Taking Care of Tabby

Tabbies, at least of the most proudly "generic" sort, are a healthy bunch. We're robust, intelligent, and hardy. I myself have only needed one visit to the vet that wasn't for routine preventive care, and that was because I got bitten by another cat during a fight and it got infected, but that's OK because you TOTALLY should have seen the other cat! It was bigger than me and I absolutely KICKED its BUTT!

*ahem*.

Anyway, the fact that we're generally pretty fit does not mean that our lives are without their dangers. My story (as clearly awesome as it is) illustrates why many humans think cats should be kept strictly indoors. If your tabby companion is a barn cat, like me, it might not be possible to keep it indoors; but if you adopt a kitten or cat from a shelter, it's a good idea to keep Tabby in the house. Outside, we might get hit by a car. We might get lost. Other animals can injure cats, give us diseases, or even kill us.

Tabbies are cats, and cats are mammals. That means our brains structure is not that different from yours. Like humans, cats experience fear, sadness, anger, disgust, desire, and happiness. These emotions are based on our brain physiology, and are responses to stimuli in our environment. Cats can also experience frustration, anxiety and depression.

It's important to realize that the emotions we share with humans do not give us human motivations. We don't "act out" or "misbehave" in order to "punish" you. If we're doing something you don't like, there's always a reason, and it's always rooted in our needs as a cat.

Let me give you an example. In the photo above, Stuart has picked me up even though I didn't want him to (after all these years we're still working on his obedience training). In the photo, I'm merely annoyed, because I know Stuart won't hurt me. If I didn't know him well, I would be afraid because he's actually 20 times as big as I am. Of course I would scratch and bite him in order to get away! I wouldn't be trying to "punish" Stuart, I'd just be trying to protecting myself. If you were picked up by a strange giant with dubious intentions, wouldn't you do whatever you had to escape?

I'm gonna say it again. DON'T DECLAW.

Unwanted scratching is a common cat behavior that drives humans nuts. Some humans try to address this by declawing their cats -- sometimes before the cat has even developed a scratching problem!

Declawing cats used to be a common, routine practice. Fortunately, this fact is changing, because declawing is incredibly traumatic for the unfortunate cat.

Humans think of declawing as if the operation involved their own fingernails being removed under anesthetic. First of all, does that sound fun to you? Would you subject yourself to that operation voluntarily?

No?

Then why would you do it to your cat?

But as it turns out, declawing is even worse than that.

Many veterinarians absolutely refuse to perform declawing amputations. Some of them will only declaw a cat if they're certain that the human "owner" will abandon the cat if it is not declawed.

Cats need to scratch. It is a physical need that cannot be changed. It can, however, be channeled. If you provide your cat with scratching toys, unwanted scratching should not be a problem. If it remains a problem, you can try double-sided tape on the objects you don't want scratched -- we hate having sticky things on our paws. Ultimately, there are claw caps that can be used, much more cheaply and kindly than a declawing amputation.

It might take some time to train your cat not to scratch the rugs or furniture. You might need to try several different scratching toys and various other solutions. Some of us have strong preferences for what we scratch. Please be patient.

And if you really value your furniture over the health and well-being of a living creature, do not consider bringing a cat into your home. Close this browser window, right now, and get yourself a chia pet instead.