Boost Your Cat’s Confidence with Proven, Gentle Techniques

Just like humans, cats can lack confidence. It can be quite difficult to determine whether your cat needs a little help boosting her confidence levels though, since a lack of confidence may look like aggression in some cats. However, if you notice your cat either tries to lash out or runs and hides when visitors stop by the house, your feline friend just might benefit from your help. Here are a few ways to help build confidence in your cat.

Kitty’s Own Space

The first thing to do is to take note of your cat’s overall environment. Does he have a place to call his own—perhaps a perch or a bed tucked into the corner of the room where you two spend the most time? If not, it may be time to invest in something like this that your cat knows is his own. That way, he can still be in the room with you, but he knows he can always retreat to his perch if he needs to. It should go without saying, then, that you have to respect your cat’s space. If he needs time to himself in his favorite spot, don’t chase him around or let visitors disturb him while he’s in his space. Instead, just let him silently judge you and your guests from his perch!

Don’t Yell

Even though it can be frustrating to deal with a cat that hisses at visitors or tries to bite them, don’t yell at your cat. According to Animed Direct, yelling at your cat for something she does wrong will only make everything worse. Your cat will likely be frightened if you yell at her, and her perceived aggression may simply be a front for her lack of confidence. Obviously, you don’t want guests to your home to leave with bites and scratches, so if necessary you can firmly tell your kitty that was a bad thing to do and move your guests to another spot farther away from the cat.

Incorporate Play

When was the last time you played with your cat? Animed Direct recommends you try for about 15 minutes of play time with your cat per day. It’s fun for your cat, of course, but it can also help them build a little more confidence. All that hunting and pouncing is great for kitty’s natural instincts! Plus, this time is a great way to bond with her while doing something fun.

Call in Reinforcements

Sometimes, cats can be highly anxious and that may require calling up a veterinarian to help you out. The Spruce Pets recommends that you consider involving your vet or other cat expert if your cat continues to hide from people or seems visibly anxious. This anxiety can sometimes lead to serious physical consequences for your cat which is something that you’ll both want to avoid. If you’ve tried providing your cat its own space, remaining calm and patient with it, playing regularly and your cat still seems to hide constantly, it might be time to bring in a vet.

Cats are such fascinating creatures and as human guardians, we can help them become a little more confident. Your kitty will enjoy the extra bonding time with you, and these tips are great stress relievers for us humans as well!

Did you learn anything new and interesting about our feline friends? Share this article with other cat lovers that you know so that they can learn something, too.