Many cats love staying home, and cat social skills depend on cat personality and kitten socialization. Confident cats not only feel less feline stress, they get sick less, recover more quickly, and handle trips to the vet (or to Grandma’s) better than shy Shrinking Violet cats. They enjoy life more, and engage with other people and pets.
Key Takeaways
Cat social skills vary based on personality and kitten socialization, affecting their confidence and stress levels.
Confident cats experience less stress, recover faster, and handle new situations better than shy cats.
Environmental enrichment can enhance a cat’s indoor experience, improve confidence, and reduce stress.
Karma-Kat, a confident cat, enjoys supervising visitors and exploring the outdoors in his pet stroller.
Increasing your cat’s sociability involves understanding their personality and providing appropriate socialization opportunities.
I’ve been blessed to have two supremely confident kitties in my life. Seren-Kitty(rb) ruled the roost and bossed the dogs around. She enjoyed life on her terms. Although never a touchy-feely cat until her last few years (she nearly made it to 22!), Seren loved playing, indulging in long “conversations” with us, and watching the bird-and-bunny TV outside. She also enjoyed leash walks in the garden.
Even if cats don’t go outside, you can bring the outdoors inside for environmental enrichment. That helps enormously to expand kitty’s world, and builds confidence while reducing stress.
Karma-Kat: Merrily He Rolls Along!
Karma-Kat loves people, and his confidence means he wants to supervise strangers who come into the house for repairs or to visit. He’s never been a fan of leash walking. One time, he escaped his halter, and only came back when Magical-Dawg went after him and led Karma back to safety. But he’s fascinated by the great outdoors, and wants an up-close sniff (and look) at all the butterflies. So . . .I got Karma a pet stroller, his very own Karma Kart.
At first, he wasn’t eager to get inside, despite stocking it with his favorite Greenies treats. But once we rolled out the door, and he caught a whiff of the Texas wildflowers–oh my KAT he was in kitty heaven! We rolled up and down the back fenced yard. Once back inside, I opened the canopy to let him out and… he didn’t want to get out (well, he discovered the treats and munched them for desert). Anyway, I reviewed his Karma Kart stroller in my Reader’s Digest piece here.
Can Your Cat Be More Social?
But what if your cat tends toward the shy side? How can you increase the chances for improving cat sociability? I cover kitten development in this blog, and socialization in my books. But here’s a fun infographic that offers some highlights.
So is your cat a social butterfly? Or a shrinking violet? How do you help kitty deal with … life? Do tell!
I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you’d like answered? Do you have a new kitten and need answers? Stay up to date on all the latest just subscribe the blog, “like” me on Facebook, and sign up for Pet Peeves newsletter.
Stay up to date with the latest book giveaways and appearances related to my September Day pet-centric THRILLERS WITH BITE! Amy Shojai, CABC is a certified cat & dog behavior consultant, a consultant to the pet industry, and the award-winning author of 35+ pet-centric books and Thrillers with Bite! Oh, and she loves bling!
Have you thought about dog bite Halloween safety? and I’m not talking about vampires, either. Many dogs enjoy the howl-idays. But dogs biting kids happens more often at this time of year than any other.
This is a timely subject so I try to revisit the information every year. I write about this every year because it’s so darned important. With Halloween in the offing, this is the perfect time to brush up on dog safety issues and protect your kids, too.
To give equal time, there are many kitty-centric Halloween myth-teries you’ll find fascinating, especially about black cats.
While nonstop doorbell rings and visitors showering attention may be doggy bliss for your pet, even friendly laid back pooches get their tails in a twist over the disruption to routine. That can be dangerous for the pet—and for the human. Learn more about dog bites and kid safety here…
August 17 is Black Cat Appreciation Day to counter the Halloween black cat negative myths. Of course, those folks who share their lives (and pillows!) with a special black cat know better. Sadly, too many black cats remain in shelters rather than being adopted.
In fact, some evidence supports the notion that black cats (one of the first “mutations” of wild coat color), enhanced what I call the feline friendly factor. Black cats often seem to be much more agreeable and love spending time with their chosen human. Maybe that’s why so many of the so-called witches were associated with black kitties.
People have more difficulty picking cats because they assume all felines are the same. And because usually, cats pick us.
Halloween pet safety is needed every year. Halloween at its best is a night of mystery, fun, and thrills for human children and many adults. It’s important to keep your human kiddoes safe with these tips, but no less important for the pets. I write about Halloween pets safety every year because it can be a nightmare for your furry kids.
Do you enjoy dressing up the house—and yourself—for the holidays? If you want to include Halloween pet costumes, start now to get them used to the notion. Most of the costumes don’t fit Bravo-Dawg, and I’ve not yet tried Shadow-Pup. I’ll share pictures if/when that happens.
Meanwhile, be sure to keep pets safe over Halloween, though. Dogs and cats aren’t always fans of wearing Halloween costumes, but with these tips, you can help pets accept the notion.
Halloween Pet Costumes
Some pets enjoy dressing up, particularly the small dogs already used to wearing coats and sweaters in cool weather. There are many pet costumes available from pet products stores, from fancy to plain. If your outgoing, confident pet is willing, you can have great fun with costumes. But if your pets don’t care for dress up, don’t press it. Many pets may bite over Halloween out of fear of change.
Even reluctant pets may be persuaded to wear a fancy collar or bandana or painted toenails.
Every year, I write about our old cat needs. While Karma-Kat has just reached middle age, cats age at different rates. When do you consider your cat old? Is your old cat a senior kitty by age 8, or 13, or…when? For cats, what is old? Here’s how the experts define ‘old age’ in cats…
Can we take a minute to talk about something almost every pet parent deals with?
Although pet hair and odors are a small price to pay to have our furry ones at home with us, the fuzz and funky smells can sometimes seem overwhelming!
This morning as I stared into the face of my grinning Shadow-Pup and dodged his bruising tail flagellations, I envied him. And I envied my Karma-Kat and Trinity-Kittty who still hadn’t roused themselves from daily 16-plus-hour sleep marathons. I mean, I really had a moment of green-eyed angst that Shadow lives a dog’s life and the cats lives in a dream-world (literally!) while my husband and I bust our buttons keeping them in kibble. But is this a fair assessment? Just for fun, here’s a comparison.
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