Information About Cats and Kittens

Cats are very special animals, though much of the time their behavior can seem surprising and strange. Understanding why cats act the way they do and how they learn their behavior is not always easy. Cats learn their behavior based on experience, what we might call empirical acquisition. In this regard, if a cat feels that a certain experience is pleasant, she'll likely strive to repeat that experience over and over. The opposite can be said of unpleasant experiences. Once we understand the reasons why cats behave the way they do, we can make some changes to their behavior to get them to behave in a way we would prefer.

With this in mind we must be certain that, when training a cat, we encourage acceptable cat behavior and discourage unwanted or unacceptable behavior. Many cat owners try to train their cats using reprimands. This method, however, is not recommended as it is pretty much unsuccessful. The only way to reprimand a cat is to catch her in the act of the bad behavior. While certainly you may be able to do this, this only teaches your cat that getting caught is not good. Therefore your cat will most likely still exhibit the bad behavior, just not in your presence.

In order to make the cat training process as successful as possible, start by establishing a good relationship with your cat. You can achieve this by giving your cat the attention and positive reinforcement that she needs. This includes playing with her or perhaps giving her massages every once in a while.. Additionally, progress during your cat's training process will be faster if you include as many chances for rewarding her as you possibly can. Observe your cat's behavior and praise her every time she acts correctly, such as when she plays with her scratching post or uses her litter box. Likewise, make a list of the things that your cat likes to do that you find inappropriate. You can then work on making these activities unpleasant for her. Your cat will notice the difference and will certainly begin to adapt her behavior as she begins to prefer those activities that are most pleasant to her, the same ones that will be acceptable for you.

The mysterious behavior of cats:

A cat's behavior is comprised of many unexpected and sometimes mysterious things. Learning to understand their behavior is the key to learning how to train them. Cats have a tendency to be possessive and protective of their territory because they have a very acute sense of smell. This sense develops even before a kitten can see or hear, making it a very important sense during their early days. It helps them to recognize their own home from the rest.

The different scents that cats experience during their kitten hood are important for their development and adjustment as they grow up. Cats learn to relate the smell of something with an event which, depending on how good or bad that first experience was, will pretty much establish what their reaction to it will be once they detect that same scent later in life. Early socialization, then, becomes very important in a kitten's development. Cats should be exposed to all kinds of scents. A positive experience with a specific scent will create a positive relation between the cat's behavior and the particular smell. A negative experience, on the other hand, will create a negative relation between the event and the scent. In fact, such negative scents can even provoke violent and aggressive reactions.

MARKING THEIR TERRITORY

Cats possess scent glands in many parts of their bodies: their tails, paws, forehead, lips, and so on. These scent glands are used every time that a cat wants to mark his territory. When cats rub against a person or a thing, they exchange scent, leaving and picking up scent on each interaction. This is an important cat habit. If you suddenly decide to change all of your furniture, your cat will not recognize his own place and will likely attempt to mark what is new.

Cats do not like to feel lost like this and often feel the need to mark every thing they come into contact with. This is what is defined as ‘marking their territory'. Cats can do this by either rubbing against an object or by marking it with urine. Once an object has been marked, cats will be able to recognize their. Once they are familiar with the smell, they will establish a positive relationship with it. This concept is what you need to keep in mind when introducing your cat to an unfamiliar smell or a new thing. Some experts will advise, for example, that you rub any new furniture with your cat's smell by using a towel that has been rubbed on her or her bedding. This will help make the familiarization process smoother.

The social nature of cats:

A cat's social nature can also be quite complex and a bit difficult for us to understand. Unlike humans and other animals, cats do not usually tend to be group animals. They are more prone to be private and solitary. However, this does not mean that cats cannot live with other cats or that they do not adapt well into a family. Cats do adapt well and much of their adaptation process is established while they are still kittens. They do fit into groups, but in a different way than we might think. Cats are somewhat selfish creatures. They are not pack animals by nature and, therefore, there is no pressure for them to comply with or obey the will of others. Cats like to rule their own lives. It may, then, seem somewhat difficult to train a cat and, in fact, most cats will only respond to training if what you are trying to get them to do is appealing to them.

However possessive cats might seem, there is something peculiar about their behavior: they will go to great lengths to avoid confrontation with other cats. There is no need among cats to establish dominance because, as already mentioned, they are not pack animals and therefore do not need to fight to set up a hierarchy. Most cats prefer to avoid each other in an effort to avoid any possible reason for confrontation. The only time they will fight will be to protect their territory, but not any further. And even when this happens, it is mostly only a spectacle of threats rather than an actual physical fight.

GETTING TO KNOW A NEW CAT

If you already own a cat and decide to bring home a new cat, there are certain things that you need to take into consideration. First of all, try to anticipate your cat's reaction to the new guest. Cats typically do better with new kittens as opposed to new adult cats. The reason for this is that the older cat will not feel threatened and will not adopt a defensive stand with the much younger cat. However, if you have a cat that has not been properly socialized to live with other animals or if your cat simply does not like the company of other pets in the house, then bringing home a new pet may not be such a good idea.

When bringing home a new cat, you must first prepare for the two cats to meet. Try to position your new cat in a room of your house separated from your cat. Let your new cat become familiar with his surroundings and mark his territory. Once he is well accustomed to his new place, begin exchanging scents between your cats. You can do this by bringing the new cat some things that have the older cat's smell, such as toys, bedding, or a towel that has been rubbed on the cat. Then bring some things with the new cat's smell on them to your older cat. Once the two cats have become familiar with their scents, the introduction will be much easier since they have already been introduced to the way they smell.

The acquaintance process can take several days, weeks, and sometimes even months. Never, during this process, should you intervene or force your two cats to get along. Let them decide when and how they will accept each other. If you intervene, you could provoke an undesired reaction from one or both cats and they may then try to avoid each other as much as possible.

The natural instincts of cats:

The predatory behavior of cats is a characteristic that all cats are born with. They learn this behavior from their mother or other female cats who teach them how to trap, kill, and eat prey. It is very common among some female cats to bring home dead prey and drop it right in front of their owners. This behavior exhibits her need to teach others, even if they are not her kittens, how to eat prey. This behavior can be dangerous if you have birds or small animals like hamsters in your home.

When cats live in environments where there are no birds or rodents to chase and kill, they tend to express their hunting instincts by chasing imaginary prey. You might see your cat running around the house, hanging on to your drapes and curtains, or even imagining people as their prey. There are a wide variety of toys for your cat to play with to keep this behavior from becoming a problem at home. These toys are meant to fuel your cat's natural hunting instinct by mimicking moving prey. They will keep your cat busy chasing, and will save your home and your furniture from becoming your cat's imaginary preys.

Aggressive reactions in cats:

Health issues can also make a cat react in unexpected and violent way. If your cat's behavior seems extreme or uncharacteristic, it's probably best to have her checked by your veterinarian. A sudden aggressive response can be the product of a more serious medical problem.

CURING AND PREVENTING AGGRESSIVENESS

Solving a cat's habit of biting, scratching, and other aggressive behavior can take some time according to your cat's age and the time, effort and attention that you're willing to give. Aggressive reactions are typically more easily changed with younger cats than with older cats. An aggressive reaction can be minimized or eliminated by socializing your kitten as early as possible. Nevertheless, curing a cat's violent response should be done as soon as she reacts this way for the first time. Remember that it is always important to give your cat the attention needed and to take time to play with her on a daily basis. Be aware of your cat's reactions and cut your petting time short when it appears that she tires of being petted and is about to bite or exhibit some other unwanted behavior.

Learning not to bite by playing:

There is an excellent method for teaching your cat not to bite which can take place while you're playing. When playing a game, keep in mind that your cat's hunting instincts are behind her reason to bite. What you need to teach your cat first is to understand the difference between play and aggressive behavior. For many cats, there is a very fine line and it is up to you to train her to differentiate. Start playing with your cat in a very calm manner and slowly pick up the pace. As soon as your cat begins to take the game too seriously, stop playing and walk away. Repeat the same exercise in your next playing session. Once again, as soon as your cat's game turns violent, quit playing and completely ignore her. By then your cat will begin to associate that her aggressive behavior is preventing her from having fun with you. Based on the fact that cats love playing, your cat will begin to make every effort possible to avoid implementing any type of aggressive behavior while you play.

As your cat learns not to bite you, you will still need to give her something that she can bite on in order to satisfy her chasing and hunting needs, such as a toy. Try to schedule some time during the day to play with you cat to hunt and kill these objects. Praise and reward your cat every time she plays with her toys and does not display aggressive behavior toward you.

The importance of socialization:

Socialization is a very important process that will mostly define your cat's acceptance and good relationship with things within his environment. Good socialization skills are developed when kittens are exposed to as many things as possible, including other pets, people, situations, and so on. The more events that your kitten encounters and has positive reactions to, the better response she will have when these events are repeated throughout the course of her life.

It is important that you make the socialization process as entertaining and rewarding as you possibly can. This means that during this process, your kitten will need to accept being handled and being touched by other people so that she will not fear strangers. This will prove beneficial when you have to take your cat to the veterinarian. Make sure that all the experiences your kitten is introduced to are pleasurable experiences. That way your kitten will build a good association between the event and the reward.

While it is easier to teach a kitten not to fear strangers and to tolerate being handled, it can be a lot harder for a cat that has already developed a fear of strangers. These cats feel threatened by the presence of strange people and it is important that you not force your cat to lose her fear. Instead, allow your cat to begin building her own confidences, let her be the one who approaches the strange person, however long this process may take. You can also help speed up the process by having the stranger to give your cat treats or by only giving your cat treats when strangers are around. You will be helping your cat to associate good things with visitors. Once your cat's confidence among strangers has been built up, the next step will be setting up the environment so that your cat will allow herself to be touched by strangers. Once again, the process needs to start slowly and you must not force any sort of situation that your cat might find unpleasant. Since your cat already associates good things with the presences of strangers, the next steps will be much easier to overcome.

Be careful with your plants:

While plants at home might make your house look very nice, they pose a great risk for your cats if ingested. Many of these plants are poisonous to cats. Ask your veterinarian for better advice as to which plants are dangerous for your cat and which ones are not. If your cat does develop the habit of eating your house plants, there are certain things that you can do to teach your cat to stay away from your plants.

Start by all plants so that they're inaccessible to your cat and purchase a kitty garden for your cat. Train your cat to use her kitty garden. You can also hide some pieces of your cat's favorite treat or food in her little garden to make it even more appealing. Once your cat has become used to eating from her own garden, you can then reintroduce your plants into the rest of your house. You might want to test your cat first to see if her plant-eating habits have stopped. Begin by bringing in one plant and spray its leaves on one side with hot sauce and on the other side with your perfume. The perfume will attract your cat. If your cat approaches the perfume-scented plant and decides to eat one of the leaves, the taste of the hot sauce will be very unpleasant for your cat and will most likely prevent her from wanting to eat any of that plant's leaves ever again.

Still, keep an eye on your cat and her reaction during the following days. If your cat chooses to take a bite of another leave, the experience will be just as unpleasant as it was the first time, though it is very unlikely your cat will want to taste another leave again. Your cat will know that she can find and eat better tasting plants from her kitty garden. If your cat does not approach the plant again, bring in the next plant but only spray the leaves with your perfume. If your cat approaches the plant, the scent will be similar to the first plant and your cat should not be interested in it. After this, you can start bringing in the rest of your plants. You can periodically spray them with your perfume to prevent your cat from being interested in them.

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