In order to do many things that are important for our cat’s health, they need to be comfortable with touch. Most cats don’t like us examining their teeth, looking in their ears, or playing with their paws. But did you know that more than 70% of cats will experience dental disease by the time they’re 3 years old? Or that ear mites, infections, or wax build-up will mostly likely effect every cat at some point in their lives? Not to mention a cat’s claws should be trimmed regularly.
For these reasons and more, it’s important we intentionally get our cats comfortable with touch. But how?
The best way to do this is by starting slow and steady. Each cat is an individual and (just as with people) it takes time and consistency to build trust. Start by gently touching your cats ears, paws and mouth each day. Nothing invasive. Keep it super casual. The objective here is to let our cats realize our touch can be trusted.
Some cats are for more easy-going than others and will be putty in your hands within a few days. Other cats will require this daily, consistent, casual touch for months before they are comfortable.
It’s important that you take practicing this gentle touch at the pace of your cat. This is the foundational trust work that will make optimizing your cat’s health much easier in the long run.
The objective of building this trust will make dental, ear, and paw issues more treatable – or avoidable altogether.
Once your cat is comfortable with touch, you will be able to lift their gums and open their mouths for dental checks. If you have an invasion of ear mites or waxy build-up, you can easily treat and clean their ears. And maintaining your cat’s claw and paw health will also be a breeze.
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