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Is Your Cat Crazy?

As a feline behaviorist, I get countless calls from owners claiming
that their cats aren¹t normal. ³My cat¹s gone crazy!² they¹ll say, or
³I have the weirdest cat in the world!² Is it true? Are these cats
abnormal? No. Most of those cats are very normal, but that always
surprises their owners.

Understanding ŒCat Normal¹

While there are cats out there displaying truly abnormal behaviors,
many of the problems we as owners label as out of the ordinary are
actually perfectly reasonable for a cat ­ not necessarily acceptable,
but what might be termed Œcat normal¹ all the same. An owner¹s
understanding of what¹s normal for a cat and what¹s not determines how
successful he or she can be in changing a behavior.

Cat Logic

The most common behavior problem, the one that causes most owners to
stare bug-eyed at their cats and scream, ³WHAT¹S WRONG WITH YOU?² is
when kitty stops using the litterbox. The truth is, and this may be
hard to believe; the behavior is normal. In fact, it¹s logical, looked
at from your cat¹s point of view.

Why would he suddenly refuse to go in his litterbox? For starters, it
may be a medical problem, such as lower urinary tract disease (common
among cats, especially males). The irritated bladder may cause him to
feel as if it¹s more full than it actually is, and he¹ll need to void
right then and there. If the litterbox is on the other side of the
house, he doesn¹t have time to reach it. He may even associate the pain
he feels upon urination with the litterbox itself.

Another normal reason a cat may choose to eliminate outside of his box
is if it¹s just too darn dirty, or if it contains an unfamiliar kind of
litter. A cat is a creature of habit, and abrupt changes are met with
suspicion.

A cat who sprays can cause an owner unlimited frustration but, once
again, the behavior is normal. A cat is a territorial animal and
spraying is, bar none, the definitive calling card. A cat reaching
sexual maturity will often spray (this can be remedied with neutering),
and a cat perceiving a territorial threat may spray. If your neutered
cat has begun spraying, there may be a cat outside, or perhaps you¹ve
added another pet to your family. Usually the spraying is the result of
something different ­ and perceived as a territorial threat ­ in the
home. Looking at it from your cat¹s point of view can usually help you
find the cause and eliminate it, modify it or gingerly desensitize your
cat to its presence. For a territorial animal, spraying is a perfectly
reasonable, assertive but relatively unaggressive reaction to a
threatening situation.

Scratch a Cat, Find a Feline

What about scratching the furniture? Do you feel as if your cat is bent
on total household destruction? No, he¹s not systematically demolishing
your furniture ­ he¹s being a normal cat. Felines have a need and
several reasons to scratch: for claw conditioning, for muscle
stretching, as an emotional outlet and for territorial security. Once
again, the species¹ territorial side needs expression and scratching
leaves a visual mark (much to your dismay) and a scent mark (through
glands in the paw pads). The reason he¹s using your sofa instead of his
scratching post is probably because the post isn¹t sturdy enough or the
right texture. In the wild, a cat uses a tree or a fence for
scratching.

Understanding Aggression

A common aggressive behavior that owners find perplexing is called
redirected aggression. An example of this might be how your cat
suddenly lashes out at you when you innocently pet him while he¹s
looking out the window.

Your reaction to this seemingly unprovoked aggression is that the cat
has, for not reason, turned mean. The simple truth is, he might have
seen a strange cat outside and was already in a very agitated state
when you suddenly startled him. The overreaction on his part was merely
the result of the threat he was feeling from the presence of a cat in
his domain. This doesn¹t mean that you now have an aggressive cat. In
most cases, he¹ll calm down in a few hours and be back to his old self.
Sometimes it takes blocking access to that window until he forgets
about the cat outside.

Moonlight Madness

Cats are nocturnal hunters, so it makes perfect sense for your kitty to
prowl around after dark. If the nightly noise gets to be too much, try
playing with him right before bed in order to work off some of his
energy and satisfy his hunting desire.

Cats display lots of funny, quirky, confusing, annoying, serious and
even dangerous behavior that often leave owners scratching their head
in wonder. Don¹t assume your cat is weird. Find the cause of the
behavior, whether it¹s physical, medical, emotional or environmental,
and you¹ll find it makes sense in a strange, feline way.

Excerpts taken from article "Is Your Cat Crazy" by Pam Johnson Bennett
in 1998 Special Issue of Pet Let Magazine