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Dear Cathy,

My newspaper recently started running your column. You had a question about how to teach a puppy not to bite by using butter on your fingers. Do you have any advice on how to teach a 12-year-old cat to stop biting? You would think they would understand that biting hurts! She was already declawed when I got her.

—Carey, Chicago, Illinois

Dear Carey,

Cat bites can be very painful, but they’re not a sign of meanness. Even in older cats, biting is often a form of communication. Cats, especially those who are declawed, may rely more on their teeth when they become overstimulated, uncomfortable, or unsure how else to signal that they’ve had enough. In many cases, cats are reaching their tolerance limit for touch and bite to let their human know they need a break.

With cats, the key is to pay attention to their cues so you can respond before a bite happens. Watch her body language closely – a swishing tail, flattened ears, dilated pupils, or tense muscles often signal that she’s had enough. That is cats usually bite. When you see the signs, pause the interaction before the bite happens.

Next, avoid using your hands as toys. Wrestling, playing, or allowing a cat to grab and bite fingers – even playfully – teaches her that human skin is acceptable to bite. Instead, use wand toys, soft balls, or other interactive toys to give her an outlet for play without involving your hands.

In older cats, biting – especially if it’s a new behavior – can also be linked to pain, arthritis, dental issues, or a lower tolerance for handling that simply comes with age. A veterinary exam is a good first step to rule out medical causes.

While dog bites often reflect fear or reactivity, cat bites are usually a last-ditch communication to say they have had enough. Learning to recognize your cat’s communication can go a long way toward preventing them.

Dear Cathy,

I read your weekly columns in Newsday. In a recent column, you addressed the issue of "When dogs use your yard as a potty." I face this problem daily with one of my neighbors' dogs, and I am having difficulty finding a viable spray to resolve it. Could you recommend a specific brand or brands to purchase?

—Stu, Nassau County, New York

Dear Stu,

One product to try is Nature’s Mace Dog Repellent, which is designed specifically for outdoor areas such as lawns, gardens, and planting beds. It’s humane, and made with natural, non-toxic ingredients – primarily essential oils like peppermint, citronella, lemongrass, and garlic – that dogs tend to find unpleasant, so they learn to avoid certain areas over time. It’s available in both spray and granular forms, allowing you to treat specific trouble spots or create a perimeter around areas you want dogs to avoid. These products can help reduce marking and repeat visits, though results can vary depending on the dog’s habits and persistence.

You may also find repellents that use predator-scent ingredients, which also rely on instinctive avoidance. As with any deterrent, success depends on regular reapplication, but these products can offer a humane way to deter dogs from your yard.

Dear Cathy,

I read your column in the Tribune about a four-year-old King Charles Spaniel being left in a plastic traveling crate at home and in the car and biting off pieces of it due to separation anxiety. Why aren't these pet people crating her in a larger, metal crate? Leaving her in a crate in the car, period, is a bad idea, period. But certainly, a traveling crate being used at home can't give this dog enough space to be comfortable, or to have water.

—Janet, University City, Missouri

Dear Janet,

Plastic travel crates can be comparable in size to metal crates, so the issue isn’t necessarily the material, but that the dog may need more space. While an anxious dog can still damage a metal crate, they are less likely to ingest pieces, and the open design provides better visibility, which can help reduce feelings of confinement.

Crates are meant to be short-term management tools or safe resting spaces—not places where a dog spends most of its day. For a dog already struggling with separation anxiety, extended crating can increase stress and lead to destructive behaviors, including chewing on the crate itself.

This dog’s behavior would be better addressed through increased enrichment, structured time outside the crate, and gradual desensitization rather than more confinement. Crating should make a dog feel secure, not trapped. When it doesn’t, it’s a sign that a different approach is needed.

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(Cathy M. Rosenthal is a longtime animal advocate, author, columnist and pet expert who has more than 25 years in the animal welfare field. Send your pet questions, stories and tips to cathy@petpundit.com. Please include your name, city, and state. You can follow her @cathymrosenthal.)