IIPTF PET FESTIVAL PUNE Vol 12 Issue No 10 October 2019 | Seite 21

When it comes to behavioural issues
in cats, you need to rule out any
underlying physical issues fi rst. If you
notice anything going on with your
cat that you never noticed before,
the fi rst thing you should do is go
to the vet because physical issues
can manifest behaviourally. Beyond
that, by and large if you really had
to reduce it, which I hate to do, but if
you did, territorial anxiety is really
what manifests the most. Whether
that’s aggression, aggression towards
other humans or animals, or litter box
issues, that will usually trace to some
form of territorial anxiety. For cats,
territory is everything. Confi dence
and territory are everything and if
they feel that is threatened, then bad
things usually happen.
P
lease share some pearls of
wisdom on how cat guardians
and cat lovers can better
understand and acknowledge their
feline companions.
I think my major pearl of wisdom is
a pretty obvious one when I say it,
but it goes a little deeper than you
might think. Remember that a cat is
not a dog. They are their own beings
and we tend to put expectations on
them that are very “dog like” and
that’s not fair to them. They have not
been domesticated over hundreds of
thousands of years like dogs. They
only had a very specifi c job with
us, which was to control the rodent
population and they’ve only been
“pets” for a very short amount of time.
You have to have expectations that
you would put on a wild animal and
not a domestic one. That will make the
relationship stronger, more unique,
more personal, and you’ll appreciate
cats for who they are.
Y
our best-selling book “Total
Cat Mojo: The Ultimate Guide
To Life With Your Cat” talks
about how to take care of your cat
in the best possible manner by
putting an end to feline behavioural
problems. Please explain the term
“Cat Mojo”?
Referring back to the previous question
about what causes behavioural
problems, what causes a cat to not
have behavioural problems is “cat
mojo.” The word mojo refers to a sort of
“natural swagger.” Mojo is confi dence
in its purest form. And what gives
cats confi dence is knowledge that
they own their territory and what they
are doing in that territory, meaning
the more connected they are to their
ancestral selves, or what I call the
Raw Cat, the more confi dent they will
be at home. This is why I stress the
importance of playing with your cat
every day because it mimics the act of
hunting and hunting will make them
confi dent. Feeding your cat a raw diet
mimics what they would eat in nature
and that gives them mojo. Giving
them places to explore in your home,
both vertically and horizontally,
where they can leave scent and “own”
will give them mojo as well.
H
ow did the idea of your long-
running TV show “My Cat
From Hell” come about?
“My Cat From Hell” was a very
serendipitous thing. I came to Los
Angeles to live by the water fi nally,
and I was just doing my job. However,
in Hollywood when your job is
something unusual and you look
unusual and you act unusual, that
has TV written all over it (laughs). So,
within a very short amount of time,
TV came calling and I said YES!
W
hat major changes can a
new cat guardian expect
after incorporating a cat
into his/her life?
Well, once you bring a cat into your
life, you are owned by a cat (laughs)
so buckle in! Again, because they’re
not dogs and their behaviour is not
second nature to us, in terms of
recognition and relatability, we are
forced into a place where we have to
compromise with an animal for the
fi rst time in our lives. Some of us may
have not even compromised with
humans! It’s a lesson in humility that
goes a long way in your life, but the
more you can educate yourself right
of the bat, you can cut to the part of
the relationship that is loving, and not
frustrating, that is new and exciting,
as opposed to new and causing you to
pull your hair out.
W
hat suggestions would you
give to bipetual people who
want to make sure their
cats and dogs get along well in one
household?
Again, referring back to my point
about cats not being dogs, making
sure that you are giving dogs what
they need and cats what they need,
and remembering that they are
defi nitely not the same thing. Of
course, both dogs and cats, as well as
humans, thrive on a certain amount
of order and routine, so keeping that
October 2019 • Vol. XII • Issue 10 • Noida
21
| Creature Companion