Cats are among our best friends. So why would we do anything to annoy them? You might be surprised.
We all love our feline friends. But sometimes we can inadvertently (or not so inadvertently) do things to annoy or distress them.
Here are five ways you can be sure to annoy your cat. (There are almost certainly more).
The first way is based upon a true-life example that has to be seen to be believed.
Slap and kick your cat for fun
Recently in the UK a Premier League footballer was given 180 hours community service by the court for slapping and kicking his cat about for fun. He was so brazen about it he even got his brother to capture it on video and post it on Snapchat.
He was, thankfully, also banned from keeping cats for five years.
The footballer admitted two counts of causing unnecessary suffering to a [cat] by kicking it in the abdomen and slapping it on the head.
The judge said: “The cat looked up to you to care for its needs. On that day… you did not provide for its needs…” but… “took part in this disgraceful and reprehensible act with this pet cat…!”
What can any pet owner say about this type of behaviour? It goes against everything any compassionate cat owner should do or aspire to.
If you want to annoy your cat and go to jail, just do this or something like it.
Only feed your cat once a day
Have you ever noticed the way wet food becomes manky after an hour or two?
Our cats meander past their bowl, and pause to sniff for a moment, upset that the food hasn’t been replaced. Then they wander off in a huff.
It upsets me to see them so put out, so I tend to put out a pouch of fresh wet food three or four times a day.
Of course, you have to make sure you’re not over-feeding your cats, so they don’t become overweight, but I take mine to the vets every six months for a weigh-in, and they advise me about what and how much to feed them.
As a strange counter-intuitive slant on this, you will of course really annoy your cats in the long run if you allow them to become overweight. Remember it’s a balance. If in doubt, always consult your vet.
Believe that just because your cat is aloof it doesn’t need love and attention
I am lucky in that my cats are extremely friendly and affectionate. Indeed, they’re almost like dogs in that respect.
Many people fall into the trap of believing that just because their cats seem aloof and remote, they don’t need love and attention.
So, they stop giving their cat love and attention and the cat becomes even more remote and the vicious cycle continues.
Arguably any well-socialized cat should be happy to be handled and to sit on your lap for a minute or two. And, as any cat owner will tell you, there are few things in life more special than a gently purring cat dozing on your lap.
I’m sure there are some cats that resent love and attention, but I suspect at the end of the day they are few and far between.
If you want a happy cat, lavish it with love.
Don’t tickle your cat when it asks
As a sideshow to that, often my cats lie on the kitchen floor when they see me and ask to be tickled by stretching out, rolling around, and presenting their bellies.
Occasionally I think I am too busy to respond and leave them be.
Inevitably my cat is upset and skulks away in a huff.
It only takes a few moments to bend down and tickle your cat on the belly when they ask, just to tell them they’re loved and that you have understood them.
Once I have done this with one of my cats, I always do the same with the other if he is around, just to make sure there is no rivalry between them (which there never is).
Expose your cat to loud noises
Cats generally hate loud noises, although mine don’t seem to mind claps of thunder.
I have a particular problem because I play the Scottish smallpipes (a type of bagpipe), and when I practice one of my cats absolutely hates it. He runs off quickly to the furthest point in the house away from the tumultuous din.
Unfortunately for him, my other cat just loves the sound of my skirling bagpipes and snoozes contentedly at my feet while I am playing (I’m not joking).
So, I often practice in the living room where the cats usually snooze to keep that cat happy.
What, then, is the conclusion to all this? Do the bagpipes annoy cats? It’s an evens deal for me, but I wouldn’t dream of playing the pipes in front of someone else’s cat, just in case.
Takeaways
There are plenty of things you can do to annoy your cat.
Some of them are reprehensible.
Some of them are careless.
Some of them are understandable.
Some of them are even necessary: for instance, whose cat enjoys being dosed with flea and worm treatment? My cats absolutely hate it and run a mile whenever they hear the distinctive sound of the ripping wrapper. It is, of course, a necessary evil.
Take care with your cats, and they will take care with you.
After all, you love each other.
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