Cats are sometimes very hard to understand. Your cat may love being petted one second and then bite you for doing it the next, he/she may suddenly stop using the litter box, attack you or your children for no apparent reason, act scared around you, lick you or knead in your hair…they just do some really strange things. Since our little feline friends can’t exactly speak to us in our language, we need to pay attention to their behavior to understand why our cats do these things. Here are some reasons why your cat may be acting a little stranger than usual and how you can read your cat’s body language and meows.
Aggressive Kitty:
You may think that if your cat bites or scratches you that he is just a mean animal, but usually this is not the case. Younger kittens, usually under the age of 2 years, use these attack methods to practice the natural instincts they have in order to survive in the wild. A cat that is attacking you in a playful manner will usually look like a cat that is about to pounce on its prey. He will crouch low to the floor, sometimes wiggling the back of his body, and flick his tail before he attacks. Most of the time the bites do not break the skin and the scratches aren’t very deep, but sometimes kitty might get carried away and hurt you. Your cat is not doing this to be mean or because he doesn’t like you, he is just doing what comes natural to him. He may also be bored and doesn’t get much of a chance to practice his hunting skills due to a lack of cat friendly toys. If your cat likes to bite at your ankles from under the couch or ambush you as you come around a corner and it is irritating to you then you should invest in some kitty toys so he can practice his hunting skills on them instead of you. Sometimes a cat will become aggressive while being petted. You may be petting your cat, thinking that it is a relaxing and joyful experience for him, and suddenly he hisses at you or bites your hand. Your cat enjoys the stroking but just like you, he may get tired of it after too long or it may no longer feel good to him. You need to learn to read his body language to determine what is a good length of time for petting. If your cat’s ears start to lay back, his tail starts to twitch or he turns his head towards the area where you are petting then he is trying to tell you to stop. If your cat was in a tussle with another household pet and was on the losing end of the fight he may turn his aggressions to a child or another family member. This just means your cat is still wound up from the previous fight with another pet and is acting off of instinct to protect himself. Make sure that you do not hit a cat that is aggressive because he is only acting out his natural instincts. If you have a pet that is really aggressive that bites deeply and scratches constantly then you should have him checked out by his Vet because he may be having a medical condition that is causing pain or irritability.
Kitty Who Stops Using The Litter Box:
The most common reason that a cat stops using her litter box is because it is not clean enough for her standards. A litter box should be scooped daily and emptied out and cleaned with soap frequently. Your cat has a very sensitive sense of smell and will not use the box if it is full of urine or feces. You wouldn’t use a dirty bathroom, so why would you expect your kitty to use one? If the litter box is clean then maybe the location is uncomfortable to your kitty. Litter boxes should be in a private place that is quiet so your cat is comfortable. Also if you have other pets you need to make sure the litter box is not located in an area where other pets can attack your cat while he is trying to use his potty. He may associate this location with being attacked while off guard. You should not put the litter box in the same room that you would administer medications or do claw clippings because your cat may think that every time he goes in this room something unpleasant will be done to him. Your cat may also not like the style of the box, or if the cat is older he may not be able to get to the litter box as easily as he could when he was younger. Arthritis is common in older cats and can be painful so you need to make sure that your cat doesn’t have to go up and down stairs or do any sort of climbing to get to his box.
Rubbing His Head Against You Or Your Things:
Your cat has scent glands on his cheeks and on his neck below his chin. When your cat rubs his face against your legs or body he is marking you with his scent. That is your cats way of letting other animals know that you belong to him. This is something you should be honored by. Your cat loves you so much and is comfortable with you to the point that he doesn’t want any other animal to claim you. The same thing goes for your things. If your cat rubs against your shoes, purse, brief case, etc. he is just marking it as his. These things are usually taken outside of the home and pick up other scents throughout the day so your cat feels the need to remark these things with his scent. This is all done out of love.
Licking You & Kneading:
If you watch 2 cats together you might notice that they will lick each other. Licking is a cats way of bathing. When a cat licks you its not that they are trying to taste test you to see if you are prey, they are just bathing you. This is a nurturing instinct and the cat believes that he is caring for you by giving you a bath. Also cats, like most other animals, love things that taste salty and human sweat does contain salt. When your cat kneads on you it brings him back to the time when he was a kitten. Your cat may feel comforted and less stressed when he kneads on you. This is what kittens do when they are nursing from their mothers because it triggers the let down effect that releases milk. When your cat kneads on you it is just his way of showing that he trusts you and believes that you care for him like a mother would.
Suddenly Becomes Fearful:
Sometimes your kitty may act as if he is afraid of you. He may disappear for hours or show signs of fear like tucking his tail between his legs, curling up so his body is smaller or backing away into corners. If your cat has not always been like this he may be experiencing stress. Many things can cause a cat to feel stressed. A recent move, death of a family member, addition of a family member (baby or another pet), new furniture, scents of other animals on you, and loud noises. Even your behavior and mood can cause your kitty to be stressed. A stressed cat may show signs of fear because cats deal with stress by either fleeing from the source or showing signs of submission to try to get the source to stop threatening him. To get your normal kitty back try giving him treats when he does come around. Also try not to make sudden moves around him which can scare him. Try to keep the noise level low and most of the other stress causing sources will be something the kitty will get used to after some time. If it gets to the point where it is affecting your cats diet or sleep you can have you cat put on anti-anxiety medications.
There are a lot of things we don’t understand about cats but most of their behaviors go back to their instincts. Cats were not always pets, they had to fend for themselves in the wild and provide for themselves in the wild. Animal shelters are now filled with cats and kittens and one of the reasons is that their owners got frustrated with their unusual behavior and gave up instead of trying to find the reasons why their cat was behaving that way. If we could just sit back and watch these amazing creatures then we may be able to understand them better. Cats are abused by their owners because of playful aggressiveness or not using the litter box when most of the time it is actually the owners fault that these things are done. If we would open up our minds and try to understand our feline friends then maybe less cats will be abandoned and abused.
