Looking After Your Cat

The cat is rather an enigma.  Just as the lion is the king of the jungle, domestic cats are servants to no-one.  Having said that , cats can be very affectionate companions if we, their human pets meet the cats’ simple needs.

The cat is not a pack animal and so does not have a tradition of subservience in a hierarchy.  It does not try to please its owner by being obedient, like a dog does.  Rather, it does as its owner wishes only if the cat is going to get some advantage from it.

My cats know that they are not allowed in the bedrooms, but they sneak in there any chance they get.  They will hide in various places and will not come when called, but they come running if I am putting food in their dishes as I am calling them.  They magically appear.

People often do not understand cats.  They believe that the cat is only interested in itself, its own comfort and territory.  It is true that a cat can look after itself and survive in the ‘wild,’ but a pet cat will give as it gets and cats do have feelings.  If all you do is feed the cat and do not give it much attention, it will keep to itself and just use your house like a hotel.  However, if you give the cat lots of fuss and attention, talking to it, cuddling it and so on, it will give you lots of attention too.

Our cats give us cuddles and spend a lot of time with us, joining in various activities in the house and garden (often as spectators).  The female cats tend to be very ‘motherly’ with the children, surveying over them and accompanying them when they go for a walk in the village.  We had one cat, Lily, who always counted everyone in at the end of the day.  She sat up on the big French cupboard, in the kitchen, watching the door.  She would stay there until everyone was home, then she felt that her daily surveillance was over and she could curl up in her basket for the night.  We called her our guardian angel..

ãCopyright Sarah Pritchard
http://www.healthycathappycat.blogspot.com
http://www.SarahsWritingDesk.com

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