10 things about CAT CARE I wish I knew 10 years ago

If you prefer listening vs reading, check out my YouTube video on this topic!

#1

Cats don’t like belly rubs

That’s a tricky one because some cats really do like belly rubs, but here’s an important “but” – it has to be on their terms! It matters how you rub, the pressure you put, the length of the rub, the exact spot, and most importantly, their mood!

It’s very important to know your cat and their body language.

If you try to touch their belly and you see such body language as swishing tail, airplane ears, or if they immediately try to “close” their belly or get up and leave, or worse, if they start hissing or hitting you with their paw – those are clear signs that your kitty is not a member of a Belly Rub Lover Club. Generally speaking, if a cat shows their belly, it means they trust you enough to expose themselves like this, and they feel ok to be vulnerable in your presence. Sometimes they expose their belly as an invitation to play or interact with you. It’s really important to know you kitty without projecting our desires or expectations. And this directly leads us to point #2:

#2

 You have to respect your cat’s boundaries, or else! 

What can they do, you may ask? If us humans or other animals do something that pushes their buttons or makes them anxious, uncomfortable or scared, a cat might hiss, scratch, bite and will try to leave the situation. In severe cases they might even attack, but only to defend themselves. Bottom line is that we have to be respectful and polite with our little tigers. For example, it’s always a good idea to offer our finger for a cat to sniff before touching them all the way, especially if you’ve just met this new kitty. It’s a way of asking them – “Hey, can I pet you? You wanna be friends?”

Give them a choice, like you would with a human being.

Don’t wake them up if they’re sleeping. If they don’t like to be touched at a certain spot or if they don’t enjoy being picked up, well then don’t do it!

See them as individuals, not toys or machines who are supposed to be the way we want them to be. Each of them is a unique soul with a unique personality, and getting to know them is much more interesting than trying to change them into what we want them to be. 

#3

Purring is not always a sign of a happy cat

This one was a shocker for me when I first heard it, because I always thought that a purring cat is a happy cat.

Apparently, cats purr when they’re happy, but also when they’re trying to soothe themselves in times when they’re in pain or scared.

When your kitty is just laying comfortably in the sun and purring, that’s likely a purr of contentment. But if they’re purring, for example, while sitting in a tense loaf position with their paws tucked in, and their face looks tense and eyes closed or half-closed – this might be a situation when they purr to soothe themselves. Some people believe that a cat’s purring has healing properties, so in this case we can suggest that it’s likely that the kitty is trying to self-heal.

#4

When a cat is peeing on your shoe, it doesn’t mean she’s mean

One thing I always want my clients to understand is that any cat behavior is a communication!

They can’t speak our language, so they have to find other ways to communicate something to us. That’s why it’s important to know that cats don’t do things out of spite or because they’re mean, they’re usually just trying to tell us something.

Peeing in a shoe might have different causes: it could be health-related (UTIs, crystals, etc.), or maybe your cat struggles with their litter box, or maybe you’ve been too busy and distant lately and they feel that your relationships are not ideal at the moment, so they try to make it better by mixing your scents. (Scent is VERY important for cats!). The list can go on and on!

#5

Dry food is NOT a healthy diet for a cat

Here’s just a few reasons why:

• Firstly, it’s DRY meaning that there’s very little moisture in it (usually only 6-10%). Ancestors of a domestic cat come from a desert, so they genetically have very low thirst drive, which means that they don’t go for a bowl of water as often as they should. In the desert, the African Wild Cat (a direct ancestor of our domesticated cats) gets all the moisture they need from their prey, so genetically cats should be getting their moisture with their food, not separately.

• Cats’ diet should consist mainly of meat, while dry food is too high in carbs! Cats have reduced ability to digest and utilize carbohydrates, so they don’t even require carbs in their diet (maybe a little bit just to provide fiber).

• Meat and other ingredients that go into dry food are usually the lowest quality, because it’s going to be cooking on hight temperatures for almost 24 hours, so who cares about the quality?

• It only contains artificial vitamins, minerals, etc. After being over-processed, there’s nothing nutritious left in kibble. To make it “complete and balanced”, it’s being sprayed with artificial vitamins, minerals and flavors to make it palatable and smelly.

#6

Celebrating your cat’s birthday or adoptaversary is NOT weird! 

More than that, I think it’s absolutely awesome! Your kitty doesn’t have the same concept of time as us humans, and they likely don’t have a planner or a calendar, so they have no idea when their birthday or adoptaversary day is. And it’s probably because they treat every day as their birthday! What a cool concept, I should try to do that too! 😉

Even if they have no idea that it’s their special day, it’s always a splendid idea to treat them with something especially special on their special day!

Because why not? They totally deserve it! So take a day off from work and tell your friends your fur kid has a birthday party! (But not everyone is invited 🤭)

#7

Declawing is cruel and not just a nail trim

I’m sure most of you already know this, but it’s important to spread this information to stop this cruel procedure.

It’s a painful procedure that removes the last bone of each toe on a cat's paw, cutting through bones and nerves.

If we compare it to humans, it would be like cutting off your finger at the last knuckle! That sounds pretty painful and severe to me, and absolutely not necessary. Declawing is illegal in most of Europe and in many US states.  

“Sensory and motor nerves are cut, damaged and destroyed. Recovery from the surgery is a slow and painful process. This procedure can hamper the sensations and enjoyment involved in walking, running, springing, climbing and stretching. Declawing is an inhumane, unnecessary procedure that has many alternatives.”

– Wisconsin Humane Society

 “Do cats get sad when you declaw them?

Cats that have been declawed often suffer from prolonged long-term anxiety, stress, depression, and fear.”

– Community Concern for Cats

Please please please don’t declaw your cat, and spread this information around to your friends and family!

#8

Being lazy with your cat is actually a good thing! 

Who told you that napping with your cat on a couch or staring outside the window together is a waste of time? It’s quite the opposite! It’s very therapeutic and I think we all can benefit from a little bit of “doing nothing”. “Dolce fare niente” – translated from Italian, it means “sweet doing nothing”, and I think our cats are total experts at it!

Giving yourself a moment to slow down, disconnect from distractions and obligations, and to just BE in the moment, be present, be right here and right now, is the sweetest thing to do!

We all deserve to be lazy sometimes and give ourselves a little break from this crazy world, and your cat would be a purrfect guide in this little peaceful adventure.

#9

Bored cat leads to behavior issues, and that leads to health issues

It’s a common misconception that cats are low-maintenance companions. Let’s see it this way: cats are wild animals that were brought to live indoors. Their DNA is still 80-90% the same as their wild ancestors, African Wild Cat. Dogs, on the opposite, were domesticated much earlier and because of extensive breeding, their DNA is not the same as their ancestors at this point. On top of that, dogs still have access to outdoors where they can run, sniff, dig and perform their species-appropriate behaviors. Most indoor cats, on the other hand, don’t have this luxury and their life is basically confined to the box we call home. So what do we do to make them feel more connected to their wild nature? Well, we bring the jungle inside!

We make sure they have enough enrichment to perform their species-appropriate behaviors, and that their environment is fun and stimulating.

If cats can’t be cats, you might start seeing behaviors like excessive vocalizing, inappropriate elimination or scratching, biting and chasing others, etc. They can also become obese and depressed, and that eventually will lead to health issues. So making sure that your cat has enough enrichment is a very significant part of their wellness routine.

#10

Cats can deeply connect with their humans and create life-lasting bonds

Another very common misconception about cats is that they are aloof. First of all, it’s not a good idea to generalize. For example, you can’t generalize all people and say that all human beings are social, because they’re not! Same with cats. They have different personalities and sure, some cats can be aloof, or they can be aloof sometimes depending on their mood, but it doesn’t define them.

Cats can be very social and they can connect deeply to other cats or other animals, inluding humans. I think a lot depends on how safe and comfortable they feel, and how we, or other animals, treat them.

So the best advice I can give to any cat parent is to get to know your little tiger! What do they like? What do they don’t like? What is their favorite toy to play? What do they like doing most of all? What is their favorite food?

SEE them. Get to know them. As they feel safe and respected, they will be curious to get to know you, too. This is how everlasting and unconditional love starts. 

And I have to say it’s one of the most wonderful and magical things to experience!

Thank you so much for reading! Please share this article with your friends and other cat parents 🐱

~ Vani 🐚