The dead mouse on the floor this morning is a testament to my normally lethargic cats’ hunting prowess. Even the most domesticated and social indoor cat has the same hunting instincts that cats have in the wild. And if you’re not careful, you can inadvertently teach your cat to direct its hunting attention toward you. Most people who have trouble with feline aggression in their household “played rough” with their cats when they were kittens. It may be cute when a kitten plays with your feet; it’s a lot less cute when the 12-pound cat attacks you every time you come in the room.
When you play with a kitten, be sure to direct it’s play toward a toy. By always displacing the attention to the toy, you’ll probably never have a problem with kitty aggression in the first place. If the problem already exists in an adult cat, take the same approach. Anytime the cat goes for you, try to distract it with a favorite toy. If the cat still prefers attacking you when you offer the toy, squirt the cat with a squirt bottle or plant mister filled with water. Say “no” at the same time you squirt to reinforce the fact that you disapprove of the behavior.
And on a related kitty clawing subject, a shelter Board member who read my recent column on cat bathing told me about a great technique she uses. Her cat doesn’t go along with the washing program willingly, so she puts the cat into a lingerie bag. (For those who don’t know, a lingerie bag is one of those mesh bags people use to wash their “delicates;” most 5 and dime-type stores sell them for about $2.) When the cat is in the bag, the water and soap go through, but claws do not. So you can douse and lather up the cat without it attempting to rip all the skin off your arms.