Jealousy and possessiveness are very common traits among cats. Cats always mark their living spaces and the people in their living space with scent glands that are in their paws and around their whiskers. Cats do this because of their possessive nature. This is also commonly referred to as being territorial.
It may appear like affection when your cat rubs his face against you but that is actually just your cat making sure that it’s known that you are one of his possessions! This shows how important his territory (including you) are to him! I like to take this in the best way possible. It’s nice to feel important to another living creature. And you and your attention are very important to your cat.
It is not uncommon at all for a cat to become very attached to one person in a household in particular and basically ignore the other people in the house. It is also not uncommon for a cat to react very negatively when a newcomer (such as a baby and or another cat.) This is a sign of a cat’s jealousy. A cat reacts in this way to newcomers because he or she is fearful of being replaced by the new cute and cuddly member of the household! This is why when you bring a new member into the household it’s very important to give extra attention and treats to your “old” cat. You don’t want to hurt his feelings. This is similar to when you have a second child and you want to make sure that your first child still knows that he is loved and cared for. It’s easy when there’s a new member of the household to put all of your attention on them because of how novel their presence is at first!
If you understand your cats emotions you’ll better be able to care for him or her. Take the time to learn about your cat and how he sees the world. It’s easy to think that they see things just like we do. It’s easy to think that our cats are little humans and when they are rubbing up against us they are telling us how much they love us. Well maybe it’s not so bad to think that.
It is important to realize how they feel about another pet coming into the house. Knowing that they are reacting negatively due to jealousy should help you to better deal with their behavior. Remember when they react poorly to newcomers that they are only acting that way because they don’t want to be replaced. Make sure your cat knows how much you care for him or her. Instead of spending less time with your “old cat” when a new one comes in the house, spend extra time with them to make sure they know that you still love them and care about them.
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