Behavior in cats – what’s the norm?

Cats are very special creatures and despite man’s best efforts are not that far removed from their wild ancestors. They have a large range of behavioral patterns and a secret language of their own. So whilst we bring them into our homes and try to tame them they do tend to continue to know their own mind and ‘do their own thing’! This can be very frustrating for cat owners but the truth is you have to learn to live with a cat rather than the cat learn to live with you. Understanding why they behave the way they do can help you develop strategies to persuade your cat to do things the way you want.

©Jasmine Pang / Pexels

Dogs are probably easier to train because we set the expectation with our early interactions with dogs. Cats are very trainable, they just need to be introduced to the training game. Because cats are not dogs, you will notice that many cats work at a slower pace than some dogs. The key to cat training is to make sure that you make whatever you want your cat to do highly rewarding. Behaviors that you don’t want should be less likely to occur by setting up the environment for them to be successful in performing desired behaviors. Punishing cats does not work – they will just learn to do the behavior when you cannot see them! Some cats learn that certain behaviors result in a reaction from you and they might use those behaviors to get your attention and this attention is a reward that encourages your cat to continue this behavior. For example, when your cat is hungry, she might meow. If this results in you getting up to feed her, that behavior is likely to continue in the future and that is OK. If you prefer a different way for your cat to communicate with you, then strategies can be put into place to accomplish that.  

Cats are naturally very clean and litter training is easy in most cases. After feeding or waking encourage your kitten to one of their clean litter trays. When your cat gets to the box, scratch the litter to get her interested. The litter tray must always be kept clean so that your cat learns it is a great place to be. If your cat uses the tray, wait for her to exit the box and then let her know how pleased you are.

Many owners find it difficult to get used to the fact that their cute pet is also a proficient hunter. It is especially difficult to live with a cat that insists on bringing his prey home. Hunting is a very strong instinct in cats and they will continue to chase and catch prey even when they are well fed. Kittens instinctively use hunting behavior in their play and as they get older they develop the techniques through practice.

You will not be able to stop your cat hunting unless you keep them indoors all the time. Fitting a bell on a collar may reduce the number of animals that your cat catches.

Claws are an important part of the armory of cats in the wild. They use them for hunting, fighting, climbing and communicating. It is important therefore that the claws are kept in good condition. Scratching conditions your cat’s claws by removing the old layers of the nails. Cats may scratch at furniture in order to keep their claws sharp but usually you can teach them to scratch a human approved surface.   

To minimize destructive scratching, provide an environment of plenty, plus routine environmental enrichment to reduce stress. Provide appropriate outlets for scratching that take into account your cat’s preferred location and surface attributes such as vertical or horizontal position, height, and type of material. Characteristics of an ideal scratching post might include sisal rope as a substrate, a vertical scratching surface, greater than 3 feet tall, two or more levels, and a base width of between 1 and 3 feet. Provide variety (vertical and horizontal scratching surfaces) and assess individual preferences. While most cats prefer sisal rope, the textures of carpet, corrugated cardboard, or wood may be more similar to the items being scratched inappropriately. 

Place scratching posts or boards near problematic scratched objects and near cat lounging areas. Favored locations for scratching seem to be near sleeping and eating areas and in other prominent areas the cat frequents.  

Reinforce your cat for interest in and use of the appropriate scratching posts. Catnip and the dispersion of toys near or on the scratching post/board may make it more intriguing. 

Prevent access to areas (furniture) where undesirable scratching behavior occurs. This includes providing supervision and temporarily blocking the cat’s access to certain items in conjunction with directing scratching to preferred locations. If unable to block access, consider changing the surface texture. Covering the item with a slick and smooth surface, such as plastic wrap or aluminum foil, may make the area less attractive. Alternatively, spray synthetic calming feline cheek marking pheromones onto problematic areas to induce cheek gland marking behavior instead of scratching.  

If preventive techniques have failed and your cat is scratching an inappropriate object, calmly redirect your cat. Interrupt by getting the cat’s attention in a friendly manner such as calling her name, snapping your fingers, or making a meow sound. Redirect her to an appropriate scratching area and reinforce her with verbal encouragement and possibly treats for scratching the desired item. 

Avoid punishment in the form of verbal reprimands or squirting the cat with water; these actions create fear, anxiety, and distrust and teach the cat to perform the behavior only when you are not present. Punishment may lead to other unwanted marking behaviors, such as anxiety related urine marking. Punishment does not satisfy your cat’s motivation for using her claws to scratch or teach her an appropriate location for scratching, but it does teach her to avoid you.  

If you cat persists in this behavior you may need to get some advice from your veterinarian to help you deal with it.