Upbringing of the cat

Most pet owners know very well that family for the pet serve as a pack and that interrelations in such pack obey strict laws of hierarchy.
Nevertheless, there are people who don't know anything about that and later can't stop wondering why their pet is unruly and aggressive. Because of the owners' disability to cut the cat down to size often suffer not only themselves but the people round about as well. For the same reason, quite many owners live being victimized by their own cat. Quite many pets are being put to sleep or given to the animal shelter, or just thrown away to the street...

It should be clear for most of people that it is important to clearly demonstrate a young pet that in the family (pack) it stands on the last step of hierarchy. This usually guarantees a pleasant life together for the owners and their pets, when the cat is loving, affectionate, purring and not the "terrorist" of the house.

It happen when people form totally wrong opinion about the hierarchy of the pack. Most of them think that "precipitation" of the pet is treated as beating or other kind of cruel behaviour. it is certainly forbidden to beat a cat! The leader of the pack is not a being that beats everyone without any aim or oppress anyhow! The survival of all the pack belongs upon the leader, the pet depends on him and always obeys him.

The main law of the pack - "Everyone must know his place and behave like he has according to his position". When everyone knows that and follows that rule, they live in harmony and there are less misunderstandings in the pack.

The need to take any position in own pack (family) is innate for the animal and it is quite natural that most of all that please it is seeking for is the highest. The owner has to take care that the cat would not to reach that position and stay on the "last step" for the rest of its life. Such position for the cat is not suffering (unless the owner sees about that). This is so natural for him as being the position of the leader. The pet just understands that this is its place

and it is satisfied with it. Obviously, sometimes it wishes to check if the position in the pack didn't change. In such cases, it has always to be clearly demonstrated that nothing has changed and it is still on the "last step".

Right and privileges of the leader of the pack:

It sleeps where it wishes and nobody can attempt on its place of rest.

It chooses the best bites of food and other members of the pack have to be content with what is left after it.

It always wins, especially games where a physical force is necessary - it is rather strong. Also, members of the pack that are of lower position must finally obey it.

When it is resting, nobody has the right to disturb it wherever it lies.

At any time it can ask for attention to it self from other members of the pack. It decides itself who, when, how long and how has to give that attention.

It can revenge the one who "harmed" it.

Now think well, whose name - yours or your pet - you can put instead of the word "it" in these statements. If it is your own - perfect! Your pet probably does not raise any bigger problems for you. But is the name is of your pet, you should be really anxious...

It happens that the owners themselves provide the cats the status of the leader of the pack. Look how it happens:

When the cat is resting, the person tries not to push it and just sit beside it as "the kitten is sleeping so beautifully". Later the cat reacts in a certain zip by claws into the attempt to push it.
When playing with a small kitten, the owners allow playing them with their hands, biting fingers, tearing the arm in back legs when it is being put on its stomach or catching the moving toes. Later the cat is already aware that the owner's parts of the body are the ones that can be torn or bitten.
Caught unexpectedly out of the corner the kitten reacts by bristling. The person laughs about how funny that small ball of fur looks and in this way even tease the kitten more. Summary - the cat starts attacking out of the corner.
Little kitten catches your legs, tries to climb them or uses your leg as a scratcher. "How funny it plays"... In the future, the cat will jump on the person's shoulders and will cling the body with claws. Or even worse, it will attack simply jumping out of the fridge or higher cupboard.
You never say "no" when the cat asks for attention.

This is how, not even wishing that at all, some owners give their pets the status of pack leader. To avoid this, the owner has to try behaving the way that the leader of the pack acts in cat's eyes. Thus, from the first days the kitten is present at your home, you must demonstrate that you are the leader of the pack.

How to behave in certain cases:

If the cat scratch the flowers, tear furniture or anyhow devastate things - water spray will help. Ideally, the cat should think that this is "the judgement" for bad behaviour. As long as the cat relates the spraying of water with you, it won't do that only when you see it.
If during the play the cat bites your fingers, thrust the finger deeper in the throat to evoking the reaction of nausea. The cat will think that there is no pleasure in playing by biting if it arouses nausea.
If the cat bites other parts of the body - a flip to the ear, clout on the face in two fingers and a sudden angry hiss by spitting without saliva in strong whiffs of air help a lot. That's all the same the cats do!
If the cat attacks you - take some water into your mouth and at the moment of attack, drastically sprinkle the cat. Respect is guaranteed for you - the cat can't do like that!
When the basis of breeding appears, another time you see that the cat does something that you don't like, just hiss angrily looking into its eyes. The cat should immediately stop doing that.
Don't forget to commend the cat and palm it for its good behaviour!

Correctly behaving during the first months of the kittens life, about its 9-10 months, but still being a loving owner - you won't have any problems when the cat is to be taken to the veterinarian, cutting the claws, giving medicine, etc. ... And in case of a baby appearing in the family, everything will be more simple, and you will just have to explain that this is "the baby of the pack leader" who is also to be respected.

<<< back