On YOur BesT BehaViOr
Peer reviewed
The 10 CommandmenTs of CaT managemenT
The Art of Managing Multicat Households
Terry Marie Curtis, DVM, MS, Diplomate ACVB
Feline
Friendly
Article
hen managing multicat
households, i like to
organize the art of
feline care into what i call the
10 Commandments of Cat
Management. Therefore...
w
T
Figure 1. A feline friendly environment; note the rug and post available for scratching (A), tall receptacle for water (B), toys (C), and cat "house" (D)
hou Shalt...
1. Provide Plenty of SPace
Cats are very much like people: Some cats become stressed when they are in close proximity to each
other, while others like to be close to their preferred associates.1
Whether a client lives in a large house or a studio apartment, there are several ways to provide more room for cats
living together in a household.
• For example, once horizontal space (square footage)
has been maximized (Figure 1), vertical space can be
added by installing perches and placing cat "condos" or
"trees" in the home (Figure 2).
• An online search on the term cat furniture provides
information and photos that give owners ideas on how
to make their households more cat friendly. Consider
incorporating some of these ideas into your practice as
examples.
• Expansion to the outdoors—using special cat fencing
or enclosures—can be an option as well (see 10. Consider Outside Spaces).
Figure 2. Cats
enjoying the
vertical space
created by a cat
condo
May/June 2013 Today's Veterinary Practice
67