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No, this is not about Kitty Boot Camp!
If training your cat to sit, stay and heel is your goal, perhaps you should get a dog. If training your cat to adroitly perch himself over your toilet to do his business is your goal, perhaps this article is not for you either. This article is for all of us who would be happy training our cats to just use the litter box instead of our comforter, closet or shoes. This is for owners who would be happy training their cat to use a scratching post instead of the stereo speakers. If you’re like me, you admire your cat for being a cat and you want him to behave as nothing other than a cat, but a well-behaved one.
Before we start training our cats to do something or to stop doing something, we need to look at how cats learn. They don’t understand English, they can’t read books or attend lectures. They learn by experience. If the experience is good, they will try to repeat it. If the experience is unpleasant, they will try to avoid it in the future. They enjoy raking the furniture with their claws, so they continue to do it. But it’s quite a shock when they stick their nose in a candle flame, so they won’t do that again.
The key to training is to make sure that whatever you want your cat to do is exceedingly rewarding and pleasurable. Whatever you don’t want your cat to indulge in must never be rewarding or fun, in fact, it must be unpleasant.
Sometimes we unintentionally reward our cats for obnoxious behavior. A common complaint is that the cat pounces on the owner at five in the morning, meowing up a storm and generally being a pest. What do the owners do? They get up and feed the cat, play with him or let him outside. Kitty has learned that his behavior gets him exactly what he wants. Read more on 5am activity. Read more on rambunctious behavior.
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The most common reason a cat will not use its litter box…
Because the litter box is dirty - from the cat’s viewpoint, not yours. Cats often react to any type of stress by suddenly urinating or defecating outside the litter box. The stress may be caused by a new cat in the neighborhood; children home on vacation; too many cats in the house; your going away on vacation or a new piece of furniture. Urinary tract problems also cause cats to urinate in places other than the litter box. Any sudden change in elimination habits should be discussed with your veterinarian.
Prevent House Soiling
Until your cat is reliably house trained, she should not have free run of your home. If your cat continually makes mistakes, the behavior can simply become a habit. Punishing a cat after the fact teaches her to be afraid of you. Scolding and then taking the cat to her litter box after she has already eliminated teaches her to associate the litter box with punishment. Basically, punishment doesn’t work with cats: prevention and praise for getting it right are the keys to training. When you leave the house for any length of time, your cat should be confined to a single room, preferably one with non-porous floors, such as a kitchen, bathroom, utility room, basement or garage. Provide your cat with a bowl of water and a warm place to sleep at one end of the room and a freshly cleaned litter box at the other end. Until the house soiling has been cured, your cat should have a regular feeding schedule so she will develop a corresponding elimination schedule. Read more on how cats learn.
The Litter Box
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Feline Aggression: Biting, Fighting, Scratching, Attacking
Not long ago, Motor and I were cuddled together; his gentle kneading and rhythmic purring locked me in a trance of relaxation and contentment. What a perfectly sweet, affectionate cat, I thought. The picture of a savage, wild animal never entered my mind. Motor is a neutered, male domestic house cat with nothing especially unique or different about him. He is just a normal, everyday real cat. He belongs to a long-time friend of mine and I see him every now and then.
Several weeks after our little cuddling session, I entered his yard (as I have on many occasions) but this time it was different. I had at the end of a leash a large terrier. I expected Motor to take one look at us and flee for his life. After all, didn’t Motor notice that this was no ordinary dog? Whenever Motor was spooked, he did what all good cats do. He ran for safety. His owner also assured me that he would either hide under the shed or dash up the tree to watch us from a safe distance.
But not this time. Before my very eyes, Motor transformed into an enraged, furious, wild animal. I knew then that we were in big trouble. I instructed the dog to sit-stay and she obediently froze like a statue. Within seconds, Motor hurled himself at us - biting, clawing and yowling. He backed off, circled us and flew in for a second attack, then a third. This happened about five times before the owner came out and rescued us. The entire time I kept moving around to keep myself between Motor and the dog who obediently remained motionless and quiet the entire time while I was screaming hysterically. We must have been a hilarious sight to see. I could envision the headlines: “Mild mannered kitty transforms into devil - attacks pitbull and animal behaviorist!”
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Rambunctious and Hyperactive Cat Behavior
If your cat is attacking you, your furniture, phantom spirits and invisible mice; if he’s bouncing off the walls and ceiling; knocking things off counter tops; stealing; carrying around or hiding the most unusual objects; don’t worry, your cat is quite normal. Much of this obnoxious behavior is caused by his acting out play and predatory behavior. If these events occur in the middle of the night or in the wee hours of the morning, don’t forget that cats are nocturnal animals. It’s normal for their activity level to peak late at night or early in the morning.
This frequently happens with lonely, bored cats that have an excess of energy and no where for that energy to go. They cannot chase real mice and birds, or climb real trees, so they develop other habits to entertain themselves.
Many of these problems can be prevented or cured by providing games, exercise and entertainment for your kitty. Get on the floor and play with your cat. Don’t just toss her a toy and expect her to play by herself. Tie a toy to the end of a string, toss it down the hall and reel it in, or slowly drag it across the floor. This gives kitty a moving target to chase and attack. Put a bird feeder outside a window so your cat can watch hummingbirds dive-bomb the fuchsia bush.
Sometimes kitten behavior, such as suckling and kneading, continues into adulthood. Provide your cat with something safe of his own towards which he can direct this behavior. If the cat decides to use you or your clothing for this activity, simply let him know you disapprove. A sudden, sharp shout or loud noise is usually sufficient. Remember to frequently encourage kitty to indulge himself with his own special suckling/kneading pillow, blanket or toy.
Often a cat’s misbehavior is actually reinforced by your unintentional rewards. The cat suddenly runs up, nips you on the ankle and runs off. You scream and chase him. Although you think you are reprimanding the cat, he probably thinks this is a fun game. Cats can also become pests, demanding attention and affection because when they come over to bug you, you give them what they want - food, attention or affection. Read more about how cats learn.
If your cat is scratching your furniture, shredding and destroying your home, you need to realize that your cat needs to scratch and climb. Scratching conditions your cat’s claws by removing the old layers of the nails. Scratching and climbing are highly enjoyable feline activities and are part of the essence of being a cat. Since your cat will want and need to scratch, provide her with a variety of scratching posts and teach her to use them. Until your cat can be trusted not to scratch and claw your furniture, she should not be allowed free run of your house when you are not there to supervise her. If your cat has a single favorite scratching site, this may be temporarily protected by covering it with some netting or loosely woven fabric. Cats do not like to snag their claws.
As a temporary measure you can confine your cat to an area where she cannot get into trouble. Confinement is not the answer to the problem, but it can be used to help train your cat to use a post when you are not home to actively train her. The confinement area should be well stocked with a variety of scratching and climbing posts. Since your cat will have no other choice of things to scratch, she will learn to scratch and climb her posts.
You can buy scratching posts at your pet store or you can build one yourself. Rough hewn 4×4’s set vertically with a few horizontal resting platforms are ideal. Whether buying carpet to cover a home made post or purchasing the finished item, remember to take along a comb to check that there are no loops in the carpeting which will snag the cat’s claws. You can also attach the carpeting underside-up, as the backing has a rough texture that cats enjoy.
Do you ever think your cat is neurotic?
Do you ever wonder if maybe you’re the one losing your mind and your cat is quite normal? Why do they do this to us? We love them, in fact we worship them, but still they deliberately leave puddles in our shoes, on our pillows, in the bathtub. When we come home 15 minutes late, they noisily protest that dinner was not served on time. But when we apologetically offer a gourmet feast, they turn away smugly denying us the opportunity to alleviate our guilt. Why do they pathetically cry to be let outside, and before you’ve barely shut the door, they’re anxiously waiting to be let back in?
It may be comforting to know that cats all over the world do these things. You’re not being singled out and picked on. There is no feline conspiracy. So before accusing your cat of being neurotic, or before booting kitty out of your home, let’s examine a few things about cat psychology.
This is Part One in a series of articles that will explain why cats do the things they do. Fortunately, we’ll never know or even come close to knowing everything. The feline mystique is what often attracts us to our cats and makes them so fun and interesting to live with. But it sure would be nice if we could understand them enough to stop them from urinating in our closet!
This issue’s article will cover the cat’s sense of smell. Scent plays a vital role in cat behavior and their sense of territory.
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Understanding Your Cat’s Social Nature and Behavior
Are cats social? Are cats solitary animals? Are they independent? Will a cat accept another cat into its home? Do cats fight for dominance? Are cats trainable? The answer to these questions is both yes and no.
Cats are indeed a solitary species. But they can and do live in groups. This seems confusing to us because we are social animals and have a difficult time understanding and accepting a different social structure. Our other companion pet, the dog, is also a social or pack animal. He fits right in with our way of thinking and living. The cat does not.
We tend to look at our pets as little people with human emotions and needs. When our cat does not accept or become friends with the new cat we bring home, we automatically think something is wrong and that both cats are unhappy. That’s because we’re superimposing on the cat our standards for “happiness.”
Cats can live in groups but they don’t need to. For social/pack animals such as humans and dogs, living and functioning as a group is a necessity. The process of domestication facilitates social interaction of cats with other cats and humans. Kittens are usually quite friendly and playful with other cats and their human family. They participate in family functions. We perpetuate these kitten qualities through ongoing care and play with them. The kitten matures physically, but mentally retains kitten-like behavior. Cats that retain kitten-like behavior adjust to and probably prefer group living.
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Understanding Your Cat’s
Predatory Behavior
Cats are born with a hunting and chasing instinct. But they are not necessarily born hunters that kill for food. Killing and eating prey are generally learned behaviors. Hunger will not automatically teach a cat to kill. A cat can be a skillful mouse killer and yet never eat a single mouse or even desire to eat one.
Kittens are programmed from birth to chase. Through play, they develop the coordination and timing needed to successfully capture their target. They learn to adjust their speed to the speed of moving objects. They learn to gauge distance by pouncing. Play gives the kitten a chance to learn to make judgments by experience.
The mother cat teaches her kittens to kill to eat. Her first lesson consists of bringing home dead prey and consuming it in front of the kittens. Soon they learn to join in. At the end of this stage, she brings the dead prey home and leaves it for the kittens to eat on their own. Cats will not only do this for their own litter, but for another cat’s kittens as well. Many cats (especially spayed females) will provide this lesson to their human owners. Thus, bringing home dead prey and dropping it at our feet.
The second lesson is bringing home partially dead prey and finishing off the kill in front of the kittens. The kittens are then allowed to practice their skills and learn to kill the wounded, slow-moving prey themselves. Gradually more prey is brought home until the kittens become skilled at catching and killing them. Finally the kittens accompany the mother and learn to hunt and kill completely on their own.
Why do cats often appear to torture or play with their catch before killing it? There are several theories. One theory is that these cats lack confidence. They may still be wary of their prey which if not killed quickly can fight and bite back. Another theory is that domestic cats who live in a relatively rodent-free environment lack the opportunity to catch real live prey. When they finally do catch a mouse, they want to prolong the “great” event as much as possible.
If socialization occurs extremely early, it is possible for cats to form friendships with prey animals. Even if a kitten grows up with a hamster or mouse, the two should never be left unattended. If the cat becomes over stimulated, it may suddenly attack and kill its friend without remorse. Generally, it is better not to try to force these natural enemies to become friends.
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Litter Box Training
Most Frequently Asked Questions
The single biggest cause of cat owner neurosis is - The Litter Box! Here are the most frequently asked litter box questions and the answers.
Why does my cat urinate in his litter box but sometimes defecate in my bathtub?
Cats urinate more frequently than they defecate so it is likely that after your cat has urinated, the litter box is now too dirty and repulsive to use again. He goes in the tub because it’s always clean there. Every time your cat soils the tub, you most likely clean it immediately, whereas the litter box may go an entire day before you get around to changing the litter. Given the choice of using a clean tub or dirty litter box, your fastidious cat will naturally use the cleaner area. If you are unable to change the litter box more frequently, get another litter box so at least one of them will be clean enough for him to use. He may continue to soil in the tub out of habit so either place another litter box in the tub, or discourage him from using it altogether by filling the tub with about 1/2 inch of water.
My cat prefers to use a back room closet for his litter box. Why won’t he use the litter box I have for him in the kitchen?
Cats like privacy to do their business. Kitchens are usually too busy a place for cats to feel privacy. Cats also don’t like to eliminate in their dining area. Even if you don’t feed your cat in your kitchen, he probably feels uncomfortable soiling in your dining area. I would take the path of least resistance and place his litter box in the back room closet. If that is not acceptable, then I would use a covered litter box near the closet he prefers.
Why is my cat spraying urine on me?
Urine spraying and marking are social, sexual and territorial behaviors. It’s also how cats express extreme emotions such as frustration. Your cat is trying to tell you sometime. Take a good look at what is going on in your home. First, is he neutered? Have there been any social changes, like a roommate moving in or out? Is there a new cat or dog in the neighborhood that he perceives as a rival or threat? Is he being mistreated in any way? Is he healthy? Are you neglecting him? Has your schedule and therefore his routine changed drastically? Are you “seeing another cat” outside your home and bringing back its scent on your clothing? All these things can cause a cat to spray or urine mark. Many people don’t realize it, but both male and female cats can urine mark.
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