7.4 Cat and Dog Husbandry

This section is of the book explores some common pet care principles and terms for dogs and cats, including socialization, grooming, exercise and enrichment, equipment training, and litterboxes.

Socialization

When puppies and kittens are young, they should be socialized. This means exposing them to different stimuli, including surfaces, people, children, and noises, to help get them used to different environments. Socialization helps them to be less anxious should they encounter these stimuli later in life. Getting them used to handling is also very important; vet visits are much less stressful for pets if they are used to people handling them. Socialization must have a balance though, as we do not want to frighten, stress, or over-stimulate a puppy or kitten (Root Kustritz, 2022).

Grooming

Both dogs and cats require some form of regular grooming. What each requires will depend on the coat characteristics. Some dogs, like poodles and shih tzus, do not shed very much, but their hair continuously grows, so it needs to be cut. Other dogs continuously or seasonally shed their coats, so it always remains approximately the same length. Though these dogs might not get haircuts, they still require regular bathing and brushing to prevent matting.

Cats often self-groom by licking themselves with their barbed tongue. However, they cannot always reach every part of their body, so they might require some extra brushing. Long-haired breeds in particular benefit from regular brushing.

Another common procedure is nail trims. Both dogs and cats need their nails trimmed because, like humans, their nails continuously grow. See integumentary system for more information.

Groomers: People whose profession it is to groom dogs. This often includes bathing, brushing, haircuts, and nail trims.

Exercise and Enrichment

Exercise and enrichment are important to both cats and dogs. This might include walks outside, playing fetch in the park, or doing agility classes. However, there is much more we can do to enrich the lives of our pets than exercise.

Puzzle feeders: One way to increase mental stimulation is to make dogs and cats work for their food. Puzzle feeders make pets solve puzzles to access their food, which is mentally stimulating for them.

Lick mats: Wet food, mushy bananas, plain yogurt, or peanut butter can be smeared on a mat that is textured, so an animal will take longer to lick it up. These foods can also be frozen to make play time last longer. Lick mats make feeding time last longer while increasing satisfaction.

Toys and play: Animals can play individually, with their owners, or with other animals. Toys can be a good enrichment resource, though care must be taken if there are multiple animals in the home, as this can result in resource guarding. The play must be supervised to prevent a pet form eating what they should just be playing with.

Cat trees: These are posts with platforms and hide-aways for cats that allow them to get up high.

Training Equipment – Dogs

• Rewards: Examples of rewards include food, play, and affection. Different dogs are motivated by different rewards, so it is important to know which works best for the dog (Root Kustritz, 2022).
• Clickers: A tool used in clicker training, which is a form of training where the dog is taught to associate a “click” sound with a food reward. The handler clicks when the desired behaviour occurs, then gives the dog a treat. Timing is important–the click marks the behaviour and the treat comes after the click (Root Kustritz, 2022).
• Halters: Head halters include the Gentle Leader and Halti collars. Both allow control of the dog’s entire head. The Gentle Leader permits the handler to gently close the dog’s mouth and reduces pulling, barking, mouthing, and jumping (Root Kustritz, 2022).
• Buckle collars: Collars that wrap around the neck and have a quick-release clip or an actual buckle–most commonly used type of collar (Root Kustritz, 2022).
• Harnesses: These fit around the chest of the dog and clip in the front or on the back, which makes pulling by the dog less efficient. These give handlers more control over the dog. These should be removed when not in use (Root Kustritz, 2022).
• Leashes: Leashes that are 4–6 feet in length are recommended for training. They may be made of nylon or leather.
  • Retractable leads are often used, but do not offer much control. The lock can fail, and fingers can be severely injured if they become entangled in the leash cord (Root Kustritz, 2022).
• Crates and kennels: Crates and kennels can be used as safe-places within a living environment, as a sleeping space, or for travel. Dogs should be crate-trained if they are going to be spending time in one so that they can be comfortable in that space (Root Kustritz, 2022).
• Gates: Gates can be made of plastic, metal, or wood. They are great for multi-dog households and households with dogs and children. They can be used to prevent dogs from dashing through open doors, but must be properly installed or they can be knocked over, and of an appropriate height or they can be jumped over (Root Kustritz, 2022).

Note: Many of these can also be used with cats, but they are not as common.

Cats – Litterboxes

Just like with food, cats can be picky about their litterboxes. There are many different styles; some are covered and some are uncovered, the height of the rim varies, as does size. There are also many different types of litter with different textures, scents, and materials. A rule of thumb to determine how many litter boxes a household should have is number of cats plus one. So if you have one cat, you should have two boxes and if you have four cats, you should have five boxes. Boxes should be placed away from where food and water are provided, in a semi-private location away from disturbances and high traffic, in an area that is somewhat open so the cat does not feel cornered or trapped (Root Kustritz, 2022).

Feces and clumped urine should be scooped out at least once daily. All litter should be dumped out, the box completely cleaned with warm water and mild detergent, and new litter placed in the box every two weeks (Root Kustritz, 2022).

Image Credits
(images are listed in order of appearance)

Cat grooming free stock image by Ian Livesey, CC0.

Cat tongue macro by Jennifer Buffkin, CC BY 2.0.

That feeling of betrayal for a nail trim by mliu92, CC BY-SA 2.0.

Grooming Tools by Matea David-Steel, NorQuest College, used with permission.

Dog toys by Matea David-Steel, NorQuest College, used with permission.

Cat flying to play by Kapa65, Pixabay licence.

Food Enrichment by Matea David-Steel, NorQuest College, used with permission.

Burmese cats on a cat tree by Petrebels, Pixabay licence.

Japanese litter box by Ocdp, CC BY-SA 3.0.