What Is Normal Cat Behavior
Kids may say the darndest things, but its felines that really throw us for a loop with their odd cat behavior! From kneading on soft blankets to knocking things off tables to scratching our brand-new furniture, they tend to induce an equal amount of awws! and oh nos! This cat behavior guide breaks down all the above and more, so keep reading. Youll also want to read up on why cats love boxes, why cats hate water, and why cats purr. Also, check out this guide to cat body language to see what your feline is trying to tell you.
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Why Doesnt My Cat Purr 6 Reasons You Should Know
For many cat owners, that luxurious, cheerful purr is one of the best reasons for owning a cat. In fact, studies show that people who have felines have less stress-induced health issues, which may be linked to our kitties purrs.
No wonder, then, that youre upset and asking, Well, just why doesnt my cat purr? I get it itd be hard for me, too, to lose out on this adorable trait.
Once youve understood the function of purring, youll see that there are a variety of reasons for a feline to stop making the sound.
In most cases, theres absolutely nothing to worry about. Where there is cause for concern, there is treatment. So, lets take a closer look at the mysterious purr.
Why Do Cats Meow Back At You
As a cat parent, youve probably meowed at your cat at least once, trying to communicate with them in their native language. A few times, it may have worked, and theyve responded. But why do cats meow back at you?
You dont need to have one of the smartest cat breeds to know how intelligent these tiny felines are. Any cat owner would know that each pet has its own personality and that you get to learn something new from them all the time.
And, after 10 000 years of domestication, its surprising that they havent learned to speak to their owners. Or have they?
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Cat Behaviors To Worry About And How To Get Rid Of Them
Nothing can be more soothing and satisfying than your cat rubbing your legs and looking in your eyes. There are a lot of reasons to love these feline friends, but there are some behavioral issues which are associated with them, and these issues are gigantic.
It can be irritating and annoying for the pet-owner, but above all of this, it can be very damaging for your four-footed friends. Anxiety, depression, medical issues, physical instability, and lack of attention are some of the potential reasons why cats have bad behaviors.
But, theres nothing to worry about. Although these behaviors do exist in feline babies, one can remove them with a bit of care, attention, and love.
When Should I Be Concerned About My Cats Behavior
Any sudden changes in your cats appearance or behavior should be taken seriously, especially if your cats behavior affects their quality of life. Fearful behaviors like aggression, urinating outside the litter box, and hiding could indicate a mental disorder like anxiety, but they could also be symptoms of a physical illness that requires veterinary intervention. Dont wait until additional problems develop. The sooner your cat receives treatment for their behavioral or physical issues, the better chance they have of bouncing back to normal. When in doubt, always consult your vet regarding your cats health.
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Why Cat Eliminate Outside The Litter Box
1. Health issue
It is a primary reason that leads to behavioral change in your pet. Cats having urinary tract issues often eliminate outside the litter box. It is not pleasant for you and painful for the cat too. When your cat shows this behavior, maybe she is in pain. This issue is common in older cats because they are more prone to UTI and arthritis.
2. Anxiety
A stressed or anxious cat often eliminates outside the litter box. Cats can get anxious due to any reason your feline baby feels stressed when you change your house interior, furniture position, or adopt a new pet. The arrival of a new baby in the house may also make your pet anxious. Your cat feels insecure and eliminates at unusual places to mark her territory or make the things familiar to her.
Fluent In Feline Care And Communication
If you notice any of these strange cat behaviors, it could be a sign of a sudden illness in your feline friend. These require immediate vet attention, especially if your cats behavior problems persist. At Ponderosa Veterinary Clinic, the health of your pets is our number one priority. You and your pets are part of our family, so the sooner you bring your cat in if they are acting odd, the better. Schedule an appointment for your cat as soon as possible for a thorough diagnosis if they are exhibiting any of these abnormal behaviors.
At Ponderosa Veterinary Clinic, we are proud to provide compassionate services while empowering pet owners with transparent information in order to make the best decisions for their pets.
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Atypical Behaviors Can Also Be Perfectly Normal
The Spruce / Adrienne Legault
When a cat’s normal behavior changes subtly or dramatically, a conscientious owner can’t help but feel concerned. Knowing what is “normal” for your cat will make it easier to recognize behavioral problems that arise. Some changes can indicate underlying health or social issues, while others are simply personality quirks that arise as your cat grows older. Learn the difference for both your cat’s well-being and your peace of mind.
How Do You Treat Anxiety In Cats
Treatment for behavior disorders like cat anxiety often involves a combination of management of your cats environment, giving supplements or medications for cat anxiety, and trying behavior modification. Any underlying medical conditions need to be treated as well.
If left untreated, these disorders are likely to progress. Most treatment options will be long-term, possibly years, depending on the number and intensity of symptoms and how long the condition has been going on. The minimum treatment averages four to six months.
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Why Do Cats Lick Each Other 6 Reasons Kitties Allogroom
Its one of the sweetest sights…one kitten leans into another and begins to lick its fur. As cute as we think this behavior is, there is actually practical logic behind it.
So, why do cats lick each other? For our finicky felines, licking is key to grooming, which, as any kitty owner knows, cats are obsessed with. Theyre not just randomly flinging their tongues across each other but engaging in an elaborate communication system.
Many people think that cats who lick each other are showing their affection. While this is often true, there are many different reasons behind this conduct. And fortunately, if you have only one cat, it is a behavior you can replicate.
Weird Cat Behaviors: Whats Normal And Whats Not
Theyre intelligent, clever, affectionate, and amusing but cats can also be pretty odd. They puff up when they feel threatened. They click and chatter at birds through the window. They climb, pounce, and ambush their targets. Sometimes, cat owners can become so immersed in their cats antics that subtle signals of illness or injury are misjudged. In other words, some cat behaviors can go from being perfectly normal to absolute indications that something is off. So, how do you know the difference?
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Waiting For A Clean Box
Some cats are known to wait until right after the cat litter box has been cleaned to use it. This might seem like an example of cat behaviors to worry about, but its usually not very serious. Certain cats have specific preferences about how clean and odor-free they require a box to be before they will use it. In other cases, a cat feels the need to use a box right after its been cleaned to re-mark its territory and ensure its scents are reestablished on the box right away.
Helping A Stressed Cat
If youre concerned about your cats behaviour and are struggling to reduce stress, you might be referred to a qualified behaviourist who can identify the underlying cause of the stress and design a tailored behavioural plan for your cat. Make sure the behaviourist belongs to a regulated body like the Animal Behaviour and Training Council. Theyll be able to focus on the issue with your cats behaviour and help them to manage.
One way to help reduce stress is a plug-in pheromone diffuser like Feliway. You simply plug it in the room where your cat spends most of their time and it can help them to reduce their anxiety. However, it should be used in combination with medical and behavioural advice as it is one piece of the puzzle to help. It may not be that effective when used as a stand-alone treatment .
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Where Can You Learn More About Weird Cat Behaviors
The things cats do make us wonder if they came from outer space. Sometimes it makes us laugh, while other times, it scares us. It is hard to determine which behaviors are dangerous.
There are a lot of weird cat facts and information out there. If you are craving more insights about your furry friend, we can help. Check out our blog posts for more feline info.
Trevor Anderson wrote this article on behalf of FreeUp. FreeUp is the fastest-growing freelance marketplace in the US. FreeUp only accepts the top 1% of freelance applicants. to get access to the top freelancers in the world.
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Why Does My Cat Fart So Much 7 Reasons
Cats are graceful creatures, from their head to their barbed, expressive tail. Even their personalities reflect that sophistication and refinement. So, it can come as a bit of a surprise when your kitty lets one rip bad enough to clear the room.
Although most cat parents will never witness their cats pass gas, it does happen. When a cat farts, its silent and undetectable in odor. But if you have noticed that your cat is passing gas frequently, that could be a sign of an irritable digestive system.
But dont hit the panic button just yet. Most causes for your kitties’ flatulence are not life-threatening. In this guide, youll find the possible reasons why your cat farts so much and ways to help them manage their excessive flatulence.
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Bouncing Off The Walls
Cats and especially kittens can be very playful and energetic. Sometimes they expel all that energy by darting from room to room, jumping up and down on the furniture, and going a little crazy. This kind of behavior can also be a reaction to catnip, which can make cats act goofy for short periods of time.
All that vigorous activity is normal, but it can lead to injuries. Its helpful to look around your house and make sure your cats area is as safe as possible. For instance, put away things that could get knocked over and keep windows closed. Cats who fall out of windows can suffer from high-rise syndrome, which are injuries that can include: a broken jaw, fractured ribs, and other issues.
If this behavior is disrupting your household, you should find ways to help channel your cats energy. Make time to play games like chase to wear them out and provide them with interactive toys they can enjoy on their own. If youre at your wits end, talk with your veterinarian.
Behavior Modification To Relieve Cat Anxiety
If you try behavior modification, it will be up to you to put in the time and effort. As with all illnesses, it is best to start treatment early.
You will need to teach your cat some coping skills that can be used in a variety of settings. The goal of behavior modification is to change how your cat feels about a frightening stimulus . This change improves a cats prognosis instead of indefinitely avoiding the stimulus.
Two methods of behavior modification that may be recommended by your vet are desensitization and counterconditioning. Both of these methods require specific timing and the ability to read your cats body language and to notice the earliest signs of fear and stress.
Ask for help from your veterinarian or a veterinary behaviorist. If behavior modification does not work over the long-term, your veterinarian may want to modify the approach.
Desensitization
Desensitization is the repeated, controlled exposure to the stimulus that usually causes a fearful or anxious response. The key is that you expose your cat to the stimulus at a low level so that your cat does not show any signs of fear or stress.
A popular version involves playing a sound that your cat is afraid of at such a low volume that there is no fear or stress. After playing the sound three or four times at a low volume without a reaction, then you can increase the volume very slightly and repeat the process.
Counterconditioning
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Diagnosing Behavior Problems In Cats
, BSc, DVM, MRCVS, DACVB, DECAWBM, North Toronto Veterinary Behaviour Specialty Clinic
Many health problems faced by pet cats are associated with behavior problems or unmet expectations about behavior. Your veterinarian will first need to rule out any possible health problems that could be causing your cat’s behavior to change. For example, a medical condition could be causing your cat to become aggressive or to urinate in the house. Stress can also have effects on behavior and can contribute to the development of certain diseases, for example feline interstitial cystitis.
After ruling out medical causes, your veterinarian will take a behavioral history before making any diagnosis. A behavioral history generally includes the following items: 1) the sex, breed, and age of the cat 2) the age at onset of the condition 3) the duration of the condition 4) a description of the actual behavior 5) the frequency of the problem behavior 6) the duration of a typical episode 7) any change in pattern, frequency, intensity, and duration of episodes 8) any corrective measures tried and the response 9) any activities that stopped the behavior 10) the 24hour schedule of the cat and owner, as well as any day-to-day changes 11) the cats family history 12) the cat’s living conditions and environment and 13) anything else that the owner thinks is relevant.
Waking You Up At Night
Nothing is more frustrating than being fast asleep and waking you up by zooming through your hallway or bedroom. However, this is an entirely normal cat behavior thats an expression of their nocturnal hunting instincts.
Many wild cats save up energy during the day to hunt at night. Although our domesticated little lions no longer have the need to hunt prey after dark, they still need to find a way to release that energy which can result in some serious zoomies.
Late-night laps keeping you awake? To prevent this behavior, try exercising your cat as much as possible during the day, but avoid getting them riled up with play before bed to minimize random sprints and bursts of energy at night. You can also try feeding your cat before bed to decrease their need to hunt at night or give them a food puzzle to keep them occupied while you sleep.
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Eating The Cat Litter
This is certainly one of the stranger cat behaviors to worry about. If your cat is eating their cat litter, a trip to the vet is in order to rule out medical reasons for the behavior. Nutritional deficiencies or anemia could cause cats to eat litter. Kittens may nibble on litter when they are young and new to your home out of curiosity or boredom. Try enticing your kitty with a new toy and work in some more playtime throughout the day or introduce your cat to a food puzzle and cat grass for healthier activity.
Changes In Eating Habits & Appetite
Cats are often thought of as finicky eaters but they usually have very healthy appetites.
Understanding cat behavior means knowing that when a cat suddenly loses their appetite, it could be a sign of: upset stomach, stress, dental problems, intestinal parasites, a cardiac problem, ingestion of a toxic substance, or intestinal blockage. Loss of appetite may also be a sign of separation anxiety or depression.
On the other extreme, when cats suddenly have ravenous appetites, this could be a sign of either psychological distress or medical conditions that include diabetes, hyperthyroidism, or poor food absorption in the gastrointestinal system.
Understanding cat behavior to diagnose an emergency situation means also being on the lookout for sudden increased thirst, which may indicate a kidney or urinary tract problem.
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Not Grooming Or Overgrooming
While it may seem counterintuitive, pain can cause either an increase or a decrease in grooming behavior in cats.
For example, a cat with a painful bladder condition may overgroom their belly to the point of baldness. Some cats will also overgroom as a self-soothing behavior when they are anxious.
However, pain in a joint or multiple joints may cause a cat to avoid grooming that area altogether, so you may notice clumped or matted hair.
Cats that are obese also have difficulty grooming their hind legs and spine near the tail area, so you may see matting of the haircoat in these cats. If your cat has pain in their mouth, they may also not be able to groom comfortably.