cat seem so independent and self-sufficient but beneath that confident exterior lies a sensitive creature deeply attuned to our actions and environment in this video we've gathered 22 most common mistakes that well-meaning cat parents often make which can unintentionally break their beloved cat's heart number 22 laser pointers there's nothing more fun than watching your fur baby go crazy over a laser pointer they stalk that little red dot then they jump on it then they act all confused when it vanishes from underneath them they must be having a lot of fun right not necessarily although cats may
enjoy the pursuit aspect of chasing a laser not being able to catch the pointer can lead to them becoming frustrated experts recommend solving this problem by giving the cat something to hunt at the end you can use the laser to lead your cat around the room and then point it at a toy that they can pounce on so they get the satisfaction of catching their prey number 21 not spreading their territory many cat parents especially those living in small apartments or houses want to make the most of their limited Space by trying to put all
the cat things in one place the litter box the water dish the food dish even the basket and toys can all be tucked into one corner of one room meaning that they take up less space and you aren't tripping over over them all the time but although this may be convenient for you think about what it's like from your cat's perspective how would you like it if someone made you eat all your meals next to the toilet cats prefer it if their food and water is far away from where they pee just like humans number
20 Darkness it's a common misconception that cats can see in Pitch Black conditions cats have these amazing eyes with loads of Rod cells these cells are great for catching light even when there's not much around that's why your kitty can see better than you when the lights are dim but here's the kicker they can't see in absolute Darkness they need some light just like us in a completely dark room your cat can become pretty anxious especially if they're all alone if you're stepping out and leaving your cat home think about leaving a little light on
even something small like a nightlight can make a big difference it gives them enough light to see and feel secure without lighting up the whole place number 19 a lot of toys your cat probably has a lot of toys after all what cat parent doesn't want to spoil their Kitty you might think that the more toys your cat has the happier they'll be but you may find you get better results by removing some if all your cat's toys are left out all the time then they'll soon get bored with them they won't have any novelty
in their lives and they could become depressed experts recommend swapping toys out rotating them on a weekly basis so that your cat can be regularly surprised and entertained by the emergence of new toys or the return of old ones they haven't seen in a while number 18 Hunte eat sleep cycle many people think that their cats would prefer to have their food available at all times rather than having to wait until a human comes along with a can opener they certainly act like they're always starving so why shouldn't they always have access to food imagine
for a moment a wild cat in nature what drives them to chase down a bird or pounce on a mouse they hunt primarily to satisfy their hunger so when your cat is at home and they're chasing a toy deep down it's mimicking their natural hunting instincts now if you're always leaving food out for them where it's accessible anytime they fancy a nibble they're rarely going to feel that instinctual drive to hunt or play because they're never really hungry they're sort of in this constant satisfied mode where the urgency to hunt just isn't there and let's
face it why would they want to expend energy chasing a toy when their tummy is full and they could be napping instead instead of leaving food out all day feed them at designated times over time they'll start anticipating these feeding times getting hungry and eager as the clock approaches me Meal Time and here's the golden opportunity just before you give them their meal when they are most active and alert engage them in play afterwards when they've had their F of play feed them they'll see it as a reward it aligns with their Natural Instincts hunt
then eat this routine not only enriches their life by giving them a sense of purpose but also ensures they're getting good exercise free feeding can also sometimes result in obesity not all cats are good at controlling their portions number 17 how do you pick your cat the correct way to pick up a cat is to scoop one hand under their ribs lift them into the air and then hold them against your chest their head should be near your shoulder and your hand should be under their butt to support their weight other ways of holding cats
generally range from uncomfortable to dangerous picking your cat up by the Scruff for example has the potential to cause them Serious injury although it was okay when their mama cat picked them up that way when they were a kitten your fur baby isn't an actual baby anymore and the skin of their neck is not intended to support their adult weight without injury picking them up under their armpits by hugging them is less dangerous but those dangling legs will be uncomfortable in general when holding a cat you should always ensure that the weight of their body
is being supported by you not the cat cradling your kitty like a b baby on the other hand might look adorable but your cat is unlikely to enjoy it as much as you do cats are generally uncomfortable when their tummies are exposed and won't appreciate being forced into that position number 16 making them vulnerable while they are eating cats are vulnerable while they're eating and as prey animals they are incredibly anxious about this different cats respond to this perceived risk in different ways some kitties will insist on only eating when their cat parents are in
the room to keep watch but others will prefer to eat privately many will get upset if they are Disturbed or picked up while eating especially if someone tries to move their food dish away from their mouths while they're trying to eat your cat could lose trust in you if you do this too often number 15 hurting their most vulnerable part you've probably heard that cats use their whiskers to help them navigate small spaces if the cat is trying to get through a narrow Gap and their whiskers touch the sides then they know that there's a
risk they'll get stuck and they'll refuse to go in if the whiskers can get through however then the cat can get through what you might not know is that this doesn't just apply to small gaps your cat is trying to pass through although your kitty is unlikely to go diving in their food or water bowl anytime soon they won't like eating and drinking from a bowl where their whiskers touch the edges if the problem goes on too long your kitty could even stop eating number 14 your Force this is a simple thing but it can
make a big impact one interesting thing is that many new cat parents who have previously only ever had dogs usually use a lot of force when petting their cats because they know that many dogs like to be pet hard but cats are much more delicate than dogs not only are they smaller but because they're adapted for jumping and climbing trees rather than running on the ground they're also lighter and designed more for agility than sturdiness as such being pet too hard can be actively painful for them moreover cats have a higher density of nerve endings
in their skin compared to dogs making them more sensitive to touch number 13 what we see as punishment our cats see as aggression luckily most cat parents will never hit or kick their cat in punishment but some might think that there's no harm in spraying them with water or air when they do something wrong but cats unlike humans have a limited ability to connect events that happened in the past with events that are happening in the present if you chose to spray your human roommate with water every time they left their dishes in the sink
an Impulse that many would sympathize with then eventually they would make the connection and hopefully start putting their dishes away but your cat will never make the connection unless you catch the them directly in the ACT moreover this kind of punishment can create anxiety and fear making your cat more skittish and less trusting overall if you punish them later for something they did earlier they won't understand why and will just assume that you're being mean for no reason number 12 their water you might think that as long as your cat's water dish is full it's
fine sure there might be some stray hairs or bits of fluff floating in it but if your Pampered pussycat was living in the wild then they'd be drinking from puddles and all sorts right not true ever noticed the way your kitty obsesses over running faucets cats in the wild prefer to drink from running water sources like streams precisely because running water tends to be cleaner than standing even if your cat's water dish is seemingly full you should take care to wash it out and refill it with fresh water ideally every day or at least every
other day number 11 rough play it's a common misunderstanding that cats are just naturally rough players but in reality how they play with us often mirrors how we've taught them to play cats naturally use play to practice these skills such as stalking pouncing and biting however when playtime becomes too rough it can confuse them and potentially lead to fear or aggression this is because they might not understand why their trusted human companions suddenly seems to be treating them like prey when play involves hands or feet chasing them around it can teach them that biting and
scratching human skin is okay this might be fun and harmless when they're a small kitten but as they grow their bites and scratches can become more painful and potentially dangerous paying attention to a cat's body language during play is crucial if they start rapidly flicking their tail flatten ears or have dilated pupils it's time to take a break break number 10 essential oils here's the not so soothing truth some essential oils are the equivalent of kryptonite to your cat while we bask in the calming or invigorating effects of these oils our fine friends might be
inhaling toxic compounds and it's not just about direct contact even the oils diffused into the air can lead to a whirlwind of health issues for them from respiratory distress to liver damage and severe cases it can be life-threatening not all essential oils are villains in this tale for instance oils like Rosemary and Cedarwood are generally considered safe and can be enjoyed without worry however oils such as peppermint tea tree and citrus are notorious culprits posing significant risks to your cat's well-being number nine the amount of litter boxes many think that one litter box is enough
for multiple cats after all humans can do just fine sharing a bathroom and unlike you and your family your cats don't even have to worry about waiting until somebody's finished in the shower before they can pee in the morning what's the problem well some cats will have no issues sharing a litter box but many will cats pee to scent mark their territory as a warning to other cats what this means for multicat households is that you're encouraging your cat to pee in a place that they might consider to be another cat's territory rather like if
your landlord told you they weren't putting a bathroom in your home so you had to use the neighbors awkward right many multicat households require one lit box per Cat Number Eight messing with their sleep cats are not just lazy they have to sleep for up to 16 hours a day their sleep pattern is all about conserving energy for hunting even if the only hunting they're doing is for the feather wand frequent interruptions of their sleep can lead to more than just a bad mood cats experience both REM and non-rem sleep just like humans during REM
sleep they can dream so those little twitches and chirps you hear while they're asleep they could be dreaming of chasing mice or exploring vast dreamy Landscapes also cats are crepuscular meaning they're most active during Dawn and dusk this is when their wild ancestors would hunt so when they're sleeping during the day they're following their natural instinct scts by providing a quiet cozy place for them to sleep uninterrupted we're respecting their natural habits number seven what dishes do you feed your cat from plastic dishes are durable light and seemingly easy to clean but here's the rub
over time those same plastic bowls become etched with micr scratches a perfect breeding ground for bacteria and your unsuspecting cat May instead face off with a Buffet of bacteria at every meal opt for stainless steel or ceramic bowls instead as they don't have these problems number six how often do you clean the litter box many cat parents might think they clean the litter box enough after all even if you were some kind of monster who didn't care about your cat having a clean environment to live in you yourself wouldn't want to live in a home
with a smelly litter box in it but our sense of smell isn't nearly as good as our kitties experts recommend cleaning the litter box daily for pee and every time your cat poops after all they have to walk in the Box in order to use it even the most slovenly humans would be a lot more fastidious about flushing if they had to climb inside the toilet whenever they needed to go number five a lap cat as cat parents we love cuddling our cats but distressingly our cats don't always love cuddling with us cats are fiercely
independent creatures with strong ideas about their own autonomy picking up your cat and forcing them to cuddle with you might seem harmless but it can upset your cat worse it can make your cat associate being picked up with that upsetting feeling leading to them avoiding or even becoming afraid of you and breaking that all important cat human Bond number four mixed signals so what do we mean by this for example you let your cat jump on the counter one day and scold them for the same action the next day that's a mixed signal it creates
confusion cats learn from consistent interactions when the rules keep changing they can't figure out what is expected of them turns out this inconsistency can even lead to stress in cats one research has shown that cats who understand the house rules are more relaxed and confident which leads to fewer behavioral problems overall number three vertical Space Cats instinctively seek out high places for safety and comfort it's in their DNA to find a spot where they can watch over their territory and feel secure from predators the mistake many cat owners make is not providing enough vertical space
this can lead to a bored stressed or even overweight cat they need that vertical challenge to keep them active and engaged without it they might turn to less desirable activities like redecorating your curtains or exploring the tops of doors so what's the life hack here cat trees shelves and wall perches these are not just Furniture they're an investment in your cat's mental and physical health number two social awkwardness when something new comes into their environment their first reaction might be curiosity but it's often followed by caution they need time to observe and decide that this
new thing isn't a threat rushing this process like forcing them to interact with a new pet or person before they're ready will lead to stress cats don't just get used to new faces overnight they rely on scent much more than sight to recognize and Trust that's why forced introductions can be so overwhelming a study on cat behavior showed that gradual introductions are key start by swapping scents between the cat and the new pet or person using items like blankets or toys this lets your cat become familiar with the new scent without the pressure of a
face-to-face meeting forcing interactions can lead to something called fear aggression this is when a cat feels so threatened and cornered that they lash out as a defense mechanism it's not because they're mean or poorly behaved it's a natural response to what they perceive as a dangerous Situation Number One the biggest mistake now here's the biggest mistake not respecting their nature it's a sounds simple right but you'd be surprised how often this gets overlooked cats are not small dogs nor are they furry little humans and they come with a unique set of needs and behaviors understanding
that your cat has instincts hardwired for hunting climbing and marking territory is crucial these aren't just whims they're survival strategies that have been passed down through generations of feline Evolution so when your cat is shredding your new sofa or zooming around the house at 3:00 a.m. they're not being spiteful they're just being a cat instead of getting frustrated Channel those natural behaviors into positive Outlets got a scratcher that's being ignored try different materials like cardboard carpet or czel and those midnight Zoomies they're a sign your cat might need more playtime during the day have you
ever get the sense that your cat is checking up on you you've been sitting here at your desk minding your own business catching up on your favorite educational cat videos for hours and five times already your kitty has come in to see what you're doing why this Behavior actually reveals a lot about your relationship with your kitty check out this video to find out what it really means when your cat constantly checks in with you
