My Pet World: Feisty cat needs a 'time out' period

Q: Karma, our 12-year-old cat, picks on our two 15-month-old Labrador mixes. He may even jump on top of one dog and start to hiss and bite; he really carries on. Sometimes, we have to pull him away. No one's been hurt yet, but the dogs seem terrorized. Any advice? -- S.C., via cyberspace

A: I'd be terrorized, too! It's amazing that some cats with lots of bravado can even make a Great Dane shiver with fear. There are even YouTube videos of cats standing up to alligators or bears.

Darlene Arden, a certified cat behavior consultant in Framingham, MA, advises you to temporarily separate your dogs from Karma. For example, keep the cat upstairs and the dogs downstairs. If the layout of your house doesn't allow for this, place Karma in a room of his own with lots of toys, food and water, a scratching post and litter box.

Arden, author of "Rover, Get Off Her Leg" (HCI, Deerfield Beach, FL, 2007: $14.95), notes that, "Cats remember, and yours won't change its view of the dog overnight. Keep the pets separated for at least a few weeks, if not months."

When things have settled down, begin a foreign exchange program. Take the dogs' bedding and toys and place them in Karma's room (near the food dish to associate the smell of the dogs with yummy food).

Gradually let the dogs get reacquainted with Karma. Since cats and dogs sense the world with their noses, dab some vanilla extract on the rear ends of all involved. Karma will recognize the dogs, but they'll now have a new smell -- and suddenly that smell will be something all three pets have in common.

Another idea is to offer a yummy treat -- like salmon or sardines -- whenever Karma meet the dogs. The strategy is for Karma to associate this amazing goody with the dogs, giving them a reason to like one another. Even if I had previously squabbled with a neighbor, if each time I saw him I was handed $100, my opinion might change pretty quickly.

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Q: My daughter took an adult male cat from another family member who was moving. My daughter specifically asked if the cat is a "pisser," and the answer was "no." She's has now had the cat for 2-1/2 years -- and he randomly pees, usually at night, on the blanket covering my daughter's bed. Just recently, he peed on throw pillows on the sofa. Despite the accidents, he'll go for months using the litter box normally. What's up? -- C.C., via cyberspace

A: "We don't know for sure if this is marking behavior or house-soiling, and there is a difference between the two," says Dr. Theresa DePorter, a Bloomfield Hills, MI-based veterinary behaviorist.

If you've ever spied the cat urinating, DePorter wants to know if the pet's tail is twitching and if he vocalizes, which would indicate he likely is marking.

Most of all, DePorter wonders what -- if anything -- changed in the household from those times when the cat used his litter box consistently, compared to periods when he has accidents.

"There might be a social stressor, such as a family member who left town, or a family member who's come back from out of town -- anything that is a change," DePorter says.

If anxiety is at least partially responsible, plugging in a Feliway (a copy of a calming pheromone) diffuser, along with a prescription diet from Royal Canin, called CALM, might help.

If you can possibly videotape the cat peeing outside the box, that would be very helpful to your veterinarian, DePorter notes. You also might wish to consult a certified cat behavior consultant or veterinary behaviorist. Based on your description of the car's behavior -- although it is unlikely - DePorter wonders if the cat might be having a seizure. More likely among the possible medical explanations are a urinary tract infection, bladder stones or idiopathic cystitis.

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Q: My dog runs amuck on the leash. I know she's young at five months, but she flunked out of puppy school. Any advice? -- B.H., Macon, GA

A: "Keep working at it," encourages Portland, OR trainer Casey Elizabeth Newton. Begin with finding an appropriate trainer. Puppies should all be having a good time in class, and the trainer should be a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers.

Proper gear will encourage success -- either a front clip harness (like the Freedom Harness) or a head halter (like a Gentle Leader). There's no need for a chain link (choke collar) or Prong collar (also called the pinch collar for the inward spikes on the collar).

"Don't worry about reprimanding the dog for not getting it right; focus on praise and cookies when the dog does get it right," says Newton. "One trick is to back up fast, and also to make unpredictable turns to the left or the right, all at random times, so the dog learns to follow you. A parking lot might be a good place to practice. Teaching your dog to walk with you on leash is much like dancing with your dog, and you're the lead for the dance."

If your dog pulls, instead of playing tug-of-war, ask the pet to come to your side, says Newton. Then, if you can, walk the opposite way in which the dog has been pulling.

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