The Way of Cats

A reader writes:

What’s the best way to keep my cats off the furniture?

Dear Readers,

The best way is to realize there’s no point in trying to keep cats off the furniture.

more cat pictures

Cats think in three dimensions. They regard all surfaces as part of their territory, which must be investigated to determine their qualities. Cats need to know what happens when they do this, and when they do that, because at any time they might have to run down a rodent or flee from a predator. They have a constantly updated wire-frame model in their heads of all possible hiding places, ambush points, and escape routes.

These are strong instinctual imperatives which drive cat behavior and must be understood. They do not restrict themselves to the floor because they are built to climb and leap and survey. Cats prefer having the high ground. They need to observe their territory from all angles. They also prefer to sleep off the ground, preferably on something soft and cushy.

Just as we do.

Which is another factor in furniture use; their desire to be close to us. If we are snuggled up on the couch, they want to be snuggled on the couch with us. Whether it’s curled up on a lap or cuddled against our leg, cats who are affectionate want as much closeness as possible. If we are on the floor, they will be too, but we usually prefer the support and comfort of furniture. So do they.

It’s desirable to keep them off kitchen counters, tippy tables, or bookcases which house delicate objects. We can shoo them away from such places, but they must have something to use in each room that allows them to feel comfortable that they know where everything is, and what it looks like from all angles.

So to have a cat means we must share our furniture with them. They will want the back of the couch, the shelf on the bookcase, the cushion next to us. Having access to some furniture in every room is part of their instinctual drive. It doesn’t matter if they have access to the outdoors, either. Their home is their territory, and they must feel as though they own at least part of it.

People who don’t understand the way cats think can find themselves annoyed by the cat’s insistence on climbing and jumping and finding high places to hang out. As confident climbers and joyous jumpers, cats use their abilities to outwit both their prey and their predators. They need to be up or down, hidden for an ambush or proudly visible to potential interlopers on their hunting grounds.

Taking the cat out of the desert does not take the desert out of the cat.

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