15 THINGS YOU MUST NEVER DO TO YOUR CAT 🐱

Knowing both what your cat needs and what they need to avoid is essential to making them happy. For this reason, in this AnimalWise video, we explain 15 things you must avoid when having a cat in your care. Fail to respect the basic freedoms of animal welfare. Welcoming a cat into the home requires a great level of responsibility for ensuring their welfare. This means keeping them free of thirst, hunger, malnutrition, pain and disease, all while letting them express their feline nature without fear or stress. Not taking them to the vet. Even if your cat is well, you should take them to the veterinary clinic for a yearly preventive check to verify their health and bring their vaccination and deworming schedules up to date. Also, if you observe a sudden change in behaviour, you should take a cat to be checked before a health problem progresses beyond health. Punish or scold them. As much as there are situations that make you lose your patience, punishment is totally contradicted if you want to educate a cat. Your cat does not understand the reason for your anger, so they can begin to distrust and show rejection towards you. In addition, they will suffer stress and therefore you will only make the situation worse. Not paying enough attention. A cat is a playful social animal that needs exercise, therefore you need to spend time every day either to pamper them or play with them. You must spend quality time together practising activities that stimulate them cognitively and physically. Otherwise, your cat will be bored and accumulate a lot of energy, making them irritable, stressed and develop behaviour problems. Here we share a video in which we show you five games to entertain your cat at home. Not respecting their boundaries. Even if you don't do it with bad intentions, it is likely that sometimes you will be too affectionate with your kitten to the point of overwhelming them. Often the best way to show your cat that you love them is by respecting their limits, understanding when they are receptive to pampering, when they want to play and when they want to be left alone. Perform an oniectomy. An oniectomy is a surgical procedure which involves amputating the last phalanx of each of a cat's paws to remove the bone, joint, nerves and blood vessels. It is also known as declawing and is done with the intention of removing the claws, so they do not perform behaviours people consider annoying, such as scratchiness or destroying upholstery. It is a cruel practice with serious negative physical and psychological repercussions for the wellbeing of the cat. You should train them to redirect these behaviours and use appropriate tools such as scratching posts or toys. Humanise them and not let them be a cat. If you try to relate to a cat from a human perspective only, many misunderstandings will arise which confuse and harm them. Their needs and ours are not the same. This is why you need to identify whether your approach to care and treatment is appropriate from a feline perspective, not your own. Also, you need to understand that a cat has certain needs specific to their species, such as scratching, playing, meowing etc. Through appropriate guidance and positive reinforcement, you should redirect these behaviours into appropriate activities. Enjoy making them feel bad. Many people find it amusing to put their cats in compromising situations to get a reaction, often scaring or hurting them in the process. These range in cruelty but even some which seem like a game can be harmful. For example, playing with a laser pointer means the cat will never catch the light which can cause serious frustration and confusion. Abandon them. Some people are simply too irresponsible to adopt a cat. When they get tired of them, they simply abandon them to nature. Many of these animals die as they do not know how to survive or end up in a shelter and have difficulties in being rehomed. Don't educate them. Education is an essential part of a happy coexistence with cats. This way, cats don't learn habits which can cause a nuisance such as biting or scratching furniture. With proper guidance and positive reinforcement, cats can learn the rules of a home and behave appropriately. Here we share a video in which we give you tips to get along with a cat. Smoking well with them. Smoke is very harmful for a cat's lungs. They can develop serious health problems if they inhale it constantly. Furthermore, with their need to groom regularly by licking, they can ingest toxic particles from the cigarette which settle onto their coats. Treat them like a toy. In some homes, cats are brought in to be a plaything for children as if they were little more than a stuffed toy. This is why it is necessary to explain to kids the importance of respect for animals as well as supervising play sessions. Give inappropriate food. Sometimes you may feel like pampering your cat with food, especially if they give you longing looks. However, giving cats inappropriate food such as chocolate, cookies or other types will harm their health, especially in the long term. If you want to offer your furry friend something more suitable, you can buy them different treats, wet foods or other ingredients which will not harm their health. Expose them to loud or annoying noises. Cats have very sharp hearing so it can be very stressful if they are constantly exposed to loud noises. Therefore, your cat should have an area in the home where they can rest quietly without being exposed to noises. Similarly, it is not advisable for your cat to carry a bell as this sound can bother them. Dress them up with annoying accessories. Thanks to specialist stores and the internet, there are more and more options to dress up your cat. If you are thinking of purchasing any of these products, spare a thought to what your cat will think. You should never dress them up in items which are uncomfortable or harmful to them. Before buying an accessory for your cat, always make sure it does not hinder their mobility, prevent them from grooming or cause any physical harm. Now that you know what you should not do with your cat, do not hesitate to continue investigating to know what you can do to promote well-being. This is why we share this video in which we show you how to welcome a cat into your home. We'll see you next time.