While I'm not in favor of teasing the cat, we can play with a cat's schedule to increase our communication, and our cat's ability to adjust to the unexpected.
No matter how hard we might try, we are going to sleep late, come home late, or stay up late sometimes. If our cat is too dependent on regular schedules, this will upset them.
Are we doing this on purpose? Don't we love them?
If this happens when we are already rushing, and stressed, our cat will pick up on our distress. Then they will worry.
It is far better to play with our schedule when we have some control over events. That way, when we don't have control over events, our cat will still have a pattern to follow.
It's okay. They will still take care of me!
Our cat is used to making their own schedules in the wild. Partly based on the movements of their prey, and partly based on their own efforts and choices. Once living with humans, in their home, cats will adapt to our schedule.
They just need to know that if things get messed up, we will fix them again.
Find out more with Keeping our cats flexible.
The Only Cat
If we have a cat who doesn't get along with other cats, we have an Only Cat. This comes from the shelter designation: Must be only cat.
Sometimes, this works out fine. There's nothing wrong with this cat's relationship with humans.
They are an excellent choice for group housing or assisted living situations where the rules restrict a person to one pet. Seniors who want only one cat at a time can choose them with confidence. I've placed many Only Cats with people who needed such a companion because of their mobility or cognitive challenges. They weren't up to more cats; they wanted a single serving.
These cats work as well as any other kinds of cats when it comes to fixing loneliness!
The problem comes from those times when the rules change. When we are in a bigger place, or meet someone with their own cat, or we enjoy having a cat so much we want more... that's when we look at our Only Cat and wonder If Only.
We should understand that Only Cat need not be a life sentence. These cats don't know how to be social. They can learn.
I see Only Cats as a cat in need of healing. After all, every cat comes into this world as part of a group. Feral cat colonies exist because cats can get along great with each other when they have a bit of shelter and a reliable source of food. Cats love to have friends!
So we should look at our Only Cat in the same way. If we are happy, they are happy. If we want more cats... we can make them even happier. But it's all the more important that we do it right.
Learn more about helping them be more social with The Only Cat.
Sometimes, this works out fine. There's nothing wrong with this cat's relationship with humans.
They are an excellent choice for group housing or assisted living situations where the rules restrict a person to one pet. Seniors who want only one cat at a time can choose them with confidence. I've placed many Only Cats with people who needed such a companion because of their mobility or cognitive challenges. They weren't up to more cats; they wanted a single serving.
These cats work as well as any other kinds of cats when it comes to fixing loneliness!
The problem comes from those times when the rules change. When we are in a bigger place, or meet someone with their own cat, or we enjoy having a cat so much we want more... that's when we look at our Only Cat and wonder If Only.
We should understand that Only Cat need not be a life sentence. These cats don't know how to be social. They can learn.
I see Only Cats as a cat in need of healing. After all, every cat comes into this world as part of a group. Feral cat colonies exist because cats can get along great with each other when they have a bit of shelter and a reliable source of food. Cats love to have friends!
So we should look at our Only Cat in the same way. If we are happy, they are happy. If we want more cats... we can make them even happier. But it's all the more important that we do it right.
Learn more about helping them be more social with The Only Cat.
Should we get our cat a collar?
The point of a cat collar is so people know how to return our cat when they get lost.
Yet, we have to use safety collars; the kind that will easily let our cat out of them if they get caught on something. So the collar we are counting on to get our cat back, might not be there when we need it the most.
If our cat doesn't mind wearing a collar, this might not matter. We can figure we have increased our odds, anyway. It also is a visible signal that this cat has someone who cares.
Still, we should not let a cat collar gives us a false sense of reassurance. And we certainly should not use the NON-safety collars.
Because of our cat's ability to eel in and out of small spaces, be cannot let our cat get trapped by a conventional collar. That would be the worst thing of all.
Find out more about why I don’t like cat collars.
Yet, we have to use safety collars; the kind that will easily let our cat out of them if they get caught on something. So the collar we are counting on to get our cat back, might not be there when we need it the most.
If our cat doesn't mind wearing a collar, this might not matter. We can figure we have increased our odds, anyway. It also is a visible signal that this cat has someone who cares.
Still, we should not let a cat collar gives us a false sense of reassurance. And we certainly should not use the NON-safety collars.
Because of our cat's ability to eel in and out of small spaces, be cannot let our cat get trapped by a conventional collar. That would be the worst thing of all.
Find out more about why I don’t like cat collars.
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