184
votes
How can I fix my relationship with my 7 month old cat after I've constantly abused her the past month?
As in human cases of abuse, if you genuinely want to repair the relationship, the first and most essential thing to accept is you may not be able to. Especially with a young kitten, it's entirely ...
- 1,608
103
votes
How can I fix my relationship with my 7 month old cat after I've constantly abused her the past month?
Honestly, it sounds as though you shouldn't have a cat right now. There is never any excuse to needlessly hurt an animal and, whilst your critical write-up of your own behaviour is a start, it ...
- 5,135
67
votes
How do I "apologise" to my cat?
I wouldn’t start giving treats for small accidents - what kind of behavior are you trying to reinforce? The cat won’t understand the concept of an “apology” via treats. And if careless weaving results ...
- 3,064
51
votes
Accepted
Why does my cat lay down with me whenever I need to or I’m about to get up? Is this a common thing?
Probably confirmation bias.
Odds are, the cat is not lying down next to you every time you're about to get up. There are times when you get up without the cat lying down next to you, and time when the ...
- 1,003
46
votes
Accepted
How do I "apologise" to my cat?
I don't think there are many animals that understand the concept of apology, as a high level concept as such, except for maybe some other advanced primates. MAYBE elephants, dolphins, whales or ...
- 576
38
votes
How to stop adopted stray/feral cat from scratching trees?
Wouldn't it be a better solution to protect the trees from the cat than to remove the cat from the family?
First of all, it's impossible to teach a cat not to scratch on anything. The claws of cats ...
Elmy♦
- 32.4k
38
votes
My old cat died and I don't know how to deal with it
Loss of a pet, for some people can be no different than losing a family member. The effect may be more intensely felt by children and teenagers compared to adults. Therefore, grieving after a pet is ...
- 4,744
33
votes
Accepted
Active wildlife outside the window- Good or Bad for Cat psychology?
I've heard pet owners express concern before that cats get frustrated at being unable to catch prey, but the thing is, they should be able to deal with the frustration because it's natural to be ...
- 16.2k
26
votes
What can I do now that my cat is terrified of me after I broke up a fight involving her and two other pets?
This is a very common question on this SE and it makes perfect sense.
The cat for some reason is traumatised by your action. You might have stepped on his tail, or she might just be upset because you ...
- 4,744
24
votes
Can a cat, who only lives in a (small) flat, be happy?
We have a few existing posts about how much space a cat needs, I have included some below. Your area is large enough for a cat. But even a larger space will not be sufficient without enough enrichment,...
- 29.4k
24
votes
Girlfriend's cat hisses and swipes at me - can I get it to like me despite that?
Use less threatening body language.
While it sounds like you've come to this conclusion on your own, I reiterate this point to write a more general answer. In cat body language, staring down a cat is ...
- 16.2k
23
votes
Accepted
Cat associates closed door with getting caught
You need to break the existing conditioning your cat has at the moment. The classic approach would be to close the door and immediately open it again. Then slowly increase the time that the cat will ...
- 3,064
21
votes
How can I fix my relationship with my 7 month old cat after I've constantly abused her the past month?
I've been very close to a situation very similar to this, where a person spiralled really (=very physically abusively) badly with a new pet, came to their senses and felt horrified after a few months,...
- 539
21
votes
Can two cats live in one room?
You have a cat, you both are going to be working more and you have an allergic roommate? I'm sorry, but are you sure it's a good idea to get a second cat?
I understand it looks like choosing between ...
- 311
20
votes
How can I fix my relationship with my 7 month old cat after I've constantly abused her the past month?
The cat is still young and learning. You want to unteach it that moving and making sounds are potentially dangerous by encouraging the behaviours you want.
Ideally there's a type of food it likes, ...
- 317
20
votes
Cat associates closed door with getting caught
Our cat was not thrilled to go into the box either (it was less severe than you, though). As soon as she felt that something was wrong she would run for her life under the bed and good luck getting ...
- 363
19
votes
What can I do now that my cat is terrified of me after I broke up a fight involving her and two other pets?
My girlfriend is a veterinary nurse and this is a situation she has seen and we've discussed it on several occasions.
All animals are always on the lookout for danger. Even the most domesticated pets ...
- 355
18
votes
How best to discipline a kitten?
Punishing him by locking him in a cage is NOT the answer. In fact, punishment when it comes to litter-training issues in general is counterproductive, but locking the poor mite in a cage is just plain ...
- 5,470
18
votes
How can I get my cat to stop pooping on my kid's bed?
Your cat is not jealous of the new child. Your cat is stressed out.
Most cats like calm, quiet, routine, and for their territory to not be disrupted. Unfortunately, with a new baby, all those things ...
- 16.2k
18
votes
What should I do if my dog fails a cycle of her separation training?
I'm sorry to tell you that, but your approach is wrong. That's not how you train separation and independence with your dog.
What you currently do is training a command. You say a specific word, your ...
Elmy♦
- 32.4k
17
votes
Can two cats live in one room?
It’s a difficult question; neither choice is clearly right or wrong.
I would lean toward getting him a friend now, and the same age or younger. The smaller the newcomer, the less your existing cat ...
- 4,128
16
votes
Accepted
Husky howling repeatedly - what can be done for it?
Let me sing to you the song of my people!
Almost every Husky ever
Huskies are very, very social dogs, even more so than many other breeds. They don't like being alone and they'll notice if something ...
- 5,290
14
votes
How can I fix my relationship with my 7 month old cat after I've constantly abused her the past month?
Unfortunately, from OP's description of his/her behaviors toward the kitten even AFTER the awareness and realization of the wrongness and abusiveness of her/his treatment toward the kitten, i.e., ...
- 141
14
votes
Husband stepped on the cat's head, and now she hates him
Please don't get offended, but reading your description I think that your husband's actions and attitude towards the cat are bordering animal abuse and reek of aggressive frustration. I think the best ...
- 145
14
votes
Can two cats live in one room?
I wouldn't recommend it.
The advice on how much space you need per cat is pretty variable, from one bedroom per cat to various square footage per cat. And even then, you might have trouble with ...
- 16.2k
12
votes
How can I fix my relationship with my 7 month old cat after I've constantly abused her the past month?
We have four cats that all have different personalities (like people). Sometimes one or more can be frustrating, but cats (although some would argue) are not capable of the same level of learning or ...
- 129
12
votes
Why does my cat lay down with me whenever I need to or I’m about to get up? Is this a common thing?
Your cat isn't clairvoyant, it doesn't know you are about to get up. It just knows that you are part of its family and a comfy place to sleep. You may be connecting dots that aren't there. In my ...
- 221
11
votes
Is the cat trying to communicate by leaving toys in significant places?
Cats often leave their "prey" or toys as gifts to show their sign of affection and their craft as master hunters. Leaving them in places where the cat knows you will be is their way of trying to get ...
- 657
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible