Cat Behavior

While playing isn’t a magic wand, it almost appears as one. In cases when problems are caused by boredom, which causes the majority of behavior problems with indoor cats, increased playtime alone can help turn things around. In this article you are going to learn how to play with your cat and how playing can help solve cat behavior problems.

Aggression towards humans is one of the most serious cat behavior problems reported by owners. Injuries caused by cats are not only painful and slow to heal, cat bites and scratches can also spread zoonotic diseases.

Is your cat scared of people, particularly strangers? Does your cat hide under the bed whenever someone is visiting? Does he hiss at your guests or even pee all over their stuff? There are good reasons to change these behaviors. First, it might just feel wrong to leave your cat out of all the fun. Second, your cat might be anxious, stressed and unhappy. And third, your cat’s behavior can cause inconvenience for your guests or even prevent you from inviting people over.

Getting a cat to use his scratching post seems like an impossible task for many cat owners. Wherever they place it, the cat will always choose something else, such as a carpet, a couch, or a wall.

What’s that rustling sound over there? That’s a cat eating a plastic bag left on the floor. Cats are known for their curiosity and habit of eating nonfood items, such as plastic bags, wool blankets, shoelaces, paper, power cords, pebbles, and stainless steel. In this article, you will learn why do cats eat plastic. Is it dangerous? How do you stop your cat from eating plastic wrappings and shower curtains?

For a long time, it has been generally accepted that cats and dogs naturally don’t get along well. And there is no smoke without fire. Even if your dog is not at all aggressive, his or her active approach to greeting and “hugging” may be too much for your cat to take. This may end either in the cat being chased into the corner or under the bed or with your dog’s nose scratched. But can it be the other way round? Can cats and dogs become friends? Of course.

Cat behavior problems are the most probable threat to loving relationship between you and your cat. Luckily, you have the power to control them! See our list of the most common behavioral problems, from litter box avoidance to biting and scratching during play, as well as solutions to these problems.

Do you have a cat who is shy? One who is timid and insecure and constantly hides under the bed? Maybe among your several cats there is one who never interacts with others? In this article, you will learn to communicate with a shy cat effectively and how to boost confidence in insecure cats.

Grooming is a natural behavior of cats, but should a cat be licking its skin and perhaps even losing hair because of it? Of course not, that isn’t normal. In this article, you are going to learn about the most common causes of excessive grooming in cats, and several ways to prevent your cat from overgrooming itself.

Our colleague veterinarian recently asked for Maris’ opinion as a cat behaviorist because she was invited to sell cat toilet training kits in her clinic. She already had her doubts and, after a short phone conversation, she was convinced. Selling toilet training kits  would sure bring in some extra money, but it would not be the best for her clients and patients.