Pet Owner Basics

Cats may seem like independent spirits but they rely on you for food, water, shelter, veterinary care, a clean litter box, and love. Here are some kitty essentials. 

Keep them safe 

Keep your cat safe by keeping him or her indoors or safely confined to your property. 

• Always use a cat carrier when transporting your cat. 

• Make sure window screens are secure. 

• Have your cat wear a breakaway collar with ID in case he or she gets out. 

• Keep the washer and dryer doors closed. (Some cats like to climb in appliances.) 

• Get in the habit of checking drawers and cupboards before closing them – a kitty may be inside! 

Keep them healthy 

Your cat should be vaccinated against 3 airborne viruses, panleukopenia (feline distemper), feline calicivirus, and feline herpesvirus type I (rhinotracheitis) – or “FVRCP,” and rabies. Kittens receive vaccinations once every 3-4 weeks from 8 weeks of age until they reach 16 weeks. Indoor cats should also be vaccinated against rabies and FVRCP. Your cat can receive a booster after 1 year and should receive a vaccination every 3 years. 

Spaying and neutering 

It is advisable to spay or neuter your cat by 5 months of age. Besides preventing unwanted litters, spaying and neutering will reduce spraying or marking, howling, roaming, and fighting. 

Healthy diets 

Feed your cat a nutritionally balanced diet and provide fresh water 24/7. Ask your vet for advice on what and how often to feed your cat. 

Keep their litter clean 

Cats are naturally clean and will instinctively use a litter box. You just need to show your kitty where it is. Scoop the box daily and periodically wash it with dish detergent and hot water. Because cats also value privacy, place the litter box in a quiet spot that’s also convenient. 

Grooming 

All cats, whether long-haired or short-haired, should be brushed regularly to keep their coats and skin healthy, prevent matting, and reduce shedding and hairballs. Grooming can be a good opportunity to discover any lumps, fleas, or injuries as well as bond with your kitty. 

Entertainment 

Cats often entertain themselves, but regular play sessions will provide them with the physical and mental stimulation they need and strengthen the bond you share. Cats love to play and appreciate simple and inexpensive toys. Ping-Pong balls and opened paper bags (remove the handles) can provide hours of fun. 

You might want to consider investing in a kitty condo or cat tree—a multi-level structure typically covered in carpet or sisal (a rough material cats love to scratch) where your cat can climb, stretch, and hide to their heart's content while watching the world go by. 

Here are some useful tips for new pet parents or first-time adopters. 

Feeding 

Puppies should be fed a high-quality, name brand puppy food (large breed puppy food for large breeds). Please limit “people food” because it can result in vitamin and mineral imbalances, bone and teeth problems as well as cause picky eating and obesity. You should follow the recommendations on the food packaging but here are some general guidelines: 

• Puppies 8-12 weeks usually need 4 meals a day. 

• Feed puppies 3-6 months 3 meals a day. 

• Feed puppies 6-12 months 2 meals a day. 

• When your dog reaches his or her 1st birthday, 1 meal a day is usually enough. 

• For larger dogs or those prone to bloat, it can be better to feed 2 smaller meals. 

Name brand dry dog food provides a well-balanced diet for adult dogs and may be mixed with water, broth or canned food. Clean, fresh water should be available at all times. 

Spaying and neutering 

Female dogs should be spayed and male dogs should be neutered by 6 months of age. Spaying and neutering will prevent certain diseases and will help your dog live a longer, healthier life. Spaying and neutering are also effective in decreasing or prevented some unwanted behaviors, such as roaming, righting and marking territory. Most of all, spaying and neutering will prevent unwanted litters! 

Vaccinations 

Dogs should receive vaccinations against parvo/distemper (DA2PP) and rabies. 

• Puppies should receive vaccinations every 3-4 weeks from 8 weeks of age until they reach 16 weeks. 

• For dogs older than 16 weeks, veterinarians advise 2 doses of vaccine 3-4 weeks apart. 

• Your dog can receive a booster after 1 year and should receive a vaccination every 3 years. 

• Other vaccines you can consider for your dog include Bordetella (“kennel cough”) and the canine influenza virus. 

Exercise 

Dogs need exercise to burn calories, stimulate their minds and stay healthy. Individual exercise needs vary based on breed or breed mix, sex, age and level of health. Exercise also tends to help dogs avoid boredom, which can lead to destructive behaviors. 

Housing 

Your dog needs a warm, quiet place to rest. A training crate or dog bed is ideal, with a clean blanket or pillow inside. If your dog spends a lot of time outdoors, make sure he has access to shade and cool water in hot weather and a warm, dry, covered shelter when it’s cold. 

Manners Training for Dogs 

Good manners are as necessary for dogs as they are for people. Teaching your dog a few basic behaviors such as sit, down, stay, and come can go a long way to ensuring a well-behaved dog that will be welcome in any social situation. 

Positive reinforcement training 

The best way to train your dog is to reward the behaviors you like rather than to simply punish the behaviors you don’t like. When your dog makes a good decision rewarding that good behavior with praise or a treat will increase the likelihood that he or she will do it again. Dogs learn from their behavior and, if they get a reward for a behavior, they will continue to do it and it will become stronger each time it is rewarded. 

Timing is very important 

In order for your dog to know which behavior earned the reward, you must offer the reward AS he or she is doing the behavior. Because it is sometimes impossible to get the reward to the dog the second he or she is doing something, a marker signal of some kind can help pinpoint the behavior for the dog. A marker signal can be a word like “YES” or the click of a clicker – it’s something that happens immediately and is then followed by the delivery of the actual reward (like a food treat). This marker signal provides the dog with the information needed to learn exactly which behaviors earn reward. 

Reward vs. bribe 

Rewarding your dog’s behavior with a food treat is an excellent training tool because most dogs are so food motivated. Once the dog knows the cue (the word used to ask for the behavior) and displays the behavior when requested to do so, you can fade out the food treat by giving it only randomly. Basically, you become a giant walking slot machine handing out rewards randomly for good behavior. This actually makes the behaviors stronger (just think of how addicted people become to slot machines). 

Luring your dog into the behavior with the food treat is a good way to get started but stop using the treat as a lure as soon as your dog learns the cue. If you use the lure too long, it can become more of a bribe and you will have a dog who performs the requested behavior only if you have the treat in your hand. 

Vary your rewards 

Food is the easiest reward to use when you are teaching your dog a behavior, but it is not the only reward you can use. Varying your rewards can help the dog to understand that he or she gets the good things in life by offering the behaviors you request. Sometimes the reward will be a treat, other times it will be the chance to fetch a thrown ball, get access to the back yard for play, or ride in the car. 

Dogs love to learn and when you understand how they learn and apply positive reinforcement methods to teach basic behaviors, you will have a better-behaved dog as well as a stronger bond with your canine companion. 

By spaying or neutering your pet, you’ll help alleviate the pet homelessness crisis in the United States which results in millions of healthy dogs and cats being euthanized each year simply because there aren’t enough homes to go around. Spaying and neutering is also cost-effective. The cost of your pet’s spay or neuter is far less than the cost of having and caring for a litter! 

There are also medical and behavioral benefits to spaying and neutering your animals. 

 Medical benefits 

• Your female pet will live a longer, healthier life. Spaying helps prevent uterine infections and breast tumors, which are malignant in approximately 50% of dogs and 90% of cats. Spaying your pet before her first heat offers the best protection from these diseases. 

• Neutering your male pet prevents testicular cancer and some prostate problems. 

Behavioral benefits 

• Your spayed female pet won’t go into heat. 

• Female cats usually go into heat 4-5 days every 3 weeks during breeding season – typically Spring to Fall. In an effort to attract mates, they’ll yowl and urinate more frequently, sometimes all over your house! 

• Female dogs’ cycles can also vary, but most go into heat every 6 months. Small breed dogs can sometimes cycle 3 times a year and large breed dogs may only cycle once every 12-18 months. 

• Your neutered male cat or dog may be better behaved. Unneutered cats and dogs are more likely to mark their territory by spraying strong-smelling urine. 

• Your neutered male dog may be less likely to mount other dogs, people or objects after he’s been neutered. He will also be less likely to roam away from home. An intact male will do just about anything to find a mate, including finding creative ways to escape from your house or yard. Once he’s free to roam, he risks injury in traffic and fights with other male animals. 

• Some dog aggression problems may be avoided by early neutering. 

Debunking myths and misconceptions 

• Spaying or neutering will not cause your pet to become overweight. Lack of exercise and overfeeding will cause your pet to gain weight – not neutering. Your pet will remain trim as long as you provide exercise and monitor food intake. 

• Neutering is not a quick fix for all male pets’ behavior problems. Although the surgery will reduce the amount of testosterone in your pet’s system, it won’t eliminate the hormone completely. Neutering will not reduce behaviors that have become habitual. The effects of neutering are largely dependent on your dog’s individual personality, physiology and history. 

When to spay or neuter 

Talk to your veterinarian about the best time to spay or neuter your pet. 

• For dogs, it is safe to spay or neuter puppies once they are 8 weeks old or weigh 8 pounds. For female dogs, it is advisable to spay before their first heat, usually at 5-7 months. For male dogs, it is best to neuter by 6 months. Older dogs can also be spayed or neutered. 

• For cats, it is safe to spay or neuter kittens once they are 8 weeks old. To avoid the start of urine spraying and eliminate the chance for pregnancy, it’s advisable to spay or neuter your cat before 5 months. Female cats can be spayed while they’re in heat. 

Vaccinating your pet is the best way to protect him or her from debilitating, sometimes fatal, infectious diseases and helps to lessen the spread of those diseases to other animals, including humans. If your pet is ever exposed to the real disease, his immune system will be prepared to recognize and fight it off entirely or reduce the severity of the illness. 

“Core vaccines” are considered vital to all pets based on risk of exposure, severity of disease or transmissibility to humans. Additionally, each state has its own vaccination laws. In the State of Nevada, all pets are required to be vaccinated against rabies but other core vaccines will depend on your pet’s species. Discuss with your veterinarian what the best vaccination protocol is for your pet. 

A little prevention can save you the cost of diagnostic tests and treatments, and will allow your pet to live a long, healthy life. 

Kittens and Cats 

The core vaccines for cats are for 3 airborne viruses, panleukopenia (feline distemper), feline calicivirus, and feline herpesvirus type I (rhinotracheitis) – or “FVRCP,” and rabies. 

• Kittens should receive vaccinations every 3-4 weeks from 8 weeks of age until they reach 16 weeks. 

• For cats older than 16 weeks, veterinarians advise 2 doses of vaccine 3-4 weeks apart. 

• Your cat can receive a booster after 1 year and should receive a vaccination every 3 years. 

• Indoor cats that never go outside should be vaccinated against rabies and FVRCP. 

• Non-core vaccines you can consider include feline leukemia virus, chlamydia felis and feline immunodeficiency virus. 

Puppies and Dogs 

The core vaccines for dogs are for distemper, adenovirus, parvovirus, and parainfluenza– or DA2PP – and rabies. 

• Puppies should receive vaccinations every 3-4 weeks from 8 weeks of age until they reach 16 weeks. 

• For dogs older than 16 weeks, veterinarians advise 2 doses of vaccine 3-4 weeks apart. 

• Your dog can receive a booster after 1 year and should receive a vaccination every 3 years. 

• Non-core vaccines you can consider include bordatella, leptospirosis, and Lyme. 

Debunking myths and misconceptions 

Most pets show no ill-effect from vaccinations. If there is a reaction, it will likely be minor and short-lived. Here are some other misconceptions: 

• Vaccinations are required every year. Not true. According to manufacturers and veterinarians, core vaccines should be administered every 3 years. 

• Smaller pets get smaller doses. Not true. All cats and dogs receive the same size dose; the dose is so small that the size of the animal doesn’t matter. 

• Vaccination is unnecessary and interferes with nature. Not true. Animal vaccination plays a vital role in allowing our pets to live healthy lives and prevents the pain and suffering that can accompany a slow death from disease. 

• Vaccination doesn’t work. Not true. Rabies is a deadly virus but thanks to widespread vaccination this disease has almost been eradicated in the United States. 

Introducing a New Cat to Resident Pets 

It’s important to have realistic expectations when introducing a new pet to a resident pet. Some cats are more social than other cats. For example, an eight-year-old cat that has never been around other animals may never learn to share her territory (and her people) with other pets in the household. However, an eight-week-old kitten separated from her mom and littermates for the first time, might prefer to have a cat or dog companion. Cats are territorial and need to be introduced to other animals very slowly in order to give them time to get used to each other before there is a face-to-face confrontation. Slow introductions help prevent fearful and aggressive problems from developing. 

Please Note | When you introduce pets to each other, one of them may send “play” signals which can be misinterpreted by the other pet. If those signals are interpreted as aggression by one animal, then you should handle the situation as “aggressive.” 

Confinement 

Confine your new cat to one medium-sized room with her litter box, food, water and a bed. Feed your resident pets and the newcomer on each side of the door to this room. This will help all of them to associate something enjoyable (eating!) with each other’s smells. Don’t put the food so close to the door that the animals are too upset by each other’s presence to eat. Gradually move the dishes closer to the door until your pets can eat calmly, directly on either side of the door. Next, use two doorstops to prop open the door just enough to allow the animals to see each other, and repeat the whole process. 

Swap Scents 

Switch sleeping blankets or beds between your new cat and your resident animals so they have a chance to become accustomed to each other’s scent. Rub a towel on one animal and put it underneath the food dish of another animal. You should do this with each animal in the house. 

Switch Living Areas 

Once your new cat is using her litter box and eating regularly while confined, let her have free time in the house while confining your other animals to the new cat’s room. This switch provides another way for the animals to experience each other’s scents without a face-to-face meeting. It also allows the newcomer to become familiar with her new surroundings without being frightened by the other animals. 

Avoid Fearful and Aggressive Meetings 

Avoid any interactions between your pets that result in either fearful or aggressive behavior. If these responses are allowed to become a habit, they can be difficult to change. It’s better to introduce your pets to each other so gradually that neither animal becomes afraid or aggressive. You can expect mild forms of these behaviors, but don’t give them the opportunity to intensify. If either animal becomes fearful or aggressive, separate them, and start over with the introduction process in a series of very small, gradual steps, as outlined above. 

Precautions 

If one of your pets has a medical problem or is injured, this could stall the introduction process. Check with your veterinarian to be sure that all of your pets are healthy. You’ll also want to have at least one litter box per cat, and you’ll probably need to clean all of the litter boxes more frequently. Make sure that none of the cats are being “ambushed” by another while trying to use the litter box. Try to keep your resident pets’ schedule as close as possible to what it was before the newcomer’s appearance. Cats can make lots of noise, pull each other’s hair, and roll around quite dramatically without either cat being injured. If small spats do occur between your cats, you shouldn’t attempt to intervene directly to separate the cats. Instead, make a loud noise, throw a pillow, or use a squirt bottle with water and vinegar to separate the cats. Give them a chance to calm down before re-introducing them to each other. Be sure each cat has a safe hiding place. 

Introducing Your New Dog to Your Resident Dog 

Animals that live in groups, like dogs, establish a social structure within the group called a dominance hierarchy. This dominance hierarchy serves to maintain order, reduce conflict and promote cooperation among pack members. Dogs also establish territories, which they may defend against intruders or rivals. This social and territorial nature affects their behavior when a new dog is introduced to their household. 

Introduction Techniques 

• Choose a Neutral Location | Introduce the dogs in a neutral location so that your resident dog is less likely to view the newcomer as a territorial intruder. Each dog should be handled by a separate person. With both dogs on a leash, take them to an area with which neither is familiar, such as a park or a neighbor’s yard. If you frequently walk your resident dog in a park near your house, she may view that park as her territory, so choose another site that’s unfamiliar to her. We recommend bringing your resident dog with you to the shelter and introducing the dogs before adopting the new dog. 

• Use Positive Reinforcement | From the first meeting, you want both dogs to expect “good things” to happen when they’re in each other’s presence. Let them sniff each other, which is normal canine greeting behavior. As they do, talk to them in a happy, friendly tone of voice — never use a threatening tone of voice. Don’t allow them to investigate and sniff each other for a prolonged time, as this may escalate to an aggressive response. After a short time, get both dogs’ attention, and give each dog a treat in return for obeying a simple command, such as “sit” or “stay.” Take the dogs for a walk and let them sniff and investigate each other at intervals. Continue with the “happy talk,” food rewards and simple commands. 

• Be Aware of Body Postures | One body posture that indicates things are going well is a “play-bow.” One dog will crouch with her front legs on the ground and her hind end in the air. This is an invitation to play that usually elicits friendly behavior from the other dog. Watch carefully for body postures that indicate an aggressive response, including hair standing up on the other dog’s back, teeth-baring, deep growls, a stiff legged gait or a prolonged stare. If you see such postures, interrupt the interaction immediately by calmly and positively getting each dog interested in something else. For example, both handlers can call their dogs to them, have them sit or lie down and reward each with a treat. The dogs will become interested in the treats, which will prevent the situation from escalating into aggression. Try letting the dogs interact again, but this time for a shorter time period and/or at a greater distance from each other. 

• Taking the Dogs Home | When the dogs seem to be tolerating each other’s presence without fearful or aggressive responses, and the investigative greeting behaviors have tapered off, you can take them home. Whether you choose to take them in the same, or different vehicles, will depend on their size, how well they ride in the car, how trouble-free the initial introduction has been and how many dogs are involved. 

• If you have more than one resident dog in your household, it may be best to introduce the resident dogs to the new dog one at a time. Two or more resident dogs may have a tendency to “gang up” on the newcomer. 

Introducing Puppies to Adult Dogs 

Puppies usually pester adult dogs unmercifully. Before the age of four months, puppies may not recognize subtle body postures from adult dogs signaling that they’ve had enough. Well-socialized adult dogs with good temperaments may set limits with puppies with a growl or snarl. These behaviors are normal and should be allowed. Adult dogs that aren’t well-socialized, or that have a history of fighting with other dogs, may attempt to set limits with more aggressive behaviors, such as biting, which could harm the puppy. For this reason, a puppy shouldn’t be left alone with an adult dog until you’re confident the puppy isn’t in any danger. Be sure to give the adult dog some quiet time away from the puppy, and perhaps, some individual attention as described above. 

When to Get Help 

If the introduction of a new dog to a household doesn’t go smoothly, contact a professional animal behaviorist immediately. Dogs can be severely injured in fights, and the longer the problem continues, the harder it can be to resolve. Conflicts between dogs in the same family can often be resolved with professional help. Punishment won’t work and could make things worse.