Teaching Your Cat Petiquette

Cats are cute, cuddly, and lovable, but they aren’t purrfect. In fact, Fluffy can be, well, a bit rude at times. Your cat may walk across your computer when you are typing, drink out of your glass, take your food, knock things over, steal your chair, and/or leave fur everywhere. Is there any way to teach your feline friend to be polite? An Bennington, NE vet offers advice on teaching your cat proper petiquette in this article.

Scratching

Fluffy’s nail care regimen can definitely be frustrating to her human pals. If your kitty is scratching improperly, get her a good scratching post. A cat tower is a great option for this. Choose something sturdy, so it won’t wobble or topple over on your furball. You may need to bribe your feline friend into using her new manicure station by offering her treats, toys, and praise near it. Sprinkling some catnip nearby won’t hurt, either!

Rough Play

Cats can be quite frisky, especially when they are young. It isn’t uncommon for kittens to use their humans as scratching posts, or to practice their pouncing and biting skills on their owners. This can develop into very problematic behavior! If your kitty bites you, tell her ‘No’ in a disapproving tone of voice, then walk away and ignore her until she is ready to play nice.

Midnight Friskies

Does your cat wake you up in the middle of the night by pouncing on her favorite squeaky toy? Tire Fluffy out with a fun play session before bedtime, and then feed her a late dinner. A kitty that is both full and tired will be far more interested in napping than in making mischief!

Counter-Hopping

Kitties really don’t understand the concept of boundaries. If Fluffy is jumping on counters or trying to run out the door, discourage her by squirting her with water or making a loud noise.

Arguing

Some of our feline buddies are quite the little chatterboxes. Fluffy may order you to pick her up and pet her right meow! If your kitty is particularly opinionated, she may even argue with you. It’s pretty much impossible to win a debate with a cat, so just answer back, and give your furball the attention she craves.

Do you have questions or concerns about your cat’s health or care? We can help! Contact us, your Bennington, NE animal clinic, today!