There is some leeway there. If we're off by a few months even, it's not likely to be a big issue. But once you realize your cat's overdue, just give us a call, and we'll get them in to get them up to date.

Yes. So, immunity doesn't last forever. In most individuals, we sometimes need to jumpstart the immune system in the form of a booster to remind us how to keep us safe from a particular disease. And so, with most cats, we recommend seeing them every three years. We like to see them every year, but we will do them every three years for rabies and the distemper combination for boosters. And then, for those cats that need the leukemia vaccine, we typically do that every two years after kittenhood.

If your cat has always tolerated vaccinations well, it's absolutely safe to go ahead and get multiple boosters simultaneously. Just like as kids, we got two or three shots at a time to keep us safe from measles or chickenpox or things like that; the same goes with cats. We are competent in the safety of our vaccines, and it's actually safer to do multiple vaccines at once than run the risk of a kitty not getting back into the vet at the appropriate time to get the boosters they need.

So food is love with our pets. Most kittens are pretty food motivated. And so doing some hand feeding when they're young so that they see you as a source of food, and therefore affection can go a long way to build that relationship. Not many people think about this, but training can also be an excellent way to bond with your cat. It's fun—who doesn't want a cat that gives you a high five? But it also builds that bond and communication so that when you want your cat to get off the counter, or you need your cat to be safe, or you need to give your cat medication, these are all things that we can train them to be comfortable with, and that can improve our relationship over time.

So give your kittens a lot of delicious food within reason, as we don't want super chubby kitties with health problems. But using food as reinforcement and food to build bonds is essential. But youth training can also be a lot of fun. Check out YouTube. There are a million great videos of cats doing pretty amazing things.

I would say 99% of the time, the answer is yes. Scratching is normal behavior for cats, and we need to give them an outlet for it because if we don't, they will scratch things we don't want them to. And so things to think about are the surfaces. Cats have different preferences. Some cats like to scratch on carpet, some cats like cardboard, and some cats like that sisal rope that you'll see. So you need to find the substance or substances that your cats enjoy. And then locations also important. Cats oftentimes want to scratch where they are sleeping or eating. So oftentimes they'll wake up, do a good stretch and do some scratching. And so you need to have locations throughout the house where they have that opportunity and they need to have opportunities to do it on substances that they enjoy.

Never. I know that sounds crazy, but punishment is never a good option. When we're looking at our relationship with our cat, punishment really damages the relationship. When cats see us, they should see that we are a source of comfort and stability and food. If we inflict pain on our cat in any way, it's going to damage that relationship. Furthermore, studies have shown that aversive types of reinforcement, so spray bottles, making the scary noise, and those sorts of things don't work over the long term. Unless you can guarantee that that negative thing will happen every time your cat exhibits a behavior, it's just not going to work.

Whereas if we reinforce the behaviors we want, so say, for example, your cat’s getting on the counter, and it's driving you nuts. Why is your kitten doing that? Or why is your cat doing that? They're doing that for a couple of reasons. One, cats like to have vertical spaces. They want to be above things. They like to "look down on us" in some ways. And so we need to give them a place that they can do that. If you don't want them on your counters, give them somewhere else to be. Say, it's a cat tree or a shelf built for them. And when they use those sorts of resources, reinforce that behavior by giving them a treat or praise or whatever you need.

Training can be beneficial for this teaching. A cat command or targeting with touch can be constructive to redirect them to the location you want. Another reason cats get on a counter is that there's often food up there. And so we need to avoid allowing them to find food on counters. So rather than spraying your cat with a spray bottle, the times you catch them on the counter, just make sure they don't have a good reason to get on the counter and give them other opportunities for that vertical space they're looking for.