Common Cat Behavior
While all cats are unique individuals with a huge personality of their own, they do have a few standard behaviors that can often surprise or upset cat owners. Consider such issues as scratching furniture, prowling throughout the night, attacking feet or passersby, yowling and vocalizing, and soiling in the house. These are actually very common behaviors that some people see as “problems” but which are in fact very standard things for a cat to do. Let’s look at the most commonly misunderstood behaviors and how to overcome or lessen their negative effects.
The biggest complaint made by cat owners tends to be about all of the scratching; they scratch up the walls, the furniture, and even the carpeting. This is due to their need to dull their claws, and in the natural world a cat will scratch trees and hard surfaces to keep their claws in check. The solution for the cat owner who is tired of seeing the stuffing coming out of their sofa is to simply invest in a more appealing alternative.
This could be a rope covered scratching post, a cardboard climber, or a variety of pads and baskets that the cat likes to use to meet their natural instinct. It will take some experimenting, and it may even require putting double-stick tape on many surfaces to prevent ongoing scratching, but eventually a solution will be found. By no means should a cat be declawed simply because it is a remarkably painful and unnecessary thing to do to your beloved pet particularly when there is a more natural solution to scratching.
Another thing that cat owners might misunderstand is nighttime prowling. Cats are instinctively nocturnal creatures, and though they all need roughly twelve to sixteen hours of sleep each day, they will remain active during most evenings. To modify the negative effects of this on your sleep patterns, it is necessary to create a schedule that tires the cat out at the same time you are heading to bed. Having a few late afternoon and night time playing sessions will often cause a cat to sleep through the night along with its owner.
While a cat might silently prowl around and not keep an owner awake, there are many cats who do a lot of talking during their evening routines. This is entirely natural and not usually an indication of any underlying health condition. If a once quiet cat yowls excessively during the night and subsequent day time hours, however, it is best to schedule a quick visit to the vet as this is not a common behavior.
If someone is about to adopt their first cat it is highly recommended that they do a bit of research about cats and their behaviors to avoid confusion or alarm about the most common issues.
