Hi, I’m Dr. Karyn! Read my introduction to learn more about me and meet my five funny cats: Clutch, Cyril, Alex, Zelda, and Zazzles.
We have a saying in our house: “Because, cat.”
Whenever one (or more) of the cats does something inexplicable or annoying, it doesn’t make sense, it’s always because, cat. Because despite what we know about feline intelligence, our cats sometimes seem to enjoy defying logic, almost as if they actually get a kick out of causing confusion and frustration to their human servants. And when you decide to point out the error of their ways, they look your way and show us they know what they’re doing all along.
Take Alex for example: he recently jumped on top of our fridge, obviously enjoying the view from up high. Sometimes he seems worried, whining sadly, he can’t seem to put himself down, he just jumps right up when we offer help. Having learned our lesson, we try to ignore him now, but he will scream furiously until we obediently drag him up the stairs to knock him down. As soon as one of us went up the stairs, boom – he jumped down on the table and left. I’m sure if he could, he’d be giggling all the way to the top. Because, cat.
Then there is the issue of cat beds, which I’m sure many of you are familiar with. If you want to prevent a cat from sleeping somewhere, put a bed there.
Sometimes I think it’s childish stubbornness; that it’s not a good idea unless it’s their idea. Other times, they seem annoyed that we’ve ruined their perfectly nice, uncomfortable sleeping quarters with a nice, soft bed. It’s like saying, “If I want a comfortable bed, I’ve found one. How dare you insult my intelligence.” Personally, I think they are angry. These soft beds are so comfortable!
Furthermore, it seems that the more money you spend on a bed, the less likely they are to use it.
Most people who live with cats will agree that our feline friends are easily offended, free-thinking, who don’t take kindly to petting or indulgence. Perhaps accepting the kind offer of a cozy bed suggests weakness in their abilities, or acknowledging that their human slaves may be little more than a warm lap that can open cans of food.
Or maybe we are overthinking. Perhaps the reason is “because, cat.”
Getting the Upper Hand
Fortunately, we wiley people are starting to work on how to mitigate this situation, myself included, figuring out how to “trick” our cats into using the beds we worked so hard to provide. I’ve found that the trick is to treat the bed like a discarded scrap, or like something cats shouldn’t sleep on. This works particularly well in the case of Clutch.
Typically, Clutch’s favorite sleepers, in order of preference, are:
- my head
- Uncomfortable, hard objects (eg fruit bowls, rubbish bins, decorative timber etc)
- Newly washed clothes
- Newly washed black clothes
- new clothes
- New black dress
- New black dress owned by a guest
So ‘tricking’ Clutch into enjoying the luxury of a new bed can be as simple as putting clean laundry on it, and ejecting him from it a few times, giving him the impression that he’s not must be present.
The rest of the house cats can be a tougher nut to crack, and the first step is no placing the bed in the location of the goal, or in the place where they already sleep. I have found, through a process of trial and error, that my cats need to “find” a bed and claim it as their own, rather than accepting it as a gift; it must be their idea. Once the bed is received, I can move it to a more convenient location, but it will have to be a covert operation. If the cats see me moving the beds, it’s game over.
Who’s Cheating Who?
I’m sure some of you reading about the trick involved in getting my cats to sleep in their new beds are a little crazy. I’m also sure that some of you have resorted to similar tactics to get your cats to accept a new bed.
And just as I feel victorious, enjoying the sight of my cats curled up in nice warm beds, I begin to wonder: have I successfully manipulated them, or are they sitting and enjoying their human’s antics? Why does it always have to be complicated?
Because, cat.
