Comforting Cats: Rub It In

Sometimes the smallest of things—like an inexpensive washcloth—can make a big difference when it comes to the creature comforts of shelter cats.

Who:

Animal Alliances, Northampton, MA

Did What:

In order to provide comfort to shelter cats, Animal Alliances recommends hanging washcloths from the front of every cat’s cage so they’ll take on the smell of the cat.

Each time the cat rubs up against the cloth, it will acquire more of his scent, thereby reinforcing the cat’s use of it. And considering the fact that cats have 67 million scent receptors—compared to a human’s paltry 5 million—this is an idea that makes a lot of, well, scents.

Now You Try It

Says Animal Alliances’ Kelley Bollen, CABC, “It’s as simple as going to your local big box store and buying a bunch of cheap washcloths."

If you need to move a cat into a different cage, take his rubbing cloth with him, so he can continue to be comforted by its smell and feel. You can even send the rubbing cloth home with the cat when he gets adopted, which will help him adjust to his new surroundings.  

In the spirit of recycling and saving money, you may wish to cut up old towels to use as rubbing cloths, instead of buying new washcloths. Either way, the result is a happier cat.

Other Ideas Like This

To learn how to recognize stress in cats, watch our free webinar, Stress Reduction & Enrichment for Shelter Cats. Find out how to use behavioral enrichment to keep cats comfortable.