While you might think the issues your cat is facing are specific to your household, they may be cat behavioral problems common to the majority of feline owners. Whether it be?an aggressive cat or trying to understand why cats bite their owners, many pet parents are stumped. Fortunately, these problems have practical solutions that we’ll discuss below.
Annoying Cat Behavioral Problems and Their Solutions
1. Litter Box Issues
Cats not using their litter boxes is a popular issue among cat owners and can have many root causes. It could mean the litter box is dirty or located in an inconvenient area. Quick and simple solutions include cleaning it and moving it to an area that is more accessible and quieter for your cat.
If this doesn’t resolve the problem, your cat could also be suffering from urinary stones or infection. By this point, your cat may simply associate the litter box with pain and now try to avoid it. In this scenario, you have to visit a veterinarian so you can have your feline friend checked immediately.
TIP: Make sure your pet’s litter box is not close to where they drink or eat. Placing a bathroom so close to a food source goes against a cat’s natural instincts.
2. Scratching
Scratching is one of the cat behavioral problems you can’t entirely avoid. To some degree, scratching is simply a natural habit of cats. They do this to shed old nails in place of new ones. However, when your furry friend starts tearing your house apart, it can cause you a lot of stress and cost you a lot of money.
Before it’s too late for your furniture and other belongings, provide your cats with scratching posts. Be sure to dab a bit of catnip on it to draw their attention and interest. You should also make it a habit to trim their claws regularly, so when they do scratch your carpet or couch, they won’t be able to do much damage.
TIP: Use double-sided tape on your furniture. This will make the furniture surface unpleasant for your feline friend. A feline pheromone spray can also come handy.
3. Cat Aggression
Aggressive cat behavior problems can stem from many things. Some triggers may be medical conditions, lack of interaction with humans and animals, or congestion. To decide what’s influencing your cat, visit a veterinarian. Only they will be able to determine if your feline friend is experiencing pain that’s causing them to act out.
Their aggression may also be caused by an interruption in their routine or conflict with other pets. If you own more than one pet at home, provide them with separate litter boxes and food bowls so they do not feel like they have to compete with each other.
4. Obnoxious Meowing
Meowing is a cat’s way of communicating. It’s adorable ? until it becomes too loud and frequent. They could be meowing for a variety of reasons, including seeking attention, demanding food, or being in heat. Consequently, you can halt the constant meowing by spending more quality time with them, scheduling their feeding time, or spaying them.
5. Up All Night
Felines tend to be more active at night, chasing creatures when the light is low. If it starts disturbing your sleeping pattern, schedule a play date before bedtime to tire them out. Additionally, you can try feeding them before sleeping so they don’t become hungry early in the morning.
6. Chewing, Licking, and Losing Hair
When you find your cat often chewing or licking itself, losing hair, or sporting a poor coat, know that they may be infested with fleas. When you see signs of fleas, you should visit a veterinarian immediately for flea control. Remember, if one of your pets has fleas, it’s likely that all of them have it. That’s why, at any hint of fleas, it’s wise to have them all treated.
7. Drinking from Your Water Glass
As a cat owner, you may have caught your feline friend drinking from your own glass of water once or twice. The reason for this is that cats, like humans, want their water to be as fresh as possible too. To resolve this issue, make sure to provide your cat with a bowl of water in more than one convenient area at home. That way, your furry friend has easy access to clean water at all times.
Howcast shows how to tame a cat when it gets too aggressive:
Dealing with cat behavioral problems can cause both mental and emotional stress to cat owners. That’s why it’s so important to learn what causes these behaviors and understand how to address them accordingly.
Have your cats been behaving badly at home? Tell us about it in the comments below.?
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