Cats are excellent companions and, in the same way, we must be for them. This implies that, like their human guardians, it is necessary to know what your cat needs to be happy and what we must avoid so as not to generate discomfort.
As a caregiver, you need to understand your cat. For this reason, if you are interested in knowing 15 things that you should not do to your cat, we invite you to continue reading this article so that you know how to take better care of your four-legged companion.
1. Not respecting the basic freedoms of animal welfare
Taking in a cat requires taking on a great responsibility, which we must be aware of long before making this decision. This responsibility that all animal owners have is to ensure the well-being of their pets.
But what do we understand by well-being? We refer to this concept when an animal has satisfied the five essential freedoms or basic needs so that it is as happy as it deserves:
- Free from thirst, hunger and malnutrition.
- Free from discomfort.
- Free from pain and disease.
- Free to express yourself.
- Free from fear and stress.
2. Don’t take him to the vet
Regardless of whether your cat is well or you observe that it manifests abnormal behaviors that make you suspect that it may have a health problem, it is important that you take your cat to the vet.
In the first case, if you do not think that your cat needs to go to the vet because he is healthy, you should still try to take him for an annual check-up in a preventive way to verify that his state of health is correct and to keep his letter up to date of vaccination and deworming.
In the event that you have observed a sudden change in behavior in your kitten, it is a clear indication that something is not right. As the owner, it is your responsibility that your animal is free from pain and disease, for this reason you should take it to be checked before its possible pathology progresses too much, causing your kitten to suffer unnecessarily.
3. Punish and / or scold him
It is understandable that when living with a cat there are situations that make you lose your patience. However, punishment is totally contraindicated if you want to educate a cat, as it does not understand the reason for your anger and punishment becomes unnecessary intimidation.
This leads in many cases that the cat begins to distrust its human and shows rejection towards him, in addition to generating stress, which could cause behavior problems.
4. Not paying enough attention
Although it may seem obvious, another thing you should not do to a cat is not to spend time on it. Taking responsibility for living with a cat requires taking care of more than just providing food and protection. We refer to taking into account that a cat is a social, playful animal and that it needs to exercise daily. For these reasons, it is necessary that you dedicate time each day to your cat, either to pamper him or to play with him. In short, spending quality time together in which they perform various activities that stimulate them cognitively and physically is also part of the basic care of a cat.
Otherwise, your cat will be bored and with a lot of accumulated energy, which will lead to it being in an irritable state of mind, being stressed and consequently developing behavioral problems because its well-being will not be covered.
5. Not respecting your limits
Many times, animal guardians will tease their cats unintentionally, due to misunderstanding of their body language. For example, they are excessively affectionate with the pussycat to the point of overwhelming it, a fact that sometimes the furry expresses by getting angry and even causing harm. Other cats, on the other hand, are more tolerant and never scratch or bite their humans, but that does not mean that they are not tired and are not asking to be left alone.
Although sometimes it is inevitable not to want to tell your cat how much you love him, many times the best way to show him this is by respecting his limits, understanding when he is receptive to you to pamper him and hold him, when he wants to play or when you want to be quiet.
6. Perform declawing
Declawing is a surgical procedure that consists of amputating the last phalanx of the cat’s finger, removing the bone and joint part, nerves and blood vessels that make up the feline’s fingers so that the cat does not have claws. This is done with the intention that the animal simply does not perform behaviors considered annoying, such as scratching and scratching objects. That is to say, it is a cruel practice that does not allow the cat to be, effectively, a cat.
The nails, as well as the behaviors of scratching, scratching and the possibility of defending oneself, are essentially necessary for the well-being of the feline. For this reason, educating your cat so that it can redirect these behaviors to more appropriate elements, such as scratchers or toys, is necessary to be able to live without its natural behavior being a nuisance. However, canceling these behaviors through such an inhumane and unnecessary practice, which unfortunately is still allowed in several countries, has a strong negative impact on a physical and emotional level., as it does not allow him to express himself freely as his own organism requests, generating a state of irremediable stress and anxiety that can lead to the development of other behavior problems, such as excessive meowing or aggressiveness, among many others.
Also, because the claws carry the weight of the cat, they are necessary for it to walk. Therefore, as a consequence of this mutilation, the cat has to modify its position to be able to move.
7. Humanize him and / or not let him be a cat
You must be aware that the best way to show your cat how much you love him is by letting him express himself freely and respecting what he is, a cat. This implies that you should avoid relating and understanding your kitten as if it were a human, since trying to understand your cat from a human perspective will lead to many misunderstandings that will confuse and make you feel bad. Their needs and ours are not the same, therefore, you must identify if the “luxuries” and gifts that you give to your furry are really satisfactory for him or if they are for you.
In the same way, you must understand that your feline is an animal that has specific needs of its species, such as scratching, playing, meowing, etc. Therefore, if you want your animal to be happy, you cannot pretend to eliminate these behaviors, as it completely contradicts its nature. Rather, you should, through proper guidance and positive reinforcement, redirect these behaviors to more appropriate activities, so that both of you can live together at ease.
8. Having fun by making him feel bad
Cats have reactions as exaggerated in many cases, why a lot of people having fun putting them in compromising situations their cats to see these reactions.
Cats are very sensitive animals that do not deserve to be treated in this way, because a situation that may seem funny from the outside involves making the animal feel fear and stress. Therefore, it is still cruel to laugh at situations in which you are making your animal suffer.
As an example, a very everyday situation and not recommended is to play with your cat using a laser pointer. Although it may seem fun because the animal chases the light, it can never catch it and, therefore, this game will only generate anxiety and frustration in it. For all this, this is another of the things you should not do to your cat. Cats must play with objects that they can catch.
9. Abandon him
Unfortunately, many pets end up belonging to people who do not love them as they deserve. This happens because some owners are not aware of the great responsibility that having a cat implies and, when they get tired of it or think it is a nuisance, they end up abandoning it to its fate.
This act is not something specific, since the number of abandoned animals increases every day and, unfortunately, most do not end up having a happy ending, since many of these animals die because they do not know how to survive alone or, in the best of cases, they end up in a shelter, which can hardly meet all the needs of the animals they host.
10. Do not educate him
Education is an essential part of a pleasant coexistence with a feline, since in this way your furry will not learn habits that can be a nuisance, such as biting and scratching the furniture. That is to say, this kind of unwanted behavior is due to the fact that the cat has not been taught from puppy hood to redirect behaviors (which it must perform to ensure its well-being) in an appropriate way.
Cats are intelligent animals, which, thanks to proper guidance and positive reinforcement, are able to learn house rules and behave correctly.
11. Smoking being with him
Obviously, smoking is not just a bad habit that affects people’s health, since if a cat lives with a smoker in an enclosed space, this animal becomes a passive smoker in the same way as all the people who live in it. Same home.
Smoke is very harmful to your kitty’s lungs, which will lead to serious health problems for him. In addition, you must take into account that cats have the need to groom themselves by licking their fur, this implies that the furry ingests with its tongue all the toxic particles that come off the cigarette and adhere to its fur. Therefore, smoking in their presence is another thing you should not do to a cat.
12. Have it as a toy
In some homes cats are welcomed with the intention that they are distractions for the smallest of the house. That is, infants are allowed to treat the cat as if it were a stuffed animal, without transmitting the message that the cat is a living being that deserves respect and not to be treated as a toy.
Obviously, there must not necessarily be a bad intention behind the children’s action. However, many times they have fun making the cat feel bad (as we have explained previously), because they are not aware that they are really hurting them physically or emotionally, or they do not yet know the body language of the kitten. They do not know what you are communicating to them and, therefore, explaining to the little ones the importance of respect for animals, as well as adult supervision during play sessions, is necessary. In the same way, it is also important to ensure the safety of infants, as the cat could end up getting fed up and hurting them.
13. Give him inappropriate foods
Sometimes you may want to pamper your cat with food, especially if it is asking you with a face of desire. However, giving according to which inappropriate foods, such as chocolate or cookies for humans, is not exactly the best idea despite your insistence, as it will damage your health in the long term.
If you want to offer your furry something more suitable, you can buy all kinds of treats, wet food and foods suitable for him that will not harm his health and will appreciate in the same way.
14. Exposing you to loud or annoying noises
Cats have very acute hearing, because of this, it is very stressful for them to be constantly exposed to loud noises. It is for this reason that your cat should have access at home to an area where it can rest peacefully without being constantly exposed to annoying noise.
In addition, it is not at all advisable for your cat to wear a bell for this very reason, since the sound caused by this object is very overwhelming for him. There is even a risk that you may become deaf in the long term.
15. Dress him up in annoying accessories
If we said that humanizing it was one of the things that you should not do to your cat, dress it in uncomfortable clothes too. More and more accessories and garments are available in stores to dress your cat. Now, before purchasing any of these items, you should assess to what extent your kitten will appreciate them, because if you insist on dressing your cat with uncomfortable or harmful items, do not doubt that he will not want this kind of gifts.
If you intend to purchase an accessory for your cat, always make sure that it does not limit its mobility, allows it to groom itself normally and does not rub or cause any damage. On the contrary, your furry could present skin problems or be unable to move properly. Finally, if your cat has access to the garden, it is not recommended that she wear anything, as she could get caught somewhere (such as with a branch or a fence) and hurt herself.
Now that you know the 15 things cats don’t like and should never do to them, offer your furry the quality of life they deserve.
