#cattraing

Getting into it! Cats are NOT assholes. Yesterday a client came into the clinic with her daughter's cat, since her daughter was away at college she was responsible for Wednesday(the cat). Wednesday came into the clinic because she was acting a bit off and her owner was nervous, having grown up with dogs and never needing to take care of a cat before she had no idea what she was doing.

My first interaction with this sweet cat was her screaming! Her owner had her on a leash that was clipped to a breakaway collar, the first red flag since the reason we recommend cats be in carriers is because small spaces help them feel more secure and relaxed. The woman's husband was also carrying a harness in his hand so I stepped in immediately and helped them get the cat in the harness, the woman seemed shocked that I was able to get her in so quickly.

The second red flag was when I went back to the counter I saw the woman pulling Wednesday out from under a chair so a small child could say hi, again I stepped in and told her she shouldn't since Wednesday was clearly stressed out and would be very likely to scratch the kid. At checkout the woman commented that I have a "wonderful demeanor" and she just "can't understand why the cat behaves the way she does." I asked her what kind of interaction she has on a normal day with Wednesday. Turns out that the level of interaction was little to none, when I asked what kind of treat Wednesday liked the woman looked at me very confused. I recommended trying to find a small treat that she really liked and sitting quietly since cats are mesopredators, meaning they sit in the middle of the food chain, they're going to be more skittish than a predator animal(dogs in this case). She seemed genuinely shocked that she could ever have hope of forming a bond with Wednesday. Another thing I told her was that cats are less domestic than dogs, having only self-domesticated about 5000 years ago(which is actually incorrect! the true timeframe being 12,000 years). I went on to tell the owners about the work I do with my own cats and how verbal praise is HUGE when it comes to bonding with a cat, verbal praise makes it very clear the cat did what you liked and it will seek out ways to display that behavior again since the linage of domestic cats can be traced back to a semi-social species of cat they try to find peaceful ways to coexist together in a shared space like a house. I told them using play is another really easy way to bond with a cat, the woman interrupted me saying Wednesday is on the older side and doesn't play anymore so I asked if she likes to watch birds in the window? The answer was a firm "yes!" So I suggested throwing her some treats while she watches the birds thus reaffirming the positive social interaction and making the experience more fun. Both the woman and her husband thanked me before they left.

Cats are not antisocial, their social cues are far more subtle than dogs and so most people miss them. It's no coinkydink that cats are in the same room as you 90% of the time, nor that they follow you to the bathroom. The biggest thing people need to remember about owning cats and bonding with them is it is 100% respect-based. And respect goes both ways, if you constantly harass your cat they will avoid you or associate you with negativity and react in kind. If you only ever interact with your cat when you're feeding it dinner it'll think that that's the social dynamic you want and comply. But if you respect their space and play with them, give them treats and pet them gently you'll have a much better chance of getting the bond you crave.