House Cat Tip of the Month

House Cat Tip of the Month

Thunder was an adult cat when I bought him, and he does have one bad habit that he brought with him from his old life. He likes to attack my hand if he is in a playful mood. If he is in a snuggly mood, he loves when I rub his belly, but he likes to play more than snuggle. He will grab a hold of my and kick it. He doesn’t scratch me with his kicks, but he pushes my hand into his front paws and causes his claws to dig into my skin that way.

I read somewhere that this is how cats kill rabbits, so since all play mimics life skills, when he does this to my hand, he is playing “Kill the Rabbit.”

My hand doesn’t appreciate the game, but I did find a way to take care of his urge to practice his rabbit attack technique. After all, you never know when a rabbit will get into the house, and he will have to defend us.

I gently roll a tennis ball into his belly. He grabs it and kicks it until he pushes it away, and then I roll it right back. Tennis balls have enough grip to them that he can hold them. Smooth balls don’t work so well.

We have tennis balls placed strategically around the house, and surprisingly the dog leaves them alone. Maybe she figures it is better that he uses the tennis ball to practice “Kill the Rabbit” instead of her.