Things Our Cats Hate: The Wednesday Cats of Catster

Welcome to the Wednesday Cats of Catster! Every month, we ask our cat-loving Catsters to weigh in on a new topic. This week, we asked them to tell us what their cat hates! Here's what they had to say:

Crystal & Ivy

Ivy is a sassy kitty, and she will absolutely let us know when she doesn’t like something.

She does this by hissing, biting, scratching, loudly meowing, or yowling. A kitty of many talents, you may say!

One of her top hates has to be getting a bath! Since she is a long-haired kitty, she does need occasional baths – especially to clean up around the booty area. My fellow long-haired cat parents will understand this!

Interestingly, she loves looking at the bathtub as the water is running. It’s worth mentioning that neither my fiance nor myself take baths, so the only time we use the bath is when it’s for her! Honestly, it’s like she forgets this.

Nevertheless, as soon as the bathroom door gets closed and her collar is taken off, it’s time to cue the kitty opera. And let me tell you, this opera is a loud, long one. She will meow and yowl for the entire duration of the bath. Sometimes, I’m worried about what our neighbors might think.

Another one of her strong dislikes is getting picked up, sadly. She used to love it as a kitten, but now, not so much. I can kind of understand this one. Imagine you’re on your way somewhere, and suddenly get swooped up by a giant only to be cuddled and kissed, with no means of escaping since you’re so tiny. Terrible, right? (Honestly, it does sound quite scary!)

A little lower on the list would be her semi-new-found sibling, an orange fella named ‘Toast.’ More on him in the weeks to come! But in short, he’s roughly around the same age as Ivy, and they were introduced to each other when my sister moved in with us. I’d say they now have a love-hate relationship, but initially, it was just hate. Hissing, swatting, scratching, the works!

It’s gotten a whole lot better, and they can now tolerate being in the same room together at the same time.

He does still get the occasional hiss-and-swat, especially when it’s food time. I always have to remind her that in all her time of being with us, I have never, ever, not even once, not given her food. That usually doesn’t work.

So there you have it, Catsters! Ivy’s top hates: baths, being picked up, and her orange brother.

What’s something your cat absolutely cannot stand?

Catch you next time!

Isabel & Milly

Milly hates many things.

Like when her dry food isn’t topped with fresh food every hour. Or when I leave the house for any amount of time. Or when we need to drive 6 minutes (in total) to the vet. She also despises dogs and water and she can’t take it when I don’t immediately start petting her when she checks in on me while I’m working.

Cats know what they want and even more so, what they don’t want. Sometimes, it can be challenging when our cats express disapproval towards certain things, especially when our feelings are involved. Of course, cats are allowed to express to us as their caretakers when they don’t like something, but in some cases, our cats just have irrational fears!

For example, Milly has a burning hatred for round brushes, hairdryers (curl diffusers especially), hair straighteners, and most of all, the dreaded vacuum cleaner. I’m not sure why she detests hair-styling items, because her hair always looks fabulous!

The vacuum, on the other hand, is a well-known sworn enemy of the cat-kind… The hairdryer is probably loathed for the same reasons – loud, obnoxious things! But believe it or not… Some cats love vacuums. You may have read about Clutch, Dr. Karyn’s white rescue cat, who thoroughly enjoys being vacuumed. It’s a must-read (and must-see!)

The brushes and hair dryer diffusers are disliked probably because they’re spikey and look like they could hurt. Although, she’s usually more curious and cautious than scared.

Sometimes I slowly present it to her, then her eyes widen and her body goes on high alert. She always moves in slow motion, picking up her dominant paw and stretching it out ever so gently to softly feel the texture of the brush. She does the cutest little pitter-patters with her paw!

I have to watch my moves because any sudden movements could send her jumping 2m high and having the fright of her life! So, I just slowly back away and put the brush in the drawer and then she loses interest.

Is your cat afraid of anything unusual or funny? Does anyone share any fears with Milly?

Check back next time for another cat parent adventure from Milly and I.

Cheers vir eers!

(Cheers for now!)

Wes & Raphael

Raphael, as you all know, is an easy-to-please little gentleman. Especially when it comes to food. As I’ve mentioned before, he is incredibly food-motivated and will meow until he’s blue in the face for us to place another crumb in his bowl.

But there is one food group that we simply cannot consistently crack – fish.

Now, I’m not talking about a beautiful, buttery, flaky piece of seabass that has just come out of the air fryer…that was a painful (and hunger-inducing) lesson to learn. No, he won’t eat any fish when it’s a real mealtime.

Turkey, chicken, beef, lamb. All the tasty treats of his world will be gobbled up with abandon, but fish is a “no canned do.”

I know what you’re thinking: “But what about a balanced diet?” Well, we add some Omega 3 supplements to his meat feast. But it’s just not the same. I still hope that one day, we’ll crack the code in that cute little mind and have him eating the fish packets we buy for him.