Cat Behavior Advice & Guides- Page 19 of 19

Cat Behavior

From resolving problems like urinating outside of the litter box to avoiding scratches during playtime, knowledge about feline behavior is a cat care essential.

Browse our cat behavior articles for expert-written, expert-reviewed guides that will help you troubleshoot and understand your cat’s habits, motivations, and moods.

Popular Topics

Aggression

Peeing Outside the Box

Cat Language

Sleep

Vocalizations

Stress

Catnip

Kneading

Purring

Biting

Aggression

Aggression is a threatening behavior in cats, often a response to stress, pain, conflict between cats, fear of humans, territorial fights, or redirected aggression. In younger cats, play aggression is a common issue and requires teaching the kitten how to play appropriately and safely. Treating the aggression may require reducing stress, using synthetic pheromones, a medical exam by your vet, and consulting a feline behaviorist.

Learn More: 10 Causes of Aggression in Cats and How To Help

Peeing Outside the Box

Cats who do not use the litterbox may have a health or behavioral issue. They may stop using their box if it is too dirty, small, in a noisy place, or if there is a new litter substrate. Conflict between cats and underlying medical problems are also possible causes. Your vet can examine your cat and check a urine sample for signs of infection or inflammation if that is suspected.

Learn More: 6 Common Reasons Why Cats Pee Outside the Litter Box

Cat Language

Cats communicate through vocalizing, body language, and scent marking. Vocalizing involves familiar sounds such as purring, meowing, hissing, and growling. Body language focuses on ear, eye, and tail position along with body posture. Urine spraying and scratching are both examples of scent marking and can pose a problem when done in the home.

Sleep

Cats sleep for 12-18 hours a day, sometimes even longer, and they’re polyphasic in their sleeping pattern; this means instead of one long sleep, they sleep multiple times per day. Cats are also crepuscular, which means that they’re most active at dawn and dusk, so they will usually sleep at other times of the day.

Vocalizations

Cats use vocalizations to communicate with us and other cats. Vocalizations may be happy sounds such as purring, chirping, and gentle meowing. If cats are scared or feeling threatened they may vocalize with hissing, growling, and howling. It’s important to interpret your cat’s vocalizations so that you know if they want to be approached or if they want to be left alone.

Stress

Stress is a common cause of behavioral and medical problems in cats. Many things may cause stress in cats including a change in routine, a house move, a new baby in the home, or conflict between cats. Stressed cats may hide away and act differently. Synthetic pheromone diffusers and addressing the cause of stress may help your cat feel more at ease.

Learn More: Stress in Cats: Causes, Symptoms, & Treatment

Catnip

Catnip is a herb, part of the mint family, that is used as a treat. Most cats love to rub, roll, and zone out around catnip. They may vocalize and act excited around a catnip plant. These effects are temporary and usually wear off within thirty minutes.

Learn More: What Is Catnip? Why Cats Like It

Kneading

Cats knead by rhythmically moving their front paws up and down, also known as “making biscuits.” They do this when they’re content and happy and will often do this on their owners. Kneading is usually a sign of contentment. Cats also sometimes do this to stretch, soothe themselves, and deposit pheromones from their paws.

Purring

Cats make a purring noise for several reasons, and the most well-known is when they are happy. While this is usually a sign of contentment, cats can also purr when they’re in distress or trying to communicate.

Learn More: Why Do Cats Purr?

Biting

Cats may bite in self-defense if they feel scared or threatened or as a form of inappropriate play. Biting can become a serious behavioral problem, and it’s best to seek professional help from your vet or a feline behaviorist early on if you notice frequent biting.

Learn More: Cat Love Bites: 5 Reasons Why They Do It & How To Respond

Recent Articles

A graceful and alert cat, poised in a quiet and contemplative stance, exuding an air of elegance and mystery.

Cat Behavior

Why Do Cats Purr?

We all know that precious, calming sound of your purring feline friend. Surely, it must be because your little ball of fur is happy and content, right? Well, not always actually. What Does it Mean...

Cats.com Editorial Team

Behavioral Problems in Cats

8 Tips To Stop a Cat From Spraying

Cats come from wild cats and it is a natural behavior to mark their territory. For a cat, spraying an area is like leaving their personal calling card. However, in our civilized world, marking inside...

Dr. Margit Gabriele Muller, MBA MRCVS D Vet Hom ACC CLC M.NLP & P.NLP

Cat Behavior

Is My Cat Depressed? Signs, Symptoms & How to Help

Have you ever wondered, "is my cat depressed"? It wasn’t long ago that people thought of animals as not having many feelings at all, but we now know that cats and other animals feel a...

Jackie Brown

An image depicting a concerning situation where a cat is urinating on a bed.

Behavioral Problems in Cats

Why Is My Cat Peeing on the Bed

Elimination in unacceptable locations particularly on an owner’s bed is serious stuff which might drive a pet parent to madness and sadly to cat relinquishment, abandonment even euthanasia. All feline species use their urine to...

Melina Grin

Behavioral Problems in Cats

Excessive Meowing In Cats Explained (Causes And Solutions)

Meowing and purring are the main forms of vocalization in cats. While most cat owners don’t mind if their pet purrs a lot, it’s different when a cat meows excessively. As well as the worry...

Dr. Pete Wedderburn, DVM

Cat Behavior

Do Cats Have A Sense Of Taste?

Cats do have a sense of taste, but it's significantly different from ours. Let's talk about your cat's sense of taste and what makes it unique. Like people, cats have five main senses: touch, sight,...

Jackie Brown

Cat Behavior

When Does A Cat Reach Full Size?

Cats come in all sizes. Big cats, little cats, stocky cats, thin cats and everything in between. A lot of how big a cat will get depends on what breed they are, the nutrition they...

Cats.com Editorial Team

Cat Behavior

Do Cats Have Emotions?

Cats are wrongly perceived as indifferent and ‘none of your business’ type pets. Oftentimes, especially to non-cat people, they are seen as aloof and disengaged. Various researches done on canines' minds have piled up through...

Cats.com Editorial Team

An outdoor adventure for an awesome cat, exploring the natural world with curiosity and excitement, embodying the spirit of feline exploration.

Behavioral Problems in Cats

Why Do Kittens Bite? How To Properly Handle Kitten Aggression

You just got a new baby kitten, and it’s so cute and playful, but for some reason, it keeps biting you. It does not want to stop and you don’t know what to do. This...

Cats.com Editorial Team