Posts Tagged ‘Cat behaviour’

cathousetraining.com Discover How To End Cat Behavior Problems Fast. The Reasons Why Cats Misbehave and why most cat training advice doesn’t work. In order to effectively train your cat, you must understand the way cats think and what drives their actions.

cathousetraining.com Discover how to train your cat to behave. Straight to the point, no-fluff solutions to cat behavior problems, that truly work. Solve anything from litter box problems, biting, spraying, scratching, keeping you up at night, chewing on cords, jumping on the table, and more. – created at http

Author: Joey Boop

Cat spraying

needs to be differentiated from peeing outside of the litter box . It should not be confused with a miss in toilet training. It is a normal cat behaviour.

Spraying usually takes place at ankle height, which distinguishes it from a litter pan problem. Cat spraying is when they back up to a surface, and tail twitching, spray the surface with their urine. When a cat is urinating outside of the litter box, the cat will squat to urinate on a horizontal surface.  Inappropriate urinating is not the same as cat spraying.

Cat spraying is also more common among male cats than it is among female cats. Non-neutered cats are more likely to spray than are spayed cats. Cat spraying can also happen when a cat is stressed, anxious or territorial. Male and female cats that are not neutered mark their territory as a way of calling another cat.

Urine spraying is a normal, innate territory-claiming behavior that has nothing to do with your cat’s hygiene. Though both male and female cats will spray, the behavior is most common in non-neutered males, and in multi-cat households. Urine marking is a communication system for cats. Cat urine has pheromones which are chemical substances that tell other cats certain messages. Do not confuse spraying with behavior that might indicate urinary infections and digestive issues that cause uncontrolled peeing.

Neutering or spaying a kitten when young can prevent spraying problems down the road. Your vet will advise you on the best time to spay your cat.

Stress is another trigger for cat spraying. To reduce this stress, keep a home routine, feeding your cat at the same time each day and keeping their bowls and litter pans in the same location. Stress can also be a cause of cat urine problems starting up. Cats can get stressed for a variety of reasons.

Clean sprayed places thoroughly with an enzymatic cleaner. What doesn’t work is punishing your cat after the fact.

Cleaning the area with an enzymatic cleaner so the cat is not attracted back to the same location helps. Putting plastic or aluminum foil over the area, if possible, can be very helpful. Cleaning alone does little to stop spraying. Cats that mark in one or two particular areas may stop if the function of the area is changed.

About the Author:

Joey Boop as over 15 years experience as a part of a multiple cat household. Learn more about other cat behaviour issues at Cat Behaviour Maven

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Cat Spraying Behaviour. A Normal Cat ehaviour

cathousetraining.com Straight to the point, no-fluff real world solutions to cat behavior problems, that truly work. Solve anything from litter box problems, biting, spraying, scratching, keeping you up at night, chewing on cords, jumping on the table, and more

Author: susan yorkshire

Over the past 10 years we have had great satisfaction and rewards from re-homing older cats.

Harry Cat. He was our first ‘re-home’ …….. ‘we’ re-homed Harry from an older owner who was going blind, and could no longer cope with Harry under her feet.

He was stated as being 8 Years old, but once we got him home, it was obvious he was older (in his mid teens even).

We had never re homed a cat before. He took time to settle. He also had behavioral problems. That said, he had a fantastic personality, and was soon loved by all.

We once saw our neighbours cat who was badly beaten up, after a discussion it was clearly the fault of our cat Harry.

Harry not only ruled the neighbourhood but also our house.  My husband worked away from home all week and came home at weekends.  Each time he came home Harry would sit on his knee, lull him into a false sense of security and then bite him as if to say I am the boss of this house.

The reason for this dominant behaviour was that he was neutered late.  This often brings out this sort of behaviour in tom cats.

Due to all the fights he used to get into with other cats,  visits to the vets were frequent.  He even managed an abscess on his behind at one point.

It took us 18 months of patient coaxing to re train him to stop biting visitors.

I have purchased many Cat behavioral books over the Years, but the best I have seen to date is available from the following link :-

http://www.product-bay.com/cat.html”>http://www.product-bay.com/cat.html”>http://www.product-bay.com/cat.html

Go check it out, and use the knowledge to give an older cat a 2nd chance. You will not regret it.

We had Harry for fours years before he died from kidney problems.  On the day he died some of the neighbourhood cats popped their head thru the cat flap looking for him. I don’t think the cat neighbourhood was quite the same once he was gone. Even my long suffering husband missed him dreadfully. What this taught us, was that you should never write a cat off. They can be re-trained, and in fact become

In reality a cat with behavioural issues normally shows individuality, character and more often than not high intelligence. For instance, Harry new that by scratching the radiator thermo valve, he could turn the radiator on in the hallway. The amount of times ‘we’ have come home to find the hallway red hot, and Harry curled up under ‘THE’ radiator just isn’t worth counting……….

Due to the great joy that he gave us it wasn’t long before we were on the search for the next cats we were going to re-home.

Our next Cats were ‘Mork’ and ‘Mindy’ a pair of older snowshoes (brother and sister).

Keep posted and I will tell you all about them.

About the Author:

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Solving my cats behaviour problems

Author: Kate Tilmouth

Aggressive Behaviour

Aggressive behaviour in our pets is normally associated with dogs. We hear of cases of dog attacks all the time in the newspapers and whenever we encounter a new dog, our first reaction is to be weary of it in case it becomes aggressive. This is not normally our first reaction to pet cats, thus sometimes resulting in a bloody hand.

Cats like all other animals will display aggression when a threatening situation arises, the difference with a cat is that there are many different reasons for their aggression and knowing what will trigger an attack will help us to understand our cats behaviour and help us to prevent the situations arising.

The first thing to understand is that it is not in the cats interest to be involved in a unnecessary fight as this could result in injury to itself which could threaten it’s survival. So in most cases aggressive behaviour is either used as a warning signal or for survival purposes such as territory rights or for food.

Aggressive behaviour can be displayed in many ways, from the straight full on attack to subtle body movements designed to be intimidating. These body signs include, fluffing of fur, arching of back, low-pitched growls, crouching and hissing. In most cases these body signals are enough to warn off the potential enemy without an actual fight being necessary.

There are many different causes for cat aggression and by understanding the reasons for the behaviour cat owners will be able to react correctly towards it.

Some cats will become aggressive during a normal petting session for no apparent reason, often shocking their owner who is totally unprepared for the attack. Often this behaviour occurs in a timid or less social cat that may find petting pleasant for a short time but then may feel trapped by the situation and warns you off with a quick bite. Understanding your cats temperament and their likes and dislikes to being petted will reduce the risk of this aggressive behaviour.

Predatory aggression arises from the cats natural instincts to hunt for prey and when the opportunity for this is reduced by being kept inside for most of the time, is redirected in attacking other animals or humans who by pouncing on hands and feet. These attacks can be headed off by placing a bell on the cats collar so that you can hear them coming and my making a loud startling noise if an attack is imminent. Stooping the cat in their tracks.

Many owners find that game time with their cat can leave their hands covered in scratches and bites. This play aggression is a learned behaviour and or rather that they haven’t learnt that when playing they should retract their claws. Using only toys to play with your cat rather than hands will reduce the likelihood of injury and any games that do result in a scratch should be stopped immediately. Over time the cat will learn that the game will stop when they bite and scratch their owners and they will stop this aggressive behaviour.

Fear is another major reason for a cat to behave aggressively. It is their normal instant reaction and can sometime manifest itself in strange ways. Trauma aggression is one of these strange manifestations of aggression and is often one of the most misunderstood behaviours. This aggression is displayed towards another animal or person who is totally unrelated to the initial reason for the fear in the cat. It can stem from hearing loud unexpected sounds, having their tail stepped on or even from another pets visit to the vets. These incidents cause stress and fear to the cat who needing to retaliate against this fear will attack the first creature or person they come across. Unfortunately this aggression can continue for some time until the cat has re-established friendly relations again with the object of their aggression.

The main reason for displays of aggression from pet cats is usually based around territory and hierocracy between other cats. As cats are not pack animals like dogs they require there own space and have to feel that they are master of that space. So cats sharing the same living space inside will often display bouts of aggression towards each other to reaffirm their status in the house, these are not usually serious fights and should be allowed to happen without our intervention, as peace should return to the home quite quickly. The outside battle for territory is constant and one that as cat owners we have to accept as apart of their natural behaviour and not one that we can prevent. In most cases these fights will result in a scratched nose or bitten paw.

Aggression in cats is always a reaction to something else and should never be seen as bad behaviour. By understanding the reason for the aggression will help us to react to it appropriately and will in the long-term help us to build a better relationship with our pets.

About the Author:

Kate and her partner co-write http://www.our-happy-cat.com a site full of further cat care and cat health topics. As well as being a feline friendly community site for happy cat and a happy owner. Their second site http://www.frugal-living-tips.com is a site about how to lead a less wasteful lifestyle.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Aggressive Cat Behaviour – the Causes

Discover why so many cat training programs simply do not work, and the biggest mistakes people make when trying to correct their cat’s behaviour problems.

cathousetraining.com Discover How To End Cat Behavior Problems Fast. Straight to the point, no-fluff real world solutions to cat behavior problems, that truly work. Solve anything from litter box problems, biting, spraying, scratching, keeping you up at night, chewing on cords, jumping on the table, and more. Save money by ending cat behavior problems for good. Save time by having all the answers you need in one easy location. – created at http

Most people don’t even think about training a cat the same way as they think about training a dog.Cats are usually associated with words like aloof, independent, and laid back – they seem to focus on doing what they want, pretty much as and when they feel like it. There are however a great number of people who are getting great pleasure from training their cats.  Not only does the owner get pleasure but they are convinced that their cats enjoy it to.What are the benefits of training your cat?Training your cat is a great way to enrich your cats life.It builds a strong rapport between you and your cat, because training underlines your authority (your cat has to do what you want to get what he wants), it helps to curb dominant behaviour.It keeps your cat’s mind active and stimulated.It’s great interactive play, and teaches good social skills.Anxious and highly-strung cats are reassured and soothed by the repetition and routine of training.Looking at all the benefits of training your cat above, it makes me ask they question, why aren’t we all training our cats if the benefits are so good?The next question that needs to be answered is, How do I train my cat?There are two popular methods of training a cat: target training and clicker training. A brief rundown of each:Target training is where you attract your cat’s attention and then obtain desired behaviors through the use of a designated tool. For example, during the ‘beg’ command, a particular target training tool called a training wand is used to attract the cat’s attention upwards, and to encourage the cat to rise up on his haunches and ‘beg’. Clicker training is a form of operant conditioning (which is where the animal is taught to form a conscious association between a specific behavior and a result.) A small mechanical noise-maker (the ‘clicker’) is used by the trainer to create a short, distinct noise. The clicker is clicked at the precise moment that the cat performs a desired behavior – for example, during ’sit’, the clicker is clicked at the very instant that the cat’s bottom touches the ground. Directly after the click, the cat is fed a small and tasty treat. With repetition, the cat grows to associate the click with the food, and recognizes his own ability to earn treats by performing the desired action on command. The clicker is a particularly valued training tool because it allows the trainer to pinpoint the exact behavior that’s being rewarded: without the clicker, it’s too easy for the cat to form associations between the treat and a completely unrelated behavior (since it’s impossible to feed the cat a treat at the precise moment that he’s performing a trick.)Practical tips for training your cat – Remember to be patient. Your cat is an individual, with his own abilities and preferences. He will pick up some tricks quickly, but may struggle with others. – If you’re free-feeding your cat (leaving food out at all times for him to eat as and when he feels like it), stop doing this. Enforcing a feeding schedule has two main benefits: it increases the reward-value of food treats as training devices, and also introduces a semblance of routine into your cat’s life (which, believe it or not, most cats actually prefer.)- Train smart. If you’re using food treats (which is highly recommended to achieve the desired results) then schedule training sessions for just before mealtimes: your cat’s natural desire for food at his regular mealtime will sharpen his focus and increase his desire to obey you (so he can get a treat.)- Take baby steps. When training your cat, it’s best to build up a solid foundation of the basics before attempting to expand his repertoire.- Cats have pretty short attention spans, and low boredom thresholds. Keep lessons short and interesting – and always try to end on a positive note. If you think that you would benefit from training your cat. For step-by-step advice on how to train your cat in a huge variety of other obedience commands and tricks (from ’stay’ to ‘play dead’ to ‘fetch’), check out the Complete Cat Training book -http://www.product-bay.com/cat.html it’s full of training how-to’s, as well as a huge amount of detailed information on solving problem behaviors, cat psychology, and how to develop a more rewarding relationship with your cat.

Cat spraying needs to be differentiated from peeing outside of the litter box . It should not be confused with a miss in toilet training. It is a normal cat behaviour.Spraying usually takes place at ankle height, which distinguishes it from a litter pan problem. Cat spraying is when they back up to a surface, and tail twitching, spray the surface with their urine. When a cat is urinating outside of the litter box, the cat will squat to urinate on a horizontal surface.  Inappropriate urinating is not the same as cat spraying. Cat spraying is also more common among male cats than it is among female cats. Non-neutered cats are more likely to spray than are spayed cats. Cat spraying can also happen when a cat is stressed, anxious or territorial. Male and female cats that are not neutered mark their territory as a way of calling another cat. Urine spraying is a normal, innate territory-claiming behavior that has nothing to do with your cat’s hygiene. Though both male and female cats will spray, the behavior is most common in non-neutered males, and in multi-cat households. Urine marking is a communication system for cats. Cat urine has pheromones which are chemical substances that tell other cats certain messages. Do not confuse spraying with behavior that might indicate urinary infections and digestive issues that cause uncontrolled peeing.Neutering or spaying a kitten when young can prevent spraying problems down the road. Your vet will advise you on the best time to spay your cat. Stress is another trigger for cat spraying. To reduce this stress, keep a home routine, feeding your cat at the same time each day and keeping their bowls and litter pans in the same location. Stress can also be a cause of cat urine problems starting up. Cats can get stressed for a variety of reasons.Clean sprayed places thoroughly with an enzymatic cleaner. What doesn’t work is punishing your cat after the fact. Cleaning the area with an enzymatic cleaner so the cat is not attracted back to the same location helps. Putting plastic or aluminum foil over the area, if possible, can be very helpful. Cleaning alone does little to stop spraying. Cats that mark in one or two particular areas may stop if the function of the area is changed.