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515 results for “Cat Behavior”
Signs Your Cat Feels Neglected
Cats are sensitive souls, and when they feel short on affection they show it in quiet, telling ways. From carelessness and slipping health to blanket-sucking, constant clinginess, mischief, and separation anxiety, these six behaviors signal a cat craving more of your attention. If life has kept you busy, make time to give that love back.
Why Neutered Cats Still Show Signs of Heat
A neutered male may still act horny for a few weeks while hormones clear. Rarely (1–3%, more in purebreds) a retained testicle (cryptorchid) is the cause—check for penile spines, which signal remaining testosterone. Late neutering can leave old habits plus triggers like a female in heat. Neutered females may show heat from post-op hormone clearance, incomplete ovary removal (tissue left behind), or outside hormones (a steroid cream, adrenal disease). Never neuter during heat; if signs appear after, review and consult a vet or online vet to tell true heat from stress-mounted behavior.
Why Cats Scratch and How to Set Up a Scratching Spot
Scratching is normal cat behavior, not a flaw to cure. Cats do it to keep claws sharp for hunting, climbing, and escape; to leave scent from the paw pads and mark territory; and to stretch and loosen the body after a nap. The owner's job is to guide it, not stop it. Offer at least one horizontal and one vertical scratcher, each at least 1.5 times the cat's body length, or DIY with sisal rope on a table leg or a cardboard box. Avoid plastic claw caps — they work against the cat's nature.
Why Do Cats Bury Their Poop?
When a cat scratches litter over its business, it is acting on instinct rather than manners. In the wild a cat is both hunter and prey, so burying waste hides its scent from other animals. Within a group, a subordinate cat buries to avoid conflict and signal 'I am not a threat' — so a diligent burier may actually be working hard to fit into your home and begging not to be rejected. Cats also simply dislike the smell. Reading the behavior helps us live better with a partly wild companion.
How to Avoid Getting Scratched by Your Cat
The core idea is status: if the cat knows you rank above it, it accepts your rules. Trim nails to avoid accidental scratches—do it while the cat is calm, in a quiet room, ideally with a second person offering treats. Keep respect through feeding (don't overfill) and immediate, non-hand punishment for bad behavior. Keep physical and emotional distance during play, use a laser pointer, and train obedience so the cat follows your lead instead of attacking.
Is Choosing a “Good” Cat Really Necessary?
A cat's temperament comes from breed and from the individual. Ragdolls tend gentle; Chinese Li Hua are independent hunters. Even in one litter, the top kitten is confident and friendly while the outcast may be anxious and spray. Rather than chase a 'good' breed, socialize the cat young—expose it to people and things before three months so it grows up unfazed. Show extra care to outcast kittens, and for semi-feral or highly aggressive adults, keep a respectful distance and just provide food.
Why Your Cat’s Jaw Chatters at the Window
If your cat stares at a bird outside the window and starts a rapid jaw quiver with a soft clicking or chattering sound, that is the famous feline 'chatter.' It is a relic of the hunting sequence: in the wild a cat seizes prey by the neck and trembles its jaws to drive the teeth in quickly, and the sight of a bird or a mock-prey toy makes a house cat replay that instinct mentally. The behavior is normal and healthy — and a reminder that cats stay partly wild, so they need a daily outlet for their hunt.
Why Cats Drink From the Foot Basin
It looks odd, but a cat eyeing the foot basin is usually acting on instinct rather than mischief. Two forces drive it: a strong pull toward fresh water, and outside stimulation. Cats trust running, wide-surface water more than a stale bowl, and the warmth and motion of a foot bath read as fresh and interesting. The steam and a moving foot also stir their curiosity and nose. The takeaway is that strange drinking habits signal an unmet need — cats are only partly domesticated, so the better fix is to meet the need than to fight the habit.
Why Cats Drink With Their Paws
Many owners are puzzled when a cat scoops water with a paw instead of lapping from the bowl, and wonder how to stop it. The habit usually points to something practical: a bowl so narrow it touches the whiskers, water sitting too low, a preference for moving water rooted in wild ancestry, fading eyesight in older cats, or a lack of security that makes the cat watch its surroundings while drinking. Once the real cause is fixed — a wider bowl, fresher water, a fountain — most cats drop the pawing. Gentle, consistent redirection does the rest.
Why Is Your Cat Meowing So Much?
Frequent meowing is like a baby's cry—usually a need or a bid for security. Check the basics first: hunger (refill food), thirst (cats hate stale overnight water—change it daily, use cooled boiled or purified), a dirty or moved litter box, temperature (or tight clothing), and pest bites (time to deworm). Heat (intact cats, females ~6 months, males ~10) and illness or pain are next; do a one-minute body and stool check, and consult a vet if it persists. Some breeds (Devon Rex, Li Hua, Ocicat) are just chattier, and some cats learn that meowing earns treats—reward quiet instead.