What if your cat needs to be taught how to behave
You’re familiar with dog-training, but perhaps you haven’t entertained the idea of teaching temperamental felines how to behave. A little disciplining goes a long way as some scrappiness could be out of boredom
Is kitty giving you a hard time by smuggling your favourite accessories into its litterbox? Does she (or he) gnaw at your ankles whenever the chance arises? If yes, then your cat’s probably bored out of its mind.
Contrary to popular belief, cats do desire attention from their owners as well as mental stimulation.
Vahista Wadiwalla, a Dubai-based cat behaviourist says, “Cats are often underestimated as an expressive species. Any pet owner can learn to tell how they feel based on signals they share from ear to tail — such as twitching, dilated pupils, etc. But, because many of these signals go unnoticed during interaction, the cat becomes overstimulated and responds by biting or scratching,”
Wadiwalla is a behaviourist at Petiquette by Daphne’s, a pet service and ‘positive training’ centre. A feline lover for ages, she has four cats of her own.
How come she ended up working with cats? Well, she’s been fascinated with them for as long as she can remember. Wadiwalla earlier worked in a pet daycare centre, and she’s helped rescue and rehabilitate strays. This sparked a desire to learn more about cat behaviour.
She’s been a Dubai resident since age three. And two years ago, she followed a friend’s recommendation to become a qualified cat behaviourist.
When asked about her encounters with strange cat behaviour in Dubai, Wadiwalla recalls a cat that would pull the hair ties off its owner’s ponytail while she slept and bury it in its litterbox. Another cat that would sneak off with its owner’s undergarments and sleep on them!
Lack of interaction drives them to seek out their own forms of entertainment, much like a spoiled child. From pushing things off tables and frequent meowing to running across the hallway in the wee hours of the morning, cats demonstrate boredom in several ways.
The solution, however, is quite simple, says Wadiwalla. Dedicate time and effort to play with the cats, and if possible, introduce them to interactive toys to keep their predator instincts engaged. “People are familiar with dog-training, but disciplining cats is not something that comes to mind. I get calls where owners say they want to ‘fix’ their cat, or consider rehome them. There are ways to solve issues, she says, but people go about them in the wrong way.
There are humane ways to discipline a cat— spray a little water on them with a spray gun you use to mist plants, or smacki them with a rolled-up newspaper to discourage unwanted behaviour. But these punishments, harmless as they may be, have adverse effects.
“Imagine this: Your cat is at home 24/7, unlike you. When they receive ‘punishments’ every time you catch them in the act of, say, scratching the couch, compared to the number of times it has gone unnoticed, they would identify you and your presence as the problem, not their behaviour. In the end, you are damaging the bond with your cat, as it does not understand the reason behind the punishment,” she explains.
Positive alternatives can work wonders. A scratching post or cardboard scratchers or a catnip spray goes a long way. “You could also give them treats when they scratch the posts to help them lose interest in the couch faster”. A common mistake people make is to bring a cat into an existing cat’s environment without thinking.
“Some people think that the solution to their cat’s loneliness is to bring home another feline to keep it company. They don’t realise that cats are territorial creatures. It will lead to friction between them, as the household cat is busy defending its territory, while the new cat defends itself from being driven out of its new home. If you want to adopt a kitten or cat, it should be for its own well-being, not for the sake of curing your household cat’s boredom,” she says.
Introducing a pet is very important, which is where a cat behaviourist steps in beforehand. Determine the amount of time and effort you are willing to put into the relationship. “It’s not impossible, but it depends on how much you are willing to invest. Otherwise, your best bet is to stick to one cat and devote as much time as possible to it.” . farhana@khaleejtimes.com