Bad habits of cats: No matter how much we love our pets, no matter how much they are pampered, sometimes they can lead to white heat. The character of a cat, like a person, is not always perfect. And this is not so much the fault of animals, which often obey their instincts, but of their owners.
It was those who had to properly raise the pet, teach them to follow certain rules. It can be difficult to eliminate established habits because cats can not understand why they were allowed to do this before, and now they are not.
But if they confuse you, you will have to work, and not only on the behavior of the pet but also your own, because it is the owners who pamper their pets, encouraging their bad behavior.
These are the 10 bad habits of cats that we raise ourselves
1. Begging
During the meal, your cat sits next to you and carefully watches how you eat. Naturally, many people, unable to stand it, treat their pet, choosing the most appetizing piece for it. The cat eventually realizes that it can get another portion of treats if it persists. She doesn’t just wait for a treat, but already demands it and gets angry if you don’t share it with her. It can meow or touch the owner’s leg with its paw, or even steal something that it likes.
This behavior should not be encouraged. The pet should only eat from its bowl. If you want to treat it, put food only in it, and not on the floor next to the table. Don’t fall for cat tricks.
Ignore the “hunger strike”. Fill the bowl at a certain time. If the animal has not eaten food within half an hour, throw it away and wash the dishes. After a while, the cat will start eating in its corner. Refusing to eat for 2-3 days should alert you. It may be related to some diseases.
2. Loud meowing
If your cat meows loudly, and it is not due to health problems or the onset of estrus, it does not have enough attention. Most often, this happens after a new pet appears in the house, to which the owners devote a lot of time. If the pet is used to increased attention, affection, you can not forget about it, and then this bad habit will disappear by itself.
3. Aggression
A healthy animal will never show aggression towards the owner to whom it has become attached. For it, all those who live in the same house as it is family.
But it can be aggressive towards guests. This is an outsider to her, and such behavior is natural. Many owners, seeing that the animal is going through, try to calm it down, start stroking or feeding it.
Thus, they reinforce its behavior. The cat believes that it should greet all guests in this way. And it will be even angrier next time. It’s better to just take her to another room and lock her in there. When the cat calms down, you also act as if nothing has happened.
4. Jumping on tables, windowsills
Cats, exploring their habitat, can jump on a cabinet or sink. This behavior should not be encouraged. Immediately let her know that you can not climb on the table or cabinet.
She is often attracted to foods that you forgot to put in the refrigerator. Try not to leave anything on the table, wash the sink thoroughly if you cut up meat or fish in it.
Keep food items that you can’t hide in the cabinet in containers or jars. To wean your pet off a bad habit, leave objects on the table that make loud noises when they fall. If it drops them on the floor, the animal will get scared and will no longer climb into this place.
5. Sleeping in bed
Cats like to sleep where it’s warm. A bed for them is an ideal place, especially if it is covered with a soft blanket. You need to immediately decide whether you will allow the animal to sleep on it or forbid it to climb on any furniture.
If you don’t like the cat climbing on the bed, you should forbid it. And stick to this rule, even if you suddenly want to lie down in a hug with your pet.
The cat should know that you can not climb on the bed, especially not to sleep on it. But she should have a different place to sleep, comfortable and warm. It is advisable to buy or make several sunbeds for her and arrange them in the rooms.
6. Increased nighttime activity
If your pet likes to wake you up at night by playing or meowing loudly, don’t be moved or pet him. Moreover, do not feed. Otherwise, you will have to get up every night to get food for the “hungry” cat.
This behavior can only be forgiven in one case: the animal is sick and needs help. At night, the cat should sleep or at least not disturb the owners. But don’t forget to feed her during the day. And also make sure that by the evening she is tired, having run and played enough.
7. Uncontrollability, ignorance of the owner
Even before you bring this fluffy blanket into the house, it is worth discussing with the household the rules that everyone will adhere to. You need to decide what you allow your pet and what will be strictly prohibited.
Then you can explain these rules to your new tenant. And they need to be adhered to, regardless of the mood and momentary desires.
You can not give any indulgences, otherwise, the cat will decide that such behavior is acceptable and will continue to ignore you. If you start slapping the animal or even hitting it, it will not improve the situation, on the contrary, the cat will get angry.
8. Selectivity in feed
Many owners face a similar problem. Once they train a cat to eat a certain food, they can’t force it to eat another food. The animal will starve, but will not touch the food. It is advisable to think about this issue in advance.
As soon as you take the kitten into the house, try to feed it with the food that you plan to buy all the time. Try to diversify her diet so that the kitten gets all the substances she needs.
It is important to get her used to certain foods during the first 6 months because later it will be difficult to retrain. But if you need to do this, for example, on the advice of a veterinarian, do it gradually. In the usual food, add pieces of new food.
Refusal of food can be associated not only with the whims of the cat. The pet can ignore it if it is sick. Or you bought an uncomfortable bowl for her. The cat will not eat from dirty dishes, so it should be rinsed after each meal.
At the same time, make sure that there are no traces of cleaning agent left on the surface, the smell of which animals do not tolerate.
9. Using furniture as scratching posts
The cat should sharpen its claws. Then they will be healthy and spicy. For some animals, this is a good way to calm down if they are angry or upset. Therefore, you should not blame pets for furniture damage, this is their need.
To save your sofas and armchairs, you should teach her to use a scratching post. They are sold at any pet store. Naturally, cats do not immediately understand what it is. They need to explain this by encouraging proper behavior and scolding for furniture damage. Soon she will learn how to behave.
10. Petulance
You can not indulge all the desires of the animal, the cat sometimes needs to hear the word “no” or”impossible”. Remember that the character of a cat is formed in the first 6 months of its life. And by spoiling the kitten, you are teaching it a certain behavior. It will be very difficult to re-educate your pet.
