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!
It’s that time of year here in N. Texas for storms, rain, hail and (eeek!) tornadoes. Today we’re under a weather alert with forecast for lots of rain and possible hail and wind. That could turn into a might big wind that could cause Dorothy to shake in her ruby slippers.
When I grew up in North Indiana, we also had tornadoes, and those events were exciting times for us kids. It meant camping out in the basement…with our parents! How fun is that?
Well… maybe fun for clueless kids. But don’t be clueless. Protect yourself and your pets. Here’s how.
Yikes! It’s hot-hot-hot here in Texas. Shadow-Pup is NOT happy. He misses his ZOOMIES in the back garden, but I’m afraid to let him overdo too much. It’s time for hot weather games for pets and keeping cats and dogs cool in hot weather.
Hot weather pet safety around here is a matter of life and death for cats and dogs. I live in N. Texas where it’s not unusual for weather to have everyone hot under the collar. Just imagine how pets feel with a fur coat. Older dogs have more sense and aren’t as prone to overdo. But our rescue pup Shadow acts clueless, and we have to physically confine him or he’d never stop playing even in 100-degree weather.
These tips can help you prevent problems, or even save your pet’s life.
Snakebites are common in pets, especially dogs, because dogs are often curious and try to play with moving critters. In fact, about 150,000 dogs and cats are bitten by poisonous snakes each year in the United States alone. Learn about the top villains and what to do in this post.
I adore the golden oldie pets. My Seren-Kitty lived to nearly 22 years old, my first shepherd made it to just over 13 years old, and Magical-Dawg lived large and loud until 11 years old. Seren just wouldn’t give up, despite her arthritic clawed paws click-click-clicking as she tottered along. When Karma arrived, he acted like the fountain of youth and gave her a boost. Here are some tips for fun things to do with your golden oldie…
Here’s an update on the next thriller… along with some fun podcasts, a cello experience, and a “thrilling” (NOT!) medical emergency. All is well… read on for details.
Dogs use their mouths like people use our hands. That means nearly everything goes into the puppy’s mouth as he explores the world, and teething pups chew to relieve the discomfort. Dogs never outgrow the gnawing habit, though, and that can get them in trouble.
Here’s why they target your favorite things…and what you can do to reduce the risk.
Cat and dog dehydration refers to the excessive loss of body water. Pets are prone to dehydration when the weather gets very hot, and they don’t have access to enough water. As a result, they can develop heatstroke. More often, though, dog and cat dehydration happens from vomiting and diarrhea.
Here in Texas, we’ve had weeks of triple-digit temperatures. I worry about the outside pets, but even indoor cats and dogs can suffer from dehydration. Normal water loss occurs in the pet’s bathroom deposits, through moisture exhaled with the breath, and through sweat. These fluids get replaced when the cat and dog eat and drink.
Any illness may prompt pets to stop eating and drinking, and prolonged fever increases the loss of body fluid. Specific disease conditions or injuries like diabetes or kidney disease may cause excessive urination that also causes of dehydration.
Cats evolved as desert creatures and have an amazing ability to conserve water, but cat dehydration can still kill. Even though cats seem to prefer to drink water in the weirdest places (the sink? your glass? the TOILET?!) they most often just don’t drink enough water. Here’s what you need to know.
Do you know how perform Pet Rescue Breathing and pet CPR? You can save your dog or cat’s life by knowing how to do pet CPR and how to perform rescue breathing. Pets suffer brain injury and death if oxygen is cut off for only a few minutes. When minutes count, rescue breathing can save your pet’s life.
July is National Lost Pet Prevention Month. More pets disappear over the July 4th holiday than any other time, because they get so scared about the noise. But pets get lost all the time. Both Karma-Kat and Shadow appeared as lost babies. Please bookmark this site for tips how to find lost pets.
Visit Amy's Website
Amy Shojai CACB is an award winning author. You can find all her publications and book her to speak via her website.
AmyShojai.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com http://amazon.com/.
0 Comments