Literally trying to talk my cats out of a territory war — yes, really.
See, I’ve always been of the mind that cats and a lot of other types of animals are just as smart as humans. To a degree. Like there have been videos of people teaching cats how to tell time, cats will literally jump through hoops if you train them to, and there are times when I swear my cats speak perfect English. This is partially because I’ve done some research on reading cats’ body language. I’ve read books on the subject and have watched several documentaries.
If you want a layman’s introduction, I highly recommend looking up Jackson Galaxy on Youtube or watching his Animal Planet show My Cat From Hell. Jackson is a professional cat behavioralist and helps people figure out why a cat is unhappy and/or misbehaving. Heads up, though, his line of cat toys is complete garbage.
But like example—
Me: Tesla, you have to let me brush your fur.
Tesla: How about nah😶
Me: Tesla. You need your fur brushed.
Tesla: *Hisses and walks away*
Tesla is the newest member of our little family. She is an orange-and-white floof. Or if you want the more specific name, a flame-point ragdoll sausage cat. A sausage cat — also called munchkins — are built short and long with stubby legs and big paws. The name comes from their resemblance of dachshunds — AKA weiner dogs. But, personally, I feel Tesla bares more a resemblance to a corgi. I use the term sausage cat, a nickname for munchkins, because I think it sounds cuter than munchkin.
You can find a picture of Tesla and her sister in my bio.
But my older cat, Shuri, is kinda timid and Tesla has decided to take advantage of that, so that she can take over the living room and the kitchen. Cats can be extremely territorial if they don’t immediately love each other. Tesla and Shuri get along, but Shuri can get irritated because she doesn’t always want to play when her sister does. And they’re both lap cats and I’m just one dude. So that’s not helpful.
Basically, I’m sitting here trying to explain to baby Tesla that the living room and kitchen are shared spaces and she cannot banish her sister to the bedroom. And Tesla’s got her ears pushed back — this is a sign of unhappiness in cats — and her eyes are all big cause she knows I’m disappointed. And I can just see her going, “But Daddy….”
When you reprimand a cat it is EXTREMELY important to pet and kiss them afterwards in order to re-establish a sense of trust and safety. It lets them know that even though you were upset they are still safe in your presence and will help you maintain a happy, loving relationship with your cat.
And I want to make it clear that I am not angry at Tesla. But when Shuri is afraid to sit on the couch or eat in the kitchen that is an issue.
Now, if you don’t mind I’m gonna go play their anti-anxiety playlist and pray to Loki that these two chill the fuck out.
