Does your kitty turn into a furry, meowing little diva when you are late with her breakfast … or her second, third, or fourth breakfasts? Is Fluffy a bit pushy about her toys, lap space, or demands for playtime? Clearly, there are some things that our feline friends take very, very seriously. There are also quite a few things that they really just don’t care about. A local Brant, ON vet lists some of those in this article.
Your Furniture
Cats are absolute masters at getting comfortable. Fluffy won’t hesitate to drape herself over the back of your sofa, or sit in the middle of the room to clean herself. She also isn’t shy about using your couch or chair to do her nails.
Don’t get angry at your pet for these mishaps! Your feline pal isn’t deliberately trying to destroy your things: she’s just instinctively driven to keep her nails sharp. This makes purrfect sense. After all, cats rely on their nails for survival in the wild. Fluffy’s paw daggers are her main form of defense. They also allow her to climb to shelter and safety, catch her dinner, and leave kitty graffiti on tree trunks.
Your Schedule
Have you ever been woken up by a hangry feline? Your furry overlord will not tolerate breakfast being late. She also sometimes wakes up her humans in the middle of the night by pouncing on toes.
If your pet gets rambunctious and playful when you’re trying to sleep, try playing with her before you go to bed. After a vigorous play session, Fluffy will probably be a bit tired, and ready for yet another nap.
Your Comfort
Speaking of napping, does your pet somehow manage to take up the entire bed while relegating you to a strip on the edge? We’re guessing that’s a yes for many of you. Fluffy isn’t losing sleep over it, though.
Manners
Fluffy can be very loving and affectionate, which is part of why she can melt our hearts so easily. She can also be quite temperamental, and may suddenly bite or scratch without warning. Your feline pal may also deliberately ignore you when you try to call her.
Your Plants
Many cats love to sniff at and nibble on green leaves. Fluffy looks adorable peeking out at her humans from behind plants and pretending to be a ferocious tiger! To be fair, plants actually do offer enrichment for cats. Your kitty will get some stimulation from being able to smell and taste leaves. They also help purify the air, and just make your home look nice and cozy.
Fluffy is not concerned about the plants’ well being. She has a penchant for absolutely destroying some plants, such as Spider plants, and has also been known to knock plants over.
Just be sure to put safety first. Only set out plants that are safe for your feline pal. The ASPA has a great list of those here. You’ll also want to be careful about how you arrange plants. Avoid using holders with dangling ropes. That macrame holder may look cute, but your pet may want to bat at the dangling part … and could bring the plant crashing down onto herself. Keep heavier pots on floor level.
The Dog
Fido and Fluffy have had a pretty rocky relationship over the years, with lots of ups and downs along the way. In some households, they have actually become quite close. It’s always adorable to see a gentle, patient pooch letting a kitten pounce on his tail or snooze on his back!
Of course, sometimes the situation is a bit rockier. While many times the dog is the aggressor, sometimes it’s the cat who is the bully! Fluffy also has no qualms about stealing dogs’ beds, batting their noses, or even smacking them in the face!
Your Job
While things have in many ways returned to pre-pandemic norms, one thing we don’t see going away is the use of video conferencing. We don’t have a solid count on how many of our feline patients have crashed their owners’ zoom calls or stepped on their laptops, but it’s probably safe to say that the number isn’t zero.
That said, kitties do sometimes lend a helping paw to their owners while working. If you work from home, you may find that your kitty makes a great co-worker … even if she does sometimes try to nap on your keyboard. We’d recommend choosing a pretty short screen lock time, such as 15 seconds. That will help reduce the chances that every time you walk away, you come back to find your pet has wreaked some havoc on whatever it is you were working on.
Visiting Their Brant, ON Veterinarians
Many of our feline pals are less than thrilled to come and see us. We understand completely. A big part of this is actually the car ride. While our canine patients often love going for drives, cats definitely prefer to stay in their own kingdoms. In fact, many cats are more stressed over the drive over to the clinic than they are about their appointments! We do all we can to make things easier on our adorable patients, and to make appointments quick, easy, and comfortable for them. However, our attempts to explain to Fluffy that proper veterinary care will make her healthier—and ultimately, happier—haven’t worked.
Your pet’s veterinary care needs will change over time, so follow your vet’s recommendations. That said, we recommend that all cats be microchipped, spayed or neutered, and kept current on their vaccines, exams, and parasite control. In between visits, keep an eye out for signs of sickness. Contact your Brant, ON vet if you notice anything that seems off.
The Laws Of Physics
Cats are remarkable for several reasons. They’re not only really cute and personable, they also are absolutely hilarious. One reason kitties are so entertaining is the way they can jump, bend, and twist. Fluffy’s acrobatics are pretty impressive! We do know that cats are so bendy because they have a unique skeletal structure. They have very small clavicles, for one. They also have more room between vertebrae than most mammals, which allows their spines to move more freely. Plus, their shoulder blades are not attached by bone, but by muscle.
That aside, we still have to raise an eyebrow at some of their daring gymnastics! There’s also the fact that these little balls of fur can sleep comfortably in conformations we would usually associate with knots.
Local Wildlife
Kitties are known for being great hunters. In fact, we first befriended them because of their skill at catching rodents and other varmin. However, Fluffy doesn’t just kill to catch her supper. She actually finds it quite amusing.
While it may be cute to see how proud your pet looks when she drops a dead mouse at your feet, there’s also reason to be a bit concerned. Turns out, our feline pals are adorable little serial killers. Housecats kill billions of small animals every year! Given how many species are threatened or endangered, this definitely raises concerns. We would recommend keeping your furry little murderess safe and sound inside, and giving her catnip mice to hunt, instead of real ones.
Is your feline pal due for an exam? Are you looking for a great veterinarian in the area? Please feel free to contact us anytime. As your Brant, ON pet hospital, we are dedicated to offering purrfect care.