Bonding with a cat requires effort. Cat bonding doesn’t happen instantly; it takes time. When you go to a place where you know no one, you’ll take time to settle in. You will start by analyzing the environment you are in. You will study the people around you, and by distant observation, you will see who you can bond with.
You can either approach someone on your own and socialize, or you might just wait and see if someone is interested enough to communicate with you if you are introverted or shy. Cats also communicate similarly. When you go to a shelter house to adopt a cat, there are many cats out there. Some cats are friendly at first, and some are very shy. But, how to bond with a cat?
If you have a cat who is not very communicative, then here’s a guide that’ll tell you everything about how a cat develops a strong emotional bond with its favorite human.
Give your cat the space it requires
Cats consider humans as larger cats, which is why they communicate with humans the way they communicate with other cats. The gestures they use while communicating with cats are similar to those they use while communicating with humans.
However, it is important to understand that cats love their personal space. It’s not like they don’t want your attention, but being overly attentive and mushy can drive them away from you, and you don’t want to do that. When you bring your cat home, make sure that you give it the space it requires, no matter how friendly or shy your cat is.
Respect your cat
Cats share a lot of personality traits with humans. Like humans, they require their own space and don’t want people to get overly attentive and affectionate. Similarly, cats don’t like people getting overly affectionate and attentive, especially when they are yet to be comfortable with their appearance. Other than that, cats demand respect, just like you would. Cats are emotional living beings, and they judge their owner based on their personality and behavior.
If their owner is aggressive and speaks loudly, cats feel threatened by their owner’s appearance. Animals like cats respond well to gestures like kindness, affection, respect, humbleness, and compassion. If they find you rude and hostile, they will similarly behave with you. This is the reason why you should speak to your cat the way you would speak to a frightened child.
Understand your cat’s emotions and gestures
To interact properly with your cat, you should understand the meaning and indications behind your cat’s gestures and behaviors. Here are some basic cat gestures and behaviors and what do these gestures mean:
When your cat raises its tail in a question mark shape, this means that your cat is asking you to play
If your cat is slowly blinking while looking at you, this means that your cat is showing trust and affection towards you
Cats have their vocabulary as they purr differently to deliver particular messages.
Suppose you are wondering how you can distinguish between different types of purrs. In that case, you need to know that cats have a total of 100 vocalizations. Dogs, on the other hand, have only 10. This is the reason why cats deliver messages through different vocals. When you spend a certain amount of time with your cat, you will start understanding what your cat wants or what it wants to say simply based on its vocalizations.
Cats like to stare a lot, but they don’t like to get stared back. For cats, this is a sign of aggression. This might scare your cat away, or it can also make your cat aggressive. So make sure that you keep your look briefly and softly at your cat to make it feel safe.
Cats have a very unique way of ending a confrontation. If you have two cats and both are fighting with each other, one would yawn at the end of the fight as this sign means ”Talk to my hand”. Cats are pretty savage, aren’t they?
Cats hiss when they are angry, that is a fact. When you see your cat hissing, it means that you should stay away from it and it is not in the mood. But is your cat’s hissing a sign of defense or aggression. Turns out, cats hiss to defend themselves. Hiss is an expression of fear, and when cats hiss, it means that the cat is telling you or any other animal to go away. Therefore, if you ever observe two cats fighting, remember that the hissing cat is the vulnerable one.
After a tough working day, if your cat approaches you with a straight tail, it means that your cat is happy to see you and wants your attention and affection.
When your cat kneads, it is a sign of happiness and satisfaction. Cats usually knead when they want something. Kittens knead to their mothers, signaling that they want milk.
These are some of the most basic signs that a cat would show, and through these signs, you can tell if your cat is happy, stressed, angry, or playful.
Communicate with your cat
To build a good relationship with any pet, you have to communicate with it often. Once your cat is comfortable with you and your surroundings, try talking to your cat as much as you can. Remember that you should keep your voice low and soft when your cat is in the room.
Cats are like young children, and they get scared when your voice is loud and aggressive. So even if you are angry at something, make sure that you keep your tone low and soft. Your cat is very sensitive, and your high tones might scare it away. Talk to your cat as if you are addressing a scared child. Keep your tone soft, low, and talk reassuringly.
Keep your cat healthy
To keep your cat happy, you have to keep your cat healthy. Cats typically love to eat a lot, and it is normal for cats to beg you for food and treats often. The more you feed your cat, the more it will like you.
However, you have to be careful of what you are feeding your cat. Ensure that the treats you are feeding are high in nutrients, don’t contain any allergens, and are low in calories. Never feed your cat biscuits and chips made for humans, as these items are high in calories and might contain ingredients that are harmful to your cat’s health.
Now that you know how to bond with your cat, we hope you will be able to build a good connection with them.
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