The Way of Cats

There are many different holiday celebrations this time of year, and all are wonderful. But if our traditions include a decorated tree with gaily wrapped packages under it, we have a special cat challenge.

When I had a lot of cats, we nailed the Christmas tree to the floor. That gives you an idea.

After all, look at from the cat’s point of view. They climb trees. We bring a tree into the house and hang toys on it. Then we expect them to leave it alone? As we say in Brooklyn, Yeah, right!

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The younger and/or more lively they are, the more likely they are to explore it, especially if it is new to them. My suggestions:

DO

• secure the tree with sandbags or some kind of anchor
• fasten the ornaments securely
• bind up the wires around the base so they won’t look so tempting, and coat them with Bitter Apple or citrus spray so they won’t chew
• leave some soft “low hanging fruit” ornaments that will tempt them first and we don’t mind them playing with. Sometimes they are satisfied with that, and after all, it’s Christmas for them, too!

DON’T

• use tinsel AT ALL. Cats can eat it and form terrible bowl obstructions.
• indulge in the delicate ornaments that would upset you in case they break. Display them in a safe place if they mean Christmas, but don’t tempt fate.
• wrap their presents and put them under the tree if they contain catnip. This is a sure way of getting presents opened before Christmas, and they might start on everyone else’s, just in case.
• use bows on presents if the cat likes bows, because they will think the bows are for them. Some cats are indifferent to ribbon wrapped around presents, and some cats can’t wait to peel it off. Try some “test gifts” to see which cat we have, and wrap in a way that will not invite destruction.

We can wrap gifts with cats present, depending on the cats. Sometimes we can stick a bit of tape on their paw, and they will be busy taking it off (I put it on my palm or the carpet first, to make it less sticky,) or we can ball up some scrap wrapping paper and let them chase it around, and all can enjoy this special task of the season.

But if the cat is making connect the dots with the laid out paper and playing with the scissors, we need to remove them from the premises to get the job done safely. Often, cats will leave wrapped presents alone. They find the task of wrapping the presents far more fascinating because of its crafty aspects.

The Christmas season can be tough for cats. All the decorations that just beg to be played with, all the coming and going, all the new packages, boxes, and bags. We can descend into a maelstrom of scolding and squirt bottles. But there’s a better way.

Whatever the cat wants to play with, warn them away, but try to come up with some substitutes, just for them. Energy cannot be extinguished, but it can be redirected. Social cats will want to be a part of the festivities, just as they want to be a part of everything we do.

Make ways for the cats to enjoy things safely, and we will all have happy holidays.

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How can we tell if a cat doesn’t want to do something? It’s simple. The cat won’t do it.

Enter the ICHC online Poker Cats Contest!

Why is the cat disobeying us?

Before we jump to unfair conclusions about the cat’s attitude, we should give some thought to the parameters of our request.

• Have we asked the cat not to do something they want very much to do?
• Have we asked the cat to do something they want very much not to do?
• Have we asked the cat to do something that is simply not in their skill set?

If we would like the cat to not sit on a certain table, and the cat still sits on the table, we can conclude the cat is being stubbornly disobedient, but there’s probably more to it than that. There must be something about that table that suits their needs, and they feel compelled to sit there regardless. It might be the only vantage point to a busy window, it might be the only way to get away from a curious dog or grasping toddler, or it might be right by the door, where the cat wants to greet us.

Cats are always driven to satisfy their needs in the best way open to them. We cannot ignore their needs, we can only redirect them.

Likewise, we are not going to be able to persuade the cat to come when they are called if we follow up their obedience by giving them medicine or perform some other unpleasant task. It is perfectly all right with the cat to never come when they are called if there’s the slightest chance it will result in something they do not like. The possibility of something good coming of it is far outweighed by the possibility of something bad coming of it.

We cannot expect the cat to join us in a room where there is a lot of commotion, loud music, or other things they do not like. They cannot “learn to like” anything they already don’t like. Our efforts to persuade the cat otherwise will only result in the cat mistrusting our motives.

If we continue to try to get the cat to do something against their will, we will never get them to obey. We will only create stress, which is sure to be expressed in things we like even less.

We cannot force the cat to do anything. Often, people’s experience with dogs carries over to cats in a highly counter-productive way. A dog will do something they don’t want to if we insist. Properly handled, a dog might not even mind. Obeying their leader can be less stress for them than the unwanted action.

This is simply not true of cats. A cat cooperates if they want to. We have many ways of persuading the cat to want to, or not want to. But our insistence is not, ever, going to work.

Our insistence will only undermine our cat relationship, and make what we want even more impossible to get.

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An important part of cat management is how we shape the cat’s reactions to new situations. Since we are the Boss of Cat Town, the cats look to us to help them understand the new, the puzzling, and the potentially dangerous.

As highly curious creatures, they routinely encounter interesting things. But the cat is also a highly cautious creature. They are suspicious, always, when they don’t understand.

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This is the pivotal point where we can and should step in to help them out. If we are not concerned about the big noise or the strange activity next door, this will reassure them. If we are happy and excited about the new thing, this will intrigue them. Likewise, if we are upset and concerned, they will become apprehensive.

When they don’t understand on their own, they will look for our cues.

I had a reader recently share her experience with a DirtDog. She reports it does a great job on her slate floor. While it doesn’t make as much noise as a vacuum, she was still worried about her three cats’ acceptance of the new device that will be wandering around the territory.

She reports, “I wanted to up the ante so I acted very excited and told the cats how much fun this is and what an exciting new toy… this brought them all closer and my uber-alpha started chasing it! Now they think it’s a cat toy that sweeps up litter!”

This was a great way to handle something that could spook a cat under the bed for days. Instead, she guided the cats to not only acceptance, but all the way to enjoyment.

“I never would have done that if I hadn’t started reading your blog… thanks.”

You’re welcome! And thanks back, for so nicely illustrating my point. Which is:

Cats pick up their emotional cues from us.

This has more implications than when we introduce a Robot into the house. Our emotional state is being constantly monitored by our cats, who care about us and feel responsible for us. So if we have a bad day, and bring it home, the cats can act oddly. They might hide, or “bother” us with attention. Either way, they are trying to let us know they care.

So we should pay as much attention to the cat’s behavior as they pay attention to ours. When we change something, let them know. Lay the groundwork. Make a fuss when it comes. Tell them what we think.

And they will know what to think.

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There’s more to raising and training a cat with The Way of Cats than the article you are reading now. See my CAT TRAINING TIPS.

It’s the second most common cat myth: that cats are not obedient.

This myth got started because it is more difficult to obedience train a cat than a dog. But it’s no use pretending that it is not possible.

more cat pictures

After all, Dominique the Catman doesn’t have a problem with it. There are 35 cats performing for Moscow Cats Theatre. Karen Pryor says we can clicker train our cat.

But the essence of this myth is that it doesn’t matter. With my three current cats, the only obedience training I’ve done is teach Puffy to give us The Paw when he wants something. And only because he was not capable of figuring that out for himself.

This is a myth within a myth. Because:

Cats don’t need obedience training.

It doesn’t mean cats won’t do what we ask them to. Ours do it all the time. Just the other night, we had a bat in the house. In the time it took me to get a hand towel, Mr. Bond had already cornered the bat and had it in his mouth.

This was a big difference from his behavior several years ago, the last time a bat got into the house. That time, he went and got Dear Husband, and had him take care of it!

But this time, he acted differently. Even though he’d just had a booster rabies shot, I didn’t want him to get bitten. And the only thing worse than a bat is… half a bat. So Dear Husband told Mr. Bond to give him the bat in the towel. And he did.

We let the bat out the window, and it flew away. It’s probably telling stories at the Bat Bar right now. We made a big fuss over Mr. Bond’s swift action and he got treats and praise for the rest of the night. Our Hero!

This wasn’t obedience training. We hadn’t taught Mr. Bond that if he catches bats, he should give them to us. This was his first bat capture. In fact, this was the first time either of us had asked him to give something up. This was cat persuasion. This was the cat doing as we asked, because we asked.

To me, that’s not obedience training. It’s something even better; a mutual agreement we have with our cats. We try to do things they like, and they try to do things we like.

It’s partnership.

So when I say “train the cat,” it is with methods that are as much about training the people as it is training the cat. We can get the cat to do what we ask. We just need the ability to know how to ask, and the flexibility to sometimes let the cat train us.

So there’s two ways to lift people out of ignorance when they bring up this cat myth. One is to point out that some people do obedience train their cat. These people have their cat doing tricks!

The other is to ask, as I do, “So your dog comes when called?” They nod. “Outside, off leash?” Well…

Cats should not be slandered.

What’s the biggest cat myth? That cats aren’t affectionate.

Got here from a Link or Search?
There’s more to raising and training a cat with The Way of Cats than the article you are reading now. See my CAT TRAINING TIPS.