While cats confined to an indoor environment generally live longer and are at less risk for contracting infectious diseases or injuries due to trauma, they are at greater risk for a variety of behavioral problems. These problems include urinating and defecating outside the litter box, anxiety, eating disorders, attention seeking, aggression, self-injury and compulsive disorders like excessive grooming and scratching.

It’s a new year — a time when so many of us make resolutions only to modify or forget them completely within a day or two. This year, I would like to ask you to make a resolution that you will stay true to and fulfill not just for the next 12 months, but always: Train your dog!

January is National Train Your Dog Month, and that seems only natural. After all, most people think about how they’ll train their dog, and they work hard to make sure their best canine friend is well trained. But there are more cats as pets in the U.S. than dogs, and many homes have multiple cats. Why is there no “National Train Your Cat Month?” Is it because we think of cats as aloof and independent – too much so to be trainable? … Well, yes, but that doesn’t mean that perception is a reflection of reality! Cats, despite popular opinion, can absolutely be trained.