cat behavior Archives | Carrie Pawpins

I have always wanted a Cornish Rex cat ever since I was first introduced to them while working at a vet clinic. We had a breeder who was a client and she would bring the cats in periodically after they had kittens or for their wellness checks. I had decided that one day I was going to get a black and white male Cornish Rex. Well, that day has still not come.

I received a call from the vet clinic while I was living in New Mexico that the breeder was re-homing 2 of her female cats because they could not be bred for various reasons. She gave them to one of the technicians and gave her permission to find good homes for them for no charge.

Anyone that knows Cornish Rex cats knows that they can be very pricey to adopt from a breeder and it is not that often that one is given to a home for free.

The technician is a friend of mine and she immediately reached out to me to let me know of these 2 kittens- one was 6 months old and the other 8 months old. The 6-month-old had not been spayed yet and she had a terrible hair coat, actually practically no coat at all.

The 8-month-old was already spayed and had a much nicer coat. I met both of the girls and decided to take the younger one as I would be able to get her spayed in New Mexico at a clinic that I knew and trusted would take great care of her. The technician’s son took the other cat.

That day I brought Bianca home to my parent’s house in Scottsdale where we stayed the weekend before driving back to New Mexico. On the drive back she did okay. I set up a large dog crate in the back of my CR-V and gave her a little bed, litter box, and water.

She talked in her high pitched meow for a bit but settled eventually. Once I got her to my apartment it was time to put her in a separate room from Fiona and Rosemary so that we could do a proper introduction.

Now, like any cat owner, I was anxious to introduce her to the family and felt bad when she would cry behind the office door, so I will admit that I did not keep the animals separated as long as I usually recommend to my clients.

Her and Rosemary, the Rat Terrier, hit it off right away and loved to play together. Fiona, the long-haired calico cat, was a bit of a different story. The age difference between the cats is about 9 years so Fiona is much calmer and less playful than Bianca. Bianca wanted to run and chase Fiona who just wanted her space. It took a bit of time but it helped that Rosemary and Bianca hit it off so well and they were able to play and bond with one another.

Being a Cornish Rex, Bianca has a very outgoing and friendly personality. She gets along with anyone, human or animal, that comes in the home and is very vocal. Over the past 3 years, we have experienced a few medical issues with Bianca including a urinary tract infection which started a period of inappropriate urination outside of the litter box.

She also has her moments when she is a bit of a bully to Fiona when she does not get enough interaction and playtime with me during the day.

She is incredibly smart though and knows a few commands including “come” and “off” which we constantly practice. She also travels with me to various educational events that I hold as my ambassador cat.

Having the 2 cats together with their different behavioral issues over the years has helped me grow as a behavior consultant because I am able to tell my clients my personal experiences with different issues such as: having a bully cat, inappropriate elimination, proper introductions with both cats and dogs, cats getting on the counter, and much more!

Today, Bianca lives with me and Fiona in my condo where she still has her crazy spurts of energy throughout the day but has grown so much over the years- including finally getting a little bit of a coat!

Cat Behavior 101 Class

Last week Bianca, my Cornish Rex, and I made the trip down to Tucson to give a presentation about cat behavior at Building Bonds training center. To be honest, I was very nervous weeks before the presentation because I was worried that not many people would be interested in the topic, but I was wrong!

There were 20 people in attendance and even more that weren’t able to travel down to Tucson but expressed interest in wanting to hear my presentation. I was very impressed with the fact that there were a great number of animal shelter volunteers that were looking to learn more so that they are able to help the cats at the shelter become more highly adoptable.

For the past year, I have been searching for a place to hold more cat-related courses to bring more awareness to the fact that there are things we can do to prevent behavioral problems in cats and how to deal with any existing issues with positive methods. I had not had much success in my area of town with finding a facility that I would be able to give a presentation as well as have animals in attendance.

I was so happy when I met Kim Silver, owner and trainer at Building Bonds because she and I have the same training philosophies when working with all animals. She was kind enough to let me host an introductory course at her facility and I plan on working more with her over the summer to teach more cat and kitten-related classes for cat owners and shelter volunteers looking to learn more.

In the course, we touched on some of the most common behavioral problems that cat owners might face and how to deal with and prevent them. We reviewed cat body language and then also touched on inappropriate elimination, scratching, biting, climbing, dealing with multiple pet households, and cats that are a nighttime nuisance.

The 90-minute presentation covered a lot of topics and the attendees walked away with lots of notes and knowledge!

Bianca was my trusty sidekick who showed the attendees how friendly, easy to handle, and playful cats can be even in a room full of strangers. I am sure she was the true star of the show!
I am glad that I was able to bring more awareness to cat owners and volunteers who interact with cats on a daily basis and show that there are ways to deal with their cats unwanted behaviors without using punishment and harsh techniques.

I am planning on holding more cat behavior presentations at Building Bonds in Tucson as well as other facilities throughout Arizona. Please contact me if you are interested in learning more about upcoming events!

Tag: cat behavior

A Day in the Life: Feline Behavior Consultant [Meet Bianca]

Best Cat Behavior Class 101 [Get Closer to Your Cat]