#BLUE TABBY CAT HOW TO#

Of course, I would scratch and bite him in order to get away! I wouldn't be trying to 'punish' Stuart, I'd just be trying to protecting myself. If I didn't know him well, I would be afraid because he's actually 20 times as big as I am. In the photo, I'm merely annoyed, because I know Stuart won't hurt me. In the photo above, Stuart has picked me up even though I didn't want him to (after all these years we're still working on his obedience training). If we're doing something you don't like, there's always a reason, and it's always rooted in our needs as a cat.

We don't 'act out' or 'misbehave' in order to 'punish' you. It's important to realize that the emotions we share with humans do not give us human motivations. Cats can also experience frustration, anxiety, and depression. These emotions are based on our brain physiology, and are responses to stimuli in our environment. Like humans, cats experience fear, sadness, anger, disgust, desire, and happiness. That means our brain's structure is not that different from yours. As it is, I'm uncomfortable being so far off the ground. If I didn't know Stuart very well, I would be afraid and angry about being handled by someone so much bigger than me. Even string and yarn, which we love to chase, can cause intestinal blockage if we're allowed to ingest it. Feline curiosity might lead us to jump up on a stove, unaware that it's lit, leading to severe burns. Electrical wires, such as those for lamps and appliances, can electrocute a cat that chews on them. Other household items can pose a threat to cats. It's rare (but not impossible!) for these foods to kill Tabby outright, but over time they can cause organ damage. Other human foods that can be a problem for cats include avocados, chocolate, grapes, and macadamia nuts. Since this family includes garlic and onions, you should be aware that these human-friendly foods are also toxic to cats.

Various lilies are popular houseplants, and this entire family-the allium family-is highly poisonous to cats. Numerous plants are also toxic to cats as well. Besides, it makes us much easier to live with!įor instance, did you know that aspirin is extremely toxic to cats? And yet, many well-meaning people have inadvertently killed their injured cats by administering aspirin as a painkiller. Prevent problems by giving Tabby ample places to scratch to her heart's content.įailure to spay and neuter leads to untold numbers of homeless, unwanted cats every year. Tabby cats need our claws to defend ourselves.ĭeclawing is a traumatic operation that many veterinarians now refuse to perform.

Since cats are good at hiding illness and injury, it takes a vet to catch a problem while it's still small. Taking us to the vet once a year ensures that we're healthy.

There's a good reason for it that's rooted in our nature as cats. If we do something you don't like, it's not because we're deliberately being 'naughty'. Our emotions are like yours, but our motivations are not. Our litter-box needs to be big enough to use, and kept clean enough that we won't go elsewhere.Ĭats have complex brain structures that allow us to feel afraid, angry, sad, and happy. Tabby cats need a clean, well-kept litter box. Tabby cats need plenty of fresh, clean water.ĭrinking dirty water can make us sick, so if the water smells bad or stale, we might avoid it. It has just the right balance of vitamins and minerals we need to stay healthy. Well-meaning vegans have made their cats very sick trying to impose their animal-free diet on us.Ĭats need to eat cat food, not people food.Ĭat food is specially prepared to give us the nutrients we would get by hunting and eating prey in the wild. That's a fancy way of saying that we eat other animals, and only other animals. If we are suddenly abandoned outdoors, we are facing a short life and a very painful death.

#BLUE TABBY CAT HOW TO#

While we have an innate drive to chase things, we don't know how to kill prey unless our mothers taught us. Cats are not born knowing how to 'fend for themselves' in the wild.

Blue tabby cat