Dear Ms. Kitty, I have a 4-year-old male cat who is overweight. My vet recommends I put him on a diet. He currently eats dry kibble whenever he wants. My concern is that restricting his meals will increase his bad behavior. He already scratches my couch, gets on the...
Along with our Ask Ms Kitty Helpline, we offer articles to help you solve your cat or kitten's problems (and help your cat or kitten solve their people problems too)! Check out our recent articles here: Raising happy kittens: myth & truth Courage for your Cowardly...
Dear Ms. Kitty, I have a scaredy cat who won't let me trim her claws or take her to the vet. She used to be relaxed but that changed after she was accidentally locked in a room while a loud compressor was run. Will she ever get back to her old self? Even a single...
Dear Ms. Kitty, I've heard it's better to keep cats indoors but they seem to be really happy outside. Why shouldn't I let my cat outside to be a more natural cat? Recently someone told us she had heard a cat crying for days. After days of searching, she finally found...
At Happy Cats Haven, we have been using Clicker Training--which we call Clicker Play because it's so much fun for the cats--since we opened in 2011. Along with our Shy Cat Handling techniques, it's one of the best methods we have for recovering traumatized cats from...
You've learned a little about Clicker Training. Now you know the basics like the importance of the treat, which clicker to use, the Big Two Rules and how to get a behavior. Here are some basic behaviors to get you started! DON'T TEACH SIT YET Animals tend to defualt...
Life can get very scary for cats when their family suddenly disappears. Cats are creatures of habit, so keeping their environment as familiar as possible is the best way to have happy cats while you are away…and possibly give them a little vacation too! Everything...
"Can a kitten be declawed at birth?" Someone asked this through the Happy Cats Haven website recently. It's a fact that cats come with claws. Scratching and touching with their claws is a basic cat instinct, like eating or purring. Not only does it keep their bodies...
Cats are getting fatter. About 1 in 5 cats were obese 25 years ago. Now that number is almost 1 in 3. While they've gotten safer in the last 20 years, the typical indoor cat is bored, overweight and at risk for disease and early death. Most dog owners know they need...