How to live these days of quarantine with the cat? Let’s find out the tips of the veterinarian expert in animal behavior.
An experts in animal behavior, has decided to give some advice to us pet owners, to better manage the coexistence with our furry pets in these particular days of Coronavirus emergency. As we know, stress for our cats when we change their habits can affect them a lot, especially like now when they don’t understand what happens in an extraordinary time. Let’s see how to make our furry pets live this period to the fullest, to give them all the affection and support they need.
In the days of forced stay at home, for sure we will all be a bit bewildered, and our four-legged friends are certainly no less. Our relationship with cats is certainly affected by this situation. Typically, most of us are away from home during the day and don’t have all day to be with our cat, whether it’s for work or otherwise. On the other hand, not even our cat is used to seeing us staying at home with him all this time, which could make him nervous.
The word to the expert
Dogs and cats realize that this unusual closeness with humans is extraordinary, in fact they are able to distinguish it from everyday life or a summer vacation.
Surely the proximity of a cat can be an excellent source of love for us, which is fundamental in our life. In this period, then, a little more affection from our cat can help us. However, we must not put too much pressure on our four-legged friend, because our behavior could be a reason for stress for him.
How to behave
Our animals can easily understand our behavior, but emotions and our language can also convey something to cats. So, we avoid panic as much as possible, avoiding showing us agitated or stressed, to avoid transferring the anxiety to them.
As for cuddling instead, we can do it in moderation. Pampering our cat can certainly serve us as a source of relaxation and distraction, but we must make sure that we do not overdo it in the pursuit of attention, play or cuddles. Our excessive presence could in fact be annoying for the cat, because it also needs to rest in peace or be alone when it wants.
In fact, cats need moments of tranquility and not to be subjected to continuous stimuli, perhaps in an environment that is always active and with continuous noise. This could give them a feeling of discomfort, especially when they usually have the house available in peace and silence while we are away for work. And let’s not forget that when we return to normal, another transition to regular life will cause another stress for our kitty.
So let’s use this time to strengthen our bond with the cat, but only when we see that he is actually available to play or be pampered. We also try to propose some new games, such as:
- Hide and seek: we hide some treats from his daily ration, perhaps under a corner of the rug or under a towel lying on the floor. So we will play together to find them.
- Water games: in a basin we put two fingers of water and immerse a plastic ball or a paper boat. The cat will play to push this float to the surface.
- Treasure hunt: In a cardboard box, we put a couple of layers (at least) of balls made of paper, and throw a toy mouse inside, so that the cat can play chasing it as if it were hunting.
- Paper planes: let’s build a paper airplane to throw and challenge the cat to catch it in flight.
