Cat Behavior Questions

Tips To Help You Understand Your Cat Behavior

What is it about cats that people find so frustrating about cat behavior? If you were to ask a dog lover this question, they would probably say that cats "don't listen", the are too independent and aloof for their liking. Cats do listen, but the truth is they don't feel a need to please the "alpha" of the pack - you.

Cats are not pack animals; there is no instinctual drive within them that says they have to be submissive to one leader. Cats don't require a lot of praise, they can take it or leave it. A cat's only motivation is to survive the same as the big cats do, only on a much smaller scale.

Don't let this blase attitude fool you, though. Cats are highly intelligent creatures and they are capable of learning. You may not be able to teach your cat how to roll over or to fetch (although there are some felines that play this game on their own), but you can train them to stop using your speakers as a scratching post or refrain from jumping on the kitchen table the moment your back is turned.

Where a dog might give in to a firm voice and accept you as the boss, a cat is extremely stubborn and trying to dominate the feline won't work. In order to train a cat, you have to learn to communicate and think like a cat.

Cats are solitary creatures. Unlike their canine counterparts, cats can go for long periods of time without ever seeing another of its kind. Their language doesn't have to be as complex as that of dogs. Most of the time, cat behavior and language is very straightforward.

For example, there is no mistaking the message behind the classic "Halloween Cat" pose. You know right away when a cat is frightened or angry. Cats also give off certain scents depending on their mood. Of course, with a human's limited capacity for picking up scents, we can't smell most of these subtle chemical changes.

Along with body language and scent, cats also communicate vocally. Many cat owners will tell you that their cats "talk" to them. The classic "meow" can be interpreted so many ways.

If you listen carefully enough, you can often hear question in the inflection of the sound. There's a meow for, "I know you're opening a can of tuna!" There are meows and soft, rumbling purrs that mean, "Are you getting out of bed yet?"

When cats get excited, you might hear them chirp. They might greet you with a trilling sound when you come home. There is the wailing of a female cat in heat and the growling of the one-night-stand going on under your bedroom window in the middle of the night. Last but not least, there's purring when your cat is utterly content.

You may need to observe cat behavior and work at listening to the vocal communications of your pet for some time. Having an eye on what your cat does will help you narrow down what your cat is thinking.

You may soon even be able to react to what your cat might try to do before he does it. Learning about cat behavior can go far in helping you to train your cat.

Mike Selvon owns a number of niche portal. Please visit our cats portal for more great tips on cat behavior, and leave a comment at our cats blog.

Siamese Cat behavior question?
I am going away for 9 days and am leaving my cat at home with my husband's mother to take care of. The problem is that he has long hair and needs brushed, and I am the only one he will let do it. When my husband's mother tries he looks at her and hisses. He won't even let her or anyone else pick him up. Why is he being like this towards other poeple (and sometimes bitiing as well)?? What can we do in the next week to make him like others and not be so attached to me? he is 3 years old.

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Cat behavior question - why does the cat sometimes attack my wife?
We have the most loving, person oriented cat possible. We've both had other cats but this cat is the best cat either of us have ever had. He is a little over 2 years old, neutered, orange tabby. 98% of the time, he is just a big purr ball of love. However every once in a while he seems to freak out and attack my wife - lunge at her and bite her. He never does that to me. His attacks do not correspond to my wife's monthly cycle in any way. Yet we wonder if because he never attacks me, is this some kind of male/female issue? The only semi-frequent repetitive condition we can tie to these attacks seems to be when she is trying to discipline him and tells him "NO". (Even this frequency is less than 50%.) Sometimes he acts bored and like he doesn't get played with enough. Otherwise, he's a happy cat. Anybody out there - owners or trainers - have any idea on why he attacks her or suggestions on how to handle the situation? Oh, yes, forgot to tell you he is strictly an indoor cat. He has all his claws.

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Is mail to Yahoo! Answers usually ignored or replied to nonsensically?
Me: post innocuous question re. cat behaviour. Question rapidly deleted as 'violation of community guidelines.' Me: re-post same question. Question rapidly deleted as 'violation of community guidelines.' Me: re-post question. Question stays; gets reasonable answers. Me: mail to Y! Answers: Why did my question get deleted a couple of times? Y! Answers: Because you posted the same question three times. Me: Yes, but I posted it three times because it got deleted twice. At no time was the same question active on the site. So, why did it get deleted, costing me 15 points in lieu of 5 to ask a reasonable question? Y! Answers: (nothing) ??? !!! Is that sort of useless, then non-, reply common? Re. "I am curious as to what your question was though" -- I asked why cats are inclined to lick people as well as themselves.

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Cat behavior question...roaming the house?
I would really like for my cat 2 be able 2 roam around the house without supervision instead of having 2 keep him in the bathroom while everyone is asleep and while we're gone during the day, but im afraid he will get into things because during the day we have 2 knock him off of counters and take things away from him b/c he chews them up.. soo... any advice on what to do?

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Strange cat behavior question,,,,?
My cat went missing for a week, i found her outside and i noticed she was really scared and very thin. i was trying to brush her hair [she used to like that] and out of no where she starts growling and she bit me. I have no idea what went on when she was gone or where she could have been at...i'm affraid that maybe she had a bad encounter with someone that may have treated her bad and now she's angry towards everybody. I don't know what to do and im very concered she will never be that sweet cat i used to have. is this normal if so what should i expect and do?

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