All my life I have been a dog person, a dog girl, a dog lady, etc. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine myself as a cat owner.
Sabrina is our black kitten. She has lived with us since about six months. She is about a year-old. It’s still a mystery to me. She is much different from the dogs that I had imagined.
1. The Cats are not responsible for their actions
It’s always puzzled me. They don’t seem to get upset when cats misbehave, nor do they seek out behavioral training methods. The guardians just kind of say, “Aw, it’s a cat being a kitten.” Little jerk!”
Sabrina has a one-bedroom flat and I give her as much space vertically as possible. There are some areas I won’t let her access.
When I have a dog I tell them to “leave” and I will grab the animal if it is in immediate danger. My dogs usually stop and run to me when I call them.
When I tell Sabrina to “off”, she looks me up. By the time I move her she will have jumped off because she is aware of what she can’t do in that space. It’s something I encourage and praise. Hopefully, with practice she will jump off when I tell her to. But for now, it appears that she hesitates before deciding if she wants to try to achieve what she wants.
Even if I don’t get her to comply immediately, I always remember to reward her with a tasty treat. She may listen more as the days go by, but for now, I don’t mind her just being herself.
We tend to be offended when we as dog owners tell our dogs what to do and they refuse to listen. Cat people are right.
Even if you believe that your cat or dog knows better than to not listen, it’s still important that you don’t take this personally. This means that we just need to do more training and reinforcers.
2. The Cat Is Not Down for Pets
Cow is currently sleeping in an open crate. I’m sure I can give her some hugs and love and make her happy.
If Sabrina’s in a hunting mood she will attack me when I pet her.
If she is napping she does not seem to like being awakened by pets.
Though I’m not able to get her to purr if she is drowsy but still awake, sometimes.
My impulse control and understanding of when and how to pet cats is still lacking.
Dogs are also not always up for being pets. Just less likely are they to tell us. If you hug your dog and then they shake afterward, that’s an indication they are actually stressed.
Not only with the dog, but also the cat I am trying to develop impulse control. When I pet my dogs, I always pause to let them know if they would like me to continue or stop. Me, Matilda and Cow, after eight years of being together, have developed a close relationship. We seem to understand one another, but we could always improve.
3. Cats Do greet you (sometimes)
The reason I didn’t want a cat is because, when you come home from a long day at work, your dog will be there, tail wagging as if you had been away for years.
Sabrina will sometimes rub against us and weave between our legs when she is happy to be with our favourite humans. Sabrina does the same thing when she is hungry but she also likes to eat when we are around.
4. Dogs don’t really hate cats
Matilda still doesn’t understand how to handle Sabrina. But they do respect her. When they chase her, I see them not touching her. The problem is that they don’t understand how to deal with her.
Sabrina is scared when people try to talk with her. Even if it’s just passing through. She can run from them, or she may stand her ground. She no longer hisses.
She seems to be more at ease around the dogs every day. They are intrigued by her, but they leave her mostly alone. The dogs are always under my supervision and they stay in different rooms when I am not around.
Sabrina still goes to the dogs, sniffs and stares, even when they are sleeping. It’s like she is also fascinated by them. There is drama in our household, but not because of hatred. It’s just misunderstood.
Sabrina once smacked Cow’s butt and then ran off, making Cow completely confused. In those moments, I believe she’s nailed her annoying sister role.
My goal was to have all my three animals in the same space most of the day without worrying about violence, injuries, or stressful encounters. The animals are coexisting peacefully as they share separate areas, watch squirrels from the window and enjoy sunbeams while maintaining a social distance.
It would be so cute to see my animals cuddle up, but it’s not realistic at the moment. It will be a cute overload if my pets ever snuggle.