And not only can you not get out, but there’s not much to do while you’re there. Chicago-based syndicated pet columnist Steve Dale takes the plight of America’s most popular pets to heart, saying, “We don’t give our cats enough credit.”
“Our nation has apparently decided to minimize expectations where cats are concerned,” says Dale, “and to expect that when everyone gathers at Aunt Bertha’s house for holidays, the cat will dive under the bed every time someone comes through the door. We’ve adopted a perception of them as moody, aloof, lazy, antisocial, impersonal and anxious creatures – and it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy. We treat them as though they are that way, and they become that way. I maintain that doesn’t have to happen.”
Lords of the Indoor Jungle? But aren’t cats just miniature Lords of the Jungle? Aren’t they just born confident?
No. They’re so different from cats, lions might as well be dogs, Dale explains ruefully. “That perception, however, may be why so many people think cats don’t need human contact. Cats may look and move like miniature lions,” he concedes, “but that’s where the similarity ends.” Lions hunt regularly, raise families, have a social life, play and practice stalking. Dogs get played with, taught tricks and get exercised and taken out frequently, sometimes to strange, interesting new places. Both species get to use their brains a lot. “In contrast, cats,” he continues, “with just as much brain and even more curiosity, don’t have nearly as much of an outlet for them. People don’t have to walk their cats twice a day, so that opportunity for experience and play is lost. We don’t interact with our cats nearly as much as we do with our dogs.”
Raising Confident Cats Don’t look at your pet couch potato and panic. In fact, no matter how old your cat is, whether you raised her from a kitten or got him from the shelter as an anxious adult, you’ll find instilling confidence in your cat is fun and easy; and the “pawsitive” effects may surprise.
Socialize them: Don’t insulate cats from the noisy or unfamiliar happenings of everyday life. Handle them from day one, and expose them to as many different – and different looking – people and things as possible. Dogs; men with cowboy hats, ZZ Top beards or Hasidic hairstyles; small children; people with wheelchairs and walkers. Just don’t let them be recluses. If they don’t like this exposure, make each such occasion a pleasant one by accompanying it with treats.
Games, trick and toys: Play games with your cat. Hide-and-seek starts with you hiding your face in front of your cat, down on its level. When she reaches out and touches you, she gets a treat. Then move down the hall or to the end of the couch and let her “find” you, again for a reward. “Soon,” Dale, promises, “you won’t be able to hide where she can’t find you, because she knows there’s a treat when she does.”
Safe, high places: Cat trees, piano tops and safe window ledges all form vantage points which cats find essential. “We can’t all afford those several-hundred-dollar trees,” Dale says, “but height and security are very important. If a cat feels uncomfortable, instead of diving and hiding, it can climb to a high spot.” Multiple-cat owners should introduce the cats to the tree all at once. “If one cat marks it first, the other(s) may think it’s off-limits.” Window ledges with locking screen windows give a cat a safely fascinating view of the outdoors.
Raising a confident kitten involves a greater commitment of time and energy than raising an under-the-bed diver. But the pet you get will be a far more agreeable companion.
Excerpts taken from "What's Wrong With America's Cats?" article by Angela Hunter Richardson in 1998 Special Issue of Pet Life Magazine