Behavior Problems (to the top)

Recognizing different problems

How problems can be treated?

Why does a cat urinate in the bath tub or on the carpet, when it used to use its kitty litter? Why does a normally docile cat start attacking its owners once a week? These weird habits have all happened at one time and are usually easy to explain after analyzing the situation.

Biting Ankles

lf a cat is biting ankles, it could signify different things. The most common reason for biting is that the cat needs a good predatory release at least twice a week. Perhaps the cat has realized that by biting you, it will gain something that it wants, such as going outside or going somewhere else it likes to go.

Jumping on Counters

Does your cat jump on counters? Usually when a cat jumps on a counter it is because it can smell food that it wants or because it found food on a counter in the past. If you catch your cat on a counter that it is not allowed to be on, the most common reaction is to scream and wave your hands around at the cat. Your cat will think that you are one crazy person. A more effective way to make your cat stay off the counter is to take the cat off the counter with your hands while saying "off". Some trainers think it works to spray the cat with water, but only if the cat cannot see you. Tinfoil can be draped on the counter, as cats do not like the feeling of it under their claws. A piece of food rigged to a bunch of tin cans will scare the cat if it tries to take the food. The key is to make the cat associate an unpleasant consequence with jumping on a counter, and not associate the consequence with the cat owners.

*Sometimes a cat will only remember to get off counter when you come into the room, not stay off the counter all the time.

Urinating or Defecating in an Inappropriate Place

Has your cat started urinating or defecating in an inappropriate place, such as in the bath tub, on a carpet, or in plants.? Think about what changes have been made around the cat. Is someone new living with you, or have you got a new pet? Has the cat's litter been moved, is the litter scented or is the litter box clean? Most of the time, a change in litter habits is caused by stress or illness, and is not a behavioral problem.

It is important to clean up all of the urine or feces so that the cat cannot smell it and think that it has a new litter place. Be sure to remove all the scent of urine with a sodium-hypo-chorite cleaning agent or an enzyme-containing biological detergent.

(An enzyme will break down the ammonia in the urine.) Dry the area thoroughly, with a fan if the area has carpet (to avoid growth of mold in the wet carpet). Do not use ammonia as urine contains ammonia and the cat will think this is a new litter area. You could try putting its food (a cat will not use a food place for a litter) or tinfoil (this feels bad to their paws) or orange peels or other unattractive scent on the soiled area after it has been cleaned. Make sure that the acceptable litter place is cleaned daily.

Scratching

Scratching is a natural part of a cat's life. Cats need to scratch to sharpen their claws, to stretch and to mark their scent. The best defense against scratching unwanted places is to provide an acceptable alternative, such as a catnip-laced cardboard scratching post or a tree stump. Cats like to scratch a rush mat. If you see your cat is scratching in the wrong place, say no, then put it on an acceptable scratching area. Reward the cat by giving it praise and a treat when it uses the new scratching area.

Shedding in Forbidden Places

Your cat may love a favorite chair or pillow. You might be happier if you didn't find cat hair where the cat lays. To change this behavior, make a comfortable, special place for the cat. Pick the cat up from the unwanted place and put the cat in its new place. Expect that you will need to repeat thismove many many times until your cat learns to go to its new place automatically.

Urinating in the Neighbor's Garden

There is really nothing you can do to keep your cat from urinating and defecating someone else's garden. The neighborhood cats used to urinate in my garden all of the time, but then we got our cat, then they stopped. Apart from catching your cat in the act and shooing it, there is really nothing you can do.

Some people really dislike trespassing cats and will put out cat traps to catch the invader. Once the cat is caught, the owners will have to pay a hefty fine.

Catching Birds

A cat in the wild will hunt to keep itself alive. Although people may think that if a cat is well fed that they will not catch any birds.An indoor cat does not hunt birds for food, but instead hunts for amusement and pleasure. We cannot avert a cat from hunting as it is an instinct passed down in the cats genetics. When most owners see their cat playing with a bird or eating prey, they scream and get mad at the cat. It is natural for a cat to pick up its "playmate" and run away to finish its fun elsewhere. In the end, the only way to stop a cat from hunting is to keep it inside.

 

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Bibliography

1. Understanding Cats Their History, Nature and Behavior. Robert Tabor. David and Charles Publishers 1997

2. The book of the Cat Editors Micheal Wright and Sally Walters. Pan Books. 1980.

3. The Cat, Diseases and Clinical Management 2nd edition Robert G. Sherting. W. B. Saunders 1994

 

 

Training