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Cats

Common Cat Behavior Problems & Solutions

Cat Behavior Problems & Solutions
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Cat Pregnancy Calculator And Timeline

What could be better than having a furry, four-footed feline friend? While a dog aims to please their boss, our feline friends have a more inquisitive agenda.

But still, a well-timed nuzzles or purr is enough to put a smile in your face. Life with a cat isn’t all about catnip and cuddles.  Common cat behavior problems can leave you feeling frustrated and out-of-sync with your fuzzy feline friend.

Also, living with cats can be quite fur-tastic ― well, that doesn’t just mean because of the cat hair on the furnishings.

Most common cat behavior problems have easy solutions.

The answer would be evident if you know you are dealing with a medical problem, right?

If your cat started limping, coughing, bleeding, had stopped eating or seemed in pain, you’d call your veterinarian to arrange an appointment immediately. But when it comes to behavior problems, most of the pet parents tend to create own solution to the situation based on assumptions.

They over-complicate or under-evaluate. The specific causes and details of all cat behavior problems are impracticable to document in a piece of writing because each condition is based on your cat’s unique circumstances.

But thankfully, many of these undesirable behaviours can be corrected.

Scratching Behavior Problems In Cats

Cat’s claws can make a severe snag in your decorating plans. Scratching is not only a way for a cat to mark her territory; it’s also to maintain the health of her claws.

It leaves an olfactory mark (she has scent glands in the paw pads) and a visual mark.  Stable, textured and tall furnishings are the ideal scratching destination for cats, so the ploy is to mimic it and present more attractive scratching options.

When your cat bites or scratches your hand, she probably thinks she’s playing with you. The good news is that most cats can be trained to act gentler with people—provided that if you give them opportunities to express their aggression in fairways.

You can redirect them to dig their claws into scratching posts and other toys. Persuade your cat to use a scratching post by sprinkling catnip on it and placing it in front of the things you don’t want them to scratch.

Nail caps and pheromones can be used on an on-going basis to facilitate if your cat insists on scratching the furniture.

Vocalization Behavior Problems In Cats

If your cat has suddenly become very vocal (excessive Meowing), maybe, your exceptionally chatty cat probably wants to spend some quality time with her favourite boss (if no health problems are present).

Meowing is reserved for their communications with others. Obviously, the amount of meowing varies by breed and by every single cat. Oriental breeds (e.g. Siamese cats) are known as great “talkers”.

Most of the cats seem to want to carry on a conversation with their owners while others just seem to like to hear their own voices.

You’ve at last fallen asleep, when suddenly you hear your cat Meowing and howling at the top of their lungs outside your bedroom door.

Try to figure out the cause first if your cat is talking a little more than you’d like. Then you can then work to get your cat to meow less.

Aggression - Cat Behavior Problems

Aggression, defined as violent or hostile behavior intended to intimidate or dominate another individual, is a fairly common cat behavior problem.

The aggression can be due to stress and disturbance or from a medical problem that causes pain or hormonal changes in a cat.

After ruling out unseen medical conditions with your vet, the easiest way to stop the aggressive behavior is by observing your cat for any stressors that cause them to be aggressive.

Disliking other pets in the household, seeing other cats outside through windows, food aggression, as well as stress and anxiety are just a few examples of things that can make your cat to act aggressively.

Spending some quality time with your cats, blocking your cat’s triggers (such as window curtains if there are outdoor cats), arranging dividers between food bowls and litter boxes, may be simple solutions as well.

Experts say that it is very important not to pacify an aggressive cat more, as this may be perceived as approval of aggression.  The better way to handle fear aggression is lack of attention.

But don’t overdo it. Cats that have recently given birth and are nursing kittens may demonstrate aggression toward individuals that approach them. Owners should provide a silent, low-stress environment and keep visitors to a minimum.

Once the kittens get older and more independent, maternal aggression will usually subside.

Recommended Read: Cat Care Tips

Litter Box - Cat Behaviour Problem

Litter box issues are high on any cat owner’s list of objectionable behaviors.

When your cat stops using her litter box, anything and everything in your home can become a potential target of urine or faeces which can be extremely frustrating.

Check with your vet to rule out any underlying health problems.  It’s time to take a good look at your litter. How clean is it? Clean enough to meet a cat’s exacting standards? Because Cats dislike dirty toilets, just like we do.

Still not having any success?  Ensure that the litter is in a nice, private place. Try changing the litter—the brand you selected could be frustrating for your cat, or just not meeting her expectations.

Is Your Cat Keeping You Awake At Night?

What has happened to the feline alarm clock? These precocious cats will do whatever it takes to get their favorite person attention (meows, hisses, growls, squeals, pawing, pouncing, etc).

Does your cat constantly wake you at night?  You don’t have to suffer from cat-related sleep deprivation. Understand your cat’s nighttime behavior and actually, they are nocturnal animals. Is she just being too noisy after bedtime? Or waking you up “on purpose”?

Those who already have a sleep disorder, it is best that they shouldn’t encourage the cat to sleep in your bedroom (eventually cats will understand your bedroom is off-limits at all times).

Arrange a spare room nearby your bedroom and give your cat a comfortable bed. Also, you can adopt a second cat will offer companionship during the day and will lessen those nocturnal urges to wake you for play.

How Much Shedding Is Normal?

Cats tend to shed naturally and shedding is to get rid of the dead hair. A certain amount of shedding is totally normal. Actually, cats go through one or two large sheds and hair growth cycles per year.

Although it is perfectly normal for cats to shed, excessive shedding should be a cause for concern. There may be a medical condition as the underlying cause for the shedding which needs to be treated by your vet immediately.

You may also need to visit the vet if the skin under your cat’s hair is reddened, rutted or swollen. The skin should be clean and white for a healthy cat.

Shedding depends on many factors, for example, the environment of the cat and whether it spends more time indoors or outdoors. Indoor cats shed gradually all through the year while outdoor cats shed more in the spring months.

Shed cycles vary with each cat and it may or may not match up with the seasons.

Another way to establish whether or not you should be concerned by your cat’s hair loss is to assess the quality of the coat (that goes through a series of growth cycles).

There will not be any texture changes in a normal, healthy cat. A healthy coat looks soft, spotless and uniform.

However, cats that are under stress or any underlying medical condition or infections will have sharpness in the coat, as if the ends been chewed off.

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