WHY YOU SHOULD KNOW AT LEAST A BIT ABOUT CATS:

Whether you own a cat, are considering getting a cat, or even if you have no intention of ever taking on such a responsibility, it is inevitable that at some point you will meet a furry feline, be it your neighbour’s cat who decides that your garden or windowsill provides a better basking spot than his own or a friend’s cat you meet while visiting their home.

Knowing just a little about these popular companions – how to read their mood and intentions, how to behave around them, how to have your children act toward them, and what to take into consideration during festive and social occasions – will help to ensure that those meet-ups are a positive experience for all concerned.

Quick Links to Page Contents:

• Thinking Like a Cat
• Good Cat, Bad Cat
• Being Around a Cat
• Cats & Children
• Cats & Festivities

THINKING LIKE A CAT:

Cats do think, they just don’t think like us! All sentient creatures are guided by their senses, and how those senses differ between species affects how each one perceives the world, acquires knowledge, and applies that knowledge to act upon its environment. Another area that affects how an animal engages with its surroundings is how it engages with others, especially those of its own kind. This is just one point of difference between humans and cats, for humans (as with dogs) tend to be far more naturally sociable than the independently-minded feline. This has an important effect not only on how cats communicate, but to what extent they actually do communicate, and how good they are at reading other’s intentions.

Because cats are better at conveying their moods rather than communicating their intentions through their body language, it means that this process is less two-way than one might think. We can better interpret a cat’s signals or intentions, because our social nature equips us to do that, but cats are less likely to take the time to read your cues than to react to your movements as a potential threat. This will have a direct bearing on how best to engage a cat, which is to not approach them but to allow them to come to you, by crouching down to make yourself small, extend a hand that they might sniff, and to avert your gaze to appear less threatening.

For more information on how cats think, please refer to our page on ‘Cat Intelligence’, and for further detail on how cats communicate, and how you in turn can communicate to them, please read our page on ‘Cat Body Language & Communication’.

GOOD CAT, BAD CAT:

Cats, like all animals, are amoral. They do not have an innate sense of right and wrong, and any training that you instil – be it toilet training or not to claw your favourite furniture – has more to do with habituation than the cat learning to distinguish between good and bad behaviour. To punish a cat for not performing as we would want is counterproductive, as it teaches the cat very little other than to perceive you as an unpredictable and threatening person. Not exactly the kind of relationship we would want to foster with our pets!

The key to good training is consistency, patience, and persistence. With a lot of repetition! Reward good behaviour, and try to mitigate unwanted behaviour by not creating the space in which it can happen.

If your cat begins to spray or urinate indoors, clean the area immediately and thoroughly to remove any scent that can draw the cat back to that area, temporarily block off access to that spot where possible, and provide a suitable alternative for the cat. Cats tend to be clean animals so if this occurs whilst your cat is young then most likely he or she is still having to learn to use the litter tray, but if yours is an adult or senior cat then it may suggest an underlying health reason, and you should consider having your cat vet checked. Inappropriate toileting can also occur when a cat is feeling anxious or stressed by something in its environment, such as the presence of other cats in its immediate territory.

To learn how to best tackle problem behaviour, please look at the information provided on our ‘Cat Behaviour’ page, and for further detail on how to train your cat, please refer to our page on ‘Training Your Cat’.

BEING AROUND A CAT:

As already explained, it is important when greeting a cat to allow the cat to initiate contact. By crouching down and extending your hand, you are making yourself appear smaller and thus less threatening, and you are inviting the cat to smell you first, which for a feline is simply good manners.

You need to also be prepared that the cat may simply not be in the mood. Don’t take it personally! After all, cats are not overly social creatures, even amongst their own kind. In fact, you are more likely to get a positive interaction at a later stage if you heed this point, rather than approach the cat regardless.

It is equally important to remember that cats prefer social interactions of a short duration. Don’t try to hold or grab the cat, let alone follow after it, once it decides to move away. Cats are cool. And they don’t do clingy!.

If you do want to have a close relationship with your cat, it is best to train them – yes, cats need to be trained to be sociable – when they are young. That means handling them briefly but often, and to ensure that each time they are handled it is done with care. Do not pick up a kitten, let alone an adult cat, by the scruff of the neck but that you support its entire weight as you lift it up and cradle it. Ensure that it has had an opportunity to sniff you and that you have responded by stroking it around the cheeks and chin area, as well as along the forehead, each time before you reach to pick it up.

The amount of handling and the type of handling a cat receives early in its life will inform how it will respond to such handling later on. Equally, the number and variety of handlers – men, women, and children – will all affect its response to being handled by those types of individuals in its later years.

Not all cats will grow up wanting to be handled, and the degree to which they enjoy it may even vary even between kittens from the same litter. Broadly speaking, though, a cat’s friendliness and its boldness are informed by its father, so a friendly father is more likely to sire friendly offspring, whereas a skittish father will more than likely produce nervous or shy kittens.

CATS & CHILDREN:

While some children become cautious or fearful of dogs, owing to the animal’s energetic approach and unpredictability, most children are drawn to cats for precisely the reason that cats tend to be aloof and less forward in their approach. But it is for exactly these reasons that all interactions between cats and children should be carefully managed and monitored. As has just been explained, cats have a very different and distinct social interplay than that of humans, and much of what a child perceives to be normal behaviour would be to a cat exceedingly bad manners. This can easily lead to a stressed cat and/or an equally upset child, were the cat to decide to express its displeasure.

It is important that children be allowed to interact with their feline family members, especially when the cat is young, not only so that the child can learn acceptable feline manners but also that the cat can get used to the presence and handling of the child. While overseeing all contact, the adults in the room need to ensure that:

• The cat is always given the opportunity to approach and has the means to move away,
• Petting and stroking are limited to the chin, cheeks and shoulders of the cat, and are performed gently with no attempts made to grab the tail,
• The cat is only allowed to be held once it has accepted to being held by an adult, and when the cat’s full weight can be supported by the child. For young children, a kitten or cat should only be allowed on or around their lap and may not picked up,
• The child keeps his or her face away from the cat and does not attempt to maintain direct eye-to-eye contact,
• The cat is never chased, shrieked or screamed at, or threatened however unintentionally in any way.

Finally, it is important to teach all children that cats are individuals, too, and just because one cat likes to be petted, handled, or held, it doesn’t necessarily follow that another cat will appreciate the same treatment. Each cat should be shown the same regard as you would when greeting anyone else for the first time. It is through gradual familiarity that friendships are formed. This is especially true where a child has a friendly feline at home, and then embarks on establishing a friendship with another cat.

CATS & FESTIVITIES:

Festive occasions, such as birthdays, Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving, tend to be both joyous and costly events, involving decorations, gifts, cooked meals, and sometimes guests. For a cat, they can not only be costly but stressful, as well. Decorations, be they on Christmas trees or handling low on walls and doors, can pose an irresistible temptation for cats that like to paw and clasp dangling, shiny objects. This can be dangerous if these decorations include an electric cable, such as Christmas tree lights, or if accidentally ingested. Ensuring all decorations are out of paw-reach or that careful supervision is maintained will help to keep additional costs, such as an emergency vet bill, down, and will allow your cat to enjoy the festive occasion with you.

And if the decorations haven’t enticed your cat, then the food that is to be served may do. Knowing what human foodstuff is or is not toxic to a cat is vital to keeping your pet safe, not only on these special occasions but also throughout the rest of the year.

Food that can prove toxic to cats include: Caffeine, chocolate, grapes, raisins, as well as many vegetables of the Allium genus, such as garlic, onions, and chives. Added to this, too much tuna, sardines, liver, and dairy products, including milk, can also lead to toxicity. On a side-note, cats should never be fed dog food, for cats are obligate carnivores and their dietary requirements are very different from that of the dog.

The festive occasions that your cat will most certainly detest will be those that include fireworks. You may not be able to prevent others around you from setting off fireworks, but if you have taken on the responsibility of owning a cat, then you have committed to not setting them off yourself, certainly not at home while your cat is present.

There are steps you can take to mitigate the effect of fireworks on your cat, such as by purchasing a Thundershirt, which is a snug-fitting garment that targets certain pressure points on your cat’s body, inducing a state of relative calm. There are also pacifying diffusers that emit de-stressing pheromones to calm an anxious animal. But the point remains: Were you to set off fireworks on your property – a space that your cat perceives to be a safe space – you may very well scar your cat for life, even were you to invest in such remedies.

A final note should be reserved for guests coming to visit, especially at a festive time when your cat’s nose may already be a bit out of joint or if it involves a lot of running, screaming kids at a birthday party. Your cat should be provided ample safe space that is free of guests, where she can settle down and wait out the human storm that is otherwise blowing through her space. Some cats may be happy to come and go, especially if it is a nice day outside, but if it is late or the weather is miserable, then provide a large separate area complete with food, water, and litter tray, as well as some familiar nesting material, for her to feel secure in.

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