How to Keep a Happy Relationship Between You and Your Feline Friend?

The idea of having a cat is very exciting, they are generally great pets and do not require as much attention and care as other pets, like dogs, might need. When you get a cat as a pet, whether it is a kitten or an older cat, it is natural to want to bond with your new furry companion. However, with cats, this can be a long process because cats are very specific and they are not easy to instantly bond with.

These following guidelines will help you create and maintain a healthy relationship with your new feline friend.

Let It Approach You

Cats are way more independent than dogs. They also do not like being crowded. Understandably, you want your cat to get used to your presence, but they do not take kindly to being forced into contact with others. Often, you will find that cats approach those who ignore them because these people do not force the cat into interacting with them, which makes them curious and therefore more likely to approach.

Be the One Who Feeds It

Cats need to eat just like any other living being out there. You can create a bond with your cat, over the fact that you are the one who feeds it. Cats, or felines, in general place a lot of importance on food, especially if they consider you part of their “pride” or in other words, their cat family. It is important to set up a feeding schedule for your cat and to provide healthy food that nourishes it. Based on the advice from FelineLiving.net, you need to choose cat food depending on the age and breed of your cat, as well as whether it goes outdoors or stays indoors all the time. Finding food that your cat likes will make it more likely to bond with you.

Clean After Your Cat

You might start to see a pattern here, and you’d be right. Cats usually bond with people who are the most beneficial to them and their needs. For example, if you are the one who cleans up your cat’s litter and serves it water, then the cat is more likely to approach you when it is hungry or when it needs something, which translates to your cat trusting you to provide for it.

Playtime Is Important

Cats love to play. At their core, all felines are hunters. They enjoy chasing around their prey, even if the prey in this scenario is a piece of string or a toy mouse. Playing with your cat strengthens the bond between you. Do not be surprised if your cat does not want to play with you straight away. It probably has not had the chance to trust that you are safe to be around. Even if you have a very calm cat that is not very social, it will still manage to surprise you with its playfulness occasionally.

Learn Your Cat’s Body Language

Cats use mostly their eyes and bodies to convey what they want, like and dislike. You need to understand what your cat is trying to tell you so that you can establish a healthy and strong relationship. For example, cats usually perceive eye contact as a threat or a challenge, particularly if they are in a new place and interacting with new people. To ensure that your cat does not view you as a threat, look into its eyes and slowly blink three times. If it blinks back and looks away it means that it does not view you as a threat, however, if it does not look away or blink, then you need to look away to avoid increasing its feeling of unease. You can keep repeating this practice until your cat understands that you are not going to cause them any harm.

Know What Areas to Avoid Petting

Felines are very particular about the areas you can pet them. A general rule of thumb is to never pet a cat’s stomach. Cats expose their stomach in one of two cases: they trust you and know that you won’t harm them or they are giving the signal that they are about to fight since they are in the optimum position to use all their claws. If you pet a cat’s stomach, their first response, even if they do like you, is to scratch or bite. It will also make them apprehensive the next time they are around you.

These tips are designed to make your cat feel as comfortable and as safe around you as possible, which will, in turn, help you establish a strong bond with it. Cats are clever animals and they can be quite smart when it comes to remembering events and knowing whether they are safe or not. After establishing a relationship with your feline, maintaining is an easy process. Just try not to step on their tail, even if they are the ones stepping in your way!