Facts About Cats' Eating Behavior

Knowing what to feed your cat can make the difference between a healthy and happy cat, and one that is malnourished and hard to control. There are several misconceptions when it comes to feeding cats, what they like, and what they should eat. Here are some of the most basic facts about cats' eating behavior.

· Cats don't eat fruits and vegetables. There are many individuals who believe that cats eat the same things as human beings. This is not true; in fact feeding a cat fruits and vegetables can make a cat ill. Many people believe that wild cats roam the outdoors eating fruits and vegetable types of foods. This is a misconception as most wild cats eat meat, which is what your cat should mostly eat.

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· Most cats need at least 140g of mouse per day. This measures out to be at least 5 mice a day that cats need in order to meet their caloric intake requirement.

· Cats are carnivores. Cats live and thrive mainly off of an exclusive animal diet and don't need the same kind of nutrients that we do.

· Many researchers believe that cats can distinguish between the four different tastes; sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. Cats do not have a great attraction to sweet tastes.

· For the most part, cats enjoy eating things like fish, meats, and other proteins. Sometimes they can exhibit strange eating behaviors such as eating plants or green leafy vegetables they find lying around. Eating plants and greens makes cats vomit which can help get rid of hair balls in their throat. They will naturally eat grass in the wild to help with digestion so don't be too surprised when they start munching on house plants. They're just trying to find a substitute for grass.

· The key to good cat food is its nutritional content which should mimic nutritional composition of a "natural" diet for cats. The term natural refers to anything that they can catch and feed themselves. While supplemental food is sometimes needed, the natural foods are best for the health and diet of your cat. Cat food can sometimes be considered natural and contain no artificial ingredients, but it's not really a "natural" food in the same sense of what cats eat in the wild.

· A wild cat will instinctively know what they want and like to eat, while a domesticated cat does not. They are so used to being around people and "people" food that they don't really act like cats are supposed to act. As the owner of a cat it is your job to show them what kinds of foods they should be eating by providing for them. When owners don't provide the appropriate foods for their cats, it can lead to malnutrition and unhealthy eating habits.

· Cats can lose their appetite just as easily as an adult can lose theirs, and for various reasons. Loss of appetite can be a symptom of illness or something else. It's important to know your own cat's eating behaviors so you can properly assess the situation. Some cats will eat their meals quickly and others will eat slowly and are more reluctant eaters.

These are just some general eating behaviors that can be seen in most cat breeds, however in order to really assess the eating habits of your cat you need to pay close attention to them every time they eat. Watch to see if they eat slow, or fast, or what kinds of foods they prefer. Do they eat mice or just hunt them? Are they chewing on plants around the house? Every little thing can make a difference when it comes to eating patterns so watch carefully.

Facts About Cats' Eating Behavior

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Cat Behavior - Is My Cat Sick Or is it a Behavior Problem?

For most people, if they see a change in their cat's behavior they think it is strictly behavior related and not due to a possible medical cause. This can be a big mistake and can delay needed medical attention for your cat.

Remember, that whenever your cat has a behavior change it is important to rule out a possible medical cause first, and then focus on correcting feline behavioral problems.

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Another reason to correct medical problems quickly is that if they go on long enough, medical problems can lead to behavior problems. For example, a cat that stops using the litter box because of a urinary tract infection might continue to not use the litter box after the infection is treated, because not using the litter box is a learned behavior.

Some medical causes of cat behavior changes could be hyperthyroidism, urinary tract infection, feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD), and even reproductive causes.

Hyperthyroidism can make a cat loss weight, not groom, and lead to an increased activity level where they are restless and nervous.

A urinary tract infection or FLUTD can cause cats to not use the litter box and to urinary frequently outside the litter box.

If a cat is in heat it will act much more affectionate or could actually act more aggressive towards its owners.

So if you are wondering if your cat is sick or is it a behavior problem, see a veterinarian first. Prompt treatment of medical causes can prevent a cat behavioral problems from forming.

Cat Behavior - Is My Cat Sick Or is it a Behavior Problem?

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Cat Training - How to Stop Your Cat's Bad Behavior

Is your cat's bad behavior driving you up the wall? Many people are under the impression that cats are too independent to be trained. This is not true. Any animal can be trained. You just need to condition its reactions in a consistent and predictable manner. Animal behaviorists call this Pavlovian Conditioning. Although the most famous of the experiments revolved around dogs, subsequent scientists have successfully shown this effect even in human children. In other words, this effect is the basis of all successful animal training methods, from dogs to rats to lions.

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Now, conditioning and punishment do not mean the same thing. You do not need to hurt your cat when it misbehaves, you just need to clearly demonstrate that its behavior is unacceptable. So, how do you do that? All you need are a number of spray water bottles filled with cold water, placed in convenient locations around your house. Anytime you see your cat doing something wrong, you immediately spray its body with cold water. This method gets your cats attention and annoys it but does not hurt it. You are not punishing your cat. You are interrupting it in the middle of its misbehavior. Do this consistently and immediately and you will eventually break your cat of its bad habits. An obvious limitation of this method is that if you are not around when kitty misbehaves, it will not work.

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Here is a method of deterrence which works even when you are not at home. If your cat eats or scratches your houseplants, you can try putting mothballs in them. Cats are sensitive to the strong smell, and this will keep your cat away from your plants. You can also use the same trick to keep your cat from urinating and defecating in inappropriate locations.

Another problem which you may face as a cat owner is having your cat scratch your furniture or carpet. First, you need to know that your cat is only doing what comes naturally and you should not stop it from scratching. The scratching is meant to maintain its claws in good condition and also to stretch and tone its muscles. If you punish it for scratching, you will confuse it and this will lead to further bad behavior. What you want to do is minimize the damage it can do. Just trim its claws. If you do not know how, get a veterinarian to trim them for you. Ask your vet to teach you. You also want to redirect your cat's attention from your carpet or furniture to another target. If your cat likes to scratch vertical surfaces, then get it a vertical scratching post. Ditto for horizontal surfaces.

Try these tips for stopping your cat's bad behavior. You do not have to be cruel and punish kitty. Just take some suitable preventative measures to interrupt or prevent its bad behavior. Be consistent, be firm and patient in keeping the bad behavior from turning into bad habits.

Cat Training - How to Stop Your Cat's Bad Behavior

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Fear Aggression Behavior In Your Cat - What Causes It?

Under that warm ball of purring fur curled up on your lap beats the heart of what was once a predator. The instinct to stalk, pounce and kill is still very much alive in today's domesticated kitties, some breeds more so than others.

If kitty has not been adequately gentled and socialized to accept humans and their touch while in kitten hood, you will more than likely have a grown cat with aggression behavior problems on your hands. Aggression is the #2 cat behavior problem as reported by veterinarians and animal behaviorists.

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There can be a variety of reasons besides touch as to why your kitty may appear aggressive but mostly he is only doing what ages of instinct has bred into him.

What can cause this aggressive behavior?

The cause probably comes from very early personality development experiences in your cat's life. Things like abuse, accidental injury, loud noises like thunder and lightning or even other animals that have frightened kitty can make a lasting impression on his mind about his surroundings. Generally from about 4 to 12 weeks of age any or all of these events can be permanently programmed into the brain's "personality structure" and be set there for life. Most cats will retreat to a safe place or leave the area when afraid but when prevented from retreating because of being cornered or held, it will more than likely fight. The best solution to lessen the danger is to just leave the cat's immediate area and get out of its eyesight.

Fear aggression toward a family member can result from punishment or other unpleasant experiences connected with that individual. Body postures like an arched back, raised fur, a bushy tail and hissing or growling, in conjunction with aggression, are sure signs of a fear aggression behavior.

Kitty will become even more fearful and aggressive if he is harmed or further frightened by restraint or punishment for his actions. People or animals that don't approach your cat in a calm, confident or friendly way are more likely to be shown a fearful, aggressive response.

What can you do?

First consult your vet or the breeder about your cat; possibly even consult with a professional animal behaviorist. If you have decided to keep your cat and try the behavior modification yourself, be prepared to devote all your time and the time of every member of your family to making the modification work. Most owners give up out of frustration because of the intensity and the length of time required for results--results that may never come.

The fact is that the cat can't help being who it is. It can't understand that its owners aren't a threat, that it is loved and the things that are triggering its aggression are not a real danger. The kitty is simply reacting and responding as its brain is ordering him to and, in all probability, he will never be able to change his responses.

No matter how much you love your pet, you are responsible for this cat's actions. Are you willing to take a chance that it won't seriously hurt someone at some point in time? How much of kitty's aggressive behavior is an acceptable risk to you, your family and neighbors? How many bites, scratches or stitches are OK? Is the animal a danger to people? How far are you willing overlook his behavior now and live with the possible consequences of that decision later?

All these problems and actions on the cat's part came about because of genetic predispositions, early brain sensory input and traumas and events in his life. The cat can't help who it is or the actions its brain tells it to do. It is acting in what it thinks is the right course even though no real threat or danger was really there.

If your pet has shown over and over again that it is a danger to itself and others and nothing has worked to change its behavior, it may become necessary to resort to euthanizing the animal. As much as we love our pets, the welfare of the humans they come in contact with must take final priority.

Fear Aggression Behavior In Your Cat - What Causes It?

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Understanding Cat Behavior

If you have pets, it's not enough that you're an animal lover. Loving animals and loving cats have to go further in that you have to understand your cat so you can provide him or her with the best environment. You also need to know much about cat behavior in order to give your cat the right training. For the relationship to be fruitful and enjoyable, you need to know how to take care of your cat and how to deal with a variety of situations in relation to your pet. Maybe your cat is a chronic scratcher. If you know enough about cats and their behavior, you'd know that your cat is undergoing some kind of emotional stress.

First of all, when you have cats, a major cat behavior would be in relation to scratching. Together with their claws, an extremely aggressive cat can be very dangerous and destructive. You'll be faced with the question of declawing or not declawing. The fact of the matter is, cats love to scratch. It's actually up to you to give them the right training so your pet only scratches the scratching post. When you understand your pet's behavior, you can easily do with consistency and repetition to train your cat where to scratch.

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If symptoms persist, you might like to bring your cat in for a vet visit. Cat behavior dictates that the cat might be under stress. If you can determine what's stressing your pet out, you can stop the unnecessary scratching. As for cat chewing cords and other things, you would know that cats can chew things for a myriad of reasons. If you have a kitten, it might be out of curiosity or it might be because they're teething. It can also be due to boredom and also nutrient deficiency.

For cat behavior of seeking attention, your cat might be one to meow a lot or cry a lot. If you understand this behavior, you can quickly solve this problem. You have to read about the possible causes before you even start punishing your cat for attention seeking behavior. Maybe, they're in physical pain or maybe they're in emotional pain. The more you know about your pet and his behavior, the better you can solve the problems you have with your pet and the better pet owner you can be. With a bit of understanding, you can have a more fulfilling relationship with your cat.

Understanding Cat Behavior

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Cat Behavior - Feral Cats

If you're not quite sure what feral cat behavior is, here's a pretty good definition. A feral cat is one that has escaped from domestication and returned, partly or wholly, to a wild state. In other words, it's a cat that has gone "wild" or has been born and raised in the wild.

Some incredibly inhumane people assume their cats will survive when they move away and leave them behind. Contrary to popular belief, the behavior of domestic cats will not automatically return to the "natural" instinctive state. Therefore it has to be understood that under these circumstances, cats cannot automatically fend for themselves! Many end up starving, abused or becoming food for predators.

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Cats that exhibit this type behavior are elusive and do not trust humans. And since these cats are primarily the "wild" offspring of domestic cats that are non-neutered or spayed, that have been abandoned, these animals when left alone will breed uncontrollably.

The behavioral habits of non-neutered cats, especially males, makes them unwelcome. A pair of cats capable of breeding can have two or more litters per year, over a seven-year period can exponentially produce 420,000 offspring.

What's more, the feral cat colonies may act as reservoirs of disease which can be transmitted to your domestic pet cat when they interact with feral cats. In some countries there is also the fear of feral cat colonies spreading rabies and affecting humans.

There are government groups and privatized coalitions that are asked to help control such colonies through trap-neuter-return programs. These groups often encounter feral kittens during trapping. Since kittens attract more attention and sympathy from people than do adult cats, these groups find themselves in possession of spitty, hissy kittens which need to be tamed and homed.

It has been estimated by highly skilled groups that specialize in taming and reintroducing the feral cat to domestics that the average life span of a feral cat is less than two years on their own.

The good news; it has been proven that any cat can be re-domesticated given the right circumstances and enough time. To expedite this process, feral cat behavior has been separated into three classes. This classification program was done in an effort to better understand how to approach these cats and determine which cats would be the easiest to re-domesticate.

Cat Behavior - Feral Cats

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Cat Behavior - Cat Hissing

Cat hissing can be very disturbing for many cat owners. Often times their cats will hiss at them just for approaching them. The are many ways to get your cat to stop hissing at everyone that comes by.

Cat behavior problems are the most common reasons cats are given over by their owners to cat shelters. Among these cat behavior problems that are most common are litter box problems and aggression, cat hissing falls into the cat aggression category.

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Cats usually hiss because they are either frightened or trying to scare someone off. Cats that are cornered and think they will be attacked will usually hiss. Cats that are trying to be left alone or trying to get rid of someone will also usually hiss.

One cat owner had a cat that sat on the doorstep and constantly hissed at the new boyfriend or anyone else that came near the doorstep. No matter what she tried the cat would continue to hiss at the new boyfriend. It got so bad that many people when they came to her house would just enter in from the garage.

One thing that helped this cat owner is desensitizing and positive reinforcement techniques. Desensitizing is a common behavior modification tool that many people see great success with.

To use desensitization for a hissing cat, slowly approach the cat until it starts to hiss, and then back off. Slowly over the period of a week or two try to decrease the distance you can approach the cat without it hissing at you.

The other technique is positive reinforcement. In our example the owner's boyfriend simply started feeding the cat and gave it treats. Once it started to associate him with rewards the hissing went away.

Cat Behavior - Cat Hissing

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Cat Behavior - Cat Does Not Like Being Petted

Does your cat not like being petted? Does your cat only tolerate a few minutes of being petted? Well there are many reasons why a cat does not want to be petted and there are some simple techniques you can try to change your cat's behavior.

Many times cat owners will complain that their cat does not like being petted. Their cat does not want to be petted at all or will only tolerate a few minutes of petting at a time. There can be many reasons why a cat would not want to be petted.

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For some cats that grew up isolated socially from humans they don't crave being petted. Many stray cats have grown up to fear humans and some that are eventually adopted by cat owners will still not trust people enough to be petted.

Also it has been shown that kittens from small litters are less likely to like being petted. This is likely a factor of lack of socializing.

Another reason, which is probably the main one, that cats don't like being petted is they don't want to be petted for the same amount of time that the owner wants.

Some cats only want to be petted for a few minutes and then go on to play with a toy or take a nap. For many owners they see this as a problem. This is a problem for the cat owner, not the cat. The cat is perfectly fine being petted for a few minutes.

Many cats will become aggressive if you try to keep them on your lap and pet them for longer than they want to be petted. Fortunately there are lots of simple techniques you can use to train your cat to be petted for longer periods of time.

Cat Behavior - Cat Does Not Like Being Petted

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Strange Cat Behavior - What to Be Concerned About

Cats are capable of being fascinating companions. The majority of the time they can be wonderful to have around, but there are some strange cat behavior that can irritate even the most enduring owner.

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Missing The Litter Box

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You know that there is something wrong when a cat or kitten has a problem when they begin to urinate in places other than their kitty litter or the place in which they have been taught to go. The first step is to clean out the litter box on a regular basis so that it is nice smelling. No one likes an unclean toilet! This could possibly resolve the crisis. If not, take your cat to the vet for a once over. Your cat could have a physical problem that might be making it hard for them to make it to the box in time. After having your cat looked at by a veterinarian for possible physical problems which could have caused this strange cat behavior, there are other ways in which you can assist your cat back to toileting where it is supposed to.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder- Can Your Cat Have This Problem

Did you know that a few cats develop behaviors that are obsessive compulsive, like tail chewing, excessive licking, wool-sucking, or fur-pulling? Characteristic physical problems could be something as negligible as fleas or as major as neuropathy. So having your cat looked at by its vet is a smart first choice.

Excessive Fear Or Inhibition Results In A Scaredy Cat

There are a few cats that have an excessive fear or inhibition around people. If you show patience and love the cat can grow out of the timid state. But do not rush this process, as you can make it worse and it can result in a cat behavior that is violent and bites or scratches.

The majority of kittens are socialized as they grow up, by being held by a variety of different people who smell different and act different. If your kitten didn't get this advantage, it may grow into a reserved and nervous adult cat. Give it time to come out, then reward "showing up" with a food treat it likes. You will be able to coax it out with a trail of food leading to its bowl, moving the bowl a bit each day. Talk tenderly to it, letting it warm up slowly. While your cat may never be fully socialized and welcome contact with others, it can still be a nice family pet.

Anxious And Apprehensive Cats

You will find that there are a few cats that feel a lot of stress and anxiety. This stress can lead to additional cat behavior problems, like depression or litter box avoidance. If these symptoms (of stress and anxiety) become visible unexpectedly, first make sure the cat's heath is ok with the vet. If your cats health is ok, then you would want to look at the cat's environment could be contributing to the stress level.

Strange Cat Behavior - What to Be Concerned About

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