Air Date: 07/06/2020

The Upgrade by Lifehacker

How to Make Your Pet Happy, With Animal Behavior Expert Zazie Todd

Alice ​Hello and welcome to The Upgrade, the podcast from the team at Lifehacker, where
we help you improve your life one week at a time. I'm Alice Bradley, editor in chief of
Lifehacker. And today, I'm joined by our food editor, Claire Lower. Hey, Claire.

Claire ​Hi, Alice.

Alice ​Claire, this week we're talking about the opposite of food. I hope. And that's, and
that's our pets.

Claire ​Yeah. We're going to talk about some animals that we don't eat. And I'm glad, I'm
glad we're doing that because my cat, Dollop, is a real piece of work.

Alice ​She really is. I've seen her on video and she can really get in your face. On a
conference call.

Claire ​Biting me is her favorite hobby. She's perfected it. It's almost an art form. She loves
to interrupt a meeting.

Alice ​You know, listen. Fortunately for you, we're talking with animal behavior expert Zazie
Todd, who's here to help us with all of our pet problems.

Zazie Todd ​If we're thinking about dogs and dog welfare, it's important to think not just
about preventing harm and preventing cruelty, but also how to give pets positive
experiences. How to make them happy.

Claire ​Zazie is a specialist in both dog and cat behavior and is the creator of Companion
Animal Psychology dot com. Her new book, Wag: the Science of Making Your Dog Happy,
just came out in March of this year.

Alice ​And Claire, you got the only person with a problem, pet. I got a dog over here.
Perhaps you've heard of her name is Hazel. She's a little Chihuahua. And, yeah, she's a
real. She's turned into a monster. She was always a good dog. But now I'm home all the
time and she's expecting treats every time I stand up and every time I sit down, I'm
becoming a resting place for her.

Claire ​First of all, Hazel is a queen who deserves all the treats. But yeah, I think the extra
time with you has probably made her a little more Princess-y than usual.

Alice ​Yeah, yeah, yeah. I tried to leave the house the other day without her knowing about
it and she was flinging her body against my apartment door as I walked down the stairs,
flinging.

Claire ​Fair. Normal behavior.

Alice ​I mean, she does have a tiny body, so it didn't make too much noise. But, still.

1
 Air Date: 07/06/2020

Claire ​I also love to fling myself around when I'm distressed, but I think it's a little more
impactful.

Alice ​You can really make some noise.

Claire ​Yeah.

Alice ​Flinging your body against the door.

Claire ​A little more heft behind me. But I'm, I'm also excited about Zazie being here today
because I have a lot of questions about my little terrible, bite-y cat. I don't really
understand, there's a lot of things she does that I don't understand. I don't understand why
she gets the zoomies right after she poops. I don't know why she bites me while she's
purring. I don't know what she wants from me. So hopefully Zazie will be able to shed
some light on all those questions.

Alice ​You don't get the zoomies after you poop?

Claire ​Only if it goes really well.

Alice ​Well, hopefully Zazie can clear that up for us. Your mysteries as well as your cat's.

Claire ​She's got her work cut out for her today.

Alice ​Oh yeah.

Alice ​So, Zazie, welcome to The Upgrade.

Zazie Todd ​Hi! Thanks for having me on the show.

Alice ​So how does somebody become an animal behavior expert?

Zazie Todd ​Well, my route is perhaps a little bit different than other people's because I
began as a social psychologist studying people my PhD and subsequent research was on
social psychology and how people behave. But it was after I got my dogs Ghost and
Bodger that I became really fascinated in animal behavior and did more research on that.
And so I studied dog training with the Academy for Dog Trainers, which is an amazing
school for dog training and based in the United States. And I've also done a Certificate of
Feline Behavior with International Cat Care, who are specialists in looking after cats.

Alice ​And I see Claire's cat has made an appearance.

Claire ​Oh yeah.

Zazie Todd ​Very beautiful cat.

Claire ​Thank you. She thinks so.

Alice ​So tell us a little bit about your book and the kind of emphasis that it has on making
pets happier.

2
 Air Date: 07/06/2020

Zazie Todd ​So my book is called Wag: The Science of Making a Dog Happy. And I
wanted to write it because how we think about animals has really changed over the years.
And I think for pet owners, it's hard to imagine that scientists used to think animals didn't
really experience the emotions. But historically, that's what people used to think. And now,
of course, it's widely recognized that animals do experience emotions. And so if we're
thinking about dogs and dog welfare, it's important to think not just about preventing harm
and preventing cruelty, but also how to give pets positive experiences and how to make
them happy. And so Wag takes you through the science of what we know about dogs and
how to care for them right through from getting a puppy through going for walks, training
your dog, having a dog with children in the house, to having a senior pet, and right through
to the end of a dog's life, which, of course, is the hardest part of owning a pet. And then
right at the end of the book, there is a checklist for a happy dog that people can use. And
I'm sure everyone will find things that they're doing already that they can feel really great
about. But it will probably also give them a few ideas for things that they might decide
they'd like to try. Just a few extra things that maybe they might want to do to just do that
little bit extra for their dog.

Claire ​So, Zazie, I know that in addition to knowing a lot about dogs, you also happen to
know a lot about cat behavior. I have a lot of questions about my cat Dollop. She's a
rescue. And like when I first got her, she was very timid and very sweet. And if I take her to
the vet, she's very timid and very sweet. But once she gets comfortable, she, she's kind of
a jerk. I feel like the more comfortable she is, the more aggressive. She's very sassy and
like she was having some peeing problems. But like, she seems to be very vindictive, like
she was scratching the couch. So I put a blanket over the couch and then she just peed on
the blanket. She's very into, like, eating my hair and eating my boyfriend's hair, but not like
a cute grooming way. Like she'll growl at our heads while she's doing it. And like, she has
lots of places to hide. She has multiple litter boxes. I try to play with her for half an hour
every day. And I just don't know. Even when she's purring, her tail is always like flicking
back and I just don't know what to do with her basically. Please help me.

Zazie Todd ​Well, she's a beautiful kitty. I've seen that. And you're obviously doing lots of
things just right from her perspective, because you've got hiding places for her. You've got
multiple litter boxes. You mentioned some pain issues and obviously you've been dealing
with those. But if you have any extra issues with her behavior, it will be worth a check with
you about just in case the pain issues are actually contributing to some of those things,
because sometimes that can affect a cat's behavior. But the main thing where the pet cat
is to do things to help them not be stressed and to help them feel safe. So hiding places
are really important. As far as this scratching goes, the scratching is a normal behavior for
cats. So it's really important that we provide them with places they can scratch and cats
can be quite particular about what they like to scratch. So some cats will prefer would most
cats might prefer a kind of rope or sisal scratching post. And it needs to be really quite
stable. So that and quite tall so that they can get a really nice stretch, you know, stretch up
really high with it while they're scratching. And a good place to put one is right next to the
settee where she has been scratching before. Because what happens when they scratch
is that they deposit pheromones from in between, from on their paws and the claws. So
they're leaving a smell behind. That tells them this is where they scratch before and it
helps them to feel safe. So one thing you could do is get a scratching post right next to the
place where she has been scratching before. And the other thing, it may well be that she
peed because she wasn't happy with the change and she was stressed. But it can also
often be because of some kind of health issue. And anytime that a cat pees outside the

3
 Air Date: 07/06/2020

litter box, it's important to get that checked out by the vet just in case, because they might
need medication to help resolve that.

Claire ​Yeah, I did take her to the vet to get her checked, and she was fine. There is
nothing wrong with that. It's just not. I think she was just not happy. With the scratching,
I've seen these things called soft paws, which are the little caps you put on their nails. Do
you think that would upset her, like because she does it feel different for them? Can they
still deposit those pheromones?

Zazie Todd ​It does feel different. And if we think of scratching as a normal behavior, really,
it's best to think of ways in which we can provide them opportunities to scratch. And some
cats prefer a horizontal thing as well. Also, like, you know, to have multiple litter boxes,
multiple scratching posts help. It's wonderful that you're making time to play with her every
day because we know from research that that is associated with fewer behavior problems
in cats. But another thing also is to always try and give cats a choice. Like a choice,
whether or not to be petted and the choice whether or not they want to be picked up. Let
them come to us rather than us going to them. And you're probably doing these things
anyway. But if you see things from your cat's point of view, try and reduce any stress that
there is and give her a choice so she doesn't have to interact with you if she doesn't want
to.

Alice ​What are some easy ways we can make our cats or our dogs happier?

Zazie Todd ​So making time to play with them is a really great idea. Wand toys are
wonderful because that's kind of using the cat's natural predatory sequence to chase
something. So making time to play with them, making sure they have nice hiding places
and cats, especially like hiding places that are kind of sized, just the right size for them.
And they like to be able to perch higher up as well. So making sure they have high up
places and a choice of places where they can hide. Those are things that they like too.
You can feed them with food toys, and that can be good enrichment for them, especially if
you've got an indoor kitty who doesn't go outside, which many of us have. My cats are
indoor cats, too. I feed them with food toys. You have to make them easy for them to start
off with because otherwise they'll get frustrated. But as they get used to them, you can
make them harder. And always giving them a choice. I think this applies to whatever kind
of pet you have always tried to give them a choice. Don't force them into situations or force
them to meet new people. Especially with the cat. Sometimes if someone comes round,
which probably isn't happening much at the moment because of the pandemic. But if
people come around, don't force the cat to meet them. If the cat wants to run and hide,
that's fine. Let them come out in their own time and that will help them to feel safe because
it's really important for a cat to feel safe.

Claire ​I have a question about the sequence of play and feeding. I think I read or heard
somewhere on the Internet that you want to play with them right before you feed them
because that kind of like they're hunting and then they have the reward of eating. Is there
something to that or...?

Zazie Todd ​Yeah, that's a good idea, because if you think about the behaviors that that
plays involving the kinds of behaviors that the cat would do if they were hunting to find
their own food and eating would be the end of that sequence. But also, it's the time of day
when the cat is quite lively and quite likely to come out and play. And if you try and play
with them just after they've eaten, they'd probably prefer to take a nap instead at that point

4
 Air Date: 07/06/2020

in time. That's a really good way to do it. It's also a good way for people to remember to do
it, that you're going to have a playtime with the cat and then you're going to feed them
because it gives it a specific slice the day and it's going to become a habit for you. And
that's good for the cats to know they're always going to get this playtime every day.

Claire ​Also, speaking of feeding slots and scheduling, mine has decided that she wants to
be fed at 4:00 a.m.. I have just one studio apartment, so there's no way for me to close the
door anything. So she just wakes me up by, like, nibbling on my nose or looking at me in
the face, and she just won't stop until I've fed her. Is there anyway to get her to not do that
anymore?

Zazie Todd ​That is a very common problem, especially in the summer when it gets starts
to get light very early in the mornings anyway. So cats would naturally be waking up then.
So one thing you can do is make sure you've tired her out during the day and especially
tired her out before bed. So maybe add in an extra playtime in the evening, maybe give
her a last snack before bed, because cats prefer to be fed five times a day, if that's
possible, rather than just twice a day, is good for them to spread their meals out. Because
if you think normally a cat would be catching mice throughout the day and a cat might
catch maybe 10 mice in a day, that would be like 10 little maels. So if we can try to
approximate that, that's good for the cats. It's not obviously possible for everybody. And
using timed feeders can help for times when we have to be out. But if you can spread her
meals out a bit more and then tire her out before bed, then hopefully she won't wake you
up quite so early. If she does, of course, every time you get up, you're rewarding her for
waking you up. So you might want to try and shift that a little bit later in the morning if you
possibly can.

Claire ​I mean I'm very, I'm very weak.

Alice ​Can you wear some kind of a faceguard, Claire?

Claire ​Yeah, I should get one of those plastic masks, or face shields that people are
wearing right now. But then she'll just bat the blinds until I wake up. But, but you saying
that cats want to eat like five times a day, the heavens are parting and like I'm having an
aha moment because that is exactly the number of times she asks to be fed. It's like four
or five times a day. So.

Zazie Todd ​That's really interesting. Well, so this is a recommendation that I think a lot of
people haven't heard yet. It came out and it's come from International Cat Care. And it's
also come in a report from the American Association of Feline Practitioners that really cats
would prefer several small meals throughout the day and five is a good number to aim for.

Alice ​I feed my cat four times a day, so I'm feeling like a real smarty pants at the moment.

Zazie Todd ​Perfect.

Alice ​Thank you very much. Thank you.

Alice ​So what about dogs? What do we, what do dog owners get wrong about training
their dogs and keeping their dogs happy?

5
 Air Date: 07/06/2020

Zazie Todd ​I think one of the most important things that people can do with training their
dogs is to use food as positive reinforcement for behaviors that you like or when you
training the dog. And there's a couple of reasons for that. One is simply that if people use
aversive methods like leash jerks or yelling at the dog or shock collars, research shows
that those methods risk causing fear, anxiety, aggression and a worse relationship with the
owner. But unfortunately, a lot of people still use those methods some of the time. The
other thing is that food is a really great way to motivate your dog. Your dog likes to work
for food. There's research that shows that dogs enjoy working for a reward. And the
scientists called it the eureka effect of kind of solving a puzzle and having that satisfaction
in solving the puzzle and earning a reward. And there's also research that shows dogs are
very sensitive to the rewards that we use. So they will run faster to get a piece of sausage
than to get a piece of kibble. And I like to advise for myself when I'm training to use small
pieces of chicken because chicken is a normal part of dog food anyway. And most dogs
will work for pieces of chicken. But it depends on your dog. And it also depends on how
difficult the thing is. Because if you're training them to come when called. That's quite a
hard behavior for a dog. And then sometimes you might want to use something really
special, like little tiny pieces of cheese. But I think the main thing is find out what your dog
likes to work for and use that as a reward.

Alice ​Okay. I have this very specific dog problem, but I do think it's sort of a quarantine
related in that first of all, I've just created a monster. I used to have the most like
well-behaved little dog who is just so sweet and now she's so used to us being home all
the time that she's just like, let's, you know, it's treat time. It's walk time. Like the minute I
get up from my desk, she's like, it's time to go. But now whenever we take her for a walk,
when we're getting ready and I say "we" 'cause it's always me and my husband, we always
tend to go out for walks together. That's kind of how we get outside, get our exercise these
days. So when we're both getting ready or if it's just me, even she starts to bark at us like
she starts to lose her mind. She can't believe that we're going out. She gets so excited and
she just starts barking and she's like a Chihuahua. And it's a really high—it's not like a low,
you know, pleasant woof. It's like a really high pitched, annoying sound. And I don't know
how to stop the cycle of, like, her getting so excited when we're taking her out that she's
barking at us, even if we're, like, rushing and getting her leash on and walking right at the
door. She's barking at us. How do I stop her from doing that? Because I've tried using
food, but she's so excited she barely notices the food.

Zazie Todd ​Really, she's really excited. Well, I think this is actually a fairly common
problem, of dogs getting so excited and barking because they want something. So from
that point of view, it's not really something to worry about. Maybe it's a bit on the annoying
side. One thing you can do, but it takes time to work, is to not reward the barking, which is
kind of reward quiet behavior. And that would mean that stop getting ready if she starts
barking. But she might find that quite frustrating. And it takes, you have to be really
consistent with that over a long period of time for it to work. Another thing that can actually
work really well is putting the barking on cue so you can teach her to bark and then you
can teach her not to bark. And that can work quite nicely as well. And some people prefer
to do it that way. So start associating a word with the barking or rewarding her for barking
and teach her so when you say bark or talk or speak, that she will learn to bark and then
you can also teach her not to bark and to be quiet and reward her for those moments of
quiet. And you could even start rewarding her for those moments of quiet because she's
probably not barking continuously. There are probably little gaps in which you could
actually give her a quick reward for being quiet and try and build up some of that quiet
behavior. And that might help as well. The other thing to think about, if she's getting so

6
 Air Date: 07/06/2020

excited, is whether she needs more walks in her life or if she needs other activities in her
life or if you actually wanted to train her to lie down on a mat and wait for you. Because a
lot of dogs don't manage to bark when they're lying down, they'll actually be quiet when
they're lying down. So you could also have a little place where you ask her to wait or put a
little blanket by the door and ask her to lie on there and wait and train her to lie there and
wait while you're getting ready to go out. And then she can not bark while you're getting
ready. And that can be quite successful as well. So there's different ways of doing it, but
they all can help.

Alice ​How long would you give your dog to learn a skill like that?

Zazie Todd ​I think most people want their dogs to learn it faster than they're actually able
to. So you have to be patient and you have to go at the dog's pace and every dog is a bit
different. And some dogs, especially like the border collies, for example, are really quick at
learning things and will learn very quickly. But other dogs will learn them quite slowly. I
think learning to stay on a mat is something that dogs can—most dogs can actually learn
that one fairly quickly. But learning to do that when nothing else is happening is one thing,
and that's quite easy. And then you have to gradually build in distractions. So you getting
ready to go for a walk is quite a big distraction. So it would take longer for her to learn to
do that. When you're doing that compared to when you're just puttering about sitting on the
settee, not doing anything in that circumstance, circumstances easy. So. What we have to
remember is to make it easy for the dog to start with and then gradually make it harder and
harder and work at their pace and just be patient because we have to go at their pace. And
some things take time.

Alice ​Right.

Claire ​Speaking of pace and excitement, I've noticed this thing my cat does. She has the
zoomies at night sometimes. I think that's just on days I don't play with her enough. But
I've also noticed that whenever she poops, she just dashes out of the litter box like she's
trying to escape it. And sometimes she'll do it like she'll leave the litter box even before
she's finished pooping, which is annoying. And I don't know if there is anything that I can
do about it to get her to quit doing that. Besides just it's just a weird cat thing.

Zazie Todd ​Yeah. So I'm not sure exactly why she's doing that. But anytime there's
anything with a litter box is always worth asking, is there litter box big enough? And do
they have the right kind of litter for them? Because some cats can be very fussy and prefer
one kind of litter over another or we'll only use one kind of litter. And also a lot of cats like
to have one litter box to poop in and another one to pee in. So you already said you have
multiple litter boxes so she's got that option. But but that's something else that people
might be able to do.

Alice ​Is it possible, especially with cats, to just have like just have a mean pet? Like
especially with cats? Like, I just feel like, you know, like Claire was saying, like, you meet
the cat, they're sweet and they're timid and they're shy, then you bring them home and
they get comfortable, and they're like, "guess what, asshole? Like, this is me." Is that like
are some cats...? I know Micaela was saying her cat is just mean and attacks guests. Like
are cats just...are some cats just, just bad? Bad to the bone?

Zazie Todd ​Well every cat is different. And one of the lovely things about cats is they do
have such different personalities. If you have a cat who is actually attacking someone,

7
 Air Date: 07/06/2020

then you have to think probably there is a reason that cat is probably actually quite
unhappy with having someone come into the house for example. A cat that's afraid, that
doesn't have opportunities to go and hide sometimes will learn to attack people, to make
them go away and leave them alone. And every cat is different and every cat has different
experiences during the sensitive period for socialization, which is a really important time
for kittens and for puppies when they're learning about the world that they're going to grow
up in. And if they have lots of positive experiences at that time, it helps them grow up to be
friendly, sociable, confident adults. For kittens, that's between two and at the end of seven
weeks, for puppies it would be between three weeks and about twelve to 14 weeks. And
lots of positive experiences during that time really are very good for them as wide a range
of experiences as possible. And then kittens are still learning when they go into their new
home, obviously for kittens that's after this period has ended. But they're still learning to
generalize and kittens that don't have lots of positive experiences then are more likely to
be afraid as older cats. But genetics plays a role as well. So genetics has something to do
with it, too. And early life experiences and also epigenetics and things to do with what's
happening when they're in the womb and if the mother is stressed, for example. So a
whole range of things that go into what the cat's behavior is going to be like. And some
cats just are not so keen on people, they just all quite shy. And they would like those
opportunities to hide and not to be forced to meet people. And if they don't have those
opportunities, then they're going to have to learn how to protect themselves from their
point of view. And they may seem a bit more aggressive. And it's really best if you've got
that kind of cat is not very sociable. It's really best to try and have a quiet house for them.
They wouldn't be very happy going into a house with lots of people visiting, lots of children
visiting, lots going on all the time. Lots of other pets. Some cats will thrive in that
environment. Some cats will really hate it. So you have to think about the kind of cat
you've got and try and make their circumstances suitable for them as possible.

Alice ​Claire, is your cat attacking you as we speak?

Claire ​She's literally biting my boob. I don't know why. Like, that's the thing like, I. She's
the one who decided to come up here.

Alice ​Yeah.

Claire ​And she's just decided. Yeah. She's just, like, biting me now. I don't know. It's I
don't know why. Sometimes she just.

Alice ​Does she want to play?

Claire ​I'm not sure if it's play. I think she maybe she wants to play or I think she's just
might be annoyed that I'm not paying attention to her. Like sometimes—

Zazie Todd ​A lot of cats will get very excited when you pet them, like they'll like it when
you start to pet them. And then you'll see this tail start to swish a lot and they're getting too
excited. And the little cats will bite at that point or lash out at you at that point. And the
thing about cats and petting is they would like lots of short petting sessions throughout the
day. But as owners, we tend to like to have one big, long petting session that goes on for a
long time. They're much too much. They would like to run away. They would really prefer
shorter sessions. And that's another thing to remember. And also watch that tail. I always
watch a cat's tail when I'm petting them, because when it starts to swish, that's when
maybe you should start to stop petting.

8
 Air Date: 07/06/2020

Claire ​And just so she's sitting on me, do I just stop petting her and stay very still?

Zazie Todd ​Yeah. And the thing is, you can observe and see what happens. So you can
see like if you keep petting and you get bitten, then you'll think, "well, OK. Next time I'll
stop petting and see." And you can just sit there and often the cat will be happy to just stay
and they'll keep on purring, but they're happy not to have more petting. And that's fine.
That's up to them, isn't it?

Claire ​Yeah. And that's the thing I guess with cats is like are they truly domesticated?
Because it seems like they're tiny little wild animals that we just let into our homes. And
then it kind of becomes more their home than ours to a certain extent. Like they call the
shots, really.

Zazie Todd ​Yeah. I think we tend to feel that about cats, that they do like to be a little bit in
charge of things. And if you think about the history of cats, they are domesticated, but they
haven't been so for as long as dogs. And dogs well, both cats and dogs can be trained. I
think it's important to remember that cats can be trained, but they do seem to have a little
bit more wild in them. And I think that's one of the things that's different about dogs and
cats and that differentiates between dog people and cat people or some people are both.
You can appreciate both, but it's lovely. Cats are very special. But the thing is, if we didn't
exist anymore, our cats could continue to exist quite happily on their own. And for dogs.
Dogs, obviously, you can have feral dogs and street dogs, but I think people don't feel they
could. You know, some of our dogs really love us and really have to be with us all the time.
And so for a cat that's had those positive socialization opportunities as a kitten, then
they're very social and they love people. They would really miss people if they weren't
there, they do love being with their person. But some cats that haven't had those
experiences and they are more stressed around people, they probably could manage a lot
better without people with if they had to.

Claire ​So cats are capable of love.

Zazie Todd ​Yes, I think they are. Everyone who loves a cat knows their cat must love
them.

Alice ​Even your cat. What are some easy ways? I know in your book you listed some, like,
easy ways to make your dog happy. And one of them was just like letting them sniff when
they're when you go for a walk. And I felt like I just felt such a pang of guilt because I'm
always pulling my dog away when she just starts to, you know, aimlessly smell things. I'm
like, "you're done. Come on. You've peed." I start pulling her but now I'm like, "All right. Let
her—I'm makin' her happy." I got to let her sniff. Are there other things like that that are,
that bring dogs, joy, that kind of don't occur to us?

Zazie Todd ​I think that's probably the most important one. And I like to use the phrase
"sniffari" take your dog on a sniffari and give them all these opportunities to sniff because
scent is so important for dogs and we are used to seeing things and that's what's important
to us instead so we tend to miss it. And as you said, so many people hurry their dog along
on the walk. But if the walk is really for the dog, then you should give them those
opportunities to sniff and they're smelling who else has been by, which dogs have been
by, getting lots and lots of information from that. But there are other ways that you can use
scents to make them happy as well. And you can play really nice games. You can just shut

9
 Air Date: 07/06/2020

them in another room, get some cardboard boxes, put a treat in one of those cardboard
boxes, and then let them come into the room and hunt for it. And when they find it in the
box, just put a few extra bits in as a reward for them. And the first time, they might be a bit
unsure like "why, what's going on?" And then they'll find that treat. And then within a few
goes, you'll find they're running out of the room to find that treat. And they really enjoy it.
And you only need to do that two or three times. And the dog can actually be really quite
tired because it's using their nose. It's using their brain. It's really nice for them. And I think
any opportunities for them to use scent are really good for them. Another one would be to
get a Wooly Snuffle Mat, which is a mat with big, long fabric loops in it, and you can hide
treats in the mat for them to find. And that's another way to keep your dog occupied as
well.

Claire ​Does that work for cats? Because I notice Dollop likes to sniff things a lot. She's a
maybe the most sniffy cat I've ever had. She always gets her nose, like, into things.

Zazie Todd ​It actually does. Cats have a really good sense of smell, too. We always think
of dogs as having a good sense of smell. And we tend to neglect that with cats. But if you
think about some of the cat toys with catnip in, there are other kinds of scents that cats,
particularly like and silver vine would be another one. Not all cats are sensitive to catnip.
Not all cats are sensitive to silver vine, but quite a lot of them are and they love it. But also
the game with hiding a treat in some cardboard boxes. You can play that with cats, too.
I've done that with my cats. They love it. I have two cats. I found it quite difficult to only let
one cat have a go at once.

Alice ​So now the where we're all quarantined right now, but we're starting to, you know,
kind of get out of our homes and our pets are adjusting. They were really, really used to us
being home all the time. How can we help them adjust as we start to leave our houses?

Zazie Todd ​[00:30:19]​It can really help to give them some alone time still. Ideally, you
would have been doing this all through the past few weeks and months, but I think most
people haven't. But you should start to give them some alone time, even if that means
you're going outside and sitting in your car or going for a dog walk without the dog so that
they get to be at home for a short period of time anyway, and they're used to it. And then
another thing is to have a routine as much as you can. So if you know that you're going
back to work, if you can switch your routine closer to that before you actually go back to
work in terms of the times that day that you walk the dog and the times a day that you feed
them and the times of day that you feed the cat, perhaps if you're thinking about a cat and
then that will help them because pets really like routine. It helps them to feel more
comfortable and it makes things predictable and less stressful. ​[46.7s] ​So if you can get
into that routine as soon as you can and then stick to it, that will help them as well.

Alice ​Zazie thank you so much for joining us. This was great.

Zazie Todd ​Thanks very much. It's been really fun to chat with you.

Alice ​And now it's time for Upgrade of the Week. Every week we talk about that one tiny
thing making a big difference in our lives. Zazie, what's your upgrade this week?

Zazie Todd ​Well, I am one of those people who really likes stationary and pens and
things, I guess because I'm a writer. So my upgrade is my new pen, which is not
expensive. It is a Uni-ball Signo Gel pen in metallic burgundy. And I love it because it

10
 Air Date: 07/06/2020

comes in so many different colors. But I love purples and burgundy, so I picked a metallic
burgundy and it's gorgeous. It's nice to write with. And you can get refills. So I really like it.
So I do most of my writing typing at the computer, but I also have a notebook and I put
notes of what I'm going to write. And I just like to have a nice pen to be able to do that
with. And also it helps me avoid staring at a blank screen, because I've already got notes
in my notebook that I just have to type up, so that helps, too. So my pen. I love it.

Alice ​Nice. I have a legal pad that I keep next to me and I have a here's my legal pad, but
I have a Uni-ball as well. They're my favorite. They're my favorite pens. They just flow so
nicely.

Zazie Todd ​They write so nicely and it dries quickly and be able to get it in metallic. I just
thought, wow, that's amazing.

Alice ​That's really, really leveling up with a metallic burgundy. Well, thank you so much.

Zazie Todd ​Thank you.

Alice ​And that's our show, the upgrade is produced by Micaela Heck and mixed by Brad
Fisher.

Claire ​Please rate us on Apple Podcasts. And be nice about it. We really appreciate a
comment. Again, if it's a nice comment, we'd love a glowing review. You can also reach us
by calling at three, four, seven, six eight seven eight one zero nine. And leaving a
voicemail. Or write to us at upgrade at Lifehacker dot com.

Alice ​You can also find us on Twitter, at Lifehacker. On Instagram, at Lifehacker dot com.
All one word. And on Facebook. At Facebook dot com slash Lifehacker. Sign up for
Lifehacker's daily newsletter full of tips or tricks and hacks at Lifehacker dot com slash
newsletter. And you can find show notes for this and every episode of The Upgrade of
Lifehacker dot com slash the show.

Alice ​Claire, we're not talking about food this week, we're talking about hopefully the
opposite.

Claire ​We're going to talk about animals that we don't eat because I'm the food editor, but
I'm not going to eat my cat.

11