Cats have coexisted with humans for approximately 10,000 years, yet comprehensive studies about them have only gained momentum in recent times. This lack of scientific exploration in the past has led to the development of numerous myths and misconceptions surrounding these fascinating creatures.
For years, people have believed cats to be independent, willful, and untrainable, with a remarkable ability to always land on their paws. Additionally, there’s a widespread assumption that cats instinctively know what they can and cannot eat. These misunderstandings not only affect the way we view our feline companions but can also negatively impact their well-being.
One common example of how these myths harm cats involves improper disciplinary methods. For instance, forcing a cat’s face into its urine after it has had an accident outside the litter box only increases the animal’s stress levels. It also damages the trust between the cat and its owner, as the cat does not understand the punishment and perceives it as a threat.
Fortunately, as our knowledge of feline behavior, health, and psychology has evolved, we now know how to care for cats in a way that is both humane and effective. In this article, we will debunk some of the most popular myths about cat behavior, upbringing, and health. By shedding light on these misconceptions, we can improve the lives of both cats and their owners.
MYTH NO 1
Cats are indifferent to people
Experiments and observations of cats have shown that they are attached to their owners no less than dogs. But cats express their feelings in a different way, and you need to be able to read their love signals.
In one of the studies Scientists placed a cat and its owner in an unfamiliar room for two minutes. Then the person left the room, and two minutes later he returned. By how the cat behaved in the presence of the owner and without him, scientists assessed the degree of its trust and affection for a person.
The experiment showed that animals that completely trusted a person continued to explore the room in the presence of the owner, he calmed them down. And if the cat’s relationship with a person is tense, in an unfamiliar room, the animals showed signs of stress – they twitched their tails, licked their lips and tried to hide.
Another study showedthat communication with people is more interesting for cats than food or toys. More than 50% of cats that were offered a choice of communication with a person, a toy or food, chose a person.
MYTH NO 2
Cats don’t need human attention
Although cats are not as interested in people as dogs, they also really need our attention. Most cats like to spend time with their people, they are happy when they are involved in some kind of joint activity with a person.
You need to play with the cat for at least 30-40 minutes daily, you can divide this time into several game sessions. She also needs an intellectual load: search and other educational games, training in tricks and commands. But don’t overdo it: an adult cat needs sleep an average of 17 hours a nightto feel good.
To give the necessary physical activity and new impressions, you can walk with a cat outside. To do this, choose a harness of the right size and a long leash: this way the pet will be able to explore the territory, and you will make sure that he does not get hit by a car, does not fight with other animals and does not eat something dangerous. Get used to walks gradually: if you have an adult pet who has never walked, it may take several months to adapt. And some people don’t need it at all – take into account the interests of the cat.
Cats also love to be talked to. A study by scientists from Tokyo showed that Cats recognize the voice of their owner and distinguish him from others. So you can easily complain to the cat about life or tell him about your craziest plans. The pet really needs your attention and time to feel good and be happy.
MYTH NO 3
Cats have a naturally bad temper
If the dog gnaws on furniture, bites and relieves itself at home, this is often attributed to a lack of upbringing. If a cat does this, people think that it is mischievous, out of spite, or taking revenge. Especially if the day before she was punished for such behavior – for example, she poked her nose in the urine.
People tend to humanize pets and endow them with features that are not characteristic of animals. Cats can really be happy, sad, disgusted and even read the emotions of the owner, but in order to think through and carry out an act of revenge, you need abstract thinking . Only humans have it – we can dream, think about the future and be nostalgic about the past.
Behind the behavior of an animal, which a person can interpret as revenge, there is always some need or disease. Aggression is a signal that something is wrong. And your task as a responsible owner is to establish the real cause of the pet’s undesirable behavior. And uncleanliness in a cat that has been accustomed to the litter box can signal health problems.
You can understand where the behavior problems came from on your own – just observe the pet. For example, if a cat behaves aggressively towards a child, perhaps the baby has hugged it or unintentionally hurt it – the animal defends its boundaries. In addition, aggression is often associated with pain: the cat can protect the part of the body that hurts, or look for a secluded place, and from there defend itself. If you can’t determine the cause of the behavioral problem, seek help from a zoopsychologist and show your pet to the veterinarian.
MYTH NO 4
Pedigree cats are smarter than mongrel cats
The characteristics of the cat’s character and behavior depend on many factors – genetics, socialization and experience in the past. There are character traits that are characteristic of certain breeds, but in general, judging the qualities of an animal by its breed and color means taking into account only one of the many components.
When you take a purebred cat from a breeder, you have more information about the conditions in which it was born and raised. A good breeder will also tell you about the genetic predisposition of the animal to certain diseases. But you will still not be insured against the fact that the pet will develop acquired diseases.
Recent Study, based on data from a pet insurance company, showed that purebred cats are more prone to a variety of diseases than non-pedigreed cats.
The origin of the cat also does not affect the ability to learn. Each animal has a unique character and talents, the task of a person is to build trusting relationships, monitor the health of the pet, develop its intelligence so that the abilities are revealed to the maximum.
MYTH NO 5
It is pointless to train cats
Most cats easily learn simple commands. Training will help wean your pet from something that you don’t like in his behavior. And any training gives the animal positive emotions and develops cognitive abilities.
Scientists from the University of Colorado decided to teach shelter cats commands so that they can better interact with people and their chances of finding a home increase. During the experiment, it turned out that most of the cats that were trained became happier, their stress levels decreased, and they began to trust people more.
Cat training has no age restrictions. Of course, a kitten learns new things faster, but both adult and even older cats are quite capable of learning, it just takes them more time.
In training, it is important to use humane methods, that is, without physical punishment and psychological pressure. For example, tricks can be taught to a cat with the help of positive reinforcement – to reward the pet for the desired behavior. The reward can be a favorite treat, a caress, or both. The cat will quickly figure out what actions bring it benefits. But in no case force the animal to exercise and do not restrict food so that the pet obeys better in training.
Use the clicker to train from the start or a marker word, such as “yes”. Any short word that is easy to remember will do. This will help the cat understand what is wanted from it faster. A clicker click or marker word should sound every time the animal performs the required action. Click the clicker or say yes and reward the cat right away. If she is hard of hearing, you can replace the sound marker with a visual one, for example, use a flashlight instead of a clicker.
Over time, you will be able to reward completed commands less often, gradually complicate them. For example, if earlier a cat just had to sit down to get a treat, now you need to sit for a few seconds or even minutes before it is given a piece.
MYTH NO 6
Cats know what they can and can’t eat
Man and many animals are inherent in imprinting, or imprinting – a form of education at an early age. For example, a kitten sees brothers, sisters and a mother cat and understands: this is what his relatives and himself look like. At the same time, if you put a newborn kitten with a recently calved dog, it will consider all dogs as its own.
With nutrition, imprinting works the same way: The kitten remembers what its mother brings it – taste, texture, smells – and perceives it as food. Thanks to this, in the future, he will instinctively understand what can be eaten. Personal experience and the experience of relatives will also help him in this: “I almost died from this herb when I wanted to cleanse my stomach, I will not eat it.”
But even the most experienced wild cat can make a mistake and eat something harmful. For example, if a cat catches a sick mouse, it risks poisoning and even dying. If animals were able to distinguish safe food from dangerous food, we would not have dog hunters and poisons for rodents: no one would eat poison.
At the same time, the lifestyle and diet of a street and domestic cat is very different. A cat that lives with a person does not care about how to get food. In her bowl, the food appears by itself. A cat may not understand at all what is useful and what is not: it is the task of its human to take care of the quality of food.
Domestic cats may beg for atypical food from the table – out of curiosity or to get a portion of attention. But the products we are used to are not always good for the animal. Even seemingly harmless treats can be harmful if your cat has gastrointestinal or other health issues that require a diet. And some food is dangerous for all cats – for example, chocolate, avocado, raisins, grapes.
To please your pet, treat him to special treats that have been approved by the veterinarian. And it is better to direct the energy of begging in a more productive direction: for example, to search games, where the cat needs to figure out how to find and get a treat. To do this, you can buy special toys or make them yourself: for example, roll a towel into a tube and hide a treat inside.
If a cat chews on house plants, most likely, it does it out of boredom. Some flowers are poisonous to pets. Therefore, it is better to keep your favorite ficus out of the cat’s reach, and instead of it offer special grass “It’s safe.
MYTH NO 7
A cat is able to take care of its own safety
Zoopsychologists believe that cats have no fear of heights: their vestibular apparatus makes it easy to keep balance and deftly jump from one surface to another. But the cat also has hunting instincts, which at some point may turn out to be stronger than the instinct of self-preservation. When it wants to catch a bird flying past the balcony, it will not stop to calculate all the risks, and will sit after the prey.
Cats do not always land on their paws – this is also a myth. The animal can be seriously injured even from a fall from a small height. Volunteers of the project “Cats Are Not Birds” reportthat 6-8 cats that have fallen out of the window can be admitted to one veterinary clinic in Moscow per day. Even if the cat manages to avoid serious injuries after falling, it may get scared and run away in an unknown direction.
In order not to endanger the life and health of the pet, it is important to install it on all windows in the house special anti-cat safety nets and do not let pets on an unglazed balcony.
Self-walking is also very dangerous, because literally anything can happen to a pet without the supervision of a person. A cat can get hit by a car, fight with another cat, become a victim of animal eaters, in the end just get lost and not find the way home.
Home games are enough to satisfy the cat’s hunting instinct, it is not necessary to arrange a real safari with real birds and mice. If you think that walking outside is necessary for your cat, accustom it to a harness and walk with it.
MYTH NO 8
It is better to take the cat with you on trips so that it does not get bored alone at home
Most cats are true conservatives and don’t like any change. Even rearranging furniture can cause them stress, not to mention moving to a new apartment.
In a new place, it takes time to adapt. This may take a few days. How much depends on the psyche of the animal and the circumstances. If the cat moves a lot from childhood, traveling will be easier for her: little and short stress at a young age forms adaptation skills in animals. But if at the same time the animal is anxious and fearful, each new move will be difficult for him.
If you are going on a short trip, it is better to leave the cat at home, in a familiar environment, and ask someone to spend time with him. The pet, of course, will miss you, but still not worry as much as when moving and adapting to a new place.
MYTH NO 9
Only those cats that walk outside need to be vaccinated
All cats are at risk of catching a dangerous disease: both those who walk and those who never leave the house. For example, the owner may bring the infection home on clothes or shoes. A cat can also encounter it in a veterinary clinic, despite all the efforts of the medical staff to comply with sanitary standards.
Cats are vaccinated against deadly diseases for them – herpesvirus rhinotracheitis, calicivirosis, panleukopenia and rabies. The latter is also dangerous to humans: the virus is transmitted through saliva when bitten, scratched or in contact with the mucous membrane, such as the oral cavity or eyes. The incubation period lasts two to three months, but by the time the first symptoms appear, The mortality rate is 100%. The kitten is given the first comprehensive vaccination at 8 weeks, the second one, as well as the rabies vaccination at 12 weeks.
MYTH NO 10
A cat must give birth at least once “for health”
Pregnancy and childbirth carry a serious burden on the health of the cat: lead to hormonal surges and deplete the body. The load on the spine, joints, urinary system increases, and the metabolism is rebuilt. In addition, childbirth is a huge emotional stress for the animal: the cat does not understand what is happening to it and why it hurts. It has nothing to do with health.
It is best to sterilize the cat before the first heat – at 5-7 months. Unsterilized animals may experience anxiety, agitation, aggression, and try to run away from home. The cat may also start walking past the litter box. Sterilization reduces or completely eliminates the risk of testicular cancer and prostate diseases in males and breast and uterine cancer in females.
Cats do not experience the joy and happiness of motherhood or fatherhood, but follow the instinct to reproduce. The mating process also does not give pleasure to animals, and can be traumatic and painful. Do not subject the animal to unnecessary stress and suffering.
credit: journal.tinkoff.ru
