He looked at my finger for a while, then looked up at me and gave me a Cat Kiss. He was asking if I was playing with him, and I immediately spoke sweetly to him and gave him a cat kiss back.
Then, he was happy, and pleased I cared enough to play games with him. He extended his front paws in happy flexing, and I petted his head, and we Had A Moment.
Sometimes, confusing our cat is a good thing, like when we come up with a game that engages and intrigues them. Disruptions to the flow of their routines are much more likely to be upsetting. Confusing them about dinnertime or where the litterbox is will create much more anxiety (for both of us) than fun.
Cats enjoy intriguing, safe, puzzles. I’ve found that I can happily tease them with almost anything, when they trust me. Confusing our cat is only fun when they know it is good-hearted teasing, and not malicious threats.
Here’s how to convey the right message when we want to “play with our cat’s head.”
Our relationship
The first thing we need to successfully puzzle our cat is a bond of trust between us. I would never have teased Mithy when he first got here and was still figuring out his new humans’ good intentions.
What made the game work was that Mithy gave me the benefit of his doubts.
Our patterns
I usually use my sweetest, gentlest, voice with Mithy, because he’s still a baby. So when I had a funny, different, voice, Mithy noticed. It was new and puzzling.
The key to happily confusing our cat is to do something differently, but not in a way that upsets the cat. If I had used a loud, angry, or unhappy voice, this would have sent Mithy the wrong message.
Our assessment
What can we tease our cat about? The more engagement a cat has about something, the more we can tease them about that thing.
Last Easter, I found an inexpensive toy that I could use to play cat hide and seek in a way that all the cats enjoyed, but especially Olwyn. Her “in charge” persona was challenged by the toy’s taunting voice.
She had to hunt it down.
Our attitude
If we are cheerful and puzzled and enthused, our cats will be too. Our cats rely on our input when they aren’t sure about something. I call this training principle Shaping the Response.
By modeling the reaction we want our cat to feel, they will get input into situations they don’t know what to think about… yet. It can’t be that bad! The humans are happy about it!
This will reassure them, and let them regard the puzzle as play, not threat.
Our endgame
We should make sure we wrap up our Confuse-a-Cat session with something highly positive; a treat, a cuddle, some mind melds or sweet talk.
This will help our cat remember our puzzle session with enjoyment, remember that even if they are puzzled, we are on their side, and have them look forward to the next time we challenge or tease them.
Like everything else in life, there’s a right way, and a wrong way.
The next time we tease the cat, let’s both have a good time.
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SOURCE: Way of Cats blog ยป The Way of Cats helps you understand, train, and love your pet cat – Read entire story here.