Do you think that your cat feels respected? Like, really valued and understood? If the answer is maybe not, take the opportunity to turn that around on March 28th.
The National Respect Your Cat holiday was designed to bring awareness to the proper care of cats. According to PetMD.com, it is also a day to draw attention to the importance of interpreting and appreciating all cat behaviors.
Today we are going to take Dr. Sarah Wooten’s top three ways she recommends you can show care and respect for cats. Let’s see how many of these you already do.
Respect the Hunt. Since cats are carnivores and natural hunters, an indoor cat needs a way to work through those natural instincts. Providing your cat with an environment that allows them to climb and hunt is important to curb boredom. Whether you create some type of cat tree or design a puzzle game or just give them an old fashioned cardboard box, stimulation is important to keeping your cat mentally engaged.
Respect the Claws. Vets know that declawing a cat can lead to lifelong pain in their toes. The alternative is to provide your cat appropriate areas to engage their natural scratching behavior. Do you have a scratching post?
Respect the Space. Much like introverted humans, cats that are too crowded run the risk of being stressed out. And a stressed out cat can start doing things that their housemates may not like, such as urinating outside the litter box. Be sure to give your cat a safe place where they can escape when they don’t wish to be bothered.
How did you do? Are you a respecter of cats? Let us know if you have any other tips or tricks to respect your cat on March 28th or the rest of the year.