"Dear Sally's" Blog
Our own Dear Sally has a really smart and interesting BLOG you should tun in to:
www.exclusivelycats.wordpress.com
E-mail Dear Sally at sebahner@snet.net.
Recommended Feline Products
Dear Sally was on Cat Chat® last night talking nifty new feline products.
Read Feline Products for Home & Away. (PDF)
The Cat Chat team just got bigger and better! I have the great good fortune to welcome Sally E. Bahner, a cat behaviorist with a lifetime of experience with everything from public presentations to giving private consultations to help people solve mysteries and problems with their feline family members. She will be our "Dear Sally," and will make visits on air with me on Cat Chat to answer those questions that have stumped even me! You can also send her your questions or speak to her personally to get those answers.
DEAR SALLY will be holding a three-session class, titled "Feline Mysteries-Unlocked" March 19, April 2, and April 9 at Adams Middle School in Guilford (CT). To register call 203.488.5693 or visit www.erace-adulted.org.
She will also be speaking on the Three Top Feline Behavior Issues at the Hagaman Library in East Haven April 17, at 7 p.m.
Three Top Feline Behavior Issues - November 21, 7pm
Three top fe
line behavior issues
Cat Chat's Dear Sally will discuss the three top
feline behavior issues on Thursday, Nov. 21, 7 p.m. at
the James Blackstone Memorial Library in Branford.
Find out what they are and how to better understand
them.
Sally E. Bahner
Branford, CT
Member, Cat Writers' Association
Affiliate member #359, IAABC
Feline consultant
About Sally E. Bahner
Sally E. Bahner has more than 30 years experience as a writer and editor and has spent the last 10 years specializing in cat-related issues, specifically nutrition, holistic care and multiple cat behaviors. More recently she has offered services as a feline behavior and care consultant.
She is the cat expert and a regular contributor for Pets Press, a Connecticut-based pet newspaper. The founding editor-in-chief of The Whole Cat Journal, Bahner has contributed to Catnip, Catwatch and the new Whole Cat Journal. She has been a columnist for several newspapers along the Connecticut shoreline since 1997.
Bahner is an affiliate member of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants and the Cat Writers’ Association and received CWA’s Muse Medallion in 1999, 2000 and 2001, as well as several Certificates of Excellence. She was recipient of the first annual Shojai Mentor Award in 2001. She also earned recognition in the 2002, 2004 and 2006 Connecticut Chapter Society of Professional Journalists competitions.
She is editor of the Branford Review and East Haven Advertiser, and contributor to ShoreView for Shore Line Newspapers. Her column, “Paw Prints” runs in those papers. In addition, she teaches courses on cat care for East Shore Regional Adult Education and has presented programs on cat care at Yale University’s Peabody Museum, Guilford Free Library’s Lunch and Learn Program, Scranton Library’s Brown Bag Lunch program in Madison, Branford’s Blackstone Library and Willoughby Wallace Memorial Library, and for the Greater New Haven Cat Project.
She resides in Branford with her five cats, Dusty, Coco, Hemmie, Pulitzer and Russian Blue, Tekla, and husband, Paul, who is amazingly tolerant of her feline obsession.
If you have an especially difficult behavior problem that you think is a Dear Sally issue, please write to us at dogandcatbibles@gmail.com and Sally and I will put our heads together and come up with an answer.
You can contact Sally for private consultation by going to: sebahner@snet.net
Books Sally Loves
The Domestic Cat by Dennis Turner
(which is unfortunately an out-of-print paperback and very costly)
Whole Health for Happy Cats: A Guide to Keeping Your Cat Naturally Healthy, Happy & Well by Sandy Arora (new from Quarry Books for $16; available now from Amazon.com for $10.71)
CAT HOARDING ARTICLE: You've heard me talk about sorry situations of animal hoarding before - and will do so again with Kim Intino of the Humane Society of the United States on August 8th - please read Dear Sally's insightful piece with more infomration about this psycho-social disorder.
—Tracie Hotchner
Read the Cat Hoarding Article (PDF File)
I am having a problem with my cat. Up until now she was friendly and affectionate. She is the kind of cat that decides when she wants affection. She rarely growled or scratched. In fact the only time she did this was when she was outside and brought inside.
She had a litter of kittens in June. She was a very attentive mother and nursed and licked her kittens all of the time. She rarely left them alone. At 12 weeks we gave two of her kittens away. She cried every day for a little while and then she stopped. We kept the other two as we could not find a suitable home so they have become a part of the family and we give all the cats a lot of love.
Lately the mother has become cranky, swatting at her kittens when they even look at her and now she is doing the same to us, especially when they are around. When she is on her own without the kittens, she seems to be ok but when they are around, she is a cranky Mommy. Do you have any insight into this behaviour. I am worried about her. Thanks in advance,
—Nancy
Dear Nancy,
Your mama kitty's behavior is typical. She's done her work, now it's time for the kids to leave the nest. If she hasn't been spayed get her spayed ASAP. That might calm things down. And you can try Comfort Zone/Feliway and flower essences. I bred a couple of litters of Russian Blues, keeping the first litter, and Ashley, once her kids matured, was never that crazy about them.
—Sally
I really hope you can help me with my problem. I have four cats, all males, ages 16, 15, and 14 (the two fourteen-year-olds are brothers). They have lived together most of their lives. All stay indoors. The oldest cat takes thyroid medicine. One of the younger cats, Ilka, is a dream. He never does anything wrong. He hangs out by himself and asks us to "love him up" on his own terms. The other three are nightmares! They spray and urinate all over. At one point we had seven litter boxes in various places in our home. Some went unused, so we are down to five. All are used, but it doesn't stop them from going outside of the boxes. Ilka never goes outside the box, and always uses the same box. While the others have boxes they prefer, they also have areas of the house they prefer. Sometimes the spraying goes on when we aren't home. Sometimes, it's right in front of us. I clean it with "Urine Gone," and use "Feliway." I've also tried "No Mark." They take Valium and we've tried some antidepressants that the vet suggested.
I am married with a sixteen-month-old, and it's getting to be too much. The cats are ruining our home. I've had to resand floors and reupholster furniture. I just don't know what to do. My husband wants to have the three sprayers put to sleep. We've had these cats since they were kittens, and they've been bad for years. I don't want to have them condemned to death, but we can't continue to live this way. The vet doesn't know what to do -- there is no medical reason for their behavior. Are they too old to change? Is there anything more I can do? Is it possible that cats can be retrained? They don't fight with each other (well, occasionally, the oldest one will hiss and carry on, but it doesn't seem to coincide with the spraying. I would appreciate any help you can give me.
—Marisa
Dear Marisa,
Thanks for contacting me. It sounds as if your feline family has some deep-seated and long-term issues to deal with; more than can be handled with a simple email reply. I can understand how frustrated you must be, but it will take some time and investigation to resolve the problem. Right now, I have more questions than suggestions. When did the spraying/marking behavior begin? How do the cats react to the baby? What is the size of your home (Feliway, for example, is only effective within a relatively limited area), and what accommodations have been made for the cats in terms of scratchers and kitty condos? What is the other medication that's been tried?
I'd urge you to contact me personally if the problem continues. It breaks my heart to hear of animals being euthanized for behavior problems that might be a reaction to their environment, so I hope I can be of help to you. Let me know.
—Sally
Dr. Jean developed Spirit Essence, her rendition of Bach Flower remedies for cats, to deal with many feline behavior issues. Dear Sally frequently recommends them to her clients and on the air with us. Go to www.SpiritEssence.com to learn how these natural remedies may help your cats live more mellow lives.
Dr. Hofve (rhymes with Bon Jovi, she wants people to know!) also has a fantastic website that is chock full of really wonderful information. It is www.LittleBigCat.com and you'll love it.
Tracie welcomes any and all questions about cats AND dogs on both her live radio shows. Call in to DOG TALK® on Saturdays from 11-Noon (EST) to 800-394-8830 or Wednesdays 8-9 PM (EST) to CAT CHAT® 866-675-6675. (You don't need to have Sirius to call in!)
