Managing Your Kitten's Rough Play

Managing Your Kitten's Rough Play

Play-motivated aggressive behaviors are common in young, active cats less than two years of age, and in cats that live in one-cat households. When cats play, they incorporate a variety of behaviors into their play, such as exploratory, investigative and predatory behaviors. Play provides young cats with opportunities to practice skills they would normally need for survival. Kittens like to explore new areas and investigate anything that moves, and may bat at, pounce on and bite objects that resemble prey.

Kittens learn how to inhibit their bite from their littermates and their mother. A kitten that is separated from her family too early may play roughly than a kitten that has had more valuable family time. In addition, if human play with a young kitten using their hands and/or feet instead of toys, the kitten is liable to learn that rough play with people is okay. In most cases, it's possible to teach your kitten or young adult cat that rough play isn't acceptable behavior.

Encourage Acceptable Behavior

Redirect your kitten's aggressive behavior onto acceptable objects like toys. Drag a toy along the floor to encourage your kitten to pounce on it, or throw a toy away from your kitten to give her even more exercise chasing the toy down. Some kittens will even bring the toy back to be thrown again! Another good toy is one that your kitten can wrestle with, like a soft stuffed toy that's about the size of your kitten, so she can grab it with both front feet, bite it, and kick it with her back feet. This is one of the ways kitten play with each other, especially when they're young. It's also one of the ways they try to play with human feet and hands, so it's important to provide this type of alternative play target. Encourage play with a "wrestling toy" by rubbing it against your kittens' belly when she wants to play roughly- be sure to get your hand out of the way as soon as she accepts the toy.

Since kittens need a lot of playtime, try to set up three or four consistent times during the day to initiate play with your kitten. This will help understand that she doesn't have to be the one to initiate play by pouncing on you.

Discourage Unacceptable Behavior

You need to set the rules for your kitten's behavior, and every person your cat comes in contact with should reinforce these rules. Your kitten can' be expected to learn that it's okay to play rough with Dad, but not with the baby.

·         Use aversive to discourage your kitten from nipping. You can either use a squirt bottle filled with water and a small amount of vinegar or a can of pressurized air to squirt your kitten with when she becomes too rough. To use this technique effectively, you'll always need to have the spray bottle or can handy. You can either place one in each room, or carry one with you as you move around the house. In some cases, you may want to apply taste aversive to your hands. If you have sensitive skin, you may want to wear gloves and put the aversive on the gloves. The possible disadvantage to this method is that your kitten may lean that "hands with gloves taste bad and those without gloves don't." For more information on aversive, see on handout: "Aversive for Cats." Remember that aversive will work only if you offer your kitten acceptable alternatives.

·         Redirect the behavior after using the aversive. After you startle your kitten with the aversive, IMMEDIATELY offer her a toy to wrestle with or to chase. This will encourage her to direct her rough play onto a toy instead of a person. We recommend that you keep a stash of toys hidden in each room specifically for this purpose

·         Withdraw attention when your kitten starts to play too roughly. If the distraction and redirection techniques don't seem to be working, the most drastic thing you can do to discourage your cat from her rough play is to withdraw all attention when she starts playing too roughly. She wants to play with you, so eventually she'll figure out how far she can go if you keep this limit consistent. The best way to withdraw your attention is to walk away to another room, and close the door long enough for her to calm down. If you pick her up to put her in another room, then you're rewarding her by touching her. You should be the one to leave the room.

Please Note: None of these methods will be very effective unless you also give your kitten acceptable outlets for her energy, by playing with her regularly and using appropriate toys.

What Not to Do

·         Attempts to tap, flick or hit your kitten for rough play are almost guaranteed to backfire. Your kitten could become afraid of your hands, or she could interpret those flicks as playful moves by you and play even more roughly as a result.

·         Picking up your kitten to put her into a "timeout" could reinforce her behavior because she probably enjoys the physical contact of being picked up. By the time you get her to the timeout room and close the door, she has probably already forgotten what she did to be put in that situation.

·         Aggression: Kittens can bite or scratch through the skin. In these cases, it's best to seek help from a behavior specialist to work with your kitten's behavior. Be sure to keep your kitten confined until you can get professional help. Also, be sure to thoroughly clean all bites and scratches and consult your physician, as cat scratches and bites can easily become infected.

Children and Cats: Important Information for Parents

Children and Cats: Important Information for Parents

Living with a cat can be beneficial to children. Cats can enhance children's self-esteem, teach them responsibility and help them to learn empathy. However, children and cats may not always automatically have a wonderful relationship. Parents must be willing to teach the cat and the child acceptable limits of behavior in order to make their interactions pleasant and safe.

Selecting a Cat

What age is best? Many people have a warm and fuzzy image of a kitten and a child growing up together. If you have a young child and are thinking of adopting a kitten (less than 1 year old) there are a few things you need to consider.

·         Time and energy: Kittens require a lot of time, patience and supervision. If you have a young child who already requires a lot of care and time, you should ask yourself if you will you have enough time to care for a kitten as well.

·         Safety: Kittens, because they're babies, are fragile creatures. A kitten may become frightened or even injured by a well-meaning, curious child who wants to constantly pick him up, hug him or explore his body by pulling on his tailor ears.

·         Rough play: Kittens have sharp teeth and claws with which they may inadvertently injure a small child. Kittens also tend to climb up on small children and accidentally scratch. All interactions between your child and kitten will need to be closely supervised to minimize the chances of either being injured.

·         Advantages of getting an adult cat: Adults cats require less time and attention once they've adjusted your family and household routine. You can better gauge how hardy and tolerant an adult cat will be of a child's enthusiasm and you can work with your local animal shelter to adopt a cat that has previously lived with children.

As a rule, if your child is under six years old, it's best to adopt a cat that's over two years old. Although kittens can be a lot of fun and it's exciting and rewarding to help them grow into wonderful companions, they do require significantly more time to supervise than an adult cat.

Who Will Care for The Cat?

It's unrealistic to expect a child, regardless of age, to have the sole responsibility of caring for a cat. Cats need basic things, like food, water, shelter and litter box maintenance, but they also need to be played with and given opportunities to exercise on a consistent basis. Teaching a cat the rules of the house and helping him become a good companion is too overwhelming a task for a young child. While responsible teenagers may be up to the task, they may not be willing to spend an adequate amount of time with the cat, as their desire to be with their friends usually takes over at this age. If you're adopting a cat "for the kids," you must be prepared and willing to be the cat's primary caretaker.

Starting Off Right

Below are some guidelines to help you start off on the right foot. Remember, small children should never be left alone with a cat or kitten without adult supervision.

v  Holding: Because kittens often squirm and wiggle they can easily fallout of a young child's arms and become injured. If held too tightly or forcibly restrained, the kitten may respond by scratching or biting. It is safest for everyone if your child I sitting down whenever he wants to hold the kitten. For adult cats, have your child sit in your lap and let the cat approach both of you. This way you can control your child and not allow him to get "carried away" with pats that are too rough. You are also there to teach your new cat to treat your child gently. Some cats do not want to be held, but will sit next to you and your child if offered treats or petting. Keep in mind that the cat should always be allowed to leave when it feels like it.

v  Petting and giving affection: Children often want to hug cats or grasp them too firmly. Your cat may view this as a threatening gesture, rather than an affectionate one, and may react with scratching or biting. You should teach your child to let the cat approach on his own terms and pet lightly. You should also teach your child to avoid starting at, or looking directly into, your cat's eyes.

v  Giving Treats: When children offer a treat from fingers held together as a pincher the cat may accidentally bite fingers instead of only taking the treat. Have your child place the treat in an open palm, rather than holding it in his fingers. You may want to place a hand underneath your child's hand to help guide him.

v  Supervising play: Cats interpret quick and jerky hand movements as an invitation to play. You should teach your child to offer the cat or kitten a toy on a string to maximize the distance between the child's hands and the toy. Encouraging a cat to play with hands and fingers may result in scratches or bites.

v  Be patient: Your new cat may take some time to feel comfortable with your child's actions and sounds and will approach when he feels ready. Your cat must also learn which behaviors on his part are appropriate and which are not. Punishing your cat for inappropriate behavior will not help. If he learns that being around children always results in "bad things" happening to him, he may become defensive in their presence.

If your cat is growling, hissing or biting at your child for any reason, the situation needs IMMEDIATE attention. Punishing your cat is likely to make matters worse.

Your Talkative Cat

Your Talkative Cat

Vocalizing is one way for your cat to communicate with you and with other animals. Some cats "talk" more than others, but most cats do make noise some of the time. We're all familiar with the meaning of hissing and growling, but there are also many other sounds that your cat is capable of, and a variety of reasons for vocalizing.

Medical Reasons

If your cat's behavior changes suddenly, the first thing you should do is take her to your veterinarian for a thorough health examination. Cats often hide symptoms of illness until they're seriously ill. Any change in behavior may be an early indication of a medical problem. A new vocalizing behavior may indicate physical discomfort stemming from an urgent need for medical attention.

Breed Tendency

Oriental breeds, such as the Siamese, are known to be very vocal. If your cat has a pointed face and a long, lean body, chances are she has some oriental heritage, so "talking" may be a part of her character. Avoid giving her any attention when she is vocal because this will only encourage the vocal behavior. Instead, giver her attention when she is quiet.

Attention-Seeking Behavior

Some cats "talk" because they know they'll get a reaction. People may talk back, feed her, yell at her, pick her up and lock her in another room, or pick her up and soother her. These responses will encourage an attention-seeking cat. To discourage this behavior, simply ignore your cat when she does this, and when she is quiet, pour on the love, feed her or give her some treats. This will teach your cat which behaviors you would like her to continue.

Your Cat Wants to Go Outside

If your cat was previously an outdoor cat and you plan to keep her inside, then good for you! Following are some suggestions to help make that transition easier on both of you.

·        Spay or Neuter: Spaying or neutering will rid your cat of those hormonal urges to go out and seek a mate. This will result in a calmer, friendlier cat.

·        Play Schedule: Schedule play times during the times your cat would normally be outside. This will distract her from her normal routines and establish another, safer routine.

·      Window Seat: Be sure your cat has a view of the outdoors and a sunny place to lie. Cats like to watch birds, so putting a bird feeder outside this window is likely to make it a favorite spot for your cat.

·         Scavenger Hunt: Give your cat a game to play by hiding bits of dry food around the house. Hide the food in paper bags, boxes or behind open doors. This will give her exercise and keep her busy so she doesn't think of going outside. This is especially good to do right before the family leaves the house for the day.

·         Attention: Try to give your cat extra love and attention during this difficult transition.

·         Aversive: If your cat still won' give up meowing by the door, try an aversive. Leave strong citrus scents by the door or hide behind a wall and shake a pop can filled with coins to interrupt the behavior. When she is quiet, walk out and give her a food treat and encourage her to play or cuddle.

Grief

Sometimes after the death or departure of a person or animal in your eat's life, she will vocalize to express her grief. This can be a normal part of the grieving process. The best thin you can do for her is keep her schedule the same (or as close as possible) and spend some extra cuddle and playtime with her. With time, this problem should take care of itself.

Transition

If your cat is new to your home or has just gone through a change (move, new person/animal in the household, person moved out) and has just started her talkative behavior, be patient. This may be happening due to the transition and will stop on its own if the behavior is not encouraged. Remember, even scolding can be perceived by your cat as attention, and thus encourage the behavior.

Feline Social Behavior and Aggression between Family Cats

Feline Social Behavior and Aggression between Family Cats

It's impossible to estimate how well any pair of group of cats will ultimately tolerate each other. Some cats are unusually territorial, may never adjust to sharing their house, and many do best in a one-cat family. However, many aggressive problems between cats can be successfully resolved. To do this, you may need help, both from your veterinarian and from an animal behavior specialist who is knowledgeable in cat behavior. Cats with aggression problems may never be best friends, but can often learn to mutually tolerate each other with a minimum of conflict. Working with aggression problems between family cats will take time and commitment from you. Don't give up without consulting the appropriate experts.

Common Types of Aggressive Behaviors between Cats:

►   Territorial Aggression: Cats are very territorial, much more so than dogs. Territorial aggression occurs when a cat feels that his territory has been invaded by an intruder. Depending on where your cat spends his time, he may view your whole neighborhood as his territory. Female cats can be just as territorial as males. The behavior patterns in this type of aggression include chasing and ambushing the intruder, as well as hissing and swatting when contact occurs. Territorial problems often occur when a new cat is being brought into a household, when a young kitten reaches maturity, or when a cat encounters neighborhood cats outside. It's not uncommon for a cat to be territorially aggressive toward one cat in a family, and friendly and tolerant to another.

►   Intermale Aggression: Adult male cats normally tend to threaten, and sometimes fight with, other males. These behaviors can occur as sexual challenges over a female, or to achieve a relatively high position in the cats' loosely organized social dominance hierarchy. This type of aggression involves much ritualized body posturing, stalking, staring, yowling, and howling. Attacks are usually avoided if one cat "back down" and walks away. If an attack occurs, the attacker will usually jump forward, directing a bite to the nape of the neck, while the opponent falls to the ground on his back and attempts to bite and scratch the attacker's belly with his hind legs. The cats may roll around biting and screaming, suddenly stop, resume posturing, fight again or walk away. Cats don't usually severely injure one another this way, but you should always check for puncture wounds which are prone to infection. Intact males are much more likely to fight in this way than are neutered males.

►   Defensive Aggression: Defensive aggression occurs when a cat is attempting to protect himself from an attack he believes he cannot escape. This can occur in response to punishment or the threat of punishment from a person, an attack or attempted attack from another cat, or any time he feels threatened or afraid. Defensive postures include crouching with the legs pulled in under the body, laying the ears back, tucking the tail, and possibly rolling slightly to the side. This is not the same as the submissive postures dogs show because it's not intended to "turn off" an attack from another cat. Continuing to approach a cat that's in this posture is likely to precipitate an attack.

►   Redirected Aggression: This type of aggression is directed toward another animal that didn't initially provoke the behavior. For example, a household cat sitting in the window may see an outdoor cat walk across the front yard. Because he can't attack the outdoor cat, he may instead turn and attack the other family cat that's sitting next to him in the window. Redirected aggression can be either offensive or defensive in nature.

What You Can Do

v  If your cat's behavior changes suddenly, your first step should always be to contact your veterinarian for a thorough health examination. Cats often hide symptoms of illness until they're seriously ill. Any change in behavior may be an early indication of a medical problem.

v  Spay or neuter any intact pets in your home. The behavior of one intact animal can affect all your pets.

v  Start the slow introduction process over from the beginning. You may need professional help from an animal behavior specialist to successfully implement these techniques.

v  In extreme cases, consult with your veterinarian about medicating your cats while you're working with them on a behavioral modification program. Your veterinarian is the only person who is licensed and qualified to prescribe any medication for your cats. Don't attempt to give your cat any over-the-counter or prescription medication without consulting with your veterinarian. Animals don't respond to drugs the same way people do, and a medication that may be safe for a human could be fatal to an animal. Keep in mind that medication, by itself, isn't a permanent solution, and should only be used in conjunction with behavior modification.

What Not To Do

v  If your cats are fighting, don't allow the fights to continue. Because cats are so territorial, and because they don't establish firm dominance hierarchies, they won't be able to "work things out" as dog sometimes do. The more often cats fight, the worse the problem is likely to become. To stop a fight in progress, make a loud noise, such as blowing a whistle, squirting the cats with water, or throwing something soft at them. Don't try to pull them apart.

v  Prevent future fights. This may mean keeping the cats totally separate from each other while you're working on the problem or at least preventing contact between them in situations likely to trigger a fight.

v  Don't try to punish the cats involved. Punishment is likely to elicit further aggression and fearful responses, which will only make the problem worse. If you attempt punishment, you may become a target for redirected and defensive aggression.

Because their social organization is somewhat flexible, some cats are relatively tolerant of sharing their house and territory with multiple cats. It's not uncommon for a cat to tolerate some cats, but not get along with others in the house. However, the more cats sharing the same territory, the more likely it is that some of your cats will begin fighting with each other.

When you introduce cats to each other, one of them may send "play" signals which can be misinterpreted by the other cat. If those signals are interpreted as aggression by one of the cats, then you should handle the situation as "aggressive."

The factors that determine how good cats will get along together, are not fully understood. Cats that are well-socialized (they had pleasant experiences with other cats during kitten hood) will likely be more sociable than those that haven't been around many other cats. On the other hand, "street cats" that are in the habit of fighting with other cats to defend their territory and food resources, may not do well in a multi-cat household. Genetic factors also influence a cat's temperament, so friendly parents are probably more likely to produce friendly offspring.

Bald Eagle's in the Midwest during Winter

OBSERVING BALD EAGLES IN THE MIDWEST DURING WINTER

**Check the LRC for reference on eagles. A good one is: Life Histories of North American Birds of Prey by Arthur Cleveland Bent**

1.    Eagles can be observed in the Midwest during the winter—usually mid-December through early-March. If the weather is mild this period is shorter, if severe then longer.

2.    Eagles receive the following during the winter:

     a.    Good food supply—fish. This mean that they are found along major rivers, just below dams where the water is not frozen and they can “fish.”

     b.    Protected night roasting area. This means that a short distance from their fishing ground an area must be present with large trees and often a geologically shaped bowl area. These 2 items five protection from the winter elements.

3.    Bald eagles are endangered. Figures vary but only several thousand eagles now exist in the continental U.S. A large portion, probably several hundred can be found near us, in the Midwest during the winter. During the winter, in the Midwest, we are very fortunate to be able to observe this majestic bird / endangered bird in our area.

4.    Equipment: warm clothing, binoculars / spotting scope, camera (film ASA 200o or 400, usually telephoto lens). It will be COLD—since you will be observing in open, windy areas near water.

5.    The following locations are a fairly complete list of spots where I have observed eagles during the winter over the past 5 seasons. (* = especially good areas) (eagles migrate +\ where they are; one year may be different than the next) (*best viewing times at the river are: 9-11 fish, 11-2 in trees, 2-4 fish, after 4 return to nest)

      a.    ** Eagle Valley—Glen Haven, Wisconsin (phone: 630-794-2373)

      b.    Prairie Du Chen, Wisconsin—from atop Effigy Mounds National Monument in

      c.    DuBugue, Iowa

      d.    * Belleville, Iowa—look to the Illinois side

      e.    ** Hampton, Illinois—Illini State Park (just south of nuclear power plant, Cordova)

      f.     ** Moline, Illinois—Rock Island, Illinois à our eagle island (observe from parking lot on Davenport, Iowa side)

      g.    *** Keakuk, Iowa—Warsaw, Illinois / Hamilton, Illinois (WIU field station)

      h.    Along Mississippi River south à south top of Illinois

      i.      Sometimes along Illinois River

      j.      Starved Rock

GOOGLE INTERACTIVE MAP

Classical and Operant Conditioning

Brandi Slavich

    Generally we think of learning as students sitting in a classroom or lecture hall with notebooks listening intently to a teacher in the front of the room. Although according to psychologists there are two types of learning, classical conditioning and operant conditioning. Most of the time one of the simplest ways of identifying the differences between the two is to know which one is involuntary or voluntary behavior. Classical conditioning is an involuntary response that is evoked by a once neutral stimulus; while operant conditioning is a voluntary response due to reinforcement. Nowadays both classical and operant conditioning are utilized for a variety of purposes.

Classical conditioning has numerous real-world applications. For example whenever Crystal would smell Axe cologne there was no response (neutral stimulus). She recently started is dating Kevin (unconditioned stimulus) who she is always happy and relaxed around (unconditioned response) but Kevin wears Axe cologne. So now when Kevin isn’t around and Crystal smells Axe cologne (once neutral stimulus) she is happy and relaxed (involuntary response). Therefore, before Crystal would smell Axe cologne there was no response but when Crystal was with Kevin she began to pair the once neutral smell to being happy and relaxed resulting in Crystal being happy and relaxed whenever she smelled Axe cologne. Comparably some teachers are able to implement classical conditioning in a way that could help their students. By creating a positive classroom environment (conditioned stimulus) where everyone feels comfortable with one another (unconditioned stimulus) the student could overcome the anxiety or fear they have of speaking in front of the class (conditioned response). Now when the student needs to be in front of the class s/he will have no response making it a neutral stimulus.

While operant conditioning is a voluntary response, it is a response that came to be controlled by reinforcements and punishments. There are two different kinds of reinforcements, positive and negative. Positive reinforcement is when you are given something you want, while a negative reinforcement is when you get something taken away that you didn’t want in the first place. Positive and negative reinforcements occur when an event following a response increases your tendency to make that response again. Contrarily, punishment encourages weakens your tendency to make a response following an event. Punishments are when you get disciplined for something you did. Some examples of positive reinforcements are getting dessert after you ate all of your vegetables or after executing a turn during a skiing lesson your instructor shouts out “great job!” Negative reinforcements can resemble a teacher giving the class no homework for a night after doing well on the exam or you decide to clean up your mess in the kitchen in order to avoid getting yelled at.  While punishments can be similar to you getting your cell phone taken away or after you hit your sibling you get sent to your room without dinner.

In conclusion, while both involve the process of learning and shaping behavior, there are key differences between the two. Classical conditioning focuses on changing behavior through influencing involuntary and automatic behaviors, whereas operant conditioning focuses on changing behavior through dealing with the modification of voluntary behavior.  Both of these conditions, however, are ways psychologists are trying to understand and study human behavior.