Chewing and digging are natural bunny behaviors. Here’s how to meet their needs and prevent damage and danger

By Kim Campbell Thornton

Andrews McMeel Syndication

You’re probably familiar with puppy-proofing or kitten-proofing your home to protect new pets from dangers, and your belongings from damage, but it’s equally important if you have a new rabbit.

Bunnies love to chew and dig -- it’s built into their DNA -- so it’s important to be aware of that and take steps to offer safe and acceptable ways for your rabbit to meet his physical and behavioral needs.

Rabbits can have free run of the house -- but not right away. Just as you limit a puppy or kitten’s access to certain areas until you’re sure she’s housetrained, you need to do the same with your rabbit.

“You have to allow that animal to slowly get the hang of what it means to live inside this house with these people,” says house rabbit expert Mary Cvetan, co-founder of the Pittsburgh House Rabbit Club. “That means, ‘What do I get to chew and not chew? Where can I go to the bathroom and not go to the bathroom? When do I make noise and not make noise?’”

Over time, with kind guidance, bunnies learn what’s OK and what’s not. Part of that guidance is ensuring that they have access to appropriate toys and techniques for meeting their natural needs.

For instance, rabbits love digging up carpeting. Pulling up the fibers of carpet feels natural to them, much like pulling up the roots, leaves, plants and bushes that they would encounter in the forests of Europe, which is where domestic rabbits originated.

Rabbits need to burrow, so give yours a place where it’s OK to scratch and dig. That can be a large, deep cardboard box or large litter box filled with shredded paper or hay. A tough sisal mat that hasn’t been treated with any chemicals will also be something your bunny will enjoy. Place the box or mat in a corner (rabbits like perimeters because they feel safe there, Cvetan says) or on top of the area where your bunny has been digging.

Encourage him to use the digging box or mat by rewarding him with praise and a treat when he uses it. If you see him digging where he shouldn’t, get his attention and redirect him to his box or mat, again rewarding him when he uses it.

Chewing is equally natural to rabbits. Baseboards and furniture legs are right at their level. Even better, those items are solidly in place and offer resistance when chewed. Bunnies like that, Cvetan says.

Choose toys that fulfill a rabbit’s need to pull, chew and toss things. Set them up so they stay in one spot as your rabbit chews on them. Place something heavy on them or set them inside a sturdy base, such as a brick, so they don’t move around.

Tree branches are good “homemade” bunny chew toys. Cvetan gets apple branches from a farmer friend. She knows they haven’t been sprayed with any herbicides or pesticides, and she removes any fruit and leaves and cuts them down to a manageable size, no longer than her forearm. Once they’re weighed down, her rabbits enjoy chewing and peeling off the bark. Not all types of wood are safe for rabbits, so check first with your veterinarian.

Rabbits will also chew electrical wires and cords. Treating them with bitter apple or other taste deterrents doesn’t help. Place cords so they’re off the floor entirely or encased in tough plastic covers.

It’s also important to prevent your rabbit from getting inside furniture. Being prey animals, they enjoy hiding, including inside recliners and box springs. The best and simplest way to prevent problems is to block access to those areas.

“Over time, given the type of house you live in, given the type of rabbit you’re living with, many people find that they can live with free-roam rabbits without having the rabbit destroy items like carpeting or baseboards,” Cvetan says.

Q&A

Urinary tract

disease in cats

Q: My cat stopped using her litter box, and the stain on the carpet where she peed looks pinkish. What’s going on?

A: A number of different diseases can affect the bladder or urethra of cats: cystitis (inflammation of the bladder), various types of bladder stones, the occasional bacterial bladder infection, and, rarely, parasites or tumors. Male cats may develop a urinary blockage, which is an emergency situation. The overall term for these conditions is feline lower urinary tract disease, or FLUTD.

All of these conditions have different causes, but often the signs are similar. Cats may strain to urinate, urinate frequently but produce only small amounts of urine, have blood in the urine (that pinkish tinge you noticed on the carpet) or cry out in pain when they urinate. Like your cat, they may stop using the litter box, perhaps associating it with the pain of urination.

Your cat needs to see her veterinarian so he or she can determine the cause of the problem and treat it appropriately. The bad news is that because it has so many possible causes, diagnosing and treating FLUTD can be frustrating. In addition to a physical exam, your veterinarian may suggest other tests, including a urinalysis, urine culture, X-rays or blood work.

Sometimes, stress is a factor. Managing the cat’s environment and interactions with people and other pets may help. Pain relief is another important part of managing the condition and reducing stress.

Depending on the cause, your veterinarian may prescribe a different food or a switch to canned food from dry. Encouraging your cat to drink more water, by providing a fountain or dripping faucet, can help as well. Certain medications are beneficial, although you may be surprised to learn that antibiotics usually are not part of the program. Bacterial bladder infections are extremely rare. -- Dr. Marty Becker

Do you have a pet question? Send it to askpetconnection@gmail.com or visit Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker.

THE BUZZ

Feline film fest

for indie theaters

-- Everybody knows cats own the internet, but can they save independent theaters? The Quarantine Cat Film Festival bets that they can. Streaming on June 19, the 70-minute compilation of videos submitted by cat slaves (we don’t dare call them owners) showcases “the most purr-fect, a-meow-zing, and totally fur-tastic cat videos anyone has ever seen.” Tickets are $12, and at least half of the proceeds will benefit independent movie theaters. Cash prizes will go to winners in Cutest, Funniest, Bravest and Most Loving categories, plus a Best in Show award.

-- Labrador retrievers are capable of big things, but 8-year-old Moose has topped them all: He received an honorary doctor of veterinary medicine degree from Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine in Blacksburg, Virginia. Moose, a therapy dog, has participated in more than 7,500 counseling sessions, contributing to the well-being of thousands of students.

-- Scientists have sequenced dog and cat genomes, and now the genome of a feline favorite: catnip. Also known as catmint (Nepeta cataria), the plant with the intoxicating effect on many cats works its magic through a suite of unusual enzymes that generate nepetalactone, the volatile substance that excites cats. “These enzymes are not found in any related plant species and have evolved uniquely in catmint,” says Benjamin Lichman from the Centre for Novel Agricultural Products at the University of York (England), first author of the study. Relatives of catnip -- including basil, oregano, rosemary, lemon balm and mint -- don’t produce these enzymes, called iridoids, which presumably have the purpose of repelling herbivores that might graze on them, not of getting cats high. The research was published last month in Science Advances by a research team led by Sarah O’Connor, director of the Department of Natural Product Biosynthesis at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Jena, Germany. -- Dr. Marty Becker, Kim Campbell Thornton and Mikkel Becker

ABOUT PET CONNECTION

Pet Connection is produced by a team of pet care experts headed by “The Dr. Oz Show” veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker, founder of the Fear Free organization and author of many best-selling pet care books, and award-winning journalist Kim Campbell Thornton. Joining them is behavior consultant and lead animal trainer for Fear Free Pets Mikkel Becker. Dr. Becker can be found at Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker or on Twitter at DrMartyBecker. Kim Campbell Thornton is at Facebook.com/KimCampbellThornton and on Twitter at kkcthornton. Mikkel Becker is at Facebook.com/MikkelBecker and on Twitter at MikkelBecker.

If your cat is turning up her nose at meals, here are some possible reasons why

Andrews McMeel Syndication

Cats have a reputation for being finicky, don’t they? A whole advertising campaign was built around Morris the finicky cat. There’s no denying that some cats can be picky about what they eat, but it’s not always because they’re being demanding. Changes in appetite can vary by season or be related to illness.

If you’ve noticed that your cat eats less during summer and more as cold weather starts to set in, well, science backs up your observation. A study published in April 2014 in the journal PLOS ONE looked at 38 cats in the south of France over a four-year period. The cats had free access to food, and researchers observed that the cats ate least between June and August and most between October and February. In spring and early fall, the amount they ate fell somewhere between those extremes.

Changes in daylight and temperature trigger hormonal changes in mammals, altering their metabolism and influencing how much they eat. When it’s hot out, many of us are less active and don’t feel like eating as much. That may well be true for cats, too. As long as they maintain normal weight, they’re probably doing just fine.

Feline taste buds may also be in play. We know that cats have a genetic mutation making them indifferent to foods that taste sweet, presumably because their status as obligate carnivores means they have no need to seek out plant-based sugars. Researchers hypothesized that cats also would have no need for bitter receptors.

What they discovered, though, is that cats have at least seven functional bitter receptors, according to a study published in PLOS ONE in 2015. Those receptors might function to alert cats to bitter compounds in prey -- such as bile acids or skin secretions -- that should be avoided. The researchers suggested that commercial cat foods and veterinary medicines might contain bitter compounds that at least some cats find off-putting. The knowledge may help cat food manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies create foods and medications that are more palatable to cats.

If your cat isn’t eating, you might think, “Well, she’ll eat when she’s hungry.”

Don’t do that!

Just two or three days of not eating can cause cats to develop a potentially deadly liver disease called hepatic lipidosis. Any cat can develop it, but cats who are overweight or stressed are at higher risk. It’s often seen when cats are refusing to eat because of a change in diet, moving to a new home, being boarded or some other stressful situation.

Cats with hepatic lipidosis, also known as fatty liver disease, show signs such as dramatic weight loss, dehydration, lethargy, vomiting and jaundice -- a yellowish appearance of gums, eyes, and ear and skin tissue. Blood work indicates liver abnormalities and often a deficiency of vitamin K, causing a tendency to bleed easily. Your veterinarian may recommend an abdominal ultrasound to see if other organs such as the kidneys, pancreas or gallbladder are affected.

Without treatment to correct nutrient, fluid and electrolyte levels and reset metabolism, cats can go into liver failure. Sometimes offering some stinky canned food is enough to get them to eat, but in other cases, a temporary feeding tube may be necessary to get nutrition into your kitty and ensure that he doesn’t develop an aversion to eating. When begun early, treatment for HL is usually successful, and the condition rarely recurs.

The takeaway? Any time you notice changes in your cat’s appetite, complete appetite loss, or sudden weight loss or weight gain, take him to the veterinarian for a checkup.

Q&A

Toy joy

for parrots

Q: I just got a yellow-naped Amazon parrot. What are some good toys for him?

A: Parrots are so bright and quick! Toys are a wonderful way to stimulate their highly intelligent brains, give appropriate physical exercise and keep boredom at bay, reducing the risk of health and behavior problems.

Appropriate toys encourage and facilitate natural bird behaviors such as exploring, taking things apart and foraging. Climbing, swinging and perching are important elements of play for parrots. Flexible rope perches are good for climbing, chewing and foot workouts.

Look for puzzle toys that hold food pellets, nuts or treats and require your bird to manipulate pieces to get at the goodies. Known as foraging, this is natural bird behavior and should be encouraged.

Other toys are made with shreddable fibers, paper and other materials your bird can pick apart as if he were foraging for nesting material or investigating a natural environment. Don’t think of these toys as a waste of money if your bird destroys them in a day; they offer foot and beak exercise and physical and mental stimulation. More important, they discourage unwanted destructive behavior and fulfill your bird’s normal needs.

Birds are attracted by movement, bright colors, unusual textures and interesting shapes. Look for toys that twirl, are shiny, can be chewed or make fun noises.

You can make toys from things you have around the house. Finished with that newspaper? Place it at the top of your bird’s cage so the pages fall through the bars and let your Amazon shred it. Birds love to demolish cardboard boxes. Choose one of an appropriate size and let him go to town on it.

Offer several types of toys, and rotate a couple out every week so your bird always has something different to tease his birdie brain. -- Dr. Marty Becker and Mikkel Becker

Do you have a pet question? Send it to askpetconnection@gmail.com or visit Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker.

THE BUZZ

Quiz can help

identify arthritis

-- Does your cat have arthritis? Answering the following six questions can clue you in: Does my cat jump up normally? Does my cat jump down normally? Does my cat climb stairs or steps normally? Does my cat go down stairs or steps normally? Does my cat run normally? Does my cat chase moving objects? If the answer to any question is no, take your cat to the veterinarian. Approximately 45% of all cats and 90% of cats older than 10 years suffer from arthritis. Pain relief can help improve mobility and quality of life.

-- Not many people are traveling these days, but when they must, people with pets are at a disadvantage if they need to transport their animals to a new home. Canceled flights and limited space for animals in the cabin leave few options. Some are stranded, while others are spending large amounts of money and time to try to get their pets where they need to go. Using pet transport agencies such as Airborne Animals or Pet Express may help, but even those experts are having trouble getting animals on flights. If you need to move with your pet in the next few months, start planning now, and have not only a plan B but also plans C and D.

-- Three animal experts have received top awards from the American Veterinary Medical Association. Robin Downing, DVM, was named 2020 Bustad Companion Animal Veterinarian of the year for her work protecting and promoting the human-animal bond. Janice Siegford, Ph.D., professor of animal science and welfare at Michigan State University, won the 2020 AVMA Humane Award, presented to a nonveterinarian who has helped to advance animal welfare. Receiving the 2020 AVMA Animal Welfare Award is equine veterinarian Harry Werner, DVM, in recognition of his advocacy for animal welfare. -- Dr. Marty Becker, Kim Campbell Thornton and Mikkel Becker

ABOUT PET CONNECTION

Pet Connection is produced by a team of pet care experts headed by “The Dr. Oz Show” veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker, founder of the Fear Free organization and author of many best-selling pet care books, and award-winning journalist Kim Campbell Thornton. Joining them is behavior consultant and lead animal trainer for Fear Free Pets Mikkel Becker. Dr. Becker can be found at Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker or on Twitter at DrMartyBecker. Kim Campbell Thornton is at Facebook.com/KimCampbellThornton and on Twitter at kkcthornton. Mikkel Becker is at Facebook.com/MikkelBecker and on Twitter at MikkelBecker.

Eating is a good marker of health, so when dogs eat less, it can be worrying to owners

By Kim Campbell Thornton

Andrews McMeel Syndication

My dog Harper has always had a good appetite, so when she stopped wanting to eat her evening meal a couple of months ago, I was worried.

Appetite loss can signal many different ailments: poor dental health, kidney disease and cancer, to name a few. Sometimes it’s a result of age-related physiological changes, such as a slower metabolism or reduced sense of smell. It can also be weather-related: Some animals eat less when it’s hot.

I took Harper to her veterinarian for a checkup. She had her teeth cleaned in November, so I didn’t think it was a painful mouth. He examined her and ran some blood work. She was fine.

Friends weighed in with their experiences. It’s not uncommon for older dogs -- Harper is 12 -- to begin eating less.

Maryna Ozuna’s elderly shiba eats only about half of what she used to take in, but her weight stays constant. Dee Green says her senior dogs typically prefer only one meal a day.

With the shelter-in-place order, Harper’s activity level is reduced. She’s not going to nosework class anymore or to Laguna Beach for outings. “If her exercise has diminished, she may not be as hungry,” says Debbie Horwitz, DVM.

She could be bored. Nosework on Friday nights has been the highlight of her week for six years now. We practice at home, but it’s not the same as getting out and going somewhere. High temperatures haven’t set in yet here in California, so I don’t think it’s the weather.

Green, a trainer, says dogs refusing to eat is a common complaint she hears from clients. After health problems are ruled out by a veterinarian, she recommends feeding dogs from puzzle toys instead of dishes. “Provide a wide variety to minimize boredom.” That trick works for fellow cavalier owner Lynn Williams, who hides 6-year-old Poppy’s food around the house for her to sniff out.

When health is an issue, an appetite stimulant combined with something stinky, such as canned tripe, can help. That’s what worked for Annie, Cindy Siddon’s 16-year-old lurcher with kidney disease. Other senior dogs respond to a little canned food or homemade chicken broth mixed with their kibble. Warming food for about five seconds in the microwave, then stirring before serving, can enhance aroma.

Call the manufacturer and ask if a food’s ingredients have changed. That can put dogs off their feed.

Certain medications may cause nausea or appetite loss. If your dog is on medication and her eating pattern changes, tell your veterinarian right away.

I tried several things with Harper: offering different proteins, tossing kibble on the floor for her to find, switching to a plate from a bowl, feeding her in a separate room and offering kibble by hand. She loved that. I didn’t want it to become a habit, though, and Dr. Horwitz, a behavior specialist, agrees.

“Once you start hand-feeding, that’s a hard thing to stop,” she says. “If she’s healthy and not losing weight, I don’t know that I would make a big deal about it.”

When we try different things to get them to eat, she says, dogs may find this new behavior interesting and wait to see what else we might offer. While that can be entertaining for our dogs, it’s frustrating for us. Better to simply put food down, give a set amount of time for the dog to eat it, and take it up again if they don’t want it. As long as your dog has a clean bill of health from the veterinarian and isn’t losing weight, try adjusting to the new eating schedule.

Harper now eats her main meal in the morning. I offer food in the evening, but if she doesn’t want it, I don’t push. We’re both happier.

Next week, Dr. Becker will address finicky felines and why feeding them requires more finesse.

Q&A

Private cat room

good solution

Q: We have three cats. The two younger ones are brothers and will turn 2 in a few months. One leaves our elderly cat alone, but his brother is always looking to pick a fight with her. She isn't a fighter, but she defends herself. He always loses, but that doesn't deter him.

To stop that behavior, we have put her in a room and keep the door closed. She has a window in there, as well as a cat tree. She also has her cat bed and some bins she can climb on.

She gets plenty of exercise. We put a hanging mesh screen in the doorway recently so she can get some airflow. We attached the bottom of it to the door frame with some tension bars and Velcro. That worked for a while, but then the brothers figured out how to get in. We’ve tried a lot of ways to secure it, but it’s still a work in progress. Our house is small, so we don't have a lot of options.

A: We’re impressed by the efforts you’ve made to keep your senior cat happy and safe. Giving her a private room seems like the best solution, as long as she gets daily human attention and interactive playtime. She may be perfectly happy with the way things are now. It’s better for her than always having to worry about being bullied by the younger male.

Can you replace the door with a screen door? That way, you could close it while still providing her with airflow and preventing the other two cats from invading.

There are ways to work with cats to help improve their relationships, but it can take a long time with no guarantee of success. This may be your best option. -- Mikkel Becker, Lead Animal Trainer, Fear Free Pets

Do you have a pet question? Send it to askpetconnection@gmail.com or visit Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker.

THE BUZZ

Guidelines protect

pets and people

-- If you or a family member develops COVID-19 and must have someone else care for your pets, help everyone stay healthy with the following guidelines developed by the American Veterinary Medical Association in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the shelter medicine community. Key recommendations: People entering the home should wear masks, gloves and other protective wear, including foot coverings; bathing pets isn’t necessary; animals exposed to people with the virus should be housed separately from other animals in the home; dogs may be walked outdoors for exercise and elimination but should avoid direct contact with other animals; close contact with humans should be limited. Pets do not spread the virus, but they can acquire it from humans. The guidelines help ensure their protection as well as that of healthy people caring for them.

-- The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is launching a $5 million initiative to help provide pet food to vulnerable pet owners and support animal welfare organizations that may be struggling financially. Some shelters are remaining open during the pandemic but have instituted safety practices to limit virus exposure, such as requiring appointments to bring in or view animals for adoption, drive-up fostering and adoptions, and online training. If you’re in a position to help, contact your local shelter to find out its needs.

-- Pets show stress in many different ways. Yawning, showing the whites of their eyes (nicknamed whale eye), excessive licking or grooming, sudden hair loss (like when your pet is at the vet and is shedding hair like crazy), increased barking or whining, trembling, pacing, suddenly starting to hide, eating less and breaking housetraining can all be signs that pets are anxious. You can learn more about recognizing, preventing and managing pet stress at fearfreehappyhomes.com. -- Dr. Marty Becker, Kim Campbell Thornton and Mikkel Becker

ABOUT PET CONNECTION

Pet Connection is produced by a team of pet care experts headed by “The Dr. Oz Show” veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker, founder of the Fear Free organization and author of many best-selling pet care books, and award-winning journalist Kim Campbell Thornton. Joining them is behavior consultant and lead animal trainer for Fear Free Pets Mikkel Becker. Dr. Becker can be found at Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker or on Twitter at DrMartyBecker. Kim Campbell Thornton is at Facebook.com/KimCampbellThornton and on Twitter at kkcthornton. Mikkel Becker is at Facebook.com/MikkelBecker and on Twitter at MikkelBecker.