What is happiness? This is one of the most difficult questions to answer. And it’s just as difficult to do when it comes to feline happiness too. But since the primary intent of every person who has chosen to live his life with a cat, is to know to offer him a peaceful existence and hope to make him happier every day, for the World Cat Day on February 17, we asked an expert to come to our aid. “Even the cat feels happiness that is expressed with joy” – says Sabrina Giussani, veterinarian expert in animal behavior -. “If we leave aside having food, sleep and the basic needs that should be met in any species, the focus of happiness lies elsewhere.” But where?
«Joy depends on many aspects and also on the cat in front of us: on its character and on the experiences it has been able to have. A cat that was born at home and has always lived indoors, without ever going outside, has a limited choice to experience joy. This is not necessarily a negative aspect, he can be happy if he is offered his favorite food, if he can sleep next to his favorite humans and will generally be happy when he has activities to do with them, such as assisting them while they eat, “helping” them to make the bed, running on the wet floor. Other cats, with a freer life they have a wider range to choose from: he likes for example to explore a territory or to hunt outdoors. They have a broad experience plan that allows them to have many possibilities to be happy ».
But how, in any case and with any cat, to offer them a happier life? We asked Dr. Giussani for 5 ideas to fill our cat’s days with joy. You can find them here and in the gallery above.
1. Observe him to find out what he likes
“If we try to do something he likes without knowing what it is he really likes, we’re wrong. We have to observe it and learn to know it. But how do we know what they like? Let’s do some tests. We propose a game with water and feathers, a cord of ribbon or rope, we camp if he likes to be caressed and how. If he likes what we propose, he stays and participates, the expression is relaxed, the pupils are a little dilated, the whiskers forward and the cat is attentive and curious ».
2. Don’t overdo it
«The cat’s ability to stay focused on a game lasts a few minutes (like hunting), so we can’t put it in” hard labor “, we have to give it pause times and give it its space. This is also true for cuddling. If we force it, it goes away ».
3. Propose new things
«We take suggestions from friends, books, the internet to propose new activities to our cat: it could be fishing an object in two fingers of water, or doing a treasure hunt by hiding food prizes in various parts of the house. The cat is curious and is always looking for new interests ».
4. Make him discover the third dimension
«The cat, as if it were in a wood, loves climbing trees and generally climbing upwards. For this reason, if the cat cannot leave the house, paths made with Tibetan shelves and bridges can be built (or purchased) ».
5. Happiness is not always in two
“Your cat will probably feel lonely if you’re out and about often, but the solution isn’t to adopt another one. In fact, cats often do not like to live in pairs: for a couple of cats that get along well, there are three that often can’t stand each other. Taking a second cat to keep the first company is like imposing a forced cohabitation or an arranged marriage ».
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