- We have to be very careful with cats to avoid punishment (including spraying with water bottles, shaking cans full of rocks, scolding, abusive tones or language or physical force of any kind) as it greatly stresses them and teaches only that they should be fearful of us. Using the appropriate feedback carefully employed with the correct timing and reinforced with praise for the correct response can be truly helpful. Teaching cats what we do want changes behavior, understanding what their behavior means teaches us.
- When it comes to petting cats or picking them up, being mindful of how cats interact with each other and the most appropriate way to handle them is kinder to cats and us. For petting, use the approach cats use when greeting each other, confining your stroking to along the sides of the muzzle, behind the ears and between the ears This is the safest and most feline friendly approach. Several studies have been done confirming that while some cats may like petting at the base of the tail they are in the minority.
- When picking up cats, remember that cats have a “righting” reflex so turning them upside down as you would a baby is highly stressful and will cause them to struggle.
- When it comes to playing with your cat, remember to do it. Conduct regular interactive play sessions with your cat where the object of play is a fishing wand toy and not your hands or your feet (hide toy when not in use for novelty and safety). Experiment with different types to see which your cat likes best and remember to drag the object across or away from your cat's line of vision to engage your cat in predatory play behavior. Make a practice of 3-5 minute sessions in the morning and in the evening. We all can do 3-5 minutes, no excuses. Keep timing consistent. Regular play on schedule, will also relieve your cat of needing to ask you for play and interaction by jumping out at you, chasing you or you offering your hands as toys.
- Become familiar with what your cat is “saying.” A cat that is tail thumping or swishing, looking away, holding ears back, rigid, muscles rippling, hissing, growling or yowling is adamantly asking for whatever is going on in an interaction to stop. These sorts of behaviors are called “distance increasing behaviors” because they are exactly that. When you see a cat asking for space, give it to them. Cats, like most animals, go through a whole set of communicative behaviors as requests and warnings, they never "just" do anything. Routinely ignoring a cat's requests can cause a highly stressed cat to skip steps in asking for something to stop.
- If a cat is biting defensively due to being petted or held incorrectly it is the person’s fault and not the cats. The cat should be released and the person needs to learn how to hold and pet correctly so the cat does not have to defend themselves again. If there is a history of petting or holding incorrectly, the cat will remember. Taking baby steps in approaching your cat sideways, delectable treats, and offering tentative proper pets can start kitty on the road to trust.
- If a cat bites in play (which humans are going to retrain with interactive play), immediately, meaning at the exact moment of contact say “Oww!” and hold still. Where "oww" has become meaningless - you say it and the cat keeps going and so do you, try a sharp intake of breath and remember the next steps count. Use one short sharp syllable and no movement –providing feedback and taking the fun out of the chase. The key here is timing the second you feel the bite use the response above and the very millisecond the cat stops use a softer voice in praise to reinforce the cessation and keep the encounter positive. Cats are extremely sound sensitive due to their exquisite hearing and do not like loud or discordant noises which is why the feedback is so effective at getting them to stop the behavior. Your reaction will startle the cat, remember in that very second when the cat pauses immediately say “Good kitty” in a soft voice and stroke along the side of the muzzle to reinforce that stopping the bite is the wanted behavior. That's it, do not lecture the cat the afterwards as this only confuses a cat for doing what you asked for.
Key to remember: When we take away punishment we are not just modifying the cat's behavior we are modifying our own. That can take some mental stretching for us, especially with biting or scratching, when we are asked to provide feedback on the action and mark/note and reinforce the moment it stops or pauses. We have to remind ourselves we are reinforcing the stopping and not rewarding the biting or scratching. And to remember that scolding or lecturing or more are not words and gestures cats can benefit from and that mostly what they do is put an animal further and further into a position where they have to be defensive and fearful. They will never, ever understand that you are telling them what they did was wrong and why, only that you are threatening and hurting them.
I ask not to use the word "No" because body language is powerful and "No" is a loaded word for us. "Owww" is better depending on how you say it and for some cats and in some situations, when we use "owww" or any word without the marking and reinforcing it loses meaning. A gasp or short intake of breath and pause can also be truly effective as feedback especially when we follow with marking the exact moment the cat stops/pauses with a "Thanks" or "Yes" (for stopping/pausing -remember?) add in a stroke behind the ear. If the biting/ scratching has been happening for awhile we have to do this for awhile too.
References:
Ellis S.L.H., Thompson H., Guijaro C., Zulch, H. E. (2015) The influence of body region, handler familiarity and order of region handled on the domestic cat’s response to being stroked. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 173: 60-67.
Martell-Moran, N.K., Solan M., Townshend H.G.G. (2017). Pain and adverse behavior in de-clawed cats. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, (published online May 2017)
Ramos, D., Mills, D.S. (2009). Human directed aggression in Brazilian domestic cats: owner reported prevalence, context and risk factors. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, 11: 835-841
Soennichsen, S., Chamove, A.S. (2002) Responses of cats to petting by humans. Anthrozoos 15:258–265.
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