We shouldn’t get angry at the cat. Despite how it looks, they aren’t doing it because they hate us or are bearing a grudge about something or are too stupid to know this gets us upset.
They are doing it because they can’t help it.
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The reason the cat can’t stop doing that thing is that they need what the thing provides. If they haven’t come up with another way of filling that need, despite our discouragement, they need our help. And that’s what they should get.
When we are hungry, searching the fridge or ordering a pizza isn’t being stubborn. It’s following our instincts, and they are there for a reason. Without them, there would be millions of gamers lying around without the strength to play on. Instincts can’t be argued with, whether they are our own, or our cat’s.
The biggest challenges are with the Alpha cats, whose constant curiosity and high energy levels result in truly amazing focusing powers. They live for doing something that results in something else. We need to come up with toys that are more complex than a toy mouse.
Toddler toys (obtained cheaply from yard sales) could have been designed for such cats. They are full of buttons to press and wheels to roll, and all the sizes are just right for busy paws. The accompanying noise or action which they activate is reward enough for the cat scientist.
If we have an athletic cat, we need to come up with something they can climb; nothing exhausts cats better than hauling their own weight up a vertical surface. Cover one end of a bookcase with a carpet remnant, or fasten some secondhand drapes to a wall in a spare room. Add a perching spot at the top to show that our new toy for them is so much better than the drapes in the living room.
Cat energy cannot be extinguished. It can only be redirected.
Far more than dogs, cats regard our home as their home. We can’t just discourage them from doing something we don’t like if they don’t have something else to turn to. This is how people drive themselves, and their cats, crazy.
Recognizing that the cat is actually asking for something redefines the dimension of the problem. This isn’t a discipline problem. This is a resource problem.
Giving the cat what they have to have is simply part of good cat care.
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There’s more ways to understand our cat with The Way of Cats than the article you are reading now. See all of my posts on WHY CATS DO THAT.
This is a resource problem
Giving the cat what they have to have is simply part of good cat care.
and they HAVE TO HAVE IT
and finding out what the HECK they want….so you can redirect it…
great post as always…and of course very helpful when living with a cat named Monkey