what they mean: i dont know how to handle small animals and consider them lashing out in SELF DEFENSE an insult
Usually what it boils down to is “I’m mad because the cat didn’t act like a dog”.
Pushing fragile things off tables and breaking them: Self defense.
Destroying Christmas Trees: Self defense, I mean the tree attacked them.
Scratching their owner’s eyeball: Self defense.
Scratching their sleeping owner’s face: Self defense.
Jumping on their owner’s back and clawing into their spine: Self defense.
Admittedly yeah
A dog doesn’t do those things because a dog’s version of self defense is to be a good animal who loves you and doesn’t attack you unless you attack them first.
I mean if a cat feels that threatened by everything in their owner’s household maybe the owner shouldn’t have gotten a cat.
Pushing fragile things off tables and breaking them: Playing. Cats are well-known to like to play with small objects. Your cat does not know what “fragile” means and does not understand the distinction between toy and not-toy objects. Place fragile things out of a cat’s line of sight and reach, and if you don’t provide them with enough enrichment items that they go looking for them, that’s on you.
Destroying Christmas Trees: Cats like to climb things. They’re not doing it to spite you.
Scratching their owner’s eyeball: Probably an accident, due to overstimulation when playing. It wasn’t trying to hurt you. Don’t anthropomorphize animals by attributing spite to them. Animals don’t do spite the way that humans do.
Scratching their sleeping owner’s face: Trying to rouse you with its paw, probably gently, because it loves you and wants to play with you.
Jumping on their owner’s back and clawing into their spine: Come on. If a cat is jumping on you, it loves you and wants to be close to you. Digging in with its claws is how it balances itself on an unstable surface and is purely a reflexive reaction. It isn’t intending to hurt you.
99% of cat behavioral problems stem from bored cats. Cats need to climb, need to scratch, and need small objects to play with. I only recommend adopting cats in pairs, so that they can keep each other entertained. Cats are not purely solitary. They get lonely, and lonely cats act out. Once again, your entire problem with cats as a species seems to stem from the fact that you don’t understand how cats express affection and it upsets you that they don’t do so the way that dogs do. Cats aren’t small dogs and cannot be expected to behave as such.
FELINE PROTECTION SQUAD
Also you need to clip their claws. All of those “scratching” behaviors are preventable if you clip them regularly. There are cat expressions of love that will hurt like hell if their claws are left to grow. It’s not their fault, they think you are a big cat and will treat you accordingly. They don’t really understand that we don’t have layers of protective fur.
(This is not to say you should declaw your cat. Declawing is inhumane and if you can’t handle an animal with claws, don’t get a cat.)
Reblog for cat behavior explained right! Cat Protection Squad
Not to mention that dogs aren’t perfect animals too, they can scratch and bite and ruin funiture, they can pee on things, they can jump up on the counter and eat your dinner, they can track mud in the house, the list goes on. all of these issues come from improper training and/or just having a dog. as someone who’s owned multiple dogs and cats all my life, i’ll tell you that a lot of these issues are from boredom, lack of training, or just plain owning a pet. if you can’t handle the mess and maitenance that comes with a pet, especially larger animals like a cat or dog, then don’t get a pet. also, dogs aren’t just “big love puppies who’s one and only trait is to Love You,” dogs don’t love the way humans do, and to anthropromorphisize animals like that is downright dangerous.
td;lr: don’t adopt an animal if you can’t handle the mess they bring because every pet makes messes, dogs and cats alike.
Marshmellowmilktea 