Do you love cats? Well, of course you do, or you wouldn’t be reading this. Oddly enough, cats have their own set of manners, though. Cleanliness — yes, all that licking. Patience – they’ll watch a bird through a window for hours. Loyalty — cats will bring home a live mouse to prove they love you.
But, there are other manners to learn. Ones that make living with them easier. Yet, in all the minutia of day-to-day life, you might not have thought about it. Before you get smitten by a kitten, here are tips on 5 good manners a cat needs to learn.
Stay off the drapes
A kitten’s greatest joy is to take a running leap and hang from expensive drapes. Every well-mannered cat should be taught to stay off the drapes, or otherwise the local peeping tom (meaning tomcat, not pervert human) will be staring at you through tattered curtains.
No jumping on the kitchen counter
Cats’ paws often tiptoe through the litter box. Uggg, germs, a good reason for cats not to jump on counters. And sometimes there are goodies sitting on the counter, too. We once had a cat who jumped up and discovered homemade fruit turnovers. Bad, bad Oedipus Rex! What? No, he didn’t eat them. He just licked the frosting on each one. (Talk about adding insult to injury.)
The table is off limits
If counters are attractive, the table is even more so. After all, that’s where the yummy people food sits on a regular basis. If you don’t want food to go missing on Thanksgiving, make the table off limits to your cat.
Cat must not wake you at four in the morning
Kute Kitty might love to wake you at four … and then go back to sleep. But, you’re wide awake after that. You can’t take cat naps at work, so be sure to teach her manners.
No ripping around the house at night
Remember how fun it was as kids to play in the dark? Cats are the same way — they rev up once evening arrives. Still, you don’t want to climb out of bed multiple times, checking out every thud and crash, thinking burglars are in the house. Kute Kitty must mind her manners and play quietly — or better yet — sleep at night.
Before you bring Kute Kitty home, be sure you are willing to teach her the 5 good manners a cat needs to learn. After all, you never know when you might have a batch of turnovers on the counter and a turkey on the table — and you won’t want either of them going AWOL.
Sources:
Personal experience
More about pets from this author:
Scent Enrichment for Your Older Cat
Beekeeping Tips: 5 Reasons Not to Own Bees
Easy Jobs Your Dog Can Learn to Do