Do cats hold grudges? How should cats be punished when they make mistakes?

Nov 16,2023
5Min

Cats don’t hold grudges because cats have short memories. If a cat exhibits "retaliatory" behavior, it may be the cat's conditioned reflex or the need for companionship. The cat must be educated correctly and do not force the cat.

Do cats hold grudges?

Cats don’t hold grudges. Cats don’t hold grudges because their memory is very short. Research data shows that cats’ short-term memory only lasts 15 minutes, and long-term memory lasts about 3 days. Judging from this data, cats do not hold grudges, but Why do cats behave "revengefully"?

Cats have conditioned reflexes

In some cases, the wrong education methods of the cat scratcher will cause the cat to have conditioned reflexes. For example, if the cat scratches the sofa, the owner’s first reaction is to yell or even fight. The cat will not accept it like enough, but will take some measures to self-control. Defense and counterattack. The next time it grabs the sofa, it will even run around like crazy or come up to catch you and run away immediately. Therefore, these behaviors will make the scrapper mistakenly think that it is "revenge".

Cats need playmates

When the owner is busy with work and has no time to play with the cat, or ignores it for a long time, the cat will do things that are confusing to you in order to attract the attention of the cat. For example, it may bite you, scratch you, or bite your pen, or make some noises in certain places to make you come over and take a look at it. At this time, it is not retaliating against you, it is just attracting your attention and hopes that you will play with it.

The cat is bored at home

Sometimes the scavenger comes home and finds that the cat has left all the cat litter outside the litter box, the curtains are scratched with hair balls, and the toilet paper is scratched by the whole family. In fact, the cat may be too bored at home. , looking for fun things to do, it’s not trying to get back at you.

The cat has been raised as a suckling cat, and its behavior since childhood will affect the cat's personality as it grows up, causing it to behave in a way that makes you feel vengeful. Therefore, the owner must know how to educate the cat and care more about the cat.

Let the cat understand that it has done something wrong

Let the cat understand what to do when it makes a mistake. For example, if the cat poops indiscriminately, pat the cat gently to tell it that it has made a mistake. Insist on putting the cat in the litter box and then show it in front of it. Throw poop into the cat litter box.

Don’t force the cat

Cats are naturally proud. Don’t force the cat to do things it doesn’t like. For example, if the cat doesn’t want to hug you today, but you only want to pet the cat, forcing it will make the cat angry.Personality becomes extreme.

Prescribe the right medicine and take measures

If no amount of education can solve the problem, then try to deal with it in another way. If the cat likes to dig through the trash can at home, then change it to a flip-top trash can. The cat will not continue to dig through it if it finds it boring. Including those who love to scratch curtains, you can buy some cat scratching posts and put them at home to absorb the experience of cats.

Spend more time with your cat

A cat’s personality is closely related to the number of times its owner spends time with it. Cats that grow up in a happy environment will be very docile and less defensive. If you spend more time with the cat, the cat will become very clingy. Accompanying the cat to play games will increase the number of cats. Emotions can consume a cat’s energy.

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