The Cat Who Cried for Help

I’ve owned cats for almost 20 years, yet with the recent addition of three “second-hand” cats to our household, I’ve discovered that I’m just not very familiar with the strange ways of felines.  I think I’m a good pet owner, but know I could improve my knowledge of cat behaviour so that the cats’ lives are more enjoyable, and that’s why I’ve purchased a couple of cat behaviour books.  I just finished reading the first of these, The Cat Who Cried for Help, by Dr. Nicholas Dodman.  I read Dr. Dodman’s book about dog behaviour many years ago, and remember it as being an interesting read and helpful, and the cat book is very similar.  Even if your cat doesn’t have any of the problems described in the book, the anecdotal client histories keep things entertaining.  It may make you realize that your personal “psycho kitty” really isn’t “psycho” at all when compared to some other cats, and it helped to explain some of the issues behind my late Sweet Pea’s “dominance aggression”.  It may have also helped me head off some potential problems in our three cat household where the litterbox is concerned.  The case studies in the book are described so thoroughly that it’s possible for some behaviour modification techniques to be tried by the reader without any further veterinary consultation (how to introduce a new cat to the household, for example), but Dr. Dodman does often rely on pharmacological assistance for his clients, and they’re often treated with drugs like Buspar in conjunction with behavioural therapy.  If you have a cat with issues like self-mutilation, aggression, spraying, etc., I’d definitely suggest reading this book for an overview of the problem, but expect that you’ll still end up seeing a vet for some medical support.

My criticisms are pretty minor.  Parts of the book seems slightly outdated even though it was only published 6 years ago, so the reader should keep in mind that many of the experimental therapies and treatments described are now commonplace, and have been refined to achieve maximum success.  For example, Dr. Dodman talks about cat depression and how it can lead to hepatic lipidosis, but his opinions on the survival rates of cats with hl are very grim.  He talks of treating these cats with anti-depressants, but doesn’t mention therapeutic techniques like the esophagostomy which worked so well for our Chelsea.  I’ve also always had a “pet peeve” with Dr. Dodman about his hypothesis that cat emotional problems are caused because most North Americans don’t allow their cats to roam outdoors.  He feels that when cats are forced to stay inside their entire lives, it prevents certain forms of biological expression, and this repression is what leads to stress and behavioural issues.  He then points out that it’s not safe to let your cat roam free if it’s not spayed or neutered, and also warns owners against letting their pets out near high traffic areas, so I think that means the indoor/outdoor cat lifestyle is only possible for a small percentage of cats who live in the country on farms.  I just think it’s unfair to let cats roam outside, where they could be exposed to predators and poisons and other dangers, and think it’s entirely possible to give a cat an enriching indoor life.  Dr. Dodman and I will just have to agree to disagree on this point, as I’m not changing my mind.

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 03/27 at 05:08 PM

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