How to Speak Cat

Kitties are fairly purrplexing little furballs. Fluffy may bite to show affection, and then ignore you when you want to cuddle. She’ll also turn her nose up at an expensive piece of cat furniture, and sleep on a pizza box instead. While we may never entirely understand all of our feline pals’ adorable quirks, we can translate a few things. Here, a Lakeville, MN vet offers some tips on communicating with your kitty.

Putting Fluffy Down

Many kitties love being picked up and held … for about a minute. After that, your furball may squirm to try and get down. Always put Fluffy down gently. Don’t let go until her paws are on the ground. Cats hate being dropped, and who can blame them?

Open Invite

Cats are just the right size to fit into our laps. If your furball is shy, try sitting cross-legged on the floor. Your legs will form a perfect kitty bed, which Fluffy may not be able to resist!

Biting

As mentioned above, cats bite to show affection, or when they’re feeling playful. They also bite when they’re angry. To make things even more confusing, kitties can accelerate from being cuddly and purring to being angry in a matter of milliseconds. If Fluffy is mad, she’ll bite with some force, and may flatten her ears, hiss, growl, and/or lash her tail. Regardless of Fluffy’s motivation, if she bites you, tell her ‘No’ firmly, and then walk away and ignore her.

Breaking Bad Habits

Cats are quite opinionated, and don’t really like being told what to do. However, at some point, you may need to correct some bad petiquette, such as scratching inappropriately or counter-hopping. Never hit or yell at Fluffy. Instead, do something to startle her. Squirt her with water, clap your hands, or bang two pots together. Trickery, as it turns out, is much more effective than punishment.

Talking

Some cats are very, very chatty, and will meow to express their opinions about everything from the moth in the kitchen to the level of kibble in their bowls. Others rarely speak at all. However, even if your kitty doesn’t have much to say, she’ll appreciate it when you talk to her. You may find that the more you interact with your pet, the more interactive she becomes!

Please contact us, your Lakeville, MN vet clinic, anytime. We’re here to help!