Learning to Coexist With a Trouble Making Cat

Even the most ardent fan of the feline species has to admit that cats can be little trouble makers.

While dogs can cause quite a bit of mischief themselves, your cat’s intelligence, size, and nimbleness can help him or her cause more than a little bit of aggravation for you from time to time. But don’t worry. The two of you can learn to live a harmonious life. Here are some strategies that can help you when you have cat trouble.

Strategy #1: Learn Feline Nonverbal Communication

You’d be surprised how much easier your life would be if you simply understood the nonverbal communication messages your cat is sending your way. For example, if your cat has a habit of nipping you as you pet him, start watching for a few key signs, such as pinned back ears and a flicking tail. These are all signs that affection time is over. If you don’t take the subtle hints, your cat has to give you something you will notice: a nip with her tip. By stopping when you see these signs, you can end this problem for good.

Strategy #2: Appreciate the Value of Scratching

While scratched up furniture might not be much of a value, your cat’s claws are valuable to her. She uses them to give her a sense of safety and to help her manipulate her environment. Sometimes your couch just gets in the way. The best way to stop these types of unwanted behaviors is to invest in a scratching post and rub some cat nip on it. This will encourage your cat to use the post and to leave your furniture alone. There are also special adhesive strips to avoid this problem. NEVER think of declawing. This surgery is cruel and unnecessary.

Strategy #3: Learn Their Language

Cats are like human babies. An infant cries to get what it wants, but because the baby can’t articulate what it wants in a vocabulary we understand, fulfilling the child’s needs can sometimes be frustrating. That’s the way it is with cats and their meowing. Incessant meowing can, admittedly, be annoying, but it is not being done to make you go crazy or to make ear plug manufacturers wealthy. Your cat is trying to say, “I want this. Please give it to me.” As the human, you have to learn what “it” is. Sometimes it’s food, a change of litter, or affection. A non-spayed female will meow a great deal when she is ready to mate. Trial and error is the best approach. Just remain calm and remember the meowing is a cry for assistance and not a tool for torture.

Strategy #4: End Bad Digging

Cats enjoy digging – something you may have noticed. They use digging to cover up their waste in the litter box, but they will also go digging as a way to entertain themselves. Your cat might, for example, decide to dig up your garden or your houseplants. Be proactive. Go to the grocery store and buy some fresh citrus fruits. It doesn’t matter what kind you get. Cats aren’t font of anything citrus. Remove the rinds from the fruits and bury them in the soil where you do not want your cat to dig. This will work wonders. But it might be a good idea to give her a safe outlet for her digging passion, such as a small sandbox in your fenced in backyard or a pot of dirt of her very own.

Following some of these strategies can make living with your cat much more enjoyable for both of you.