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Hiss & Tell: Cat Behavior and Beyond
Welcome to "Hiss & Tell" a cat podcast where we delve deep into the fascinating world of feline behavior with your host, Kristiina Wilson, MA, CCBC, a professional animal behaviorist with years of experience in understanding our feline friends.
Each episode of "Hiss & Tell" features insightful discussions with a diverse range of guests, including leading veterinarians, renowned social media cat personalities, dedicated researchers and scientists, talented cat photographers, experts in cat behavior and training and so much more.
Join us as we explore a myriad of topics, from decoding the complexities of pet loss to unraveling the mysteries of feline health and behavior. Discover the latest research findings, practical tips for training your cat, and heartwarming stories that highlight the unique bond between cats and their human companions.
Whether you're a seasoned cat owner, a feline enthusiast, or simply curious about the inner workings of our purring companions, "Hiss & Tell" is your go-to podcast for all things cat behavior. So grab your favorite feline friend, cozy up, and let's embark on this enlightening journey together!
Hiss & Tell: Cat Behavior and Beyond
Bird Flu & Your Cat : What Every Pet Owner Needs to Know With Dr. Ann Hohenhaus
This episode addresses the recent concerns surrounding avian influenza and its potential effects on cats, offering vital information and practical advice for cat owners. We explore how avian influenza spreads, its symptoms, and essential steps pet owners can take to protect their feline companions.
• Overview of avian influenza and its two strains
• Understanding the risks for cats and other mammals
• Transmission methods, including respiratory and fecal routes
• Symptoms of avian influenza in felines
• Importance of keeping cats indoors as a precaution
• Recommendations for reducing exposure to infected wildlife
• Concerns about raw diets and contagious food sources
• Tips for enriching indoor environments to keep cats happy and healthy
• Current health resources for monitoring avian influenza cases
Hi and welcome to Hiss and Tell a Cat Behavior and More podcast hosted by me, Kristiina Wilson, animal behaviorist. Today we're tackling a topic that's been making headlines avian influenza, or bird flu, and how it affects our feline friends. Should you be worried if your cat spends time outdoors and, most importantly, how can you keep your feline companion safe? We'll break it all down in this episode, separating fact from fear and giving you practical tips to protect your cats. Let's get started. Hi and welcome to another episode of Hiss and Tell. I am your host, Kristiina Wilson, and with me today is Dr Ann Hohenhaus. She is a senior veterinarian and director of pet health information at the Schwartzman Animal Medical Center in New York City. Welcome, dr Hohenhaus.
Dr Ann Hohenhaus:Well, thank you, christina, I'm happy to be here.
Kristiina Wilson:Thank you so much. Today we are going to be talking about avian influenza, which is a big deal in the news right now and something that I think is a real concern for all cat and other pet owners out there, so I guess let's just dive right in. Do you want to do just a brief overview of exactly what avian influenza is and how it spreads?
Dr Ann Hohenhaus:So avian influenza is exactly what it sounds like. It's a flu virus that infects birds, and there are two versions of the avian influenza virus. There's a low pathogenic strain, which means it doesn't make birds very sick, and there's a high pathogenic strain. That's the one that's circulating now and it makes birds really sick and they die from this. And we've had this outbreak of high path avian influenza in wild bird populations for the last two, three years now. But it's come to light, really for the public, because there have been cows that have been infected, there have been other species of mammals infected, so not just birds but mammals and of course, the penultimate mammal, the human being, is also being infected. So that is why avian influenza is in the news.
Kristiina Wilson:Right. So what are the other mammals that are being infected, other than obviously?
Dr Ann Hohenhaus:cows. Well, we've got big little cats and big cats. So there was a sanctuary, I believe, in Oregon, and they lost half of their big cats, right, because the meat they were feeding the big cats was infected with avian influenza. There are reports of kind of almost every species out there one of this, one of that that have been infected, but the cat really cats in general really seem to be the species most commonly affected and made quite sick. There's only a single report of a dog that's been infected and that dog ate a dead wild goose, and so one could assume that that dog got the virus from the goose Right, the birds that are most commonly affected are waterfowl.
Dr Ann Hohenhaus:So the goose in Canada that made the dog sick, geese, are waterfowl, and most recently in the zoos in New York City there have been some ducks that have died and some wild birds too, and now they're worried about the birds that belong to what they call the collection, about the birds that belong to what they call the collection. And then, of course, the price of eggs has skyrocketed because egg producing chickens have been infected with avian influenza, and then all the birds get sick and die, and then there are no birds left to make eggs and I suspect the next thing that will happen is the price of chicken will also go up. But out on Long Island there was a duck, I believe a duck or goose farm and that birds all died at that farm as well. So it's commercial poultry like chickens and ducks and geese, and also backyard poultry. Some wild bird comes into your backyard and infects your chickens that you have, so you have fresh eggs every morning. So this is quite widespread throughout the animal kingdom.
Kristiina Wilson:So how is it spread exactly, especially from bird to bird? Is it just in feces? Can birds spread it through just flapping their wings? Is it in the air? How does avian influenza spread?
Dr Ann Hohenhaus:It's mostly respiratory, but it's also in the feces and if you think about viruses, if the feces have a lot of flu virus in them and a bird flaps its wings, it's probably going to flap virus around.
Dr Ann Hohenhaus:so it's in the air and you could breathe it in. And the people, most of the people who've had bird flu it's not lots and lots of people, but most of the people either have come in contact with sick birds or sick cows. And if you're working on a dairy farm then you have and are a dairy worker, you have very close contact with the cows when you're milking them. And if other people would have had sick birds in their backyard and you know they were worried about their chickens and then they got flu from the chickens, there are some people that no one can figure out where they were exposed to bird flu and that might be more scary.
Kristiina Wilson:Yeah, that's getting really scary, doesn't it present in cows just as like a conjunctivitis?
Dr Ann Hohenhaus:Well, a lot of people with mild bird flu have conjunctivitis. Cats get respiratory infections and you know cats with respiratory infections always have gooey eyes, and so conjunctivitis is kind of a common symptom across species that we see. Cats also seem to exhibit neurologic signs, meaning acting weird, walking in circles. So neurologic signs are common in birds infected with avian influenza. Got it?
Kristiina Wilson:So exactly how susceptible are cats to avian influenza, and is it breed specific, age specific, or is it just felines in general being super susceptible?
Dr Ann Hohenhaus:Well.
Dr Ann Hohenhaus:I think, felines in general, because we know that there have been big cats that have died and little cats that have died. I don't think there's enough cats infected that we can say it's Rex cats, or girl cats or boy cats, I don't think we know enough. Or boy cats, I don't think we know enough. And in New York City the typical cat would not be likely to be exposed because my typical patient doesn't ever go outside except to come to the veterinarian and so they're not likely to be exposed.
Dr Ann Hohenhaus:Where cats get exposed are where cats are indoor-outdoor cats, so more in the suburbs or rural areas. And of course there are either farms with potentially sick cows or wild birds where cats could catch it, and most of the sick cats domestic cats have been on dairy farms and so exposed to sick cows or have eaten I guess drank raw milk, or have eaten, I guess drank raw milk. So I think that in New York City our cats are not big at risk, at least right now, although that would change if it came to the point where there was human-to-cat transmission and people got bird flu. Then they could bring it home to their cat. So far we don't have evidence of that but, certainly that's a fear that many people have.
Kristiina Wilson:Right. What symptoms should cat owners watch for if they suspect that their cat has been exposed?
Dr Ann Hohenhaus:So either upper respiratory signs or neurologic signs, those are the two things that would provoke your veterinarian to think about bird flu. But there also needs to be some potential exposure, right? So you took the cat to the country for the weekend and let it go out in the backyard and you don't know where it went. Or I've had a couple of cats that have killed pigeons on the terrace or the fire escape. Pigeons are not thought to be highly susceptible to bird flu, but folks, let's just not take a chance, and so the terrace or the fire escape, depending on how you let your cat behave, presents some risk. So to diagnose bird flu you would need potential exposure, so to a sick bird or a dairy cow or raw meat diets or raw milk, and neurologic or respiratory signs.
Kristiina Wilson:Okay, so what steps can cat owners take to reduce the risk of their pets contracting avian influenza? Aside from, if you're in the city, don't let your pet out on the balcony or the terrace. Are there any other steps that people can take?
Dr Ann Hohenhaus:Well, I think keeping your cat indoors in general is so if you take it to the country and the cat's like, oh, there must be mousies out there and I want to go in the backyard? The answer should be no. And then we know that the big cats in Oregon and cats that were fed raw cat foods so food for cats, but it was uncooked. There are patients that have gotten flu that way. And then cats drinking raw milk to your cats because they are potentially contaminated at this time. Right, absolutely.
Kristiina Wilson:I will say, you know, we live out in a very rural area. Now, after living, for, you know, 30 years in New York City, we moved out here to Connecticut. In the forest we have 13 cats and we have a huge catio, but we have closed that off to them because we do have a lot of native birds and so we also have a strict shoe quarantine right, so we have outdoor shoes and, you know, nothing comes in the house because we're also scared about bringing any potential fecal, dust droppings, anything from outside into the house. Do you think people need to go that far, or go as far as to using something like rescue or a foot bath, or are we there yet?
Dr Ann Hohenhaus:um, I don't, so far. The public health, um, people are not cautioning that we should do those things. But it's not wrong to have outdoor shoes and indoor shoes. And, yes, if you had, if you had a flock of geese land in your backyard in Connecticut and then you got goose poop which will be everywhere on your shoes and there was a sick goose, yes, there's no question you could bring that in. So it's not an unreasonable thing to decide you're going to have outdoor shoes and indoor shoes.
Dr Ann Hohenhaus:I think that, for the people, if there's a dead bird, you don't want to handle that bird and you need to get, you know, a shovel and put it in a trash bag and throw it away or somehow not handle that bird and get it into the trash. Now, if there's a lot of dead birds in your backyard, then you need to call the public health officials, because I would be worried that if you have multiple dead birds, then maybe they have avian influenza, and so that's when you would want to reach out. If they're wild birds, it's going to depend on your state.
Dr Ann Hohenhaus:In New York I think it'd be the Department of Environmental Protection or the Conservation Department, the people that deal with wild animals in your state, which you can usually find pretty easily on your state's government website, and they would be the ones to consider make a decision about testing a lot of dead birds in your backyard. But that would be concerning. If you have a cat that's contacted some dead birds in the backyard, then you want to contact your veterinarian.
Kristiina Wilson:Okay, if someone is feeding outdoor feral cats, should they be concerned about those cats being exposed and what can they do to help those cats?
Dr Ann Hohenhaus:I'm not sure you could do anything. So the good news is that, at least right now, songbirds so the little pretty birds that bird watchers like to watch are not the main source of avian influenza. That could change, because that's one thing that's consistent about flu viruses is change. So the average family is not being told to get rid of your bird feeders. You know, because you like to feed the birds, because you like to watch them.
Dr Ann Hohenhaus:But I would say that if you had cats, maybe it's not fair to the birds to have a bird feeder to begin with, because then the outdoor feral cats are like ooh buffet, and that's one and then two. Those birds would put those cats at risk. But outdoor cats you can't keep from hunting. Even if you feed them really well, I don't think they can resist a sparrow or a chickadee. So I think they're going to have the potential to be exposed.
Dr Ann Hohenhaus:And again, if your entire feral cat colony has an upper respiratory infection or is acting strange colony has an upper respiratory infection or is acting strange, then you have to worry about bird flu in those cats because they're outdoors and potentially exposed. The public health officials are talking that if you have backyard poultry so some chickens that you have to lay eggs you should probably get rid of your bird feeder. Either empty it out, clean it out, don't attract birds because they could make your backyard chickens sick. If you have a feeder just to watch the birds, maybe still okay and if you have cats, probably you don't need the bird feeder in the backyard.
Kristiina Wilson:Right, Well, yeah, certainly not if you have outdoor cats or feral cats. But for people who do not have outdoor cats right now, the literature says that having a bird feeder is still okay.
Dr Ann Hohenhaus:That's what the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology is saying.
Kristiina Wilson:Okay.
Dr Ann Hohenhaus:Yes, great.
Kristiina Wilson:So I guess my next question I think we've already answered, which was are certain bird species more likely to carry influenza? And I think you answered that as waterfowl and I think isn't it? 3% of songbirds is the current statistic. That.
Dr Ann Hohenhaus:I haven't seen a statistic on songbirds, but songbirds are low and the other species that one would worry about and I do not classify them as songbirds would be pigeons.
Dr Ann Hohenhaus:So, in New York City the most common bird is, unfortunately, the pigeon Right, and pigeons seem to be fairly resistant to bird flu, and I've gotten that off. The University of Minnesota's Cooperative Extension website. Is that they're saying pigeons are pretty resistant. But in New York City pigeons tend to cluster on balconies you know the edges of your terrace or fire escapes, or sit on your air conditioner and so I would say discourage that behavior in your pigeons by those plastic owls or those spiky things that you put out so that the pigeons can't roost.
Dr Ann Hohenhaus:But pigeons are probably not a big risk right now, but they're yucky and so maybe we just don't want the pigeons around.
Kristiina Wilson:I love pigeons. I worked for quite a while at the Wild Bird Fund, you know, on the Upper West Side, and so we just had one million pigeons and doves, and so I'm pigeons. I worked for quite a while at the Wild Bird Fund, you know, on the Upper West Side, and so we just had one million pigeons and doves and so I'm sure, I'm sure you did a love for pigeons after working there.
Kristiina Wilson:They're really nice, nice little guys. And also, you know, swans and geese and all different kinds of oh and some wonderful birds are at the Wild Bird Fund.
Dr Ann Hohenhaus:Yes, wonderful birds.
Kristiina Wilson:Yeah, they have some really great birds there. Okay, so do you have any information about again, and then we'll get off the bird feeders. But if people should be cleaning their bird feeders in a special way, is there anything that people should be doing, or just their regular maintenance?
Dr Ann Hohenhaus:Well, the reality is, I think most people don't clean their bird feeders, and so I think that you that's one thing that you should do. Now, I'm not sure what you should use to clean a bird feeder, because as a apartment dweller, I haven't a bird feeder but my you can use rescue. My suggestion for cleaning bird feeders would be to go on the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology and they probably have recommendations for how to clean your bird feeders. I watch the Cornell webcam on the bird feeders and people are in every morning about the time I turn on my video cleaning those bird feeders there, emptying out the old seeds and scraping out the stuff that's in there.
Dr Ann Hohenhaus:So, that's why I think they're likely to have information about how to safely clean your bird feeder and not make the wild birds sick while you're trying to not, you know, while you're trying to protect them.
Kristiina Wilson:Yeah, absolutely Moving on. Is there any treatment for avian influenza in felines? Is veterinary care effective at all if a cat happens to contract it, or is it just 100 percent fatal?
Dr Ann Hohenhaus:You know, I don't think anyone's published anything about treating cats. So I checked with the health department a couple of weeks ago the New York City Health Department and said just checking with you guys, but my assessment is there isn't a treatment for avian influenza in cats. It's just like when you have the flu, Drink plenty of fluids, you know, be sure that you rest a lot Eat. If your head is stuffy, steam yourself in the shower and if you get pneumonia out of it, then maybe you will need antibiotics and your veterinarian will have to figure that out. But there is no specific anti-flu medication for cats that get bird flu.
Dr Ann Hohenhaus:I mean, I don't think there are hundreds of cats that have been diagnosed with bird flu, and I don't know how many of them have ended up at a veterinarian's office because I haven't seen any stats on that, but it is in some cats. It is unquestionably fatal and whether or not we can make them better I don't know at this point in time.
Kristiina Wilson:Have there been any recent outbreaks affecting domestic cats? I guess not. Not any clusters of domestic cats, just cats that were on dairy farms.
Dr Ann Hohenhaus:Everything I know have been cats that have been somewhere, either outdoors or on dairy farms that have gotten it. I haven't heard of any pet cats that have gotten avian influenza, but I think if you have a cat with a mild upper respiratory infection and it's an indoor-outdoor cat, you might not have that cat tested for avian influenza. It just depends on how heightened your veterinarian's concern about avian influenza is to have that cat tested Okay.
Kristiina Wilson:So do you think at this point people should be keeping their indoor-outdoor cats indoor only If?
Dr Ann Hohenhaus:I had an indoor-outdoor cat. It would be indoors now. Yes, Okay.
Kristiina Wilson:Perfect. I would argue the same thing Also. I just don't think that people should have indoor cats.
Dr Ann Hohenhaus:Well, I would argue that maybe all indoor-outdoor cats should be indoors. It's better for birds, it's better for cats, they're safer indoors. They're just some cats that are very hard to keep indoors.
Kristiina Wilson:I agree. So if someone has a cat that is used to roaming outside, do you have recommendations for a way to transition them to an indoor lifestyle?
Dr Ann Hohenhaus:Well, I think I would not bring the cat in and say, hi, here's my. You know 30,000, 3,000 square foot house and you can go anywhere you want. You need to make sure that that cat knows to use the litter box and that cat feels safe indoors. So you know the screened porch, the sunroom, someplace, that the cat can have their own space where the litter box and food are, so that the cat has ready access, because I'm sure they're going to be unhappy and feel trapped boxes, for then you can open it up to moving around the rest of the house. And also likely, if you have indoor, outdoor cats you probably have some cats that are only indoors and you've got to make sure that that cat and the indoor cats get along.
Kristiina Wilson:Right, absolutely so. For cat owners, who are really concerned about avian influenza right now, what would be the high points of what they should be doing?
Dr Ann Hohenhaus:So you're going to laugh at my first answer, but one is to stay aware. So pretty much all of the health departments like New York City Health Department, new York State Health Department they've got places where they're reporting cases in the state. And so you want to find out where your government officials are reporting the cases in the state. And then you know, click yes, I want to get text messages when there's a new case or something, so you know what's going on. I think that's most important is to stay up to date and stay aware, and that's going to differ for every neighborhood. You know, if you live in Syracuse you're not going to follow the New York City Health Department because they're not going to be reporting that. But New York State is keeping track and reporting cases and therefore you could follow that.
Dr Ann Hohenhaus:So, a little bit of detective work on the part of the cat owner to figure out where this information is being released. Second thing is I would keep my cats indoors and I would not encourage birds to come. As much as cats like to watch the birds outside, I'm not sure I would encourage birds to come on my terrace, into my, you know I had a neighbor who let pigeons in her apartment all the time, not into the apartment. Just really try and maximize the distance between your cat and birds. And then I think the last thing is I know people are really attached to feeding raw diets, but that has probably been the demise of a goodly number of cats and therefore no raw milk, no, raw meat?
Kristiina Wilson:Absolutely. Those are all great points and actually the first listener question that we have is about raw diets because I think, as you said, so many people are really attached to this idea of raw food, even though at least all of the publications that I have looked at about raw diets show that there isn't really any nutritional benefit to them and actually often they can carry salmonella and you know other things that you don't want your cats getting. But the first listener question is is the dry, raw single protein rabbit food safe for cats to eat?
Dr Ann Hohenhaus:Well, I don't think that any raw food is safe for cats to eat. I'm sure that make us sick, and so rabbit is the protein and I would not be eating raw rabbit Probably not right now, about avian influenza, but more about salmonella, campylobacter E coli, that contaminate raw meat.
Kristiina Wilson:All right. The next question is I live in the city with indoor, outdoor cats. How worried should I be? I don't know what city this person is referring to, but I think we sort of touched on this question, but I don't know if there's anything additionally you would like to add.
Dr Ann Hohenhaus:Well, so city and outdoor cat bothers me, whether or not I mean yes, I think there's probably some risk of avian influenza. I think the bigger risk is automobiles. If you live in the city, then that cat is more likely to get run over by a car than it is to to get avian influenza right now that can change.
Kristiina Wilson:Okay, can cats get avian influenza from killing mice? I?
Dr Ann Hohenhaus:don don't know about mice. Birds yes, absolutely. But mice I don't know. And that's going to evolve, because every time you open the paper it says oh, this virus looks like it's mutated a little bit and therefore it might be more infective to mammals and mice are mammals. So. And then the other thing is that mice live outdoors with birds. So not right now can I tell you there's a concern. But could you believe there ultimately would be a concern?
Kristiina Wilson:Yes, Right Cat infections. Look like they're from raw milk, meat products or direct contact only With a bird Right.
Dr Ann Hohenhaus:I would say raw milk, raw meat or direct contact with an infected bird. Yes, okay, it could be bird poop as well, though.
Kristiina Wilson:Yeah.
Dr Ann Hohenhaus:So they might not have to touch the bird, but they have to get pretty close to where that bird was.
Kristiina Wilson:Yeah, I saw in I think it was the CDC had like a really good breakdown of ways of disease transmission and I do think that it was talking more about chickens, but they were talking a lot about feces transmission and wing flapping, I think because of the way that we were already talking about that. They may then get feces in there in the dust because they like to bathe in dirt and then it can carry that way. The next question is should I stop feeding the birds in my yard? The outdoor cats use my yard as a toilet. Oh yeah, I know.
Dr Ann Hohenhaus:So well, if the outdoor cats are being attracted by the birds in your bird feeder, then the answer is probably yes. You might not want to keep feeding birds in the yard, but if you have outdoor cats we've already talked about this why would you attract birds to your yard? Because those poor birds are only likely to be mauled by the outdoor cats.
Kristiina Wilson:Right, I know who this question is from. This person does not have cats. These are their neighbor's cats who are coming into their yard, or community cats that are coming into their yard. So they're not their cats and they're very bothered by the cats going to the bathroom in their yard.
Dr Ann Hohenhaus:I would be too.
Kristiina Wilson:Yeah, of course. See talk about people working with community cats and who have cats at home precautions they should take.
Dr Ann Hohenhaus:they should take. Well, if the community cats are sick, then obviously you're going to wash hands, change clothes, change shoes. And then the other thing to think about because I don't know that we can tell the difference between bird flu in a community cat and a little upper respiratory outbreak in a community cat right now is to protect yourself a mask, because this is spread through the respiratory tract, and so I think you don't want to get sick, in case that the cats with runny nose and gooey eyes have the flu rather than, you know, calisthenics or something Right?
Kristiina Wilson:Yeah, Will this or has this impacted food with chicken or other birds in it? And I do think we sort of touched on that a little bit.
Dr Ann Hohenhaus:But I don't know of any. I haven't seen any people who've gotten avian influenza from eating raw poultry, but definitely the big cats and pet cats have gotten sick because they ate either chicken or duck food and there's also a variety of raw goose food out there, because I am asking clients very specifically what they're feeding and one of my clients was feeding their animal raw goose pet food I didn't even know that was a thing. Well, you learn something every day. I didn't either.
Kristiina Wilson:Is that a novel protein diet, or is that just a?
Dr Ann Hohenhaus:You know I did not investigate that diet further because I didn't need to know more to know it was a bad idea. But I would guess it's a novel protein diet. Yeah, huh.
Kristiina Wilson:All right. I wonder if this question is also what like asking about if it's still okay to feed your cats canned food that has chicken. Other birds should not be a problem because to get food into a can.
Dr Ann Hohenhaus:It's cooked at high heat and high pressure, and so that should get rid of the flu virus. Um it so. And then the same thing is true for pelleted, you know, dry cat food. It takes a fair amount of heat to get that stuff baked into those little pellets.
Kristiina Wilson:Okay, great, I know. When this came out, I had a real freak out and contacted all the companies to make sure everything that our guys eat was cooked appropriately, even Churu. I reached out to them and made sure that churu was, you know, cooked at a high enough heat. So, um, it's just my own personal freak out. And then the last question is have they found the d1 one strain in cats yet?
Dr Ann Hohenhaus:not that I know of, but you know, information like everything goes along and all of a sudden there's a whole bunch of new information that drops. But so far, no, blessedly all right, although I think people are concerned that the D1.1 strain is more could more readily infect mammals, right?
Kristiina Wilson:Well, that is all the questions that we had. Thank you so so much for coming on the podcast. Is there anything that you would like to add to share with our listeners?
Dr Ann Hohenhaus:No, I think you got. You had a terrific list of questions because if I wasn't sure you'd bring up bird feeders and so and pigeons, and we got both of those topics in.
Kristiina Wilson:All right, cool. Yeah, I'm also a crazy bird person, and I think a lot of our listeners are as well, and I'm a huge proponent of normally recommending to my behavior clients that they give cats a lot of additional intellectual stimulation, and part of that is always having either cat TV or a bird feeder so that their cats can watch species appropriate animals and then combine that with, you know, hunting behavior. But obviously now we need to dial that back, so I think, sorry, go ahead Well that you know.
Dr Ann Hohenhaus:That comment brings up something that I was going to say when you said how can I bring my indoor outdoor cat and make it indoor all the time? I think you should need to make sure that outdoor cat has a lot of opportunity to exercise, and so I think I would buy the tallest cat tree that my house would allow so that cat has the opportunity to climb and perch and hide. I think that that will improve that cat's quality of life when it has to be indoors Absolutely. And I also think that you know you can play. There's music that's supposed to be better for cats.
Dr Ann Hohenhaus:There's videos for cats, and so I think you have to substitute those for the outdoor, the outdoor bird feeder and maybe you could get your cat some fish with a lid on the tag.
Kristiina Wilson:That's a good idea. You need to get some sort of fast moving fish, I think. But and I think also making sure that you exercise your cats yeah, I love twice a day, morning and night, and making it a predictable activity so that they're ready for their exercise, especially before mealtimes, is great. But cats need so much physical and intellectual stimulation that we should all remember that, that we make sure we exercise our cats and exercise their bodies and their brains, because they are smart guys and they they need that, especially if they've been outside using both of those, both of those things, and then we bring them inside and they're bored. That can really lead to a lot of behaviors that humans do not care for if we don't supply them with alternative activities. So that's my little spiel on intellectual stimulation.
Dr Ann Hohenhaus:Have you ever tried one of those cat wheels? It's like a hamster wheel, but it's big and do cats. You know, you see it on the Internet. But then you say, oh, it's like a hamster wheel, but it's big and do cats you know, you see it on the internet. But then you say, uh, yeah, it's probably the only cat that uses it.
Kristiina Wilson:Yeah, we got one a few months ago and it was very stupid of me because we live. We live now. You know, we lived moved out of our 900 square foot New York City apartment and now we live in a really much a house and we have a really it's a ranch style house and so it has this very, very long hallway and the cats just run up and down the super long hallway that goes the entire length of this house. I don't know why. I got it in my head that they would like a wheel when they do their exercise, running back along, back and forth along the hallway. So I trained them to use the wheel and they would get on it, but only when they knew that we were going to do our clicker training and they were going to receive a reward. Otherwise they never got on it unless it was time for training, because they they run themselves up and down the hallway and then when we do our exercise in the morning and the evening, they also run up and down the hallway. So they had no need for this wheel.
Kristiina Wilson:But I think if you live in a smaller space, I do think, especially if you can get your cat on it when they're young, although I will say you know, our older cats got on it, but again, it was so paired with the treat for us it wasn't. It's now in the garage. So because it was just, it was taking up so much space and and they weren't, they were not enjoying it, they were just sleeping on it, you know?
Kristiina Wilson:Yeah, it just wasn't. They were actually. What they were doing was sitting on it because it was in front of this floor to ceiling windows and using it to just watch the raccoons who come by in the evening. So I was like this is not really helpful, but also for what I do.
Kristiina Wilson:I I am often just purchasing things to kind of test them out to see if they work as intellectual or physical stimulation for cats, so that then I can recommend them or not recommend them to clients. So you know, every once in a while something is a huge win and then other times something is not that great. But it was still, I also, a good training exercise for them and good for me to learn how to teach other people, to teach their cats to use the wheel. But, um, in our house it was a bust. So if anyone in the Connecticut area would like a free, free cat wheel, um, you know it works. It works great. It's just our cats don't care about it All right.
Kristiina Wilson:Well, thank you again. So so much for all of your information. I think this is such an important episode and I know a lot of people are really concerned about avian influenza, so I really appreciate you coming on the podcast and sharing all this information.
Dr Ann Hohenhaus:A pleasure to be here and talked with a fellow cat lover. So thank you, Christina, so much for having me. Thank you and talked with a fellow cat lover, so thank you, Christina so much for having me, thank you, thanks for listening.
Kristiina Wilson:If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review wherever you listen. It super helps. For more information and to support our podcast, check out our website at hissandtellpodcastcom. You can also find us on Instagram at hissandtellpodcast. Music provided by Cat Beats.
