You are Not Your Cat's Dictator
You are your cat's advocate, not their dictator. We are often too commanding of our pets, because when our wants don't align, we—the—humans win. We tell them what to eat, where to sleep, what to play with, and where to be. Living arrangements of domestic cats is so much about control. We try to protect the sofa at the expense of limiting our cat's ability to express a full range of natural behaviors.
Each cat is an individual—capable of making decisions to fulfill their needs. On a foundational level, they have physiological needs, such as access to food and water. Not to get too Maslowian here, but they also have needs at higher levels. These higher-level needs include psychological needs, such as mental stimulation and agency. While these psychological needs might not be essential to keep them alive, they enable your cat to be happy, stable, and satisfied.
Choice in Cats
Agency is the ability for your cat to make decisions and maintain a sense of control over themselves. When we make every decision for your cat, they lose agency. Now we can't let our cats make any decision that they want, but much like we treat children, we allow them to make decisions that are safe and appropriate.
When we take a cat's ability to make choices away, they may demonstrate inappropriate behaviors. I had this happen with one of my cats, Elliot. Every night I get my cats into the room with me and shut the door. When he first gets into the room, he doesn't have any issues. When the morning comes, however, he gets frustrated and scratches the floor in front of the door. We're still working to address this behavior, but I noticed when I do open the door, he walks out and comes right back in. It's as if he wants the choice of being in or out, rather than just getting out in the morning.
But this makes sense. As I write this, we're currently under a Safer At Home Order to prevent the further spread of COVID-19. On a personal note, I'm missing all of the things that I was once able to do outside—whether I truly want to do them or not. Side note, and shameless self-promotion, check out Tori's talk that she gave to Animal Care League!
Choice comes in many forms. When training, we never force our cats. They may walk away at any time and end the session at their will. When meeting new people, we never force them to greet or allow the stranger to approach. Instead, our cats decide to approach. When walking our cats on a leash, we let them choose the route.
But we can't always let them make decisions. We do need to act as their advocate and keep them out of harm's way. They aren't allowed to chew wires or run out the front door. Instead, we can offer them alternatives that satisfy the same needs.
Allowed Alternatives
When choice doesn't work out for our cats, we must provide them with alternatives to satisfy the same needs. Cats have natural behaviors that they should be able to express, but most things in the home aren't fair game for the full force of a feline. Instead, we can offer them designated areas and objects upon which they can focus their instincts.
Our cats love to nibble on plants. As a compromise and alternative, we buy them cat-safe plants, such as cat grass. With this, they can practice more of their natural range of behaviors safely and less destructively.
One such natural behavior that is destructive and generally disapproved is scratching. To a cat, it's a form of expression, nail maintenance, and communication. Cats have scent glands in their feet that they use to convey chemical messages to one another. If we prevent our cats from scratching anything, their communication becomes restricted, and we limit their natural behaviors.
What can we do to protect both our furniture and our cat's well-being? Scratchers. Get scratching posts, get cardboard scratchers, and get carpet scratchers. Allow them to scratch, but guide them on what to scratch. Learn more about preventing scratching with the Space Cat Academy Scratch That Guide.
A Matter of Welfare
Choice is a critical factor in cat welfare, and empowering your cat with choices is an easy way to improve your cat's welfare. Choice goes hand-in-hand with enrichment. Typically, the more enriched your cat is, the more choices they have. By giving your cat more toys, they choose which toy to play with. By giving them more appropriate scratching opportunities, they choose what to scratch.
My challenge to you is to identify what choices your cat has and what choices your cat can make. What natural behaviors are limited due to lack of choice? Then, find a way to enable your cat to make more choices or alternatives.
Is your cat bored and looking for something to do? We just launched our Trick of the Month Club! Each month learn how to teach your cat two tricks: one beginner, one advanced. Learn how to get started today!