Cats are excellent companions and, in the same way, we should be for them. This implies that, as their human guardians, it is necessary to know what your cat needs to be happy and what we should avoid so as not to cause discomfort.
As a caregiver, you need to understand your cat. For this reason, if you are interested in knowing 15 things you should not do to your cat, we invite you to continue reading this article on our site so you know how to take care best to your four-legged companion.
1. Not respecting the basic freedoms of animal welfare
Fostering a cat requires assuming a great responsibility, which we must be aware of long before making this decision. This responsibility that all animal owners have is to guarantee the well-being of their pets.
But what do we mean by well-being? We refer to this concept when an animal has satisfied the five essential freedoms or basic needs to be 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.
two. Don't take him to the vet
Regardless of whether your cat is well or you observe abnormal behaviors that make you suspect that he may have a he alth problem, it is important that you take your cat to the vet
In the first case, if you don't think your cat needs to go to the vet because he's he althy, you should still try to get him for an annual checkupin a preventive way to verify that your he alth status is correct and to bring your vaccination and deworming letter up to date.
In the event that you have observed a sudden change in behavior in your kitten, it is a clear indication that something is wrong. As the owner, it is your responsibility that your animal is free from pain and illness, for this reason you should have it checked out before its possible pathology progresses too much, causing your cat 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 patience. However, punishment is totally contraindicated if you want to educate a cat, because it doesn't understand the reason for your anger and punishment becomes unnecessary intimidation.
In many cases, this leads to the cat beginning to mistrust its human and showing rejection towards him, as well as generating stress, which could lead to behavioral problems
4. Not paying enough attention to it
Although it may seem obvious, another thing you shouldn't do to a cat is not to spend time with it. Taking responsibility for living with a cat requires more care than just providing food and protection. We mean to take into account that a cat is a social animal, playful and needs daily exercise. For these reasons, it is necessary that you dedicate time each day to your cat, either to pamper him or play with him. In short, spending quality time together in which you do various activities that stimulate you cognitively and physically is also part of the basic care of a cat.
Otherwise, your cat will be bored and with a lot of pent-up energy, which will lead to his being in a mood irritable, stressed and subsequently develop behavior problems because your well-being will not be covered.
Discover how to tell if your cat is bored with this video.
5. Not respecting your limits
Many times, animal guardians unintentionally tease their cats, because their body language is misunderstood For example, they are excessively affectionate with the pussycat to the point of overwhelming him, a fact that the furry sometimes expresses by getting angry and 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 being pampered and you pick him up, when he wants to play or when he wants to stay calm.
6. Perform declawing
Declawing is a surgical procedure that consists of amputating the last phalanx of the cat's toe, removing the bone and joint part, nerves and blood vessels that make up the fingers of the feline 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.
Claws, as well as the behaviors of scratching, scratching and the possibility of defending themselves, are essentially necessary for the well-being of the feline. For this reason, educating your cat so that he can redirect these behaviors to more appropriate elements, such as scratching posts or toys, is necessary to be able to live together without his natural behavior being a nuisance. However, nullifying such behaviors through such an inhumane and unnecessary practice, which unfortunately is still allowed in several countries, has a strong negative repercussion on a physical and emotional level, because it does not allow him to express himself freely as his own body requests, generating a state of irremediable stress and anxiety that can lead to the development of other behavioral problems, such as excessive meowing or aggressiveness, among many others.
Also, since the claws carry the cat's weight, they are necessary for the cat to walk. Therefore, as a result of this mutilation, the cat has to change its posture 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 to and understanding your kitty as if he were a human, since trying to understand your cat from a human perspective will lead to many misunderstandings that will confuse him and make him feel bad. His 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 try to eliminate these behaviors, because it completely contradicts its nature. Rather, you must, through the appropriate guidance and positive reinforcement, redirect these behaviors to more appropriate activities, so that both of you can live together at ease.
If your cat scratches everything and you don't know what to do, don't miss our article with all our tips: "How to stop my cat from scratching everything?"
8. Having fun making him feel bad
Cats have the most exaggerated reactions in many cases, which is why many people enjoy putting their cats in compromising situations to see these reactions, usually scaring them and even harming them (ie mistreating them).
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 implies 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 at all recommended is playing with your cat using a laser pointer. Although it may seem fun because the animal chases the light, it will never be able to catch it and, therefore, this game will only generate anxiety and frustration in it. For all these reasons, this is another of the things you should not do to your cat. Cats should play with objects they can catch.
In this video we teach you how to play correctly with your cat.
9. Leave 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 a one-time event, as the number of abandoned animals is increasing every day and, unfortunately, most does not end up having a happy ending, because many of these animals die from not knowing how to survive on their own or, in the best of cases, they end up in a shelter, which can barely meet all the needs of the animals they take in.
10. Not educating him
Education is an essential part for a pleasant coexistence with a feline, since in this way your furry one will not learn habits that can Being a nuisance to you, such as biting and scratching furniture. In other words, this kind of unwanted behavior is due to the fact that the cat has not been taught from puppyhood to redirect behaviors (which it must carry out to guarantee its well-being) in an appropriate way.
Cats are intelligent animals, which thanks to proper guidance and positive reinforcement are able to learn the rules of the home and to behave correctly.
eleven. Smoking while with him
Obviously, smoking is not only a bad habit that affects people's he alth, because if a cat lives with a smoker in a closed space, this animal becomes a passive smoker in the same way as all the people who live in the same household.
The smoke is very harmful to your kitty's lungs, which will lead to serious he alth problems for him. In addition, you must bear in mind that cats have the need to groom themselves by licking their fur, this implies that the furry one ingests with his tongue all the toxic particles that come off the cigarette and adhere to his fur. For this reason, 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 these are distractions for the little ones in the house. In other words, children are allowed to treat the cat as if it were a stuffed animal, without conveying the message that the cat is a living being that deserves respect and not be treated like 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 doing physical or emotional damage, or they still do not know the kitty's body language. They do not know what they are communicating and, therefore, explain to the little ones the importance of respect towards animals, as well as adult supervision during the sessions game, it 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. Feeding the wrong foods
Sometimes you may feel like spoiling your cat with food, especially if he is asking for it with a longing face. Now, giving according to what inappropriate foods, such as chocolate or cookies for humans, is not exactly the best idea despite your insistence, because it will harm your he alth in the long term.
If you want to offer your furry something more suitable, you can buy all kinds of prizes, wet food and food suitable for him that will not harm his he alth and will be appreciated in the same way. See the List of Prohibited Cat Foods to find out what you should not give your cat.
14. Expose you to loud or disturbing 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 in the home to an area where he can rest quietly without being constantly exposed to annoying noises.
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 in the long term it will cause deafness. Discover all the negative consequences of the bell in this other article: "Why are bells not good for cats?".
fifteen. Dress him up with annoying accessories
If we said that humanizing it was one of the things you shouldn't do to your cat, dress it in uncomfortable clothes too. There are more and more accessories and clothing available in stores to dress your cat. Now, before purchasing any of these items, you should assess to what extent your kitty will appreciate them, because if you insist on dressing your cat with uncomfortable or harmful elements for him, do not doubt that he will not want this kind of gifts.
If you intend to buy an accessory for your cat, always make sure that it does not limit its mobility, allows it to groom itself normally and it does not rub or cause any damage. On the contrary, your furry could have skin problems or be unable to move properly. Finally, if your cat has access to the garden, it is not recommended that they wear anything, as they could get caught somewhere (such as a branch or a fence) and hurt themselves.
Now that you know the 15 things that cats don't like and you should never do to them, offer your furry ones the quality of life they deserve.
