Cats make wonderful pets and great companions. But when your cat’s behavior begins to become destructive or disruptive for your household, problems can result. These types of problems are one of the most common reasons cats are surrendered to shelters and similar facilities.
Types of Feline Behavior that Are Considered Inappropriate
Many of the cat behaviors that are considered by people to be inappropriate are in fact perfectly normal cat behaviors from your cat’s perspective. Examples of these behaviors include:
- clawing furniture, carpeting and other surfaces
- aggressive behavior toward fellow feline housemates
- chasing and/or biting the feet, legs and hands of people
- marking behavior, including urine marking and spraying
Fortunately, in most cases, it is possible to modify the cat’s environment in order to eliminate or at least reduce the undesirable behavior. This is a process known as behavior modification.
Behavior Modification Techniques for Cats
Feline behavior modification is multifaceted and involves changing your cat’s environment to suit his needs. By making certain that all of your cat’s basic needs are met, you will also be able to curtail or redirect many of his natural instincts.
These are some basic behavior modification techniques you should implement for your cat.
- Provide an adequate number of litter boxes, particularly in a multi-cat household. In homes with more than one cat, there should be at least one litter box for each cat plus one more.
- Provide an adequate number of feeding and water stations, particularly in a multi-cat household. Some cats will guard their resources and keep other cats in the household from using them. Supplying an additional food and water station will alleviate this type of competition.
- Provide hiding places for your cat, such as boxes, carriers or other areas where your cat can retreat to feel safe.
- Provide perches for your cat at eye-level or above. Resting or sleeping on a perch can help make your cat feel safer because he will be able to see perceived threats approaching more easily from an elevated position. Consider placing a perch near a window where your cat can enjoy watching the outdoor activity.
- Provide toys with which your cat can play. Experiment with different types of toys and find out which kinds of toys your cat prefers. Most cats like toys they can chase and stalk, but some prefer toys that roll or move across the floor while others prefer toys that move through the air (such as a laser pointer).
- Provide an area where your cat is able to retreat and be left alone if he is overwhelmed or frightened. This area should be large enough to include a litter box, food and water bowls and a bed or sleeping area for your cat.
- Provide scratching posts where your cat is able to sharpen his claws. Consider providing both upright and flat scratching posts. Some cats have a preference. Also try providing scratching posts constructed of different materials. Some cats prefer different textures to sharpen their claws.
For more information about behavior modification in cats, visit the Indoor Pet Initiative.
Photo Courtesy of pinguino/Flickr.com
