Kitty Likes to Scratch? Getting to the Bottom of Destructive Cat Behavior
It’s easy to take it personally when your cat scratches up your couch cushions, bites your ankles as you pass by, chews up your (non-toxic) houseplants. They aren’t doing any of this to make you mad; instead, they are answering to their internal “call of the wild”. Indoor cats can easily become bored, and the lack of stimulation can lead to undesirable behaviors.
With positive reinforcement, guidance, and a lot of patience, you can train your incredibly intelligent cat – and stop destructive cat behavior before it becomes a habit.
Continue…Why Do Cats Knead?
If you’ve been stumped by feline behaviors in the past, join the club. Cats have some endearing but also quirky tendencies that just beg to be explained – such as curling up tightly to take a nap, or grooming fastidiously after a meal.
One such tendency is the habit of “making biscuits” or kneading. But what exactly is this? And why do cats knead? Godspeed Animal Care explores this question, here.
What is Cat Kneading?
Before we get into why cats knead, let’s talk about what exactly it is. Cat kneading is a pushing motion cats make with their paws, alternating between left and right. It often occurs on a soft surface such as a bed, pillow, blanket, or your lap. Some cats knead with claws completely retracted, and others extend their claws as they push out and retract them as they pull back.
The behavior is called “kneading” because it resembles how a baker works bread dough.
Continue…Ask a Vet: Why Do Cats Drool?
The movie Homeward Bound depicts the harrowing journey made by three courageous pets. Chance and Shadow are two canines who appreciate their feline friend, Sassy, although they bicker like most cats and dogs. Sassy says, “Like I said all along, poopsie, cats rule and dogs drool!”
Antagonistic or not, Sassy’s got a point. Certain breeds of dogs are known to drool more than others. However, there are reasons why some cats drool, too – and they aren’t always good.
Cloud Nine
Many cats drool when blissed out. This usually occurs after kneading, snuggling their owners, or even just dreaming. A sign of great happiness, most cat owners will look upon a puddle of drool with a sigh or a shrug.
The important thing to remember is that, while cat drooling can be a benign behavior, it can also signify disease, medical problems, or pain that shouldn’t be ignored.
Hello, Kitty! 10 Feline Facts Worth Pouncing On
There’s irrefutable proof that humans have coexisted with cats for nearly 10,000 years, a solid amount of time to really get to know a species. However, anecdotal evidence collected over millennia and contemporary scientific research support what we intrinsically already knew: there’s still much to learn about the mysterious cat! We love them because they keep us guessing, but also because of the following feline facts we know to be true.
Borderline Bizarre
A grave in Cyprus revealed human and kitten remains, proving a relationship between our two species that possibly began 9,500 years ago. Cats were a non-native species to this Mediterranean island, so the humans that brought this cat (or his or her relative) did so purposely.
While a cat on a rudimentary boat or raft seems unbelievable, consider the feline fact that cats can drink seawater! Unlike humans, healthy feline kidneys can efficiently filter out the salt and not become dehydrated.
10 Feline Facts
With quirky characteristics and puzzling skills, we adore and admire cats for these feline facts (and so many more!):