Professional Information and advice on Cat training, health, behavior, temperament, training and raising the family kitty, cat. Behavioral problems in cats, such as missing the litterbox, excessive meowing, or destructive scratching can be corrected by first eliminating physical causes, then instituting a program of informed retraining, with the help of these resources. Understanding normal cat behavior will help in training cats and kittens and treating problem behaviors. Learn more about instinctive behavior, socializing kittens, and behavior problems such as scratching and spraying.
Legal Disclaimer:
If your pet is showing any signs of distress or you suspect your pet is seriously ill, CONTACT YOUR VETERINARIAN immediately.
Kittens and cats have a natural affinity to
using a litter box, but it is important the help your kitten
get off to a good start. The first step to ensure
successful house training is to make sure you have the right
equipment. If the kitten was using litter prior to
coming in your home, make sure you use the same type of
litter. The litter box should be made of a washable
material such as plastic. The sides must be low enough
for the kitten to enter, but high enough to contain the
litter. Some commercial litter boxes come with hoods that help
control odor as well as keep in litter. The box must be placed
in a relatively quiet are of the house in a minimal traffic
area. Be sure the box is easily accessible and not too
difficult for your kitten to find.
To ensure that your kitten uses its litter box
every time, keep it within eyesight at all times. If it
stops playing and begins sniffing around, gently carry it to
the litter box. Praise any sniffing or scratching and
give it lots of praise or a small food treat for eliminating.
Whenever you are unable to watch your kitten, restrict it to a
cat-proofed room with its litter box. Continue this for
at least the first two weeks, until your kitten is using its
box regularly. Also, make sure you keep the litter box clean
and that the kitten is never frightened when in or around the
box. The box should be scooped daily and washed out
weekly. Many cats do not like to use an excessively
dirty litter box and may look for a cleaner spot to use. When
an accident does occur, do not scold your kitten as this
technique does not work with cats and will only make them
afraid of you. Instead, try to determine why your kitten did
not use the litter box and work on a solution.
Causes for house-soiling:
Brand of litter was changed.
Litter has scented additives or
the odor of cleansers/deodorants.
Litter box is not cleaned
frequently enough.
Kitten was frightened in or near
the box.
Kitten has medical problems.
If soiling persists, make sure that the soiled
area has been thoroughly cleaned and treated with a commercial
odor neutralizer. Additionally, you should take your kitten to
the veterinarian as a medical problem may exist.
Furniture Scratching
Cats scratch on furniture as part of a normal
grooming instinct. As they scratch on objects, the outer
sheath of their claws are shed off, exposing the newer claw
beneath. There are several different ways of handling
this problem.
Cat claws can be tipped. Small
plastic caps are glued to the cats claws, preventing them
from causing damage when the cat scratches something.
Initially the vet will size the claws and show you how to
apply them. The caps are inexpensive and easy
to replace, but will have to be replaced when the outer
sheath is shed. This is certainly a humane, inexpensive,
and convenient way of remedying the problem.
Provide your cat with scratching posts.
Place one post near your cat's sleeping quarters as they
like to scratch upon waking up. You may also smear cat-nip
on the post to attract your cat.
Place squirt bottles strategically around
your house. When you see your cat begin to scratch on the
furniture, squirt him with the water. Be careful not to
squirt the water in his eyes, however.
Do not yell or hit your cat. This
will not teach him anything other than to be fearful of
you. They are not able to associate the fact that
you are yelling/hitting them because of the scratching.
Repellants for cats are available in pet
shops. Spray the repellant on the corner of
furniture that may look appealing for your cat to use as a
scratching area.
Using double sided sticky tape on the
areas where cats scratch is a great way to stop them from
even considering scratching the area, even when the tape
is removed. Also, cats don't like the smell of citrus, so
spraying some lemon juice or citronella in the targeted
area can really help.
The option of de-clawing your cat should
not be a viable option at all (even though still legal),
as it is something that is done for purely selfish,
aesthetic reasons on behalf of the owner, rather than in
the interests of the cat, for whom scratching is a
completely natural behavior. This is a very
controversial procedure that involves amputating a portion
of your cats toes. The procedure does have a painful
recovery and renders your cat completely helpless to
protect himself should he get out of the house. Your cat
will also be compromised is terms of his ability to evade
predators such as coyotes or dogs, due to compromising his
agility and ability to climb trees.
Play fighting:
Many cats and kittens can play rough.
This can be characterized by attacking and biting your ankles
or arms. Cats can be very energetic and have difficulty
finding ways to release their energy. Their natural
instincts involve stalking and biting, and so this behavior
characterizes their play. Several solutions to this
include providing more cat toys, allowing him/her to play with
another cat, playing with your cat/kitten i.e.: by having
him/her chase a string, or allowing your cat to play with
another cat. To discourage this behavior, spray him/her using
a water filled squirt bottle. Buy several of them and
leave them at strategic points in the house.
Although you may be tempted to hit your cat, do not do so as
you may harm your cat or become fearful of you.
Aggression:
In general, cats become aggressive out of
defensiveness and self-protection. Additionally, their
sense of self preservation is extremely high.
Incidences of offensive aggression are extremely low as
compared to dogs. Cats may feel threatened with
new people around or with the introduction of a new cat.
When introducing cats to each other, more common than not
displays of aggression will occur in both cats characterized
by hissing, raising the fur along their backs, and arching
their backs. In such occurrences, the cats should be allowed
to retreat and in time will introduce themselves. Once they
have determined that their is not a threat, they will be able
to cohabitate peacefully. It is common for cats to take
days or weeks to reach this point. The same process can
occur when a cat meets a new human, although more often the
cat will hide until he/she feels there is no more of a threat.
When introducing cats together, it is often a
good strategy to separate one of them in another room with
it's own litter pan, food and water. Ultimately
the cats will sniff each other through the door and will be
more accustomed to each others presence. After several days of
this arrangement, you may open the door and allow the cats to
introduce each other on their own. It is important not
to pick them up and place them next to each other. This
in fact may escalate the situation.
Some cats may become aggressive when rubbed
vigorously on the belly or at the base of their tail.
Some cats like being petted in these areas and others do not.
Your cat may have an area he/she does not like being petted.
They can respond t this by biting. Like people, animals
vary in their acceptance/enjoyment of physical contact, which
should be respected.
If you are concerned that your cat is
excessively aggressive, beyond the reasonable scope of most
cats, you may consult with your veterinarian. Cats
with thyroid problems can develop aggression. Additionally,
remember that hunger and physical stress can elicit agitation
and ultimately aggression. If your cat becomes
isolative/aggressive and this is out of character, you may be
dealing with a physical issue.
Spraying:
Spraying is a form of territory marking that
can occur with both males and females. Un-neutered males
by far account for the majority of this behavior, however.
When cats spray they are normally in a standing position and
spray the urine horizontally. The exception to this is
female cats in heat who will often spray in a squatting
position. Neutering/spaying your cat generally resolves
this problem. If your cat is spayed or neutered, and
sprays, it may be because it is having contact with a new cat,
such as seeing a cat outside through a window. In such
cases it is best to attempt to eliminate visual contact with
the outdoor cat, or to spray the surrounding yard with a cat
repellant to keep the cat away from the house.
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