Cats can be a bit frustrating sometimes. Scratching the furniture and meowing all night is a little annoying. But did you know that some things you do annoy them, too? Here are the ten things you do that your cat can’t stand.
Overstimulating
Cats aren’t like dogs. You can’t just shower them in pets all the time. If you’ve ever been petting your cat with no issue for a few minutes and then they “randomly” claw or bite you, they’re not being villains. They got overstimulated and needed you to stop!
Changing Things Up
Try to avoid moving furniture around or changing up your cat’s feeding spot. Cats like it when things stay the same. They’re adaptable creatures, but having to adapt to too many changes, or having to adapt too often, can stress them out.
Small Food Bowls
Don’t use extremely small food bowls for your kitties. They might be cute, but they also irritate your cat’s whiskers. They prefer to not have their whiskers brush against the sides of a bowl when they’re eating, so get them larger bowls!
Hugs
Cats, like dogs, don’t usually love hugs. Some cats might enjoy it when you give them a big hug, but most of them really don’t like this invasion of their personal space. If you’ve noticed your cat squirming or meowing when you hug them, it might be better to give them some space.
Belly Rubs
This is another behavior that a small handful of cats are okay with, and most are very annoyed by. If your kitty shows you their belly, they’re usually not asking for you to touch it. In fact, doing so can often result in getting badly scratched up by a now-defensive cat.
Citrus Smells
Don’t get a citrus-scented air freshener if you have cats. While you think oranges smell wonderful, they smell foul to your kitties. If you use these types of scents in your house, you’ll notice your cats will be stressed out and irritable. Imagine how you’d feel if someone was pumping nasty smells into your house!
Forcing Them to Interact
Sometimes your cat wants to be left alone. If you see their tail swishing or their ears back, just leave them alone for now. You can’t always just grab your kitty and cuddle with them. Let them come to you on their own terms and they’ll trust you much more.
Cleaning Too Much
If your cats have a favorite blanket or favorite scratching spots, take care to avoid cleaning these too often. When you see your kitty rubbing their face on a spot, they’re marking it with identifying smells. If you clean these too often, it can be pretty annoying to your cat to have to lay their marks so often.
Read More: Easy Tips to Get Your Cat to Drink More Water
Noisy Activities
Try to avoid repeated noisy activities around your cat. If you need to do something particularly noisy, like home renovations, consider taking your kitty to stay somewhere else until the construction is done. They’ll otherwise be stressed out and irritable the whole time.
Read More: 10 Things to Know Before You Foster a Cat
Bringing Home New Cats
Cats aren’t the most social creatures. In fact, many cats strongly prefer their owners to other cats. If you’re constantly bringing home new kitties, the ones you already have might be extremely stressed out. In general, try to get no more than two or three cats at a time and let them all get to know each other well. Once those kitties have lived out their happy lives and are gone, you can adopt more cats without stressing them out.
Read More: 10 Things You Do That Your Dog Hates
