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Don't Tease the Cat

Cats are sensitive creatures and are also very intelligent. While they can be very playful and mischievous, they are not much into teasing.

With dogs, you can get a good laugh by throwing an "invisible" ball and watching him search all over the yard for it, but a cat will never fall for that one. They don't play like that anyway.

Cat play activities generally are related to instinctual hunting urges, so you can capitalize on those behaviors to give your kitty a good workout and a fun opportunity to bond with you.

But you must resist the urge to tease. Cats don't "get it" and may think you are being aggressive or mean. If you want to have fun with your cat and build a relationship with him, just stick to things cats understand. You want him to think you are on his side... not trying to hurt him.

What constitutes teasing? For one, cats don't enjoy being tickled. If you are lucky, he won't bite you, but if you don't give it up, he'll take it as a sure sign that you are trying to kill him and will defend himself. That means biting and scratching, and this makes some people angry with the cat. Sadly, many cats have died because someone was tickling them and they defended themselves out of fear, and the person killed them right then and there.

It's also mean to tie something to a cat and watch him go nuts trying to get it off. This serves only to amuse you and results in frightening the cat. You will not make friends with your cat this way. It's also a sure way to make a cat neurotic. And neurotic cats do things you may not like, such as hide a lot, and pee behind the furniture because they are afraid to walk across the room to the litter box.

Many people make comments like, "I was only playing with him," or, "I'm just teasing him, so why did he bite me?" Then some of these people throw the cat out or take him to a shelter because he "isn't fun anymore."

Another tease cats don't appreciate is being poked in the ribs. Indeed... see tickling, above.

And never, ever tease a cat with another animal. This means don't let Cujo sniff her if it means Fluffy is going to arch her back and spit at the dog. Animals are unpredictable, and if you aren't ready for it, Fluffy could react out of abject fear and scratch Cujo's nose in a flash, making him react by killing the cat, right then and there. Again... see tickling, above.

Cats are sensitive creatures... as already stated... so it's to everyone's advantage to be mindful of that and play games that kitty can enjoy.

For more advice and information on cat behavior and solving problems, visit Dr. Peters' web site, http://www.theproblemcat.com/behavior.html

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