Is Your Cat Bored?
Once the novelty wears off and your new cat isn't new anymore, problem behaviors can develop.
This confounds many pet owners, who feel the cat should be grateful for the life of ease they are providing.
Why would a cat jeopardize its life on Easy Street by scratching the woodwork or urinating on the Persian rug? In the wild, cats seldom get bored, and probably never do, because their lives are quite different from living in houses with humans.
Their survival depends on hunting, protecting territory, and propagating their species.
All their instincts are geared toward performing those duties successfully and that pretty much occupies all their time and energy, while at the same time providing them with exercise and mental stimulation.
Removed from a natural setting and held as pets, they neither have to search for and catch their food, nor do they need to establish and protect boundaries to define their space.
Some problem behaviors are the direct result of this instinct, however, as seen by their strong drive to scratch and mark items in the home.
Their instincts didn't go away...
their natural surroundings did.
While this lifestyle has allowed them to live longer and easier lives, it also has deprived them of the activities that supply mental stimulation and physical exercise.
No, you can't solve the problem by releasing domesticated cats to "go wild.
" It doesn't work that way.
Once acclimated to the human environment, special training is needed to survive such a change.
Watching animal documentaries on television should illustrate that.
Wild animals born in captivity are never casually released into their natural environments, unless they have first been trained to survive there.
If cats are so close to being wild, as many believe, then they deserve the same consideration.
However, if they are now living in your home and will not be thrown outside, there are steps you can take to help them reach their potential as a happy member of the family.
Searching for food can be implemented to help satisfy their need to hunt.
Hide treats around the house and let their noses help them solve the hidden food puzzle.
Playing with pull toys can satisfy their need to chase prey, providing not only mental stimulation, but muscular exercise to keep them trim and coordinated.
Cats need to climb, too, and a well made cat tree can serve them...
and well as save your woodwork.
This confounds many pet owners, who feel the cat should be grateful for the life of ease they are providing.
Why would a cat jeopardize its life on Easy Street by scratching the woodwork or urinating on the Persian rug? In the wild, cats seldom get bored, and probably never do, because their lives are quite different from living in houses with humans.
Their survival depends on hunting, protecting territory, and propagating their species.
All their instincts are geared toward performing those duties successfully and that pretty much occupies all their time and energy, while at the same time providing them with exercise and mental stimulation.
Removed from a natural setting and held as pets, they neither have to search for and catch their food, nor do they need to establish and protect boundaries to define their space.
Some problem behaviors are the direct result of this instinct, however, as seen by their strong drive to scratch and mark items in the home.
Their instincts didn't go away...
their natural surroundings did.
While this lifestyle has allowed them to live longer and easier lives, it also has deprived them of the activities that supply mental stimulation and physical exercise.
No, you can't solve the problem by releasing domesticated cats to "go wild.
" It doesn't work that way.
Once acclimated to the human environment, special training is needed to survive such a change.
Watching animal documentaries on television should illustrate that.
Wild animals born in captivity are never casually released into their natural environments, unless they have first been trained to survive there.
If cats are so close to being wild, as many believe, then they deserve the same consideration.
However, if they are now living in your home and will not be thrown outside, there are steps you can take to help them reach their potential as a happy member of the family.
Searching for food can be implemented to help satisfy their need to hunt.
Hide treats around the house and let their noses help them solve the hidden food puzzle.
Playing with pull toys can satisfy their need to chase prey, providing not only mental stimulation, but muscular exercise to keep them trim and coordinated.
Cats need to climb, too, and a well made cat tree can serve them...
and well as save your woodwork.
Source...