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The cats would ask for my presence in the living room, and then show me the places where their treat basket, toy hamper, and scratching box used to be. They wanted to hear my plans to make new spots very soon.
Remember, a big enough change suspends the rules about those places and things.
Cats can feel insecure when their favorite sleeping spots and scenic outlooks have vanished overnight. We probably would, too. So take their complaints seriously by showing them that we know they like that thing or place, and it will be back, in some form.
But as much as they enjoy predictability, it can be instructive and useful to pay attention to our cat’s preferences by offering alternatives. A new food, kind of toy, or sleeping spot is an opportunity to let the cat react to the unusual, and thus get used to it.
It’s also an opportunity to have an interaction with the cat where we show that, while these things happen, there is usually a happy ending, with new things to play with and new spots to explore. We can also find out which routines and activities, often invested in places in the home, are more or less important to our cats.
Earlier in the year, we got more room in the kitchen by taking out the dining room table and chairs and putting in a kitchen cart instead.
The cats accepted moving their mat with the dry food and water, and changing what they sat on to look out the window, but when I tried to change where their bowls went at mealtime, I got no cooperation.
From all three there was wailing and hurt looks. I had to put these landmarks back where I’d gotten them from. Then they were happy again.
Even if given the gift of speech, cats might not be able to tell us why certain things are easier to change than others. Any more than us, with the gift of speech, can.
But we know when it’s right. And so do our cats.
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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.
