They’re right.
But it’s not because they want to “look down” on us. At least, not the way we think.
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Cats don’t want to stay on the floor because that’s dangerous. Their instincts tell them they are far better off with a higher angle and a more hidden vantage point. So that is what they seek.
Yes, cats like to “look down,” but it’s not really a mental attitude so much as it is a physical one. They also want to “look out,” and not be seen. They love to hang out in place where they feel confident there are many angles they do not have to monitor.
Reverend Jim is currently enjoying such an outpost of his own invention. We have a round plastic clothes hamper where we store plastic grocery bags for reuse. It has lots of oblong holes in it. RJ has discovered that when he gets inside, the bags form a cushy surface for napping, and the holes in the container let him peer out with a degree of invisibility.
I could run the kind of household where RJ wanting to use this container would result in great distress for both of us. I could try getting mad at him for it, and fastening the lid down in some way, and even chasing him out of the area where we keep the container every time we saw him there.
I might wind up with a tidier grocery bag container. I would also be driving RJ away from a territorial need of his. And from me. Because I’m sure one of the reasons he chose it is because it is in our hallway, at a nexus of all kinds of comings and goings that are fun to watch through a spyhole. (I did the same thing when I was a child.)
Chasing him away from this container would mean chasing him away from the center of the home. So now I just leave the lid off the container a lot of the time.
I’m firm about certain things; the kitchen counters are off limits, and certain tippy surfaces are too. But that leaves plenty of places where the cats are allowed, including our bed, a bookcase in the bedroom, the back of a certain recliner, and the new couch.
I understand people who like their homes being just so; tidy and neat and unmarked. I would like that too! However, this configuration is not always amenable to living with other creatures; especially smaller, messier ones like cats, dogs, and children.
Given the choice, I make the one that makes the most; happiest.
For more about cats, furniture, and territory, see Dear Pammy, How do I keep my cats off the furniture?
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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.
G has noticed that Annie is very aware of the fact that she is the smallest of the three cats now that Charlotte is all grown up. So her solution is that she will stand on things (boxes, books, etc.) when she’s near the other cats so she’s the same height or a little taller than them. It cracks us up to see a cat being so self-conscious about her height.
It’s probably not a coincidence that the tops of the bookshelves belong solely to her — any cat who tries to invade while she’s up there gets shoved off.
We’ve given up on our kitchen counter verboten while we are away (if we are around, they stay clear without any problem). I came in once when our neighbor was making incredible noise blowing his leaves, and for once BZ didn’t hear us. There she was, stretched out on the food prep counter like the Goddess of the Kitchen. Since then I keep a spray bottle of water and bleach to disinfect the counter before we cook. If we are around, they don’t get on the counter.
We gave over the top of the refrigerator to Leo, and added a half shelf above that, which is exclusively hers (and far from food prep and cookstove). We hope it will keep her away from the new shelves we’re putting in on the other wall. Time will tell, but I’m not placing any bets against the beasts!
One of the best cat-related purchases I’ve ever made is our 6′ cat tree. The guys are pretty good at sharing the top level, both space-wise and time-wise. Eventually I’d like to get another tall one to put over by the window. The kitchen cabinets are about the only thing in our house off limits to them too, but I know when we’re not around…
This is an excellent post, and one I just recently took action on (before even reading it, I swear!)
My cat loved to perch on top of my computer monitor. It was annoying to me because her left or butt would always block the screen, and she took her sweet time getting up there (blocking the screen MORE!) and spring boarded off of my mouse pad causing me to click things I didn’t want to click. Annoying!
Then I realized that the monitor was the highest point on my computer desk, and she probably just wanted to be near me while I was working but up where tit was safer.
So I took an old wooden half-barrel and put it next to the monitor. It’s about twice as high and much more appealing to a cat as a little crow’s nest. While she still uses the monitor as a stepping stone, most of the time she’s napping in her crow’s nest. She gets to be near me, up high, and my monitor is unblocked. Plus, it cost me nothing! And we both got what we wanted