Category: Behavior

You can stop your cat from running outside by keeping a jar of treats by the door to distract him when you open the door, but this won’t work with every cat. Finding the answer that works for your pet may take some trial and error, but distracting your cat just before you open the door is usually effective. If this doesn’t work, you may have to keep your cat contained in a part of the house where he doesn’t have access to the door while you’re coming or going.

Toys, Treats, and Tricks 

Indoor cats face a number of dangers when they spend time outside. In order to keep your cat safe, it’s important to keep him from running outside. Use these tips to see if you can curb your cat’s desire to dart out of the house:

• Use a Different Door: If your cat sits patiently by the front door waiting for his chance to bolt, trick him by using a different door.
• Toss a Treat: Keep a jar of treats or a few of his favorite toys by the entry. Before you open the door, toss him a treat to distract him.
• Spay or Neuter Your Cat: There are many reasons you should spay or neuter your pet, but one is that it will make him less likely to want to roam.
• Give Him (Safe) Outdoor Opportunities: Build an outdoor cat enclosure or leash train your cat and take him on regular walks if you have a secure outdoor area where you won’t encounter any dogs or wildlife. This way your pet will be able to enjoy the outdoors in a safe manner.
• Banish Boredom: Make sure you provide lots of toys, climbing opportunities, and playtime for your cat. A bored cat is more likely to want to run out the door.
• Contain your kitty when guests are over: House guests, no matter how well-meaning, are not likely to be as careful as you are when it comes to preventing your cat from running out the door. For that reason, it’s a good idea to keep your cat contained when you have company. 

There are many tips to keep your dog from escaping the yard including reinforcing the fence and not leaving the dog unsupervised for long periods. When your dog escapes the yard, it puts him in danger, and could put you in legal jeopardy for not keeping your pet under control. To prevent both possibilities, it’s important to do whatever it takes to keep your dog from escaping.

Why Dogs Escape And How To Prevent It 

Your dogs may try to escape for the following reasons:

• They are left alone in the yard for long periods of time.
• They are bored and have no playmates or toys.
• They have abundant energy and doesn’t have the opportunity to use it.
• They are visiting a neighbor’s dog or have found something fun to do outside the yard. 

Knowing the reasons dogs escape can help you work on ways to prevent it. Some things to try include:

• Ensure your dog gets plenty of exercise every single day.
• Spend time playing with your dog daily.
• Complete obedience school with your dog and spend time working on behaviors each day.
• Provide puzzle toys that require your dog to work for a treat.
• Consider a doggy day care or hiring a dog walker instead of leaving him alone in the yard for extended periods.
• Spay or neuter your pet to reduce their temptation to roam. 

Those are ways to make your dog less likely to want to escape, but it’s just as important to make it more difficult for him to escape by:

• Shoring up any weak spots in your fence.
• Burying wire or rocks along the fence line.

Note: Tethering your dog all day is NOT an acceptable way to stop escaping—and in some locations, tethering for more than a few hours a day is illegal.

Bring Your Dog Inside 

If your dog spends most of his time outside, make him an inside dog instead. If you worry about him making a mess, you could properly crate train him for the time you’re not home and then let him hang out with the family once you get home. 

Keep in mind that your dog isn’t “being bad” when he escapes. He may just be trying to escape boredom or loneliness—both of which you can help alleviate. 

The most common reason your formerly housebroken dog may start peeing in the house is due to a medical condition such as diabetes, kidney disease, or bladder issues. You should also consider if there has been a change in the dog’s routine, such as being left alone at different times of day or for longer periods of time. It’s also possible that your dog may need a housetraining refresher course.

It’s Frustrating, But Don’t Punish Your Dog For Peeing In The House 

You know what’s worse than having to clean up dog urine in your house? Smelling urine and being unable to find it. That’s what you may be faced with if you punish your dog urinating in the house, because next time he’ll try to hide it.

Instead, you need to determine the cause or, in some cases, start again with potty training.

Medical Conditions

If your housebroken dog starts peeing in the house, there is a good chance it’s due to a medical condition. That’s why any sudden changes to your dog’s bathroom habits should be reported to the vet as soon as possible. The good news is that once the problem has been addressed, the dog will usually return to his proper bathroom habits.

An exception to that would be if the problem has caused long-term incontinence. In that case, you’ll need to consider installing a doggy door or having your pet wear diapers while in the house. 

Changes In Routine

If your dog is left alone more than usual or at different times (i.e. you changed shifts or started working overtime), it can be difficult for his body to adjust to the new routine. One possible solution is hiring a dog walker or having a neighbor come over to let him out. 

Aging

As is the case with humans, some dogs start to lose control of their bladder as they get older. If this is determined to be the problem, more frequent trips outside is often the simplest solution. If that isn’t enough, consider restricting the pet’s access indoors to rooms that you can easily clean up, or some dogs do not mind wearing a dog belly bands or diapers.  

When a dog suddenly starts peeing in the house, don’t ignore it. Even if you suspect it’s due to aging, it’s best to visit your vet just to be on the safe side. 

A combination of denying access, proper training, and decreasing your dog’s desire to leave are how to keep your dog from running away. There’s lots of fun stuff to see and do outside of your yard, so you need to make being home as fun as possible. Of course, you also need to make escape impossible in order to keep your dog safe and to protect yourself from any legal consequences.

Training 

Proper training is a must. If your dog obeys even the most basic commands, you’ll be able to stop him from running away—even if the stimulus is hugely tempting. Of course, this only works when you’re with your dog, so you also need to consider how to stop your dog from running away when you’re not there.

Preventing Escape 

Search your fences and gates for weak spots and shore them up. If your dog digs, you’ll also want to bury chicken wire or rocks to stop him from getting out from under the fence.

Make Home More Appealing

The reasons your dog runs away could be boredom, loneliness, or lack of exercise—and those are all things you can easily fix. Take your dogs on two or three good walks a day, spend more time playing and interacting with him, consider a dog playmate, and provide lots of interactive toys.

If your dog spends most of him time outside, consider bringing him inside. You could work on crate training for the times that you’re away. Another option is doggy day care rather than leaving him outside alone all day.

Finally, if your dog is not spayed or neutered, doing so will reduce his or her urge to roam.

If all your attempts fail, talk to an animal behaviorist who can help you develop a plan to keep your dog safe and prevent him from running. 

You can stop your indoor cat from escaping by distracting him before you leave or by adding barriers that make it hard for him to dash. It is also good to get yourself in the habit of always knowing where your cat is before you open a door so he can’t surprise you and dart out. Taking these steps will help your cat stay safely indoors without escaping.

Create A Barrier 

There are many different ways to create a barrier that will disable your cat from escaping. The right solution for you depends on your home. Here are some things you could try:

• Blocking the front door entrance: If there is a door you can close to keep your cat away from the door you will be exiting, this is an easy solution. Some homes simply do not have this option.
• Create a barricade: Choose something that your cat can not easily jump over or slip through. You can do this with 36″ or higher folding metal/wire dog exercise pens or extra-tall baby gates or playpens, like the walk through kind designed for stairs.
• Create a “kitty lock” door: If you’re lucky, your home may already have a hallway or entrance with doors you can keep closed, but you can also build one. If you have a front porch, you could build a second door around that. You could also install a secondary interior door. This may be a more expensive option, but it works 100% of the time as long as one door is closed before opening another. 

Allow For Safe Outdoor Time 

• A small investment in an outdoor enclosure gives your cat a safe space where he can enjoy fresh air and sunlight. Enclosures are available in many sizes and configurations, so it’s easy to find one that is perfect for your pet. Check out this article from one of our staff members who built her foster cats a “catio”!
• If you can’t take your cat outside, giving them a wall-mounted shelf by a window can be similarly effective. If you go this route, just make sure that you have secure screens – if you can push on a screen and pop it out, so can your cat. 

Distract and Dash 

• Try keeping treats by the door for when you are about to leave. Get your cat’s attention and throw the treats as far away from the door as possible. Then, slip out the door as quickly as possible.
• If your cat tries to escape when you are entering the house, you can also leave treats right outside of your door to give your cat as you are coming in. 

Keeping your cat safe is the first priority, which is why all cats should be microchipped and registered with up-to-date information. That way, should your cat escape, he’ll have the best chance of being reunited with you.  

Dogs rip up toilet paper because the feeling of holding something down and ripping it apart reminds them of attacking prey in the wild. Another probable reason dogs rip up toilet paper is because they think it’s fun. Either way, this destructive behavior not only costs you money, but it can be dangerous for your pet, so pet owners need to find a way to stop it.

Why Chewing Toilet Paper Is Dangerous

You might not think swallowing a little toilet paper would hurt your dog—and you’d be right. A little won’t hurt them, but larger amounts can cause serious intestinal blockages that require surgery and other treatment. Such blockages can be life threatening. 

Tips For Stopping The Behavior 

If your dog rips up toilet paper, you can solve the problem by preventing his access to toilet paper. Keeping the bathroom door shut is the simplest way to do that.

Aside from prevention, you also want to make sure that your dog follows basic commands like “leave it.” This is important not just to save your toilet paper, but to prevent all sorts of troubles for your pet. If he doesn’t obey those basic commands, attending an obedience training class would be a worthy investment.

Dogs Just Want To Have Fun 

If you Google “dogs destroying toilet paper,” you’ll find a treasure trove of funny videos of dogs ripping toilet paper to shreds as well as videos of pets being dog shamed for their actions. In the videos, it looks like the dogs are having a great time—at least until they get caught.

To minimize their trauma at not being allowed to rip your toilet paper apart, be sure to provide lots of toys in different shapes and sizes that your dogs can chew to their hearts’ content. To keep it interesting, add new toys into the mix on a regular basis. 

The best way to eliminate cat chewing is to ensure your pet isn’t bored and has no underlying medical condition, such as an issue with his gums. If it’s a kitten doing the chewing, you’ll be glad to know that most will grow out of their desire to chew by the time they reach maturity. Adult cats often chew out of boredom, so you may be able to curb the behavior by finding ways to engage your pet and keep him stimulated.

But I Really Liked That Sweater 

Did your cat chew something you really loved? You’re not the first pet owner to make such an (unwilling) sacrifice. Until you can figure out how to stop your cat from chewing, you’ll need to work on redirecting the chewing to appropriate items, such as toys or treats, in order to protect your stuff—and your pet.

Be aware of what your cat is chewing to ensure he doesn’t ingest anything harmful or suffer an electrical injury by chewing wires. This may include keeping dangerous items out of reach and protecting cords with rubber covers.

Changing the Behavior 

After ruling out a medical reason for the chewing, here are a few things you can try to get your cat to stop the behavior:

• More Interaction: Try spending more time with your cat doing activities like grooming him and playing together.
• New Toys: Alleviate boredom by providing interactive toys that make your cat work for a treat or to solve a puzzle.
• Calming Products: Chewing can be born from stress, so consider calming products like collars and diffusers.
• Professional Help: If the chewing is excessive, enlist the help of an animal behaviorist who can help to identify the underlying cause and work to stop the chewing. 

Cat chewing can be frustrating but with some work—and a little patience—the behavior can be minimized. In the meantime, keep your prized possessions out of reach. 

You can give your cat a variety of things to help with stress including catnip, calming collars, or pheromones, but you should talk to your vet before trying any of these. While you might think of your cat as pretty laid back, the truth is that it doesn’t take much for a cat to get stressed out. A change in schedules, the addition of a new pet, and any other upsets to the status quo can cause stress to your pet. Fortunately, there are effective ways to relieve stress in cats, and some don’t require medication.

Signs of a Stressed Out Cat 

There are several signs that your cat may be experiencing stress. These include:

• Aggression
• Urinating outside of the litter box
• Hiding (more than usual)
• Hair loss
• Loss of appetite (see last section) 

If you notice these signs or other unusual behavior, stress could be the cause. It’s always a good idea to rule out a medical cause, so make an appointment with your vet. You can also use that appointment to ask about giving your cat various over-the-counter medications to treat the stress. 

So What Will Help? 

There are many natural supplements for calming your cat that many pet owners have seen a lot of success with. These include:

• Catnip – Catnip has a euphoric effect on cats that tends to ease their stress.
• Pheromones – A product like Feliway will diffuse a calming solution into the air that mimics a cat’s feline facial pheromones. These pheromones help calm your cat and send a signal that the location is safe.
• Calming Collars – These collars contain pheromones and sometimes other soothing scents to help relax your kitty. 

Remember that you should always check with your vet before trying any of these natural remedies with your cat.

There are also other things you can do to help your stressed out cat that don’t require you to give your cat anything.

• Get A ThunderShirt – Yes, these shirts can be used for cats too!
• Interact More With Your Cat – If your cat enjoys human interaction, stress can come from boredom or loneliness, so spending more time playing, grooming, and cuddling your cat may help to reduce his stress.
• Upgrade His Space – Adding more scratching posts, a kitty condo, or a window seat can make your home more inviting for your cat, reducing stress. 

It Can Become Serious Quickly 

Stress in cats can be very serious. In the case of a serious trauma, such as the death of a companion or an injury, some cats become so stressed out that they stop eating. This should not be ignored. Unlike dogs and humans who can go several days without eating, cats’ bodies are not equipped to do so. After just a few days of fasting, liver problems can begin and the results, if not treated, can be fatal.

If your cat stops eating, make an appointment with your vet right away. Early intervention is a must in order to avoid potentially serious effects.

From mild anxiety to life-threatening stress, by talking to a professional, you’ll be able to find a solution that will help your cat to be happy and healthy. 

Excessive barking is barking that interferes with the peace or comfort of a person. That may seem vague, but the truth is the amount of barking that will prompt action varies by location, so there is no hard and fast rule about how much or how loud barking must be to be considered excessive. If you’ve noticed your dog barking a lot or if neighbors have complained, it’s time to take action to try to stop the excessive barking.

Curbing Excessive Dog Barking 

Dogs bark, so it’s not reasonable to expect them to stop barking entirely. Unfortunately, some people have neighbors who will call the landlord or summon animal control at the first sign of a “woof.” In that case, you’ll probably have to deal with your neighbor rather than the dog. If, however, you acknowledge the barking is a bit much, there are some things you can try to curb that excess barking:

• A Change of Scenery: If you normally crate your pet, try leaving him loose in a room. If you normally leave him outside, try leaving him inside.
• Exercise, Exercise, Exercise: A bored dog is often a barking dog. One way to alleviate boredom is to provide plenty of opportunities for exercise every day. This could be long walks, running off steam at the dog park, or spending a few hours at doggy daycare.
• Rule Out Anxiety: Anxiety is one very common reason for excessive barking, and it won’t get better on its own. In fact, if left untreated, it will likely get worse. If you think your dog is suffering from anxiety, see your vet or an animal behaviorist right away. 

 If you’ve received complaints, let the involved parties know that you are actively working on a solution. Excessive barking is a common reason people rehome their pets, but with the right help, most dogs’ excessive barking can be curbed. 

Reasons your cat won’t use the litter box include a possible medical condition, not wanting to share the box with another cat, stress, or because the box is dirty. If your cat has always been good about using the box and then suddenly stops, a trip to the veterinarian is in order. After ruling out medical issues, try adding additional boxes. Also, always make sure the boxes are kept clean. 

What to Do When Your Cat Stops Using the Litter Box

Cats don’t need to be walked and the litter box makes them pretty independent as far as using the bathroom, which is a real plus for pet owners who are away much of the day. Unfortunately, many cats will experience litter box issues at some point in their life. Understanding the reasons behind this behavior is key in order to stop it.

Medical Issues 

Some medical conditions that contribute to litter box avoidance include urinary tract infections, cystitis, and kidney stones. Make an appointment with your vet as soon as possible so if there is a medical concern, it can be identified and treated.

Dirty/Crowded Litter Box 

You can’t really blame a cat for not wanting to share a litter box with other felines. That’s why it’s a good idea to provide one box per cat plus one additional box. It’s best to have them in separate parts of the house. You should also scoop all litter boxes daily.

Stress

Possible stressors for your cat include not getting enough food, being bothered by other household pets, and lots of loud noise/fighting. As much as possible, reduce the things that may be causing stress to your cat. You can also try using stress-reducing collars and diffusers.

Additional Tips 

Cats are finicky, and sometimes it’s the smallest thing that puts them off of their litter box. Here are a few others things to try and some to avoid:

• In a new second litter box, try a different litter, as some cats may not like a certain scent or texture.
• If the box has a lid, remove it.
• Don’t stand by the box with a treat as cats don’t like to be bothered when going to the bathroom.
• Don’t yell at your cat and toss him in the litter box as this will create a negative association.
• Clean up messes thoroughly using a product with enzymes to neutralize pet odors. 

Litter box issues often have a resolution, but it may take some trial and error to figure out what works for your pet. If none of your tricks fix the issue, seek an animal behaviorist for personalized advice or check out this article about fixing litter box problems.