{"id":436,"date":"2013-11-08T05:18:20","date_gmt":"2013-11-08T13:18:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/?p=436"},"modified":"2013-10-30T05:31:02","modified_gmt":"2013-10-30T13:31:02","slug":"more-things-ive-learned-from-my-cat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/?p=436","title":{"rendered":"More Things I’ve Learned From My Cat"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Daisy\"

Daisy<\/p><\/div>\n

A cat that can\u2019t get to or doesn\u2019t feel comfortable using his litter box is liable to leave you an unwelcome present on your one-of-a-kind Oriental rug. If she doesn\u2019t have enough scratching posts and pads around, she will enjoy clawing on your leather sofa. This is your cat teaching you about her needs. And if you neglect to listen, your life could become quite nightmarish.<\/p>\n

Some cats teach themselves tricks such as, opening the cupboard where the kibbles bag is kept, knocking the phone off the stand whenever it rings, becoming a feline alarm clock or traveling long distances back home when displaced.<\/p>\n

A cat in Britain taught himself how to ride the bus. And he is the only passenger that doesn\u2019t have to pay for the privilege. Every day he waits on the curb near a regular bus stop. When the driver pulls over and opens the door, the pure white shorthair cat jumps aboard. He rides only a few miles either on the front seat or under it. When the bus stops again, he hops off and, according to the bus driver, seems to head toward a nearby fish and chips place. How does he get back home? No one seems to know. But the next day, there\u2019s the cat on the same corner waiting for the bus to take him to the restaurant.<\/p>\n

Did you know there are cat trials where participating cats are asked to run an obstacle course? I watched one of these on TV once. That day, the cat who was expected to clock the best time, flat out refused to run.<\/p>\n

Now, if this had been a horse or dog race, there would have been some heck to pay. Heavy betters would be enraged. Owners would fire their trainers and put the animals up for sale. But this event involved cats\u2014you know, those furry little critters with minds of their own? And when the favored kitty didn\u2019t run, no one got upset. No one blamed the cat or the handler. Everyone knows that, no matter how well-trained he is, a cat will perform only if he thinks it\u2019s his idea.<\/p>\n

You can not invite a cat into your home and heart and then tell her to stop behaving like a cat. You can\u2019t effectively set strict rules and boundaries for a cat\u2014not without her permission. In order to achieve harmony in a home with cats, you must listen to your cats and truly understand their needs and desires.<\/p>\n

If they love to claw on things, provide them plenty of opportunity. If they prefer the fabric on your sofa to that on the cat scratcher, reupholster the cat scratcher with similar material. Maybe your cat really, really, really wants to be outside, but you have deemed him an indoor cat. Rather than stand by while he tears at your window screens and dashes for the door every time it\u2019s open, why not build him an area where he can enjoy the out of doors in a safe environment.<\/p>\n

Dinah was not an indoor kitty. From the moment I adopted the 8 month old long-haired tortie from the Humane Society, she let me know that, while she loved being inside the cozy house and lap-sitting was one of her favorite activities, she also needed\u2014I mean desperately NEEDED\u2014to be outdoors. The scrappy little cat and I battled about this issue for days. And guess who won? While all of our other cats were contended to be inside kitties, Dinah gained the privilege of going outside whenever she wanted to. Our only compromise was that she slept inside at night. She could go outside after dark only under supervision.<\/p>\n

And it was a good thing we caved in, too, because she absolutely refused to use a litter box. Even during periods of torrential rain, she insisted upon going outside to potty.<\/p>\n

As far as I know, this cat never ever used the litter box. Neither did she ever have an accident. From Dinah, I learned persistence and, again, being true to oneself.<\/p>\n

What else can we learn from our cats?<\/p>\n