Does your cat use things you buy for him/her for it's intended use?

Question

My cat doesn't, except for toys. I buy him a bed, he sleeps in it for like 2 days and then just sleeps on my pillow or the pile of dirty towels now. He doesn't use the scratching post. He uses the litter mat to scratch on, sometimes to sit on, but makes sure not to step on it when he gets out of the little box. He doesn't like those kitty cubes. I give up trying to buy him anything anymore. He's too hard to shop for. Is your cat like this?

Answer 1

Heh,I have a bit different problem.The thing is that some things I bought for cats were used by my dogs..So unfortunately I cannot buy cat toys,cause I'm afraid my dogs could swallow them.I can't buy cat's beds,cause my puppy likes to tear them and to p**s on them.Sooo....my cats play with dogs' toys or with each other and sleep on chairs..wardrobes...beds..just everywhere.Cats like to eat dogs' food,puppy eats the litter from the cats' box.And they hunt moths and flies all together.Sometimes it is so hard to guess what they will use or what they will like when we are going shopping in a pet shop.

Answer 2

SLEEPS ON YOUR PILLOW, YOUR LUCKY MY LITTLE CAT NIPPY SLEEPS IN THE BATHROOM SINK.  STRANGE PUSS  HE HE HE  

Answer 3

Just find a ball of yarn you don't use or a piece of string.

I roll up balls of tinfoil and she goes crazy.

Answer 4

Thing is, your cat doesn't know they're for him - he just uses whatever he feels like.

My kitten uses his scratching post and his toys, but he doesn't like the bed we bought him. He prefers to sleep behind the sofa!

You could try putting a tiny bit of catnip on the things you want him to use to encourage him, or I think you can buy cat pheremones to help too.

Answer 5

Well, most animals prefer the smell of their owners to a neutral smell (hence, why he sleeps on your pillow or pile of dirty towels - -- hm-m-m-m-m, that's so good :)

Can't explain why he doesn't use the scratching post, though.  Hopefully he's not using your furniture to scratch.  Have you shown him what it's supposed to be used for?

Some cats don't like the feel of certain litter mats . . .I've noticed that the mats that have little raised pieces designed to scrape off the cat's paws upon box exit are their least favorite . . .probably because it feels unnatural.  I finally just gave up on those mats and bought an inexpensive shag-type of bathmat with a non-skid bottom.  I just shake it out every few days, and wash it in hot water about every 2-3 weeks when I wash the cats' bedding or some other "cat" articles.

Bottom line is -- no point wasting money on a lot of the stuff in pet stores.  As long as your cat's not required to share his stuff, he doesn't know if you paid for it at a pet store, or created it yourself (my cats always liked to play with plain brown paper bags. . . go figure.)

Answer 6

Yes my cats are like this! The best presents you can get your cat are some large feathers and some cardboard boxes. My cats love these more than any of their expensive toys!