Cats Only News

Remember, your cat's yearly examination is the most important part of its health care

Cats Only Veterinary Clinic

3416 Riverside Drive, Columbus, Ohio 43221

(614) 459-4105  Fax: (614) 459-5704

Hours: M 8-6, T-Th 8-8, Fri 8-5, Sat 9-2pm

Cat Behavior

To understand your cat, it is important to appreciate the reasons why they behave the way they do.  The domestic cat’s lineage can be traced to African wildcats.  For survival, it was necessary to hunt for food, hide from predators and find appropriate mates.  Wildcats adapted to these needs by hunting at night, or being nocturnal.  This allowed cats to find food while decreasing the risk of being seen by predators.  In this way, a keen sense of hearing and smell became more important than vision as a way for the cat to survive.  A limited space that the cat was familiar with also provided a sense of safety from predators and made hunting easier.  To define this space, or territory, the cats used scent glands located in the face and feet as well as urine to mark their territory.  Cats select only enough space that will sustain their needs so that they don’t use all their energy and resources to remark and defend their territory from predators and other cats.  Our modern domestic cats have not evolved that far from their ancestors.  Therefore, it is easy to understand why your cat is predatory, territorial, and nocturnal.

Communicating With Your Cat

Of course, your cat does not understand what you are saying, but does understand that actions do have consequences.  Cats learn by experience.  Research has taught us that cats do not respond well to punishment, therefore, we must utilize rewards to form and encourage acceptable behavior and preventions to avoid unacceptable behaviors.  You cannot train a cat by force, threats, or punishment (many times this only makes things worse). 

If you want to influence your cat’s behavior, you will need to find the right motivation (scratches under the chin or a tasty treat) to encourage your kitty to perform the correct behavior.  The more consistently you reward the proper behavior, the more ingrained this behavior will become, and eventually that behavior will become habit. Since punishment is rarely successful, the best way to deal with inappropriate behavior is to prevent it. 

The Cats Only Care Manual

A Guideline for New Cat Owners

    Cats make excellent pets, and if you will take some time to understand your new cat, you will be rewarded with years of enjoyment.  These pages will give you valuable information on cat behavior, litterbox training, dental care, obedience, and other important topics to help you and your new cat start off on the right foot.  Please take the time to read it through, and if you have any questions, our Cats Only veterinarians will be glad to help.