i want a little buddy not an obedient kitten. I wanna have conversations with my cat through our actions not tell him to do everything i say. I would love for him to think for himself and learn. but hes sooo stupid guys i know he’s young (a year and 8 months i believe) but im also not speaking his language. he’s smart im sorry. but he keeps biting me even though im like heyy stop!!! and he’s been knocking over his water dish. and eating our roomates plants! he has so much spark and when i teach him sit/stay it breaks my heart because i don’t see any of his personality, just a cat who is really in want of a treat. im his only source of food!!! of course he’ll sit/stay but he KNOWS hes better than that! maybe i should hide little bits of food around the kitchen living room and bedroom (all the rooms i and him have access to) so he can feel like hes hunting and he’ll eat the food instead of wrecking plants? or would that just encourage that behaviour. even know as i type this up i ignore him and he scratches at me. he wants my attention so bad! i don’t wanna be an absent mother!!! he deserves stimulation and attention and praise and patience !!! sit stay is bullshit!!! hes really cute but hes cute regardless. sit stay is to show off! how well trained he is! i don’t wanna train him just teach him what I prefer he does ! im kinda high and i love my cat please share cat tips/advice

edit: added an image of him!!

  • @Apytele@sh.itjust.works
    6•1 year ago

    Part of loving your cat for who they are is understanding his wants and needs and how his cognitive level factors into him meeting them. It also sounds like you need to better understand the type of stimulation he needs to be happy. Cats are often food motivated, but they also need to chase and murder things (even if they’re not actually alive) and scratch and feel their tendons in their arms stretch (serves multiple functions ultimately but that’s the stimulation they need). They need those things the same way people need to sing and dance and make and view art and tell and listen to stories. They don’t do it to be good at it they just kinda… gotta. If they don’t get to do enough of that they will go a little stir crazy.

    Personally I prefer a cat OR dog to jump away from something if I tell them to, and I will move them somewhere less stimulating or even spray the cat with water if they don’t. From my perspective it’s my job to keep them safe and if they’re trying to get at something that’s going to hurt them like chewing on an electrical wire or trying to eat something toxic I need them to stop right away, not five seconds later when I make it across the room and they’re already hurt or going to be very sick. And I need to be able to teach them not to do it even when I’m not looking (but like I said the biggest trick to that is making sure there’s other stimulating things that are WAY BETTER anyway).