Cats that don't jump instinctively
If you have ever owned a cat, you know that they have certain traits you just assume are always there.
As kittens, you put them in the litter box so they know that is the only place to do their business, and they pick up on that fast!
Hunting traits are instinctive. Ever see them fixated with a fly on the window?
Grooming is instinctive. If they are not doing that, get a checkup just to make sure all is good.
One would assume jumping would be instinctive...
When young, cats love playing with bug or feather teaser wands, imagining they are hunting. This is normal, expected behaviour. Plus they get to play with their human.
But what if they don't know how to jump?
What if they jump differently than other cats, like they don't know what to do? Or they find all the ways to get up on something without jumping? Can they be trained? Do they need to be trained?
Our current orange brothers, Chester and Cooper, didn’t jump when we first got them. Their older brother Frankie, and frankly all of my other previous cats, jump with no hesitation. However, these two will play with the teaser wand but only if it is close to the ground. They won't follow the wand if it is up high.
I chose for them to be indoor/outdoor cats. We've always had our cats go in and out. Outside they will chase the squirrels or watch the hummers but really don't pursue them unless they are close to the ground. Squirrels have to stay in the trees of course.
At first I thought something could be wrong with their legs, specifically their back legs. Maybe it was the type of breeding in their mix where jumping wasn't in their nature. I mentioned this to the Vet and we checked them out and nothing was wrong. I was going to do more research until one of the Vet Techs said something. She commented that when kittens grow up in a shelter or a rescue, they are caged so often that sometimes they don't realize they can jump! That made sense to me.
I realize the shelters and the rescues are completely overwhelmed with animals to take care of. I know they try to spend time with all of them. But it was nice to understand that this wasn't a medical problem or a breed problem.
Actually, as Chester and Cooper have gotten to the young age of 3, they are jumping more without thinking too hard about it. For example, Chester thinks he should check out the food counter from time to time. Frankie from time to time assists in teaching Chester what to do.
They still find the easier non jumping route to get up to somewhere, but it is nice to know that if they had to jump for whatever reason, they could.
It teaches me now to pay more attention to this type of thing when or if we get kittens again. Like coming up with ways to teach them to jump if I notice the problem, to see if we can engage that instinctive behavior.
It is amazing that no matter how long you have had cats there is always something to learn. They always have something to teach you.