Cats don't like cars.
Dogs do like cars.
So you get a new puppy and take it, in the car, for walks. Of course the dog gets to associate the car with nice things!
But your kitten, as it does not like the car, gets stuffed into a box and only goes in the car for unpleasant trips, such as going to the vet!
Do you really expect the cat to get to like car trips if you only take it unpleasant places!
Cats, in exactly the same way as dogs, learn to associate the car trips with the places you take them in the car. So if you want to get your cat to like car trips and behave nicely in the car, do nice things with it. Teach the cat that the car is an aid to doing nice things, not a quick route to hell!
Yes, indeed cats are not quite so outgoing and demonstrative as dogs. The car, to both cat and dog, is potentially a very frightening place. Dogs, when excited, wag their tails and bark. Cats when excited do not show it so understandably. An excited cat will simply become quite vocal and will meow. It can be very difficult to distinguish between meows of excitement and meows of distress!
There is, physiologically, little difference between excitement and fear! In humans, both cause an an adrenalin rush. Excitement is fun and danger, in small amounts, is exciting. But too much danger and the excitement soon turns to fear and distress.
Dogs and cats too have exactly the same reaction to danger. A little is exciting, enjoyable, fun. Too much causes fear and distress! Dogs however are more easy to read and the point where excitement turns to distress is easy to see. Not so however in most cats!
See the page Walking the cat for a lot more about this subject
© 2006-2007 Richard Torrens.
Page first published 1st August 2006.
Last modified: Mon, 05 Feb 2018 08:44:34 GMT
Document URI: www.torrens.org/Cats/cars.html