The Daily Cat

this is good information

I love it! This is such a cute article. And so right-on for my kitty plus helpful.

There are so many cat behaviours there probably isn't enough space to list them all. None of the ones listed above apply to my three cats, but where do i start on the behaviour of the cats that have spent their lives with me...?

I thought it was her way of disapproving of the food - but you say she was burying it to come back later...good to know!

I have 4 cats and each one is a hoot to be around! this did explain a lot about one of my cats named Beauty, shes a big dust in the air chaser!

my cat lives the house and gets pregnant by running out the door. when the door is open what can i do about this. besides gettin nuttered and paying about 500 dollars

There isn't a lot you can do but get the cat spayed. My cats love to go outside when the weather is right, but they are trained not to go outside unless I give the "outside" command. Even then I keep a very close eye so that they stay out of danger. Some cats are very sneaky and no matter how cautious you are they will find a way to sneak past you. If you get her spayed, she will stop going into heat and stop running out to relieve herself, i.e. get pregnant. Believe me having your cat spayed is worth the $$.

Our second largest cat, Boy Wonder, loves to climb up on my pillow at night and lie down. Wether my head orface is there already makes no difference to him-he'll just plop down, grab around my head, and go to sleep. Most times he's right across my eyes. Now, since I shave my head this does keep it warm. BUT he like to lick my head and he has the raspiest tongue.

i have 2 cats, and my calico who is crippled and never goes outside, she does the food hiding and pawin the water sometimes she turns the whole bowl over.thanks for the info

Simon, a very large orange tabby, has a cloth toy that he holds in his mouth and 'calls' much like a mother cat does to her kittens except his voice is loud. Roger, a regualr size grey & black tabby, has a major running fit after leaving the liter box. He runs from one room to the next, up and over everything in sight with big black eyes and his tail partially fuzzed, lasts for up to 2 minutes.

I would really like to find out why my 9 month old female cat follows me around the house. She has became so attached that she will wake up if I leave the area she's sleeping in and follow me. Is she really just that attached to me or is there some kind of scent that I have which makes her want to follow?

This was a great article. I have two cats, one female and one male. The male kitty, Toby, has done some really strange things like the running aroung all of a sudden like he is on crack or something then he just stops. Nice to know that this is normal behavior for kitties. I think that it is cute when he does it.

Hi Liah She is just that attached to you. At that age, little kitties are always underfoot b/c they want to be where the action is. At least, that is my experience with the 5 cats I have had over the last 15 years.

last night i got home late pass midnight open my door ...boom ther go my cat running out side.must of the time he enters tru the back of the house but i wait and wait but nothin im sad cuz i have him for a long time now i miss him...

Both my cats (Maine Coon mixes) follow me around as well. If we're all in the living room, and I get up and go into the guest room, they'll follow me, even if they were sleeping. I think they're just interested to see what I'm doing and like to know where I am.

we have5 cats in total 2 of them are in a spraying war How do we get them to stop and what can we get to get rid of the smell and clean up

I ADOPTED A CAT 3 YEARS AGO FOR THE LOCAL SHELTER. SHE WAS 3 YRS OLD, FIXED AND DECLAWED. SHE HAS, ON AND OFF SINCE I GOT HER, DISPLAYED AWFUL BEHAVIORS. SHE USED TO USE MY BED AS A CAT BOX UNTIL I HAD TO THROW IT OUT! SHE NOW USES THE COUCH EVERY DAY! WHAT IS WRONG WITH HER? IF THERE ARE PEOPLE IN THE ROOM SHE USES THE BOX BUT NOT ANY OTHER TIME. I HATE TO TAKE HER BACK BUT I CANT TOLERATE THIS! AND THE SPRAY I BOUGHT DOESNT WORK. WHAT CAN I DO?

I'm sure your cat is back by now. My cat isn't supposed to go out, but some times he does. He's stayed out all day or all night before, but he always comes home. Cat's like to explore. Im sure yours will come back if he hasn't already. I he hasn't been nutered he'll want out more and will stay out longer.

This is soooo wierd because my cat Simba(burmese sabel cat)meows when we all go to bed and I just don't know why. He goes room to room and meows for 3 min in each room.(we have to more cats)I cant get any sleep at night. In the morning he's fine he is normal but it's at night when he's crazy. Please help me!!

I have three cats Simba, Shenzi, and midnight. Before I got the new kitten midnight always came out to say hi and play with simba now he sleeps in a chair and never comes out. I wish he would come out and play with the other kitties. Please help me get my midnight back I miss him!!!!

I have had Soxx for 13 years and early on in his life, Soxx developed a liking for other peoples shoes. He will wait for that person to relax, take their shoes off, and suddenly he is all over them. He will place his head inside them and then roll over them. This has "won" him over to even the least likely cat lover. Just one area I what to share about him.

My cat has TOTAL bowl-thing. And he has 'Pappy Butch Syndome' whitch is asyndrome that yuour cat finds reasons JUST TO LAY DDOW|N!

we have two kitties both tonkinese, 9 months and 5 months. The younger one chews on his tail all the time, and he also chews on the other ones tail. He doesnt seem to be hurting himself or the other kitty but I want to stop it before it becomes a serious problem. What can we do to stop this

my male cat has been making weird meows at my door since my mom passed away he goes by the door as if he sees something there and jumps up and appears to follow something we cannot see oddly he never meows unless he is doing this and i notice it at certain times of the day anyone ever experienced this? and if so is it possible that cats sence spirits?

My cat Kasper will attack us for no reason at all...or if we tell him "No". We don't know what to do with him, one minute he can be loving and the next he'll claw us or bite us. HELP!

My cat is 4 years old, he always sleeps in my room at night and has his own blanken on his own blanket. In the last 3 weeks he has stopped following me around and no longer comes to sleep in the bedroom or come when I call him. He has been very itchy and is excessivly grooming. He is still eating and drinking water -Any ideas? We are going to the vet in case there is something wrong :(

To the gal with cat who uses bed as a litterbox: what you described is classic behavior of a cat who is in pain, trying to tell its human that it has a urinary infection, impacted anal glands, or some other undiagnosed problem of the elimination tracts. Only a vet can properly determine what the root of the symptoms are. PLEASE have a vet examine your cat, and tell all those behaviors, AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. Certain neglected problems can eventually get excruitating for the cat, besides possibly fatal. It WON'T go away by itself, without vet's help. Good luck to your cat, and you!

ALSO, another reason for that behaving CAN sometimes be if the litterbox has suddenly become unpleasant to the cat. Such as, it doesn't get cleaned of cat's use of it often enough. Think about it: nobody likes to use a toilet that's not been flushed. Another reason is if the litter has recently changed, especially to one with a scent or texture the cat dislikes. Scented litters are for human convenience. But cats sense of smell is greatly stronger than humans's. Would you want to use a toilet in a room with 50 gaudy air freshener smells? ... Just more tips to add to my previous post, about medical reasons a cat may eliminate in inappropriate places.

I have two spay cats. and Idon't know why they always run outside. I figure since ther'e spay they would be fine. what can I do?

My 17-year-old female cat, Smudgy, has an annoying habit of meowing persistently for no discernible reason. She often does this while looking (from the outside) at the doorway of a bedroom where she spends a lot of time sleeping. It doesn't matter if the door is open or shut. She meows and looks very reluctant to go into the room...even if she just came out of it minutes before. My other cat, a very close and longtime male friend of Smudgy's, passed away about 2 years ago. He (Snowy) and Smudgy were together for about 15 years. Smudgy's caterwauling seemed to start sometime around Snowy's death. Is it possible that Smudgy might still be in mourning? The bedroom that Smudgy meows at used to be occupied almost exclusively by Snowy; and Smudgy rarely (if ever) ventured into it. Anybody have any ideas about this?

is it normal for a cat to make bird noises? my cat baby will make pigeon noises when she startled and when my mom talks to her. other than that, she doesnt make that noise.

My cat is an Esther Williams, Bowl Prober, Herb Lover cat. She is a Maine Coon, but often she likes to "drown" her toys. I find her catnip squirrel in the toilet on many occasions. She also likes to lay in the bathtub and wait for me to turn on the water. Silly kitty.

Out of the blue our 4 year old cat decided to do a bm on the carpet near the litter box instead of in the box. I have changed kitty litter brands and clean it more often nothing seems to work. Any suggestions?

My year old neutered male cat feverishly paws a glass door often, and for long periods, usually after using the litter box. I'm guessing he sees his reflection in the glass, and is trying to make contact with the cat he thinks is in front of him. Anyone know why a cat will do this?

My cat disappear two weeks ago when I took her to my camper in the catskill, ny. She used to go up there and come back to our camper when it was dinner time. This time she sid not come back. When I went to look for her, I found her in an old shed. She saw me and meow. I tried to get her out of the shed but she would not come out. I throw a rock into the shed and she ran out. She ran so fast that I could catch her. The next day she was back in the shed and I tried again to get her. She would not come out. I throw another rock into the shed ands she ran off again. I could not catch her. Two days later I went back to the camper to find her. This time she was not in the shed because the owner of the shed was back in his house. I called and called her until I saw her. I walk slowly to her to catc her but she ran so fast that I could not catch her. The following weeks I returned to the property and did not see her. I left food for her and she did come to eat it. Is she dead? Did she go up there to die? She is 10 years old. She used to be an outdoor and indoor cat but have been indoor for 4 years. Why did she ignore me? She is fixed and can not get pregnant. I can not sleep thinking of her. Will I ever know what happen to her? The two weeks that she been in the catskill, I left her dish with food and the food was always gone until this weekend when she disappear. The weather has been good and the area that she in is pretty safe. Was she sick?

I have a beautiful kitten, almost 1 year old. I adopted him from the SPCA last August and he was extremely affectionate & friendly. Within 2-3 months he became afraid of anyone but my daughter and me. He hides whenever anyone else is around and won't even come out to eat. He has spent the better part of 3 days under my bed because I had company this weekend. I don't know why his behavior changed so drastically. He is still very affectionate with me and my daughter. By the way, he was 8 weeks old when we got him. The SPCA found him by the side of the road where his mother had been killed by a car.

My cat is almost 22 and has just begun meowing at times with a blood-curling sound that sounds like she is scared and in distress . As long as you go to her she will quit. What is causing her to do this ?

Have you ever seen or heard of a cat acting completely isolated after getting declawed? Running away from the family, hiding in the closets, not coming to us when we call him. ETC. I am very sad for him and do not know what to do. Do you have any suggestions? I have gotten him out of hiding, pet him for a while and off he goes as soon as I let me. What is going on? This is not normal behavior. Our other cat is doing just fine. They were declawed the same day. I thank you for your help.

Is there some way to get my cat which I adopted at age 5 to be secure around strangers?

I've had several cats over the years. I had one of my females declawed. For her, it required about 2 months to return to "normal" behavior. From what I've learned from other cat owners, every cat responds differently to the declawing.Perhaps your cat needs more time to adjust to the change. If this happened to my cat, I would check with the Vet and ask if some psychological trauma occurred at the clinic around the time of the declawing operation or during recovery.An emotional trauma coupled with the declawing could cause behavior like this. If so, maybe your vet can suggest something. Good luck.

The only male animal (3 cats - 1 dog) is a cat that the 2 females bought home when it was abandoned as a kitten. Al the cat loves the 2 females but would rather hang out with the dog. Takes several mile hikes with me and the dog. Sleeps and plays with the dog. Al is now about 3 years old and I really believe he thinks of himself as a dog. Is this usual behavior?

My fluffy orange male cat(Mango), about 2 years old is very annoying, if i don't give him constant attention. He is constantly standing on his back legs like a gopher, while pawing the air with his front paws meowing. He does this all the time. It looks like he's trying to wipe something out of his face. But the meow is awful, even thought he looks cute doing it. He's very lovable and playful, is he just extremely needy? Has anybody see this constant behavior in a cat before

I have 3 cats. All rescues. 2 females, Psycho and Mokie, and 1 male Bates. They are all 3 & 4 years old and were spayed and nuetered and the age of 6 months. They are very quiet, loving and different personalities, but Psycho starting at the age of 6 weeks likes to pull her cat food into the water dish 3 or 4 nuggets at a time and then dish them out one at a time with her paw to eat. She also sleeps flat on her back, not sometimes, but all the time. She also is under my feet rubbing, nudging and caressing them. When I'm cooking and she plays dead at my feet I have to give her a push to the side and she slides like a dust mop. They are all house cats and I never let them outside. I've seen people go out of their way to run a cat over, especially black cats.

Bates and Mokie also lie on their backs when they sun, when they are held and get a good rub down. I've heard that cats that do this are very secure cats. Is this true?

My kittie, Stimpson, is an endless source of entertainment! When he drinks out of the dogs bowl he uses his paws, scooping up the water and drinks it from his paw! He'll do this for 5-10 min. at a time! He also does the kittie freak-out and just start running around like crazy for no reason and it's quite a show, back flips in the air, hopping from one piece of funiture to the other never touching the floor, what talent! What a show, sometimes I think he does it to entertain us! I am also worried about your Catskill cat! I would be heartbroken! Have you tried a humain trap from animal control with his favorite food or blankie from his bed? Good luck I'll pray for you and your kittie. Everyone keep writing your stories , I just love hearing about other "kittie tails"!!

I hope you know that Shenzi means stupid in Swahili.

All I can say is when you have a cat declawed, it is the same thing as if someone cut each of your fingers off at the first joint. I don't know about anyone else, but if someone cut all of my fingertips off - I think I'd be abit depressed!!!

Reading this article has made me realize that maybe my cat is normal. But just a month ago he was really laid back, docile even. Now he's a twitching basket case. Sometimes I think he's seeing ghosts and it freaks me out. He likes to play with what could be dust specs, or maybe dead ancestors. A month ago he lived in a neighborhood where he could play with other cats. But I moved him to my fiance's house in a rural area and that's when he flew the coop. So we're wondering A. if he's doing this keep himself entertained or B the move was so traumatizing that he can't cope with the environs. What gives?

I used to have this cat, Rover. Once I dropped a green olive jar lid on the floor. He went to it and started rubbing his cheeks on it, then squatted on it and peed. Only time and only cat that ever did that.

My cat is 18 years old and is always hungry. After he eats he meows with a very deep loud meow several times. This started about a year ago. Our vet checked him for thyroid and for diabetes. He has neither. I don't want to spend much more money with tests to find out nothing is wrong wrong. However I don't want the cat to be suffering in pain. His has maintain a weight of 7 - 8 pounds his entire life. Should I be worried he is in pain.

I have two cats and my mom has one. All of our cats fit into one or more of these categories! Right on!

We were talked into taking a cat from a woman in front of Pectco. She said the cat was female, had all its shots, 8 weeks old. We found it was a male, was only 4 weeks old and didn't have any shots. We call him stinky because well..... he stinks. He will not go outside, he will not let you pet him, he stinks because he rolls in his litter box (cleaned twice a day) he scavanges anything you leave out and gets into the garbage. We have a large feeder so there is always food. Is this normal behavior is this a problem cat. I worry because I also do not see him grooming himself (ever). I worry that feces is getting everywhere the cat is.

my cat is only about 8 weeks old, he is a male names kitty austin(lil brother named him) and we got him in the walmart parking lot....he is the best cat ever when you first see him....he's lovable and sweet and just a normal kittwn....sometimes i wonder if he is normal becouse he is so well behaved(no clawing or biting or jumping)....but if u give him ANYTHING to eat he freeks...he starts making weird growling sounds and if u get within reach of him he goes crazy on u in a frenzy of clawing and screeching and running. I have a five year old brother who loves to pet him and i am always worrying about him getting to close at the wronge time.....please tell me you have some advice??????

OMG this was very helpful. Now I understand why he checks his water like an aristocrat and he definitely has an ear fetish!! The other behavior is he wants me to stand next to him while he eats, maybe he's inviting? IDK

My male cat "hugs" me when I hold him. When he was younger, he would "hug" my arm when I was sleeping. He seemed to be sexually stimulated, but he was neutered. We took him to another vet only to find that he was definitely NOT neutered, and the second vet performed the surgery. About a year later, he still seems interested, jumping on me while I am sleeping and kneading my back or legs while twitching his tail and hind legs. It's a little embarrassing! Is this behavior normal for a neutered cat?

Our cat had two kittens she loved and protected, until one disappeared for two days, at about rwo months of age. When the kitten suddenly showed up, the mama cat would have nothing to do with him. She even took her other kitten to a new spot to get away from him What has happened to her?

I know this might sound a little kooky...It started a week ago, that was when our family adopted a 7yr. old male cat from the local shelter. He was so friendly, sweet, and we felt a little sorry for him (since most kittens are adopted first). We didn't know what to expect. Of course he was frightened and scared at first, even a little too vocal, but we hung in there. Then, the strangest thing...a neutered cat taking my rugs and blankets, arranging to his liking and proceeded to ...well! I'm sorry is this normal? Also, he likes to nip you anywhere on your body, is that normal? What can I do?

i have two cats. Oliver and Tanya. Oliver is a male and Tanya is a female. Lovely children. Tanya is very jeolous. Oliver has become slow after his accident. He is gentle. Poor child has vertigo. But he manages well

All of my four are rescued cats. The oldest, Paula, was attacked by dogs and came to me with a big hole in her belly and needing to be nursed. She is now a very beautiful cat. She loves to be brushed and play hide and seek... (byt the way, Dr. Jon has heer picture in his galery of beautiful cats) Fritz is seven years old. He was also bottle fed. He is more like a dog. To my amazement understands an obeys all my commands. He just broke his left hind leg and is in a cast. Sheba is 2 years old and he is just a loving cat. He runs around the house like and attacks dust like some of you mentioned but now I know he is not crazy. Jackie is my last girl. She came to me at about 7 weeks - picked her up on the street. On May 8 she completed one year. From a pitiful frazzled, bald, starving kitten she turned out to be a beautiful black long hair cat. (Jackie is also in Dr. Jon's photos) She is the only one that is a lap cat. All others don't like to be carried. They all are very loving and are part of my family. Even their vet loves them! There is no problem with bathroom manners. They each have their own box. The sand is a regular inexpensive clumping sand I buy at Costco. They are fed on canned Friskies and Good Life Recipe dry food. They are all healthy and their coats shine. I am really sorry for the persons who have problems with their cats. Also for the ones that simply disappeared or were lost.. I never had a cat carrier and never lost a cat, except for old age and Nipsi, a Abissinian that died at age 12 from kidney problems. It is so very nice to be able to share our experiences. Thank you.

I'm a new kitty person. It started with a 3month old stray orange tabby named Mr. Bingley. He was a very sweet boy that soon found a home with us. I felt bad about him staying home alone so I adopted a little gray kitten which we named Lestat because he likes to nibble on us. I thought no kitty could be sweeter then Mr Bingley but Lestat is a lap cat, he is always sleeping on me or beside me. My question is why did Mr Bingley stop purring after getting Lestat. They seem to get along.

It has been lovely to read all of these comments. I have had cats my whole life and the baby I have now is, by far, the most peculiar when it comes to her behavior. She is a 5lb, 4yr old black cat. I feel like she is constsntly telling me how she feels. I recently stayed with a friend who has two kittens and it took her about 3 weeks to adjust and I swear that when she is mad at me she will go to the bathroom in my shower. Then she will not do such a thing for months. I recently moved and watched her very carefully our first night. I do have a question. When Itty Bitty is stressed she will produce dander on her fur. I am very aware of this. Our first night in our new home, no dander, but she was almost nervously excited and was pretty much up all night but kept rubbing up against me all night and purring. I'm taking this as a good sign? No dander and purring and cuddling. I'm chalking it up to excitement. Any other insights?

While not expecting to locate this very informative information, it didn`t keep me from reading and enjoying as I found myself reading about the cats that I had heard stories about over the years. This is a special shout out and pat on the back for you T.

My cat is a fixed female about 2 years old. She wonders off for like 2 months than returns. She is very skinny. Acting like a brat. Doesn't let you touch her, likes to do her own thing. She stayed home all winter and now wants to go, go, go! I have another cat. (which is her brother) He is fixed also, very nice, friendly, likes to be held. WAY DIFFERENT THAN THR GIRL. What is her problem?

My cat of 14 years takes every piece of food and sets it on the floor before she eats it.