Can humans do things cats hate, Thomasina? The other night, I gave mine a big hug and got scratched! Why would he do that? I thought he loved me!
— Hurt

Hey, Hurt!
I’m so sorry about the scratch. Unfortunately, humans can do things cats hate. And for some of us, hugging is one of them. If you gave me a hug, I’d scratch, too. Many of us aren’t big on huge human arms squishing us until our ribs ache.

I’m sure your cat loves you a lot. But there are some things humans do that annoy us so much. Picking us up is one of them. We feel safer when our feet are planted firmly on the ground, not suspended in midair. Hugging can actually hurt and makes getting picked up even worse.

14 Things Cats Hate

1.Talking baby talk. Okay, so it’s not possible for you to speak our native language. But could you talk to us like the adults we are? And could you not call us your fur babies? Fur friends would work, but we’re not babies! 

2. Blasting the radio and TV. Our hearing is much more acute than yours is, and those loud voices and music hurt our ears. 

3. Laser toys. So you read the ads that say the laser pointer will drive your cat crazy. That’s true. It does. You’d go crazy, too, if you chased a red dot that you couldn’t possibly catch. Those things are beyond annoying!

4. Treating us like small dogs with attitude. Don’t expect us to “sit,” “stay” and “get down” when you tell us to because we won’t unless we’re in the mood. Dogs aim to please. We could care less. Remember, one of the things you love and envy about us is our independence and free spirits. 

5. Saying we’re cute and laughing at us for natural behaviors. There’s a reason why we like to sleep in boxes and climb to the top of the kitchen cabinets. While these things might not make sense to you, they make perfect sense to us.

6. Punishing us for natural behavior, like scratching the furniture, isn’t just annoying, it’s frustrating and stressful. There’s a trade-off here. Give us scratching posts and pads we love, and we’ll leave your furniture alone! 

7. Giving us scented cat litter. We want our litter boxes to smell like us, not cheap perfume. 

8. Putting those plug-in air fresheners everywhere. No insult, but these also go in the cheap perfume category. While the scent might be pleasant to you, it can be overwhelming to us. And when it lands on our fur, we have to lick it off. Ugh… The essential oils in air and carpet fresheners can be toxic to cats, too. If you have to use those things, your cat will appreciate it if you don’t put them in every single room. 

9. Forcing us to be nice to guests. This, too, can be very stressful. If we don’t want to hang out with humans we don’t know, we’ll go outside or hide in a dark corner somewhere. Dragging us out so your friends can see how beautiful we are isn’t just annoying, it’s very scary.

10. Putting our water bowl right next to our food. While having everything in one place may seem convenient, it’s really not. We like a lot of distance between our food and water. Another room for the water is best. Oh, and about those bowls. We like them shallow and wide, so we don’t crumple our whiskers and get whisker fatigue when we eat.

11. Changes in our routine. We’re creatures of habit, and although it may seem boring to you, we like to do the same thing at the same time day after day. 

12. Looking us straight in the eye. That sends an aggressive message to us. If you’re not looking for a fight, don’t look your cat straight in the eye!

13. Belly rubs. Our most vulnerable organs are in our stomachs, and most of us do not like being touched there!

14. Dressing us up. We’re not dolls! Tell your kids we hate being dressed up or pushed around in a baby carriage.