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CAT BEHAVIOR

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Cat Behavior is the number one talked about and written about topic related to cats. It is a subject that is at the same time fascinating and frustrating. Inappropriate elimination, the most common behavioral problem of cats, is extremely frustrating. On the other hand, maternal instinctive behavior of the female cat is a captivating subject.

When I use the term Cat Behavior, I am referring to all aspects of the way a cat interacts with its environment and the living beings within it. If we talk about "good" behaviors and "bad" behaviors, please remember that the way a cat behaves is neither good nor bad. It just is. Cats usually act the way they do because the behavior is instinctual.

That's not to say that certain behaviors can't be learned. In fact, cats are much more trainable than most of the world realizes.

For now, I just want you to remember that the terms "good" and "bad" are labels applied to a particular cat behavior by humans. I like to use the words "desirable" and "undesirable" instead of good and bad. A cat may be behaving in a manner that is perfectly instinctual and understandable, but that behavior may be quite undesirable to you or me.


So ...what are the feline behaviors that are most commonly discussed or that are the subject of most of the questions I receive? Well, certainly the most common, by far, is inappropriate urination, more commonly called "peeing outside the box". There are many others, however, some desirable and some not so desirable and they include:

cat fights
"talking" cats
cats mating
cat kneading behavior
cat fighting behavior
cat aggression
male cat behavior
house cat behavior
feline behavior change
kitten behavior heat
strange cat behavior
feline behavior
cat tail behavior, dying cat behavior, cat biting, cat scratching, cat grooming, cat spraying, cat urinating, kittens biting, kitten behavior

...and much more!!


Over the next few weeks, I'll be writing a separate section about each of the above topics and more. Included in each section will be questions and answers and actual cases concerning each topic.

There's already a wealth of information about the above topics on my website. If you'd like, go exploring!

Meanwhile, if you'd like to learn from one reader's experience with litter box problems, click here. A similar story about another reader's problem with her kitty defecating outside the litter box may also interest you.




An entirely different kind of problem is illustrated by a letter describing the change in relationship between two cats. They had lived in harmony with each other for quite some time and then suddenly developed a confrontational relationship.



photography by AskTheCatDoctor

If you would like to read another example of cat housemates that don't see eye to eye and learn my recommendations for resolving their disputes,
CLICK HERE to Read About FIGHTING CATS.





If you have a problem with your kitty that is about to drive you mad, please remember that there's been so much research done about feline behavior that there's even a special branch of veterinary medicine that deals with such problems. Sometimes, the answer is simple. Sometimes, it's not. Almost always, however, there IS an answer, although it may take a little extra work on your part. However, your relationship with your cat is certainly worth it, right?

Custom Search

ADDITIONAL RELATED PAGES:

CHOOSING THE RIGHT LITTER

CAT URINARY HEALTH

CAT ELIMINATION PROBLEMS

LITTER BOX PROBLEMS

LITTERTRAINING

Click Here to Return From Cat Behavior to HOME

COMMON QUESTIONS ABOUT CAT BEHAVIOR

Click below to see questions from other visitors to this page...

Dominant Female Cat over Kitten  QUESTION

My daughter found a female kitten (we think it's a female) approximately 8 weeks old. She has a 9 year old nutered male & a 6 year ...

Traveling with a Cat  QUESTION:

My cat Sammy gets extremely nervous when traveling in the car. It is hard to even get him in his crate. He pants excessively. What ...

Cat Scratching  QUESTION

My cat attacked me twice and scratched me on my leg. The cat also did this to my husband. We did not provoke the cat. Why did the ...

Sudden Behavior Change In Cat  Hi Doctor,

We have a 1 1/2 year old cat, Alice. She loves to chase toy mice, jump up in bed with us to wake us up in the morning, and tear around ...

How Long do I keep my Cats Inside when I Move to a New House?  Hi Dr Neely

I am moving soon to a new home from an apartment. I have 2 cats, one is an outdoor cat and is 12 years old, the other is an indoor ...

One Kitty Being Shunned by the Others  QUESTION

About 1 1/2 months ago, we began noticing our littlest baby, Potter (2 1/2 yrs old - boy) was hiding from us and the other cats (3 of ...

Cat Behavior: Overanxious Eating or Sick?  QUESTION:

We adopted a beautiful Himalayan, we named him Samson, from a HORRIBLE situation a few weeks ago. He was almost dumped at a shelter ...

Cat Behavior: Helping my cat cope with death of her brother  Hi,

I have a 1 year old female neutered Tiffany cat, Foxy. She and her brother were bred by a breeder and I picked them up when they were 3 ...

Cat Destructive Behaviors: My cat scratches the sofa and wood around the door  QUESTION

my older cat likes to claw my furniture and the wood around my door frames. Is there a product I can purchse or a home reamdy I can ...

Biting Feline Mystery  QUESTION

Our 1 1/2 year old domestic short hair female neutered cat has developed a habit of biting (most of the time playfully) us when our ...

Scared Cat: Cat Hissing  QUESTION

My boyfriend and I went out of town and we left our approx. 1 year old cat with our neighbor. We have left him there before for a ...

Cat Behavior 

I have a rescue cat who was found in a deserted house with 14 other cats. I adopted him when he was a bit over a year old. He hid under my couch ...

Cat Sucking After Weaning 


I have a 12-week-old kitten that constantly sucks on everyone. We have had him since 7 weeks old, but he did not start this for about 1-2 weeks ...

MALE CAT BEHAVIOR 


I have 2 cats. One is 2 1/2 years old and the other one is about a year old. The older cat has always been an inside cat. We bought him from ...

Defecation Problems: Cat Defecation Problem 

My 11 year old female cat has started to defecate on the rugs all over the house. BM's are loose and she leaves it where we can see it.

She ...

Defecation Problems: Litter Box Problems 
Litter Box Problems are common with cats and especially older cats. The following question illustrates how behavior can change as a cat ages.


I ...

Cat behavior - aggressive when giving treats  Click Here To Go To Your Question and Answer Page
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Female Bengal Has Uncoordinated Movement of Her Leg  QUESTION

My 5 year old female Bengal, Asia, recently started having episodes where her right rear foot seemed to itch. She will try (usually ...

Weird Cat  Whenever I start sniffing around my cat (the same thing he does to me) he starts going crazy. He starts meowing and biting (not to hurt) me. He even ...

Moving cats  Hi,

I have two cats that have always been together, but I am moving out of my house and want to take one of them with me. He is 12 years old ...

Newborn Baby and Birman Cat  QUESTION:

My wife is pregnant, and our cat Chester - is the most loving Birman Cat. He loves to sleep between our heads and and always wants ...

Can an indoor Cat Survive on it's own? 

Hi doctor,


I have told you before that i allowed a cat from the street to give birth in my appartment 4 months ago. My parents forced me ...

Cat scratching around food  I just had a quick question about cat behavior.

I notice that whenever I feed my cats, one of my cats scratches all around their food bowls ...

My Cat Potato  QUESTION

I have 2 cats Potato and Heather, they were very close. Heather had kittens 2 weeks ago, and Potato has been very depressed and ...

Picking Up Kitty  QUESTION

My stepdaughter likes to pick up little Noah by the back of the neck, he is about 4 and half months old and I think he is too old for ...

Cat Scratching  QUESTION

My cat attacked me twice and scratched me on my leg. The cat also did this to my husband. We did not provoke the cat. Why did the ...

Cat Clawing Furniture  QUESTION

How can I stop our cat from clawing our leather lounge suit? Lisa


Hi, Lisa,

Keep the nails trimmed.

Provide lots ...

Birman Cat chewing Wires, eating Towels, Socks but not Food.  Hi Dr. Neely,

I am at my wits end with this kitty....she is 5 years old and has had this problem for some time. She was fine as a kitten and ...

my black cat  Hello

We have a pesty black cat, Puffie who is 11 months old. He thinks he is the boss of everthing and is always fighting with our other ...

13 week old Kitten Biting  QUESTION

I recently rescued a 10 week old male kitten (he is now 13 weeks) who was abandoned outside by his mother.

He had roundworm and tapeworm ...

Cat Behavior after Holiday  Hiya,

I have a very loving affectionate cat called Paws, I have had her for 2 months now because she is a rescue cat, I think she is anywhere ...

Cat Behavior  QUESTION

We recently adopted two kittens from the local cat rescue coalition. they are aprox. 4 months old and have been inside since we got ...

Cat Hissing At Smells  QUESTION:

A friend who deals alot with other cats (sometimes injured and sick) cam over the other night and our one year old tabby, Dexter, sniffed ...

Kitten Still Nursing  Hi Dr. Neely,

We got a kitten from a pet store, we have had her for 1 month and she is still wants to nurse. She is 3 1/2 months old. Any suggestions ...

Kitten Behavior: Cat Sucking  QUESTION:

I recently adopted my kitten Macy about a month ago, she is 4 months old now. She is continuously sucking on one of her nipples. I ...

MY CAT IS DESTRUCTIVE  Hi

I have 2 cats, 1 abyssinian Male called Orion and 1 Ocicat female called Athena. Both my cats have been neutered and are indoor cats. Just ...

Paw Flexing of Cats  QUESTION

I just recently adopted a cat from the shelter. She often flexes her paws while laying down, alternating from left and right paw....

Defecation Problem: New Home Cat Defecation Problem  QUESTION

My wife and I moved into a new home, which had a dog and a smoker. The house was cleaned very well before we moved in; but I was wondering ...

Cat Behaviors  QUESTION:

My sister and I have two 2 cats in the house, an 11 year old female (Bean) and an 8 year old male (Mac). Both cats are litter box trained,...

My Cat Can Be Very Destructive.  Hi

I have 2 cats. One Abyssinian male called Orion and one Ocicat (half siamese half abyssinian) female called Athena. Both cats have been neutered ...

Cat Leg Twitches  QUESTION

My cat is a 1 1/2 year old neutered male long haired tabby and when he sleeps his legs twitch all the time more so when he is on his ...

Defecation AND Urination Problems: litter box problem HELP!  QUESTION

We have two cats, a himalayan female who is about 12 years old. The other is an orange tabby around the same age. We constantly have ...

Moved Recently: Cat Behavior 

I recently moved with two 4 year old female cats. Within 1 week, one of the cats has started meowing loudly for no apparent reason, especially ...

Indoor vs Outdoor Cats 


My sisters told me about a very friendly, actually affection-starved cat that a friend feeds but doesn't take in. They were told that it was ...

Cat Behaviour 

My cat is 5 years old. She has suddenly developed a fear of items that are made of fabric, such as clothing, mittens, slippers, etc.

She ...

Territorial Cat Problem 


I have a cat that has been in multiple homes. A friend of my Girlfriend's housemate adopted her as a kitten from a shelter. When the friend ...

Traumatized Cat 

Two weeks ago we got two young puppies, but my cat Donte was scared to death of them. During the fourth of July weekend he ran off and we couldn'...

Toilet Training 


Edgar, my 7 month old black fluffy bum, "as you will see in the pic" just refuses to go to the toilet outside,and often will not use his tray ...

Cat Behavior Change  


My 8 yr. old calico, Sandy, has been doing her bm right outside the litter box on and off for about a month now. I am puzzled by her behavior ...

Sniffing Game with My Feline 

Sometimes I play with my 5 year old black cat and I start sniffing him....the same way he sniffs me and other objects. When I start sniffing ...

Cat Introduction To New Kitten 
What is the best way to introduce a new kitten(4months old) to two older cats(3 1/2yrs old and 8yrs old)?


Hi, Tiffany,

Congratulations ...

Unusual Cat Behavior 
My 8-year-old female cat has started something disturbing just in the last 2 weeks. For no apparent reason, she will jump up, as if someone shot her,...

Cat Dragging His Bottom 


I recently saved a 5 year old male cat from being taken to a shelter. I have never had a cat before, so I want to know if this is normal. After ...

Two New Friends For Sadie 


I'll be staying with a friend soon for a few months. She owns two female cats. My cat, Sadie, is also female. This we are not concerned with....

BEHAVIOR CHANGE 


We have a rescue cat, Fifi and a Maine Coon cat, Simon. Both have been together about 9 years.

Lately Simon has been acting very strange....

Scared Cats: Cat Back Home After 4 Months On The Street 


Our 2 year old cat ran out the front door 4 months ago and we found him yesterday! Absolutely unbelievable! He has been on his own in the ...

VET VISITS 


I have a 1 year old male cat. I would like to have him fixed. The problem is I'm afraid I won't be able to put him in a carrier without him ...


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