Cat Cookie
the urge for freedom was great, the road dangerous
Cookie the cat became part of our family, because they could not give in to his desire for freedom. Not because they wanted to do bad things to him, but because they wanted to protect him. The nearby road was the big threat to his life. Another reason why Cookie should go to a new forever home was that he marked wherever he could in the living area.
Possible causes when the cat marks
Marking with urine, belongs to the typical behavior of cats who want to leave their calling card for conspecifics. Marking in the house signals a message to the neighbor cats outside. Marking is mainly done at the windows, patio doors, at the front door, etc. If there are several cats living in one apartment, marking is the strategy to settle conflicts without aggression. What message did Cookie want to get rid of?
Cookie marked possibly because he was excited and helpless?
Cat Cookie was rather not about marking his territory, but he wanted to reduce his excitement. As a cat, he had the desire to get outdoors. However, he couldn't get outdoor access, so he started marking to draw attention to himself.
For various reasons, it is the pet owner who decides when to open the door for the dog or cat, or when it is feeding time. Animals want our attention much more often than we have time to give them. Trying to be noticed too often goes nowhere for the animal - petting comes later - we may be reading an exciting book on "How do I get my pet to do things when I have time?". Human, dismissive behavior can be understood by the pet as ignorance, and it happens that the dog pees on your foot or that the cat leaves its scent traces in the apartment. Unfortunately, this reaction of the animal evokes the anger of the person - misunderstood the cat or even the dog moves away.
Cookie and his new sense of freedom
For some time now, 14-year-old Cookie has been living at Gut Aiderbichl in Maria Schmolln. He purrs "Oh happy day" all day long. It is a joy for him to nap on the sun bed in front of the cat house, or to run around and play with his friends Burli, Bob, Chocolate or Da Vinci - and what the cats are all called - in the big garden. So many other cats, so many birds and also dogs, sunshine and rain, stroking hands or good food: all this makes Cookie, the red tomcat, a relaxed cat. The fenced area in Maria Schmolln protects the animals from the street. The doors in the house are open, so the velvet paws can go outside whenever they want.
