The Cats at Longstreet

Cats are just like people in that every one of them has a unique and different personality. Some cats are more reserved and shyer, others are crazy playful, and some just want to snuggle all day long. Our relationships with our cats will be determined in part by their own individual personalities, but we can also work to make our bonds with them stronger.

The key to making it work is meeting halfway. Use things they like as a starting place and recognize that a cat who has a strong sense of independence or a very high play drive might not ever be the type to snuggle in your lap for a full Harry Potter marathon.

The first rule of bonding with a cat is to give them time and space to adjust to new places. They need to feel safe before they’ll be able to build relationships and bond. For some cats, they only need a few days. Others might need months. It’s important to keep their world small until they are ready to start exploring. We recommend keeping a new cat confined to a small room for at least several days, or until they’re ready to start exploring on their own.

Cats are creatures of routine

Every cat will play when motivated

They love knowing what to expect, and when to expect it.
It helps them feel more comfortable and be ready to explore more when they know what to expect from you and their new home.
Try to build a routine right away and stick with it when you can.
Feed them in the same place at the same time, clean the litter boxes at the same time, and set aside time blocks for playing and interaction.

Every cat will play when motivated

Gray and white tabby kitten sitting in a basket

Some cats enjoy interactive toys such as feather wands or laser pointers. Others will readily take to playing fetch with crinkle or jingle balls or cat nip mice.
No cat will play, however, if they don’t feel safe at first.
Carving out a few minutes every day, or even a few times a day, to encourage play can make a big difference.

Treats may make all the difference

Every cat will play when motivated

Treats may make all the difference

This can include tasty food treats, but also consider cat nip a treat.
Often, we have found that walking into a cat room and shaking the treat bin and giving a kitty a few treats every time you walk in can be a quick way to start making progress in your mission to develop trust with your kitty.

Not all cats like being pet or being pet in the same way

For some cats, petting appears to be uncomfortable. Maybe their ticklish or it’s painful, but you’ll need to watch their body language and how they seem to be reacting to touch to know whether it feels good or not.

Not every human likes their feet touched, for example, and not every cat wants their back or belly, or tail touched. Most cats find having their shoulders, neck, and heads or chins pet or gently scratched. If they like it, they will usually lean into it and often ask for more with nudges. If a cat doesn’t care for the way they are being touched, you may see their tail start to twitch, sometimes they’ll vocalize, they will often try to leave, they may swat at you, or you may see the skin on their back start to twitch or roll.

If a cat tries to leave, don’t stop it.

Cats need lounge spots

Communication and understanding

These safe resting places will be in high demand if you have more than one cat and can be a source of inter-cat aggression if they’re in short supply. Cats often prefer higher places with soft bedding and a lovely patch of sunlight. Most of them love windowsills or the backs of chairs or couches.

Communication and understanding

At the end of the day, all relationships come down to communication and understanding.

Your cat will learn to accept your quirks, just

as you’ll need to accept some of your cats’

quirks and meet in the middle. The cat will

learn to understand what to expect from you

and you’ll better learn to understand what

their body language and behavior means

over time.

Cats are trainable

Communication and understanding

Cats are trainable

Contrary to popular belief, cats are trainable

and can be trained to do tricks and respond to

commands. There are lots of websites dedicated to training cats, but the idea is all the same—you see a behavior or response that you like and instantly reward the cat with something they like.

Constant reinforcement of ‘this behavior is good, here is your reward’ encourages behaviors to be repeated. For many cats, using cat treats or cookies can work well for this.

Bonding With Your New Cat

Cats are creatures of routine

Every cat will play when motivated

Every cat will play when motivated

Every cat will play when motivated

Every cat will play when motivated

Every cat will play when motivated

Treats may make all the difference

Every cat will play when motivated

Treats may make all the difference

Not all cats like being pet or being pet in the same way

Cats need lounge spots

Communication and understanding

Communication and understanding

Communication and understanding

Communication and understanding

Communication and understanding

Cats are trainable

Communication and understanding

Cats are trainable

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