Behavior in Cats

Cats have some of the most perplexing behaviors of any type of domesticated animal. Cat owners can both love and hate these feline friends for their relaxed attitude and bossy behavior. However, aside from these characteristics, there are other behaviors that might be unusual or concern a pet-owner. These habits often tend to make people curious and ask, "Why is my cat doing that?" Most behaviors usually have valid explanations and are mediums by which the cat expresses itself and its needs.

  1. Scents

    • A cat often rubs itself against furniture, doorways and even against its human owners. Cats are said to do this to mark its territories. Cats have scent glands on various body parts, such as on its tail, the sides of its head, on its chin, in between its front paws and close to its sex organs. Rubbing itself against different surfaces marks those surfaces as "theirs." Male cats also do urine spraying as another form of territory-marking.

    Ground-Scratching

    • Usually, cats scratch at the ground after defecating. A cat does this to try to cover its feces with soil to bury it into the ground. Researchers say that cats do this in order to cover its trails from predators and minimize the scent its feces may leave behind.

    Grooming

    • A cat can often be seen licking its paws, then wiping or "washing" its face with the paw. This behavior is how a cat grooms itself. Upon further observation, cat owners will notice that after this "face-washing," their cat will then proceed to lick other body parts to continue the grooming ritual. This behavior is frequently seen during the day, since cats spend almost 30 percent of its waking hours on grooming.

    Furniture Scratching

    • Many cat owners have problems with scratched furniture because of their cat's habit of scratching at furniture and wood items. Cats derive immense pleasure from scratching, and this routine is said to condition a cat's nails by removing the old layers. Cat owners should provide a scratching post for the cat since this behavior cannot be eliminated.

    Kneading

    • A very observant cat owner will notice that her cat sometimes kneads its paws on her lap, on a favorite sleeping spot or piece of clothing. Although there is speculation as to why this behavior evolved, it only means that the cat is happy and content, especially when done before or after being petted. Some cats do this for several minutes or longer.