Gymnastic Classes

Play for a ferret will often involve hide-and-seek games, or some form of predator/prey game in which either the human attempts to catch the ferret or the ferret to catch the human. Ferrets are social animals and need company and someone to play with when you are out; they can suffer from depression you know. So think about getting two ferrets, rather than one. That way they can tumble and play when you are not in. Sometimes their play will appear quite rough. Ferrets establish their dominance by play fighting, and the winner will grab the other by the neck and drag them across the floor, however ferrets are very social and love the company of another ferret. Ferrets are good jumpers, and many owners find that interactive cat toys such as a “kitty teaser,” a simple wire or plastic-string toy with a securely attached feather or other object, bring out the gymnastic abilities of their fuzzballs. You can also get the ferret Kong. It is a rubber toy that you fill with peanut butter, or an …

What is going on, and why do they do this? My cat Beau is deaf and is very physical in expressing himself. He loves to be touched, petted and kissed. His reaction back is to “chew” on me, sort of gnawing his teeth against my arm, as he purrs. I soon realized that this is out of caring, not out of defensiveness. He does this whenever he is deliriously happy, and it’s sort of like he’s trying to kiss me back but does it with his little teeth. Lucky me. I appreciate him for being so loving, and just show love back, but back off if he chomps a little too hard. When your cat does this, don’t hit or get mad, just gently brush it off and distract him to do something else. Cats respond to suggestion, professional trainers rely on this principle to train them. By giving kitty something else to think about, he will forget about gnawing on you and put his attention elsewhere. Though I’m not an animal behaviorist, I know what works for my cats, and use information learned by those in the know. A …