Why it’s important that cats are viewed as family…

Recently I saw a post on a local neighbourhood forum regarding a cat visiting someone’s home. The poster asked if anyone knew who “the little person” in their picture was. The cat was friendly so it was likely they had a home, and the person posting was simply trying to confirm this.

The post was met with mixed responses, several of which stated the cat “wasn’t a person, but an animal.”

While there’s no escaping a cat is obviously a different species to us, and anthropomorphism can definitely be hugely detrimental to their well-being, it’s equally accurate not recognising an animal as an individual can often have the same result. As with humans, there are some hard and fast rules that are mostly universally beneficial, but ultimately each person is different as are cats. Each cat will have a unique set of requirements.

From my own observation, cats being treated as possessions rather than a member of the family can potentially be a contributing factor to them ending up in rescue. When a cat begins to exhibit something considered inappropriate behaviour, if they aren’t seen as a family member, it’s often the case much less effort will be put in to pinpointing what has triggered it.

It’s extremely important to recognise your cat as an individual. Often, what’s seen as “problem behaviour” stems from a need to communicate an aspect of your cats care that’s not being met. If you put in the work to consider what that might be and address the situation in a way agreeable to you both, it will greatly benefit your relationship with your cat.

Recognising a cat is an individual will help you develop a much stronger bond.

(Image source: Nextdoor forum.)