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You
and Your Cat Can Become
More
Than
Just Friends
You
Can Share a Spiritual Bond
Based on Trust, Love & Fun
No Matter Why It Hurts
Cats Make You Feel Better!
ARTICLES
Val
Heart Interviews Dr. Signe
Val
Heart is called The Real Dr. Doolittle as well as the
Go To Animal Expert. She is an animal communicator, animal
behaviorist, master healer, author, inspirational speaker,
and teacher who has appeared on TV and radio.
Click
Here (47 minutes)
Cats
Need Stimulation
Cats
like humans need stimulation—both physical and mental.
They like challenges, puzzles, and problems to solve.
Without stimulation they become lethargic and bored.
Without it they are more likely to eat out of boredom
and/or demonstrate chronic negative behaviors, like
constantly licking their fur.
Bob Walker and
his spouse Frances Mooney have designed their one-level
home to ensure that their cats are royally stimulated.
Their house, now the world-famous "Cat's House"
in San Diego, is nothing if not a fantastic kitty playpen.
Walker and Mooney have constructed
suspended walkways, elevated geometric figures, ramps,
stairs, a sisal column running floor to ceiling, and lots
of hidey-holes for the cats to explore and hide. This
allows cats to be active, play with others, or be alone
when they want. It also keeps cats from being underfoot
and at risk all the time
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Signe
A. Dayhoff, Ph.D.
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Upcoming
Events
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People
Magazine has called this home the "world's biggest
jungle gym for cats." While you may not want to totally
renovate your home with cat activity in mind, you might want
to consider what cats like to get them more stimulated. They
like to climb. They like elevated places on which to perch
to survey their domain, be away from others, and feel safer.
Perhaps
there are simple steps you can take in your home to enhance
your cat's activity level and enjoyment. If creating places
to climb, perches, or hidey-holes is unrealistic for your
home, consider how you might initiate a program of fun
activities for your cat.
I
had a cat who loved to play catch with a small plastic ball.
She would snag it in the air with one paw, drop it to the
floor, then push it back to me. Another cat loved to chase a
catnip mouse I had tied to a long piece of twine that I
dragged behind me as I raced from room to room. A wand or
stick with something dangling (object on a string, silvery
Mylar strips, feathers, for example) can also get a cat's
interest.
There
are many simple things you can do to get a "couch
potato cat" up and enjoying fun with you. You need to
try different things with your cat to see what s/he fancies
and take your lead from that. The better you know your cat
and its personality, the better able you will be to find the
right set of activities. Whatever you do to stimulate your
cat, you will strengthen your bond with your cat in the
process.
However,
if you also feel like building a suspended walkway, so much
the better. :)
Check
out the Cat's House at http://www.catshouse.com/tour.htm
(Smoochie
keeps asking when I'm going to do this too.)
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*P.S.
Be sure to check out Dr. Signe's One-Minute Cat
Tips
"When
you truly communicate with your cat, you embrace your
cat's inner tiger, and love your relationship and yourself even
more."
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