8 DON’Ts When Getting Along with Your Cat

Owning a cat can be an incredibly rewarding experience. Knowing what not to do when getting along with your cat helps building a good relationship.

1. DO NOT Punish Your Cat

It is completely normal that cats, especially young kittens, will get up to mischief, such as scratching furniture, jumping encounters and even biting. Some cat parents may scold or hit them, and it can just make it worse, not better. Instead, we should be patient. We must understand that these behaviors are specific. And only through positive reinforcement can we appropriately redirect their behavior into less destructive habits.

2. DO NOT Block Your Cat's Way

Cats are very independent animal. But if they feel trapped, they will flee by any means necessary. That's why you should never corner or block their way. If you corner or block your cat's way, it can annoy and even frighten him. And if your cat runs away and you want to pet them, you should be patient and wait until they approach you.

3. DO NOT Hold A Cat by the Neck

You must have seen that cats hold their kittens in their mouths by the excess skin located to the back of their neck. Actually this is not a practice that cats like, especially when they are adult cats. You can't control their movement and will feel threatened. For safety concern, you should avoid doing so.

If you must lift up your cat, do so in a way that their legs are protected and support in a way they are not dangling in the air.

4. DO NOT Interrupt When They Use the Litter Box

Using litter box is an important part of every cat's routine. When cats relieve themselves, they tend to feel vulnerable and will remain in a state of alert against a possible threat. This makes them more easily frightened by movement and noise. That's why we must not interrupt them when they are using the litter box.

If cats are frequently disturbed in their litter box, they may even stop using it and look to somewhere else in the house to pee or poop in peace.

5. DO NOT Interrupt Their Sleep

Cats spend most of the day sleeping. Not getting enough sleep will affect ther well-being. Cats can sleep as much as 16 hours a day, and older cats spend even more time at rest — as much as 20 hours a day.

Interrupting your cat's sleep can also lead to your cat presenting you. Imagine you're sleeping peacefully. Suddenly something agitatedly wake you up. It's annoying, isn't it? Your cat will feel the same. So don't wake your cat up simply because you want to play with him/her.

6. DO NOT Hold Their Tails or Whiskers

Tails and whiskers play a much important role to cat. Both of them helps cats to maintain balance and communicate with others. No matter how funny you might think it is, you should never tug on a cat's tail or hold their whiskers. It's very annoying, and can cause them to harm. So do other more private parts of their body.

7. DO NOT Stare at Them

When staying together with your cat, you inevitably will have eye contact with your cat, and you may sometimes look at them, or find them looking at you intensely for any length of time. Beware that cats can interpret this behavior as negative or even inseminating this leads to distrust and may even result in aggressive reactions.

8. DO NOT Try to Change Their Routine and Schedules

Cats hate to do anything against their will, and cats are animals of routine. To get along with your cat, it is essential to understand that. Thus, it is important to follow a consistent schedule for feeding, playing and other activities. You must also try to avoid hugging or playing with them if they clearly show they don't want to. If you insist to do so, you will get a scrach in no doubt.