Everyone who meets me in person remarks on what a nice, well-behaved cat I am. And that is no accident. My human worked hard, sometimes pushing aside her own instinctual (but wrong) impulses, to bring out the best in me. But bringing out the best in your own cat doesn’t have to be a big deal. Most of you aren’t going to be flying your kitty cross country to do meet and greets, or perform in instructional videos. You just want your cat to live her life to the fullest, whatever that means to her. Here are some tips that I hope you will find helpful.
Take note of your cat’s strongest personality traits and talents
Like people, cats are all different characters, and they are better at some things than others. Is your cat naturally friendly or shy? Curious or timid? Is she smart? Food motivated? What are her favorite toys? The better you know your cat, the more you can offer her the kind of enrichment that will benefit her.
Create a home environment that is stimulating to your cat
Once you understand what motivates your cat — the things she enjoys doing, the things she dislikes, her favorite spots — you can make your home, well, homier for her. This includes figuring out why she does the things that you don’t like. For example, is she leaping up on the China cabinet? This tells you a few things: 1) she likes getting up in high places, 2) she may also like the attention, if you have a strong reaction every time she does it, and 3) that particular spot is attractive to her for some reason that may be in addition to it being up high. Once you figure out her motivations, you can go about creating an alternate, safer (and maybe even more appealing) way for her to get satisfaction.
Create fun routines you can share with your cat
Cats find comfort in routines, whether they are bedtime rituals, wake up routines, or just certain ways you feed her. Start with these — they are things you do regularly anyway, and if you do them the same way every time, your cat will be happy about it. But don’t stop there — create other fun routines that you do the same way, and preferably at the same time, every day with your cat. Playtime. Training time. Modeling sessions (okay, the last one is just me). Let what you’ve already learned about your cat’s personality direct you. Even having a napping routine, where you and your cat catch an afternoon snooze together, can be a welcome ritual.
Don’t be afraid to introduce new things to your cat
Conversely, your cat doesn’t have to fear the new and novel. When you do introduce something new to your cat, whether it’s a sofa, a new cat tree, or harness and leash training, 1) make sure the cat knows she’s in charge of the experience, 2) don’t try to force or encourage her beyond her limits, and 3) reward her generously with her favorite things (whether it’s treats, toys, or something else) for the experience. Over time, she will become braver and more well adjusted.
Have regular health checkups for your cat
You may think it’s strange, mentioning physical health in a post about cat behavior, but it’s not. An unwell cat is not having her best life. And if you have been following the above tips, you will know your cat well enough to know when something is off. But usually, when it gets to the point where you notice, whatever is ailing her has been around for a while. Regular checkups may catch things earlier than you can do on your own, especially when your cat reaches middle age and beyond. (Think seven-plus years.) If your cat loathes going to the vet to the extent that it stresses her out a lot, see if you can have a home vet look her over. And there are ways to do basic health checks on her yourself in the meantime. You should do the latter periodically on a regular basis.
I hope you got something out of my tips! If you have more questions or suggestions about bringing out the best in your cat, let me know in the comments.
Other posts you’ll enjoy:
- The Top 10 Ways to Have a Better Relationship With Your Cat
- The Cat-Human Bond Is Deeper Than You May Think
- The One Big Secret to Understanding Cats
Great advice Summer. I knew most of these. Yes every cat is unique. I’ve got almost 60 years experience with mine and my rescue. I was rescuing long before joining a rescue. Always helped lost kitties in distress. That’s just who I am
Have learned so much about cats from cats , rescuing & volunteering with rescue. All my cats are rescues. I know that cats choose us !! It always amazes me how one just gravitates toward its perfect human match ! Just observe.
As always, Summer, you give very good advice here. This cat mama tries to do the things you suggest so her kitties are happy cats.
Such a terrific post Summer! We are very happy cats! And we are well behaved. The only problem is Marv. He HATES to be picked up/held and he bites. Even after 3 years of working on it. But we know he will eventually come around. It took 6 years with Nellie. Consistancy is the key and your human really knows that. Thanks for this post!
Your human really knows about kitties and it is no wonder you are such a good cat. Our Dad does a lot of the same and we are all really good except Rumpy and his protege Einstein. We give Rumpy some space as he grew up in a cage with no learning from other cats so he is kind of tone deaf to cat speak. Of course he and Einstein were thick as theives when Einie came to us so he learned a lot of bad behaviors. Einie is getting better and Rumpy is older now so we are doing well. Great post
Excellent tips Summer. Mom tries to follow those.
Wonderful tips dear Summer, wonderful tips!
Furabuluss post Summer an Miss “J”…
LadyMew has not bin doin her regular lye down at 4:30 Pee Em an mee iss missin our snuggell time. Shee still playss toyss with mee beefore bedtime so that iss furry guud.
Mee goess up high on kitchen cupberd an sheedoess not mind…inn fact shee putss a pillow down on floor so mee has a soft landin!
An meowin ’bout thingss a cat doess fore attention….yeah mee has a bad habbit of tryin to touch LadyMew’ss toess an shee doess NOT like it. Shee will scold mee an then mee will due it again 😉
Mee has her well trained rite??
***purrss*** BellaDharma
Fabulous advice, Summer!
Great post Summer.
What great tips! Our mom admits she got away from regular play time lately, but she’s now going to make a point to make it happen. P.s. we interviewed Sophie a couple of years ago. She would be purrfect for a book about CH kitties!
Excellent tips! We would add that for a multi-cat household each cat seems to prefer a certain area of the house. Some prefer to hang out alone or near a special human, while others prefer the company of certain siblings to play or cuddle with. We have 9 cats, which seems like a lot, but it’s a large house and everyone has the room they need without getting crowded and hissy. Our humans make sure that all areas of the house have good access to food, water, litter, beds & entertainment. We all have special eating zones too. If not for that, certain chonks would be even chonkier.
Great tips!!
The Florida Furkids
Those are all wonderful things sweet Summer, you’re such a wise kitty!
That is very good advice, Summer.
Those are some great tips, Summer…and makes for a happy cat and a happy human. 🙂
Excellent points Summer!
I think it is good to have a strong bond with your human.
I really love mine to the extent that I do not want siblings.
Mum noticed this when there were others here.
There were not any fights, I just decided that mum was mine!
She may not have trained me, but I have trained her quite well 😉
Purrs, Julie