All posts by Dr. Marty Becker

cat in lap

Cats ‘knead’ us because they love us

Pet Connection

Why do cats blissfully paw and push at us when we’re petting them? Here’s what I told a reader who asked.

Q: Why do cats like to knead their paws on our skin? Does it have a purpose?

A: One of the great colloquialisms of our language is the phrase “making biscuits,” used to describe that exact feline behavior. It’s especially appropriate when applied to a cat with white paws — as if she’s coated them in flour before setting to work kneading the sticky dough.

But cats aren’t imitating our baking habits. Their habit of reflexively pushing their paws in and out on a soft surface such as a lap or blanket is a sign of contentment, one that is linked to a cat’s earliest experience: snuggling against mom cat and suckling her warm flow of milk. (Fun fact: Within two or three days of birth, each kitten chooses his or her own personal nipple, and, with rare exceptions, drinks only from that one.)

The kneading behavior is present at birth. Pressing against the nipples is how newborns stimulate milk production. Even after they are weaned, throughout their lives, cats revisit that behavior. It’s a signal that they are relaxed and happy. Cats also knead at other important phases of their life. For instance, females knead in advance of the mating process.

Cats are extremely sensitive to touch, especially in the area of their paws (maybe that’s why they don’t always enjoy having them handled). Cats who knead humans are delivering an extra-special message of love. Humans who have the magic touch (and a cat’s favor) can induce kneading behavior by petting a cat in her favorite spot, such as between the eyes or ears. If you are lucky, your cat will keep her claws retracted as she kneads your skin, giving you a fancy feline massage.

Read more, including all about dog camps, in this week’s Pet Connection!

Gone fishing. (Not really)

News

Friends, I’m doing something I’ve never done for more than a day before now: stepping away from social media and my blog for the holiday week. Sometimes we all need to disconnect, and our family decided this is the time.

I hope you have a wonderful Independence Day holiday, and I’ll see you on July 10. While I’m gone, I hope you’ll have a chance to spend time doing what matters, with those you love.

Pets at work add up to lower stress, 100 percent greater job satisfaction

News,

I don’t think I could work without pets at my side. Fortunately, I’m a veterinarian, and when I’m not practicing at North Idaho Animal Hospital, I’m working in my home office surrounded by my pets. I know not everyone’s that lucky, which is why I’m grateful for holidays like Take Your Dog to Work Day, which is tomorrow, June 23, and companies that let their employees bring pets to work every day of the year.

Last year I spent this amazing day at Purina headquarters, working with them to develop some educational content for pet owners. Although Purina allows pets in the workplace every day, they still managed to make this day special for their team members and for me.

This year, Purina did some research into the issue of pets in the workplace, and in celebration of National Take Your Dog to Work Day, they released the infographic below. In their Pets at Work report, they wrote, “Research has found that employees who bring their pets to work tend to have lower stress levels by the end of the day, and that their pet can help reduce blood pressure, decrease loneliness, help lower cholesterol levels and encourage physical activity.

The survey also found that “pet-friendly work environments are viewed as both exciting and innovative, and even discovered that more than half of dog owners in pet-friendly workplaces bring their dog to work at least once a week in addition to lunch meetings, work parties and meetings with their boss. Furthermore, the survey showed that employees at pet-friendly organizations ranked having pets at work second in terms of most valuable work benefits – ranking higher than free coffee and parking.”

And there’s more:

  • 63 percent of employees in pet-friendly workplaces indicated they are “very satisfied” with their work environment – and this is nearly twice as many as those in workplaces where pets are not allowed
  • Eight in ten people in pet-friendly workplaces also say that having a pet at work would make them feel more happy, relaxed and sociable
  • 65 percent of employees at pet-friendly workplaces say that it is important to them that a potential employer allows pets
  • 19 percent of cat owners in pet-friendly workplaces bring their cat to work daily; 20 percent of dog owners bring their dog daily
  • One in three people in non-pet- friendly workplaces wish they could bring their pet to work

 

Do you get to share your work day with pets? Would you like to?

Disclaimer: While this is not a sponsored post, I am currently working with Purina on a number of educational projects.

How to survive your cat’s teenhood

Pet Connection,

Is your cat 6 to 18 months old? That age range is when kittens morph from cute to cat. Like human teenagers, adolescent cats are ready to display their independence and show the world what they can do — whether that’s making the biggest scratches on the furniture, marking their territory with urine, or (if they aren’t yet altered) yowling and prowling in search of a companion with whom they can procreate.

The good news is that the adolescent stage doesn’t last forever. Get through it by channeling feline energy through puzzle toys, play time and trick training, and spaying or neutering your pet if the surgery hasn’t already been done.

Before you know it, your kitten will have moved from sulky adolescence to cool-cat adulthood.

Read more, including the inside story on dogs’ ears, and tips for keeping your dog safe from canine influenza, in this week’s Pet Connection!

Make a difference for the animals now – join us in Lexington on Aug. 4!

News

If you’ll be near Lexington, Kentucky, on August 4, I hope you’ll consider joining us at the First Annual Making a Difference Now Animal Welfare Conference.

I’ve been honored to present the luncheon keynote on “The Power of Love,” and will also speak on “Transforming Veterinary Practice, Shelter Medicine, and Animal Services with Fear Free Care” during the general sessions.

There will also be panel discussions and workshops on topics such as TNR, volunteering, and the state of animal welfare and related laws in Kentucky. There will be a Meet Your Match Expo where organizations and volunteers can meet and discuss how they can work together for the animals.

This will be an extraordinary event in a beautiful city – find out more and purchase tickets on Eventbrite!

Fri, August 4, 2017
8:30 AM – 4:30 PM EDT
Clarion Hotel Conference Center – North
1950 Newtown Pike
Lexington, Ky. 40511

Download the flier here.