I'm a fan of multiple cats

I find cats more fun in bunches! From the very beginning of my cat enjoyment journey, I have been astonished and delighted by how cats interact, share responsibilities, and amuse each other and their humans. Properly supported, they can achieve a level of social sophistication that must be experienced to be believed.

Our three "kittens" love to play together

Many people worry about committing to another cat, no matter how much they would like to have another.

How can we choose the right cat to add?

How can we blend this new cat with our existing cats?

How can we smooth out difficulties if our cats have disagreements?

I cover a lot of the pitfalls... and how to avoid them.

We can have several cats who get along, delight us with their antics, and create what I call Cat Civilization. Because when we engage our cat's "social operating system," they are happy to be contributing members to a social arena with jobs, duties, and negotiations.

Mutual experience leads to social expertise; for both cats, and humans.

My podcast explains how much fun it is to have Multiple Cats.

Do cats care for us?

Cats are not only emotionally connected to us, they are invested in caring for us, and increasing our well-being.

How can I be so sure? I've been carefully cared-for these past several weeks, as I've been struggling with a long bout of illness.

Tristan is in his own bag! He can come!

Many people are not aware that a cat's purr is actually a potent healing force. It operates at a frequency known to increase cellular growth, reduce swelling and inflammation, along with many other healing properties. And cats are willing to share this magic with us.

As seen at left, my youngest cat, Tristan, continually shows me that he misses me when I'm gone... and always comes up with a new scheme to accompany me on my errands. I appreciate the thought, even though I don't let him out of the house.

Anyone who has been "owned by a cat" has a story to tell about how they tried to look after us when we are sick, or came up with a way of getting us to feel better.

As I explain in my blog post, The Paw of Compassion, our cats actually exhibit empathy with their human friends, and care if we are feeling down; whether that's physical, or emotional.

Listen to my podcast about the cat's Paw of Compassion, and hear some extraordinary stories about how cats made a difference in the lives of their humans.

What are the cat's needs?

We are very fortunate to still have my Norwegian Forest Cat mix, James Bond, with us at the age of seventeen, (that's 85 in cat years!) and for him to be still fairly hale and hearty.

Just like large dogs, large cats don't have the longevity edge of their smaller cousins. I give a lot of the credit to our commitment to excellent care. We not only provide for the needs of James' body by fussing over his food and water, we also give him peace of mind by fussing over his litter box and scratching areas.

There's few things more frustrating than not realizing we are messing up their care, and then dealing with our frantic cat trying to signal their distress. When a cat doesn't use their litter box, scratches the furniture, and doesn't drink enough water... it really is our fault. Because when we do provide the proper care, our cat then loves to behave the way we want them to.

I discuss how to evaluate our food choices with The Cat Food Calculator. Find the tips and tricks about easy litter box maintenance I explained in what cats expect from their litter box setup.

We can't be happy when our basic needs are not met. Our cat is the same way!

Meet all our cat's needs with my all-in-one problem solving care manual, Cat 911.

Why "bad cat" is a misconception

Episode 4 of my podcast, Bad Cat, is about how often we mistake a cat's misbehavior as the cat "being bad."

But they aren't being bad. They are trying to get their needs met. How can that be bad?

In the cat's world, their original world of nature, desert, and must-concentrate-on-my-next-hot-meal, our cat would have taken care of their own needs, simply by following the urgings of their instincts.

When we open a can for our cat, we feed them... but the urgings of their instincts does not change.

Our cat still has the same needs to "sharpen" their claws, survey their territory, and investigate prey behavior... even if they are living with us, in our home.

• For more about this cat training concept, see my post, Why “naughty” is a misconception.

Learn the Cat Types, Learn about Cats

Did you hear my recent podcast on Cat Types?

Have we ever struggled with choosing the right cat? We won't have those same dilemmas once we learn the three different Cat Types.

So many people feel they can't seem to connect with their cat, or calm them down, or get them to behave, or know if they will get along with their other cats. That is why I'm sharing my tips and tricks on how to tell their Cat Type, and then we'll know their activity level, their social abilities, their favorite toys, and their ease of training.

Take my Cat Personality Quiz to find the right Cat Type for you!

• For more, here's that post I talked about, Gracie's Babies, where I explain how to tell which kittens are Alpha, Beta, or Gamma.

Welcome to "In A Purrfect World" on Pet Life Radio