.600 --> 00:11:09.679 You should just ignore them a. 216 00:11:09.639 --> 00:11:12.879 Little should ignore them a little bit? Really? Yeah? 217 00:11:12.919 --> 00:11:14.799 Wow? So the opposite of a dog, because a dog 218 00:11:14.799 --> 00:11:16.799 would be crushed if you walked in and you're like, 219 00:11:16.879 --> 00:11:18.759 what dog? Yeah, I don't see a dog. 220 00:11:19.200 --> 00:11:23.559 For cats? Yeah you. So research has shown that they 221 00:11:23.600 --> 00:11:27.600 prefer interactions with humans where they control the interaction, so 222 00:11:27.639 --> 00:11:30.960 they actually when they initiate, and not the human. So 223 00:11:31.639 --> 00:11:34.200 if a person approaches a cat and pets them versus 224 00:11:34.279 --> 00:11:36.879 sitting back and letting the cat come to you. The 225 00:11:37.440 --> 00:11:40.039 cats who come to you, you're going to have a 226 00:11:40.120 --> 00:11:43.559 longer interaction. It's going to be more positive. Oh my god. Yeah, 227 00:11:43.600 --> 00:11:46.360 which is pretty funny. So what I would recommend if 228 00:11:46.399 --> 00:11:48.840 you do want to greet a cat is get down 229 00:11:48.879 --> 00:11:51.799 on the level, offer a finger or your hand to them, 230 00:11:51.879 --> 00:11:54.240 let them sniff it, and then let them decide if 231 00:11:54.279 --> 00:11:56.440 they want to rub against your hand or you know, 232 00:11:56.600 --> 00:11:59.440 come closer, or if they're going to just you know, okay, 233 00:11:59.639 --> 00:12:00.840 like keep your distance. 234 00:12:00.960 --> 00:12:04.480 Wow, okay. So being friends with a cat means letting 235 00:12:04.519 --> 00:12:07.200 them take the wheel. It's all on their terms, which 236 00:12:07.200 --> 00:12:10.399 is fine because they have sharper teeth in us. That's okay. 237 00:12:10.559 --> 00:12:12.679 But let's say that we have a cat and we're 238 00:12:12.720 --> 00:12:15.679 bonded and we love them and we want to give 239 00:12:15.759 --> 00:12:19.919 them their dream home. Michael has some decor tips that 240 00:12:20.000 --> 00:12:24.360 will have your feline feline fine when you're thinking about 241 00:12:24.600 --> 00:12:29.000 making your environment more comfortable to them, I what kind 242 00:12:29.039 --> 00:12:29.919 of tips do you have? 243 00:12:30.159 --> 00:12:32.240 You know, the first thing is embrace that your house 244 00:12:32.320 --> 00:12:33.799 is going to look like you live with a cat. 245 00:12:36.600 --> 00:12:39.399 You know, it really drives me crazy when people say, well, 246 00:12:39.440 --> 00:12:40.639 I don't want my house to look like I live 247 00:12:40.639 --> 00:12:43.279 with a cat. Well, why do you have forecats? Like, 248 00:12:43.399 --> 00:12:47.279 I'm sorry, but you need to have a litter box, 249 00:12:47.879 --> 00:12:51.440 the successible and not in the garage, you know, with 250 00:12:51.480 --> 00:12:54.679 some like ten mile trail and walking through a billion 251 00:12:54.720 --> 00:12:57.679 cat flaps to get to Yeah, and you need vertical space. 252 00:12:58.240 --> 00:13:01.120 You need to create space for your cat. And a 253 00:13:01.159 --> 00:13:02.759 lot of people like, oh, he just sits on the 254 00:13:02.799 --> 00:13:04.799 couch with me. What if he doesn't want to share 255 00:13:04.799 --> 00:13:07.120 the couch with you. He wants his own space, and 256 00:13:07.200 --> 00:13:09.039 so you're not going to sit on his cat tree, 257 00:13:10.159 --> 00:13:13.000 So give him a cat tree. And so, you know, 258 00:13:13.039 --> 00:13:17.200 I think it's it's definitely critical for a few reasons. 259 00:13:17.240 --> 00:13:20.480 You know. One is that we're increasingly living in urban 260 00:13:20.519 --> 00:13:23.639 spaces that are small, and we want to have multiple cats, 261 00:13:24.159 --> 00:13:26.000 and we're trying to get them to share smaller and 262 00:13:26.039 --> 00:13:28.600 smaller spaces. So going vertical is a great way to 263 00:13:28.639 --> 00:13:30.519 add to your square footage as far as the cats 264 00:13:30.559 --> 00:13:33.360 are concerned. You can have two cats literally on top 265 00:13:33.440 --> 00:13:35.519 of each other on a cat tree. They're sharing the 266 00:13:35.519 --> 00:13:38.919 same square footage, but they're not like bothering each other. 267 00:13:39.279 --> 00:13:42.000 So I think, you know, making it useful as well, 268 00:13:42.000 --> 00:13:44.440 like don't stick the cat tree in the back corner 269 00:13:44.600 --> 00:13:46.879 where they can't look at anything, like put it by 270 00:13:46.879 --> 00:13:48.679 a window where they can watch birds. Put it in 271 00:13:48.720 --> 00:13:51.240 a sunny spot, like, make it something that's appealing to them. 272 00:13:51.639 --> 00:13:53.919 The other thing that I definitely recommend for making your 273 00:13:53.960 --> 00:13:58.159 cats comfortable is a heated cat bed. Oh. So cats 274 00:13:58.159 --> 00:14:02.000 have a thermonutral zone that's higher than ours WOL and 275 00:14:02.159 --> 00:14:05.960 a thermoneutral zone is basically the temperatures at which you're 276 00:14:05.960 --> 00:14:09.000 not working to either warm up or cool off. So 277 00:14:09.159 --> 00:14:12.519 we're not sweating, we're not shivering, we're just relaxed. And 278 00:14:12.559 --> 00:14:15.799 for humans, you know, because we wear clothes, our thermoneutral 279 00:14:15.879 --> 00:14:18.440 zone is pretty low. It's you know, high sixties, low 280 00:14:18.440 --> 00:14:21.080 seventies is where we're comfortable. Cats it's like starting in 281 00:14:21.120 --> 00:14:21.799 the mid eighties. 282 00:14:22.120 --> 00:14:26.159 So this is why cats are such heat bongers. Cats 283 00:14:26.240 --> 00:14:29.480 prefer warmth, and if you want to get them to 284 00:14:29.519 --> 00:14:31.879 stop trying to sit on your laptop as you finish 285 00:14:31.879 --> 00:14:34.320 your homework. Ask if you can get your kitty a 286 00:14:34.320 --> 00:14:38.840 heating pad. They will be on Cloud nine lives. Okay, 287 00:14:38.960 --> 00:14:41.919 so what about you, though, I asked her advice for 288 00:14:42.039 --> 00:14:46.679 dealing with feline fragrances aka the smell of the litter box. 289 00:14:47.559 --> 00:14:51.080 How do you cultivate the best litter box scenario and 290 00:14:51.279 --> 00:14:53.759 also have your house not smell like a litter box. 291 00:14:53.840 --> 00:14:55.399 Your house does not smell like a litter box. 292 00:14:55.480 --> 00:14:58.480 I appreciate that I clean the box daily. And just 293 00:14:58.480 --> 00:15:00.200 for the record, there's a litter box around the corn. 294 00:15:00.440 --> 00:15:02.039 Oh see, so you can smell it. 295 00:15:02.360 --> 00:15:04.240 I have a litter box in my living room. I 296 00:15:04.240 --> 00:15:07.440 practice what I preach. I have three litter boxes in 297 00:15:07.480 --> 00:15:11.600 my relatively small house for my one cat. So you know, 298 00:15:11.639 --> 00:15:14.960 there's kind of some basic rules for litter boxes, like 299 00:15:15.039 --> 00:15:16.440 have at least one box per cat. 300 00:15:17.240 --> 00:15:19.600 You get a letter box, you get a litter box, 301 00:15:19.799 --> 00:15:20.919 you get a letter box. 302 00:15:21.919 --> 00:15:25.720 More is even better. So if you have two cats, 303 00:15:25.919 --> 00:15:29.519 three boxes would be ideal. Keep them clean and so 304 00:15:29.759 --> 00:15:33.039 one of the reasons I don't recommend covered litter boxes is, 305 00:15:33.840 --> 00:15:36.600 I mean, it's up for debate whether or not cats 306 00:15:36.919 --> 00:15:38.840 don't like the cover or not. I mean, the cover 307 00:15:38.919 --> 00:15:41.120 definitely limits their ability to move around and find a 308 00:15:41.159 --> 00:15:44.879 clean corner and feel comfortable. But it also means that 309 00:15:44.919 --> 00:15:47.200 the owner is not cleaning the box as often. And 310 00:15:47.200 --> 00:15:50.200 there's actually research that showed that cats with litterbox problems 311 00:15:50.200 --> 00:15:52.720 with covered boxes the owners were cleaning the box around 312 00:15:52.720 --> 00:15:53.559 every five days. 313 00:15:53.960 --> 00:15:57.360 Yikes. So the scoop is scoop. It make it part 314 00:15:57.399 --> 00:16:01.039 of your daily routine, like getting the mail or doing 315 00:16:01.039 --> 00:16:03.799 the dishes if you and your cat want to be happy. 316 00:16:03.960 --> 00:16:07.720 That is the poopy truth. So what is not true? Though? 317 00:16:07.879 --> 00:16:10.120 What do you think the biggest myth about cats is? 318 00:16:10.159 --> 00:16:12.120 What's the biggest whim flam you'd debunk? 319 00:16:12.600 --> 00:16:14.600 Let's see, Well, I think you know. One of the 320 00:16:15.200 --> 00:16:17.919 things I always encourage people to recognize is that cats 321 00:16:17.919 --> 00:16:20.039 are not small humans and they're not small dogs. And 322 00:16:20.080 --> 00:16:22.039 I also think probably the biggest myth is that cats 323 00:16:22.039 --> 00:16:25.679 can't be trained. So a lot of people don't realize 324 00:16:25.759 --> 00:16:29.279 that you can change their behavior. One of the more 325 00:16:29.320 --> 00:16:32.399 common reasons that we get called to help people is 326 00:16:32.519 --> 00:16:34.399 that their cat is, for example, waking them up at 327 00:16:34.440 --> 00:16:36.960 three in the morning for food or to be let out. 328 00:16:37.120 --> 00:16:40.600 It's actually a relatively easy behavior to fix compared to 329 00:16:40.840 --> 00:16:44.039 things like cats fighting. And some of it is training 330 00:16:44.440 --> 00:16:47.320 and training your cat when to expect attention, when to 331 00:16:47.360 --> 00:16:51.399 expect food, and a lot of people inadvertently train their 332 00:16:51.399 --> 00:16:55.080 cats to wake them up. So's it's actually that they're 333 00:16:55.120 --> 00:16:59.159 reinforcing the behavior, because typically when a cat is walking 334 00:16:59.200 --> 00:17:01.000 on someone's head at four in the morning or mewing 335 00:17:01.039 --> 00:17:04.039 for food, the person gets up and puts food down, 336 00:17:04.079 --> 00:17:06.799 and so in the short term that's the quickest way 337 00:17:07.119 --> 00:17:09.480 to fix the problem, but in the long term that's 338 00:17:09.519 --> 00:17:12.720 actually training the cat that well, if you just persist 339 00:17:12.799 --> 00:17:14.759 long enough, your human will get up and give you 340 00:17:14.799 --> 00:17:19.599 what you want, whether it's food or petting, attention. Same 341 00:17:19.599 --> 00:17:21.880 thing with cats that like get up on counters. Typically 342 00:17:21.880 --> 00:17:24.119 people like go and chase the cat down, or pick 343 00:17:24.160 --> 00:17:25.799 them up and put them on the floor. A cat 344 00:17:25.839 --> 00:17:27.559 jumps right back up, person picks them up, puts them 345 00:17:27.559 --> 00:17:29.000 on the floor again. Well, guess who's having the time 346 00:17:29.039 --> 00:17:31.960 of his life? The cat? He loves it. It's a game. 347 00:17:32.160 --> 00:17:33.960 Oh, is that why they knock things off shelves? 348 00:17:34.599 --> 00:17:37.359 Yeah, I mean, you know, a good clue is whether 349 00:17:37.440 --> 00:17:39.279 or not it happens when you're home or not. So 350 00:17:39.400 --> 00:17:41.519 if you're at work and your cat does not knock 351 00:17:41.559 --> 00:17:44.559 things off your shelves, they only do it when you're home. 352 00:17:44.680 --> 00:17:45.759 They're doing it for attention. 353 00:17:46.039 --> 00:17:49.960 Oh, never forget your cat is a furry little poulter 354 00:17:50.039 --> 00:17:53.839 geist who loves you and wants your attention. Now, speaking 355 00:17:53.880 --> 00:17:57.680 of attention, remember I mentioned that Michael has written papers 356 00:17:57.759 --> 00:18:00.799 on what kind of playtime is the best for cats? 357 00:18:01.000 --> 00:18:02.000 So what is it? 358 00:18:02.039 --> 00:18:02.079 Is? 359 00:18:02.119 --> 00:18:05.279 Its doku? Is it having them jog behind you outside 360 00:18:05.519 --> 00:18:08.799 chasing a feather OneD attached to your fanny pack? Probably 361 00:18:08.839 --> 00:18:09.559 not so for. 362 00:18:09.599 --> 00:18:13.680 Cats, A lot of play should be really more about 363 00:18:13.720 --> 00:18:17.039 the calculating their their final pounds and not just like 364 00:18:17.160 --> 00:18:20.640 running around chasing the feather wand but stalking it and 365 00:18:20.759 --> 00:18:23.640 watching it while you move it very slowly. Maybe you're 366 00:18:23.640 --> 00:18:27.480 acting like a wounded bird or like you know, hiding 367 00:18:27.559 --> 00:18:31.160 behind a piece of furniture and shaking like you're terrified, 368 00:18:31.359 --> 00:18:34.359 and then whooh, you swoop out, and that's your cat's 369 00:18:34.480 --> 00:18:36.160 moment to pounce and kill. 370 00:18:36.599 --> 00:18:40.640 And so that is what stimulates their brains and their muscles. 371 00:18:40.799 --> 00:18:43.480 Yeah, and their body is really tuned into hunting, so 372 00:18:43.519 --> 00:18:47.319 their eyes are you know, designed for hunting in for example, 373 00:18:47.400 --> 00:18:51.119 lower light conditions and to detect horizontal movement that's about 374 00:18:51.119 --> 00:18:53.319 three meters away from them, so up close their vision 375 00:18:53.359 --> 00:18:55.160 is really terrible. So when you're holding your cat and 376 00:18:55.200 --> 00:18:58.000 like all levy eyes with them, you are just a blur. Oh, 377 00:18:58.759 --> 00:19:00.720 but they can probably smell you very well, and so 378 00:19:01.759 --> 00:19:06.039 that's probably what they're most in tune with when they're 379 00:19:06.039 --> 00:19:09.440 that close to you. And are they nocturnal? No? No, okay, 380 00:19:09.480 --> 00:19:13.599 they're crepuscular. Crepuscular. Oh, so they're active at down and dusk, 381 00:19:13.640 --> 00:19:16.799 which is when their prey is most active. Now, cats 382 00:19:16.839 --> 00:19:20.200 that are not given enough to do during the day, 383 00:19:20.400 --> 00:19:23.160 I would say are going to be what people would 384 00:19:23.200 --> 00:19:26.559 consider nocturnal because you haven't really taken advantage of their 385 00:19:26.640 --> 00:19:29.839 natural activity cycle. And so this gets back to that 386 00:19:29.880 --> 00:19:32.119 idea your cat's keeping you up all night, it's because 387 00:19:32.119 --> 00:19:35.400 they're sleeping all day. And so a great time to 388 00:19:35.559 --> 00:19:37.480 engage your cat and play would be at down and 389 00:19:37.599 --> 00:19:39.599 dusk because that's kind of their natural rhythm to be 390 00:19:39.640 --> 00:19:41.839 active and certainly throughout the day. It's good to keep 391 00:19:41.920 --> 00:19:46.440 them moving, stimulated, not just snoozing all day, and then 392 00:19:46.480 --> 00:19:48.640 play with them at nighttime before you go to bed, 393 00:19:49.079 --> 00:19:51.480 maybe give them a snack before bedtime and that will 394 00:19:51.480 --> 00:19:53.160 help them sleep more soundly through the night. 395 00:19:53.440 --> 00:19:57.039 Onto our Lightning round and your Patreon questions. But first, 396 00:19:57.079 --> 00:19:59.599 every week we donate to a cause of theologists choosing, 397 00:20:00.000 --> 00:20:02.680 and this week it's to the Kitten Connection of Plaster County. 398 00:20:02.960 --> 00:20:05.440 You can learn more about how they save baby kitties 399 00:20:05.519 --> 00:20:08.960 lives at Kitten Central off plaster County dot org and 400 00:20:09.000 --> 00:20:10.680 we will link that in the show notes. Thank you 401 00:20:10.720 --> 00:20:15.039