Rewarding desirable behaviors with positive reinforcement techniques (such as treats or favorite toys) can help you teach your cat to urinate, defecate, climb, scratch, or perch in appropriate locations. Clicker training Behavior Modification Techniques can be particularly useful to reward desirable behaviors.
Provide your cat with plenty of toys and spend some time every day throwing a ball or crumpled up piece of paper for your cat to chase. Redirecting your cat to perform these natural behaviors where and when you feel is appropriate is the best way to deal with these problems.
House soiling, aggression and scratching are the most common cat behavior issues. Most of the behaviors that people consider issues (e.g., chewing, biting and scratching) are actually normal cat behaviors. Unfortunately, they are unacceptable to many of us.
Toys that can be chased, swatted, and batted should be provided. Species appropriate punishment such as “hissing” or the use of punishment devices such as a water sprayer, can of compressed air, or hand held alarm are better than using any physical techniques since they are less likely to lead to fear and retaliation.
On top of the physical discomfort, spraying your cat with water doesn't actually teach your cat better behaviors and could end up seriously confusing her. What you think is just a bad behavior, like hissing, is actually something she's doing because she's afraid or stressed.
A cat may become aggressive for all kinds of reasons, including illness, overcrowding, lack of socialization, maternal protection, even simple play. To help you deal with aggression between cats: Discuss your cat's aggression with your vet.
Cats are juniors until the age of 2, and like human children, may start to show a different temperament between 6 months and 2 years old, even progressing from the (sometimes) defiant 'Terrible Two's' to becoming a stroppy teenager!
The fact is, the only way to change your cat's behavior is to change YOUR behavior. This can include making changes to your cat's physical environment, establishing new habits for yourself (for example, setting up a scheduled play time for each day), or changing the way you interact with your cat.
Pacing or restlessness. Going outside the litterbox. Overgrooming, which can lead to bald patches and painful skin issues. Changes in behaviors, such as irritability or clinginess especially if your cat is typically independent.
Never hold down, shake or hit your cat. Physically harming your cat can actually make the situation worse and cause her to lash out or become withdrawn. Also, cats have a hard time associating the physical punishment with the bad behavior, so you're not actually training her to stop doing it.
If the animal performs an undesirable action, they receive an undesirable consequence in return. Spraying water on your cat, hitting your cat with a newspaper, or scaring your cat with a loud noise are all examples of positive punishment.
Avoid situations that you know make a cat aggressive. Separate cats that act aggressively toward each other and reintroduce slowly with positive reinforcement, as described in the Territorial Aggression section. Food treats are excellent positive enforcers of non-aggressive behavior.
The transition to adulthood ordinarily occurs from 1 to 2 years old. At this time, and possibly after neutering, a cat may retain a lot of energy but should be notably calmer with it reaching full maturity at 2. From 3 to 10 years old, a cat is relatively calm but remains active.
With this in mind, you can expect your cat to start calming down once they hit around 6 months of age, with there being a gradual but predictable drop in energy levels up to the first year of their life.
If your cat is engaging in an undesirable behavior to get your attention, the best thing to do is ignore him. This teaches him that his behavior has the opposite effect of his intentions. Yes, this can be difficult to achieve, especially if your cat tries to get your attention by standing on your head.
Most cats react to catnip by rolling, flipping, rubbing, and eventually zoning out. They may meow or growl at the same time. Other cats become hyperactive or downright aggressive, especially if you approach them. Usually these sessions last about 10 minutes, after which your cat loses interest.
It shows that your cat pays attention to you and are sensitive to your emotional gestures. As simple as it sounds, frowning at your cat while clenching your first and sitting upright would send the message that you are mad. The study also revealed that cats do not respond the same way to unfamiliar people.