Little Kittens Are Getting Ready For Their First Sneak Attack And It's Definitely Adorable
Before a cat can be a cat, it has to start out as a kitten. Cats are graceful creatures with a combination of agility, speed, and strength that makes them excellent hunters.
However, like all great creatures with athletic skills, cats must practice their abilities. This brings us back to kittens.
Kittens are born with the capabilities and instincts necessary for hunting, but they require some refinement. That's why cats begin their training early, and when they do, they are simply adorable.
Okay, kittens are always adorable, but how else would you describe this fluffy little creature that can fit in the palm of your hand, trying to act like an adult cat and a seasoned hunter?
People love to share pictures of kittens in their first sneak attack attempts, and we have collected some of the cutest.
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Keep in mind that your cat isn't done playing even if it stops after several minutes. "They've just gone back to the first step in the prey sequence—staring. So keep moving the wand toy and keep your cat engaged (even if it's just staring). You can give your kitty a short break or change lures to reengage them, but don't give up!
Play sessions will be more intense for younger cats, but even older kitties and those with special needs love to play. Following a play session, give your cat a meal to initiate the hunt-eat-groom-sleep sequence, which is another behavior that cats naturally exhibit. You'll find your cat is more relaxed and content if you can stick to a routine schedule focused around play and meals."
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"They are highly flexible, which allows them to move low to the ground and through narrow openings; they are also very quiet, making them even more difficult to detect. Cats demonstrate these instincts from a very early age—kittens will pounce on instinct, do the 'butt wiggle' before they launch into an attack on a toy, or even silently stalk a littermate.
These moves can be considered practice for when they must hunt for their food on their own. Even cats that are well-fed by their human guardians will hunt as well—it's not just about finding a meal; cats are programmed to hunt even when their stomachs are full. Hunting (and playing) is fun, keeps cats from getting bored, provides physical and mental stimulation, and relieves stress."
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Dr. Koski added that cats don’t want to just sit around. "To be happy and healthy, they must get physical and mental exercise, which they achieve when they hunt and play.
Think about what an outdoor cat might do during her day: take a walk around her home range, kill and eat prey, groom, and nap in the sun. Cats evolved to interact with their environment, and we've asked (or demanded?) that they adapt to an indoor living environment mostly devoid of the elements they evolved with.
In my opinion, boredom is one of the most frequent issues that can cause stress and behavior problems in cats, so ensuring that our cats have an enriched environment is incredibly important for their well-being.
Give them opportunities to play and hunt! When cats hunt, they go through the prey sequence:
1) staring,
2) stalking and chasing,
3) pouncing and grabbing, and 4) performing a kill bite.
The only type of toy that can truly satisfy all four steps of the prey sequence is an interactive wand toy—my favorite is 'Da Bird' with various lures to keep the play session fun and exciting. Try to have 1-2 play sessions with your cat every day, lasting 10-15 minutes each."
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Natalie Cady Bishop, another cat behavior expert, said that it's essential for cat owners to become familiar with their pet's instincts so they can effectively provide for them. "Many owners think that all cats need is a litter box, food, and water, which is false. Cats need plenty of mental and physical stimulation.
They require environmental resources in the form of perches and socially acceptable hiding places, as well as plenty of scratching devices. Many cats need two litter boxes (the general rule is to have the number of cats you have plus one), and these should be placed in a common room of the house (not hidden in the garage, bathroom, or closet)."
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Dr. Koski, a cat behavior expert, stated that kittens training their ambush skills are not only an extremely cute topic, but it also demonstrates how naturally predatory felines are. "Cats evolved to be highly stealthy because they are both predators (who often need to get fairly close to their prey before attacking) and prey (who need to be able to move around in their environment without being hunted by a larger predator)," she explained.
In the beginning, cats were primarily kept for pest control purposes rather than companionship. They were essentially on their own and had to hunt for their food—just like their big cat cousins in the wild.
Without large quantities of food and prey, natural selection took effect, and only the most successful hunters survived and reproduced. Essentially, the cats we keep now are descendants of those great hunter cats.
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