Catwise : America’s favorite cat expert answers your cat behavior questions

374 Pages·2016·4.66 MB·English

by  Pam Johnson-Bennett

P
RAISE FOR
P J -B
AM OHNSON ENNETT
“She can, in fact, work miracles with problem cats.”
—Pet Life magazine
“Every day is ‘Caturday’ for cat lovers! And to strengthen our bond with our
precious feline friends, Pam’s advice is simply the best. As a proud pet parent of
three cats, our home is full of purrs, meows, and love, thanks to Pam’s wisdom
and training methods.”
—Robin R. Ganzert, PhD, president and CEO, American Humane
Association
“Cats are like pieces of art that grace your home and throw up on your laptop,
but oh how we love them, and nobody knows the ways of the mysterious feline
any better than Pam Johnson-Bennett. If you are holding this book, be prepared
to learn more about cats than you ever could have imagined. Seven kitties own
my wife, Mary, and me right now, and we need to learn all we can! Thanks,
Pam!”
—Joseph S. Bonsall, forty-two-year member of the American music
group The Oak Ridge Boys
“I have been a big fan of Pam’s for a long time. Her sound advice and unique
insight into cat behavior have helped thousands of cats.”
—Beth Stern, spokesperson, North Shore Animal League America
“Pam’s knowledge and her books are truly lifesaving words of wisdom for
countless owners of felines, and especially for the cats that would have
otherwise found themselves homeless or in a shelter without her guidance.”
—Megan Brodbine Williams, cofounder, Nashville Cat Rescue
“Pam Johnson-Bennett’s work makes an important contribution to our ability to
understand, appreciate, and live in harmonious and loving partnership with the
unique and amazing creature that is the cat.”
—Jane Lumbatis, executive director, Georgia SPCA
“Pam Johnson-Bennett’s works are staple recommendations for my cat clients.
Her books are highly readable and contain information based on the true science
of cat behavior. This book will benefit both cat owners and animal professionals.
CatWise should be required reading for anyone owning or working with cats.”
—Lore I. Haug, DVM, MS, diplomate, American College of Veterinary
Behaviorists, Texas Veterinary Behavior Services
“The queen of cat behavior!”
—Steve Dale, author of the syndicated newspaper column My Pet World
PENGUIN BOOKS
CATWISE
Pam Johnson-Bennett is one of the most popular and sought-after cat behavior
experts in the world. She is the author of seven award-winning books on cat
behavior, including Think Like a Cat, Hiss and Tell, Starting from Scratch, and
Cat vs. Cat. Pam has a private cat-consulting practice in Nashville, is a popular
guest on national TV and radio, has starred on Animal Planet UK’s series
Psycho Kitty, and has spoken on cat behavior at veterinary and animal-welfare
conferences around the world. During her more than thirty-year career, she has
been profiled widely, has written for many national magazines, and is the former
behavior columnist for Cats magazine, iVillage, Yahoo!, Cat Fancy’s Cat
Channel, Kittens USA, The Daily Cat, and Catster.
A certified cat behavior consultant, she was VP of the International
Association of Animal Behavior Consultants and founded the IAABC Cat
Division. Pam served on the American Humane Association’s Advisory Board
on Animal Behavior and Training. She has received many awards, including the
Winn Feline Foundation Award, multiple Cat Writers’ Association awards, and
the IAABC Cat Division Award.
Pam lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with her husband, two children, a rescued
Bengal cat, a rescued Sheltie, one well-trained goldfish, and two not-so-well-
trained goldfish.
Learn more about Pam’s techniques and recommendations at
www.catbehaviorassociates.com.

PENGUIN BOOKS
An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC
375 Hudson Street
New York, New York 10014
penguin.com
Copyright © 2016 by Pam Johnson-Bennett Penguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels
creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture.
Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright
laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without
permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin to continue to publish books
for every reader.
Cover photograph by Don Wright
Illustrations by Norris Hall Studio. Copyright © 2016 by Pam Johnson-Bennett Cats featured on cover were
rescued by The Cat Shoppe in Nashville, Tennessee.
Ebook ISBN 9781101993309
- - Names: Johnson-Bennett, Pam, 1954–author.
LIBRARYOFCONGRESSCATALOGING IN PUBLICATIONDATA
Title: Catwise : America’s favorite cat expert answers your cat behavior questions / Pam Johnson-Bennett.
Description: New York, New York : Penguin Books, 2016.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016000873 | ISBN 9780143129561
Subjects: LCSH: Cats—Behavior.
Classification: LCC SF446.5.J633 2016 | DDC 636.8—dc23
The information provided in this book is not intendend as medical diagnosis and should not
replace your cat’s veterinary care.
While the author has made every effort to provide accurate telephone numbers, Internet
addresses, and other contact information at the time of publication, neither the publisher nor
the author assumes any responsibility for errors or for changes that occur after publication.
Further, the publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility
for author or third-party Web sites or their content.
Cover photograph: Don Wright Jr.
Version_1
To my husband, Scott
And to my precious children, Gracie and Jack
You are my everything
To my mother
For a lifetime of love
Acknowledgments
“You’re writing another cat book?”
“Yes, Mom.”
“What else is there to say about cats?”
“Plenty.”
“When are you going to get a real career?”
• • •
This is the typical exchange my mother and I would have whenever she learned I
was working on yet another cat book. Don’t get me wrong, she loved cats and
had two who lived into old age, but in her mind, writing about cats wasn’t going
to provide professional and financial security. Up until my mid-forties, she still
had hopes that I would see the light and become a music teacher or a nurse. I
think it was close to my fiftieth birthday that she stopped mentioning how even
people my age could go back to college. I guess she finally surrendered to the
fact that the daughter she raised had somehow squeezed out a living writing
about cats, or maybe she realized that my stubborn streak was probably inherited
from her. Still, whenever we were together, she’d try to slip some money in my
pocket to ensure that my family wasn’t starving because of my career choice.
Before she passed away, my mother was in the beginning stages of
Alzheimer’s disease. She was unaware that I had a very successful behavior
business, continued to author several more books, and even had my own
television series. I am so very grateful that she still knew who I was, and I
cherish the fact that out of love, she continued to try to push a few dollars into
my hand. Somewhere deep inside her, though, I think she knew I did OK despite
the fact I never became a music teacher. I owe an unending thank-you to my
mother for a lifetime of love and the stubbornness to follow my heart.
Thank you to my husband, Scott, for filling every one of my days with love.
You were the answer to my prayers, and I thank God for feeling that I deserved
such blessings. Thank you to Gracie and Jack for the love and joy you give me
every day. I am so proud to be your mom. Thank you for being proud of me, as
well. It means everything. Thank you to Don Wright of Don Wright Designs. I
am so grateful to be the beneficiary of your amazing talent and friendship.
We’ve traveled quite a long road together. Thank you to my agent, Linda
Roghaar, for years of hand-holding, cheerleading, incredible wisdom, and
nurturing support. Thank you to the editor of my dreams, Wendy Wolf. You
always amaze me. Thank you to Bill Talmadge, my producer. Words really can’t
express my gratitude. Special thanks to Mike Sword and Brad Danks. Thank you
to the amazingly talented Norris Hall for your illustrations. Thank you to
Marilyn Krieger for many years of a cherished friendship. Thank you to the
veterinarians focusing on cat health and behavior. You make a huge difference
by spotlighting the needs of animals who have been viewed as second-class pet
citizens for too many years. Thank you to my dear friends at Animal Care
Veterinary Hospital. What an amazing group of professional and compassionate
animal experts. Extra thanks to Dr. Kyle Daniel. Special mention to Dr. Mark
Waldrop and the Nashville Cat Clinic for being one of the true pioneers in
recognizing years ago there was a need for a cats-only clinic. You’ve been my
cat hero for many years. Thank you to Megan Brodbine and Nashville Cat
Rescue for your tireless dedication toward caring for the cats forgotten by so
many. Thank you to Best Friends Animal Society for setting the standard when it
comes to making sure every animal has a chance to be loved and for inspiring us
to never give up until we have saved them all. Thank you to Chris Achord and
the Cat Shoppe for years of love and devotion to cat welfare. Decades ago, you
raised the bar for cat rescue. Thank you to the Farm at Natchez Trace for your
devotion to local pet parent education through your summer lecture series. A
huge thank-you to the many clients I’ve had since I first began in this field in
1982. It has always been my dream to make life better for cats and the people
who love them. Thank you for giving me that opportunity. What an honor it has
been to be a part of your lives.