When the cat won't stop

Why won't our cat stop doing that? Whatever it is?

When our cat acts obsessive, we can think our cat is stubborn and untrainable. But we'd be wrong. Any time we think so, it probably one of two things: we either aren't telling them what we want them to do clearly enough, or we aren't giving them what they need.

Cats are used to taking care of themselves. To get their needs me, they can be driven by unthinking instinct. We can't argue with instinct. We can only give our cat what they need, and shut off their switch.

Here's what we can do:

They are trying to get our attention: We might have trained the cat, but in the wrong way.

If we jump up whenever they do that thing... they also know how to get us out of our chair, don't they? Cats aren't being mean; they just go with what works.

Try getting up and asking them "What do you want?" or "Show me." These are the words I used to let my cats know I want to follow them around; and find out what they need, so I can give it to them. This makes them behave better; and love me more. If our response is that the cat is only doing it for attention... then we should give them some.

They want it, or something like it: If we are always chasing our cats away from something, we should give them their own of whatever it is.

Lively, curious cats, the kind I call the Alpha cat type, are particularly impressed with how well we manipulate our environment. They want to be just like us; and do the same things.

So if our cat won't leave our computer mouse alone, give them an old one they can play with. If we worry that we are training them to play with our things; we're not. We're giving them their own, so they will leave ours alone. Understand how cats think of "yours and mine."

They might not feel well: Cats don't like to show weakness when they are sick. This would be dangerous in the wild, and they still follow their instincts.

So while our cat might not "act sick," they also can ask us for help, even if it means they are misbehaving. Get some help figuring this out with my article, How to Tell If the Cat is Sick.

I fix my cat's bad behaviors, once I do, because I know they are not "being bad."

They are asking for my help. When I give it to them, we are both happier.

Cats want to learn. Cats want to please us. Read all my posts about Positive Discipline.