Behavior and Training

Ahhh, cat behavior issues. 

We see a lot of cats for these.  Not to anthropomorphize cats, but then again if you are a cat lover you do anyway, but sometimes interacting with cats can be like interacting with toddlers or teenagers.  They will push the limits and when caught doing something they shouldn't, they will either act very innocent, like "who me?", or they will just stare at you like "so what?, I'll do what I want to do anyway".  Cats can also be very passive aggressive in terms of they seem to be very good at letting you know that they are upset about something by doing something that will get your attention such as urinating or defecating outside of the litter box, or scratching on something that they know they aren't supposed to scratch on after they get yelled at for something else.  Don't give them too much credit though.  Just because it sure seems like they are plotters and revenge getters, that doesn't mean that if you yell at them or punish them for something after the fact, that they will have any idea what they are in trouble for - they will just learn to fear you.

Cats are very high energy animals, especially when they are young, and they do get bored easily.  If they were out in the wild, they would have no shortage of things to occupy their time.  But, when we bring them indoors, there isn't always a whole lot for them to do, especially when you are gone at work all day.  As a result, we can see a lot of destructive behaviors, many of which can be alleviated by increasing their stimulation during the day so they have something to do all day.  We can also see aggression in cats - this is not a good thing and needs to be nipped in the bud quickly when they are young.  Cats also do not handle stress well.  Cats like routine and the safety of their home environment.  They like to be in control and decide what they are going to do and when they are going to do it.  Anything that changes this can cause stress to your cat, which can result in behavioral issues.

Probably the most common behavior issues we see cats for are:

• Inappropriate elimination
• Aggression
• Destruction
• Poorly timed attention seeking

You can also train your cat to minimize stress for both you and your cat in a proactive manner.  If you forsee a potential problem or stressor for your cat, there are things you can do to make life easier for both of you, and prevent behavior issues later. 

Some of the more common questions that we get about behavior and training cats are:

• Can I train my cat to not scratch on the furniture?
• How do I get my cat in a carrier?
• My cat gets so stressed going to the vet.  Is there any way to reduce that?
• I need to travel long distance with my cat.  What is the best way to do that?
• I'm moving?  How do I do this with my cat?
• We are having a new baby.  What about the cat?

While you cannot completely prevent all stress issues or potential behavior issues in your cat, there are a lot of things that you can do to minimize their stress as much as possible.

Keep reading for more information! 

Feline Inappropriate Elimination

Traveling With Your Cat

Scratching on Furniture

Aggression