Hi, I’m Christopher! Read my introduction to learn more about me and my silly Russian Blue cat, Olga.
Living with a cat is rarely dull, and most healthy felines find several ways to annoy their owners. It’s cruel to punish an animal for their behavior, but I think it’s okay, to some extent, to tease or irritate your pet occasionally. They cannot comprehend the humor behind a practical joke or understand the complexities of improv comedy, which is okay since I’m in the same boat, but they probably notice when their owners are picking on them.
Before you own a cat, your impressions of them are based on what you’ve seen on TV and experiences with cats others own. They may seem stuck up or lacking anything close to a sense of humor because they’re not bonded to you and don’t feel comfortable acting like goofballs around you. Cats are sensitive, but I think most have a sense of humor and can tolerate teasing.
Olga’s Boundaries
Olga enjoys being petted on her neck, head, and behind her ears, but she doesn’t like you to touch her close to her tail, hind legs, or belly. When she walks by me while I’m reading or watching TV, I sometimes poke the side of her hind leg to see her reaction.
She grunts and stares at me disapprovingly but doesn’t attack like she used to when she was a kitten. I have a few scars on my hands and arms from where she used to retaliate and sink her claws and teeth into me.
She used to consider an unauthorized poke a capital offense, but after several years of living with me, she only thinks of it as a minor annoyance. If she’s in a feisty mood, she’ll hit me back and encourage me to play “tag.” This confirms that she isn’t a stuffy, entitled bore who can’t appreciate my ribbing or attempt at humor.
Necessary Irritation
Olga gets irritated when I sleep late on the weekends or ignore her gaze when she begs for food, but she doesn’t get angry. She tolerates it by finding ways to annoy me and get my attention, but she loses it if she’s confined to one room. I’ve never locked her in a room for being bad, but I had to when my air conditioner was replaced.
I locked the door since she could stand on her hind legs to open it, and when she realized it was locked, she screamed in a high pitch and tore into the carpet by the door. Her cries got louder the longer she was locked up, and she eventually resorted to ramming the door.
Staying in the room with her didn’t help; she didn’t calm down and continued to attack the door and carpet. She ran up to me and cried and rubbed her head against me, but she quickly returned to the locked door and resumed her assault.
It’s strange that she hates being confined since one of her favorite games is to slam doors and open them, but I’ve given up trying to read her mind. Annoying Olga isn’t always avoidable, but I don’t think she holds a grudge, even when I do it intentionally.