I have lived with many cats. By being understanding as well as caring, I enabled myself to experience the joy of being in the company of these magnificent animals.
If you are living with one or more people, you need to be willing to accept certain changes in your life in order to enjoy a happy relationship with the other person or persons. The same is true if you are living with one or more cats.
I do believe the more you know about what it is like to live with cats, the happier you and your cat will be. So let us explore some of the ways you can create a happy home with your cat.
Cats Sometimes Get Into Trouble
Cats do not always act in their own best interest. They can be very impulsive, and this sometimes leads them into trouble.
Based on the number of times I have had a cat approach me and apologize for what they had done, I honestly believe they go by the philosophy that, rather than asking for permission, go ahead and do the deed, then beg for forgiveness afterward.
With the information in my blog post How To Keep Your Cat Out Of Trouble you will be able to help your cat stay out of trouble and help keep things calm around the house.
Cats Don’t Understand Furniture
Cats do not know a sofa is just for sitting and should not be scratched upon. It was just a few generations ago that your cat’s ancestors were living in the wilderness. So we really cannot blame them if they find “civilization” somewhat confusing.
How Can I Protect My Furniture From My Cat is my blog post that can help you establish an understanding with your cat that the furniture should not be abused.
We Sometimes Have to Clean Up After Our Cat
Cats are actually very neat in their personal habits. However, when they shed hair or spill some food or have a hairball come up unexpectedly, they must rely on us to deal with that.
We can make our best effort, in both a reactive and a proactive fashion, to minimize the effect that these events have on our household.
I have a blog post titled How to Cope With Your Cat Messing Up The House. You may find some interesting suggestions about how to deal with the mess that a kitty can sometimes make.
Is Your Cat a Picky Eater?
The Royal Society has a report on studies that tell us that cats are able to make choices about what they want to eat based on the nutritional content of the food.
Since cats are what is known as hypercarnivores, they require a diet that is primarily meat protein. Through some wonder of nature, cats apparently know this. They choose their food accordingly.
The taste, smell, and texture of the food all play a part. However, the ultimate deciding factor turns out to be whether or not the food has the right combination of nutrients.
When you visit my blog post Why Are Cats Picky Eaters? you will learn about those scientific studies and how you can use what the researchers discovered to help you choose your kitty’s food.
Give Your Kitty Some TV Time
We all like to kick back and watch a little TV. While not all cats may take to watching television, some cats do seem to enjoy it.
Cats who live indoors don’t often get to see the wild that calls to them. Television that features the fish, birds, and animals of the great outdoors can be particularly appealing to them.
My blog post Do Cats Like to Watch TV? will give you some ideas about what your cat may be interested in watching. Give it a look and see what you think. You might enjoy a wildlife show every now and then yourself. And aquarium videos can be very relaxing.
When Your Kitty Gets Under the Covers on Your Bed
If your cat sometimes gets completely out of sight under the spreads and/or blankets on your bed, you might wonder if this is behavior you should discourage.
It is something to think about. It can be difficult to decide if this is a good thing or not.
I wrote a blog post What to Do About Your Cat Hiding Under the Bed Covers that you may want to visit so as to get some ideas about how to handle this situation.
Can My Cat Learn to Sleep at Night?
Did you know that cats can learn from us? They often will adjust their routine to mirror their human’s routine. This thankfully includes sleep habits.
I have information about this that includes:
- how to encourage your cat to sleep at night
- why your cat may wake you early in the morning
- how long do cats sleep each day
- do cats dream when they are sleeping
Details are on my blog post 5 Tips to Get Your Cat to Sleep at Night
Cat Hair and Shedding
You probably love your cat’s hair, as long as it is still on the cat.
However, all cats do shed hair, which is also called fur. When they shed, the hair ends up somewhere. The trick for a cat caretaker is to direct where the hair ends up, and then make it disappear.
You will be empowered to deal with this menace of cat hair shedding, and be able to live a more hair-free life, when you visit my blog post How to Deal With Cat Hair
Is a Cat on a Screened Porch a Good Idea?
One way to satisfy your cat’s fascination with the outdoors is to provide access to a screened porch.
However, there are some concerns about that you will want to give thought to.
My blog post Will My Cat Like a Screened Porch? will give you a list of things to consider as you think about whether letting your kitty spend time on a screened porch is a good idea.
Do You Want to Have More Than One Cat?
There is something to say for having two or more cats in your home. For one thing, it may work out that the cats are good company for each other, as well as being good company for you.
Of course a decision must be made about how many. How many can you take care of? How many can you afford? These are questions that beg for an answer.
And as you might guess, there can be challenges. How Many Cats Can I Have at Home? is my blog post that offers you some food for thought if you are considering a multiple cat household.
My Cat Wants Me Present While Eating
Cats and humans are social beings, so it only makes sense they would want to “break bread” with one another. What better way to get together than over a good meal?
Your cat may indeed have reasons for wanting you to be there for them while they are eating. My blog post Should I Watch My Cat Eat? will explore what is going on there.
What If My Indoor Cat Wants to Go Outside?
An article in the journal Animals informs us that letting a pet cat go outside allows your kitty to satisfy instinctual urges that dwell within our domestic cats, but that this outside access comes with many potentially negative outcomes.
A cat companion that you want to keep indoors, but that keeps expressing a desire to go outdoors, can create a difficult decision for you.
My blog post Should My Indoor Cat Go Outside? will help you determine the best course of action.
How Do I Schedule Meals For My Cat If I Work?
If you are gone from home all day that surely presents a challenge about how to keep your cat well fed.
As with most situations, there are solutions, and the more you know the easier to arrive at a solution.
My blog post How to Feed My Cat If I Am Working will help you figure out how best to make sure your kitty gets the kind of dietary care you want to provide.
What to Do About a Cat Who Sometimes Wants to Hide?
Since this is behavior that has been learned over thousands of years of becoming a cat, you should probably not try to stop your cat from occasionally hiding out.
Instead, think about providing your cat with safe places to hide. This will give you some control over the situation, and hopefully make things easier for your kitty.
Should I Give My Cat Places to Hide? is my blog post that will show you some things you can do to make this hiding behavior less stressful for you and your cat.
Your Indoor Cat Might End Up Outdoors
If you have made the decision to keep your cat indoors, you have done a good thing.
Perhaps you have noticed that sometimes your kitty seems to long for the outdoors. This is natural, but the outdoors is not a good place for your kitty.
I have witnessed that when an outdoor cat finds themselves outside, they seem to immediately regret it. Because they tend to get panic-stricken, they do not seem to know what to do about it.
Here is where you can come to the rescue with strategies to get your kitty back inside. Read about these strategies in my blog post What to Do If Your Indoor Cat Gets Out.
Your Cat May Know If a Storm is Soon to Arrive
For hundreds of years humans have wondered if animals could sense the coming of storms or other natural disasters such as earthquakes or volcanic eruptions.
Of course our cats and their often mysterious abilities are among those animals thought to be able to predict natural events.
Perhaps you have noticed anxious behavior on the part of your cat, which is then followed by the arrival of a loud thunderstorm.
Visit my blog post Can My Cat Tell If a Thunderstorm is Coming? where you will find lots of interesting facts and folklore about this subject.
Sometimes a Strange Cat May Show Up
If you have a cat come to your door and you do not know that cat, you may need to decide what to do about this unexpected visitor.
You may wonder what assumptions you should make.
Is this a neighbor’s cat, or a feral cat, or an abandoned cat?
In order to err on the side of doing the right thing even though it may not turn out to be necessary, you may want to assume the cat needs food and shelter.
Helping you decide about this is the purpose of my blog post What to Do If a Stray Comes to Your House
Has Your Cat Ever Ambushed You?
Cats don’t just like to play, they have to play.
It is in their DNA to stalk, leap, and grab. If they don’t live in the wild, then they have to pretend they are the predator they were meant to be.
Sometimes this shows up as play with you as the prey. It’s nothing personal.
My blog post, Why Does My Cat Attack My Ankles? will help you understand.
When Your Cat Rubs Their Face on You
You may be lying on the sofa when your cat comes along and rubs your cheek with their cheek.
Or you may be standing in the kitchen and your cat rubs their cheek against your leg.
Experts have a theory about the primary reason your kitty does these things. And there also may be other reasons for this behavior.
Why Do Cats Rub Their Head on You is my blog post that explores these questions for you.