I’m not aware of any specific work-around, and this kind of thing makes a lot of sense to me as someone who was adopted by a cat. Your issue reminds me of a couple of Wishlist items that you may want to check out and possibly vote for (see the “Vote” button above the first post in each of the topics).
There’s also a recent topic specifically dedicated to rules, and, although the kind of rule you’re asking about isn’t on the ballot in that topic, you can certainly vote there and add your comments to the thread below that poll.